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Don Lemon Tonight

Reality and Facts Confronts the White House Coronavirus Task Force; Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber Was Interviewed About the Executive Order By One Mayor to Close All Beaches Only for the Fourth of July Weekend; Hospitalizations and Death Toll Skyrocketed; U.S. Sees Highest Single Day Of New Coronavirus Cases, 45,211 Cases Reported Today; Trump Administration Says No Plans To Expedite Harriet Tubman $20 Bill; President Trump Sign Order To Protect Monuments; Newly Released Body Cam Footage Shows Police Custody Death Of Carlos Ingram-Lopez In Late April. Aired 10-11p ET

Aired June 26, 2020 - 22:00   ET

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

[22:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN HOST: And you remember, if you believe in one another and if you do the right thing for yourself and your community things will get better in this country. You don't need help from above, it's within us.

CNN Tonight begins right now with the upgrade. Laura Coates in for D. Lemon.

LAURA COATES, CNN HOST: Man, I had a lemonade stand. I wasn't raising all of thousands of dollars but these kids today are really important, really impactful. I'm proud of all of them. And you know, it is my home state, so I was just going to say --

CUOMO: Well, listen.

COATES: Something is in the water.

CUOMO: We got people like you who speak truth to justice. We got kids they're learning it somewhere. Right?

COATES: Yes.

CUOMO: We're putting good things into the next generation. There are good things in ourselves as well. We just get so toxified by a culture and a political culture of division. It's literally making us sick, my friend.

COATES: You know, I'm a firm believer in the best is yet to come. And I can't wait to see it. Thank you, Chris, for all that you do. I appreciate it.

This is CNN Tonight. I'm Laura Coates, in for Don Lemon.

Our breaking news tonight, this country seeing its highest single day of new coronavirus cases. With 40,173 new cases reported today. That eclipses the previous high of new cases that happened just yesterday. Proof that this country is in crisis.

The numbers are skyrocketing and in the face of all of that, with this country averaging more new cases per day than any time during this pandemic, Vice President Pence, you know, who heads up the Coronavirus Task Force, you know, the task force that is comprised of the people who are supposed to be leading Americans in the fight against this virus, well, he seems to be living in an alternate reality. One where the country is somehow now in a better place.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The reality is we're in a much better place with the efforts President Trump mobilized at the federal level with the efforts of this team. This whole of government approach. The efforts of governors across the country, our incredible healthcare workers and the cooperation of the American people. We're in a stronger place. The truth is we did slow the spread. We flattened the curve.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Does this look like flattening the curve to you? Me neither. We're hitting new highs of cases each day the map, that map is a sea of red. Thirty-two states are seeing increase in cases. And in the eight weeks, in the eight weeks since the last task force briefing, over 70,000 more Americans have died.

Florida is hitting another high of new cases today. They had nearly 9,000. Tennessee and Georgia reporting their highest numbers of new cases since even the start of the pandemic. South Carolina reporting its highest number of people hospitalized.

Health experts are seeing what they are calling a massive resurgence in major metropolitan areas like in Houston and Dallas and Phoenix and Los Angeles. Yet, the vice president is looking at all of that through rose colored glasses.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PENCE: All 50 states and territories across this country are opening up. Safely and responsibly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: The fact is, despite his refusal to admit reality, at least eleven states have either paused or rolled back their reopening plans. And Dr. Fauci standing on that same stage with the vice president, he says mistakes were made.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Everything from maybe opening a little bit too early on some to opening at the right time but not actually following the steps in an orderly fashion. To actually trying to follow the steps in an orderly fashion but the citizenry did not feel that they wanted to do that for a number of reasons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: The vice president wouldn't admit that maybe it's not a good idea for the president to hold events full of people not wearing masks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have a packed church with young people who weren't wearing masks. So how can you say that the campaign is not part of the problem that Dr. Fauci laid off?

PENCE: Well, I want to remind you again that freedom of speech and the right to peacefully assemble is in the Constitution of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Freedom of speech? Your voice is a little bit muffled in a mask. But let me get this straight. You'd rather see voters risk their lives, risk the lives of their loved ones than see them wearing masks?

