america first came to be. you know, that's back when all the great men wore capes. now we only have one, and his name is the don, don lemon. and i give you him now. >> thank you for that. i do have to say i was watching -- i couldn't have been prouder of alicia keys. i don't know if you knew that she was doing that to pay tribute to the late, great, hazel scott. >> yes. >> that was her thing. she invented that, playing two piano. >> and she laid it beautifully for the entire audience. >> i'm so glad she did that because i like to look at these things just because i'm weird, right, and i like to go on the internet and search things. but hazel scott was the first woman -- black woman to have her own television show. it was called the hazel scott show, and it was on the dumont network years ago. that was before my time, even before your time. but then she got -- she fought for civil rights, but then she got caught up with the whole, you know, red scare. >> mm-hmm.

>> being called a communist. she denied doing that, but her tv show was canceled, and in many ways her career went down because of that. but hazel scott was a legend and a genius, and i think alicia keys couldn't have paid a better tribute to her. >> she checked every box. i was thinking about why she was so amazing and why she's not -- more people aren't saying that, but i think maybe it's one of the few times we've ever seen a star hosting an awards show that was an equal caliber stars to the other stars who were getting awards in the show. you don't get better than alicia keys. but i just thought she was so perfect, and that's not an easy job. you and i do it all the time, emceeing events, let alone one of that scale and scope. she did it in a way that i've never seen before, and i felt the same way about diana ross. put up the picture of don and diana ross, the first lady of soul now. >> this is as close to -- listen, i'm not zooming. i got this close to diana ross at a party two summers ago, and

i cannot -- >> did you get arrested? oh, you were supposed to be there? >> i was screaming like kids used to scream over the beatles. i was like, oh, my gosh, it's diana ross, miss ross. she's amazing. she's still got it. she's about the same age as my mother, and that generation, no one does it better. >> i mean she redefines the age. her voice, in the beginning i was like nervous. i was like that's the hardest thing. i remember when aretha had to do "nessun dorma." i was like, oh, boy, that must have been the hardest thing. she had spoken about that as nobody is listening and how do you get the crowd, and the acoustics are off and the vibration in your ear. she was awesome last night. how about her grandson? >> amazing. her grandson is amazing.

>> 9 years old. >> i've got this special soft spot in my heart for tracee ellis ross. i think she's amazing. to me, she's like the spitting image of her mom. >> actress. >> actress, comedic actress, serious, dramatic actress. i don't think there's anything that -- she's a fashion icon. she's also an activist. >> what a message last night. >> i know. >> for the masses. >> for the masses. so i just have to -- you know, when you were talking about that, don't get me wrong. i love me some rap and hip-hop, but i also love to hear some people sing. and i think we lost that for a while. i think it's coming back, especially being in l.a. and going to -- >> it had it all last nights. musgraves is a crooner. you had gaga doing that kiss. >> you're making my point. i love to hear all of it. i think it should be inclusive. i want to hear rap, hip-hop, but i want to. >> cardi b, for her to come up truly hard. she doesn't have to make it up. she came up hard, kept her dignity. for her to win rap album of the year, first female winner, that is not an easy genre to get into. you talk about where women are marginalized. the woman playing the piano down at the beginning of the show just stole it there for a moment.

she was amazing. >> it was a great night for women. it was a great night for rap and hip-hop and especially for cardi b. it was also a great night for country music. at the parties before the country folks were performing, i mean the music is just so beautiful. it makes me want to go and start listening to country again because i had stopped for a while, right? and i was just listening to rap and hip-hop. but i want to go back and listen to rock and country and hear some singers like alicia keys again, and i want to hear cardi b. it was great. i think the ratings proved that. >> oh, did they do well? >> diana ross is the best talk singer that -- if you ever need me, just call me.

