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Don Lemon Tonight
CDC Guidelines For Fully Vaccinated Americans; Interview With Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX); George Floyd's Brother Talks About Trial Of Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin; Harry And Meghan's Explosive Interview; Final Passage Of Biden COVID Relief Is Expected. Aired 11p-12a ET
Aired March 08, 2021 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[23:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DON LEMON, CNN HOST (on camera): Tonight, the CDC releasing new coronavirus guidelines, and its good news for people who are fully vaccinated. They can visit other vaccinated people indoors without masks or social distancing.
Jury selection set to begin tomorrow in the trial of the former police officer accused of killing George Floyd. Floyd's sister will join me in a few moments.
And fallout from the interview with Harry and Meghan, explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey alleging racism in the royal family and that someone express concerned about the color of their son's skin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OPRAH WINFREY, OPRAH SHOW HOST: There's a conversation with you --
MEGHAN MARKLE, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: With Harry.
WINFREY: About how dark your baby is going to be?
MARKLE: Potentially, and what that would mean or look like.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Much more on Harry and Meghan's interview straight ahead this hour. But I want to get right to something that we've all been waiting for. And that's the CDC releasing official guidance for Americans who are fully vaccinated against coronavirus. What can they do? Where can they go? Can you hug your family, or be inside without masks? Or without masks, plural.
Joining me now, Dr. Jonathan Reiner, he is the director of the Cardiac Catheterization Program at George Washington University Hospital. Doctor, thanks for joining. This is good news. We can see some small gatherings, grandparent hugs, but Dr. Lena Wen argues it is too cautious. You should be cautious, right? She says the CDC should be saying if you're willing to get vaccinated, you can travel freely. Do you agree with that?
JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST (on camera): I agree with Dr. Wen. Look, this administration has said that science was going to drive their policies. And if science was truly driving this policy, then they would acknowledge that folks who are fully vaccinated are very well protected against becoming infected themselves.
And, also, pretty well-protected now against transmitting the virus to others. We have that data from large patient and cohorts coming out of Israel. So, what I think is happening with the CDC is they are reluctant to make a recommendation, like if you're vaccinated, you know, go ahead knock your self out, get on an airplane, because they're concerned about folks who are not yet vaccinated taking that cue to start travel.
And they're very worried about igniting a spark that might create another, a surge in this country. So they're going to wait until there's more, a sort of core group of vaccinated folks in this country before they start making these kinds of travel recommendations or telling you that it's OK to sit in a restaurant without a mask on if you've been fully vaccinated.
But the science already tells us that. If you're fully vaccinated, it is safe for you to travel. And if you are fully vaccinated, it is safe for you to sit in a restaurant.
LEMON: That's my question. If it argues that it is too cautious. She's saying that people -- if get vaccinated, you should be able to travel freely.
REINER: I agree. And here's the big reason in this country, it's important for our economy. There are people who are really hurting, people in the airline industries who had been laid off, you know, servers in restaurants.
LEMON: Restaurants are closing, people have lost their tips that they live on, right. That their salary, but sorry, go on, doctor.
REINER: Right. But this is not about getting people who are, you know, going cabin crazy at home out of their places and into restaurants. It's about re-igniting our economy. And that is why, when the science matches, we should be advancing the recommendations.
My sense is that the CDC under the new administration is just getting their footing. It's led by a super capable person, Dr. Linskey and my guess is that fairly soon they'll start to catch up with the science and make these kinds of guideline recommendations changes.
LEMON: Well, speaking of science, this is Senator Rand Paul, who is also a doctor responded to the CDC guidance by tweeting this, he said, rather than listening to government scolds, look to the science of immunology. And once your two weeks out from the vaccine, or had recovered from the actual infection, trash your mask and live free again. Multiple states are removing mask mandates. We're seeing burn the mask rallies in Idaho.
[23:05:09]
The thing is though, how do you know, right if someone is walking around freely without a mask, if they actually meet the guidelines that Senator Rand Paul is talking about, I mean, how dangerous is this, doctor?
REINER: It's super dangerous. I don't take any recommendations from Dr. Rand Paul. I remind you, that he was the guy that as he was waiting for his COVID test to come back, decided that it was a good idea to go take swim in the Senate swimming pool. Right, so, you know, the key sentence in that tweet of his says live free. He considers masks a burden.
