argument. here is- the argument i would make with fauci. i had it a little with him tonight. you guys are playing too safe. this is a balancing test. okay. there are going to be cases but the vaccine, the rate of vaccine, who we have gotten vaccinated already. the fact that there is an increase in masking. the messaging has been working, with trump out of the way. not all surges are the same. and you have to balance that, against the depression to the economy, the depression to our way of life, which is straight-up depression. and you are playing it too safe. >> how are they -- better safe, than sorry. i don't believe in playing it too safe. >> i agree with you, but i am saying here's the argument you could make. >> oh, got it. >> is you are playing it too safe. give me a vaccine passport. i want to be able to go and businesses say, the vaccinated only. so, don and chris get vaccinated. now, we can go to dinner. >> what the president said. give me a patriot passport. give me an american passport that says we should look out for our fellow man. this is not about being selfish. hey, i got mine! you get yours. that's what people are saying. so, if i -- if i get this -- if i get the shot, let's say, i'm fu fully vaccinated tomorrow. i'm not going to run out and flaunt it. and then, take this mask and, throw caution to the wind, i'm going to burn it. you know why? because i care about other people. i care about something more than myself. i care that there may be someone who has a pre-existing examine who may not have been vaccinated. i care that there is a woman who is trying to get pregnant, who has concerns about the vaccine, and may not have taken it, yet. >> i agree. >> or a woman who is pregnant, who has not taken the vaccine because she is worried about her unborn kid. i get that because, why? i am a thinking, compassionate, echl empathetic person. and i just don't have politics at the top of my head. >> i agree. >> why don't you just be a -- why don't you just be a decent-human being and stop trying to be so negative? and get dr. fauci or joe biden to -- here's the thing of the here is the thing. joe biden is doing a fantastic job when it comes to the pandemic. he is saying all the right things, he is doing all the right things. he is getting shots in people's arms. he is following the science. he is not giving you lies. he is not telling you that light and bleach and disinfectant is going to help you when you inject it inside of your body. so, stop it, on the right, because the guy you had in the office did really dumb stuff. and told you crazy things, lied about you, gas-lighted you, and you fell for it and you believed it. and now, you are walking around and you don't want to get the vaccine. why? because you say you don't trust it but you really don't want to get it because joe biden is doing a great job with it. and that is the truth. now, take that to the bank. >> now, for those people. >> as my grandmother used to say, put that in your pipe and smoke it. go on. >> there is that group, and i think rand paul's probably playing to them. >> yeah, he is. >> and that is what it is. >> i need water, after that. >> i know, i can imagine. i've never seen anybody say so many words, in a row. the thing -- don't choke -- the thing is that you, also, have a lot of people who -- who would benefit from being incentivized by something, in addition to a sense of humanity and altruism. and i don't think there is anything wrong with the messaging or political suggestion of that because, look, the science, as it's been suggested to us from faufrpci a others is that it's a maybe, not a must, that you can still spread infection. it's maybe. so the argument becomes, all right, how much of a maybe? because you are really not giving people a hell of a lot of incentive to get the vaccine because the vaccine is for you. it keeps you from getting so sick that you would have to go to the hospital. it's not so much about transmission. that's what masks are about. so, i think that they could play it a little bit more aggressively. but that's different than saying, you're lying, you don't know. there's no science. that's my -- that's where rand paul and i take ways. there are different ways to look at it. but you are looking at it as a position of just bringing down fa fauci and that ruins his argument. >> how about -- let's see. if i was -- i am coming up with a slogan. so, you know how we say, don't hate, participate? don't hate, if you are extreme -- on the extremes, moderate. what about that? but the best one, i think, i just came up with this as you were talking. >> genius! >> don't hate, vaccinate! how about that? >> wow, i can't believe it took you that long to get to that. i think, cha-cha had that in like a project for 5th grade. >> turned it in. >> people got to get vaccinated because that's how you get back to your loved ones. >> i will tell you this. i have gone over to -- which is near where we work -- the