she doesn't have to sing. she can just talk. she is miss ross. >> she can do it all. she's amazing. she looks great. her family all singing along. >> 75. >> everything about her is perfect. i loved everything about it last night. i was surprised at the count. i think there are 80-something categories. women won 30-something of them, but it felt like they dominated. at the top of the categories, we saw women so well represented. even j.lo had a star turn doing the motown stuff. i know there's some controversy surrounding that, but for her that was a big deal. >> mrs. obama. i got to go. i've got a bunch news. >> it was positive stuff. >> everybody came together and it was great, and that's how it should be. this is america. thank you, chris. i'll see you soon. this is "cnn tonight." i'm don lemon. this is breaking news. negotiators are reaching an agreement in principle they say to avoid another government shutdown. that is a big deal. these are just some of the details that we're hearing. of course we're going to see if

this all bears out. the agreement calls for $1.375 billion for physical barriers, physical barriers on the border, specifically, though don't say wall. it says bollard fencing. but keep that $1.375 billion in your head. it also calls for 55 miles of new barrier, including in the rio grande valley, and a limit on funding for immigration and customs enforcement detention beds. money for 40,520 beds, okay? so if i.c.e. can find more money, they can use it for more beds. but the big question in all of this, the big question is of course will the president sign on? is he going to allow this? is he going to sign it? we're going to have more on that in just a moment. this is all happening as the president is on the border tonight as a matter of fact. we're keeping a close eye on his rally which, so far, is his standard stump speech, nothing different. that's what he's doing, just a stump speech. but we've got a lot to talk about why he's there, to get his

wall, to blatantly attempt to stir up fear of people of color, of brown people, as my colleague chris calls it, the brown menace that he's trying to scare you with. the president lied when he said the wall has made el paso safer. these are the facts. the fbi says violent crime in el paso peaked in 1993. it fell long before border fence construction even began in 2008. we all know what this is about. yes, the president is determined to keep his promise to his base. but this is about more than a campaign promise. this is a campaign promise that depends on stirring up fear of people of color. nobody's talking about bringing a wall on our northern border, the border with canada, even though more -- get this.

more non-u.s. citizens on the terror watch list tried to cross the northern border through legal ports of entry than the southern border last year. you wouldn't know that if you listened to the president and his supporters. that is according to an administration official. but the president is harping on his wall, doubling down on the racist stereotype that migrants trying to cross our southern border are bringing crime. they're bringing drugs. they're rapists. some of them, i would imagine, are good people, right? all right. he can say it. remember, this is what he said, day one of his campaign. >> they're bringing drugs. they're bringing crime. they're rapists.

>> and some, i imagine, are good people. and now we live in an america where racism is out in the open, right out in your face, right in front of you, where hate speech isn't whispered. it's said out loud. and this kind of hateful speech is definitely not confined to the right. democratic congresswoman ilhan omar apologized today for perpetuating one of the oldest hateful stereotypes in the book, the anti-semitic claim that jews control politics and money -- with money. the congresswoman drew a firestorm of criticism when she replied to a tweet by journalist glenn greenwald by implying that politicians including house minority leader kevin mccarthy support israel for campaign donations, tweeting, quote, it's all about the benjamins, baby. the congresswoman putting out an apology today. quote, anti-semitism is real, and i am grateful for jewish allies and colleague who's are educating me on the painful history of anti-semitic tropes. this is why i unequivocally apologize.

she's absolutely right to apologize. but it's interesting to note that even though she apologized, congressman kevin mccarthy never did for this tweet before the midterms, saying, quote, we cannot allow soros, steyer and bloomberg to buy this election. he deleted the tweet but never apologized for it. deleted the tweet but never apologized. tonight mccarthy is still threatening to take action against omar saying he's not satisfied since she's still on the foreign affairs committee while the president is saying he doesn't think her apology was adequate. so he has different rules. basically you just call that hypocrisy. he's a hypocrite for saying that because he's had similar behavior. delete it, never apologize. but we've got to talk about president trump's attacks on elizabeth warren as well. doubling down with this tweet over the weekend, quote, see you on the campaign trail, liz. "trail" in all caps which sounds, you know, a lot like

that not at all subtle reference to the brutal trail of tears, the forced migration of native americans from mississippi to oklahoma, a really shameful chapter in american history. and in a case of like father, like son, there's donald trump jr.'s instagram, also not at all subtle. quote, savage. i love my president. but there's more. fox's brit hume tweeting, well, let's call it an interesting defense of the president, suggests his knowledge of american history is so lacking he's probably never heard of the trail of tears. but he's sure heard of the president who forced all those native americans off their land. he hung a portrait of andrew jackson right in the oval office. so that's a pretty clear indication of where the