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Which, by the way, don't impede freedom of speech in the least. And if you're wondering why the vice president just maybe couldn't bring himself to say that masks are a good idea, well, let me remind you of this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Somehow sitting in the Oval Office behind that beautiful Resolute desk. The great Resolute desk. I think wearing a face mask as I greet presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings and queens. I don't know. Somehow, I don't see it for myself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: I mean, how about the everyday person who is trying not to contract or spread the coronavirus. It didn't have to be this way. But the president downplayed this deadly virus from day one. And now, new cases are soaring. More and more Americans are dying.

And President Trump who by the way didn't even attend today's briefing completely ignoring skyrocketing coronavirus cases, making it abundantly clear what he really cares about. Distracting you with his latest culture war.

The president tweeting that he has signed an executive order on protecting statues and monuments and now threatening long prison terms for those who says are committing criminal violence. So, he's more concerned about the statue of Andrew Jackson who died in

1845 than he is about the deaths right now of nearly 125,000 Americans from the coronavirus. How can that be the priority? He's playing politics. We just listened to what he said at what was how can I describe it, propaganda? A propaganda event at Fox News last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Every night we're going to get tougher and tougher. And at some point, there's going to be retribution because there has to be. These people are vandals. But they're agitators. But they're really, they're terrorists in a sense.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Vandals, agitators. Terrorists. Conflating them with protestors who are seeking justice and vilifying those who are asking for the very thing he cloaks himself in the mantle of. Asking for law and order. Just like he attacks on -- his attacks on NFL players who are peacefully protesting racial inequality and police brutality.

Attempting to distracts from the real and very pressing issues and in the process igniting another culture war over symbolic speech with election day less than five months away. Yet, he's not opposed to symbols of the confederacy. A regime that thought to preserve slavery. A regime that wasn't entirely antithetical to any semblance of liberty, equality or justice for all. Yet, he says this is about our heritage.

Well, who's heritage is that? Not the heritage of millions of African- Americans. The heritage of those who have ben oppressed by the people that you see lionize on these confederate statues. And frankly, they don't reflect the values that we say we, as Americans hold very dear.

But this president just can't seem to stand the idea of taking down those statues. He doesn't want Americans to see peaceful black lives matter protesters as legitimate. So, he threatens prison terms. He threatens retribution. He defends statues. He ignores the substance of the message and wholly misses the mark.

All this, while more and more Americans are dying and at the hands of more than one pandemic.

I want to bring in CNN White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins, and chief Washington correspondent for Politico, Ryan Lizza. I'm happy to see both of you on a Friday night.

Kaitlan, I'll start with you here. You know, the U.S. is averaging more new cases per day than frankly, at any point during the pandemic. But you did hear Vice President Pence saying we're making incredible progress. Now, you were in the room, Kaitlan, what was that briefing like?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was so notable for not only the reasons you talk about. You know, how Pence is really unable to square the idea of them inviting and encouraging thousands of supporters to come indoors at these rallies they're having. But also, the different message you heard from the different people who were speaking.

I mean, you saw the vice president saying that where we are now is better than where we were two months ago. Even though yesterday we hit the day -- the high daily high of recorded cases. But also, the differences in the message from the health experts.

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Dr. Birx has got up there and she has not been one who wants to contradict the president of course during this whole pandemic and as we've seen them at these briefings.

But at one point she was pointing to a slide from Texas that completely refuted what the president and the vice president have been arguing lately, saying that the only reason you're seeing that increase in testing or the increase in cases is because of that increase in testing.

And she had this slide from Texas that actually showed that in May they were increasing testing and then the positivity test rate was going down. Then in the last two weeks as they continue, Laura, to increase that testing they started to see that positivity rate go up.

That is what the health experts have been saying all along. That excuse from the president is not telling the entire story. And even a graph she showed today at this briefing was proof of that.

COATES: We know it's a long way from the time she was reticent about that light coming into the body and didn't want to contradict him publicly in that fashion. And since then, what, 70,000 plus more Americans have died.

COLLINS: Yes.

COATES: I mean, Ryan, as I mention, Pence said that Trump campaign rallies are fine. They are a matter of free speech. Even though they go against everything the administration's own public health officials have been advising.

So, Ryan, I mean, how can they make an argument like that? We're in the middle of a pandemic and people are dying. And then they say that the masks themselves is what's suppressing free speech.

