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Don Lemon Tonight
President Biden And Vice President Harris Meet With Asian- American Leaders On Rising Anti-Asian Racism; President Biden, Battle Over Voting Right Is Never Ever Over; CDC, Three Feet Of Physical Distancing Safe For Children In Schools; The Next Big Lie, Vaccine Information, Growing Concerns At The White House; Expert Warns Anti- Government Conspiracies; Official's Comments That Atlanta Shooting Suspect Had A 'Really Bad Day' Spark Backlash; Oregon Basketball Player Shows Video Showing Big Disparities Between Men's And Women's Facilities; Judge In Chauvin Trial To Allow Limited Evidence From 2019 Encounter Between George Floyd And Police; CNN Heroes: David Flink. Aired 11p-12a ET
Aired March 19, 2021 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[23:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DON LEMON, CNN HOST: President Biden, Vice President Harris, meeting in Atlanta with Asian-American leaders, days after a gunman killed eight people, six of them Asian women. The president condemning the skyrocketing attacks on Asian-Americans and saying the country cannot be silent.
Also, tonight, as more states roll back COVID restrictions, there is growing concern about the spread of a variant that Dr. Anthony Fauci calls more contagious and more deadly. And it is the next big lie. Misinformation about the COVID vaccines and it is leading to a lot of conservatives refusing to get vaccinated.
Lots to discuss now. Joining me now, CNN White House correspondent John Harwood and senior political analyst Ron Brownstein. Gentlemen, good evening and thank you for joining. John, President Biden and Vice President Harris both powerfully condemning the spike in attacks against Asian-Americans in Georgia today. What was their message?
JOHN HARWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Don, it was a message of empathy for the victims of that horrific violence in Atlanta and their families, for Asian-Americans around the country who have been targeted in many places, and a message of resolve to confront the racism that has inspired the scapegoating of Asian-Americans since the pandemic began a year ago.
It's the message you would expect from a president and vice president who embody the multiracial coalition that Democrats have become. And a multiracial coalition that defeated a president whose stock in trade was inflaming the racial resentments of whites who feared the way the country is changing. Here's Joe Biden today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Words have consequences.
It's the coronavirus, full stop. Hate and violence often hide in plain sight. It's often met with silence. That's been true throughout our history. But that has to change. Because our silence is complicity. We cannot be complicit. We have to speak out. We have to act.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARWOOD: And of course, Don, he was talking about the words among others of Donald Trump who inspired some of the scapegoating by referring to coronavirus as the China virus or using some terms that were uglier than that.
LEMON: Ron, the president also brought up the massive fight looming over voting rights. Take a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: As the state, home to Martin Luther King, and John Lewis, knows better than most, the battle for the right to vote is never, ever over. It's a fight we need to win. Because if anyone ever doubted that voting matters, Georgia just proved it did. If anyone ever wondered if one vote can make a difference. Georgia just proved it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: How central is Georgia to this critical fight?
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: It is the front line for many reasons. Both because it is some of the most sweeping voter suppression that has been proposed by Republicans anywhere in the country. But also, because it shows how the consequences of this are going to be immediately felt.
I mean, you know, we think about what Republicans are doing in states like Georgia and Arizona and Texas and Iowa and what they would like to do with Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and Michigan, if they can elect Governors in 2022.
[23:05:00]
We think about that as largely, about its impact on the 2024 presidential election. But if Republicans are able to make it tougher to vote in Georgia and Arizona, two states where they are moving forward with this. That could affect control of the Senate as soon as 2022. People forget that Raphael Warnock has to run again in 2022. Mark Kelly has to run again in 2022 in Arizona. Because they are filling, you know, seats that were left vacant.
And so, this is a very immediate kind of challenge and what it underscores -- Democrats are going to try to establish a nationwide floor of voting rules and stop this voter suppression nationwide. They really need to look at doing it before 2022. Because between the suppression and the gerrymandering that will be underway in the House, they could find it difficult to still hold both chambers after 2022. And the opportunity to act may disappear at that moment. LEMON: Ron, Senator Diane Feinstein now saying that she is open to
changing the filibuster rules. Is this the only way that Democrats can stop the attack on voting rights?
