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Don Lemon Tonight
Federal Troops to be Sent to Chicago and Other Cities; White House Staff Tested Positive for Coronavirus; Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) Chicago is Interviewed About the Presence of Troops in Her City; Two Congresswomen Push Back on Criticisms Against Them; Dixie Chicks Changed Their Band Name. Aired 10-11p ET
Aired July 22, 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: Bam. Ten p.m. on the dot. CNN Tonight with D. lemon starts right now.
DON LEMON, CNN HOST: Look, your mouth got you in trouble. You're five seconds over.
CUOMO: No, no. At ten is when your show started.
LEMON: It started at 05, it starts -- I just lost my pen. It starts when you say and not until I start talking until you get --
(CROSSTALK)
CUOMO: That's when it starts to go downhill.
LEMON: You owe me like 30 seconds.
CUOMO: No way. You're kidding. As soon as you start to talk, you're like.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: So, let me say, the person, woman, man, camera, TV can you remember that?
CUOMO: Person, woman, man, camera, TV?
LEMON: Yes.
CUOMO: What does that mean?
LEMON: That's what we're trying to figure out. Because the president talked about his acuity test tonight and he said he can remember person, woman, man, camera, TV and no one had ever done that before. Because later they came back to him and he was able to answer it again. And so, he aced it. But there's some question about when this test was given and who gave it to him.
CUOMO: What is it?
LEMON: It's a -- he said it was part of this, you know, the cognitive test when you do the --
CUOMO: No. When do you take that? It looks like something for middle school.
LEMON: Well, you take that when usually -- listen, I'm not a doctor and I'm going to let Dr. Reiner explain it in a little bit.
CUOMO: Yes.
LEMON: But usually when there is some issue or some concern about, you know, you cognitive ability.
CUOMO: You're like Barry (Ph) in the lead here.
LEMON: Well, what do you mean?
CUOMO: And what about you jumping me on TV? What if I didn't remember?
LEMON: Person, woman, man, camera --
CUOMO: I understand, TV.
LEMON: TV.
CUOMO: Yes.
LEMON: And maybe it's easy for us because we're you know --
(CROSSTALK)
CUOMO: Well, now I'm nervous about it. It's the only thing going through my head right now.
LEMON: You're wondering if there are going to be other tests coming up.
CUOMO: I'll tell you what, though.
LEMON: Yes.
CUOMO: And I'll tell you why just proves how not nice you are. I'm not 100 percent in the melon.
LEMON: I know.
CUOMO: I do not have -- I have fog. I have not word recall issues. But I say the wrong things sometimes, especially when I'm tired. I know everybody is saying yes, who doesn't. I don't. Ok? This is new for me.
LEMON: Yes.
CUOMO: So, I don't know why he was getting an acuity test. Hopefully, you know, it's just something that's routine.
LEMON: Yes, hopefully.
CUOMO: I've never even heard of an acuity test.
LEMON: Well, it's right here. It's a cognitive, it's cognitive assessment. It's a Montreal cognitive assessment.
CUOMO: What were the animal shapes?
LEMON: Well, it's a lion, a hippo and a camel.
CUOMO: Isn't that rhino in the middle?
LEMON: A rhino.
CUOMO: You don't even know a hippo from the rhino.
LEMON: Sorry I got --
CUOMO: You no acuity, son. You got no acuity.
LEMON: I'm looking at it backwards. I'm looking at backwards.
CUOMO: You don't know a rhino.
LEMON: That's a rhino. Sorry. yes. I'm looking at it backwards.
CUOMO: We got to take you to the zoo.
LEMON: Yes. There you go, memory, face, velvet, church, daisy, red.
CUOMO: What does it mean if you don't know an elephant from a rhino?
LEMON: An elephant.
CUOMO: What would you say, a hippo? You thought the rhino was a hippo?
LEMON: No, I told you I was looking at it backwards, so.
CUOMO: What does that mean?
LEMON: This is how I'm looking at it. You can't see that.
CUOMO: Did you hear that story from the lady I just had on?
LEMON: I did. I did hear the story.
CUOMO: The whole family. The kid goes out. Look, you can't keep kids home. The guy is 21 years old. First of all, he's not a kid. But you can't keep these people home.