RYAN LIZZA, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, as you point out, Laura, look, it's the reason they even had this briefing today was because the case is spiking in the south. And, you know, the last briefing they had was almost two months ago and there have been 70,000 deaths from COVID-19 since that last briefing.

Pence, you know, despite the spikes just 10 days ago, Pence wrote in the Wall Street Journal that he essentially wrote a piece attacking the media for exaggerating the pandemic and not giving the administration enough credit for its response. And I notice today he did not attack the media. He sort of, retreated

from that and he was a little bit more chastened. But still, his ability to only focus on the positive as the cases spike, it does make him seem a little bit out of touch with reality.

He likes to point out fewer Americans are dying every day than at the peak. He likes to point out that the people who are contracting coronavirus now tend to be younger and younger. And younger people seem to have a little bit more resilience to the disease. they're not as likely to die.

And he even called some of the places where the numbers are spiking outbreaks and trying to point out that it's not statewide but in these isolated places when we do know it's, you know, communities -- it's community spread. It's not like just prisons or nursing homes. This is much more serious.

So, he likes to cherry-pick the data and really not give the sense of how -- how alarming the numbers are right now. And you know, then you get Anthony Fauci up there and he's a whole lot more straightforward about this. So, mixed messages from this task force.

COATES: Which of course is what exactly the American people need to hear from. The cherrypicked, the compartmentalization, and rose- colored glasses. I mean, if the emperor doesn't have any clothes on, we need to point that out, people are dying.

Kaitlan, I mean, also tonight, we're learning that travelers from the U.S. are now unlikely to be allowed into the European Wnion when they open up. How is the White House responding to that form of the travel ban?

COLLINS: Well, this is just so striking. Because this is not something you would expect for the United States to be one of the countries that's kept out of the other countries because we've been so unable to contain the virus. And our response to it has been such a failure in the eyes of our counterparts overseas.

But that is how the European Union is seeing this and they're trying to judge, you know, is it a danger to our country to have Americans come into that. That is in of itself is just stunning. Because if they do go through with this ban that means the U.S. is going to be put in the group with Russia and Brazil about how we've contained to this outbreak.

And the White House is pointing to the fact that the travel restrictions are still in place for the United States as it comes, but they were not expecting to keep those in place. The president was just talking about them just in recent weeks, talking about potentially hoping to be able to get rid of those travel restrictions.

So, it's just really striking and it's really a rebuke of how not only the administration but also the United States as a whole has responded to that. And so, it's just so striking to see that and then to hear what the Vice President was saying today at that briefing where he was not offering the accurate portrayal of what you see -- what you've seen from health experts is how they've been describing what's going on.

And he was not giving the full picture of this. And it's just really stunning because that was the first briefing in eight weeks. The first time you had a chance to hear from these officials who have been looking at this, looking at the data every day and going through this.

And instead, the vice president used that time and the others did give presentations but the way he portrayed what was going on is not how you would think things are going if you actually look at the data and you went through all of the numbers.

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And that's why it's so important for them to have these briefings with the health officials so people can actually hear from them what the data is. What it shows and what their concerns are.

COATES: And of course, guess who's not fooled, it seems other nations by virtues of us being in this sort of position that we're in. A very different place we're in than say, almost four years ago when we were the ones on the other end of travel bans in this country.

Thank you, Kaitlan and Ryan. I appreciate your time. Both of you.

The mayor of Miami-Dade County says that he'll sign an emergency order to close all the beaches in the county for the Fourth of July weekend. I'll ask the mayor of Miami Beach what he thinks, next.

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COATES: The U.S. reporting a record of new coronavirus cases in a single day. Now, topping more than 45,000. Florida also hitting a new high. Nearly 9,000 cases across the state just today.

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And breaking just moments ago, the Miami-Dade County mayor announcing that he will sign an emergency order to close all beaches in the entire county for the Fourth of July weekend.

Joining me now, Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber. I'm glad to have you here, Mayor. Thank you for being here on a Friday evening in particular. You know, Mayor, these beaches they're closing with only for the holiday weekend. Is that going to be enough?

MAYOR DAN GELBER (D-FL), MIAMI BEACH: We'll see. I mean, listen, there's a sense of heightened urgency in our county and a lot of understandable concern of those nearly 9,000 cases, 1,500 of them were here in Dade County. And frankly, a third, about a third of the deaths almost a thousand people have died in Miami-Dade. So, it's a real thing for us. And the spikes are enormous at this point.

