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Chauvin's Supervisor: Restraint of Floyd Could Have Ended Earlier; Sources: Rep. Gaetz Showed Nude Photos of Women He Said He Slept with To Lawmakers; Republicans Legislators In Michigan Proposing 39 Bills That Will Restrict Voting Rights. Aired 11p-12a ET

Aired April 01, 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: Damning testimony today in Derek Chauvin's murder trial. His supervisor at the Minneapolis Police Department testifying that there was no reason to use force on George Floyd after he stopped resisting officers. So why did Chauvin keep his knee on Floyd's neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds?

Also, tonight we're learning new details about the Justice Department's investigation into Congressman Matt Gaetz. There are now questions into whether he used cash and drugs with young women. And there's another problem. Sources tell CNN Gaetz showed other lawmakers' nude pictures of women he says he slept with showing the photos while on the House floor.

I want to get right to the dramatic testimony though today in the trial of Derek Chauvin. CNN's Sara Sidner was in the courtroom today in Minneapolis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEREK CHAUVIN, FLOYD MURDER ACCUSED: Yes, I was just trying going to call you and have you come out to our scene here.

SARA SIDNER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The jury heard newly released audio. Officer Derek Chauvin talking on the phone with his supervisor to explain his version of events on May 25, 2020.

CHAUVIN: We just had to hold the guy down. He was - was going crazy, he wouldn't go in, shutting off here in a moment - wouldn't go in the back of the squad--

SIDNER (voice-over): From the witness stand, Chauvin's police sergeant recalled Chauvin's description of events omitted key details.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did he mention anything about putting his knee on Mr. Floyd's neck or back?

SGT. DAVID PLEOGER, MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT: No.

SIDNER (voice-over): The sergeant says he soon arrived on the scene to talk to the police officers involved. Then went to the hospital with Chauvin and other officers to check on George Floyd.

PLEOGER: Someone approached me, let me know that he passed away.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you have an opinion as to when the restraint of Mr. Floyd should have ended in this encounter?

PLEOGER: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is it?

PLEOGER: When Mr. Floyd was no longer offering up any resistance to the officers, they could have ended their restraint.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And that was after he was handcuffed and, on the ground, and no longer resistant?

PLOGER: Correct.

SIDNER (voice-over): The tears were immediate for Thursday's first witness. Courteney Ross.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When was it that you first met Mr. Floyd?

COURTENEY ROSS, GEORGE FLOYD'S GIRLFRIEND: This is one of my favorite stories to tell.

SIDNER (voice-over): She testified the first time she met George Floyd, she was upset and he then a stranger consoled her.

ROSS: But has this great deep Southern voice raspy, says, you're ok sis? And I wasn't OK.

SIDNER (voice-over): Ross eventually became George Floyd's girlfriend.

ROSS: We had our first kiss in the lobby.

SIDNER (voice-over): In their nearly three-year relationship. She testified they both struggled with prescription pain pill addiction.

ROSS: Floyd and I both suffered with opioid addiction. We got addicted and tried really hard to break that addiction many times.

SIDNER (voice-over): The defense honed in on where the drugs came from and the timeline of their drug use, including an overdose in hospital visit for Floyd two months before his death.

ERIC NELSON, DEREK CHAUVIN'S ATTORNEY: You did not know that he had taken heroin at that time?

ROSS: No.

NELSON: It was your belief that Mr. Floyd started using again, about two weeks prior to his death. Correct?

ROSS: I had noticed a change in his behavior. Yes.

SIDNER (voice-over): In redirect prosecutors highlighted Floyd's history and built up tolerance for opioid pills.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When he took those, obviously he didn't die, right?

ROSS: No, he did not.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was OK after using them?

ROSS: Yes, he was playing football, hanging out eating.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

SIDNER (voice-over): This video introduced in court today showed the moments paramedics loaded Floyd into their ambulance. Paramedics and firefighters testified they had initially been called to respond to a non-emergency patient with possible intoxication and a mouth injury.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The information you had as you were initially responding was that there was a mouth injury, correct?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

SIDNER (voice-over): The call was later upgraded. And when they arrived, Floyd was unresponsive.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought he was dead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: I want to bring in now CNN's Sarah Sidner, who is again as I've been saying covering the story since the very beginning and now covering the trial. You were in that courtroom today, Sarah, good evening, by the way, so take us inside. How was the jury reacting to the testimony?