BROWNSTEIN: Yes, absolutely, I mean, there's no question. I mean, you know, it is at least conceivable, Don, and I include John's thought on this that, Mitch McConnell will allow, will not filibuster an extension of the voting rights act because he doesn't want to be seen stepping into shoes of Richard Russell and Strom Thurman, arched segregationist from you know, the fifties and sixties. And instead count on John Roberts to overturn it. Which he did initially with Shelby County in 2013.
But there is no way that they are going to let the Senate equivalent of HR1, which is the Democratic effort to establish a nationwide floor of voting rights, automatic same day online registration, guaranteed early voting, guaranteed absentee voting. There's no way they are going to let that through without a filibuster.
And so, the only real -- you know, of you look at the Supreme Court route, very unlikely this Supreme Court is going to stop with the states are doing. It's going to be hard to win a lot of these battles in the states because they are controlled by Republican legislatures rooted in a coalition that is older and nonurban.
So, realistically the only way Democrats are going to stop this historic wave of voter suppression is through national legislation. And the only way they can pass that new national legislation is by curtailing the filibuster in the Senate.
LEMON: Ron, listen, I think you make a very astute assessment here, but I want to ask John if he agrees with it, OK? So, Ron says that the Vice President Harris should take the lead on voting rights instead of President Biden, John. And I wonder if you agree with that. I wonder if they agree with that inside the administration if that may happen.
HARWOOD: Well they haven't shown us that they agreed with it, but I think it's a very interesting idea. That something that would suit Vice President Harris although she is initially seemed to want more to carve a role in foreign policy issues than domestic issues like voting rights. But certainly that is something a ball that she could carry for the administration.
LEMON: Yes. And certainly because of who they're trying -- what kind of people they're trying to restrict rights from, right, Ron?
BROWNSTEIN: And also look, I think you saw today from Joe Biden. He is only going to go so far and calling this a fundamental threat to democracy. His positioning is as a figure who is bringing the parties together. And it's almost above the partisan conflict in anyways. And I think that both because of her unique background as John noted.
But also because he is only going to go so far in underlining the threat here. And it is important that Americans understand when a fundamental threat we are facing to small d democracy. That is a prerequisite I think for Democratic Senators being willing to adjust the filibuster to deal with the magnitude of what we are confronting.
LEMON: Thank you gentlemen, I appreciate it. I want to bring in our Dr. Jonathan Reiner. He is the Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Program at George Washington University Hospital. Thank you, sir, for joining us for our nightly house call.
JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Hi, Don.
LEMON: Good evening. The CDC is now saying that schools can keep students three feet apart instead of six feet as long as everyone is masks, safety measures are enforced. Also, ventilation and other measures as well. Is it a safe move especially with these new more contagious variants on the rise?
REINER: Well, I think it's a realistic move. And it comes out of studies from three states just published today by the CDC. Which shows a really very low risk of spread within the school. Much lower than in the community as a whole. And I think what we're coming to understand is there's really no risk-free option going forward. The risk is lower in schools. It can be made lower if some pretty commonsense things are done.
If windows can be kept open. If you can put a box fan to move the air around the room. And even lower if you can add a HEPA filters in the room. So these are common sense things that can be done. Kids continue to wear masks, teachers wear masks.
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And outside the classroom you continue to have six feet of separation from -- you know, between groups. This is how you sort of mitigate the risk. It's not illuminating risk, but it's going to mitigate the risk. Come fall we are going to vaccinate kids. And that's going to completely change the ball game.
LEMON: We're told it's just a matter of weeks before the U.K. variant that's more contagious and likely more deadly becomes the dominant strand in the U.S. When we say it's more contagious, more deadly, what does that mean in terms of changes that people should make to their habit?