COATES: I mean, Florida is shattering record for new cases. And as you said, it's a very real and pressing issue. And you got hospitalizations also in Miami-Dade County that are also spiking. I mean, is this really as out of control as it seems? GELBER: Well, it feels like it's that -- we're not controlling it.

It's controlling us very clearly. Because, and by the way, listen, the positives are one thing. But the hospitalizations, the people going into intensive care, you know, those are in violent things that are happening. You're either sick or you're not.

So, we know it's real. We know it's spreading. We know it's starting with younger people and more now than it was before. And we're really having trouble corralling it at this point. So, I understand why the mayor acted.

COATES: I mean, the beaches are one thing. But what about things like restaurants or businesses and are you going to crack down on those restaurants or businesses or people who aren't -- who are violating the rules in some way to try to contain it further?

GELBER: Well, we went through a period of education. We started to close down restaurants. We closed down about a little more than half a dozen already in the last few days. And I imagine more are coming.

It's terrible to do, by the way, because these are, you know, these are good businesses that frankly have really been suffering and their employees have been suffering because of the sheltering down. But people have to abide by these rules.

And I will tell you the problem. The problem is, you know, we're not on the same page, our community, no communities are. We've got a group elderly people are concerned. We have a group that are younger that don't seem to be concerned and then there's this group that have politicized the wearing of masks and adhering to these guidelines as if it's an insult to the family if you ask them to do it.

And so, we're not on the same page like we would be if it was a hurricane coming where we were all work together and we understand what we have to do. It's just not present right now.

COATES: You know, that analogy I think resonates with people. The idea that this really should be something that everyone is on the same page about. I mean, it's not -- it does not discriminate this particular COVID-19. It's not singling out people on partisan lines or anything else.

And you have the governor, Governor DeSantis, Mayor Gelber, who today is stopping alcohol consumption in bars statewide. But he is still not mandating that masks be worn even though Miami and other cities have done so. Does the state need to be doing more as an entire state to get on that same page and fight this?

GELBER: Well, it would help. But for this reason, you know, my community was the first to require masks, I think in the nation. And we're about to on Monday even make crave new enforcement mechanisms.

But the real problem is, how do you tell people to wear masks to help other people when leaders, political leaders like, you know, like the president are literally saying not to. It's -- I mean, I don't mind having to be the bad guy as a local mayor. I don't mind it at all. Because it's why I choose public service.

But the fact that I'm trying to do this and there's someone in Washington saying don't bother or stand up against it. It's really hard and troubling and frankly, if we just had unity, we would like, that's gets us through these moments. It's the unity that this country has always relied on to make -- to help everybody stand up together and now we're very divided. And it's hurting us specifically in people's willingness to do something for the person next to them or the person they don't even know.

COATES: Never a truer word has been said, Mayor Gelber. I mean, when you have mixed messaging on platforms that high there are obviously and have been lethal consequences to that.

And I hope and wish the people of your area, you know, luck and health and wellbeing and hopefully we'll all get on that same page nationwide. Thank you for your time tonight. I appreciate it.

GELBER: Thank you. Thank you.

COATES: You know, the U.S. is setting yet another single day record for new cases. So how do we slow the spread. And are we up to the task? Well, two top medical experts are going to weigh in. That's coming up next.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COATES: This country seeing its highest single day of new coronavirus cases since the pandemic began; 45,211 new cases reported just today. The death toll passing 125,000 tonight.

Joining me now, Andy Slavitt, he is the former acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Also joining us is Dr. William Schaffner, he's a professor of infectious disease at Vanderbilt University. Glad to have both of you with us and your expertise.

Andy, let me start with you. I mean, check out the latest map that's showing new cases in the United States. It's literally a sea of red infections. They're at an all-time high. How worried are you?

ANDY SLAVITT, FORMER ACTING ADMINISTRATOR, CENTERS FOR MEDICARE AND MEDICAID SERVICES: Well, look, this is how viruses behave. They spread from bigger places to smaller places. Anybody who thought that just because we had a positive impact from social distancing earlier that the virus was over was a mistaken.

People have to get comfortable with the fact that it's how we respond to the virus. It's going to indicate how fast it spreads. And that there's a timeline.