LEMON: Yes.
CUOMO: They want to see their friends. And you can tell them all you want but you know I'm telling you, I'm a good parent. I'm a hard ass parent. You're not keeping all your kids home all the time. They'll make you nuts. OK? COVID will be the least of your worries.
That kid comes home sick, doesn't really know it, 14-year-old has one bad symptoms. Six-year-old has like nothing. The mother has almost exactly what Christina had. Isn't that weird?
LEMON: Yes.
CUOMO: No sense of smell and taste for a couple of weeks. Little bit of fever. But then that went away. For Christina it came back the smell and taste thing even though she's not COVID positive.
And the husband had underlying conditions 20 days on a ventilator. Don, --
LEMON: Good news.
CUOMO: -- more people don't get to tell that story than we do.
LEMON: Yes, I know. And I know a lot of people, a number of people who have lost their taste and their smell. And they are trying to get tests, they get the test, in 8, 10 ten days later still don't have the results.
CUOMO: No.
LEMON: Yes.
CUOMO: We hear that story way too often, pal.
LEMON: Yes.
CUOMO: And it's a big problem. That's why that one of those big counties down in n President Trump's backyard just said we have to go all virtual because we can't get the test back soon enough to monitor the kids in close.
LEMON: Yes. All right. Well, I've to go. Person, woman, man, camera, TV. There you go.
CUOMO: Person, woman, man, camera, TV.
LEMON: You got it.
CUOMO: That's our new code. Whenever I'm in trouble that's what I'll say.
LEMON: That's your safe words. Thank you very much, Chris. I'll see you soon.
CUOMO: I love you, Don Lemon.
LEMON: I love you as well. See you soon.
This is CNN Tonight. I'm Don Lemon. In case you were wondering if the president's approach towards the coronavirus has changed. Well, I want you to listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We're working with very talented people, very brilliant people. And it's all going to work out. And it is working out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[22:05:08]
LEMON: It is working out, nearly 143,000 dead Americans. How many more will there be? Well the same president just last night said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: It will probably unfortunately get worse before it gets better. Something I don't like saying about things but that's the way it is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So which president is this anyways? That the one who seems to be taking the virus seriously, who said it will get worse before it gets better, or the one who is determined to cover up his own failures and neglect. And just one day after saying he'd gladly wear a mask, the president punts to the state on whether to require masks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: A lot of the governors they have different requirements. Some of the governors are strong on masks, others aren't. I think it's really going to ultimately be up to them. We've given them the facts. We've given them everything we know. They have their own facts. Some are strong on masks. And as you know, some aren't in the same ball park.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The president also talking about vaccines on Fox tonight and predictively making it all about himself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: You know the way it works. If I'm the first one they'll say he's so selfish he wanted to get the vaccine first. And then other people would say hey, that's a very brave thing to do. I would absolutely -- if they wanted me to, if they thought it was right I take it first or I take it last mark.
You do know that if I take it first, I'll be -- either way, I'll lose on that one, right? If I take it first and if I take it. If I don't take it, they'll say he doesn't believe in the program.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And then there is the president's announcement today that he is sending federal agents into Chicago to fight violent crime as he campaigns for reelection as a hard-line law and order president, anything other than campaigning as a coronavirus president.
Mayor of Chicago will respond to that on this show tonight in just moments.
The Attorney General William Barr sure seems to approve of the president's surge of federal officers to Chicago. At the event with the president today he calls the reaction to the death of George Floyd at the hands of police, and I quote, "extreme."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM BARR, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY GENERAL: We have that terrible event in Minneapolis. But then we had this extreme reaction that has demonized police and calls for the defunding of police departments.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Extreme. Does he really think what happened to George Floyd was extreme? Does he think it was extreme for thousands and thousands of peaceful protestors to take to the streets of cities all across this country demanding justice for George Floyd? And end police brutality and racism?
Does he think their reaction was extreme when this administration gassed peaceful protestors to provide a photo-op for the president?
All that happening as Joe Biden calls Donald Trump the first racist to win the presidency.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What President Trump has done in going his spreading of racism. The way he deals with based on color of their skin, their national origin, where they're from, is absolutely sickening.
