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Don Lemon Tonight

President Trump To Sign An Executive Order; Protesters Still Out Calling For Change; Ex-Adviser John Bolton Risks Facing Charges If He Publishes Book; Oklahoma State Running Back Calls For Change After Coach Pictured Wearing One America News T-shirt; Eighteen States Currently Seeing Rise In New Coronavirus Cases; Rep. Ilhan Omar's Father Dies From COVID-19 Complications; FBI, DOJ Reviewing Hanging Deaths Of Two Black Men In California. Aired 11p-12a ET

Aired June 15, 2020 - 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: This is CNN TONIGHT. I'm Don Lemon.

Eleven p.m. on the East Coast. Protests ongoing in the United States tonight. Take a look at these crowds. This is in Portland, Oregon. After 21 days of protest demanding justice for the killing of George Floyd another black man was killed by police. Twenty-seven-year-old Rayshard Brooks was shot in the back by an Atlanta police officer at a Wendy's drive through, his family calling it murder and pleading for criminal charges.

The Atlanta police just releasing disciplinary records for the two officers involved. It comes as the president says that he'll sign an executive order on policing tomorrow.

And as the country continues to demand action on police brutality the NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says he encourages a team to sign Colin Kaepernick. The former 49ers player hasn't been sidelined -- or hasn't been sidelined since 2016 when he kneel -- I should say has been -- when he kneeled during the national anthem to protest racial inequality.

Also, tonight, coronavirus cases up in at least 18 states. Over 116,000 people have died from the virus in this country and the new model is now projecting that number could reach 200,000 by October.

Let's discuss that and more. CNN White House correspondent John Harwood is here. CNN political commentator, Bakari Sellers, he is the author of the new book "My Vanishing Country," and David Frum joins us as well, senior editor at The Atlantic. He is the author of the book "Trumpocalypse: Restoring American Democracy." Thank you all.

Bakari, isn't it past your bed time? I usually see you on the morning show. You're in bed by now usually.

BAKARI SELLERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I'm just -- my kids aren't awake right now. LEMON: Making noise and making a special appearance it can't be on

this program. John, let's start with you. The president says he will sign this executive order on police reform tomorrow. What do you know about it? What can we expect?

JOHN HARWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Not a lot to it. It's a modest proposal that will involve some credentialing guidelines for police departments, some data collection, registry of officer misconduct. Try to let -- make people aware of officers who have used excessive force and also some co-responder encouragement.

That is encouraging police departments to have say mental health professionals accompany police officers on calls that might involve somebody with mental issues. To try to make sure that police aren't handling things beyond their expertise.

But the bulk of the work is going to be done on this subject by the Congress. So, we're going to get a proposal from Republican senators later this week. That's when we're going to get negotiations in earnest with Democrats not clear whether there is going to be Senate action before the 4th of July. Mitch McConnell has indicated no. Tim Scott, the Republican senator who is drawing up the legislation, wants action sooner than that.

But this executive order by the White House allows them to have done something in case legislation fails, which of course still a possibility --

LEMON: Got it.

HARWOOD: -- but it's not going to be the change that people are talking about.

LEMON: Some of the proposals that you mention sound like some of them defund the police, the same thing they're asking. Similar things to what they're asking for.

David, listen, you know, John said that Congress is really going -- Congress is going to be the one to make the difference here. I thought this was a law and order president. The country is ready for some kind of reform. You know, we see these protests. Why should lawmakers be the ones doing the heavy lifting on this?

DAVID FRUM, SENIOR EDITOR, THE ATLANTIC: Well, I wouldn't hold my breath for lawmakers to do anything. I think things will begin to move forward but not much will come out of the Senate. I think that what you are pointing to with the conflict between the president's law and order themes and these current themes is this is an administration that suddenly discovers that its familiar bag of tricks aren't working anymore. And it's a little panicky and uncertain what to do.

[23:04:52]

So, Donald Trump does want to stoke backlash politics. He plays that game sometimes, only to discover that those flares don't ignite. It doesn't. It's not 1968 anymore. Americans don't respond as they do then. And the polls show that. And the crowds show that.

If you watch other cable networks you will see attempts to capture moments from three weeks ago when there were, when some stores were on fire, and to make that an image of American flames even as the actual crowds get better humor and more peaceful, you know, broader range of ages and backgrounds of the people there, more strollers, more puppets.