president stands on all of this. this is all happening as the state of virginia and the country at large grappling with racism blackface scandals. 34% of americans in the latest pew poll say blackface can be acceptable as part of a halloween costume. but virginia governor ralph northam, who has ignored calls to resign over the blackface scandal, is speaking out, telling gayle king of cbs that he didn't understand why blackface is so offensive. and he only understands now that he was born into white privilege. >> i was born in white privilege, and that has implications to it. it is much different the way a white person such as myself is treated in this country -- >> did you not know that you were born into white privilege? >> i knew i was, ms. king, but i can't realize really the powerful implications of that. and, again, talking to a lot of

friends, that has come crystally clear to me this week. i've also learned why the use of blackface is so offensive. and, yes, i knew it in the past, but reality has really set in. >> i want to keep my job, so i'm not going to say anything. i like being able to pay my mortgage. it remains to be seen how governor northam's story will end. bringing racism, anti-semitism, hate speech out in the open is a double-edged sword. so here we go. it's disturbing. it's dangerous, but it also gives the rest of us the opportunity to speak out against it, to condemn it. what took you so long, man? and everybody is trying to like make an excuse, oh, that's okay. it's a halloween costume. why are black people costumes?

what took you so long? you didn't realize that this is america? whiteface is not an issue. duh. it might give us a chance to heal our divisions, but we'll see. i'm going to remain optimistic and open. i may have been born yesterday, but it wasn't last night. more breaking news tonight on that deal that could avert another shutdown, a deal the white house has not yet agreed to. but the president is talking about it tonight. will he take it? uh-oh! guess what day it is? guess what day it is! huh...anybody? julie! hey...guess what day it is? ah come on, i know you can hear me. mike mike mike mike mike... what day is it mike? ha ha ha ha! leslie, guess what today is? it's hump day. whoot whoot! ronny, how happy are folks who save hundred of dollars switching to geico?

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we don't bake. ♪ opportunity. what we deliver by delivering. so here's our breaking news tonight. an agreement in principle to avoid another shutdown, but it's an agreement that the white house is reportedly still digesting. so anything could happen, everyone. stay tuned. cnn's manu raju is live on capitol hill. kaitlan collins is in el paso where the president is holding a campaign-style rally tonight. why don't we start with manu. manu, negotiators have reached a deal to avoid another government shutdown. here's the key question. is this something that the president is willing to sign because a very similar deal was on the table before, and he refused to sign that. what do you know? >> reporter: yeah, that is the big question here on capitol hill tonight. even richard shelby, the lead senate republican negotiator who emerged and said that they had a

deal in principle, said he couldn't say for sure that the president would sign it. he said he thought the president could. he hoped he could. but no one really knows. what we do know is that it's not anywhere near what the president has been demanding for some time in terms of funding for his border wall. he had asked for $5.7 billion to fund for his border wall. we're hearing that it's going to be about $1.375 billion for barriers. it will not say concrete wall. it will not be allowed to be spent on concrete wall. it will include money for fencing, including 55 miles in the rio grande valley, but will fall short of what the president has been calling for. it also will say that up to about 40,000 or so beds could be used for individuals and undocumented immigrant who's are under i.c.e. custody. democrats had wanted that number lower, but it appears it's going to be around the 40,000-bed range. nevertheless, don, the question is does the president accept this deal? it will probably be signed off on among the four leaders, key leaders in congress. what does the president do

because in the past, as we know, the president's changed his mind only to throw things into disarray on capitol hill. will he do that again? we just don't know yet. >> okay. so, manu, you've been covering this. can we talk about this? you said it's $1.375 billion. he wanted $5 billion, correct? >> reporter: that's right. >> but didn't he have better deals on the table before this? so technically he's going in reverse as to the amount of money and what he's actually getting. i don't understand the art of this deal. >> reporter: yeah, there are a lot of questions still. we have not seen the details of this yet. they are actually furiously drafting this proposal right now. they only have an agreement in principle. this is going to be a massive deal because it would, if it passes, keep the government open.

