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Protests Continue Take Place Across U.S. In Wake Of Death Of George Floyd At Hands Of Police; Two Buffalo, New York, Police Officers Plead Not Guilty To Assault Charges For Pushing 75-Year-Old Man To Ground; May Jobs Report Might Have Misclassifications Distorting Unemployment Numbers; Memorial For George Floyd Held In Raeford, North Carolina; NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Issues Statement Supporting Protests. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired June 06, 2020 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:05]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, again, everyone, thanks so much for joining me this Saturday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

The crowds are swelling in the nation's capital. Thousands of protesters have already started to gather in Washington, D.C. in what could turn out to be the biggest day of protests there yet. We have a team of correspondents in Washington for us. Let's begin with Suzanne Malveaux who started at the Lincoln Memorial, has been moving with the crowd there, for a moment now static. What's going on?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Fred. We are actually on the corner of Constitution and 17th. You can see the barriers, the barricades that have been set up throughout the city. It is really designed to make sure that not too many people are gathered in one place. You see here the snow plow trucks here that have blocked off the street to make sure that vehicles are not coming down the main thoroughfare.

And what you're seeing at this hour, a lot of various groups, families, students, protesters, individuals who are scattered throughout Washington D.C. and will come together, we expect, later in the afternoon for more formal activities. Down here, down Constitution, Fred, this was just where they had what is called a lie- in. There were a lot of people who were either lying or sitting for 8:46. That is the time that George Floyd had that knee to his neck and was dying. We have seen this kind of protest throughout the country. That is something that was just taking place here on this street.

And now you can see that people are coming toward us. They're heading towards the White House. There is another, smaller group that is going to be at the Lincoln Memorial. And Fred, I had a chance to meet a lot of folks, talk to a lot of folks earlier today. One of them, Roger Campbell, 30-year-old teacher, who really made an impression and an impact at the Lincoln Memorial when he shared a very personal story to the crowd. I want you to hear what he told me and how this all came about.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ROGER CAMPBELL, PROTESTER: It was very scary, something I don't know what, but while I was standing up there holding my sign just told me since the crowd is here, speak. Speak your mind, Roger. The worst they can do is laugh. Or the worst they can do is what they've been doing. The best they can do is listen.

MALVEAUX: They did more than listen. It seems like they embraced you.

CAMPBELL: It does, and I am very, very, very thankful for that, because I was very scared and nervous to say those things, not because I thought it was wrong, but just because I've never done it before.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And Fred, it was really a wonderful moment to share with him, because we both got a little bit of a chuckle out of that. He took a chance. He was brave. And he realized that it paid off.

What we're seeing now is various groups. Black Lives Matter has a very big, significant presence here in D.C., as well as Freedom Fighters D.C. They are also on the move. You have another group, RefuseFacism.org, and they are spread throughout. But they're heading towards the White House, also towards the Lincoln Memorial. So far, Fred, everything has been very peaceful, almost quiet, if you will.

There have been celebrations. There have been tears. And, again, a lot of people who are, as you see some who are following the social distancing guidelines, wearing masks, others who are not. There has been a lot of care from volunteers and protesters for one another. We have seen people, themselves, actually give out little goody bags and water bottles as people pass by to make sure that everybody is staying safe, is staying well-hydrated.

It is close to 90 degrees now, Fred, here in Washington, D.C. So you do see folks a little bit tired, a little bit anxious here. But so far very little aggression. Just a lot of people trying to share their stories and make people understand where they are coming from as they regroup and regather to get to the White House and to the Lincoln Memorial, which will happen in the next hour or so, Fred.

WHITFIELD: And along the way it is nice to hear and see firsthand how that kind of unity and company is empowering people just like Roger shared with us. Thanks so much, Suzanne.

