i isa, right. he says and she's crying for a second. >> but my cb1 did the song is when he says lai lie ross. >> i added every time. so thank you for having that in there. i appreciate it, harry enten. thank you all. as well for watching the whole story with anderson cooper is next. i love that song welcome to the whole store. i'm anderson cooper. we are less than seven months away from the next presidential election. but even now for years after joe biden one, there are a number of down trump's supporters who dispute those results. and that's not all they dispute. the january 6 attack was an insurrection the dispute, the idea of separation of church and state in america. some even dispute that the last super bowl was played honestly, n by speaking directly to those who believe in conspiracies and those who are trying to battle them. [music playing] donnie o'sullivan: this event today is at a church but [laughs] not entirely clear what kind of church it really is. one of the guest speakers there today is a man by the name of derrick evans. he spent three months in prison for his role in the attack on the us capitol, and now he's running for congress. [rain pattering] (singing) for the land of the free and the home of the brave [applause] supporter: that was excellent. thank you so very much. thank you. we are honored to have with us today a gentleman that has extremely interesting stories. derek evans is a j6 survivor, and he's running for congress as well. so let's give him a warm welcome. [applause] derrick evans: awesome. thank you guys for coming out here today. i really appreciate it. i spent eight days in solitary confinement because i refused the covid vaccine while they were holding me hostage. [applause] i'm calling for a prisoner exchange. we need to release the january 6 political prisoners and lock up the criminals who stole the election to begin with. [applause] donnie o'sullivan: national media headlines about you is, january 6 insurrectionist now he's running for congress. what do you want people to know about you beyond that big headline? derrick evans: well, first of all, i'm husband and a father. i've got four beautiful children. i love my family very much. i love my community. i love my country. and i think it's despicable that the media and particularly cnn has helped paint this false narrative of insurrection. donnie o'sullivan: how would you characterize what happened on january 6? derrick evans: january 6 was the most patriotic day of my life. trump! whoo! insurrectionist: we're not putting up with this tyrannical rule. [shouting] donnie o'sullivan: [screaming] help! i did nothing wrong that day. we have natural god-given rights in this country. i know a lot of people out there, a lot of your viewers, who are probably a lot of good people, but they believe that our rights come from the government. that's simply not true. our rights come from god. calm down, guys. come down in the back. i'm heard reminding people to be peaceful and nonviolent and nondestructive. we're in! we're in! insurrectionist: usa! derrick evans: derrick evans is in the capitol. no vandalizing property. i did more to control the crowd than the police did that day, and i'm the one that goes to prison. donnie o'sullivan: so why were you sent to prison? derrick evans: because this is a political charges right now. i'm a political prisoner. all these people in prison now are political prisoners. donnie o'sullivan: you did decide to plead guilty. derrick evans: yeah. donnie o'sullivan: was that just out of practicality? derrick evans: well, i mean, when you're facing 24 years in prison, what options do you really have? i was ready to move on with my life. and the constitution was written for one reason and one reason only. it was written to prevent the government from infringing on our natural god-given rights. what i was doing that day was not only protected by the constitution was protected by those natural god-given rights of free speech. donnie o'sullivan: but also, of course, there's a separation between church and state. derrick evans: no there's not. there's no separation of church and state. that's another lie that's been portrayed by the left. there's no separation of church and state. there's not one, ever. donnie o'sullivan: invoking religion to promote our politics and justify our actions is nothing new. indeed before he was running for congress, derrick made a name for himself harassing women outside abortion clinics. [interposing voices] derrick evans: i told you we're growing in numbers, i told you we're growing in numbers! better get used to it donnie o'sullivan: but what was happening here-- marjorie talor greene: i've got two pronouns, trump won! donnie o'sullivan: --in this church, it felt different. marjorie talor greene: all right. well, i guess we got the fake news here, you might as well get the real news because-- [cheering] donnie o'sullivan: here conspiracy theories reign supreme. ann vandersteel: --seven, eight years. and i have a very high level source who contacted me the other day and said, ann, you need to get this out because this is the playbook. you look at oklahoma. you look at 911, and you realize the reason planes flew into buildings, and bombs have gone off in certain places is because they're