javits center. >> it is well run. to be fair, forget about new york because that's my brother, right? biden's doing a good job, i don't disagree with that. his team is doing a good job, because they are allowed to do their job. and the states are killing themselves to get this done. >> yep. >> so there is a lot of components to success. failure has one father. success has many. but biden is not stepping them from doing their job, and that can make all the difference. and i look forward to this time that i think the media's getting ahead of. the media's getting ahead of this reverse curve of supply to demand. we're not there, yet. >> nope. >> we have a lot of people, who want the vaccine, and can't get it. you're looking at two of them. right now. >> well, this is what -- see -- see my water? it's more-than-half full. so, that's what i am thinking. it's not like, you know, almost empty or -- it's more than half full. so, the glass is half full and it's not half empty. so, i prefer to be optimistic about the summer. and i prefer to, don't hate, vaccinate. >> you know, just cause you said it, doesn't mean nobody else has said it, before. nor does it make it genius. you know, one book, and all the sudden, here it comes. >> we got to get to the news. we got to get to the news. >> d lemon, i love you. thank you for sharing your book with the radio audience, today. they loved what you had to say. >> that was great. they loved what we had to say. >> i didn't get to say much, to be honest. >> i know. but thata change because usuallu talk more than i do. no one loves chris more than chris. and if you don't believe, ask chris. >> i've got no competition in loving chris. i come in first, every time. i love you, d lemon. >> "cnn tonight." i am don lemon. thank so much for watching, everyone. so, on to the serious stuff, now. and we all need a little levity and a little friendship and a little love, in the times that we're in. so, that's why chris and i do what we do every night and we hope you enjoy it. but now, let me get to the news. because we know -- we know where the hate comes from. we don't know, yet, whether the shooting spree that killed eight people in and around atlanta, six of them asian women, we don't know, yet, whether it was a hate crime. at least, not according to police. we know what we think, in our heads, and where that takes us, right? where common sense takes us. but police haven't declared it that, yet. so, let's see. we know asian-americans across this country are terrified. >> so, is the investigation -- the investigation into a possible-hate crime. is that still on the table? >> our investigation is looking at everything so nothing is off the table for our investigation. >> so that's atlanta police and here is what they are saying. they are saying that they don't have a position, on whether this is a hate crime, but nothing is off the table. okay? and nothing's off the table. but we do know that the president, president biden, and vice president harris are set to meet with atlanta mayor, keisha lance bottoms, and asian-american leaders are doing that tomorrow. even before this horrible case, though, these terrible murders. asian-americans faced rising hate, racist comments, serious violence. but like i said, we know where the hate comes from. look. we shouldn't dance around this. we should not pretend that we haven't heard it, with our own ears, over and over and over and over. >> that time we called it the wuhan virus, right? wuhan. >> china's coverup of the wuhan virus allowed the disease to spread all over the world. >> i can name kung flu. i can name 19 different versions of names. kung flu. yeah. >> like, see, i like the china virus. or i like the plague from china. >> it's got about 24 names i can call it, from covid to china virus. i can call it the plague. i call it the china plague. >> we, and the whole world, got hit with the china virus. >> the incredible people and families, who suffered so gravely from the china virus. it's a horrible thing, that was put onto the world. >> so, there you go. like all the hate and racism in this country, it was here before the trump presidency. it will be here with us, long after, unless we are willing to do the work to defeat it. but he fed it, and he fed up on it. and when you sow the wind, well, you know what you reap, right? the whirlwind. mayor keisha lance bottoms telling anderson cooper, tonight, it's hard to see this as anything other than a hate crime. a suspect, who killed eight people. six of them, asian women. is a white man, who got the bad-day defense? >> he understood the gravity of it. and he was, pretty much, fed up. and, kind of, at the end of his rope. and yesterday was a really bad day for him, and this is what he did. >> eight people are dead. six of them, asian women. and he was having a bad day. just imagine what they might have said about a black suspect or a brown suspect or an asian suspect. or an asian suspect, right? they