Let's go now to Boris Sanchez who is at the U.S. capitol -- or have you moved? Oh, no, you're there. You're just closer to the Dirksen Senate Building now. So what's happening?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Fred. Yes, a massive crowd has gathered at the Senate Dirksen Building. If you look, there are people as far as the eye can see. The Capitol Dome just across the street from us. This was all put together by one organizer named Philomena who sent out a tweet 10 days ago and effectively founded Freedom Fighters D.C. And as we swing the camera around the other direction, you can see

down the block so many people, so many signs. They're not just here demonstrating. They are also putting into effect this activism where it matters most. They're actually hosting a voter registration drive over to the right of me. They're handing out different supplies, essentially gathered for what will be a long day.

[14:05:00]

You heard Suzanne mention the social distancing guidelines. I've been thinking about this the last few days. How do you reconcile staying safe in the era of COVID, all the directions to stay home, with wanting to demonstrate and having your voice heard? I asked the founder of this group, Philomena, about that. She said effectively as a black woman she doesn't feel safe in this country with or without COVID. She said she is willing to die for this movement. Listen to what she told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILOMENA WANKENGE, BOARD MEMBER, FREEDOM FIGHTERS D.C.: It sounds extreme and it might sound dramatic to people, but as a black person, every day that I wake up I could die. Especially as a black woman dealing with sexism and dealing with racism, I'm combatting double the trouble. So I tell everyone every time we do protests, if you're not willing to risk your life for this then you shouldn't be out here, because at the end of the day I don't care if I lose my life if that means my nieces and my nephews won't have to deal with someone invalidating them because of the color of their skin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: And it is going to be a long day for these protesters, Fred. After this, they're going to be marching through the mall toward the African-American History Museum. There we're set to hear from a number of different speakers. They're going to swing past the White House at one point and wind up at Freedom Plaza. So far, Fred, extremely peaceful, and a very, very light footprint from law enforcement in this area. They stopped by here a short while ago and closed this street so that folks wouldn't have to worry about traffic. Again, very peaceful. We'll see how the rest of the evening unwinds, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Powerful moments. Boris Sanchez, thank you so much.

Let's check in now with Athena Jones at Lafayette Square near the White House. Looks like a very sizable crowd there, too. What's the tenor and tone?

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. That's right. I'm going to have the cameraman show more of this crowd above my head. We are gathered at what has now been renamed by the city Black Lives Matter Plaza. We're right outside the White House. We've been talking for the last couple of days about the giant Black Lives Matter painted in yellow on the street.

People have been gathering here since the morning. Hours ago people began gathering. There's been a festive atmosphere and a very diverse crowd. Young, old, black, white, entire families, we've seen faith leaders out here, all of them hoping that this time these movements where they're having their voices heard will actually lead to some concrete change.

Among the folks who have gathered here, I have with me Jodie Horton from Virginia and her daughter Chloe Murray. Talk to me about why it was so important to be here.

DR. JODIE HORTON, MOTHER, PROTESTOR: I thought it was so important to bring my daughter out here because she needs to see the change that is hopefully going to happen now. I think it's important to show her the importance of voting and to stand up for herself as a black woman.

JONES: Show us your sign, Chloe. Why do you want to carry a sign that says that?

CHLOE MURRAY, PROTESTOR: Because everybody thinks that no matter what kind of black person you are, that you are a threat. And I am obviously not a threat. Nobody should be afraid of me. I'm nobody's threat. All I want is to grow up and be a successful black woman and travel the world, and I don't see why that's a problem.

JONES: And I talked to you guys earlier, and you said you think that this time, after so much raising of voices, that it won't just end with the protesters going home. You think there could be concrete change politically and in terms of police reform. Talk to me about your hope for that. Why do you think this time is different?

HORTON: The year 2020 has been insane. We've seen the pandemic, and then everything with the Black Lives Matter movement, the protests, seeing people, like you said, of all races, ages come out. It's been a beautiful thing. I want to be part of the history, I want to be a part of the change. So hopefully this will make a difference.

JONES: We'll send it back to you, Fred. Thank you, Jodie and Chloe. A lot of folks out here ready to march are already at the White House, but the chanting and the speeches have begun, and we'll be following it as it continues. Fred?