destroying evidence. donnie o'sullivan: you've been labeled an extremist. derrick evans: falsely, yeah. donnie o'sullivan: you would say falsely? derrick evans: yeah. the stuff you posted on christmas day. derrick evans: what about it? donnie o'sullivan: the democrats being lynched-- derrick evans: ok. donnie o'sullivan: --you probably shouldn't have done that, should you? derrick evans: i want to see fauci in handcuffs. i want to see mayorkas in handcuffs. i want to see them standing right now in front of a jury shackled. donnie o'sullivan: you want to see them hung? derrick evans: i want to see them in front of a jury shackled in a military tribunal. and whatever the jury decides, we accept that outcome. keep in mind that this is spiritual warfare. this is a battle of good versus evil right now. marjorie talor greene: you're the deplorables, the second-class citizens that's supposed to not have freedom of speech. ann vandersteel: the dod, by the way, is behind the development of the covid shots, behind the development of this horrific killing machine. reverend: everybody have a candle? all right, welcome. we had a good day, huh? donnie o'sullivan: later that evening, some of the congregation gathered nearby at a sister church. siri: this is a free call from-- jeremy brown (on phone): jeremy. siri: --an incarcerated individual at citrus county florida. jeremy brown (on phone): for the last 826 days i have served as a political prisoner of war in my own country. donnie o'sullivan: jeremy brown was a member of the oath keepers militia and was seen outside the capitol on january 6. he called into the church and began preaching conspiracy theories that trump supporters weren't really responsible for the attack. jeremy brown (on phone): january 6, 2021 when the clandestine compartmentalized unconventional warfare operation planned, coordinated, and executed by compromised elements within the department of defense intelligence community and federal law enforcement. donnie o'sullivan: wow, this is gorgeous. how are you? rachel powell: good donnie o'sullivan: nice to meet you. rachel powell: you too. good morning. donnie o'sullivan: thanks so much for having us. rachel powell: yep. my name is rachel powell. and i've had eight kids, so i've been busy. and i have my seventh grandchild coming up to be born this year. donnie o'sullivan: this is your last weekend before you go in to prison for the next four or five years. how have you been spending the weekend? rachel powell: i know it's not a funeral procession, but it reminds me of that my friends, my family they've been coming in and it's just been really busy, which is good because when it gets quiet for a minute that's when the emotions set in. donnie o'sullivan: do you remember where you were when you heard that biden had won the election? rachel powell: i do. i was at my house, and i got a phone call saying that biden won. and i was like, what? donnie o'sullivan: you couldn't believe it? rachel powell: no, absolutely. and people around me couldn't believe it either. donnie o'sullivan: you still can't believe it. rachel powell: i still can't believe it. donnie o'sullivan: why did you decide to go to dc on january 6? rachel powell: well, how often does a president ask you to come to a rally? doesn't happen. donnie o'sullivan: at some point this goes from peaceful protest to you having an ice ax in your hand. rachel powell: like, magically. donnie o'sullivan: did somebody give you the ice axe? rachel powell: yeah. donnie o'sullivan: who? rachel powell: i don't know. donnie o'sullivan: you don't remember. [noise] you'd admit this is a bad look, obviously. rachel powell: oh, totally. donnie o'sullivan: [chuckles] yeah. rachel powell: you know how dumb i feel when i look at this picture. like, oh, my goodness. like-- [sighs] [crack] [shouting] donnie o'sullivan: you had an axe in your hand. you broke a window. you were shouting over a bullhorn to tell people to take the building. [clanking] rachel powell: yep. donnie o'sullivan: why should people believe that you weren't trying to overturn the election and do something illegal and commit insurrection? rachel powell: it's ridiculous. if we wanted-- if we went there with a plan to take that building with as many people as were there, and we were coordinated, we'd have been in there in 30 seconds. donnie o'sullivan: have you ever had a moment where you're like, maybe i'm wrong. maybe biden actually won the election. maybe i'm the conspiracy theorist. rachel powell: no. not at all. nope. donnie o'sullivan: so in a few days, you're going to be reporting to federal prison. rachel powell: right donnie o'sullivan: how have you talked about that to your children? rachel powell: yeah. i'm sorry, it's like my last weekend before i go in. but like, i love my children so much. and so it's like the last thing that they can take from me, and that'll be the hard part. and i don't deserve this. and my kids don't deserve it. like, have we not been through enough? like it's the last thing that we have to lose is each other. [sniffles] donnie o'sullivan: it had been just three years since the capitol attack. a day that costs lives. [shouting] insurrectionist: let's go! donnie o'sullivan: and ruined lives. [shouting] but the truth of what happened that day