He considers it a lack of freedom. And that is the other big lie. That's the lie that has resulted in hundreds of thousands of excess deaths in this country. The lie that tells people that masks somehow impinge on your freedom. I was incredibly offended looking at that mask burning event in Idaho. 525,000 people in this country have died. Think of all the families and friends that have suffered this year because of this kind of politicization of masks.
LEMON: Yes.
REINER: So we need to be smart. We need to stick with masks for quite a bit longer. And then finally put this, you know, pandemic away.
LEMON: Yeah. I just kept thinking about what they're teaching their kids there. Thank you, doctor. Good to see you.
REINER: Have a good night.
LEMON: I'll talks to you soon. Thank you. You as well.
President Joe Biden says that he'll sign the $1.9 trillion COVID relief package as soon as it lands on his desk. Which could be as soon as Wednesday.
Joining me now is Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. Congresswoman, good to see you. Thanks for joining.
REP. SHEILA JACKSON LEE (D-TX): Thank you for having me,
LEMON: Absolutely. So, this $1.9 million -- excuse me, trillion COVID relief package is huge. Will it pass the House? And what does it do for people?
JACKSON LEE: Well, it's a rescue package. And frankly, Don, people need rescuing right now. If you go to any of our districts, people have been unemployed for a very long period of time. Women have been impacted the worst in the work force. Many women not being able to return. Schools have not been able to open.
So, this rescues the American people. $28 billion for restaurants, mom and pop restaurants, essential workers, waitresses and waiters. And they've been put out of work. It provides $350 billion that we've been fighting forever and ever to help our cities and counties to pay law enforcement and firefighters.
It provides $20 billion-plus for vaccines, and contact tracing, and testing. It really is a lifeline for the American people. And once these dollars are out invested and helping this economy turn around while people are still wearing their masks, socially distanced and washing their hands, we will be on the road of recovery, we will be rescued and going toward the end of 20221 and into to 2022. America can get back to work again.
LEMON: I got a lot of topics I want to talk to you about. I want to turn now Congresswoman to the for the people act, the Democrats' elect electoral reform act that was passed in the House last week, it would allow for at least 15 days of early voting, expand mail-in voting, make it easier to register to vote and protect curbside voting. Is the Republican-led assault on voting across the country showed just how urgent passing these voting protections are?
JACKSON LEE: Absolutely. Yesterday was bloody Sunday, you know, that's today many walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama for the right to vote. And in this instance we have a pandemic of voter suppression that is running rampant across America, led by Republican legislative and Republicans.
The president of the United States -- former president characterizes what it seems the Republicans want to do. And that is his speech in Mar-a-Lago or in Florida, he indicated, give them one day to vote. So this HR-1 is imperative, along with HR-4, which is the voting rights enhancement act, because there's a pandemic of voter suppression everywhere you look.
Republican legislatures are trying to stop, in most instances, black voters from voting and all other voters from voting. So HR-1 in imperative, it gives a free opportunity for people to express their views. When I say free, a widely, freedom-based voting system that gives you more days. That gives you the opportunity to be registered. And it is long overdue. And we have to fight voter suppression. And it is on the rampage in the United States.
LEMON: Perhaps the most important thing about the act is the way that it would create 15-person independent commissions to re-draw district lines in each states to stop gerrymandering. That is a huge problem. What are the implications for future elections?
[23:10:11]
JACKSON LEE: Well, I certainly know that this bill is going to go to the Senate and we certainly want fair redistricting. Anything that we can do to help do that. And I believe that this bill has components in it, and probably other amendments in United States Senate.
But it will make a difference that Republicans, again, unfortunately, cannot skew the lines and to ensure that there is one vote, one person, and that it is not a Republican drawn map. So that more Republicans go to the legislature, the state legislature, and that is what has been happening. We certainly don't want that to happen again.
LEMON: We've got a lot of ground cover. Thank you so much. We'll see you soon. You be safe.
JACKSON LEE: Wear your masks. Thank you for having me.
LEMON: I got it, right here. There it is. Thank you very much. Good to see Congresswoman.
JACKSON LEE: Thank you.