WHITFIELD: We are hanging on every word. Athena Jones, Boris Sanchez, Suzanne Malveaux, thank you. And thanks to all your guests who have been willing to speak.

Joining me right now to discuss is Barbara Ransby, a long-time political activist and historian at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She's also the author of "Making All Black Lives Matter, Reimagining Freedom in the 21st Century." Barbara, good to see you.

BARBARA RANSBY, POLITICAL ACTIVIST: Thank you for having me.

WHITFIELD: So when you look at this collective body of demonstrations, 12 days now, how do you assess the magnitude of this moment that we are in as a real potential turning point?

RANSBY: Well, I think it absolutely is that. What we don't know yet is what it's turning to. In other words, will the protests be sustained? Will elected officials and others listen to the demands of the protesters? Will we be able to sustain pressure in order to get certain kind of progressive changes made in terms of racial justice, and also economic justice?

[14:10:01]

But absolutely a watershed moment. Really, we see the convergence, I think as one of the earlier speakers said, of three crises. We have the crisis of the COVID pandemic, which is unprecedented and has enveloped the country and the world. We have the crisis of more prominent cases of police violence and these uprisings that have been sustained in greater magnitude and scope, I have to say, than the 1960s. And then, finally, we have really a crisis of the presidency and a crisis of democracy with a very dangerous and dysfunctional president in the White House.

WHITFIELD: And when you say in a greater scope than in the 60s, you're talking largely because of the makeup of people who were demonstrating being far more diverse?

RANSBY: Well, and the fact that we have 50 out of 50 states have erupted in some kind of protests. And we really did not see, perhaps because social media and communication is more expansive today, but we didn't see --

WHITFIELD: Cameras on people's phones that is capturing all of these moments. And this is -- police brutality is something, historically we've been talking about this for a long time. So it's been there for a very long time, but perhaps what is different now is, in these recent instances, they are caught on videotape. And so for those who didn't believe it or weren't willing to be convinced about it, now it's very difficult to dispute.

RANSBY: Absolutely. The vividness of the images are very, very powerful. All of the major urban uprisings of the 1960s and even before were triggered by instances of police brutality and police violence. So you're right that it's not new.

But what I also want to add, and I think I really take great hope in the new generation of activists and organizers, organizers in groups like the coalition, the Movement for Black Lives, which has a set of demands coming out of this period of protests, Dream Defenders, Black Youth Project 100, all of these organizations have also linked the police violence to the economic injustice that black communities are enduring. Black working class communities in particular have really been in a crisis before COVID and before these recent uprisings. And so I think people are in the street for lots of reasons. It's not a single incident, and it is not police brutality narrowly defined.

WHITFIELD: Do you see that -- you talk about the, really, the sequence of events from the pandemic, and then putting the magnifying glass on police brutality. Do you see that, in some way this convergence of the two huge things that are particularly affecting black lives in America has helped empower that movement that says, these inequities have been a constant for just too long. And if not now to promote some change, then when could it possibly

happen, if the microscope that shows this pattern of police brutality and the inequities of health care, of jobs, of income, of access to grocery stores, all those things that make black people more vulnerable to this pandemic, how could it possibly be ignored and not addressed now?

RANSBY: Yes, absolutely. And sometimes it's the straw that breaks the camel's back. It's the final injustice, or the final infliction of injustice, right? But I also want to just name that there are three crises. The fact that we have Donald Trump in the White House, who has so flagrantly embraced white nationalists and white supremacists and been so insensitive and racist toward people of color has added to this.

In 1968 for all his faults, and there were a number of them, Lyndon Baines Johnson set up the Kerner Commission, which prescribed a number of far reaching changes and reforms and public spending on housing, education, jobs for working class black people. We cannot envision remotely that kind of response from this president.

The kinds of concessions, the kinds of resources that are going to be given will really come from the movement putting pressure on politicians that will listen, but also just being unrelenting in the democratic demand for economic justice and an end to police violence.