has been so twisted-- reporter: lies about january 6, which have been relentless, almost like it was a coordinated operation. donnie o'sullivan: --so warped. alex jones: 20 confirmed incidents that dozens of feds, fbi agents, and state operatives who infiltrated the trump crowds on january 6 the us capitol. we have total on top of all the other proof more proof. donnie o'sullivan: --that those who took part in the attack are being lauded in churches. derrick evans: we'll talk about all the corruption that happened surrounding january 6, the feds direction because we know that the federal government was involved. donnie o'sullivan: --and the man who incited it all he's still the hero. rachel powell: so this hat says, rachel we love you, trump. donnie o'sullivan: are you hoping trump will pardon you? rachel powell: i know he'll pardon me. that's not a hope. i know that trump will pardon me. donnie o'sullivan: rachel, still had faith in trump, even facing the election lies that were sending her to prison. but how wide are these lies among the wider trump base? i went to vegas to find out. do i put it all on red or all on black tonight? supporter: put it on 21. donnie o'sullivan: 21? supporter: 21. donnie o'sullivan: ok. supporter: yeah. [audio logo] supporter: because i'm the only person in history to win cars in both the wheel of fortune and the price is right. donnie o'sullivan: i came over to you because i saw your shirt. supporter: uh-huh donnie o'sullivan: that's trump being arraigned. supporter: yeah. supporter: we should all be united to stand with this man. supporter: i was better off four years ago. donnie o'sullivan: i believe trump is the only hope right now on the earth. donnie o'sullivan: what happens if trump loses? supporter: we're in a whole lot of trouble. supporter: all right! donnie o'sullivan: who are you guys with? deejon lackey: i feel like the mainstream media makes me feel like my views are-- i'm wrong for having my views. i was a lifelong democrat until 2019. donnie o'sullivan: until 2019? deejon lackey: yes. donnie o'sullivan: what changed? deejon lackey: donald trump. joe black: who are you guys with? donnie o'sullivan: cnn. joe black: that's what we thought. donnie o'sullivan: yeah. joe black: are you guys going to cover it accurately? donnie o'sullivan: you don't think it's accurate? joe black: not really. i think you guys do soundbites. donnie o'sullivan: where do you get most of your news and information now? joe black: i go to multiple different sources like telegram. i try to stay off the main sites like facebook and stuff like that. it's all got algorithms and stuff like that are designed to hide your post. donnie o'sullivan: you get fact checked on facebook? joe black: well, but fact checked by who? some guy that's 30 years old living in his mom's basement. julianne: i would love to speak to you. donnie o'sullivan: all right. julianne: you don't have to put it on the camera if you don't want to. donnie o'sullivan: sure. we might as well put it on camera. julianne: the job of the journalist is to ask the questions, allow the person to speak, and just report the facts. what was spoken. would you like for me to pull up the definition of journalist? donnie o'sullivan: that's ok, but thank you, julianne. julianne: ok. donnie o'sullivan: i met julianne, a die-hard trump supporter from texas who was in vegas for a gun show. julianne: i have a god-given right to speak my own truth. donnie o'sullivan: she still believes the 2020 election was stolen. but there are facts, right? julianne: the facts have shown that the election was stolen. whether you're willing to look at that and accept that and really show what's going on, that's your issue not ours. we want the god-given freedom that our constitution and our bill of rights is based on. donnie o'sullivan: god-given constitutional rights. julianne: yes. donnie o'sullivan: there are two different things, right? julianne: no, sir. they're not. read, r-e-a-d the constitution. read it out loud to yourself so that you hear what the words of the constitution. say. donnie o'sullivan: god isn't mentioned in the constitution. julianne: sir! you had to learn the constitution to become a us citizen. donnie o'sullivan: no, i didn't. julianne: you didn't? donnie o'sullivan: no. julianne: you did not have to learn the constitution or the bill of rights to become a us citizen? donnie o'sullivan: i was born a us citizen. my mom was american. but this isn't about me. julianne: you just made a statement. you tried to make what you're considering as a factual statement that god is not talked about. donnie o'sullivan: in the constitution and bill of rights. julianne: ok. ok. hold on. donnie o'sullivan: i can pull it up on my phone too if we can do it. julianne: ok, sure. go ahead. i'm trying to-- i might have just gotten something wrong, which they'll probably use that to-- donnie o'sullivan: ok, you have the-- what you have there? julianne: let me say this. donnie o'sullivan: all right julianne: and this is probably why i get it. in the united states, the federal constitution does not make a reference to god as such. although, it uses the formula the year of our lord, which is capitalized in article 7. there's only one lord capitalized l-o-r-d. so there is a reference