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And if you're the governor of Arizona or Florida and Texas, when you look out the window of your capitol, what you are seeing is the impact of what you did three to four weeks ago. Not today. So, as soon as you think you've beaten this and you start sending the wrong messages, not wearing masks. Miscounting your population. You are contributing to the growth of the virus.

COATES: So, if things don't change are we looking at what could be an uncontained disaster?

SLAVITT: What we are going to be uncontained until the middle of July. Because it takes about three weeks for -- but if they take drastic action even today before they will slow the spread of the virus. And they have to be very effective and very strong in encouraging people in the state why it's so important to continue to socially distance. To wear a mask. And the vice president with all due respect needs to go out with much stronger messages to keep people safe. He can't wait until the death rate goes up, he can't wait until we have more people in hospital beds. You have to act in advance.

COATES: There's absolute urgency here. Right Dr. Schaffner, I mean, here's what Dr. Fauci said about the pandemic at the task force briefing today. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FAUCI: It's a paradigm shift. Because we're dealing with young people, people who are going to be asymptomatic. And people who are getting infected in a community setting. Not an outbreak setting. Where you know who to identify, isolate and contact trace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: You know, I want to take -- you take because Dr. Fauci went on to tell CNN that the task force is seriously considering a new testing strategy given so much asymptomatic spread. He admits something is not working. What's your take on that?

DR. WILLIAM SCHAFFNER, INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER: Well, I'll tell you, Laura. Testing is of course part of what we're trying to do. But let me go back to something that Andy said. This is a virus that is started out in metropolitan areas. That's where the people went when they came back from China. And we had big hot spots in large cities. And then it began to spread. To medium size cities. Smaller.

And now it's continuing to spread. It is going to small towns. It's going to rural areas. In other words it's geographically diffuse across the United States. I dare say this hardly a county in this country that has not seen this virus. So, it's spreading at the moment everywhere. Yes, young people are out. And they are accelerating this spread. But we need to keep testing. We need to focus on places where the infection is likely to be. Nursing homes, prisons, manufacturing plants. Agricultural workers. So we can get the biggest bang for the buck when we test.

COATES: It is very scary, of course thinking about asymptomatic people who are not incentivized for whatever reason to get tested or not being tested and are contributing in way in the diffusion that you're talking about. Andy, you ran Obamacare for a time. And we're learning from yesterday that in the middle of the pandemic, in the middle of a pandemic, this administration is fighting to end Obamacare in the Supreme Court. This comes as half a million people flock to Obamacare. After losing coverage this year. It could mean wiping out coverage for as many as 23 million Americans. So, Andy, why now?

SLAVITT: Well, put aside what you think about President Obama or President Trump. The breath of what the president is trying to do here is astounding. It hits not only the 23 million people who will lose coverage instantly, but the 130 million Americans that have preexisting conditions will lose that protection. And in the middle of a pandemic, all the preventive care that is required will go away.

And so, if we if wheel back to the place where the (inaudible) is gone, insurance companies will get to decide what's covered and what's not covered. And if you have had covid-19, not only would you be potentially excluded. But if you have a long problem or if you have a clouting problem. Or if you have any sort of complication of breathing problem that comes from covid-19. The insurance company can decide to exclude you again. So, the fact that the president in the middle of this pandemic would put that forward is a really huge blow to American families.

COATES: This is a horrific catch 22. I would love to hear more both of you in the future about this, because this is obviously not going anywhere. But hopefully with your expertise and the guidance of those who are medical health experts we can get ahead of this and arrest the problem. I appreciate both of your time. Thank you.

SLAVITT: Thank you.

COATES: You know, 2020 was supposed to be the year that we saw Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill. But the Trump administration has other plans. I'll look into what's behind the delay. Next.

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COATES: President Trump signing an executive order tonight to protect national monuments including confederate statues. The president tweeting long prison terms for these lawless acts against our great country. But why is he focusing on protecting confederate symbols while pushing back the release of Harriet Tubman on the $20? It's worth noting that the $20 bill was the reason why police confronted George Floyd in the first place. Wouldn't now be a good time to give that bill a new look? As planned?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: It's a name the president often invokes when talking about American heroes.

TRUMP: Harriet Tubman.