WHITFIELD: Barbara Ransby of the University of Illinois, thank you so much for your time, insight, and educating us all. Thank you.

RANSBY: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, still ahead, CNN has learned that two Buffalo police officers, seen in that shocking video, this right here, that moment of pushing that 75-year-old protester to the ground, are being charged.

[14:15:09]

And 12 days of protesting continues as demonstrations pop up from New York to Los Angeles. We'll have live reports, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Two Buffalo, New York, police officers are pleading not guilty to assault charges after this shocking video showing them pushing that 75-year-old protester to the ground there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN J. FLYNN, ERIE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: This particular assault charge in the second degree is a felony. Now, again, there may be some o who say that I'm choosing sides here by arresting and prosecuting these police officers, and I say that is ridiculous. I'm not choosing sides.

(END VIDEO CLIP) [14:20:03]

WHITFIELD: CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich is following this story for us. So, Vanessa, what kind of reaction has this elicited?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS REPORTER: Hi, Fredricka. Earlier today when these two officers, Aaron Torgalski and Robert McCabe, were charged with second-degree assault, they also pled not guilty, as you mentioned. Outside of the district attorney's office, we saw a very large crowd of law enforcement that was there to support those two officers. They cheered when the two officers entered those not guilty pleas.

The district attorney mentioned that he was planning on potentially charging the two officers yesterday, but after 57 members of the Emergency Response Team resigned because those two officers were suspended from the force, he felt that he should not charge them then.

He also says that he believes that because of this incident with this gentleman, Martin Gugino, where he did fall right behind me and hit his head and was bleeding, he believes, the district attorney believes that the officers and members of the Buffalo Police Department need to be retrained. This is what he said earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN J. FLYNN, ERIE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: I found out that the entire Emergency Response Team of the Buffalo Police Department had quit. And they weren't going to come last night to protect the city of Buffalo. And so if I would have done this last night, I may have been fanning the fire here, OK, I may have been -- I didn't want to pour gasoline on a fire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YURKEVICH: That gentleman, Martin Gugino, he is in serious but stable condition.

Behind me there's a small group of protesters that are where Mr. Gugino fell back and was bleeding. We've seen a couple other protests around the city, very small, very peaceful. You see one here on this lawn across from city hall. We saw another one in front of a local police precinct. But organizers of the protests are asking protesters to remain very calm and to remain peaceful. And of course, Fredricka, there is the curfew in effect this evening at 8:00 p.m. Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right, in Buffalo, Vanessa, thank you so much.

New York is also preparing for another round of protests, talking about New York City. CNN's Bill Weir is there for us where large crowds of people have already started gathering, and there is a mix of everybody plus a lot of talent. Bill?

BILL WEIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Fredricka. Welcome to one of the more jubilant protests in New York City right now, a New Orleans style second line led by Jon Batiste, best known on Stephen Colbert's "Late Show." Jon, you wrote on Twitter that your ancestors gave you the power of music to make the world a better place, and now you have the chance to do the same.

JON BATISTE, BANDLEADER, "STAY HUMAN": Look at what we're doing. We're using music to bring people together of all races, of all genders, for black lives. We have to get protests, and we have to get to voting -- 100 million people did not vote in the last election. We are battling three candidates -- Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and apathy. And we have to fight apathy more than anything. And we have to fight for black lives. And right now if we don't do that, nobody will. We're the ones. We are. We are the chosen ones. We can change this.

WEIR: What does this shirt mean, what is "We Are"?

BATISTE: We are the ones who are responding to the 401 years of generational trauma and oppression that our ancestors bore. We're standing on their shoulders. We are the ones who can change a generation for women. We are the ones who can change a generation for the young. We have the power right now. We are the ones. That's it.

WEIR: What are your thoughts about when these things go from this kind of festive and peaceful into the more violent things you've seen? Your thoughts on NYPD's reaction.