REINER: Well, what it means is people should continue to do the things that have dramatically lowered the number of cases in the United States over the last two months which principally is wearing a mask, staying out of crowds, keeping separation, washing your hands, doing all those things.
And I think if you're not vaccinated now, you should have a good mask. An n-95, a kn95, or wear two mask when's you're out in public when you go to the store. And get in line for a vaccine. The vaccines work very well against the U.K. B117 variant. Masks work very well as well.
LEMON: So as you know, the Governor here in New York relaxing these COVID restrictions. Indoor capacity for restaurant is going to be, 50 to 75 percent for the rest of the state, right? Can you explain why we would be opening up like this in New York but not expanding vaccine access?
REINER: A bad move. A really bad move. In the northeast right now, particularly in New York, the virus is not quiet. There are 8,000 new cases in New York today. That's 12 percent of all the cases in the United States. So, this is not the time to expand you know, indoor dining. It makes zero sense.
We need to be patient. Because the virus is impatient. You know, the virus is looking for new hosts. We need to wait this out. We need to vaccinate more people. I would not expand indoor dining now. The weather is getting better. People will be able to more easily eat outside. And New York has been very good about doing that. I would not rush for indoor dining now. Big mistake.
LEMON: Thank you doctor. I appreciate it.
REINER: My pleasure, Don.
LEMON: It may be the next big lie. Vaccines being politicized, weaponized, but will vaccine misinformation scare people away from our best hope for defeating the virus?
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LEMON: So, tonight as more vaccines become available, the White House is increasingly worried by resistance among Republicans to getting the vaccine. And in P.R. PBS Marist poll this week, finding 49 percent of Republican men, 49 percent, Republican men, don't intend to get it.
The good news is Trump finally encouraged his supporters to get vaccinated earlier this week. But will that make a dent in the misinformation already spreading among conservatives? CNN Donnie O'Sullivan has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN BUSINESS REPORTER (voice-over): Have you got your vaccine yet?
UNKNOWN: No. We are never going to take the vaccine.
UNKNOWN: Why do I want somebody to push something on to me, it's not.
UNKNOWN: I'm perfectly healthy (inaudible). We're not going to die from it. And you know, if we do, then it was our time to go because we believe in god.
O'SULLIVAN: Former President Trump's team quietly announced at the start of March that Trump had taken the COVID-19 vaccine at the White House in January. On Tuesday, he told Fox News --
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I would recommend it and I would recommend it to a lot of people that don't want to get it, and a lot of those people voted for me, frankly. But you know, again, we have our freedoms and we have to live by that.
O'SULLIVAN: Trump takes credit for the vaccine.
UNKNOWN: Yeah. He's giving them what they want. I think people are so brainwashed. They need to get a vaccine just to get on with their lives again.
O'SULLIVAN: At a gathering of Trump supporters in Ventura, California n February, hardly anyone said they were going to take the vaccine. Some didn't even think Trump would take it.
O'SULLIVAN: So, you are not going to take the vaccine?
UNKNOWN: Absolutely not.
O'SULLIVAN: What if Trump came out and said, please, please, take this vaccine.
UNKNOWN: No, I don't believe he'll take it.
O'SULLIVAN: Vaccine hesitancy in part fueled by dangerous misinformation is higher among Republicans and Trump voters than other parts of the U.S. population. Speaking at this event was Judy Mikovits, a discredited researcher and known peddler of dangerous misinformation about COVID-19.
A lot of people will say, the messenger you're spreading of anti-mask, anti-vaccine is dangerous.
UNKNOWN: And every piece of data says it's not dangerous. Has the mask helped you? No. You're going to get sick with a bacterial infection.
O'SULLIVAN: Mikovits is wrong. The CDC and science say masks do work. Mikovits was the star of pandemic. A video that went viral on YouTube and Facebook last year which was full of false claims about the coronavirus. And now false claims about the vaccine spreading on and offline. Fear mongering using false information about death rates and posts like this falsely claiming people over 60 need to be monitored for weeks after getting their shot.
