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Floyd Protests Erupt For Third Night Across Minneapolis; No Charges Yet In George Floyd's Death, And Investigations Are Ongoing; Six Feet Of Distance May Not Be Enough To Prevent Coronavirus Transmission, Experts Say. Aired 9-10p ET

Aired May 28, 2020 - 21:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[21:00:00]

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: And now, one in seven Americans know someone who's died of this. I know people who've died of this disease, some, very close to me.

Others, patients being cared for in our own hospitals, all dying alone, because of the brutal contagiousness of this disease. Some of their families are watching tonight, suffering and wondering if it had to happen, if it was inevitable.

As a doctor, I can tell you, there's no more painful conversation than this one because truth is many of these sad deaths could have been prevented. Yes, the virus is awful. But this was not inevitable.

In countries around the world, countries afflicted with the disease, at the same time we were, measured their death count in the hundreds, certainly not the thousands, and definitely not the hundreds of thousands.

As I said earlier, those countries didn't have a magic therapeutic or a vaccine. They had the same things we had. They just took it seriously, acted quickly, and had exponentially more success than we did.

It's a tough comparison. I know. But I think it's a fair one. Even the greatest country on Earth can learn, at a time like this, from other countries. And I think that's more important now than ever.

This is a once-in-a-century illness. And we don't know exactly why the world was stricken with this illness at this time in our collective history. But that doesn't mean we can't act. We must act. It's the best way to honor the memory of the more than 100,000 lives lost.

You can also head to our website to see where families all over the world are sharing memories now of their loved ones they have lost. And if you have someone you'd like to honor, submit their story at cnn.com/covidvictims.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, ANDERSON COOPER 360: Sanjay, thanks very much. I want to remind everyone about CNN's other Town Hall, Saturday

morning at 10:00 A.M. Eastern, the Sesame Street crew is teaming up again with CNN for "The ABC's of COVID-19." It's a new Town Hall for kids and parents, Saturday morning 8:00 A.M. Eastern here on CNN.

Before we go, I just want to thank everybody who joined us, Taraji P. Henson, Alfiee Breland-Noble, Maria Van Kerkhove, and David Quammen. Also want to thank all of you who wrote in with your questions. If you didn't get your question answered tonight, the conversation continues at cnn.com/coronavirusanswers.

The news continues with Chris Cuomo.

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TEXT: CUOMO PRIME TIME.

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CHRIS CUOMO, CNN HOST, CUOMO PRIME TIME: OK, I am Chris Cuomo. Welcome to PRIME TIME.

We have breaking news on our watch. Minneapolis streets are filled with screams for justice upon word that no charges have yet been filed in the death of George Floyd, in one of the most obvious and ugly injustices ever captured on video.

Minnesota's Governor has activated the National Guard. And the Mayor declared a local emergency after two nights of what you're looking at right now, escalation.

It is a rebellion, or a riot, depending on whom you ask. Either way, don't miss the symptoms for the sickness. What you're seeing in Minneapolis started for a reason, the video of Floyd's death and it is disturbing.

I'm supposed to tell you to look away if it's too much for you. But I say, too many are too quick to dismiss the reaction on these streets because you don't absorb the reality. So maybe, we all need to look at a video like this, and let it sink in.

What you see is what it is. A Black man, Monday, handcuffed, a White cop kneeling on his neck. Another cop, another cop, doing nothing for minutes.

What is Floyd doing? Some of it is there, pleading, "I can't breathe," begging that he would comply, begging for his mother, and then he died.

Floyd's family has called for murder charges against the four officers involved in his arrest. The officers were fired quickly. The question now is, were their actions too much to keep them as police but not enough to be crimes?

Here's the U.S. Attorney for Minnesota, tonight.

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ERICA MACDONALD, U.S. ATTORNEY: I cannot emphasize enough how important it is that all your ducks are in a row before you make that charging decision because you can't - you can't undo what you've done if you rush. But if you take that time, you're going to do it right the first time, and you're going to get it done the first time.

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CUOMO: The Hennepin County Prosecutor is asking the public also to be patient.

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MICHAEL FREEMAN, HENNEPIN COUNTY ATTORNEY: That video is graphic, and horrific, and terrible, and no person should do that.

But my job, in the end, is to prove that he violated a criminal statute, and there is other evidence that does not support a criminal charge. We need to wade through all of that evidence to come to a meaningful - meaningful determination, and we are doing that to the best of our ability.