At the same time the president understands that it's not working and so then thinks maybe I want to somehow put myself at the head of this parade that left without me. And that panic, that uncertainty, that's a sign of a White House that has really lost its way, lost its feeling for his own base for the country.

LEMON: Bakari, we've seen 21 nights now, nationwide protests, soul searching over unequal treatment of African-Americans. But still with all eyes on police there's another black man it was killed by an officer. What does that say about where we are as a country, Bakari?

SELLERS: So, a couple of things. One, I think we're 20 nights in on the verge of being 21 nights and we still have a long way to go. I'm reminded that the Montgomery bus boycotts were 382 days, and so I want people who are listening who are watching who thinking that all of a sudden, we're going to put down our signs and leave the streets just know that is not happening until we have justice.

When you talk about the case in Atlanta, it's really -- it's really driving me crazy, Don, because people who were allies a week ago are now trying to put themselves into a pretzel to tell me why his life may have mattered less.

Look, whether or not it's DUI, whether or not it's assault on a police officer, whether or not it's running away with a taser in your hand and firing back, all of those things are crimes and all of those should be punished as crimes but none of those things are death penalty crimes. This young man should still be alive today. And the force that was used against him was highly inappropriate.

And let me just say if a taser is nonlethal force in the hands of law enforcement it should be nonlethal force in the hands of a civilian. He should still be alive today. And so, I hate the fact that people are trying to find some distinction including my United States Senator Tim Scott.

This young man's life mattered as well. He made an awful decision that night but that decision should not have cost him his life. And let me just put a button on it. You know, in Atlanta what happened was a driving under the influence and a cascade of bad decisions. While in a lot of white neighborhoods people just call those mistakes that individuals get a chance to grow up and learn from.

This young man is leaving his family behind on this Father's Day and here we are again you and I talking about another black man who lost his life to law enforcement.

LEMON: David, you know, President Trump is pushing his June 19th Tulsa rally. He's pushing it back a day apparently out of respect for Juneteenth the holiday commemorating the end of slavery. I mean, this is a man who he never backs down. How do you explain this move?

FRUM: He did back down. When you think about it, it's really extraordinary that he felt he had to. After all, what could be more appropriate in this season than to have a presidential address on the 19th of June? And Tulsa would be a pretty good place to do it, a city that was the site of one of the great anti-black pogroms in American history and it would be a good way to make atonement and have some reconciliation.

The reaction against Donald Trump said we don't think you are going to do any of these things. We think you are going to make this address in order to provoke. And Donald Trump's reaction in terms of that, you know, you're right. That's exactly what I was going to do. It was not going to be the speech that would be appropriate to be delivered on the 19th of June.

And so, his retreat is a sign of, again, trouble. I don't think you should accept the explanation it had anything to do with consideration for anybody's feelings. That doesn't motivate him. He retreated because the mayor of Tulsa and public -- other public officials were worried about protest crowds that it will be too big for the police to handle and Donald Trump had to worry about the visuals of this president of dominate the streets being dominated by (Inaudible).

LEMON: I think they're got worried about a spike in coronavirus but I also say he probably wants some black votes. So, he figured out, whoa. This isn't good on Juneteenth. Hey, I've to get to some breaking news. I'll have to run. I'll see you guys soon. Thank you very much.

And we do have some breaking news on the police who killed George Floyd. I want to bring in our CNN correspondent Josh Campbell who has been covering the story from Minneapolis. Josh, good evening to you. A 911 dispatcher watching real time footage of the Floyd arrest was so alarmed by the officer's actions that she called a supervisor. Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VOICE CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know. You can call me a snitch if you want to but we have the cameras up for 320's call. Did they already put them in the (Inaudible)? So, I'll leave it with him and 320 over at Cup Foods.

[23:10:02]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know if they had to use force or not. They got something out of the back of the squad, and all of them sat on this man. So, I don't know if they needed you or not, but they haven't said anything to me yet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: This is remarkable, Josh, to have a dispatcher call out police behavior.

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: You're right, Don. This is a side of this case that we haven't seen yet. We've obviously been reporting this since the death of George Floyd. We've heard eyewitness accounts. We've seen eyewitness cell phone video footage but the one thing we've been waiting to hear is some kind of official account about what was going on.

And as you mentioned according to this 911 dispatcher who had some kind of real time visibility into what was happening what she saw troubled her enough that she had to call a supervisor and report what she was seeing.