BATISTE: There's always evil in the world. There's always going to be evil in the world. There's always going to be trouble in the world. But the thing about it is, if we stop acting on the side of good, then everything goes and we lose all that we've worked for and love in the world is the thing that I believe in. I don't believe in trying to change people who don't want to change, but I believe everyone has that love in them. So all we have to do is put it on display. And you know what's going to happen? Less evil in the world. More of that.

That's how it works. It is a very simple thing. You know that as a child. You learn that as a child. We learned lots of types of ideologies, a lot of toxic ideologies we learn when we're growing up in the world, and we have no idea sometimes that we're taking it in. There is a great unlearning that is potentially taking place right now. And if we let that happen, and we get out of the way of our ego and out of the way of grabbing for power, we can have true freedom and true love.

[14:25:09]

WEIR: That's the thing about human beings. We are made of stories but stories can always change, right? But there have been protests in the past, tragically, shootings, killings in the past, and uprisings. Does this feel different in any way?

BATISTE: I've done marches. I've done protests. I've marched for science. I've marched for anything that is on the side of humanity, because God created humanity. And everyone deserves respect. Everyone deserves a chance to live a life pursuing liberty and happiness. But the thing about that, the thing that I want to tell you about that, is everyone doesn't get a chance. So that's what is the same. What is different is I think that we're making a dent in that power structure right now.

WEIR: And this is an all-volunteer band, these folks who showed up with their horns and drums?

BATISTE: We just shot down the street. We've been marching for hours. This is something that even the police, we saw the police escorting us. We saw people come from all walks of life to join this protest. No one is getting paid. Nobody is doing this for entertainment. Nobody is doing it for Instagram. These are people volunteering their time and putting their life on the line in the middle of a pandemic. You know why? That's that love and that good that I was telling you about. That's in us.

WEIR: For what it's worth, when you were improvising and ramping people with using the lyric "Black Lives Matter," I passed a couple NYPD who said that's a catchy song.

BATISTE: You know what? It is a catchy song. Black music matters. Breonna Taylor matters. Ahmaud Arbery matters. George Floyd matters. And you know what? That's something that we have to remind people of. And guess what? That's not OK. So we're protesting in peace, but we mean business. This is divine business. The ancestors used music and song as a way to communicate unspoken joy and unspoken pain. We're doing all of that right now, and we're standing on their shoulders, and we're sharing a message of hope with the world in support of black lives.

WEIR: It's a very powerful thing to see. Thank you, Jon.

BATISTE: Thank you.

WEIR: Jon Batiste of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" leading this second line music protest, Fredricka. And the crowd, it's amazing how it has swelled from the few dozens to the hundreds. Now we're at least two city blocks long, and this is just one. At one point we had protesters' gridlock. We came head on with an entirely other protest going opposite way. Washington Square Park is full. NYPD has shut down huge swaths of the city to let all of this happen.

The arrests have been going down in recent days. Reports of looting and fires have been going down in recent days. But the NYPD response has been sporadic. Sometimes they escort the protesters peacefully and then let them disperse. But then we've seen other incidents where they corral these groups, and that's when the clubs have been swinging and the teargas has come out. We'll see what Saturday brings. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: At least in this moment, Bill Weir and Jon Batiste only you two could bring this kind of poetry in protest, in a protest. Thank you so much, gentlemen. Appreciate it.

All right, demonstrators in Los Angeles are also demanding an end to injustice in honor of George Floyd. Let's get to Paul Vercammen live in Los Angeles for us. So Paul, what are you seeing and experiencing?

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right now, Fred, I am right next to the USC campus in the USC village area, and this has turned out to be a dynamic protest. A lot of people shouting the name of George Floyd. And look over here. People in their cars honking in support. This has been a college crowd, a rather intellectual protest, if you will. Many of them saying, we are carrying the signs for people who can't carry them anymore. And look at Chris's sign right here. Go ahead and read your sign to us, Chris.