No sitting president has ever done this, never, never, never. No Republican president has done this. No Democratic president. We have racist and they have existed, they've tried to get elected president. He's the first one that has.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, the Trump campaign responding tonight saying, quote, "this is an insult to the intelligence of black people. No one should take lectures on racial justice from Joe Biden" they say.
Boy, that's rich. This White House really has some nerve because if there's one thing I know for sure is that no one should take lectures on racial justice from Donald Trump or his administration. That doesn't stop the president from patting himself on the back though for black unemployment numbers even though the economy has cratered in the wake of the virus and comparing himself to a very prominent previous president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: So, you look at employment. You look at opportunity zones. And maybe most importantly, you look at criminal justice reform. You look at prison reform. I've done things that nobody else. And I've said this and I say it openly and not a lot of people dispute it, I've done more for black Americans than anybody with the possible exception of Abraham Lincoln.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The possible exception of Abraham Lincoln. This president wants you to believe he's done everything right, comparing himself to Abraham Lincoln. He wants you to believe he's done everything right. So does Kellyanne Conway.
[22:10:03]
And did you hear this whopper from her today blaming states for reopening too soon?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KELLYANNE CONWAY, COUNSELOR TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: Some of these states blew through our gated criteria. Blew through our phases and they opened up some of the industries a little too quickly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: There's no doubt some states reopen too quickly. And there's no doubt they did it with the encouragement of this president.
Remember his all caps tweet? This was in April. His word, liberate. He said. Or he wrote. Liberate Minnesota, Michigan and Virginia. And remember when he lashed out at Dr. Fauci back in May for saying states might be reopening too soon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dr. Fauci yesterday was a little cautious on the reopening the economy too soon. Do you share his concern?
TRUMP: About reopening what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Reopening the economy too soon in some states?
TRUMP: Look, he wants to play all sides of the equation. I think we're going to have a tremendous fourth quarter. And I think we're going to have a transitional third quarter. And I think we're going to have a phenomenal next year. I feel that we are going to have a country that's ready to absolutely have one of its best years.
(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: Yes. Well, we know why so many states reopened too soon, don't we? It's because the president thought it would help his reelection effort. And then there is what Kellyanne Conway says about the president's claim in yesterday's briefing that he would gladly wear a mask and encouraging Americans to wear them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONWAY: He thinks about he said in April if people want to wear a mask, then wear a mask. He said that. And you got to go back and poll (Ph) it. I think it's very honest if you're not putting that as part of your reporting. He was way ahead of other people on that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So, I want you to hear. let's hear exactly what the president said about masks on the very day he announced the CDC's recommendation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: So, with the masks, it's going to be really a voluntary thing. You can do it. You don't have to do it. I'm choosing not to do it. But some people may want to do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: You can do it. You don't have to do it. I'm choosing not to do it. But some people may want to do it.
The president's message to his supporters couldn't have been clearer. He wouldn't wear a mask and his supporters didn't have to either. And let's not forget that he went on to say this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Somehow sitting in the Oval Office behind the beautiful Resolute desk. The great Resolute desk. I think wearing a face mask as I greet presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens. I don't know. Somehow, I don't see it for myself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: That's how this president really feels about wearing masks. He's worried he'll look silly in front of dictators, kings and queens.
Have you seen him wearing one since he said that he would gladly? Nope. You haven't. If he really intended to lead, if he really intended to set an example, he'd stop all of this do as I say, not as I do garbage. He'd stop making excuses. He'd wear a damn mask. He'd step up and he takes responsibility. Like all the presidents before him, Republicans and Democrats, they all have done.
The former President Barack Obama and his Vice President Joe Biden talked about that in a new video. It's from the Biden campaign.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Can you imagine standing up when you're a president saying it's not my responsibility? I take no responsibility. It's not, I mean, literally, literally.
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Those words didn't come out of our mouths --
BIDEN: No.
OBAMA: -- while we were in office.
BIDEN: I don't understand his inability to get a sense of what people are going through. He just can't, he can't relate in any way.
OBAMA: Well, and one of the things that I have always known about you, Joe, it's the reason why I wanted you to be my vice president and the reason why you were so effective. It starts with being able to relate.