[23:05:00]

SIDNER: You know, from the moment that you get close to the court, you know, things are very different here in Minneapolis, where I've spent a lot of time and I quite loved the city. But when you enter the court, you realize you're in a different place, because you have to go through two gates that are locked.

You have to have someone come to the gate, usually a sheriff's deputy, opens the gate for you, you come in, you go inside of that gate, and then you have to walk into the court, which by the way, is all boarded up on the bottom half of the of the court, you get inside the court, you go up to the court room where you are met by several more deputies.

And once you're inside the court, though, Don, it's a surreal place. Because often courtrooms are filled with people in a trial of this magnitude. This time it is pin drop silence throughout the entire time of testimony. You only hear the judge or the witness or the attorneys asking questions.

There's not even a rustling of papers. And as you sit there and you look around the court, you can very well see the jury who was sitting there they are self-distanced. You can see very clearly the two chairs that are sat in the back of the courtroom. One of them is for a member of the Floyd family, the other is for a member of the Chauvin family.

And what we have seen is that only one of those chairs has been filled every day and that is a member of the Floyd family has been there. Today, it happened to be Philonese Floyd who was there who I watched. It was torture for him to sit there because he is watching again, his brother dying.

And he's watching it over and over and over. But you can see the commitment that this family has to making sure they are watching with eagle eyes, every single bit of this trial, Don.

LEMON: And now to the accused. What about Derek Chauvin? What is he like in court, Sara?

SIDNER: It's really interesting. When you are sitting in court, and I got there quite early, there are times when the judge before the jury shows up, for example, this morning where he calls all the attorneys, he had them come into his chambers.

And at that moment in time, it was literally me, one other reporter, and Derek Chauvin and the bailiffs who were in court just - just sitting there. He has clearly lost some weight, he looks a little bit different than I remember him in the - in the beginning of all of this, back in May.

He is quiet, he is constantly writing notes, when you hear from witnesses, he is writing notes the whole time. And he is just face forward. You don't see any expression because he is wearing a mask the whole time in court. But it is a really surreal scene to sit there, knowing what happens in the end, knowing how the story ends, if you will, and the life ends, if you will, of George Floyd.

And the ripple effects that's had and let's have some real talk here, Don. The truth of the matter is, what we are seeing in court and why it has been so impactful in this particular trial is because we're hearing the story of America, the opioid addiction epidemic.

We're hearing about violence and how that has played out in people's lives. We're hearing about policing difference and how that is played out in people's lives. And you're hearing all these personal stories about personal struggles. But all of this is around this one major issue in America, and that is race and policing. And that's playing out every single day in court, Don.

LEMON: Cameras are trained on it, and America is focused on it. It's really something to watch. And Sara is covering it. Sara, thank you very much. We'll see you soon. So joining me now Professor Cornell West. Professor, good evening. Thank so much.

PROFESSOR CORNEL WEST, PROFESSOR OF PUBLIC PHILOSOPHY, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: How are you doing my dear brother?

LEMON: I'm doing OK. I'm doing OK. You know, as well as can be expected under the circumstances.

WEST: Yes, I know what you mean.

LEMON: This trial is - it's gut wrenching. I mean, Sara summed it up there, you know, the man begging for his life pleading to be seen as a man like all the rest of us, from the video of George Floyd dying over and over and over again.

What is this trial saying about us as a country, especially when it comes to how we all see race?

WEST: Oh, it takes us to the most fundamental question that has always set at the center of not just America, but the 400 years that you would my ancestors have been here, which is, do we have the will to stay in contact with the rich humanity of black people, to stay in contact with the beauty of black people, the intelligence of black people, the tenderness of black people, the soulfulness of black people.

When you talk about brother George Perry Floyd Jr., you're talking about a human being, you're talking about a precious son of George Perry Sr. and precious Larcenia Joan Floyd.