CHRIS FLOYD, USC DOCTORATE OF PHYSICAL THERAPY: Yes, sir. So it says, "My name is Trayvon Martin. I never got to see my 18th birthday. My killer is still free." And then with a hoodie does not mean I am a threat. Say my name. I matter. So I chose Trayvon Martin today to honor him. I'm wearing my hoodie, my hood, to show that we are not a threat.

I graduated from USC's Doctor of Physical Therapy Program recently. My greatest achievement, I'm almost 29 years old, and that is my greatest achievement so far. When you die at 17 years old, at 26 years old Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, they will never get to accomplish the dream that I have, and I think that that was taken away from them. We will never know the positive impact that they might have had in this world.

[14:30:01]

And so today I want to honor Trayvon Martin and show him that I can make the impact that he wasn't able to make in his life, and I will carry that on in his death.

VERCAMMEN: Chris, congratulations on your doctorate degree in physical therapy. This has taken on a rather intellectual bent here. And I want to ask you about this. It's been recently said USC is going to give free tuition to anybody accepted whose parents make less than $80,000 a year. What is the importance to you in terms of equality in getting access to education like this?

FLOYD: I think it is absolutely pivotal. That shows what we always say. We talked earlier, USC grad, we know in this family, USC is a family. We say that all the time. This right here is showing that. So I want to say that will break, decrease a barrier a lot of us have experienced. We are intelligent. We are smart. We want to get an education, too. So if you can remove that barrier that will maybe decrease the chances of us doing that and pursuing our dreams, I think that's amazing. Let's do it.

VERCAMMEN: Thank you so much, Chris. Go ahead, Chris. Show a little more of this very large now protest. It seems like there are thousands and thousands and thousands of people here in the streets of downtown Los Angeles, walking in and around the USC campus, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Wow, extraordinary turnout, and very vocal. Thank you so much, Paul Vercammen, for bringing his story.

All right, since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, unemployment numbers have reached record levels. Is the newest jobless rate worse than what is being reported? Up next, how a classification error could have affected the numbers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:36:16]

WHITFIELD: When the May jobs report dropped on Friday the numbers were stunning -- 2.5 million jobs were added in May and unemployment actually fell to 13.3 percent, defying virtually all predictions. But it turns out a classification error could be making the unemployment numbers look better than they actually are. If it weren't for that mistake, the unemployment rate could have been as high as 19.2 percent in April, and 16.1 percent in May.

Diane Swonk is chief economist at Grant Thornton and an adviser to the Federal Reserve Board. Good to see you, Diane. So does this simply mean that there were some people that weren't counted when they say this misclassification, they weren't counted in the numbers, and thereby that's why we've got the numbers that we have?

DIANE SWONK, CHIEF ECONOMIST, GRANT THORNTON: They were misclassified. And what was really important is this has been going on since March when we had that first downdraft, which has been -- the numbers have been revised to 1.4 million before we had one state lockdown in the month of March. And even in the month of March we added to the unemployment rate because of the way the coders took the information. They were absent from work due to COVID. That actually means they were unemployed. Many of these were furloughed workers.

And what happened was the Bureau of Labor Statistics noticed this huge mismatch out there, and they actually reported it on the first page and said you should really add these numbers to the unemployment rate. It's hard because the classifications were really not designed for a pandemic. Even if you were not looking for a job in a locked down economy, you also might not have been included as unemployed but as a discouraged worker. So the data, they're trying to do the best they can to be transparent, but it is important to understand that the unemployment rate is much higher than the ones that we're seeing, and they're already horrific.

WHITFIELD: OK. And you think it is as simple as it is just hard to get real data when you've got a pandemic? Nothing else nefarious here?

SWONK: There is nothing nefarious here. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has been really consistent about being transparent and putting this on the front page of their release saying it is adding this much to unemployment in this month from what we think is a coding error, and that's important, because we need that information.

The reality is they're trying to actually do weekly surveys now to try to catch up. They are chasing a moving target. The economy has been shifting so rapidly, a lot of the ways that they do surveys and how we count these things were just not designed for this kind of world, and they are trying to catch up.