to god in our constitution and in our bill of rights. in article 7, go read it. donnie o'sullivan: one reference that states the date. julianne: one reference is enough. it refers to the year of the lord, capital l-o-r-d. there's only one lord. donnie o'sullivan: religion has always played a role in american politics. pope pius xii said, "into the hands of america, god has placed and afflicted mankind." (singing) amazing grace how sweet the sound donnie o'sullivan: but what's happening now is different. chrisitan nationalist: jesus christ, we invoke your name. chrisitan nationalist: amen. i'm to the place right now if you vote democrat, i don't even want you around this church. you can get out. you can get out you, demon. you can get out you, baby butchering, election thief. you cannot be a christian and vote democrat in this nation. chrisitan nationalist: we are going to have one nation under god, and one religion under god. chrisitan nationalist: and i'm tired of this separation of church and state junk. donnie o'sullivan: it has a name. it's called christian nationalism. julianne: i say it proudly. we should be christian nationalists. dennis jacobsen: january 6, crosses everywhere. huge poster of a white jesus with a make america great again red hat on. as a christian, it just grabbed my guts and got me furious. [shouting] chrisitan nationalist: we're going to reclaim america for christ, retake america for christians. chrisitan nationalist: so we hold up president trump before the creator of the universe. chrisitan nationalist: this is an explicitly christian country. chrisitan nationalist: the bible says those that truly follow jesus christ take it by force. donnie o'sullivan: this perversion of patriotism and fate has pastors across the country worried that their flocks are being led astray. pastor: i see in american christian nationalism toxic anxiety and rage. and i see it tearing families apart pastor: christian nationalism is not christian at all. pastor: i started getting called names by people that i loved and had known for over a decade. i was called a fascist a communist and that i had a luciferian spirit of fear. [audio logo] and they're all coming? those who are still with us, yes. grandpa! what's this? your wings. light 'em up! gentlemen, it's a beautiful... ...day to fly. chrisitan nationalist: there is a demonic hedge of protection around joe biden. - if this nation is going to succeed, they better put christians into office. you vote for the person who holds closest to a biblical worldview value. donnie o'sullivan: they preach christian nationalism, and they pray for trump. but this pastor says they are leading their flocks in a dangerous direction. caleb campbell: and so father, we give you this time. as we think about how we manage our common life together, as we think about government and politics. pastor: our concern today is political extremism on the right side of american politics. pastor: so that's what-- we have tried to do-- this event today is organized in a response to christian nationalism. caleb campbell: we've recognized that there's a deficiency in training pastors how to actually engage scripture, and then apply that into the political life. and so it is an answer to what we saw as an aberration from the teachings of jesus, which is american christian nationalism. donnie o'sullivan: pastor caleb campbell knows a lot about extremism. he used to be a neo-nazi skinhead who played the drums. caleb campbell: when i was a teenager, i fell in with a group of neo-nazi skinheads and did that. after high school, we had a woman from the church was dialing drummers and called me and said, can you come play at the church? donnie o'sullivan: he began playing here at the desert springs bible church 23 years later he's still here. so it's in this room where you had your awakening? caleb campbell: yeah and our tradition we call it like a conversion experience. and i was baptized in this room. it's been quite a ride i definitely didn't expect to be a pastor, much less a pastor in a church like this. donnie o'sullivan: do you know how many times god is mentioned in this, in the constitution. caleb campbell: zero. donnie o'sullivan: yeah, it gets mentioned once, i think, our lord in terms of in the year of our lord. caleb campbell: evangelical christians of which i am one. i'm a theological evangelical they are generally operating under the assumption that the christian god is all over. the declaration of independence, the constitution. and then i'll just invite them to read it. let's read it together. and let's just highlight all the spaces that anything uniquely christian shows up. and you'll notice that we have not had to pull out our highlighter. there are certainly ideas that have been shaped throughout human history by the christian tradition. it's not power that dominates or seeks-- donnie o'sullivan: pastor caleb is not alone in his fight against christian nationalism. in milwaukee, where trump will officially be declared, the republican candidate at the rnc this summer pastors jackson, jacobson, and shaw are also sounding the alarm. dennis jacobsen: can you really with a straight face look at the life teachings, way, and death of jesus and line that up with the correlates of christian