Harriet Tubman.

Harriet Tubman.

COATES: But the president has stopped short of memorializing her heroism by replacing Andrew Jackson on the front of one of our most widely circulated currency notes. The $20 bill.

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TRUMP: I think its pure political correctness.

Andrew Jackson had a great history. And I think it's very rough when you take somebody off the bill.

COATES: First speaking of history, President Andrew Jackson was a slave holder. And signed legislation removing Native Americans from their land. Nevertheless, Trump has long admired Jackson. Visiting his home in Nashville.

TRUMP: I'm a fan. I'm a big fan.

COATES: And moving his portrait to the Oval Office. Where he even hosted a group of Navaho veterans right in front of that painting.

TRUMP: You were here long before any of us were here.

COATES: Second, no one sought to remove Andrew Jackson from the bill entirely. A redesign bill simply moves him to the back of the bill and features Harriet Tubman on the front. This decision came during the Obama administration. A decision that was also voted on by Americans. Initiating a time line to unveil the bills redesign in 2020.

Coinciding with the 100th anniversary of women winning the right to vote. Four years later, the plans for release have been pushed back a decade. Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin telling reporters earlier this month this is something that is in the distant future. But the new bill wouldn't be released until 2030. So, what accounts for the delay? Mnuchin claims its security concern.

STEVEN MNUCHIN, U.S. SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY: This is a non- political situation. Where the primary objective of changing the currency is to stop counter fitting.

COATES: But when pressed, Mnuchin couldn't explain why the imagery would be delayed.

REP. AYANNA PRESSLEY (D-MA): So, yes or no, will you meet what was originally the 2020 redesign deadline?

MNUCHIN: We will meet the security feature redesign in 2020. The imagery feature will not be an issue that comes up until most likely 2026.

COATES: Protestors have accelerated the discussion. Making clear which images they believe fully represent America's heritage and which do not. In Richmond, Virginia, the former capital of the confederacy, Robert E. Lee's statue was covered with the projected image of Harriet Tubman.

But here at Lafayette Park across from the White House. Andrew Jackson remains protected. Protesters try topple it, but then these fences went up. The president now saying they are going to increasing protection of these statues. Saying we shouldn't erase our heritage. Who's heritage? And why shouldn't Harriet Tubman be included in it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She is our most outstanding female patriot.

COATES: And symbolically, what does it say where there's reluctance for now to even allow her to share the bill?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's so sad. This idea that by even sharing a little bit of that historical real estate that somehow the insecure folks will feel that their story is lost.

COATES: At a time when the nation is searching for its moral compass. The image of one woman guided by the North Star would speak volumes. And in a language all Americans understand. After all, money talks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Joining me now, Michel Higginbotham. He is a professor of constitutional law at the University of Baltimore. And author of the book Ghosts of Jim Crow. Ending racism and post racial America. Michael, I'm so glad to have you here today. You know, with the racial reckoning that's happening right now, wouldn't this be the perfect time to make room for Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill?

MICHAEL HIGGINBOTHAM, PROFESSOR OF CONSTITUTIONAL LAW, UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE: It's good to join you, Laura. And it absolutely is the perfect time to do it. I think Senator Schumer who commented today that the Trump administration seems to want to honor confederate generals who were traitors to the United States rather than a true freedom fighter like Harriett Tubman. You want to talk about an incredible life. I mean, Harriet Tubman, black woman born into slavery. Escapes from slavery and then goes back 19 separate times to rescue not only her family but also others who were enslaved.

She carried a gun in one hand and a bible in the other. She said she had two rules, she was the most famous Amtrak employee ever. The conductor on the Underground Railroad. She said if you get on her train, she had two rules. You get on her train, she's in charge. That meant whatever she says goes.

And she also said you're either going get to freedom or to heaven. Because there's no turning back with me. 1850, Congress passes the fugitive slave act making U.S. marshals in charge of apprehending fugitive slaves. Harriette Tubman said I no longer take my passengers just to Philadelphia. I take them all the way to Canada. (Inaudible). That's who Harriet Tubman is.