800,000 federal workers, more contractors that would be affected. not just dealing with border security but all aspects of the federal government that has not been fully funded for the rest of this fiscal year. but, don, that's the ultimate question. how much does the president get to ultimately fund his wall after his furious battle with congress, the government shutdown that lasted 35 days, the longest in history? will he get anything better than what he would have gotten late last year? at this point, it doesn't appear that way. >> let's go to kaitlan collins now. kaitlan, hello to you. the president touched on this potential deal at his rally this evening. let's listen in. then we'll talk. >> as i was walking up to the stage, they said that progress is being made with this committee. just so you know, we're building the wall anyway. they say that progress has been made. >> what are you hearing,

kaitlan? >> reporter: well, you see the president there. essentially his aides are telling him about this deal as he's going onstage. we're building the wall anyway is an interesting remark because we know one idea has been floated inside the white house in recent days as they've been talking about what they would do if those congressional negotiators couldn't come to a deal that they liked. and they thought there was one option, and now this isn't for sure, but this is something that has been floated. but that is the president would sign whatever agreement they come to. if it didn't have enough money for the wall or the cap on i.c.e. attention, but the president bo sign that deal, avoid the shutdown, but still use some of those federal funds to build barriers on the southern border. we know he's directed mick mulvaney to look through funding in recent days, try to find ways where they could use it lawfully. that's definitely something that's being floated. don, what you got to watch for tonight is what the president's reaction is going to be if there's a lot of conservative criticism of this deal. we already know that sean hannity, one of the president's favorite fox news hosts, was criticizing the deal earlier in

his show tonight. and also the question is going to be is that something you continue to hear because there could be a complaint that just because there's over $1 billion for border funding here, that may not be worth the reduction in i.c.e. detention beds. and if the conservatives don't like that, that is certainly something that's affected the president before when making decisions about this. so that's something we'll be looking for in the president's reaction in the hours after he gets offstage here in el paso. >> that's why i said, stay tuned. thank you very much. we'll get back to them as we get more information. a deal in principle they're saying, to avert another shutdown. we've also got to talk about the racist blackface scandals, anti-semitism, hate speech out in the open. why all this is happening in america and what happens next. at outback, your steak & lobster wish

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so here's our breaking news tonight. negotiators on capitol hill saying they've reached an agreement in principle. in principle that could avoid another government shutdown on friday. let's bring in knew frank bruni, also max boot, the author of "the corrosion of conservatism: why i left the right." michael higginbotham is with us as well. also here, tara setmayer.

hi, tara setmayer. good to see you. i haven't spoken to you in a long time, so it's good to see you. >> you forgot who i was. >> no, i could never forget you. max, let's get into this breaking news. so in principle, this agreement. you think the president's going to sign it? because if you look at the details, what's the difference in what he had before? >> that's a great question. we all thought he was going to sign the deal in december, which is pretty much the same deal that is on offer now. i just don't see how he's going to get a better deal. i think we still have to wait for president coulter and president limbaugh to weigh in to see what his base thinks about this. he clearly ought to sign it because he should realize going back to a government shutdown is not a good option because he was suffering major damage politically as a result of that shutdown. he was even losing part of his base. he's not going to accomplish anything more with another shutdown after the failed 35-day shutdown. so he doesn't really have a choice, but i don't know if he understands that. >> with every shutdown, it seems

like he gets less, right? but seriously, frank, this is according to a democratic source. $1.375 billion for physical barrier, for bollard fencing. the real test of the president is, you know, he's down at the border campaigning right now. what's he saying, and how are people going to react? and is he going to sign this agreement? >> well, i mean he may sign the agreement and then as kaitlan was saying, he could turn around and do an emergency declaration of some kind although that would put him at great odds with his own party. i think what's going to be interesting is watching him describe it. he's down at the border telling us that el paso is safer because of border barriers, which is demonstrably not true. so he may sign this agreement and say, look, we won, and just come out with a whole bunch of information that is completely wrong because this is remarkable. as you pointed out, he's not only not moving the ball forward, the ball has moved backwards over the last couple

months. and the guy who told us we'd all be so tired of winning must be flat-out exhausted with losing because he lost during the shutdown. he's losing during this conference committee. >> tara, president trump tonight speaking in el paso, falsely linking the drop in crime as frank just mentioned with the border wall. watch this. >> i've been hearing a lot of things. oh, the wall didn't make that much of a difference. you know where it made a big difference? right here in el paso. i spoke to people that have been here a long time. they said when that wall went up, it's a whole different ball game. i don't care whether a mayor is a republican or a democrat. they're full of crap when they say it hasn't made a big difference. i heard the same thing from the fake news. they said, oh, crime actually stayed the same. didn't stay the same. went way down. >> it defies logic. the person who is running the city of el paso, who is the