Now, let me tell you quickly about this technology. In this day and age dispatchers can tap into live body camera footage, cameras inside patrol cars, cameras that are on light posts. And so, we don't know exactly what she was seeing but she could see these officers sitting on George Floyd and again what she saw troubled her so much that she called the supervisor.

If you think about it, Don, I mean, in a large city with a large police department think about the hours and hours of video footage that is ingested on any given day and this concerned her enough that she wanted to report it.

I will say, Don, that this person may choose to be anonymous. We may never figure out who she is but as we talk about police reform think about what this person did. She is essentially a whistleblower that's saying look, regardless of rank, regardless of position, regardless of time and grade, what she saw troubled her she felt she needed to report it and it appears she did just that, Don.

LEMON: Yes. It could have been the police cameras that they have, it could be red light cam or just monitoring cameras, city cameras that so many cities have. Josh, I also want to get to the Brooks case out of Atlanta. The officer's taser was taken but video shows the suspect was running away. Why use deadly force then?

CAMPBELL: Don, that will be the key question. And you know, we've talked to a lot of police union officials who are saying that look, there needs to be due process you need to look at it. I think that folks on that side or argument are saying a taser, which can -- incapacitate someone could then provide the potential for a suspect to potentially render an officer immobile and then take their weapon.

Of course, if you look at that video what you see is the suspect running away from the officers and fleeing. And obviously, you know, I can tell you I've been in law enforcement. Those who have been in law enforcement know that when you fire a taser it requires a certain level of sophistication to then re-render that ready for use a second time.

We're talking about someone who was allegedly intoxicated. So, again, if you are an officer and you see the use of that, to think that OK, is this person going to then use that again after it's been fired, does this require a deadly force? That obviously raising a lot of questions. I think what we're going to hear from that officer is, probably that defense look, my life was in perhaps the suspect was fleeing to some position of cover but it is going to come back to in that moment.

Nothing that happened before that is actually going to matter in the court of law should this move forward to prosecution. It's going to come down to that moment. Did that officer fear that his life was in danger or someone else's life was in danger?

And again, you look at the totality of the circumstances there to include a bright, yellow taser that the officer obviously knew wasn't a deadly weapon, so to speak. A lot of questions there. And obviously, the D.A. is now telling us he is mulling over murder charges. That's something we're waiting to figure out whether or not the officials will be moving forward with a prosecution, Don.

LEMON: That's the conversation that I've had with law enforcement. Is that, when once the tussle was over and he ran away the officer lost his opportunity to use deadly force but the police officer will say that he thought that the gentleman may use the taser to render him disabled and then take his weapon. That's going to be a defense in court. So, you're saying exactly what I've been hearing. That's going to be the defense. We'll see what happens.

Thank you, Josh. I appreciate you joining us from the breaking news.

So not everyone is impressed by Roger Goodell's video where he finally said black lives matter. My next guest said it was, quote, "almost like a slap in the face." What does he have to say about Goodell now encouraging a team to sign Colin Kaepernick? That is what I want to know. Well, Michael Bennett is an NFL player and he's next.

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LEMON: Here is our breaking news. The NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell saying he supports a team signing Colin Kaepernick just a little over a week after the league apologized for how he handled player protests. Goodell also saying the NFL welcomes Kaepernick to be part of any discussion about social issues.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROGER GOODELL, COMMISSIONER, NATIONAL FOOTBAL LEAGUE: Well, listen. If he wants to resume his career in the NFL, that obviously is going to take a team to make that decision but I welcome that, I support a club making that decision, and encourage them to do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So joining me now NFL player and activist Michael Bennett. Michael, thank you. So good to have you. I appreciate it.

MICHAEL BENNETT, NFL PLAYER & ACTIVIST: Well, thank you for having me, man. LEMON: So, you said last week that Roger Goodell's apology was almost

a slap in the face. Now he is encouraging a team to sign Kaepernick. Does that change anything for you?

BENNETT: I think in hindsight we look back and we think like, what if we had made this stance three years ago? Could we have stopped more police violence? Would there have been less death on the streets of America right now?

So, although he is trying to do what's politically correct at this moment it has me thinking me in hindsight, the importance of black bodies at that time. You know, what was, the Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown. Where was that stance when we needed it at that point, those young African-American men who lost their lives?

And I think at this point we're trying to play catch up and do what's right. I think we are at the point in America where we're dealing with the brutality of human beings and also the moral compass of human beings. And I think the NFL is trying to be upon the moral compass but there has been so much hurt and pain and trauma along the road to them finding their enlightenment.