O'SULLIVAN: Are you planning on taking the vaccine?
UNKNOWN: Yes.
O'SULLIVAN: You are.
UNKNOWN: I have an elderly father who is 93 years old. I have to take it. I don't want to get him sick. I don't want to get somebody else's mother or father sick.
O'SULLIVAN: You're the first person to tell me you are going to take the vaccine.
UNKNOWN: Serious?
O'SULLIVAN: Yes. UNKNOWN: I think that a lot of the people who are angry and say they
don't want to take the vaccine, a lot of them are more angry at the establishment, the lockdowns. So, they take their anger in different directions. And they may say, screw the vaccine. Screw all of Dr. Fauci, all that other stuff.
I think a lot of them out of anger say stupid things. But I really believe that a lot of everyone knows that this is real. And it was a contributing factor to my mother's death three months ago.
[23:20:00]
O'SULLIVAN: I'm sorry to hear that.
UNKNOWN: Yes. Thank you.
O'SULLIVAN: A conservative voice condemning vaccine misinformation, QAnon and other dangerous conspiracy theories. But on the Ventura promenade as on the national stage, it wasn't long before it got drowned out.
UNKNOWN: CNN. Fake news. He lies. 24/7.
UNKNOWN: I've seen this guy before.
UNKNOWN: Fake news.
UNKNOWN: He's even probably framing you to look small, right.
UNKNOWN: Basically, sticking up for the conservatives. I'll be honest with you, I don't like CNN but I like talking to you because I want to get my point across.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: OK. Well, Donnie O'Sullivan joins me now. Donnie, it's always great reporting. And it's fascinating though to hear that men tell you that he thinks anger is not about the vaccine. The anger is not about the vaccine. Do you think Trump supporters can be persuaded to take the vaccine if tensions settle down? I know that's a big if.
O'SULLIVAN: Yeah. Don, I think we're in dangerous territory here. Where so many of the conspiracy theories have been pushed about the election, about QAnon, anti-vax is now part of that. So for some Republicans, for some Trump supporters like the ones we spoke to there, it part of their identity and it is important to point out that some of the people featured in that piece said they believe in QAnon. Said, they want to see a military style coup in the United States, like what is happening in Myanmar to bring Trump back.
So unfortunately, you know, I think if we had said a year ago, it's only the QAnon folks that are anti-vax, we might not have known that there was that many QAnon followers. Now after the insurrection, after everything else, we can see we don't know precise numbers but we know there are a lot of QAnon followers out there and QAnon forms are totally anti-vax, any time I go online on them, Don. LEMON: OK. I don't know if your answer is going to be different in
this. Because in full transparency, you shout out before Trump said to at least somehow -- somewhat encouraged his supporters to get the vaccine. But there was one lady in there that said she wouldn't take the vaccine because Trump wouldn't take it. Well, he did take it. So anyway, do you think that that may change now? Since he has encouraged people to do it?
O'SULLIVAN: It's possible. But from speaking to a lot of those folks, they also said, oh, well, Trump only came up with the vaccine because he was trying to appease the Democrat and they essentially were saying the vaccine is useless. So some of them think that they're sort of in on it with Trump. That even with that message that Trump said to Fox News this week, he told people to take the vaccine.
But then he sort of qualified it talking about freedom and things. And I think a lot of the people you see in that piece, a lot of the QAnon followers would be listening to the second part of what Trump said on Fox News. Which he said is freedom, it's a choice, don't do anything you don't want to do.
LEMON: Hey, Donnie, I have to go. Just real quick, any of those people reachable? Like, if any of those people will ever believe in the truth or facts?
O'SULLIVAN: Well, I have spoken to some folks who have left QAnon. Unfortunately, there are few and far between. But what we have seen from the people who do get out of these conspiracy theories, who do get out of these cults is they need family members. They need friends around them who will empathetically, if possible try to pull them out of it, but it is a really, really difficult thing to do.