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CUOMO: "There is other evidence that the officers did not break the law." That's what he said.

What evidence? I know it's an ongoing investigation. Of course, there has to be some integrity, in terms of what information is released.

[21:05:00]

But when your streets are on fire, don't you think if there is evidence, that suggests something other than what is obvious on this videotape, should be discussed at least, released, in some way offered up, to maybe change peoples' determination from what they believe to be obvious?

We have the brother of George Floyd tonight, along with the Family Attorney. But first, let's check in on the reality on the ground. We have Sara Sidner there.

Sara, how are you doing?

SARA SIDNER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're doing well. This night has changed from last night. I want to give you a look at the scene.

But I do want to mention that the Hennepin County Attorney has made some clarifications to his statement that he said other evidence that does not support a criminal charge, which, by the way, when people in these streets heard that, the reaction was, I can't even say it on television.

It really ginned up how they were feeling because, to them, they were like "What - what else do you need to see? These guys were fired. Clearly, they did not follow policy. And, as a result, it appears, you know, a man died." And so, there was a - there was a reaction to that.

Let me let you see the scene now. This is outside the Target, which is very close, right across the street from the Police 3rd Precinct. You're seeing there a car on fire.

CUOMO: How did he clarify his statement?

SIDNER: He said basically, look, this is critical to review all evidence and statements issued to clarify, when he misspoke, as he said. He's saying he misspoke at the presser today.

And he was trying to say, according to him, that he wants to be able to understand the full picture of what actually happened, and he has to review all evidence. So, when he said that this evidence that's--

CUOMO: So, he was clarifying, just so that the audience gets it right, Sara, I just want to make sure. And I appreciate you doing this.

SIDNER: Yes, yes.

CUOMO: So, he wasn't--

SIDNER: Yes.

CUOMO: --intending to say that he has evidence that suggests this was not a crime. He was trying to say, and misspoke basically, and he - what he really wants to say is he just wants to look at all the evidence before determining that there is a crime?

SIDNER: Yes. And we - we just got that from - from County Attorney Mike Freeman.

And - and he started to clarify what he called "Misspeaking" during the press conference. And, as you said, it's "We will - we need to review all evidence in this particular case."

But listen, these kinds of things, like misspeaking, after people have seen this video over and over and over again, there's a lot of people that aren't going to believe that. I'm going to tell you that right now.

When they hear these sorts of things, it's really important to be very, very clear with your words. And so, there's a lot of folks out here that aren't going to get that statement from him, and then hear the - the restatement, if you will.

And I'll give you a sort of an idea of what's happening now. Unlike yesterday, what we have seen, Chris, is a change in tenor and tone out here. You hear music.

(VIDEO - CNN ON SCENE, MINNEAPOLIS, FLOYD PROTESTS)

SIDNER: You do see the shells of buildings that were burned. I'm going to slight (ph) have you come with me down to where the main part of the protests has been all day, right outside the 3rd Precinct here in Minneapolis, and give you a view of the scene right now. And what you are seeing are still hundreds of people who are out here.

But we were able to talk to three female community activists who were then in this neighborhood trying to make a difference. And they really had, with their allies, a real impact on how people were - acted today, comparing it to yesterday.

They tried to put what they called a human shield of their folks between the police and protesters, encouraging protesters to be peaceful, and giving them a different way to get their anger out without being destructive, without looting. And we really did see a change.

I want to let you listen to one of those activists who's been working on the streets here, who is from here, who talks about what it did to her as a mother when she saw this video. She's a mother of Black children.

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ALICIA SMITH, COMMUNITY ACTIVIST: It broke my heart. It was devastating. There are no words in the English language that will convey the despair that I felt watching that man, life leave his body, and him scream out for his mother. I heard my son saying, "Mama, save me."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's 11 and 5.

SMITH: My kids are little boys. And my son asked me, "Am I going to live to be a grownup?"

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

SMITH: He's sweet. He's harmless. I've got to ruin his innocence, and tell him how to exist as a young Black boy in this country.

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SIDNER: You can hear the emotion in her voice.

And all of those Black women that you saw standing there have been trying to make a difference in their community. They have brought in water. They have brought in food. They are trying to get medicines to people here.