Actually, the good news is as they do this going forward, we're going to have some better economic data down the road when we're not in a pandemic. But for now there is going to be a lot of problems. They also have response error problems. People are not responding to the surveys like they once did because they are harder to reach.

WHITFIELD: So these 2.5 million jobs that were added, what are these jobs? In what sectors?

SWONK: What we saw was over half of the gains came in food services, and many of the jobs were added before we saw full reopening. Some were due to the PPP loans that were actually issued in that first tranche that they ran out of money on April 16th. But it really is a pretty small number of jobs to be tied to PPP loans because there was over 1.6 million loans were issued by April 16th, and, yet, the hiring was only 2.5 million on net.

We also saw construction and manufacturing jobs. Those are more durable. What we worry about is the ability to hold on to these jobs as we reopen in fits and starts, and can actually restaurants hold on to their employees if they can't fill up to a level that they can actually cover their costs as these PPP loans expire.

[14:40:01]

What is good is Congress is finally course correcting and allowing firms to have more flexibility with those loans. The irony is, as they do that, you'll also see less hiring tied to the PPP loans because they are allowing them to space it out over a longer time and allocate less to actual employees.

WHITFIELD: You had mentioned that a lot of those restaurants in our conversations past, only about 25 percent in operation, and they really need about 50 percent usually to kind of stay going for another few months. So it's definitely a super challenged industry right now. Diane Swonk, thank you so much.

All right, straight ahead, we're live at a memorial for George Floyd as demonstrators chant for justice in his name. A live report coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Around the globe people are protesting the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police, but today they are also remembering his life and the family he leaves behind.

[14:45:01]

Right now, people are gathering in Raeford, North Carolina, close to Fayetteville where he was born in North Carolina. A memorial is scheduled to take place in just a few minutes. CNN's Dianne Gallagher is there now. And Dianne, we understand that George Floyd's family is arriving. Is that who we're seeing?

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fred. You are seeing George Floyd's family get out of these vehicles right now, dressed in white. They just drove off. They're coming in. The memorial itself is going to be beginning in about 15 minutes. Again, this is a family memorial. This is supposed to be private for them so they can say goodbye to their loved one. His sister Bridgett lives here in Raeford. She asked the sheriff to

help her put this together because she said she wanted to remember her brother for how he lived. He was like a father to her, she said, this father figure, and she wanted to celebrate his life while the rest of the world was reacting and so moved by his death.

You can see the family gathering. I spoke with a cousin earlier who said why it is so important for this to happen in Raeford, is because these are his roots. He grew up in Houston, they said, but his roots are here in North Carolina because that's where his mother, the woman who he called out for in his last breath, this is where she was from. This is her family. These are her relatives.

And they said most of them have not been able to watch that video to its completion. They don't want to watch it. They want to remember George as he was when he lived and the impact that his death has had on the rest of the world at this point. The relatives we've spoken say that the support from the rest of the world has made it a little easier, but today is going to be tough.

Now, this is not going to look like what we saw in Minneapolis on Thursday. This is going to be much smaller. The word that keeps being used here is "intimate." We're talking about local pastors. There are two congressmen, a Republican and a Democrat, who are going to speak. But for the most part, these are local pastors who minister to members of the Floyd family. George Floyd's stepmother is going to speak. He has a relative who is going to be singing as well. And they want to keep this as much about George Floyd and the life he lived for 46 years as they possibly can.

Many of these family members, Fred, are also planning to make the journey down to Houston for the memorial that's going to happen there in a few days, that funeral in Houston that's going to happen in a few days. But right now they are getting out of those vehicles. They're going to be going inside soon, and we expect the memorial in Raeford to begin shortly.

WHITFIELD: All right, Dianne Gallagher, thank you so much there in Raeford, North Carolina. Our hearts go out to all the family members of the Floyd family.

The NFL commissioner makes a noteworthy announcement. Roger Goodell admits the league was wrong for not listening to past protests of its players. Up next, the one name not mentioned in Goodell's statement.