LEMON: The trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd, set to begin tomorrow morning. I'm going to talk to George Floyd's sister. What is his legacy for America?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DERRICK JOHNSON, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE NAACP: This is our opportunity to move in a different direction. This is our opportunity to ensure that our justice system is actually fixed, and that our communities can begin to focus on what type of nation we want to be.
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[23:15:00]
LEMON: So, 10 months after the death of George Floyd, jury selection is finally expected to begin tomorrow morning in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. George Floyd died on May 25th 2020 after Chauvin, then a Minneapolis police officer place his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes while Floyd pleaded, I can't breadth. Which sparks massive protest across the country.
Chauvin is pleading not guilty to a second degree unintentional murder charge and a second degree manslaughter charged. But a judge is still deciding whether he will also end up facing an additional charge of third degree murder. Security being steps up outside the courthouse today were hundreds of protesters gathered, demanding justice for George Floyd.
So joining me to discuss, George Floyd's brother, Philonise Floyd and the attorney for the Floyd family Ben Crump. Thank you so much, we got Philonise, we originally going to get the sister. But Philonise, we're so happy to have you and we are happy to have you, Ben, as well, thank you so much. I'm going to start with you, Philonise. The trial is finally here. How are you holding up? What do you focused on as this begins, sir?
PHILONISE FLOYD, GEORGE FLOYD'S BROTHER (on camera): It's been like a rollercoaster ride, we're been ups and downs, left-right. We just, really just talking with each other and praying with each other and we have faith that we will get a conviction, so basically that's all we talk about is memories of George Floyd, everybody.
LEMON: Ben, how critical is it with jury selection, how critical is the makeup of a jury in a case like this?
BENJAMIN CRUMP, ATTORNEY FOR THE FAMILY OF GEORGE FLOYD (on camera): It's critical Don, as we've known from history oftentimes, people don't share understanding of George's background. His culture, his life experiences, will be likely not to give him the benefit of consideration and humanity.
So we want diversity on the jury, we pray that Attorney General Keith Ellison and his prosecutors demand that they have a diverse jury that reflects the population of the setting.
LEMON: Potential jurors are being given, Ben, they are given a questionnaire asking things, like what coverage they've seen in the case, what experience they have with drug addiction, what podcast they listen to, and whether they have martial arts training. Some of those questions may seem strange, but how will the defense and the prosecution used questions like these to get the jury that works in their favor.
CRUMP: Well, Don, what they taught us in trial practice back in law school, if you got your jury, the facts don't matter. So, it's going to be critical, that you have a diverse jury. Because if you have a jury that don't believe George Floyd was worthy of consideration, that don't believe George Floyd life matters.
Then we get those results that you and I have south far too many times, where there's Philando (inaudible) law, where this Trevor Martin, or where there's Alton Sterling as you know, we have to have people show up for jury duty.
And I'll just say this, one of the hardest things for a Black lawyer to do is to go into the courtroom with his black client or black clause, and the only other thing in the courtroom black is the judge's robe. So we need people to answer jury summons, and served on jury duty.
LEMON: The mother felonious, the mother of Eric Garner, Gwenn Carr, giving a warning ahead of this trial. I want you to listen to it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GWENN CARR, MOTHER OF ERIC GARNER: Don't think that this is a slam dunk, because we know once you get in court they try to assassinate the victim again. First they murdered him. Assassinate him on the street. Then they want to assassinate the character. And you know, we just need a justice system, that is true, that is fair to all people, not just some.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: You've already heard some of it, I wonder what your concerns, have you heard some of the things about oh, there had been drug used, there were drugs in the car, on and on. The character assassination that she's talking about, are you concerned about this?
[23:20:00]
FLOYD: I'm not concerned about a lot of things, because you've seen the video. The proof is in the video, he was on my brother's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. My brother laid in the prone position face down, while Chauvin had his hands in his pocket with a smirk on his face. Torturing my brother to death, as the soul left his body. I don't understand, if you can't get justice for that in America, what can you get justice for?
LEMON: Yeah, Ben listen, there is a big difference. I think Philonise is right, I'm not sure how it will play. Listen, I'm not an attorney and I'm not on the jury. But there is a difference of the video, you did see the video in this case and in the other cases, you don't necessarily see and not in all of the cases, is that how the defensive is likely to play the attack? To play this attack the character of George Floyd, even with that video?