[21:10:00]

Because one thing that is really important that we should share with you that hasn't been shared enough, this neighborhood here, relied on these stores. They relied on the Target. They relied on the Cub. They relied on the Aldi.

All of those places have been destroyed. They are - they cannot be used. So, getting groceries, getting things that you need, getting supplies, getting supplies for Coronavirus, that's not available in this neighborhood anymore. So the elderly folks that used to walk here, folks that don't have cars, they can't get here, and that is going to be really devastating for a very long time, a long time after the protests ends. And that's what these activists are trying to figure out a way to try and help this community.

This is really striking at the heart of so many things that are going wrong. And ultimately, this is about the reaction to pain, to absolute and pure, pain and devastation, seeing this happen, to yet another Black man, in America.

Cuomo?

CUOMO: Sara, do me a favor. If there's anything that comes up, you know how to get me. I'll come right back to you, all right? You and the team stay safe. You know how to do the job as well as anybody. Thank you for being with me.

All right, next door to Minneapolis, you've got Saint Paul, the Capital City. Fires are breaking out there as well. Stores are also taking the brunt of it there as well. People are throwing rocks. They are throwing bottles at police while breaking into buildings. The police have used tear gas.

We have seen this many times, and we are watching it again. Miguel Marquez is there.

Miguel, the current status?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's also the State capital, where about 2 miles from there, where they've also locked down that area as well.

Let me show you what - what's happening right now.

(VIDEO - CNN ON SCENE, SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA, FLOYD PROTESTS)

MARQUEZ: This is Saint Paul tonight, police in riot gear with their - their masks on. That is at least one business that is burning off in that location.

What's been happening all afternoon is that there's several protesters on this side of the street that have come up toward the police, and are taunting them. They are throwing rocks. They are throwing bottles.

Police are firing back with either pepper balls, spray - pepper spray, and they're using flash bang grenades as well. They are doing this because they're trying to protect firefighters who are trying to fight the fires that are - have been set up the road here.

Down the road, toward the capital, there are also other shops that are being broken into. Right across the street here, that's a Goodwill. Most the windows there have been broken into, and people have gotten into there, and taken stuff as well.

It is absolute rage over what happened on that video. And people here are, - you know, this did not happen in this area last night. It is happening tonight.

And it seems the concern is when that sun goes down, it is not clear how much longer police are going to be just holding their positions here, or if they have the numbers to start moving in, and making arrests.

We did see buses over by the soccer stadium here with dozens and dozens and dozens of police officers getting onto buses, in full riot gear, going to certain parts of the city.

But it is pandemonium tonight here in Saint Paul, and it's not clear that given that press conference today, it certainly didn't help bring the temperature down.

Chris?

CUOMO: All right, Miguel. Also, as I said to Sara, we all know how to do the job. We've all been in these situations.

But be safe. And let us know when you have information that we need to get out, get to me, I'll come to you right away. I promise you that. But keep you and the team safe, OK?

Look, fine, he misspoke.

This is not a time to mistake "We have evidence that shows there is no crime" with, "I want to look at all the evidence, so I can prove there is a crime." Those are worlds apart, and messaging matters, transparency matters, information matters.

I'm telling you, I respect due process. I am an Officer of the Court. I am a lawyer. I get it.

But, in these situations, the body camera footage, I know there's a law, in this particular State, that puts guidelines and barriers on when they can use it. Why?

Why not get the information out? "Oh, because they'll get even more angry." No, they won't. They'll know what's happening. They'll know what's happening. And the unknown is devastating to people in a - in a situation when they think it should all be crystal clear.

The County Commissioner where George Floyd got taken down is among those demanding the arrest of the officers. Now, that's an interesting position.

You heard two different prosecutors talk about charging, but what about arresting? Guess what happens to a lot of people in the communities that are out there on the streets right now? They get arrested before they've been charged. Not here. Why?

[21:15:00]

She's also watching parts of her own neighborhood burn. What is her message? Next.

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CUOMO: OK. You're looking at video of relative calm in the Twin Cities tonight. This is live picture of what's going on. You got to see what happens when it gets darker at night.

(VIDEO - MINNEAPOLIS, FLOYD PROTESTS)

CUOMO: This press conference today, where the County Prosecutor said there's also evidence proving that there was no crime, then he said he misspoke, it's going to cause trouble, OK?