probably wouldn't have gone right to having a bad day. so, the sheriff says, those comments weren't intended to disrespect -- as disrespect for the victims, the gravity of the tragedy, or to express empathy or sympathy for the suspect. but that spokesman, captain jay baker, has been taken off the spa-shooting case. meanwhile, photos have surfaced, allegedly posted by captain baker, showing shirts with a racist, anti-asian message about covid-19. shirts that say, covid-19 imported virus, by china. chyna. you know, mimicking the president. with the caption, love my shirt. get yours, while they last. china, huh? china, huh? we know where that comes from. we know who said china, over and over and over. the account that posted it has been deleted. cnn was able to access photos through a cached copy. the name on the facebook account matches jay baker, and it claims that the individual is an employee of the cherokee county sheriff's office. when contacted by cnn about the post, baker told cnn, no-additional comment. but, you really only need to hear congressman chip roy, to understand how big the problems of race -- big the problem of race is in this country. right smack in the middle of a hearing on discrimination and hate crimes against asian-american and pacific-islanders, he equates justice with lynching. and then, makes it all about himself. launching into a defense of exactly the kind of rhetoric the hearing was supposed to be condemning. >> we believe in justice, right? there is old sayings in texas about, you know, find the -- all the rope in texas and get a tall, oak tree. you know, we take justice very seriously. and -- and we ought to do that. round up the bad guys. that's what we believe. my concern about this hearing is that it seems to want to venture into the policing of rhetoric, in a free society. free speech. and away from the rule of law, and taking out bad guys. i -- i'm -- i'm not going to be ashamed of saying i oppose the chi-comms, i oh he pose the chinese-communist party. and when we say things like that and we're talking about that, we shouldn't be worried about having a committee of members of congress policing our rhetoric. >> first, he should pull his mask up. but, what is he talking about? let -- let me give you some free advice. okay, sir? let me give you some free advice. lay off the talk about all the rope in texas and the tallest tree. a united states congressman talks openly about lynching. one of the most horrible crimes against people of color in the nation's history. and don't give me that fake, i'm being censored, don't tell me what to say, bs. you could say that you oppose the chinese-communist party. you know that's not what this is about. it's not about chip roy. it's not about the people who have a voice, and a platform. it's about hate! i almost said something. it's about hate. god, i want to say it. and it's about violence. especially, against the people, who don't have that voice and platform. it's about people, across this country, who are terrified. you should be standing up for them, not making this about yourself. that's all we have heard from people, who have -- have been so aggrieved because black, brown, asian, because people don't want to be discriminated against, but you are so aggrieved because you can't say something offensive because you want to say offensive things with impunity. and then, when you are checked on it, when you have to face the consequences for it. you scream, cancel, i'm cancelled! no, you weren't cancelled. you were held accountable. you said something stupid. and you must pay the consequences for it. that's how it works. congressman grace ming getting choked up as she slams roy for what she says is putting a bull's eye on the backs of asian-americans. >> your president and your party and your colleagues can talk about issues, with any other country that you want. but you don't have to do it by putting a bull's eye on the back of asian-americans across this country. on our grandparents, on our kids. this hearing was to address the hurt and pain of our community! and to find solutions, and we will not let you take our voice away from us. >> congressman ted lieu condemning roy's racist rhetoric. and saying, it hurts the asian-american community. >> you can say whatever you want on the first amendment. you can say racist, stupid stuff, if you want. but i'm asking you to, please, stop using racist terms like kung flu or wuhan virus or other ethnic identifiers in describing this virus. i am not a virus and when you say things like that, it hurts the asian-american community. whatever political points you think you are scoring by using ethnic identifies in describing this virus, you are harming americans who happen to be of asian descent. so, please, stop doing that. >> and you know what? it's not just chip roy. congressman rodney davis, telling cnn, the real problem is political correctness. >> it's all political correctness and that's