[23:10:00]

You're talking about what it means actually to open yourself to get beyond the stereotypes and acknowledge that for the first nearly 100 years, America failed on that question didn't stay in contact with humanity of black people. You enslaved us, you exploited us, you tortured us.

You tried to barbarize us and we responded with making your democracy better, with more love, more freedom, and more wounded healing. Then we came back for another 100 years of neo slavery. We failed on that, again. Look like under Martin and Fannie Lou Hamer and others we would make in the break too, look like under brother Barack Obama, we making some progress. Here comes the backlash again.

So here we are in 2020, saying very much more how you started this show my brother. Do we have what it takes to really acknowledge the rich humanity of Black Folk that treat us fairly that treat us like human beings? Because if not, you're going to lose your democracy. You're going under, you're going fascists. For one for black voters, especially black woman voters, you would have gone fascist under the gangster named Trump.

And keep in mind, Don, this is the good news not because this is Easter. This is Easter week. You know, this is - it was tomorrow, they put my sweet Jesus on the cross. Roman Empire put him on the cross for going into that temple and running out those money changes in that temple was a huge place.

Hundreds of troops, but what we heard from my vanilla sister, Courteney was what? I stayed in contact with the rich humanity of brother George. I knew he was a tender man. I knew he was a soulful man. I knew he was a kind man, I knew he was a human being, faults and foibles, like all of us, no matter what color or gender or sexual orientation.

But thank God, we've got some acknowledgement of that. Will the police be able to do it because I'm telling you, brother if the police can't do it, then you know, we've got to do it ourselves.

LEMON: OK.

WEST: Now let me just add just one thing, though brother.

LEMON: Yes sir. Go ahead.

WEST: I thought about my brother George, and I thought about my brother and I thought about my father, I thought about my grandfather. I'm not going to stand there for no nine minutes and 29 seconds and watch somebody murder my father. No, no. Uh, uh.

Martin Luther King Jr. talks about pacifism. And I believe in non- violence, but I'm not going to watch that kind of murder. I love my brother, Charles McMillan. That's why he was crying. That's what his tears were about. He felt helpless. We not going to do that.

Some of us black folk, some of us black men, we're not going to stand there. We're going to have to intervene in some way. We - they aren't going to kill us like that. And we remain spectators because somewhere I read, silence is not an option. I don't stand with the silence. That's the last two sentences of your letter to Drew. Your letter to your nephew.

But America needs to understand that too. We got to self-respect. We got to self-defense. And we intervene when you start killing us like that.

LEMON: I'm sorry.

WEST: We intervene out of love brother. And we love.

LEMON: Let me ask you this, because everybody I saw, everyone I saw on that video. And I asked this earlier. Everyone I saw, had some empathy, saw the humanity, felt the humanity in George Floyd, as you said foibles and all. We're not thinking that when someone's laying on the pavement, in that situation like what they've done wrong.

We're thinking about when you're taking the life from a human being, why is it that every single - you when you said the policing, everybody saw his humanity and felt it except for the police officers who were there?

WEST: Because they've been getting away when it - with it for decade after decade after decade, even the good police when in the language of the mainstream, they remain silent. And they allow the gangsters in their ranks who've been mistreated for but keep in mind, you know, brothers, it's not just black folk who've been - been treated like this.

You got some white brothers and sisters being treated like this, but we get three times we get 36 percent of all them. We only 12.8 percent of the population. You see what I mean? So we concerned about everybody. We're not just - we're not confined to just the chocolate side.

But I'll be damned if we're not going to start with the chocolate side of town. With our blacks are brown, indigenous folk and our Asians. And it is in the name of love, but love sometimes can get real tough. Love can protect respect and correct and we're not going to stand there and just be victims. No, no, no.

[23:15:00]

No, that's - that's not fellow Baptist Church. That's not - (inaudible) That's not (inaudible) that's not gladdest night in the pits. We come out swaying.

LEMON: You know, I went to Shiloh--

WEST: If he ain't got that swing, he wasn't just talking about notes.

LEMON: You know, I went to Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church as a kid. That was my church. And you just got it out. Professor, I'm going to do like I do with my family members and the people I know, let me let you go.

WEST: I got it.

LEMON: Let me let you go because I got to deal with some things and you're making me cry here on the TV. And I got to compose myself. Thank you. I love you, brother. I appreciate.