And it takes time for people to learn, especially when they're standing out on the street that they got things wrong.

Hopefully, they have their devices, and we can all get up to speed on the same page that they're just trying to put their ducks in the row, as the U.S. Prosecutor for Minnesota said.

So, here we are in the Twin Cities. And, once again, we are experiencing a tale of Two Cities. One group desperate for justice, and another group seeing the reaction by the first group as the problem.

Tonight, the FBI is asking for any more video that could be out there beyond the pictures of the Floyd arrest that you've seen here. Now, of course, they should have the body cam video, right? That should be the best evidence of what happened, right?

[21:20:00]

Right here, mounted from the perspective of the officer, supposed to be turned on, as soon as there is any type of confrontation, do they have that? We're told it exists. We have not seen it.

This arrest happened five blocks from Angela Conley's home. She's the Hennepin County Commissioner for that area.

It is good to have you on PRIME TIME. I'm sorry it is right now. But I am not sorry that we are talking about what must be discussed.

ANGELA CONLEY, HENNEPIN COUNTY COMMISSIONER, DISTRICT 4: Thank you so much for having me. This is a very important discussion.

CUOMO: Now, help me understand how somebody who means "I got to look at all the evidence, and then I'm going to put together my case" can misstate that by saying, "You know, there is evidence that shows that there was not a crime committed."

CONLEY: First of all, it's irresponsible to do that.

We have been calling out County Attorney Mike Freeman. And my role, as a County Commissioner, this is my Fellow Elected, who works down the hall from me, who is responsible. Now, the world is watching him and the decision that he makes.

And for many, many years now, communities, especially communities in the north side and south side of Minneapolis where I represent have not trusted his decision-making. So, he's got to show us that he is serious about this, and misspeaking like that gives people doubt.

We can't settle right now for anything other than a charge, an arrest and a conviction. And, quite frankly, it's taking too long. We have a video showing the murder of George Floyd which, to me, is probable cause in and of itself.

CUOMO: Couple of questions, Commissioner. I want to kind of get an understanding of the head and heart that's at play in your community.

One, do you trust that he did misspeak, or do you think it was corrected after the fact, and he said what he wanted to say?

CONLEY: You know, that's difficult for me to answer.

What we've seen in the past, we've had Philando Castile, we've had Jamar Clark. We have had Thurman Blevins. And we have seen how some of these remarks can be misstated or can be clarified later.

But when in - you're in that moment, and you are a leader, you are The Prosecutor for Hennepin County, you are the D.A., it is your responsibility to speak correctly. You have to have your words correctly.

You cannot instill doubt into a community that is already hurting, that is already grieving in the ways that they see fit by saying something as irresponsible as "We may have evidence to the contrary."

The evidence lies in that video. And we all watched all eight minutes of it, and it is murder.

CUOMO: I understand prosecutors jumping to charging. That's their job, OK? They do the charging. But you raise a very interesting question.

There are many members of your community that get arrested before they get charged. They don't get to wait at home until - even if they get fired, for doing something, at their place of work, they don't get to wait at home very usual - usually waiting to be charged.

How is that playing in the community that there has not been an arrest, meaning a finding of probable cause, much lower standard than anything else? CONLEY: This is - this really speaks to the history of over-policing, over-incarceration, racial discrimination, and anti-Blackness that comes within the police response to historically Black communities, communities who are living in poverty.

These are Black and Brown communities, where officers come in, and immediately, you know, immediately, we are profiled, we are harassed, and probable cause is instant.

Probable cause is instant, and all the facts aren't always there. But this is how we are treated, and we have been treated this way for so long, which is why you see so many different expressions of grief.

So what we saw with George Floyd was what we saw in the cases of Eric Garner, in the cases of the multitude of Black men and women who have been killed at the hands of police, for not, you know, unarmed, for doing the least, and were killed for that.

So, seeing officers who were let off, and being on put, you know, paid administrative leave, of course they should be fired. But this is probable cause, which means they could be arrested tonight, if it (INAUDIBLE) that way.

CUOMO: And the officers have been fired. But the question is why hasn't the criminal justice step been taken yet. We're waiting for answers on that. I get prosecutors talking about charging. That's what they do. But the Chief of Police can speak to it, certainly.