mayor, who only has the citizens of el paso's best interests at heart, who is reading facts and giving him facts, but none of that matters because it doesn't fit with his reality. this is -- i want to give the facts, tara. violent crime in el paso peaked in 1993. it fell by 34% between 1993 and 2006. the wall was built two years after that in 2008 and 2009. >> and then crime actually went up 17% the next year. >> so what the hell is going on? >> what's going on is gaslighting, and it's the president who has backed himself into a corner with this b.s. line from the campaign about a border wall and creating this narrative that we were going to build a 30-foot concrete wall to wall everybody out, and you had people chanting for that. he boiled it down into this elementary-style, very, you

know, juvenile chant where it's not even practical. border security experts i've spoken to and that i've worked with in the past have said to me, listen, yes, physical barriers work where necessary in conjunction with other things like technology, like more border patrol agents, like -- >> tara, you've worked on this issue before. wasn't that all done from previous administrations? they were improving some of the barriers and figuring out where to add more wall. >> that was the 2006 secure fence act. >> so this is all made up. >> it funded 700 miles of the wall. i've been to the border down by el paso, and i worked on the border agent case. i saw where there wasn't fencing, where there needed to be, and then they put some in that area. so, you know, it defies logic, and it defies facts when the president continues to spew things and tells people don't

believe the mayor who lives here, who is governing these folks and lives here. don't believe him. believe me because i know better than anyone else. you know, it's the i know better than the generals type of thing, and it's just asinine. and i'm glad we continue to point out the facts and i'm glad republicans are doing the same thing, like will hurd, who is another one, who represents 800 miles of the border, what is telling the president, what you're talking about doesn't work. by the way, this $1.3 billion that is supposed to be the deal is less than what democrats were offering before the shutdown. that was $1.6 billion. >> i got to get the professor in. this is something we heard from the president today. watch. >> not only don't they want to give us the money for the wall, they don't want to give us the space to detain murderers, criminals, drug dealers, human smugglers. >> geez. i mean the language there, professor, that he's using. murderers, criminals, drug dealers, smugglers. the fact is the majority of the people crossing the border are

seeking asylum. is this a big dog whistle to gin up his base? >> it is a big dog whistle. he's used them, you know, throughout his campaign and throughout his presidency. he continues to stoke racial division. if you looked at the grammys yesterday, what a contrast. the racial, the ethic, the gender diversity and the unity that was showed in comparison to what the president is talking about with the border, the border wall, whether it's blackface or the ku klux klan or muslim ban, it's racial division. and it's a real contrast. it's a real problem. america has come a long way in terms of race. brown versus board of education in '54. anti-discrimination laws. we've taken a position that race discrimination and race prejudice is wrong. and so today in 2019, americans have to really be clear on which side of the battle they're on, whether they're white or black, whether they're democrat or republican, they've got to take

a stand. and it's an easy one to do because if history has told us anything, it's told us that when americans are silent, racism is going to thrive. >> racist words, racist tropes. is it in fashion now? we'll discuss that coming up. ♪ the beat goes on george has entresto, a heart failure medicine that helps his heart... so he can keep on doing what he loves. in the largest heart failure study ever, entresto was proven superior at helping people stay alive and out of the hospital. it helps improve your heart's ability to pump blood to the body. don't take entresto if pregnant; it can cause harm or death to an unborn baby. don't take entresto with an ace inhibitor or aliskiren, or if you've had angioedema with an ace or arb.