CRUMP: Don, again going back to law school, we were taught, if you have the facts on your side then you argue the facts. But if you don't have the facts on your side, then you attack your opponent's character and hopes that, people will be distracted and won't focus on the facts.
But with this video Don Lemon, this video has galvanized the world. 50 million people, have saw that video, and if the jury does not look at that video as Philonise said, and hold these officers accountable then God help us, because where can a black person get justice in America?
LEMON: A new USA today IPOS poll shows, American see this case largely along racial lines. Philonise, this is for. 64 percent of Black Americans see this as a murder. Fewer than a 3rd of white Americans see it that way, are you concerned of what that means we're getting justice?
FLOYD: I'm not concerned, I have confidence in the team. They know what to do, and also, like I said before. The video, that video is like you watching it at the movie theaters or something. That was the thing to see. It was a pandemic.
It was COVID. People were in their homes, they were glued to the TV when you're all talking about it. Because, they just can't believe it, they don't understand why somebody's life had to be taken from them. For nothing.
They had to explain that to their kids. Their kids, they are looking at that. They don't understand but the older kids. They haven't been through this before, they're like, mom, you told me that things like this don't happen. And all of the sudden you have to explain what's going on in America today, my brother he was killed. The pain is (inaudible). His daughter, she is like Gianna has to look at all of this, the kids have to see this. It's devastating, (inaudible).
LEMON: Philonise, thank you. Ben, thank you, will be watching this closely as we have been covering it. We appreciate both of you joining us.
FLOYD: Thank you Don.
CRUMP: Thank you so much.
LEMON: Thank you. We'll be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:25:00]
LEMON: We haven't heard from the royals, since Meghan and Harry's explosive interview with Oprah which aired tonight on British TV. But the fallout has been intense, since the interview was first broadcast here in the U.S. last night, especially over the allegation that someone in the royal family expressed concern about the skin color of the couple's son Archie.
Let's discuss now. CNN senior political analyst Kirsten Powers is here, and Shola Mos-Shogbamimu is here as well. The author of "This is Why I Resist: Don't Define My Black Identity."
Thank you both for joining, Shola, let me start with you, because the Meghan-Prince Harry interview has now aired in the U.K., it is late there. But how is Meghan in particular being perceived? Is she being blamed? What is the response from this interview?
SHOLA MOS-SHOGBAMIMU, AUTHOR, "THIS IS WHY I RESIST: DON'T DEFINE MY BLACK IDENTITY" (on camera): It's definitely a divided response, so you have people who are definitely in support of Meghan. Who understand what she was trying to share with everybody which is that she was so freaking silent. You have those who have taken a side which is to stand for the monarchy.
Now I don't think that Meghan interviewed Harry and Meghan's interview was meant to be used against the monarchy, they were just speaking their truth. And speaking about their experience. But people rather than listen to what they have to say, those who are in the camp of we are against Harry and Meghan, have seen it as a direct attack against the queen.
LEMON: Kirsten, they are facing a lot of backlash in the media. There you just heard Shola talk about it, and you've been watching. Look at the headlines that we have out there, maybe that's to be expected. But I want you to listen to some of what we are hearing on Fox News here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN: Although the royal couple now, lives in a $14 million mansion, Duchess McGahn maintains they are just trying to get back to the basics.
UNKNOWN: It's hard for me to believe that they are the victims in this.
UNKNOWN: We know that Prince Harry got $20 million when his mother died.
[23:30:00]
UNKNOWN: There is so much money here. It's really hard to pity them.
UNKNOWN: They're going to have plenty of money the rest of their lives. I just don't know what the point of that interview was.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON (on camera): Why is this also become a right-wing issue in the United States and what does having a lot of money have to do --
KIRSTEN POWERS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, pro -- they're all pro-monarchy now. Look, money does not protect you from racism. Money does not protect you from suicidal ideation. I mean, those are the two key things I think I took away from the interview that Meghan talked about. And the only I think appropriate response to what she said would be empathy, right?
This is -- this is a woman who said, I wanted to die, I did not want to be alive anymore, OK? And no amount of money is going to help a person who is feeling like they want to end their life. And no amount of money is going to protect somebody from the kind of racist coverage which anybody can look up and see. It's there for everyone to see.