[21:25:00]

Now, I know this is a tough time, Angela. But if our interest is in trying to avoid the repeat of a cycle that I have lived through, and I know you have lived through, way too many times. We've seen what's happening on your streets. We've seen it happen.

CONLEY: Yes.

CUOMO: We understand why it's happening. But let's have just real talk for one second, where you engage a lot of people in this audience who are part of the majority, right?

We've got a minority, and we've got a majority (INAUDIBLE) in this country. And it is like two different worlds (INAUDIBLE) comes to situations like this. And here's what they're being told, OK?

"Man, these African-American people, man, this happens every time. They overreact. They don't let the system do its job. The guy didn't comply with the police. And now, they burned down their own neighborhoods, doesn't even make sense. And they're creating crimes, and they're saying they're upset about crime. I mean, what is going on?"

That is a perspective that I deal with all the time, when I'm on the ground at places.

It's very unusual for me to be sitting here in this closet, that is a studio now, and not be in Minneapolis. Obviously, it's because of COVID, and we have good people on the ground right now, actually better than I am.

But what do you say to that perspective on this reality?

CONLEY: I don't - you know, I don't think a lot of people understand mass incarceration. I don't think people understand the history of policing in our country, and what it was designed to do.

I don't think people are ready to say things like White Supremacist institutional racist behavior. People aren't ready for that. It's - it causes people to be deflective.

CUOMO: They see one case. "One case, OK, it's bad. I saw it on video."

CONLEY: One case.

CUOMO: "This is a bad one. These cops are right to be fired. If they have to have a crime, I understand. This is bad. It's one case, though. What is all this other 400-year talk? Why do we have to have this talk?"

CONLEY: You know, now in the day of social media, where things are caught on video, we've seen over the last five years, or six years, with the Black Lives Matter movement, that now that things are becoming more within the public eye.

We used to be killed, you know, without video, and we would have to rely on statements from the Police Department and, you know, the BCA, who typically investigate, you know, internally.

So, we don't have - we never had this sort of social media cry-out, these - this immediate videos that show us, in our face, what's really happening. So, it's not so much always, you know, the past 400 years. We know what police were designed to do initially.

And I want to say something else.

CUOMO: Please.

CONLEY: People have different ways of grieving. They're tearing up their own neighborhoods. They're doing that.

There's a psychology to grieving. It's a grief process. People have a fight or flight response when we feel as though we're under attack. And the Black community has felt as though we're under attack for many, many years now.

We do not have a lot of trust in our justice system. We do not have a lot of trust in our - in our police department. So, right now, we need City leadership. We need the State leadership.

We need leadership, like mine, who represents a very large and diverse district in South Minneapolis. Like you said, it happened five blocks from my door, to be on the ground, to be hearing from community, and hearing what they want. And what I have heard, after being on the ground for three days, is

that community does not have the trust that our justice system and our police departments should be earning from them.

CUOMO: Yes, Commissioner, literally, as you're sitting here, your window is filling up with smoke from what's happening outside.

CONLEY: Yes.

CUOMO: You understand why I want to put what's going on out there. I don't want to hide from it anymore.

You know what I mean? We dance around these situations a little bit. We try to make everybody happy. Can't make everybody happy because nobody's happy.

So, I just wanted to put it out there, and allow you to respond to what a lot of people think, even if they don't want to say it, I just - we're never going to change anything otherwise unless we deal with the realities as people experience them.

And, as you said, you know, some people see rioting. You see a manifestation of pain and hurt.

CONLEY: Yes.

CUOMO: And this is what people do when they're hurt and they don't see any better day coming. And we've seen it again and again and again. Will we change the cycle? We'll see.

But Commissioner Angela Conley, I know that's your mission. And I appreciate you doing it.

CONLEY: Yes, I will do it.

CUOMO: And thank you for taking on what you're up against, directly. Thank you.

CONLEY: (OFF-MIKE) calling to do so. Thank you so much for having me.

CUOMO: And you know I'm a phone call away. As information comes up that people have to hear about, about what's happening, what isn't, what's not being covered, you know how to get me. Be well.

CONLEY: Absolutely.

CUOMO: And God bless.

CONLEY: Be - be well. Thank you.

CUOMO: All right.

Can't dance anymore! You know a lot of you people, out there, who are watching this story, but not living it. You know you've heard that or believe it. You know you do. "Look what they do. Look how they respond. What do they expect? What do they think we're going to think of them?"