[23:20:09]

And I think at this moment if Colin Kaepernick is back in the NFL that's just a small step into what needs to be done and steps each company needs to take in America to make right by the people of America.

LEMON: Yes. I said earlier at the beginning of the show, at 10 o'clock, about Roger Goodell I think it is a fair question like, what -- so what happened overnight? Why don't people know what's best? Like, what change? Do you have a change of heart overnight? Like, what's behind that decision? I think that's a very fair question. What changed?

Listen, you're calling on players to push the NFL to change its core values. What does that change look like, Michael?

BENNETT: I think that change is a sense of, like, when we throw money in it that is our -- that's our moral obligation and we're making change. I think that's not the stance that each league, each team has to make. Right? Each team has to go out and push for policy.

I mean, the NFL alone is dealing with its own issue of race when we talk about African-American culture in NFL in G.M.s when you only have three head coaches, two G.M.s in the NFL that are African-American when it makes up 70 percent of the 70 percent of the players are African-American.

So, we have our own issue that we're standing on that we're like a boxer with wobbly legs in the fourth quarter, right? And so, we're trying to stay alive but at the same time we still got to deal with our own issues with the (Inaudible). We literally have a rule that acknowledges there is racial tension and racial issues when it comes to employment of African-American players and coaches, right? And so, the teams have to be able to go out into these communities and

really be a part of these communities and really make this change. What is each team's intent and its obligation to a society and its own community? And I think that's really the challenge that they have to find out. What are they going to do to make it the policy? Right?

Because this is a contradictory idea that, yes, we believe in black lives matter but then we don't support. But we still support Donald Trump. You know? And the sense of like you can't have it both ways. Either we need to stand up firmly on the principles that we believe in or either not have those principles and continue on the path that they've been on. Rather than be -- rather than be hot and lukewarm.

And I think this is the issue that they're having. And I think if you look at the Redskins, you literally have a team that has a racial slur. And I think that needs to be one of the things that change in the NFL also.

LEMON: You mentioned President Trump. Suggesting this weekend that he won't watch the NFL if players kneel. Today, the Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson was asked if the president will change his stance on kneeling. This was his response, Michael. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN CARSON, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT: Well, I don't think he has manifested as much animosity in that region lately. And I think we just continue to work with him. He'll get there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: OK.

BENNETT: Yes. That's really -- it's really hard to hear Ben Carson saying that, knowing that he is an African-American man right now, right?

LEMON: Right.

BENNETT: We're dealing with, as a black -- as a black man in America as you see African-American men on the street being killed, how could you say he'll get there?

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: And he called players sons of bitches. Like, this is a man who said he hasn't, you know, that he hasn't garnered that much animosity. This is a man who called black players sons of bitches. Go on, sorry.

BENNETT: Yes. So, the steps to progression are really slow. And as an African-American we don't have time. The urgency for survival for people that look like us, and people of color in this country is urgent right now. We are in a dire situation.

This is why you see the riots on the streets. This is why you see all these things. This is why you see people across this country who have dedicated their lives to making change.

And I think Ben Carson he should know firsthand, I know that there is a struggle out there and the importance of athletes and the importance of every single person in this country standing up.

This is beyond our fleshly battle at this moment. This is about spirituality and dealing with the spiritual wound -- spiritual wounds of America's history and reconciling what exactly the plight and the struggle and the traumatic experience of being black in America.

LEMON: Michael, Baker Mayfield saying that he is going to absolutely kneel after someone on Instagram implored him to tell Browns fans that he won't. And then J.J. Watt of the Texans making it clear that he supports kneeling after responding to a Twitter user who suggested that Watt won't kneel.

Where is this new found empowerment, this self-possession coming from with NFL players? And not only just black players. Even white players now.

[23:24:57]

BENNETT: I think you've seen the situation when Colin Kaepernick was doing it, it was radical, the idea of standing against society and what was happening. It was radical. So, only a few people were doing it.

But it feels like it's being more accepted and everybody wants to find a way to be inclusive and make an impact in these communities. I think this is just what's happening right now. We live in a generation where we're seeing a lot of things happening socially. And I think Instagram and all of these things are making impacts for people to see what is happening on every single social platform, the opportunities for people to be involved.