nationalism, anti-muslim, racist, anti-immigrant. i mean, it just doesn't work. donnie o'sullivan: what i'll hear at events is the founding fathers were christian. america was built off christian values, therefore, this is a christian country, and we should have christian government. richard shaw: why then is jesus nor christianity mentioned in the constitution. why would you even place in that freedom of religion? so to me, the argument is silly. it's nonsense. i'm going to really have a problem with christianity if you say that it was found off of christian values with the things that took place right here on american soil. what was done to the native americans, then what was done to my people and others. donnie o'sullivan: dennis, i can sense that you're particularly . angry. i mean, this really gets to you. dennis jacobsen: yeah, it does. i've had it up to here with distortion of one of the most astonishing revolutionaries into a white jesus wearing a red maga hat. it's just unbelievable to me. i think one reason that younger people are walking right past the door to church is because of the idiocy they see in this movement. (singing) whose broad stripes and bright stars. donnie o'sullivan: so a lot of americans believe that god views america as special. we tell ourselves that. that's part of how we have justified things like warfare. george walker bush: this crusade-- [explosion] --this war on terrorism is going to take a while. caleb campbell: we've said we're the good they're the evil, so god has this relationship with us. richard milhous nixon: the past few days when i've been at that window upstairs, i've thought a bit of the shining city upon a hill. caleb campbell: reagan invoked that america is the city on a hill. well, that's jerusalem. that's biblical language use of jerusalem. donnie o'sullivan: in 2020 pastor campbell began losing congregants. caleb campbell: so as an evangelical preacher, i'll alliterate. it was floyd, fauci, and the federal election. donnie o'sullivan: so what were they angry about? caleb campbell: oh, the way we navigated global pandemic. our response to floyd and his murder. just the fact that we called it murder was met with resistance. and then the federal election, and i was accused for the blue team because i didn't from the stage advocate for the red team. i don't tell people how i vote and by taking that posture is viewed as a betrayal of what god had chosen. donnie o'sullivan: some of his congregants left for dream city church, a place steeped in christian nationalism. pastor: it is the duty of our christian nation to select and prefer christians for their rulers. [applause] donald trump: a very special thank you to the dream city church for hosting us. donnie o'sullivan: pastor caleb has spent months attending christian nationalist events, something he documents caleb campbell: most of the folks that i've met like on the ground, i'm not talking about the leaders and the purveyors of american christian nationalism, they truly believe that this is what god wants. i honor their patriotism. i share much of their sentiments. but they are afraid, they're anxious about being erased. i think at the heart of this movement is the anxiety of ethnic erasure, that our way of being in the world is under imminent threat. donnie o'sullivan: do you see similarities there in what you were looking for? caleb campbell: yeah, it's what all of us are looking for. we're made as communal creatures. we're made for each other. so for me, an angry, rage-filled teenager, i found those things in this community. in american christian nationalist circles, many people are finding safety, belonging, and purpose. the problem is that you're not actually truly safe. if you ask a critical question in a christian nationalist circle, you will be tossed out. you'll be viewed as one of the phrases a rhino, a republican in name only. donnie o'sullivan: but this isn't just about christians and churches. it's about how distrust and fear is affecting our understanding of reality. joe black: i think you guys do sound bites. donnie o'sullivan: my conversation with joe back in vegas had been brief, but he had given me his number to stay in touch. joe black (on phone): hello. donnie o'sullivan: hey, joe. how are you doing? i thought our conversation the other day was very interesting. so i wanted to see if you'd be open to chatting about that a bit further. maybe i'd come to colorado to visit you? joe black (on phone): sure. come on down. donnie o'sullivan: let's go to colorado. [audio logo] [plane engine whirring] [music playing] joe black: here we are in grand junction. donnie o'sullivan: in grand junction. what happened to what happens in vegas stays in vegas. joe black: yeah, why didn't you stay there? donnie o'sullivan: some guys come home from vegas with a new bride, you come back from vegas d a bunch of cnn guys. joe black: everybody makes mistakes. [laughs] supporter: trump 2024! let's get excited. all right. donnie o'sullivan: after meeting him outside a trump rally in las vegas--- joe black: are you guys going to cover it accurately? donnie o'sullivan: --i wanted to understand better why joe doesn't trust someone like me, a journalist from the so-called mainstream media. he let us hang out with him for a couple of days here in