We have side by side the way Kate was covered for doing the exact same things that Meghan did in a completely different way. And that's not to say Kate Middleton never had bad press. That is not the argument anybody is making. The point is that there was a lot of abuse and for some reason people on the right want to bully Meghan Markle into not talking about her abuse.
And, you know, I applaud her. They wanted her just to sit and be quite and she's saying, no, I don't deserve to be treated this way. And it doesn't matter if she has a lot of money.
LEMON: Yeah.
POWERS: So what? What does it have to do with anything?
LEMON: Yeah. Shola --
MOS-SHOGBAMIMU: And the reason --
LEMON: Go ahead, Shola.
MOS-SHOGBAMIMU: The reason why they're doing this is really plain to see. What do you do when you can't address the facts that Harry and Meghan --
POWERS: Right.
MOS-SHOGBAMIMU: What you do is assassinate the character. So talking about how much their -- their house is worth and how much they're worth as though -- I mean, to your point, as though that's going to stop them from feeling depressed or that's going to stop them from having suicidal thoughts, it is utter nonsense.
Let me just -- let me just -- let me level set here. When George Floyd said, I can't breathe, one of the reasons that powerfully resonates it is because it spoke to the inability of Black people and people of black heritage to breathe, you know, plainly, in plain sight, for you to breathe visibly in plain sight. Our ability to is -- it is constricted.
I need people to understand that the structural systems in place, which includes the monarchy as an institution, are rooted in a culture of whiteness. And particularly for Black people and Black women and women of biracial black heritage, that intersects, that whiteness intersects with the patriarchy.
So, yes, we have systems in place, political, economic and social, that reinforce the legacy of colonialism and legacy of slavery which directly speaks to dehumanizing the black identity. It means that even for a child, like Archie, his proximity to blackness --
LEMON: Mm-hmm.
MOS-SHOGBAMIMU: -- made him subject to racism.
LEMON (on camera): Well, I want you to listen to what Harry had to say about that. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRINCE HARRY, DUKE OF SUSSEX: Yeah, I think, you know, as we talked about, he was very much welcomed into the family, not just by the family, but by the world.
OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST (voice-over): Yes.
PRINCE HARRY: Certainly by the commonwealth. He had one of the greatest assets to the commonwealth that the family could have ever wished for.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON (on camera): Shola, what do you say to that?
MOS-SHOGBAMIMU: It is true that Meghan's background as a biracial woman coming into the royal family, it presented a lot of opportunities, and the royal family missed out. This was a big opportunity they missed out, especially since they are so fond of talking about how much they support the commonwealth.
But I now ask the question, if you're so fond of the commonwealth, why don't you marry into the commonwealth? It is no good to pay lip service to issues that particularly affect the lives of Black people and ethnic minorities. If it comes down to it, you're not ready to give us an equal value of life and liberty.
LEMON (on camera): Yeah. Kirsten, there was some very happy, exciting news that came out of this interview. Let's play it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WINFREY: The new addition to your family, Meghan said she wanted to wait until you were here to tell us. Is it a boy or is it a girl?
MEGHAN MARKLE, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: You can tell her. PRINCE HARRY: (INAUDIBLE).
MARKLE: No, no.
PRINCE HARRY: It's a girl.
WINFREY: You're going to have a daughter!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON (on camera): So, it's very exciting for the couple, Kirsten. But, I mean, listen, here they are.
[23:34:59]
LEMON: They just laid out the challenges that they've gone through with the royals over having a biracial son. Imagine what they, you know, might see when they have a biracial daughter. That will be the new challenge for this family.
POWERS: Yes. I mean, they really -- I think, you know, they really have their work cut out for them, I guess, I would say. And it's a very heartbreaking situation to watch, to watch people struggle.
Look, we all have families. We know how difficult families can be. What they're dealing with is on a completely different level precisely because they are dealing with all of these institutional and structural issues.
And so I think that, you know, what -- what Meghan and Harry is doing, I mean, we have to recognize Harry's really important role in this, is that they are challenging the structural, institutional, patriarchal, racist problems in this institution.
And that is why they're getting the backlash that they're getting, that is why people are coming at them so hard, and that's why conservatives don't like them.
LEMON: Yeah. Thank you, Shola. Thank you, Kirsten. I appreciate it.