WEST: Love you brother. You stay strong.

LEMON: Thank you. I'll see you soon. Be well. You know, it is hard to hear the testimony about the excuse me the last moments of George Floyd's life second by second. And if you're having trouble dealing with it, speak up and ask for help. We've got some resources up on the screen right now for you. And again, don't hesitate to get help.

There it is on the screen. We'll leave it up for a second. And we will be right back.

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[23:20:00]

LEMON: So here's the breaking news. The Justice Department now investigating whether Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz used cash and drugs in his dealings with young women. There are also new allegations he showed other lawmakers photos and videos of nude women, that he says that he slept with. CNN's Paula Reid has the story now.

PAULA REID, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening Don. Multiple sources tell CNN, Congressman Gaetz showed other lawmakers photos and videos of nude women he claimed to have slept with. One source said Gaetz shared the images on his phone, even while on the floor of the House. Another source said it was a point of pride for Gaetz. And there's no evidence that the Justice Department is looking into this issue or that these were photos of minors.

His office so far has not responded to our reporting. But all of this comes as CNN is learning new details about the scope of an entirely separate criminal investigation into alleged sexual misconduct by Gaetz.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REID: Tonight, new details on the sex trafficking investigation into Representative Matt Gaetz. CNN has learned prosecutors are looking into a relationship with a woman that began when she was just 17 and whether his involvement with other young women broke sex trafficking and prostitution laws according to two sources briefed on the matter.

Those sources say investigators are also pursuing allegations that Gaetz may have used cash and drugs in his dealings with young women. And they've also looked at whether any federal campaign money was involved in paying for travel and expenses. An attorney for Gaetz declined to comment. Gaetz has previously denied any wrongdoing.

REP. MATT GAETZ (R-FL): It is a horrible allegation. And it is a lie and is verifiably false. People can look at my travel records and see that that is not the case.

REID: Sources now telling CNN, the investigation began as part of a broader probe into trafficking allegations of this man, Joel Greenberg. Two sources familiar with the matter tell CNN that in a meeting last year, federal investigators were told by a witness that Gaetz was seen with Greenberg on an internal office surveillance system looking through drivers licenses on a weekend evening in 2019.

Greenberg had access to the surrendered licenses as head of the tax collector's office. There's no indication that the licenses seen handled on the video were used for illegal purposes. But according to the court documents, Greenberg allegedly used the surrender licenses to create fake IDs.

Greenberg has entered a plea of not guilty. Attorneys for Greenberg and Gaetz had no comment. CNN has learned former Attorney General Bill Barr received multiple briefings while he was in office on the sex trafficking investigation into Gaetz. Barr did not take issue with the investigation, which began in the final months of the Trump administration.

Also, CNN has learned that Fox news host Tucker Carlson was angered at the congressman's attempt to rope him into the scandal. According to a source familiar with the matter, Carlson was livid.

GAETZ: You and I went to dinner about two years ago, your wife was there and I brought a friend of mine, you'll remember her and she was actually threatened by the FBI.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TUCKER CARLSON, FOX NEWS HOST: I don't remember the woman you're speaking of or the context at all, honestly. (END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: Carlson distanced himself afterwards. That was one of the weirdest interviews I've ever conducted. Gaetz tried to distract from the allegations by connecting the criminal investigation to a separate alleged extortion plot against him.

CNN has also learned that the scope of this criminal investigation into possible sex trafficking has expanded to start to examine whether Gaetz may have used federal campaign funds to pay for travel or other expenses for his alleged victims. Don.

LEMON: Paula, thank you so much for that. I want to bring in now CNN Legal and National Security analysts Asha Rangappa and political commentator Amanda Carpenter. Good evening to both of you. Thanks so much for joining us. Asha, I'm going to start with you because it's really hard to keep up with this bizarre, these bizarre allegations involving the congressman, congressman Gaetz. So help us understand. What is going on here?

ASHA RANGAPPA, CNN LEGAL AND NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Don, when I was in law school, we had these things called issue spotters. They were long, incredibly complicated factual scenarios where you have to identify all the legal issues and so the Matt Gaetz story is basically an ongoing issue spotter.