[22:45:19

COATES: And she was a military veteran. I mean, serving as both a nurse and somebody who headed an espionage unit in the union army. She is also somebody who started a home for the aged in the infirm. I mean, tonight, Michael, the president sign -- and many other things, by the way. Beside the president signed an executive order, Michael, protecting monuments and statues. And we know he's against Kaepernick taking a knee. He wants prosecute flag burning. He claimed it's all about patriotism. But frankly there's no real controversy over Harriet Tubman. So, why not honor her?

HIGGINBOTHAM: It's all about this administration values. You know, the hypocrisy is just super-high in this administration. I don't see any statues honoring Benedict Arnold around this country. I was always told as elementary schools student that he was a traitor during the American Revolution. So, why are there statues honoring these traitors during the civil war?

Clearly Harriet Tubman was a hero. She stood for liberty and freedom more than anybody else. That's what the United States is all about. And so when Trump says he wants to honor these confederate veterans, you know, I'm at a loss. I mean, I think he really needs to be focused rather on protecting the living, rather than worry about protecting these marble statues.

COATES: You know, Michael, we're seeing that more and more. And it feels pre-textual. And I wonder if there will be some change and the catalyst are already in place to do. So, Michael Higginbotham, thank you for your time. I wish we had more time to talk together tonight. Thank you.

HIGGINBOTHAM: Thank you, Laura.

COATES: You know, anger in Tucson over the death of a Latino man in police custody. Body cam footage showing Carlos Ingram-Lopez begging for water. And saying a familiar phrase. He couldn't breathe. As he was restrained. What his family's lawyer plans to do next? That's just ahead.

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[22:50:00]

COATES: Newly released body cam footage shows the moments leading up to the death of 27-year-old Carlos Ingram-Lopez in police custody on April 21st in Tucson. Police say that Ingram-Lopez was intoxicated and running around naked and yelling. As you'll see, police approach Ingram-Lopez in his grandmother's garage, they order him to the ground and handcuff him facedown. I need to warn you, what you're about to see is disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get over here now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get on the ground.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sorry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get down! UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get on the ground.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at me --

Please, please.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get down now!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. OK. OK, please.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give me the hand. OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, no!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will taze you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. OK. OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get over here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can I get water, please, sir?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Negative. You just need a blanket. He's on something

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can breathe. Can I please have some water? Let me have water.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: 12 minutes, Ingram-Lopez went into cardiac arrest and died. Joining me now at Eduardo Coronado, an attorney for Carlos Ingram- Lopez's family. Thank you for being here tonight. You know, it's still incredibly disturbing to hear Carlos begging for water, screaming and calling out for his grandmother. I mean you've known Carlos' family since he was a child. I can only imagine how horrible it must have been for you and the family to watch this video.

EDUARDO CORONADO, ATTORNEY FOR CARLOS INGRAM-LOPEZ'S FAMILY: Good evening, and thank you for having me. It is very -- it was very hard, it still is. And that's just from watching it one time. Just watching his face, the first instance when he comes into focus in that video, and the face, the terror that he has in his face, just such a big contrast between that and the way he used to be when he was with us.

COATES: I mean of course, you requested the footage immediately after Carlos' death and it still -- it still took almost two months for the police to release it to you. Why?

CORONADO: That's a good question, I don't have an answer for that. I wish that I did. I've seen the video, but I still don't have it with me. I still don't have it as you know, just watching it one time is not enough, especially for an attorney, as you well know. I've got to review it several times to be able to analyze and digest it. So, I'm still waiting for it.

COATES: you are still waiting for it. Well, you know, let me read from the Pima County Medical Examiner's report, because they found the cause of death is ascribed to sudden cardiac arrest in the setting of acute cocaine intoxication and physical restraint with cardiac left ventricular hypertrophy as a significant contributing condition, but notably here the manner of death remains undetermined. I mean what does the family believe is the cause of death? And will you be conducting your own autopsy?

[22:55:00]

CORONADO: Well, what the family feels is that after watching that video that the report is not as black and white as it is portrayed to be, especially when the manner is undetermined. And the family is going to try to decipher that Coroner's report as best as we can, and I'll try to help the family with that as best as we can.

COATES: And I certainly hope that you will, and I know that you will, I see the photographs, he obviously is a family man, I'm sure that the entire community and his family is reeling over this. Thank you for being here today, I appreciate it. We'll keep telling the story.

CORONADO: Thank you. Have a good night.

COATES: Thank you.

And thanks for watching, our coverage continues.

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