And I think the white players are important to share in the message and find a way to make impact. Because at the end of the day this is about -- this is about humanity. This is about the stakes. It's about reclaiming to humanity of people of the color in this country. And I think each human owes it to the next human to make sure when we raise our children that they can live in a safe world. That they can have opportunities in these schools, have fair, medical treatment, and be the citizens.

I believe life is a moral and spiritual freedom that is bestowed upon us by God but not to be taken from us by humans or the judicial system in American society.

LEMON: I don't have anything to say but thank you. What he said. Ditto. Thank you, Michael. Michael, you are amazing. Really. Thank you. Don't stop. And come back any time. All right. Be safe out there.

We'll be right back.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: John Bolton's long-awaited memoir set to be published later this month, and the White House making it clear it's not happy about the book's imminent release.

So I am joined now by CNN's Chief Media Correspondent, Mr. Brian Stelter.

Brian, hello to you. Thanks for joining.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Thank you.

LEMON: We heard from both President Trump and Bill Barr today on John Bolton's upcoming book. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I will consider every conversation with me as president highly classified, so that would mean that if he wrote a book and if the book gets out, he has broken the law, and I would think that he would have criminal problems. I hope so.

WILLIAM BARR, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY GENERAL: I don't know of any book that has been published so quickly while, you know, the office holders are still in government and it is about very current events, current leaders, current discussions and current policy issues, which many of which are inherently classified.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, that is not true. There have been several people who did that, Brian, I am sure.

STELTER: Mm-hmm.

LEMON: But what is this argument that every conversation with the president is highly classified?

STELTER: It is a crazy argument and makes no sense, but it is the president's argument as this Bolton book is about to come out. Don, this book has already printed. It has already been distributed. It is going to come out a week from now. So there is no stopping this book.

But that doesn't mean the Trump administration might not try. The president today alluded to the possibility of legal action. Look, I'll believe it when I see it. The president loves to threaten lawsuits and then not follow through.

But he is clearly very rattled by this book because it contains allegations of Ukraine-like malfeasance, the same thing he was impeached for. Bolton says it happened all around the world. So this book is going to be a very big deal and there is no way Trump can stop it.

LEMON: Amazon posted a description of Mary Trump's upcoming book. She is President Trump's niece. Just a part of it, it says, "In this revelatory, authoritative portrait of Donald J. Trump and the toxic family that made him, Mary L. Trump, a trained clinical psychologist and Donald's only niece, shines a bright light on the dark history of their family in order to explain how her uncle became the man who now threatens the world's health, economic security, and social fabric. Wow!

STELTER: Another stunning book and this one is coming out in July, but it's just been revealed to be in the works. Mary Trump worked on this in secret. Now, all of a sudden, we find out it is going to be published at the end of July. So the president is facing a summer full of these kinds of books that he must be dreading.

We don't know exactly what Mary Trump is going to claim, but as you just said, that description is very shocking. This sounds like a family insider who wants to call out President Trump like no other family member has. So, again, add this to the list of problems for the president going forward.

LEMON: Mm-hmm. Brian, I've been wanting to talk to you about this because I think this is -- this not only shows tone deafness but it also shows us how deep the conspiracy theories and possibly -- and the racism runs in this country, because after a picture circulated on social media showing Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy wearing a t-shirt with one American news network logo on it, the running back, Chuba Hubbard, said that -- that he will not be doing anything with Oklahoma State until things change.

Explain what this network is about and why players would object to it.

STELTER: One America News makes Fox News look like ABC or Nickelodeon. One America News is far right-wing. It mixes in pretty basic, boring news segments, but then puts in these conspiracy theories in between, fringe right-wing conspiracy theories.

Last week, this is where the president got that crazy idea about Antifa in Buffalo. The peace activist in Buffalo might have been somehow an evil Antifa member. So, you know, the president gets information from One America News. Otherwise, it is very low rated.

But it is gaining followers. And so you have this coach in Oklahoma wearing the shirt. And thankfully, I think it is a good thing that this player spoke out, took a stand.

[23:35:00]

STELTER: Later in the day, they did meet up. They say they resolved it now. I think, you know, look, people have power, right? If you are a player, you have power in this situation. As you were talking about a few minutes ago, it is important to see these people using their power.

LEMON: Yeah. He said he met -- Gundy said he met with some of the players and he realized this is insensitive. You are talking about the video that came out. They had a meeting. And Chuba said tweeting about Gundy wasn't the right way to go. They shook hands. They said they're going to focus on bringing change together. We'll see what happens. But --

STELTER: Yeah.