grand junction, colorado. [music playing] have you always been interested in politics? joe black: since obama i've been pretty interested in politics. donnie o'sullivan: ok. so 2008. joe black: yeah. what was it about obama that got you interested? joe black: it was just all the talk around it. man: the president of the united states. joe black: he's a very smooth talking character. barrack obama: hope is that thing inside each of us. there is no challenge too great, no mission too hard. joe black: he gets up there, and he's very articulate. the words just flow right out of his mouth. barrack obama: obama out. joe black: you got to be for smooth talkers, you know. donnie o'sullivan: so if you want to find out what's going on in the world just right now today, what do you do? joe black: i check out different platforms that i feel that i can trust. donnie o'sullivan: one being telegram. joe black: telegram is definitely one. donnie o'sullivan: yeah. telegram is a platform first developed in russia that has few rules, few moderators, and no fact checkers. joe black: they made their big rise to fame after the 2020 election. donnie o'sullivan: so explain that to us, telegram gets big win. joe black: when twitter and facebook and even google, like, youtube and stuff were censoring a lot of the information that they were callng misinformation. reporter: this is cnn breaking news. reporter: i already got some more breaking news in the situation room right now. reporter: the president's twitter account been suspended. joe black: i feel like that's an insult to people to not be able to look at information and to discern it themselves you're calling that person stupid. donnie o'sullivan: joe says his facebook account was banned for sharing a meme about january 6. joe black: so i turn on my phone one day, and all of a sudden, it's been deactivated. donnie o'sullivan: how's that feel? joe black: it was horrible. i like facebook. it got social marketplace. you can do business. you can find things. so it's like being cut off of a part of life. it's like, thanks a lot mark or whoever's in charge. donnie o'sullivan: so what's a channel you follow on telegram if i wanted to see some of the news for today. joe black: my favorite one it's called patriot memes. it's a lot of memes. donnie o'sullivan: let's clear up a couple of myths-- joe black: not a woman, not a hero. donnie o'sullivan: not a woman. that's a bud light person. woman: hi, impressive carrying skills, right? donnie o'sullivan: not a hero, george floyd. crowd: hey, taylor. donnie o'sullivan: i visited joe a couple of weeks before the super bowl. it was just as the conspiracy theory that taylor swift was helping rig the game to help biden started circulating online. it was one of the first things that popped up on joe's feed. joe black: let's go to something that's like news, though. donnie o'sullivan: yeah. so this is from benny-- joe black: this is from benny johnson. donnie o'sullivan: --johnson. by now, everyone knows taylor swift is a government pysop, and this is exactly why corporate media is having a meltdown about it. you don't believe taylor swift is a government psyop? joe black: i don't know what to believe about taylor swift. it's good to keep your mind open. could she be? could she not be? donnie o'sullivan: and now she's dating a pfizer and bud light agent in the nfl because we're a few weeks from the super bowl. joe black: yeah. and they're seeking the endorsement from taylor swift. they, biden administration. and then who's going to win the super bowl? donnie o'sullivan: but you don't think the super bowl is rigged? joe black: who's going to sing at the-- donnie o'sullivan: do you think they're-- joe black: --i think football is rigged, yeah. donnie o'sullivan: ok. there's a cnn clip in here. watch, cnn has a meltdown over our coverage of the taylor swift pysop. reporter: have you heard the latest conspiracy theory making the rounds that the super bowl will be rigged for kelce and the kansas city chiefs, and the end game is swift endorsing biden after the big game. here are some of the messages-- i'm trying not to laugh-- circulating on social media. vivek ramaswamy, i wonder who is-- joe black: see what she did there? reporter: --going to win the super bowl. donnie o'sullivan: what did she do? reporter: trying not to laugh. joe black: i'm trying not to laugh kind of thing. so why isn't it ok to take that in and to let it register and think about it for a minute. could that be possible that there could be some funding going to taylor swift or stuff like that that could lean her into a certain direction so that she would support somebody. i mean, that could be totally possible. donnie o'sullivan: i call that a conspiracy theory, ok? joe black: sure. yeah. donnie o'sullivan: what i find most difficult to believe about the taylor swift, travis, kelce, super bowl conspiracy theory is that you think the democrats could be so organized to pull all this off. joe black: very organized. donnie o'sullivan: do you think? joe black: i do. yes. donnie o'sullivan: we're going to get together as well as rigging the super bowl, and taylor is going to back biden for president. that's just so much stuff. like, that is so much organization but-- joe black: it's not that hard to do. donnie