what the american people are sick and tired of the d.c. bubble wanting to determine what is politically correct and what is not. >> it's always some excuse for saying some bs. for being racist or bigoted or letting it slip. maybe, these days, i don't know if it's even letting it slip. people just say it. that's what the former president did. for bigots. just say it right in the open. not behind closed door. right out, in the open. wearing a suit. i know the grammatically-correct thing to say is this is not about political correctness. it ain't about political correctness. okay? if you're listening. this is about hate. it's about hate. hate, that is exploding into violence all across this country. this is about asian-americans, who are afraid to go to the store. afraid to lead their daily lives. wait for a bus. just play with their kids outside. it's about hate. stop making it about you. my freedom. my freedom to be a bigot, to say racist things. my freedom to be it's politically correct, it's cancel culture. please, i'm sick of it. shut up. take a good, long look in the mirror. stop being a bigot. stop it. so, what is the administration going to do about racism and hate in this country? i'm going to ask a top adviser to vice president kamala harris, symone sanders, is next. and just wait until you hear how dr. fauci answers this. >> you want people to get the vaccine? give 'em a reward, instead of telling them that the nagoing t be there for three more years and you got to wear a mask forever. ♪ i've always been running. to meetings. errands. now i'm running for me. i've always dreamed of seeing the world. but i'm not chasing my dream anymore. i made a financial plan to live it every day. ♪ there was a dream ♪ ♪ and one day i could see it ♪ at northwestern mutual, our version of financial planning helps you live your dreams today. find a northwestern mutual advisor at nm.com president biden, vice president kamala harris, traveling to atlanta tomorrow to meet with mayor keisha lance bottoms, and with asian-american leaders reeling from the spa shootings that killed eight people, including six asian women. the portion of the trip originally planned to promote the new covid relief law has been postponed. so there's lots to discuss. cn -- excuse me, i'm so used to saying cnn -- symone sanders is here, spokesperson for vice president harris. sorry, old habits die hard. >> old habits die hard. >> thank you for talking about this really important thing that you are doing, this event that you are doing. so, symone, the president and vice president meeting with local leaders tomorrow to discuss the horrible-spa shooting spree that killed eight people, including six asian women. what does the administration plan to do to fix this problem? >> don, it's just -- first of all, our hearts go out to the families and friends and the people in the surrounding-atlanta area, who are grieving. today, the president ordered flags to be lowered at half staff. in -- in light of the shooting that happened on tuesday. so, it -- it's just so harrowing and heartbreaking. and the president and vice president have a track record here, don. the administration has a track record here. in january, i'd like to remind folks that the president signed a number of executive orders. specifically, about racial equity. and one of them was, specifically, about addressing the xenophobia and discrimination against the asian-american community here, in the united states. so, tomorrow, this meeting is really to hear from local-community advocates, elected officials, community leaders, about how they are feeling, in the wake of this horrific, horrific shooting. but also, to discuss solutions going forward and the commitments that the president and vice president have made to the aapi community. >> i want to talk, now, about covid and the vaccine. the biden-harris administration is on track to hit 100 million vaccines -- get 100 million vaccines in arms tomorrow. well-ahead of the 100-day goal. i'm sure you ever seen the criticism that the bar was set achievably low. but it's still excellent news. what's the next goal here, symone? >> you know, i have to laugh about the criticism, don. because i remember when the president first announced his goal of 100 million shots, in 100 days. and it was said it was too ambitious. folks said it couldn't be done. and as the president said today, one headline even wrote, it won't be easy. and those folks are absolutely right. but the way that the biden-harris administration got this done was by operationalizing the defense-production act. by really working, our covid team hunkered down. jeff zients and his entire team. increasing access across the country. through the federal pharmacy program, more than 600 community-vaccination sites, partners with community-health centers. and that's how we get to -- we are going to get to 100 million shots in arms, tomorrow. but it's not over, yet. as the president and vice