LEMON: -- the players empowered right now, not only professional players.

STELTER: That's right. That's the point. That's the news.

LEMON: Yeah, but college players, as well, and so on and so forth. Thank you very much. Appreciate it, Brian Stelter. The areas of the country that weren't hit hard by the coronavirus at first are now facing a surge. I'm going to speak to the mayor of one of those cities, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: So, we're going to have more tonight on the coronavirus pandemic. Here is CNN's Erica Hill.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAYOR DAN GELBER, MIAMI BEAH, FLORIDA: People really got to take this seriously. It's not -- this is not an all clear where people can do whatever they want.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR AND NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The mayor of Miami Beach not ruling out new mandates for his city, one of the last in Florida to reopen, as cases across the state continue to rise. More than 2,500 new cases added on Saturday, a third straight day of record high numbers. They're up in Texas, too. And it is not just because there's more testing.

UMAIR SHAH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH: The question I'm getting asked a lot is did reopening or did other events have something to do with this, and some saying no, it didn't, and the answer is absolutely it did. The hard part is to know how much.

HILL (voice-over): Across the country, 18 states seeing the number of new cases trend up over the past week. In Oklahoma, also deep orange on the map, Tulsa recorded its highest daily increase in cases on Friday. President Trump is scheduled to hold a campaign rally there this weekend. The county health director telling the local paper, he wishes it could be postponed to a time when the virus isn't as large a concern.

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): People are violating everything, everything.

HILL (voice-over): In New York State, more than 25,000 complaints about businesses and patrons breaking the rules. Governor Andrew Cuomo tweeting this video of packed streets and few face coverings. CUOMO: There are a lot of conscientious people who paid a very high price, did the right thing, and they don't want other people ruining it for them.

HILL (voice-over): The surgeon general encouraging Americans to wear a mask, tweeting, "face coverings bring more freedom." Dr. Anthony Fauci in a new interview with the telegraph, urging people to keep them on when chanting and screaming at demonstrations, estimating real normality likely won't return until at least next year.

The CDS now recommending all close contacts of confirmed cases should be tested, not just quarantined and monitored.

South Carolina Congressman Tom Rice is announcing on Facebook today that he and his family are recovering from the virus, though calling it the "Wuhan flu." Last month, he told CNN he didn't wear a mask on the House floor because he was social distancing.

And the FDA revoking emergency use authorization for hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine based on new evidence that they may not be effective to treatment COVID-19 and could have adverse health effects.

D. TRUMP: Hydroxychloroquine. Try it.

HILL (voice-over): President Trump repeatedly touted the drug without evidence.

Erica Hill, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: So, the president claims increased testing is behind those rising numbers, but that doesn't explain the spike in hospitalizations in states like Texas.

Joining me now is the Ron Nirenberg. He is the mayor of San Antonio, Texas. Mayor, thank you. Appreciate you joining us.

MAYOR RON NIRENBERG, SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS: Thank you.

LEMON: So Texas reported a record high of over 2,300 coronavirus hospitalizations today. Why do you think your state is seeing this kind of rise?

NIRENBERG: Well, it is pretty simple. We're seeing more transmission. There are more activities taking place. People are mixing and mingling a lot more than they were when we were under stay-at-home orders pretty much throughout all the urban areas.

But we knew transmission was going to rise. What we don't want to see though is the increase in severity and the overwhelming of our hospitals and medical systems. We are starting to see those peaks as well. So there is definitely a concern that people have let their guard down.

LEMON: You had protests in your city and around the state at the end of May. You think it contributed to the spike?

NIRENBERG: What we are seeing right now is actually the data that is coming in from two weeks after the reopening began. So we don't really see -- we are not really seeing the activity from the protests yet. But I can tell you that I've been out there with the demonstrations and the vast majority of people there are wearing masks. They're very conscious of the health impacts, you know.

But I think what we're seeing is a lot of transmission is occurring because of reopen activities, which we knew was going to happen. But what we have to do is make sure that everybody understands that as we reopen Texas, it also means that we have to be extra vigilant about things like wearing masks and physical distancing, sanitation, personal hygiene, all the things that the medical experts were telling us from the very beginning.

[23:45:08]

LEMON: Mayor, you issued an emergency health order last month, making masks mandatory. A few days later, Governor Abbott made it optional. How do you deal with that because his orders override yours?