LEMON: It's fascinating to watch, Donnie. Thank you very much.
I want to bring in now Ben Decker, he is a New York Times contributor and digital investigator with a focus on online misinformation. Hey, Ben, thanks for joining. I really appreciate it. Anti-vax conspiracies aren't new. Not a new phenomenon. But they are experiencing a boom right now. Is this only because of the pandemic? Are there other factors at play here? Help us out.
BEN DECKER, FOUNDER AND CEO, MEMETICA: Sure. Thanks for having me on tonight, Don. I think a couple of critical things at play. I mean, to your point, this is not new. Before the pandemic, there were actually, you know, small, localized measles outbreaks because of a rejection of vaccine uptake in parts of the Pacific Northwest.
But what we have now is this cacophony of an unleashed internet, coupled by this hyper politicization of anti-vaccine sentiment amongst a lot of pro Trump communities. Like it is no surprising you have many entities from stop the steal.
Particularly for figures like Roger Stone, who are going around the country speaking at quote/unquote medical freedom rallies. So, it is being hijacked more and more in a political sense. And at the same time, you have yoga moms and homeopaths on the other side who are pushing essential oils and crystal cures for cancer, who are also buying into this thing. So it is become an inherent part of anti- establishment (inaudible). It's completely politically agnostic.
LEMON: You, OK. Talk to me a little bit more about this. Because, you know, you said that you have, it is a real dichotomy, right? It is like a real diverse group of people who are part of this anti-vax group. What kinds of people are pushing this anti-vax misinformation? And are certain groups of people more susceptible to it than others?
[23:25:20]
DECKER: Well, I think like most really harmful conspiracies, there is always an element of truth that is then exploited to push something really, really harmful.
I think in talking to some of the minority communities who have been you know, targeted with this kind of misinformation, including recent documentary that was pushed by RFK Jr., a really well known anti- vaxxer, trying to play up on the historical truths around medical racism and exploit them to promote anti-vax establishment among black communities in the states.
So that's just kind of one example. The other is people who are suffering. People who are looking for an explanation to something in their life. A lot of folks who have kids, who have had horrible accidents -- who have gone -- (inaudible).
LEMON: Ben? We've lost Ben. Ben's audio, we're having problems. Ben, we can't hear you. Yes, I'm sorry about that. We'll try to get Ben back some other time and finish that up. We are going to have to be doing a lot more reporting on this. Thank you, Ben Decker.
The suspect in the Georgia spa shootings claiming his sex addiction led to his attack. My next guest says it is just an excuse for violence against women.
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[23:30:00]
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LEMON: So, police in Atlanta still have not determined a motive in the spa shootings that killed eight people, including six women of Asian descent. They stay the 21-year-old man in custody has admitted to the shootings but claims that he has a sex addiction and saw the spas as a temptation that he wanted to eliminate.
I want to bring in now Mimi Rocah. She is a district attorney of West Chester County in New York, and she is a former federal prosecutor for the Southern District of New York. It's a real treat to have you on. Thank you, Mimi, for joining us. I know you've got strong feelings about framing this crime around sex addiction. Is that just a new excuse for violence against women?
MIMI ROCAH, DISTRICT ATTORNEY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTRY IN NEW YORK: Thanks, Don, for having me. Yeah, I do feel strongly about this because it is not that it is completely irrelevant what the defendant's motivations were, obviously, we're talking about proving a hate crime, but the way that this was being framed immediately after the suspect was caught and apparently confessed to the crime was not focusing on the fact that he had confessed to the crime, focusing on his blaming of the victims as why he needed to do it.
And that felt to me a lot like victim shaming that we've heard with rape victims. You know that she was dressed too seductively or was flirting too much and that becomes excuses for committing a crime.