I think the first issue it is clear is sex crimes, right? So potentially sex trafficking or prostitution. The cash and drugs piece is important here in terms of evidence if that's something that the FBI uncovers because sex trafficking requires force, fraud or coercion with minors to engage in commercial sexual activity, so there has to be kind of a transactional component.

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And so if he's paying or if somebody is paying for this, or using drugs to coerce them, it then fits more tightly into that particular definition and statute.

LEMON: OK.

RANGAPPA: The other piece that we - go ahead.

LEMON: No go on, go on, gone on, please.

RANGAPPA: Oh, lots of issues. The other piece is the campaign finance violation. If there is if - he was using campaign funds to do this, that's entirely separate because you are prohibited from using campaign funds for personal use. If you'll remember, former U.S. Representative Duncan Hunter was actually sentenced to 11 months in prison for doing exactly that.

If you do it knowingly and wilfully, it can be a criminal violation. And that is completely separate from, you know, whether he was using it, you know, whether the person was under age or, you know, if it was for personal use, then it falls into that category. LEMON: Yes, you were answering. You were answering my next question

here, because I was going to say it involved cash and drugs, right? The allegations here, the investigation, and if campaign money was used, then that's a lot of trouble that he's facing. Right? Did you want to finish up what you were saying or are you done?

RANGAPPA: Oh, I just I think that this just gets to, you know, once the FBI gets the ball rolling, it's the tentacles start spreading. I mean, Matt Gaetz seems to have come under the FBI radar, because of another investigation into you know, a different individual. And so I think, you know, it remains to be seen, not only what else will they uncover, but will other people get ensnared in this, who will then become, you know, witnesses or people who can provide additional information?

And if I were him that I would be worried about that as well.

LEMON: OK. All right. So, Amanda, you've been - you've been sitting patiently, because there's a lot I mean, there's a lot to go over here. Right? So let's talk about. She talked about the, you know, the legal trouble, right. So let's talk about the political trouble. It's not just the DOJ investigation.

Sources are telling CNN that Gaetz allegedly showed other lawmakers photos and videos of nude women that he said he had slept with. Some of the videos shown while you know, he was on the House floor. OK, so it's, you know, it's not sex trafficking, as is alleging the other thing, but how do Republicans stand by him for these sorts of things?

AMANDA CARPENTER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, I mean, just based on the story about the nude pics on the House floor alone, this guy should be toast. It's pretty incredible how the - how fast the story went from something that was kind of strange and curious to something seriously, enraging.

And at this point, you have to ask, Who knew? How much do they know? And why did they let it slide? Because right now, this just reeks to me of a political culture that embraced a grab them by the P president. And it's no coincidence that Matt Gaetz was Donald Trump's, you know, one of his biggest champions in Congress, because this is kind of the culture of what it is.

We turn our eye when it comes to the mistreatment of women, if you're Republican, because that's what you had to do to get through the last four years. And what really bothers me and I can't get it out of my mind really, is the fact that throughout the summer, Matt Gaetz was on a big political tour stumping with the likes of Donald Trump Jr., Rick Grinnell for this Turning Point USA group, which is directed at college in high school students.

And if you looked at the way that the some of these events went down, I mean, it was criticized at the time because they would put up these girls in tight outfits and almost bikini tops and shoot T-shirts and money into the stage of these young kids. And you could just look at that culture that was being created. Like we're the cool guys, we're the bros. This is how it is now. And

it was just disgusting to watch. These young, impressionable political minds be given this kind of show. And so just everyone should take a step back because this investigation is going to take a long time. It's extremely serious, but just on the picture story, and just on the culture that has been created in Republican politics directed at young kids is enough to cause serious reevaluation.

LEMON: Amanda, thank you. Asha, thank you. And again, as we have been reporting, he is denying all of it, Congressman Gaetz, denying all of it and also saying part of it, he claims is extortion, that he's being extorted. So Amanda is right. We'll let it play out and we'll see what happens. Thank you very much. I appreciate it, both of you. There are now more than 360 different bills making their way through state legislatures. That's going to make it harder to vote right? More than 360 in nearly every state. Stay with us.