Do you understand why it's happening? Do you understand from the perspective of the minority? When are we going to do that?

[21:30:00]

Now, why am I not there? Because of Coronavirus, that's why, because these are really tough times. And thank God, we got people on the ground, who are really good, and can do the job.

We can't lose focus of Coronavirus either. You know, you don't ignore one crisis because you have another one.

I talked to you last night about something that we needed to talk about a lot more. This new paper by top researchers, six feet may not be enough, turns out distance, isn't really enough to think about, and that this virus can like hang in the air.

What else have we learned or what else do we not know? So, let's bring in one of the experts with her view of what you need to know because it actually matters most. Hype aside, let's get some real facts, next.

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[21:35:00]

CUOMO: The President is continuing his war on masks. Today he re- tweeted a conspiracy theory of an anti-mask Op-Ed with the caption "So many different viewpoints!"

Yes, good science, and sense, and BS. Never mind that the CDC has made clear its judgment.

What's more? New analysis from public health experts say that masks may be one of the most important tools in preventing the spread. Why? Because COVID, they now believe, definitively, is most dangerous when passed, in part, through aerosols.

Now, what does that mean? Means it's in the air. What does that mean? Means that six feet was always kind of arbitrary, and now, may even be, more so, in terms of preventing transmission.

Let's bring in one of the authors of the analysis, Kimberly Prather.

Is it Prather or Prather?

KIMBERLY PRATHER, ATMOSPHERIC CHEMIST, UC SAN DIEGO DISTINGUISHED CHAIR, ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY: Prather.

CUOMO: Prather. It's great to have you, and thank you.

So, we knew six feet was a guide. But what is the latest understanding of the importance of distance?

PRATHER: The latest understanding is that, you know, the six feet was setup back when we sort of believed that most of the transmission occurred through these really large drop (INAUDIBLE) that shootout when you cough and you sneeze.

That's pretty much the typical mode. And that those settle out within six feet (ph), pretty safely.

But when you start to think about the aerosols, the little tiny things that come out sometimes a thousand times more especially, when you talk, you - you can - basically those will not - they don't see the six feet.

They will just, especially indoors, they can just sort of build-up and fill up a room. If there's somebody in that room that's infected, those aerosols can contain infectious virus.

CUOMO: All right, so six feet not enough because it's contextual. If somebody is snarfing on you, six feet is a good distance. But in general--

PRATHER: Pretty good.

CUOMO: --there can just be microbials hanging in the air, where is - which is why you guys have come back around on masks, right? In the beginning, it was, "Ah, masks, you know, not so important, keeping for the healthcare workers."

But now, yes, masks, because of this aerosolized effect. Explain.

PRATHER: Yes. I mean I - I've always felt we should have masks.

But we - this country had a shortage of masks. And we were told not to wear them, not because we were sort of told they didn't work, but it was more about saving them for the healthcare workers.

Other countries managed their mask supply just fine, and they fared much better in that regard.

So, you know, the masks are here - the reason the masks are so important with this particular virus, in addition to it being airborne, it is being emitted by people who don't have symptoms.

So, they can walk around very infectious for, you know, five days. And when they talk, they can release, you know, thousands of aerosols into a room. And - and so, and we have no way to really identify these people because they don't have symptoms yet. And so, without more testing, masks are sort of, you know, where we are, if we want to reopen, and get back to, you know, an open society. We have to - have to do this.

CUOMO: And another reason that a mask can be helpful is that if it's aerosolized, as you guys believe, they're smaller, and they can go deeper into the body, so it's even more important that you do whatever you can to filter them out. Explain that to me.

PRATHER: That's a really - yes, that's a really good point.

So, the way that you get infected actually affects - can affect the severity of the disease, right?

So, if you do it through normal, you know, touching hand, you know, contact the big drops, and they go in through your mouth, or your nose, that has one effect.

But the aerosols, as you said, they're tiny, and they go deep into the lungs. They actually can bypass your immune response. So, they get deep in the lungs, and they start to replicate very fast, and your body doesn't know that it's under attack. And so, by the time it does, there is already quite a bit of infection.

And so, yes, the aerosol route will actually trigger a very different response, and perhaps a more severe level of illness.

CUOMO: Kim, thank you very much for taking us through this. We are all so desperate for clarity. What to do, what not to do.