NIRENBERG: Well, it is a tremendous challenge, I tell you. And, you know, while the governor has urged people to wear masks, the inability for local governments to enforce it has sent a very strong mixed signal that has I think contributed to people letting their guard down.

So we are urging him to, you know, reconsider that stance, especially as we start to see our hospital systems, our medical community begin to see a peak. And, in fact, I tell you, Don, one of the other alarming things is that we're starting to see the demographic at the hospitals change.

We're starting to see younger people end up in the hospital. While they may end up -- they may survive an illness, the younger people are going to be stuck with a pretty hefty medical bill, hospital bill at the end of it. So, we've got to all do our part. We said we were all in this together. That matters now more than ever.

LEMON: This president is trying to make it out like the virus could be gone if we didn't do tests. Do you think that his comments are hurting your efforts to stop the spread?

NIRENBERG: You know, this all began -- I think our country, certainly our local communities, were put behind the 8 ball because we didn't have a testing regimen as a nation and we found ourselves losing a month, losing weeks at a time with regard to assessment of how far this infection was spreading.

Since then, we've all been working very aggressively at the local level to increase our testing capacity. That's gone very well. But the notion that turning a blind eye to how much this infection has spread would be the answer to our issues is pretty short-sighted to say the least.

LEMON: Mayor, appreciate your time. Good luck. And you be safe, as well. Thanks so much.

NIRENBERG: You, too. Thanks, Don.

LEMON: And I want to be sure to mention that we are getting late word tonight that the father of Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar died today from coronavirus complications. Congressman Omar putting out this statement, "It is with tremendous sadness and pain to say good- bye to my father, Nur Omar Mohamed. No words can describe what he meant to me and all who knew and loved him." Our condolences to the congresswoman and her family. We'll be right back.

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[23:50:00]

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LEMON: Tonight, the FBI and the Justice Department announcing they are stepping in to review the cases of two black men, who were found hanging from trees in Southern California within the past few weeks. This comes after community members demanded an expanded investigation into the shocking deaths. More now from CNN's Suzanne Malveaux.

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DIANNA HARGRAVE, PALMDALE RESIDENT: They're lynching our black children.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Residents of Palmdale, California say it is the sight of a modern-day lynching.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE/UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Robert Fuller!

MALVEAUX (voice-over): Twenty-four-year-old Robert Fuller was found hanging from a tree near city hall early Wednesday morning.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For a black man to be hung in a tree near city hall, that's a message.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You don't understand our pain!

MALVEAUX (voice-over): Residents were outraged Friday when city officials announced their initial findings.

RON SHAFFER, L.A. COUNTY SHERIFF, PALMDALE STATION: It appears that Mr. Fuller has tragically died by suicide. A full autopsy --

DIAMOND ALEXANDER, ROBERT FULLER'S SISTER: My brother was not suicidal. He wasn't.

MALVEAUX (voice-over): Now, five days after Fuller was found, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which oversees Palmdale, says it's taking another look.

JONATHAN LUCAS, L.A. COUNTY MEDICAL EXAMINER-CORONER: The initial reports appeared to be consistent with a suicide but we felt it prudent to roll that back and continue to look deeper.

KENT WEGENER, L.A. COUNTY SHERIFF HOMICIDE BUREAU: Regarding a chair or something similar found at the scene, there was nothing.

MALVEAUX (voice-over): The sheriff's department announced it would begin reviewing seemingly basic evidence.

WEGENER: Initially, we are going to do forensics on the rope that was involved. We look to contact the witness who located him in the park and those who may have seen him in the past few days prior to his death.

MALVEAUX (voice-over): But residents say more should have been done.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If it was another race, if it was a white boy, they'd be on it.

MALVEAUX (voice-over): Just 10 days ago, as Black Lives Matter rallies continued nationwide, another black man, Malcolm Harsch, was discovered hanged from a tree less than 60 miles from where Fuller was found. The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department says it found no indications of foul play and that the 38-year-old hanged himself. Harsh's family, like Fuller's, says no way.

NAJEE ALI, FAMILY SPOKESMAN: We believe that both these two young, black men were the victims of a possible hate crime.

MALVEAUX (voice-over): Now, the families of both men are calling for independent investigations, according to a shared spokesman.

ALI: Both families have stated both men were looking forward to enjoying their life and both hangings make no sense, whatsoever.

MALVEAUX (voice-over): Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: We're going to bring you more information on these cases as we get it.

[23:55:00]

LEMON: And I want to thank you for watching, everyone. Our coverage continues.

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