POWERS: Thank you.
LEMON: Thank you. If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-8255. And if you want more information about how you can support suicide prevention, please go to cnn.com/impact.
Next, more on the bombshell interview. Stay with us.
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[23:40:00]
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LEMON (on camera): Prince Harry telling Oprah that racism is one of the main reasons why he and Meghan Markle left the royal family. He says the British tabloid press deserves a lot of blame.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WINFREY: Did you leave the country because of racism?
PRINCE HARRY: There was a lot -- it was a large part of it. I remember that -- the Sentebale fundraiser --
WINFREY: Yes.
PRINCE HARRY: One of the people at that dinner said to me, please don't -- please don't do this with the media. They will -- they will destroy your life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON (on camera): So I want to bring in Kehinde Andrews. He is the author of "The New Age of Empire: How Racism and Colonialism Still Rule the World." So, thank you, sir. Professor, thank you for joining us. I really appreciate it.
You say the only surprise out of this interview is how quickly the post-racial fantasy unravelled. In your new piece on cnn.com, here is what you write. You said, Markle has actually become an object lesson in how racism works today, making it clear that Blackness and the monarchy are like oil and water. Why is that, professor?
KEHINDE ANDREWS, CHAIR, HARAMBEE OBU: Well, I mean, I think -- I am actually quite happy this is how it ended up because we do have this kind of real post-racial delusion around the wedding, that this is a big sign of change and all things great. And I was always the one who said that that's complete nonsense. And the only --
LEMON: I was actually very optimistic. I have to tell you, I thought that it would help to bring some change within the royal family. So, I guess I was wrong, unless -- maybe we'll see. But go on.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: You said, no way.
(LAUGHTER)
ANDREWS: No -- no chance. I mean, they -- they actually got married on Malcolm X's birthday, which I think is the perfect symbol for everything that happened. Malcolm (INAUDIBLE) this as a --- as a production that Hollywood couldn't have topped, right, something that is supposed to be possible, but actually really was never possible.
The royal family is one of the (INAUDIBLE) whiteness in the entire world. The idea of adding Meghan Markle to it was going to make a difference. It was always misguided, to be honest. And I'm actually glad it has unravelled like this because it has now shown just how deep racism goes in British society.
LEMON: Interesting. And the British press didn't use openly racist language towards Markle. Instead, they accused her of being aggressive or a bully. You say this is textbook undercover racism.
ANDREWS: Yeah, I think the reason this story resonates with so many of us is that Meghan Markle is experiencing what a lot of us do in these white institutions. I mean, a lot of people will have that same kind of story.
Where is the kind of paper cuts of racism? No one is coming out openly including the N-word that we're used to, but it's about being accused of being aggressive, about not being fit, and about not fitting in. And it has massive impacts on your mental health. I mean, she really has become a good symbol for what racism looks like today.
LEMON: It was incredibly difficult to hear her when she talked about how depressed she was by her treatment that she considered -- you know, the way she was treated, that she considered suicide. Talk about how racism can damage mental health?
ANDREWS: I think all statistics will tell you that Black people of both sides of the Atlantic are much more likely to suffer mental health crises because it is the day-to-day experience of racism, of not fitting in, of the attacks, of things like, you know, she is holding her baby bump and this has seen to be devious and cunning, et cetera.
That kind of onslaught that we have over time really does put pressure on us. It leads to more stress. And you will find that the impact of that is really bad on Black people's mental health.
LEMON: Well, and Black people, especially Black men, and women too, but Black men are often seen as -- viewed as more aggressive and viewed with suspicion as well.
[23:45:00]
LEMON: And one has to live their lives constantly with that.
ANDREWS: Oh, yeah, completely. I can give you many personal examples. I have to go to work and you just can't behave in a way that other people would because you're always read as being aggressive or dangerous. And some of these are really difficult to understand.
I think that actually seeing it in the royal family, seeing it from somebody you think has made it, it really does show that you don't escape racism no matter how successful you've been.
LEMON: Lessons, you think, professor, as a professor, to come out of Markle's struggles. And you said that it shows us how pervasive racism is in U.K. But is that just one lesson or is that the lesson?