So, I think law enforcement should have just come out and said, we have someone, he confessed to the crime, we're investigating the motive. But by putting his, the mantra out there about sex addiction, it framed it from his point of view, and that is, I think, just not doing justice to the victims.
LEMON: Yeah and insulting. Mimi, a Georgia sheriff received a lot of backlash when he said this about the suspect.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY BAKER, CAPTAIN, CHEROKEE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: He understood the gravity of it. And he was pretty much fed up, at the end of his rope. Yesterday was a really bad day for him and this is what he did.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: I mean, when any suspect's actions are described that way, does it sound like another way to sort of deflect blame as well?
ROCAH: Yeah, exactly. I mean, again, it is all from the perspective of someone who is charged with murder. And so the narrative gets out there, should that -- narrative should not be made by law enforcement. Law enforcement should be stating at this point in the investigation simply that they're investigating a motive, not relaying the suspect's self-serving statement that he made when he was caught.
And again, as you said, I mean, it really is more harm and harmful to the victims and also (INAUDIBLE) that was reeling from this, right? Whether or not this ends up being charged as a hate crime, whether or not prosecutors can prove that, you have a community across the country that is certainly in that area that is mourning and terrified that this was.
And that feeling is not going to go away just because it does or doesn't charge as a hate crime, and so law enforcement really should be speaking to the victims and to the community at that point, not parroting a self-serving statement by someone who has just been charged with the crime.
LEMON: Mimi, I want to ask to you to change subject, a very important subject, as a matter of fact since you are a district attorney in New York. Governor Andrew Cuomo faces new accusations of sexual harassment, this time by a current aide speaking to The New York Times. Cuomo's attorney responding, saying that he greets men and women with hugs and kisses, puts his arm around them, saying that he's old- fashioned. What do you think of this? What should happen next in this case?
[23:34:58]
ROCAH: I think what should happen is what is happening. I mean, look, I'm a district attorney, I'm elected, I am really more about being a fact finder and letting investigations go their course. And so I'm not going to make comments or recommendations on what the governor should or should not do right now in terms of his political future. That's for others in the political arena to decide.
I think the investigation should go forward regardless of what happens in the political arena. And, you know, there are some very credible allegations. I mean, some of them, the governor has even himself not really disputed the conduct but more the intent.
And so Joon Kim, who is now one of the prosecutors appointed by Attorney General James. I know Joon very well and his partner now, Ms. Clarke (ph). They will get to the bottom of this in a very unbiased and apolitical way. And I think that's important for everybody but most especially for the victims who have come forward. They deserve that as well as the governor.
LEMON: Yeah. Mimi, again, thank you so much for very fair points on all of this. We appreciate you joining us. Be well.
ROCAH: Thank you. Thanks, Don.
LEMON: So, these conversations that we've been having around discrimination and race and so on that have really been top of mind in the news, it is all talked about in my new book. I write about it. "This Is The Fire: What I Say To My Friends About Racism." It is out now, out this week, and I hope you will check it out because it will help you, will give you some answers, and then will make you think.
The NCAA is under fire for a big discrepancy between the men and women's basketball tournaments. Notice anything different about these weight rooms? The player whose viral videos exposed the unequal treatment joins me next.
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[23:40:00]
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LEMON: Tonight, the NCAA is playing defense with March Madness tipping off this weekend. The organization is apologizing for disparities between the equipment and amenities for men's teams in the tournament versus those for women's teams. Okay?
The whole thing called out on social media by members of the women's teams and their coaches, including Sedona Prince. Sedona Prince is a player from the University of Oregon. This video she posted went viral, and I want you to look at it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEDONA PRINCE, PLAYER, UNIVERSITY OF OREGON: I've got something to show you all. So for the NCAA March Madness, the biggest tournament in college basketball for women, this is our weight room. Let me show you all the men's weight room. Now, when pictures of our weight room got released versus the men's, NCAA came out with a statement saying that it wasn't money and it was space that was a problem.