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[14:52:19]

WHITFIELD: All right, it's one of the most popular and profitable sports leagues in America, and now the NFL and its players are speaking out against racial injustice in the wake of George Floyd's death. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell releasing a statement on social media condemning racism and support for the league's black players.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ROGER GOODELL, NFL COMMISSIONER: We, the National Football League, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of black people. We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier, and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest. We, the National Football League, believe black lives matter. I personally protest with you and want to be part of the much needed change in this country.

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WHITFIELD: Joining me right now is sports journalist and staff writer for "The Atlantic" Jemele Hill. Good to see you, Jemele.

JEMELE HILL, CONTRIBUTING WRITER, "THE ATLANTIC": Good to be here.

WHITFIELD: So what happened? What changed for Roger Goodell?

HILL: Well, a lot of things changed, starting with the shift in public opinion and how throughout these protests, with what's happened in the last few months, with Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and certainly now with George Floyd, that there have been considerable people who have looked at what Colin Kaepernick was protesting for in 2016, and finally having to admit that he was right.

So there's been a dramatic shift in public opinion, and also as the reports have come out that inside the NFL's own building many of the black employees have brought this to Roger Goodell's attention, and essentially started their own rally from inside by having the NFL social media team deciding to put out a video where NFL superstars were speaking to some of the things that Roger Goodell was.

He couldn't ignore this any longer. And while I am just as stunned to see the commissioner apologize, the person who really deserves an apology is Colin Kaepernick, because the league left him hanging out to dry because of what the president said about them, because they were too scared to enter this fight. And that's the person he really needs to apologize to because they blackballed him from the league for pointing out a very obvious historical problem when it comes to policing and black people and systematic oppression.

WHITFIELD: So two things on that. It's a stunning omission to not even mention Colin Kaepernick because he is the one who brought that to fore by the stand, by taking a knee, that he did, and then the penalty that has followed. But Goodell, his timing of this apology, or now acceptance of protests, really comes after the string of soundbites from prominent players, including Super Bowl champ Patrick Mahomes.

[14:55:11]

And this is a portion of that clip that perhaps inspired Goodell. Take a listen. Do we not have that?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How many times do we need to ask you to listen to your players? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What will it take?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For one of us to be murdered by police brutality?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What if I was George Floyd?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If I was George Floyd?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What if I was George Floyd?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If I was George Floyd.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So, you contrast that with what Colin Kaepernick has been saying for a very long time, and he spelled out example after example why he was trying to bring to the consciousness of everybody. So how sincere will Goodell's words be taken if room is not made for Colin Kaepernick, if acknowledgment for Colin Kaepernick is not made by the NFL?

HILL: I guess we just have to wait and see. But you can look at this as a minimal step, because, again, we have to look at how the nation has shifted on this issue in general, and how right now you see it all across the country throughout these protests. People are taking a knee, showing respect to Colin Kaepernick, but also speaking to the gravity of this issue.

The problem I have with it is just it's really easy and really convenient for the NFL to have this stance now, because they have an overwhelming amount of support pushing them this direction. But they, to me, exposed themselves when this issue wasn't so convenient, when there was a lot more at stake, and they were unwilling to stand with their own players. And that just can't be overlooked. And I don't know if that can ever be made right.

The one way you certainly can make it right is by Colin Kaepernick getting a job, but even that Roger Goodell only has so much control over. We're talking about a league of 32 owners. There's not a black owner. There hasn't been one. This is the same league that has two black general managers and three black head coaches.

They have problems in their own house, a lot of problems. And I don't know if these owners, many of which support Donald Trump, I don't know if they have it in them to actually give Colin Kaepernick an opportunity, one that he deserves, not out of charity, but that he deserves.

WHITFIELD: We will leave it there. Jemele Hill, always good to see you. Thank you so much.

And thank you, everybody, for being with me this Saturday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. See you back here tomorrow in the Newsroom. Right now, Ana Cabrera is next.

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