If you can sit down with a family and see your own family in them and the struggles that you've gone through or your parents went through, or your kids are going through. If you can connect those struggles to somebody else's struggles then you're going to work hard for them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Being able to relate, empathy. That is in short supply in this White House even as nearly 143,000 Americans have died.
In the wake of all this, there's new reporting tonight about another positive coronavirus case in the White House, staffers being urged not to panic. And the president's comments about his cognitive test raise even more questions.
Kaitlan Collins and Dr. Jonathan Reiner are here to discuss after the break.
[22:15:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Hard to believe that we're reporting nearly four million Americans have now been infected with the coronavirus, almost 143,000 have died. So why is the president saying everything is working out? Why is he saying that?
Let's discuss now. CNN White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins is here, as well as Dr. Jonathan Reiner, he is the director of Cardiac Catherization Program at George Washington University Hospital.
Good evening to both of you.
So, before the break, Kaitlan, I said I had some -- we had some breaking news. You have new reporting tonight about a positive coronavirus case at the White House? Tell us what you know. KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Don. White House
staffers got an e-mail tonight telling them not to panic or have any kind of alarm. But they want to tell them the staffer who works in one of the cafeterias on the White House grounds has tested positive for coronavirus.
Now this is not the one that's in the actual West Wing. That's the White House mess where staffers typically go. You can actually sit down. But there are two restaurants, one inside the building right next door to the White House where the vice president's office is where the National Security Council staffers are and hundreds of others.
[22:20:03]
And then there is another one in the New Executive Office Building which is also here on the White House grounds. Both of those have been closed after a staffer tested positive and the White House medical office said they've conducted contact tracing. They don't think anyone who works in the West Wing needs to self-quarantine at this time.
But Don, it just shows you this is another thing where staffers who are coming back to work here where they are not wearing a mask and the only people who are tested are the ones who are coming into contact with President Trump.
You know, it really shows you what they're having to navigate as they come back to work on a daily basis because dozens of staffers do eat at those two restaurants on campus on a daily basis. And now they both have been closed because someone has tested positive for COVID-19.
LEMON: Interesting. Dr. Reiner, the president brought up his cognitive test again tonight in an interview with Fox News. I want you to take a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I said to the doctor, it was Dr. Ronny Jackson, I said, is there some kind of a test? An acuity test. And he said there actually is and he named it, whatever it might be. And it was 30 or 35 questions. The first questions are very easy. The last questions are most difficult. Like a memory question. It's like you'll go person, woman, man, camera, TV.
So, they say could you repeat that. So, I said yes, so it's person, woman, man, camera, TV. OK. That's very good. If you get it in order you get extra points.
When you go back about 20, 25 minutes later and they say go back to the question. They don't tell you this. Go back to the question and repeat them. Can you do it? And you go person, woman, man, camera, TV. They say, that's amazing. How did you do that? I do it because I have like a good memory because I'm cognitively there.
(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: OK. Listen, so doctor, these tests are routinely given I
understand for certain people. People who maybe taking medication or -- what did you think of that?
JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Well, sort of the big news of that besides the fact that the president is, you know, bragging about it. You know, it's a -- this is a serious test that we give to people with suspected brain injury. Or people with dementia.
A lot of jokes have been made about identifying the camera. But we use -- this is a serious tool. And we use it for people who we're worried about. But mostly (Inaudible) The president has been (technical problem).
LEMON: We're having a little trouble. Dr. we're having some trouble with your -- with your signal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, doctor --
REINER: Yes.
LEMON: OK. So, listen. We're going to -- we're going to work on that. I'm going to go back to Kaitlan. Kaitlan, listen, as we work on getting his signal straight there, the president attempts to ignore this pandemic. It didn't work -- that didn't work for him. So now, he is back to the briefings. But these are, you know, briefings without doctors now or without scientists. You asked him about that. What did he say?
COLLINS: Yes. He hadn't really explained his decision to no longer include the health experts at these briefings. Like you saw, you know, back in March and in April when they all came out with the president, they showed charts, they also took questions from reporters. It was important to have them there.
And now they've made the decision not to have them two days in a row where just the president coming out. And he said basically their thinking is that, he gets briefed by the doctors, they briefed him, then he briefs us. And he thinks it's more concise to have it go that way because of course these briefings are nowhere near as long as they were back in the day.