PRATHER: Yes.

CUOMO: The masks, you got the President, you know, saying there are a lot of viewpoints on masks, which is completely BS. Masks matter. Thank you for helping us understand that they do.

I say BS all the time, it's all right.

PRATHER: Yes.

CUOMO: Don't be too shocked. Take care, be healthy, and be well.

PRATHER: Thank you, Chris.

CUOMO: Thank you.

These days, it's like I don't know why there's anything that I'd say more often than say BS, I don't know.

[21:40:00]

George Floyd's family is calling for peace. But his brother is also demanding that these officers pay the ultimate price for what you see on that video. He's here to share his pain, his hurt, and what he believes justice is.

His message to prosecutors, and to those on the streets, next.

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CUOMO: Peace. That is what the family of George Floyd is calling for, as we watch the streets of Minneapolis, and other places, where there's emerging violence, you know, not right now.

This is live picture. Tonight, it is basically calm. There have been moments. There have been sprees. But there's no reason to hype it. It is what you see right now. We'll see how it goes the rest of the night.

But we have been hearing very typical calls, once again, that no justice, no peace.

So, let's bring in Philonise Floyd. He is obviously the brother of the victim in this killing, and also Family Attorney, Ben Crump.

[21:45:00]

Counselor, as always, I always pray to meet you under better circumstances. But this is where life calls us.

And Philonise, I am very - I'm very sorry that this is what makes our introduction. But I know it matters a lot to you and the family that you speak on behalf of your brother, and you speak to the people who are, they say, acting in his name as well.

How do you see what's happening in Minneapolis?

PHILONISE FLOYD, BROTHER OF GEORGE FLOYD: Like it was before. My story will never change.

Everybody's reacting off of pain, Black men dying every day. They're tired of seeing the same thing over and over. Everybody wants justice. It's just a going thing these days, justice for Black people. Black lives matter.

CUOMO: How do you help somebody to understand the hurt that comes with hearing about your brother on top of what you believe is a reality that's almost as likely for you as it is for any other African- American?

FLOYD: I just tell them just look back, and look at everything that's going on. Eric Garner had to die. He couldn't breathe. That hurt me more than anything, Trayvon Martin, everybody.

And get to 2020, my brother, all he did was go in the store, come out. They handcuff him, put him in different angles, cam - people record them, left and right, checking on him.

And, all of a sudden, they just put him on the ground, and put - one of them put their knee in his neck, to execute him. What more can I say about anything? Everybody has the footage.

CUOMO: What was the hardest thing for you emotionally in finding out that this time it was your brother?

FLOYD: Just waking up to this, it's not right. I woke up irritated. I had to get up and go to work.

And then I wake up to this, crying, my wife calling me over and over, telling me what's going on. I couldn't even shake it because I didn't understand because she kept telling me my brother has passed, my brother has passed. I was like, "What? No."

But to find out that he was killed by people who were supposed to serve and protect? No, I couldn't stand for that. I don't - I want justice, and I'm not going to stop until I get the death penalty for those officers.

CUOMO: That's what you're calling for is the ultimate punishment. What do you think the chance is that that happens?

FLOYD: I don't know. But I'm calling for it because I know firing them that was the first step. But they can go in another county, and get a job.

But what I'm seeking is death because they executed my brother. I want justice. You know, I want an arrest for all four of those officers tonight, a murder conviction for all four of those officers. I want the death penalty.

I have not slept in four days. And those officers, they're at home sleeping. No, I can't stand for that. They need to be locked up tonight. I want justice served. Arrest those officers, so my family and the world can have closure.

CUOMO: Counsel, let me bring you in here. You and I have done this many times, Sir, many times, all over the country, all kinds of different fact patterns, very often the same outcome.

What have you learned, over all these years, as you bring that now to bear in the Floyd case, about what needs to happen that hasn't been happening or at least not enough?

BEN CRUMP, FLOYD FAMILY ATTORNEY: Well, Chris, obviously what we've learned is that we need to put pressure on the Prosecutor to zealously prosecute these murderers of unarmed young men, mostly Black men, in these high-profile cases.

Chris, when you think about what the D.A. said today, it disgusted the family. It disgusted the community. It disgusted everybody in Black America.

And I hope it disgusted everybody in America because he said there wasn't enough probable cause to arrest? Based on this video? I mean, I want everybody to go back, as painful as it is, and watch that video.