ANDREWS: I mean, I think that is one of the lessons. I think the other lesson should be that we should really be pushing back on this royal family. In fact, one other thing which I -- after watching the whole interview, it was really clear that actually what they wanted, which was to fit into the royal family, to become this image and beacon for the commonwealth, that would have been a nightmare. That literally would be the worst possible thing, to kind of brand PR, brand this terribly white racist institution. And actually just for that is a really -- is a good time to examine what money means, to examine what it means to be British, to examine just how deeply seated racism is. So, it is gone from being a really terrible discussion about race to actually being a hope by a helpful one.
LEMON: Professor Andrews, thank you so much.
ANDREWS: Thank you.
LEMON (on camera): Thank you. Next, millions of Americans could be getting another round of stimulus checks. Thanks to President Biden's coronavirus relief bill. But there is a real game changer for families in this bill and we are going to tell you about it. That's next.
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CEDRIC RICHMOND, SENIOR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT BIDEN: I'm encouraged and hopeful that we will be able to get this done no later than Wednesday and give Americans some assurance that the government will have their back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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LEMON: Democrats on the verge of passing President Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID relief package. The House is expecting a final vote on the bill on Wednesday. In addition to providing stimulus checks and extending unemployment benefits, the plan significantly boosts the child tax credit up to $3,000 and $3,600 for children under six.
It will also put that money directly in families' pockets with the IRS depositing checks worth $250 every month per child and $300 for child under six. Biden's package is taking a bottom up approach that experts say or experts say could cut child poverty by nearly half.
So joining me now for more on how this could be life changing for American children is CNN's economic commentator Catherine Rampell. Catherine, it is good to see you. It has been a while. There is a lot in here for children. So let's -- let's discuss. Guaranteed income checks every month. It's a game-changer for a lot of families.
CATHERINE RAMPELL, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Totally. Yeah. This is a huge, huge deal. There are a lot of other countries that already do something like this. They call it a child allowance in many countries. Here, it has the capacity to cut child poverty in half.
And part of the reason why this is such a big deal is not only that it would expand the effective value of the child tax credit and pay it out monthly, but it would make it available even to the very poorest families, families that maybe have a very low or no earnings for that matter.
And that's part of the reason why it's controversial. Republicans have opposed it because they're saying, oh, it's just bringing back welfare and this is going to discourage work. There is limited evidence actually that that would be the case based on some previous models that have been tried before. But this would really be a game changer that would lift a lot of kids, predominantly children of color, out of poverty.
LEMON: Right now, this is a one-year benefit. But Democrats hope to extend it.
RAMPELL: Right.
LEMON: How does this help support the broader economy?
RAMPELL: Because it gives families the means to invest in their kids and to make sure that their children have sufficient nutrition, housing security, et cetera. It's part of the broader social safety net.
This is, as you point out, a one-year plan. It would not continue, at least as currently proposed, past this current year. But there are certainly ambitions to make it a permanent feature of the social safety net. The question is how it would be paid for if it would be paid for.
There have been previous proposals cosponsored by Sherrod Brown and Michael Bennet that had paid for in part by sort of shrinking the generosity of the benefit for the existing child tax credit that is for higher income families. That is one option. You might have some sort of progressive taxation that is coupled with this, separate from the child tax credit. Those were other kinds of options.
But I think you will see the battle in the months ahead over how to get this thing permanently into law because it could be such a game changer for so many low-income families.
LEMON: So Catherine, assuming that this does pass, compare what -- what -- what would be Biden's signature achievement in this bill to former President Trump's signature tax package?
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RAMPELL: Well, if you look just at the tax portion of this legislation and technically the tax portion includes those stimulus payments, those are administered through the tax bill, they are advance tax credits, and the child tax credit, this child allowance, those are the tax components of this legislation, the vast majority of benefits go to lower and moderate income households.
I think it is something like 60 or 70 percent go to that bucket of households. By comparison, if you look at the tax cuts and jobs act, President Trump's signature tax achievement, signature legislative achievement, period, not just tax achievement, only something like 17 percent of the benefits went to those households, the majority of benefits accrued to wealthier, higher earning families.
LEMON: OK.
RAMPELL: So very different -- different set of priorities in terms of the distribution of these benefits.
LEMON: Catherine, good to see you. Thank you so much.
RAMPELL: Thanks for having me.
LEMON: Thank you for watching, everyone. Our coverage continues.
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