But the question is, are we missing some vital information because of course it was at these briefings where sometimes you saw the doctors contradict the president. Or you could see Dr. Birx with her chart going into more detail about certain areas that they were concerned about.
And sometimes there is information that they are communicating to certain cities or states like the Center for Public Integrity reported Dr. Birx did today to 11 cities talking about how concerned she was about their positive rate. That could be explained at these briefings and could be helpful for people to get more information at them.
But right now, the president based on his answer to me today, Don, he defended it and doesn't sound like it is going to change where you're going to have more of them come out to these briefings.
LEMON: All right. Dr. Reiner, I think you're better now. Finish your thought, please.
REINER: What I was saying is what we know from looking at that tape now, is that, although the president has been saying that he took this test recently. We know that that's just not true. Either he doesn't remember or he's just misrepresenting it.
He states that Ronny Jackson administered this to him. And we know that Ronny Jackson hasn't been his physician in two and a half years. We do know that Ronny Jackson did give him this test because in February of 2018, at the president's first annual physical, Ronny disclosed that he gave the president exactly this test.
[22:25:00]
So, the president has been bragging about this neurocognitive test given to him in February of 2018.
LEMON: Maybe he -- maybe he just got the year wrong, possibly, you know? I'm not saying that to be --
(CROSSTALK)
REINER: Well he hasn't been to Walter Reed since November.
LEMON: Yes. OK. All right.
REINER: This is the test that Ronny gave him in February 2018.
LEMON: All right. Thank you, doctor. Thank you, Kaitlan. I appreciate it.
President Trump announcing a surge of federal officers to Chicago and other cities as he pushes his law and order message. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot gives me her response. Just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: President Trump announcing he will surge federal law enforcement officers in Chicago and American cities as he campaigns for reelection as a law and order president. Despite initially balking at the offer, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot says that they will accept the federal assistance but stress that officers will have to operate within established guidelines.
At a briefing this evening, President Trump threatened to disregard the mayor's wishes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[22:30:01]
TRUMP: The cities unfortunately that are in trouble are all run by Democrats. You have radical left Democrats running cities like Chicago and so many others that we had a news conference. And unfortunately, that's the way it is. I mean, that's the facts.
When you look at Chicago and you look at the job Mayor Lightfoot sent me a letter yesterday, and I think in their own way they want us to go in. There will be a time when they're going to want us to go in full blast. But right now, we're sending extra people to help.
Chicago is a disaster. The mayor is saying don't come in. The mayor is telling us not to come in. At some point we can void that if we have to. But we -- and we may have to. It's out -- because it's out of control. I assume she's saying that for political reasons. I think it's negative political reasons. She's a -- she's a Democrat. I'm going to be nice. She's a Democrat. She's making a big mistake.
People are dying in Chicago and other cities and we can solve the problem. They have to ask us. But we can solve the problem.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, you saw he mentioned Mayor Lori Lightfoot a number of times. And the mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot joins me now.
Thank you, Mayor. I appreciate it.
Give me your reaction to the president.
MAYOR LORI LIGHFOOT (D), CHICAGO: Pleasure.
LEMON: I understand you two spoke after those remarks.
LIGHFOOT: You know, the president's remarks are politics. You know, obviously he's in the fight for survival. So, I'm not surprised he is targeting Democratic mayors, whether it's me, whether it's Keisha Lance Bottoms, Jenny Durkan in Seattle or Muriel Bowser in Washington, D.C.
But it doesn't change the fact that we do not want unconstitutional secret federal agents coming into our cities, grabbing our residents and detaining them and violating their rights. I've drawn a very bright line there. And we're not going to go back from that.
LEMON: The president blamed you. He blamed the former President Barack Obama. Could not explain to our Kaitlan Collins why a rise in crime under either you or the president would be your fault but not his fault.
Do you think the president is using this situation in your city for political purposes? Because he said under President Barack Obama that it was a shame that Barack Obama could not control -- it was his fault what was happening in Chicago. But now he says what's happening in Chicago is not his fault as president.