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president trump ramping up his racist tweets against senator elizabeth warren, who is now officially running to unseat him in 2020. back with me now, frank bruni, max boot, michael higginbotham, and tara setmayer. professor higginbotham, i want to ask you about this tweet of the president's directed at senator elizabeth warren.

see you on the trail, in caps, liz, seemingly referring to the trail of tears or referencing the trail of tears that forced the relocation of native americans, that killed thousands. if it wasn't clear enough, here's what don junior added -- savage. love my president. racist plain and simple? what do you think? >> yes, it is, and it's sad. president trump has a picture of andrew jackson up in the white house. andrew jackson was the president at the time. he championed the indian relocation act, which resulted in the march of cherokee indians on a thousand-mile march in cold weather without food and clothing, proper clothing, and many, many died in the trail of tears. the reference is racist. it's a sad one. it's inappropriate, and the president needs to take a higher ground here. this is -- the references to pocahontas, it's denigrating to american indians, and i think you have to look at what

american indians have to say. it's problematic. they know it's racist. he should stop doing it, and i think most americans recognize that and are going to say stop it. >> max, are these views and using these tropes becoming mainstream in the republican party from all the racist stuff people are re-tweeting during the campaign? >> absolutely. i mean it's sad, and you don't see republicans, for example, calling out president trump when he uses this racist name of pocahontas or he makes fun of the trail of tears. you don't see republicans calling him out on it. in fact, liz cheney, one of the senior republicans in the house, was asked about it on sunday, and she resorted to attacking senator warren instead of attacking president trump. i mean there has to be some kind of policing. and i was very glad today to see that house democrats were calling out representative omar for engaging in classic anti-semitic tropes that suggest that the jews with their money were in charge of washington,

and the democratic leadership came down very hard on her, and she apologized. we need to have that same kind of standard applied by republicans and not just to steve king belatedly, but to president trump, who is the chief culprit here in using this kind of vile, racist language that has no place in american public life. >> you want to jump in here, don't you? >> no. i'm just nodding. you mentioned steve king, which i think is a really important thing. how many years and how many racist tweets and how many racist comments does it take before republicans said anything about steve king? ilhan omar, democrats dealt with it right away. al franken, democrats dealt with that so quickly, there were questions about whether they dealt with it too quickly. democrats immediately started talking about what happened with the virginia governor. democrats, there's accountability. there's self-examination, and there's contrition. and the republican party, there's none of that right now.

the silence in terms of donald trump is not just deafening. it's its own -- it's complicit. it's collaboration. it renders everyone else as guilty as donald trump and the things he's saying. >> before all the reaction -- because i know people will say because of what you said and what you said about democrats, they will say -- i know it will happen. they will say, oh, you're defending what ilhan omar said. not at all. >> not at all. i think what she said was disgusting. >> that's where we are in society. if you can say the democrats are showing contrition, it doesn't mean what she did was right. they should do the same thing with trump does not mean you're condoning her behavior. >> not at all. >> that's where we are right now. >> i'm praising nancy pelosi for calling out congressman omar, and republicans need to have that same sense of responsibility. >> not just nancy pelosi, but many, many, many of her colleague. >> go ahead, tara. >> no, i was going to say that's a by-product of how negligent the republican party has been by not policing their own. that democrats recognize that if

we're going to condemn republicans for these things, there is no room for error for us. so if there's anything positive coming out of the despicable way that republicans have handled donald trump, it's at least there's another party that's saying, you know what? we can't stand by and allow our party to become what they have done. we can't become what we despise. that used to be what conservatives said, and look at what's gone on here. it's really disheartening. that's been partially my problem with the republican party through the era of trump is just the amount of hypocrisy and the enabling to frank's point. i had this conversation today with a fellow conservative never-trump friend of mine about, you know, we can't attack trump supporters. and i said, i'm sorry. i'm over that. i gave them a pass in the beginning, but after two years of this president and his bigotry and his incompetence, his lying, his b.s.'ing, his con artist game, if people are still standing there and saying, well, we don't like that, but we support this. no. in order for you to support this, you're enabling that. and that's very selfish. and until the republican party

starts to recognize the damage this is doing not only to the party but to the country as a whole, to our constitutional republic, trump's going to get away with it. >> yeah. >> but, you know, i'm not going to hold our breath about when people are finally going to hold him accountable. >> professor, tara said something very important. she said the trump era. i'm wondering if there is something to be learned or gained from this, will the trump era be marked by an examination of racism and bigotry in our society? at least we're having these conversations out in the open. >> i think it will be, and the good thing is that it gives americans an opportunity to take a stand, to take a position. as i said, it's important to be on the right side of this battle, to take the moral high ground. and so it's an opportunity. i mean unfortunately the president is the spokesperson for the country. but it's time for all americans, whether they be democrat or republican, to stand up to racism and bigotry when the president speaks language that is racist or bigoted.