o'sullivan: you don't think? joe black: no. donnie o'sullivan: yeah. rigging the election, that'd be a lot more complicated. donald trump: this is a fraud on the american public. we know there was massive fraud. it was a rigged election. [channting] donnie o'sullivan: it seems that trump's convincing of millions of americans at the last election was rigged has opened some kind of gateway. julianne: the facts have shown that the election was stolen. derrick evans: there's not a separation of church and state. that's another lie that's been portrayed by the left. there's no separation of church and state. marjorie talor greene: trump won [applause] supporter: there's one party. it's called the swamp. it's controlled by the illuminati. supporter: they're lying to us. it's the elites, and they're attacking the children. they're pedophiles. insurgents: stop the steal! donnie o'sullivan: a gateway to an alternate reality where anything is possible, where january 6 was some kind of inside job. insurgents: freedom! freedom! donnie o'sullivan: and where taylor swift had rigged the super bowl. are you a q fan? joe black: i like them. i like watching them. donnie o'sullivan: joe had been generous in sharing his news habits with me, so i showed him some of the news that i read. i bet you never see these shared around your telegram channels. and while i wasn't there to change his mind, he was pretty surprised to find out that cnn fact checks president biden. ok, so joe biden said, "gun manufacturers are the only industry in america exempt from being sued." joe black: and then it says, this is false. donnie o'sullivan: and we lay it out there as to why what he said is false. joe black: yeah, i like that. donnie o'sullivan: and look, there's a lot more. joe black: you should do that more often. donnie o'sullivan: so we have these fact checks here biden, right? but we, obviously, have way more trump. and that's just because trump says more stuff that's false. trump had manufacturing jobs. trump claimed in november speech in texas we created an incredible 1.2 million new manufacturing jobs. the us actually lost 170,000 manufacturing jobs during trump's presidency. joe black: i don't know if it's right or wrong. again, it's on your site so-- [laughs] donnie o'sullivan: but it's so if we go, as you say, go do our research. we click in. it's from economic research organization. we do put in the source material. we're not plucking it out of our ass. this is from the federal reserve bank of saint louis. it's from the fed. you don't trust the fed? joe black: i do not. not really so-- [laughs] donnie o'sullivan: we are at an impasse, my friend. look, i appreciate your willingness to sit down and talk to me. the kind of conspiracy theories joe is seeing every day on telegram might seem harmless, even silly, but they're not. they're corroding trust in american democracy. man (on phone): you are the scum of the earth. donnie o'sullivan: how did they go from you fact checking to you being a pedophile? alan duke: i don't know. man (on phone): i only hope you people get what's coming to you, and it will come to you. [shouting] donnie o'sullivan: they are inspiring and being used to justify violent attacks on american institutions. crowd: [chanting] geraldine roll: it never has been like this before. donnie o'sullivan: did you ever think being an election official would make you public enemy number one? geraldine roll: no. dennis jacobsen: we really do think that democracy is at stake in this election. [audio logo] and they're all coming? those who are still with us, yes. grandpa! what's this? your wings. light 'em up! gentlemen, it's a beautiful... ...day to fly. [clattering] donnie o'sullivan: they're saying, who's this strange irishman coming to feed us? you come to arizona expecting to talk about the decline of american democracy, but you end up watching deer. it's great. geraldine roll: [laughs] look at all of them right there. they're like, i don't know what's going on today. donnie o'sullivan: and it's a big contrast to politics in this state. supporter: a lot of our faith is going to swallow up all of the theft that they're trying to bring upon us here in arizona. we got to save our state. [cheering] man: bamboo in the paper. people were making their own ballots. supporter: they want to destroy trump. they want to destroy us. donnie o'sullivan: what is it about arizona that has made it really become this ground 0 of election craziness? geraldine roll: i think it becomes a battleground because it's verging on losing its redness. donnie o'sullivan: they want to keep it as red as those rocks? geraldine roll: yeah. donnie o'sullivan: gerry roll spent most of her life working in the court system-- geraldine roll: good morning, mr. chairman and members of the board. donnie o'sullivan: --but nothing prepared her for becoming the election director of a small county in arizona. geraldine roll: in my career, i've done a lot of things. i have been treated better by murderers, child molesters, thieves, rapists. the defendants have treated me far better than the political parties and the elected representatives. crowd: freedom! freedom! supporter: military step in and redo our election. donnie o'sullivan: gerry is just one of hundreds of election officials