LIGHFOOT: Well, look, we know the pattern of this president. He doesn't take ownership for any failures that happen on his watch. And why he's trying to change the subject from the problems that he has created around COVID-19 response is because he wants to shift it and blame the Democrats. It's transparently political. LEMON: Now talk to me about this conversation. What -- as much as
you can share with us what did you talk about, what was it like?
LIGHFOOT: Well, I don't want to go into the details of the conversation. But what you heard the bluster wasn't what I heard in the conversation. It was very brief and very straightforward. I think I've been very clear with the president that there are certain things in lines that I will just not allow him to cross. Not in my city. And I think he understands that.
We are not going to have a bunch of secret federal agents patrolling our streets without any coordination or corporation. And taking people off the street without any cause and violating their due process rights. We stand ready to fight against that.
Now, if he's going to bring resources in that are under the control and direction of the U.S. attorney, that's another thing. But again, the proof is going to be in the pudding. We'll have to see how that actually manifests itself and whether or not the resources that are promised are actually going to aid our fight against violent crime.
LEMON: Chicago has seen a 51 percent increase in homicides. Forty- seven percent increase in shootings over the same point last year. So you said you don't want the federal government or sending in sort of secret police, that was my -- I'm paraphrasing there. But do you think that you might need some assistance at some point from the government to get this under control?
LIGHFOOT: Look, what we need is the prosecution of serious gun violence cases. That absolutely is a value at. And if there are resources that are coming in to assist the U.S. attorney in expanding the number of cases that are prosecuted, I'm all for that. But I'm not for giving carte blanche to letting DHS or border control or whomever roam our streets and violate the constitutional rights of our residents. We do not and we will not stand for that.
LEMON: Do you think the Chicago Police Department has this -- do you think they have enough resources to control this situation? Do they have it under control? Because, again, those stats that I pointed out are pretty, they are pretty damming.
LIGHFOOT: Well, look, the reality is that when we are surrounded by states that have lax gun laws and where our police department year over year takes more crime guns off the street than NYPD or LAPD combined. That's a serious problem.
[22:35:08]
That's why I've repeatedly said and I memorialize it in my letter to the president on Monday that if he really wanted to make a meaningful difference, help us keep the flow of these illegal guns off our streets, when petty disputes are solved at a turner poll, when young people can get access to guns, readily and easily.
That is a significant problem. And that's an interstate problem which we need the federal government to solve. Our police department can't solve that problem alone.
LEMON: Mayor, I want to ask you about -- because listen, the president supporters and the president are pointing -- you know, Chicago was part of the protest that have been happening around the country. He is specifically the Black Lives Matter movement.
His Attorney General Bill Barr called the nationwide outcry to that an extreme reaction. That demonizes police and wants to defund them. What is your response to the charge that crime is linked to those events?
LIGHFOOT: You know, look, unfortunately, we have seen people who are trying to hijack these otherwise peaceful events. But I'm not going to demonize black lives matter. They are righteous indignation following the murder of George Floyd.
People are in -- of all types are in the streets and there are -- many of them are unaffiliated to any particular cause or organization. But they want to express their first amendment rights and we have an obligation to protect that sacred right that embedded in our Constitution.
LEMON: Mayor, thank you so much. I appreciate your time.
LIGHFOOT: Thank you.
LEMON: Two congresswomen pushing back after coming under fire from the GOP, what Liz Cheney and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are saying about the attacks against them, that's next.
[22:40:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Two influential women in Congress under fire from Republican lawmakers. Republican Congresswoman and chairwoman of the GOP conference, Liz Cheney of Wyoming and New York Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who was very accosted on the steps of the capitol this week by Florida Republican Ted Yoho.
He was angry that she is suggesting poverty and unemployment are behind the spike in crime in New York City during the pandemic.
The congressional reporter from The Hill, for The Hill, Mike Lillis, I should say, was a witness confirming to me here last night that he heard Yoho call Ocasio-Cortez an f-ing b word. So today, Yoho apologized, sort of.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. TED YOHO (R-FL): I rise to apologize for the abrupt manner of the conversation I have with my colleague from New York. It is true that we disagree on policies and visions for America but that does not mean we should be disrespectful.
My wife, Carolyn, and I, started out together at the age of 19 with nothing. We did odd jobs. And we were on food stamps. I know the face of poverty. And for a time, it was mine. I cannot apologize for my passion, or for loving my God, my family, and my country.