Let me show you all something else. Here's our practice court, right, and then here's the weight room, and then here's all this extra space. If you're upset about this problem, then you're a part of it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Amen, Sedona! Sedona Prince joins me now. Amen, Sedona! You called them out. And you know what? Good for you. So your video calling out the situation has been getting a lot of attention. Steph Curry, Natasha Cloud, and a lot of other big name athletes have shared it. I commend you for using your platform, your voice, and your platform. Good evening. Welcome to the program. How do you feel about it now?
PRINCE: I feel good. It's been a couple -- it's been a crazy day. It all happened last night. And so I made the video, went to practice, and now it has come to this level of this kind of craziness. And so it is pretty -- pretty cool to see all the support on social media and now to be here talking to a lot of people and kind of still spreading the message.
LEMON: Yeah. Listen, I come from a family of women who are athletes and they always smoked me in everything, running, cardio and weights, and everything. So I don't -- look, I don't get what's going on. I really don't. But -- well, I know what's happening, but I don't get why people think that way is what I'm saying.
I want to point out some other disparities, OK, beyond equipment that had been called out, too. Swag bags for men versus the women. You also called out the food quality. So tell me more about all that.
PRINCE: Yeah. It's kind of just been like all together just --
LEMON: Oh, what the hell was that? Excuse me. Was that mashed potatoes? What is that? What was that? Is that meatloaf?
PRINCE: It was -- yeah, it was like a meatloaf Salisbury steak kind of thing. Our whole team, it wasn't -- it wasn't a fan (ph) favorite, yeah. And those are the teams in this hotel, too. We were talking about it. We were, like, it was just -- it wasn't the best.
But, yeah, kind of all in all, we've been seeing on social media, like, what the men have been getting versus what we have been getting. We're all, like, you know, sitting in a hotel eating kind of crummy food and, like, you know, what's going on? This is kind of unfair.
LEMON: What is in your swag bag?
PRINCE: We got a water bottle -- two water bottles, an umbrella, a towel and a puzzle, and then just some deodorant and stuff, hand sanitizer.
LEMON: And the guys?
PRINCE: Oh, goodness. There is a picture of it online somewhere of just stuff all over the bed. They got tons of products, a jacket and a blanket, you know, a bunch of really cool stuff that would have been awesome to have.
LEMON: I heard they got like -- their puzzles were like 500-piece puzzles and your puzzles were like 100 or 200-piece puzzles. I mean, Lord, I can't even believe it.
(LAUGHTER)
[23:45:00]
LEMON: So, in all seriousness, the NCAA addressed these issues in video statements today, OK? I'm going to play part of what they had to say and then we'll talk about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LYNN HOLZMAN, NCAA VICE PRESIDENT FOR WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: We fell short this year in what we've been doing to prepare in the last 60 days for 64 teams to be here in San Antonio. We acknowledge that.
DAN GAVITT, NCAA SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF MEN'S BASKETBALL: And we don't meet the expectations of that support. That's on me. And for that, I apologize to women's basketball student athletes, to the coaches, to the women's basketball committee, for dropping the ball, frankly, on the weight room issue in San Antonio.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Do you accept their apology, Sedona?
PRINCE: I mean, I appreciate it a lot because it does mean a lot coming from people in such high power just to recognize that they made a mistake, but I think the biggest thing right now is just to make a change. To do something and to make it better for us would be something that would, you know, make it better for all the student athletes, not just my team, not just me, every athlete.
LEMON: That food is offensive and insulting. I'm sorry. I don't know what that thing was, that brown thing with the gravy. I don't know. Anyway, listen, your camera is breaking up. We can hear you loud and clear. We are going to continue on with this. It's weird, freaky, you should see it. I can't even explain what it looks like. It is doing psychedelic stuff.
But listen, the NCAA also -- huh? Are we going to go? OK. Sedona, we are out of time. I'm sorry. I commend you. Now you're back. Perfect. You're perfect. Sedona, I'm so glad you called them out. They had no defense. They did you dirty and you called them out. Let's hope they make amends and they change things for the women, ok? You be well and good luck, OK?