that have been driven out of their job because of hate and intimidation. in her resignation email, gerry said that she had been subject to ridicule, disrespect, attacks on her reputation and not just from voters. geraldine roll: i had the party chair in my office and four other people, and they were yelling. they're threatening. they're veiled threats. the republicans in our county they want their party to be on top, to maintain control. donnie o'sullivan: and you voted for trump in 2016? geraldine rolls: i sure did. donnie o'sullivan: you were a registered republican? geraldine roll: i was. donnie o'sullivan: all your life. geraldine roll: yes. the first guy i ever voted for was richard nixon. i'm not proud, but it's true. donnie o'sullivan: you said you heard all sorts the things that people believe. what have you heard them believing? geraldine roll: i had a guy tell me that he could hack into our election equipment through the power outlet. he could come in through the 110 power outlet. they believe that all of those folks that are volunteering or being paid to handle the ballots are somehow, i don't know, sleight of hand, they believe that we're somehow doing something with them, not counting them. supporter: i don't care what anybody else says, our election was stolen. donnie o'sullivan: superstition or superstitious? geraldine roll: superstition. donnie o'sullivan: gerry lives at the foot of the superstition mountain range in arizona. she says the intimidation that forced her to quit her job was fueled by misinformation. some of the stuff you just said there about what people believe hacking through a power outlet, everything else. geraldine roll: nonsensical. donnie o'sullivan: people watching want to say, you know what? they're just stupid. they're just stupid people. but it's never been like this before. geraldine roll: it never has been like this before. and it's not stupidity. what they are saying is nonsensical. no, they're not stupid people, but they have a drive and an agenda. and so they will craft that message to serve their own purposes. and they really don't care about truth or integrity. they just want the outcome, their outcome. i think that's it. donnie o'sullivan: so why all this hate? why all this vilification of you? geraldine roll: i wish i knew. i really don't know. i just know that i became a target. and i began to feel very unsafe. man (on phone): y'all will end up in gallows. are you even humans? probably not. i have a right to research and do my own research. and y'all third party checkers, all y'all do is be is b.s. donnie o'sullivan: allan duke is one of those fact checkers. i had heard about. joe black: like, who's fact checking, you what i mean? you don't know who's fact checking. donnie o'sullivan: allan regularly receives threatening voicemails like these. man (on phone): you are the scum of the earth. i really hope you people get what's coming to you, and it will come to you. donnie o'sullivan: he's a former cnn journalist. his fact checking company has worked for the likes of facebook where his fact checks appear over false posts. it's a program facebook introduced a few years ago to try and curb the spread of misinformation. what do you think people imagine fact checkers to be? allan duke: that i'm part of some conspiracy or conspiracies. that i'm this evil plotter who's trying to steal their voices from them. donnie o'sullivan: how do people feel when they get fact checked? allan duke: i imagine just like if i were to walk up to you and tell you that you're wrong about something. donnie o'sullivan: so you can understand why people are pissed off at you. allan duke: i understand this. and be pissed off at me, but that doesn't make our work false or unimportant or negative or a conspiracy. donnie o'sullivan: allan, gerry, and pastors caleb, jackson, jacobson, and shaw are all on the front lines of the fight against disinformation and division in this country. they're standing up for community, for integrity, for truth. allan duke: if you believe a lot of this misinformation, you're going to believe that our country is on the brink of extinction or destruction. it can lead you to take action that you really wouldn't otherwise do and that can be very dangerous. dennis jacobsen: i think we are at risk of terrible violence, increasing violence in this country. geraldine roll: whatever is going on right now, it's not fair to the people who work in elections department, and it is ruining what is the cornerstone of our democracy. pastor: the biggest threat for me is losing our church, our way of worship. allan duke: i don't really know what the big solution is. we're doing what we can. caleb campbell: i've noticed in the public conversation a lot of despairing and a lot of division and a lot of they're too far gone. i don't believe that at all. i believe that every person can see the way of truth. the bible is full of stories like that, and our church is full of stories like that, and our history is full of stories like that. so don't give up. anderson cooper: in the remaining months of this year's presidential campaign, donnie will continue to investigate and report on the misinformation he's seeing in politics on both sides thanks for watching the whole story. i'll see you next sunday.