I yield back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: OK. But the Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez is not accepting his apology saying in a tweet, Republicans respond to calling a colleague disgusting and an f-ing b with I cannot apologize for my passion and blaming others. I will not teach my nieces and young people watching that this is an apology and what they should learn to accept. Yoho is refusing responsibility.
I'm not sure if he, I think she said he didn't even say her name.
Then there's Congresswoman Cheney under fire by members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus who don't like that she has been supportive of Dr. Anthony Fauci, and has gently pushed back, gently, on the president on some other others.
Even Donald Trump, Jr. is taking a swipe at her, saying that Republicans don't need another Mitt Romney. Liz Cheney's response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): Well, Donald Trump, Jr. is not a member of the House Republican Conference.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So, you might be surprised to hear of the woman who is getting the support of the most powerful man in Washington, Ghislaine Maxwell. She was a long-time associate of disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein who died by apparent suicide last summer while in federal custody. Well, Maxwell is now in custody herself accused of recruiting and trafficking underage girls for Epstein. Trump was asked about her case.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I've met her numerous times over the years especially since I live in Palm Beach. And I guess they lived in Palm Beach. But I wish her well. Whatever it is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: He wishes her well.
I want to make sure that you know about my new podcast Silence is Not an Option. I'm taking on tough conversations about race in America, being black in America, the monuments being removed, and so on, and so, on and so forth. You're going to want to listen to it. Find it on Apple podcast or your favorite podcast. Whatever your favorite podcast app, I should say.
The reckoning over history, the history, our history of racial injustice is transforming everything from sports to music. Country band The Chicks now. There they are. They're here to talk about why they dropped that word Dixie from their name and their role in helping to promote real change there after the break.
[22:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: One of the bestselling female bands of all time in the U.S. changing their name. Dropping the Dixie from Dixie Chicks and releasing their first new album in almost 14 years titled "Gaslighter." And you might be surprised to hear what they have to say about George W. Bush now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDY COHEN, HOST, BRAVO: Does the current president make you rethink at all your feelings for George W. Bush?
NATALIE MAINES, LEAD SINGER, THE CHICKS: Yes. I mean, I don't rethink that I didn't want to go to war and weapons of mass destruction were a lie. But, yes. It would be a huge love fest if I saw George Bush.
COHEN: Really?
MAINES: Because of where we're at with this current president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: See how times change and people come around and you know.
[22:50:01]
Joining me now, The Chicks. Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire, and Emily Strayer. Thank you so much for joining -- for joining us. I really appreciate it. I've been listening and watching all of your interviews. And you guys are -- you guys have been great. And you're having -- it's a really good time for you.
So, let me get this in. Natalie, I'm going to start with you. This president is calling a confederate flags and symbols freedom of speech. Loudly voicing his opposition, changing bases name after confederates, and so on, signing an executive order to protect monuments after seeing these statues torn down.
This is what he thinks of the south. I'm from the south. Is he right? Is he wrong? Why is he doing this?
MAINES: I mean, I think every move Donald Trump makes is for Donald Trump. He doesn't really care about any of this. It's just all political. It's all about getting re-elected. And he's completely misguided. And it's bizarre, frankly. It's bizarre.
LEMON: Yes, listen, I didn't even know about -- you have to watch Natalie or listen to her on the Howard Stern show where she talks a lot about The Chicks and herself. You know, I forgot about the -- was the CMAs where Beyonce was performing with you. MAINES: Yes.
LEMON: That whole controversy around then how they took her name -- I mean, they took her performance off the web and then had to put it back up it's just because they got all these racist things. Unbelievable.
I didn't even -- I don't think I even really knew about that controversy. But I digress. Emily, you guys have dropped the word Dixie from your band, from the name. Tell me what the problem with Dixie was for you.
EMILY STRAYER, MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST, THE CHICKS: Well, you know, we've thought about changing it for a while, even back as far as 2003. We were starting to feel more uncomfortable about the word Dixie and the connotations. We actually got more crap for The Chicks early on, but --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: You were originally the Dixie Chicks, weren't you, and then you changed it to -- you dropped it.