>> thank you all. i appreciate it. tara, don't be a stranger. >> never that, don. >> it's good to see you. governor northam says he is, quote, not going anywhere in the wake of his blackface scandal. but should he? virginia congressman don mceachin is here, and he's going to tell us what he thinks next.

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♪ memories. what we deliver by delivering. in the wake of the black face controversy, northam, says he's not going anywhere. that as a medical doctor he's the right one to heal the state. >> right now virginia needs to heal. there's no better person today

that than a doctor. virginia needs someone who's strong and empathy and a moral, that's why i'm not going anywhere. i can learn from this. we're in a unique opportunity now. >> virginia's attorney general has also admitted on black face. the governor was accused of sexually assault of two women, he denies the allegations. all of this a huge crisis for the state's democrat. joining me is don, thank you sir for coming on and answering questions for the american people. >> thank you for having me. >> northam says he's not going anywhere. is he the right doctor? to heal the state. he's the right one. >> no, i don't think he is. he's the one that inflicted the wounds and he sincerely believes what he's saying to the american public.

and to virginia. we need someone who can lead us at this time and heal us at each time. i am not sure the governor has that ability. >> i want to give you another part of this interview he did with cbs and got some folks attention, watch this. >> we are now at our 400 years anniversary, 90 miles from here in 1619, the first indenture servant in africa. landed on the shores. >> also known as slavery. >> gayle. a statement from northam's office provided to cnn and acknowledged this moment. during a recent event at fort monroe, i spoke about the arrival of the first african in virginia and referred to them in my remark as slaves. the use of indentured was inaccurate. was more historically accurate.

the fact is i am still learning and getting it right. does he need to get them right the first time? >> i think so, these africans were taken if i remember it right, golden slave ship. they were destined to be slaves. the indentured servant part is -- the reality is they were slaves who were born here in chains. every school child learns at an early age that 1619, a couple things happen. one was the establishment of the house of burgesses and africans came here in chains. why the governor decided to deviate from that, i am not entirely clear on. >> also, i want to talk about the attorney general in virginia, mark herring, a democrat admitted to wearing a black face dressing up as a rap artist, is that defensive?

is that as offensive. or are there degrees to how bad black face. >> there is a degree on how it is handle. the attorney general did not need a yearbook to come out to start talking about it. he called people. it sounded to me like he was on the verge of tears. he didn't come out saying one thing one day and different things the next. he's been apologetic and sorry for what he did and he was a 19 years old child. >> two women have accused justin fairfax for sexually assault, he denies those accusations. approximate called for an investigation involving lt fbi. four of his staffers resigned. you say you can't serve if he's still there. >> i don't think it is appropriate for him to serve. >> if he can no longer serve. pardon me, congressman. >> that's right.

i don't he can serve. >> he has the absolutely right to defend himself and these women have the absolute right to be heard. that needs to happen for the lieutenant governor as a private citizen. again we need to be moving forward and healing and reconciliation and what that looks like. he's not in the position to help us in that regard right now. >> congress, thank you, please come back. >> thank you. >> late tonight, congressional leaders announcing they have an agreement and principle to avoid another government shutdown. will the white house support it? drama queen with serious root issues. she sees a bit of gray and thinks... (screams) luckily, there's magic root cover up from l'oreal. three seconds to flawless roots 3...2...1... done! the number one root concealer in the world. magic root cover up from l'oreal paris.

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a book that you're ready to share with the world? get published now, call for your free publisher kit today! this is "cnn tonight", i am don lemon, here is our breaking news. negotiators in congress reaching an agreement in principle to avoid another shutdown which would happen on friday if no plans are in place.

the words tonight from lead negotiators from both sides of the isle. $1.37 billion for a border barrier. less than the $1.6 billion the president rejected last year. they hope the white house will sign this agreement. no guarantee though. president trump held a campaign style rally in the texas porter of el paso tonight trying to whip up support for the wall. outside that event, a march and a second rally, this one against a border wall and featuring former congressman beto o'rourke. mentioned as a possible presidential opponent in 2020. o'rourke telling his supporter that el paso is a safe city, not because of walls but in spite of them. a lot to discuss.