There was a layperson, a witness, and she was purported to be an EMT. She asked 16 times, "Can I just take his pulse?"

[21:50:00]

And these officers, who are supposed to, as P.J. said, protect and serve, they wouldn't even protect him to be able to give him the opportunity to breathe, by letting the EMT just check his pulse.

He was restrained, Chris. He was face down. He had handcuffs on. My God! How much more restrained can you get?

And it's just open season, whether you look at Ahmaud Arbery, you look at Breanna Taylor, and now you look at George Floyd, and people are refusing to let this go the way of Eric Garner, where they try to delay, delay, delay, you remember, Chris, and then they come back, and say, "Oh, there's not enough probable cause."

But we witnessed the truth with our own eyes. And that truth is going to get us justice. And I'm cautiously optimistic that if this D.A. isn't going to do his job, I'm speaking directly to him on behalf of my clients.

Then we need the Attorney General of Minnesota, Keith Ellison, to take over this case because we lost a lot of faith in him today with those comments, talking about there may be evidence that a crime did not occur despite his--

CUOMO: He says he misspoke. The Office came out and said he misspoke. But I hear you. It is an egregious error of communication at a minimum, at a time where people need the best out of their public servants.

Counselor, thank you for joining us tonight.

P.J., I'm so sorry for your loss. And I understand what your calls are for justice and your calls to your community. And I just hope you extend my condolences to the family. I wish there were more I could say or do.

FLOYD: Thank you.

CUOMO: God bless and be well.

Let's take a break. We'll be right back.

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CUOMO: My argument is this. We're really just battling one problem. America is a tale of two cities, one, the majority, one, the minority. The last three months exposed these parallel Americas.

Tonight, you see the flames in Minneapolis.

For too many in the minority, they illuminate an act of rebellion, and catharsis, a show of force when, for too long, there's only been helplessness, a fight or flight reaction, as you heard, that comes after flying in fear and insecurity, they say they feel too often, and in too many ways.

Now, too many in the majority see lawless actions that offset any underlying act. I speak to the majority here, and I beg you to stop ignoring the pain and profound hurt that lies beneath what you see.

Of course, these actions are against the law. Of course, they're not what we want to see. But we, in the majority, cannot allow ourselves to be corrupted by toxic talk about the correct way to express that pain.

You can't simplify it to the point of a false equivalence that puts them in sured buildings on equal footing with an apparently never- ending pattern of dead Black young men at the hands of those who were supposed to protect them.

Tonight, we see a wrong, after a wrong. And yes, two wrongs don't make a right. But if we don't address why we keep ending up here, we will never make things right.

It isn't the rebels lighting fires. It isn't the media exposing the reality. The problem is the reality.

Just look at the last three months. Forget about policing. Look at the toll of the pandemic. More people of color are getting sick and dying. Why? Less access to care.

More minorities are losing their jobs at a faster rate, yet they make up the higher percentage of those at work, right now, in jobs deemed "Essential." Imagine how that feels, helping more, and being helped less.

They stand a greater chance, minorities, of getting stopped for wearing, and not wearing, masks.

Those government small business loans, they didn't go evenly to the majority and minority. Most went to the majority.

In one America, people rage for freedom to get a haircut and a tattoo. The other is raging just to be seen and heard.

One America says they won't wear a mask because when they jog it's uncomfortable, not necessary. It's an affront to their liberty.

One has renewed fear that going for a jog could get you killed.

One America insists their need for football is so sacrosanct, there can be no kneeling protest on the sidelines, "Sons of Bitches," but is not outraged by a cop kneeling on this man's neck?

Doesn't make it OK to riot, says the majority. But doesn't it depend why it's happening?

A riot in Boston Harbor started the fight that amounted to America, cities burned across the continent in 1968, again, at Stonewall. In each of those cases, it was the minority manifesting a desperate plea to be heard, and for change, just like now.

A friend of mine, celebrated American, and African-American, asked me in a broken voice, "Why doesn't America love us? Why do they do this to us?" And he wasn't just talking about this latest case. He was talking about all of them. And by America, he meant me, he meant you, the White majority.

And you can listen to those who put it on the minorities, "Violent! Outrageous! Lazy! They hate the majority. They don't comply with the police. They are the tyrants. Look what they're doing in the streets."

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