STRAYER: We were.
LEMON: Yes.
STRAYER: Well, the name came from a little feet song. I'll be your Dixie chicken if you be my Tennessee lamb. And so, we -- it was just based on a song. And Martie was 19, I was 16 when we had the band name.
LEMON: Wow.
STRAYER: And when Natalie joined the band, should we change the name? She's like, no, it's great, it's great. So, you know, along the way at different points, we're like should we change the name? And Dixie just became uncomfortable for us. We didn't feel like it represented us anymore.
And even as early 2016 tour we started to go by DCX and The Chicks on merchandise and things like that. But when George Floyd got murdered and all of this came up, we were just like we need to be in solidarity with the changes that are going on right now and we felt it was important and reflected our values.
LEMON: You guys have all -- always been socially and culturally responsible. Martie, people talk about cancel culture. Your band experienced that back if 2003, as I'm sure you remember, after criticizing then President Bush. You faced a ton of backlash from country music fans. Now we see reactions like that all the time. What was the -- do you think that was the birth of cancel culture?
MARTIE MAGUIRE, FIDDLLER & VOCALIST, THE CHICKS: I think it was the first time that an organized group on the internet got together and literally tried to take somebody's livelihood away, take them down, and, yes, it was just so shocking.
And now I feel like everybody can say whatever they want, and I think there a lot of positive to that and a lot of negative to that, but thankfully we had amazing fans and they couldn't cancel us. They still show up and they still buy our music, and maybe the group is smaller, but we're really thankful that we weren't completely cancelled. There are a lot of people who do get cancelled to what they say.
LEMON: Yes. Well, I'm happy that you guys weren't cancelled. Natalie, you've been very critical of this president, as you were with your first answer, his handling of the coronavirus. You told Howard, Howard Stern, that Trump's response is second-degree murder and that he is practically killing people by speaking complete lies.
I mean, he seems to be pivoting a little this week. He's encouraging people to wear masks and social distance, but do you -- what do you think? Do you think, you know, saying that in one day or two days, is that a -- do you buy the change?
MAINES: You know, I'm really worried. I feel like he's coming back to do these daily press conferences as a political maneuver. I mean, if he really cared about Americans, hearing the science and knowing what's important and knowing what to do, we should be having daily press conferences with Dr. Fauci, and doctors, not President Trump.
And so, I'm just going to ask CNN, all news outlets to please if he starts making this a place to, you know, make this his campaign, just please ignore him and don't let him confuse America even more.
[22:54:58]
You know, the mixed messages are killing people and it's -- it's beyond politics. It has -- I don't even care if you're -- at this point, I don't care if you're pro-life, pro-gun, all of that. This is different. This isn't political. Please, people, even if you love Trump, know that this is not political. The virus can't be gaslit. The virus doesn't care.
LEMON: Yes.
MAINES: About Donald Trump.
LEMON: I say all the time, this is not about politics, this is about right and wrong, this is about lies and truth. We're in a completely different time beyond, you know, the whole right and left when you guys were dealing with Bush and so on.
Martie, I have to ask you because you've got a new song on the album paying tribute to protests for equality and social issues, and I just want to play part of it. Listen.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
LEMON: So, I want to know, Martie, what do you think of the protesters out there and then the law enforcement response to them? MAGUIRE: Well, we're in total support of this movement right now. And
that song wasn't specifically written for the Black Lives Matter movement. This was two years ago when we were really moved by the anti-gun violence movement and women's issues movements, and took part in those marches.
And then all this was going on, we wanted to be a part in some small way. And because we had this song, we put it out and added the Black Lives Matter movement into the video and wanted to make a statement.
LEMON: Yes. Well, listen, guys, I am already almost two minutes over on this segment because I loved having you so much. So, Emily, we'll have you back on and we'll talk or you and I once COVID is over we'll go out for a drink and we'll leave them at home or something.
So, thank you guys so much for doing this. I really appreciate it. And whatever it is that you're eating, I want it, because you guys look amazing, you sound amazing and you're putting off some -- a really great vibe and spirit. Thank you so much. Be well, OK, and be safe.
STRAYER: Thank you.
MAINES: Thank you so much for having us.
LEMON: Thank you very much. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