PRINCE: Thank you so much. I appreciate it.
LEMON: Thank you very much.
The judge in the Derek Chauvin murder trial ruling that he will allow evidence from the 2019 arrest of George Floyd, but prosecutor says Chauvin's defense team is trying to smear Floyd's character.
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[23:50:00]
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LEMON: Thirteen jurors, including one alternate, have been selected in the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin. Five men, eight women selected, so far. Seven of the jurors are white, four are Black, and two rare multiracial.
Judge Peter Cahill also ruling today that some evidence from a 2019 arrest of George Floyd will be allowed in the trial, body camera footage showing the police officer approaching the vehicle, a photo of pills in the seat of the car, and what Floyd told a paramedic about drugs he took, are all now fair game in the trial.
So joining me now is CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson. Joey, good evening to you. So, walk us through here. Tell us what's going on. I want to talk about the evidence from Floyd's 2019 arrest being allowed into the trial. Give me the strategy here on the part of the defense. Are they trying to lay the groundwork to attack Floyd's character? Paint him as a drug addict? Try to influence a jury, that way?
JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, all of the above. So, good to be with you, Don. So, this is a major development for the defense in a variety of ways, right? What is the defense going to attack? A few things. The first thing they are going to say is causation, right? Don't believe your lying eyes.
There was much more at play with respect to the knee. It wasn't only the knee. It was that he had all these drugs in his system and we know that because, hey, you look at the 2019 arrest. What are those pills?
It's also going to the second issue, which is behavior. Now, the judge stopped short of allowing the entirety of the 219 arrest -- you know, 2019 arrest, which would show the emotion, the behavior. But what is the implication? If you have pills, obviously, it drove how you behaved in that case.
The final thing is you want to make him as unsympathetic as possible. You want to go after him. He was noncompliant. That is George Floyd. We had no alternative because of his activities. And so, this is what this guy does, he just doesn't comply. This use of force was necessary, it was proper, it was appropriate. Look at here, what he did. And that's what they are attempting to do.
Big win for the defense. Will it work? I think that's a story for another day. People saw what they saw with the regard to the neck compression and that was pretty egregious.
LEMON: Yeah, as you said, this is a big development in this case and the family is, of course, hoping for -- that they will get justice, which means a guilty verdict. We shall see if that happens.
Joey, I have to run. Unfortunately, out of time, short tonight. Thank you so much. I appreciate it.
JACKSON: Always. Thanks, Don.
LEMON: Thank you. One in five children in the U.S. has a learning deference. This week, CNN Hero understands the challenges because he lived in. David Flink was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia at the age of 11 and struggled throughout school. His non-profit pairs college or high school students with middle schoolers who have similar learning differences.
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DAVID FLINK, CNN HERO: Eye to eye provides a safe space that's constructed around what's right with kids so they can talk about their experiences.
UNKNOWN: Do you get scared during tests or, like, nervous or no?
UNKNOWN: I have anxiety. Like, I shake a lot.
UNKNOWN: Yeah. That happens to me sometimes.
FLINK: People's hearts sing when they are seen.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): This is my hill (ph).
UNKNOWN (voice-over): My masterpiece.
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UNKNOWN: Really cool. I like how you used the duct tape as a handle.
FLINK: My moment that I am wishing for is when the problem of stigmatizing kids because they learn differently goes away. I want them to know that their brains are beautiful. I want them feeling like they know how to ask for what they need and that they can do it, and that's what we give them.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): All right.
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LEMON: Our CNN heroes. I mean, they're just the best. So, to learn David's whole story, go to cnnheroes.com. And while you're there, nominate someone you think should be a CNN hero.
Thanks for watching, everyone. Our coverage continues.
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ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening. A lot happening tonight, including new sexual harassment allegations against New York's governor and a new COVID forecast.