[23:30:00]

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LEMON: The Texas Senate passing a restrictive new voting bill that critics say will make it harder for people of color to cast their ballots. It's one of more than 360 bills that could limit access to voting which are moving forward in 47 states across this country according to a new tally by the Brennan Center.

That's a 43 percent rise and just a month. More tonight from CNN's Dianne Gallagher.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There being 18 ayes and 13 nays, the bills finally passed.

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the wee hours this morning the Texas State Senate sent a sweeping election bill over to the House that could change the way that people in the Lone Star State vote.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And so, we want a system where it's easy to vote and hard to cheat. Right?

GALLAGHER (voice-over): Senate Bill seven seems to target voting in the recent Democratic stronghold of Harris County, home to Houston, one of the country's most diverse cities and Democrats say that it will make it harder for people of color to vote.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every minority member of the Texas Senate, all nine of us believe that this bill will impact minorities negatively by making it more difficult for African Americans and Mexican Americans to vote, making it easier for them to be harassed by overzealous poll watchers, and diminishing the likelihood that election outcomes will represent the preferences of We the People.

[23:35:00] GALLAGHER (voice-over): A new tally by the left leaning Brennan Center for Justice finds that 361 bills with provisions that would restrict voting have been introduced in 47 states as of March 24th. That's a 43 percent jump in the number of bills since Brennan released its last report a little over a month ago.

And most of the bills target absentee voting, nearly a quarter seek to impose stricter voter ID requirements. A handful of states have already acted, including Georgia, where some are calling for economic consequences in response to the state's new voting law.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This boycott is against Coca Cola, Delta Airlines.

GALLAGHER (voice-over): Including pulling the MLB All Star game set for July out of Atlanta. The commissioner says the timing would make that difficult, but President Joe Biden says that if the players want to change location, he supports it.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I would strongly support them doing that. The very people who are victimized the most are the people who are the leaders in these in these various sports. And it's just not right.

GALLAGHER (voice-over): Georgia's business leaders under public pressure are now speaking out.

JAMES QUINCEY, CHAIRMAN & CEO, COCA COLA: Let me be crystal clear and unequivocal. This legislation is unacceptable.

GALLAGHER (voice-over): The CEO of Delta, the state's largest private employer, blasting the law as based on a lie of 2020 election fraud saying in a memo. "It's evident that the bill includes provisions that will make it harder for many underrepresented voters, particularly black voters to exercise their constitutional right to elect their representatives. That is wrong."

In response, the Georgia House passed an amendment revoking Delta's jet fuel tax break,

REP. SAM WATSON (R-GA): we're going to start taxing jet fuel after July 1 2021.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He took away the Delta tax exemption as a retaliation for the--

GALLAGHER (voice-over): But the effort died when the senate failed to take it up. The state's Republican Governor Brian Kemp says the companies are caving to public pressure, claiming these concerns were not raised during conversations with Delta before the bill was signed.

GOV. BRIAN KEMP (R-GA): I'm not going to be bullied by these people. But I'm also not running a public Corporation. I mean, they'll have to answer to their shareholders. There's a lot of people that work for them, and that have done business with them that are very upset, and I'll let them deal with that. GALLAGHER (voice-over): Meanwhile, in Michigan, Republicans have

introduced nearly 40 bills that could make it harder for people to vote, even raising the possibility of trying to sidestep an all but certain veto from the state's Democratic governor.

GOV GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): The fact of the matter is, these are this is a solution in search of a problem. And it is unacceptable. And so if and when those bills get to my desk, and they're aimed at making it harder for people to vote, they will get vetoed.

GALLAGHER (voice-over): So how exactly could Michigan Republicans get around a potential veto from Governor Whitmer? Well, there's this quirk in Michigan law that allows the legislature to enact a measure without the governor's signature if they can obtain 340,000 signatures.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GALLAGHER (on camera): Now, Don, Democrats have already warned that if they try and force through restrictive measures, there will be legal challenges.

LEMON: Dianne Gallagher, thank you so much. Next, Michigan's Lieutenant Governor tells us how Democrats are trying to fight against restrictive voting measures proposed in the GOP controlled state legislature and ahead new information on just how long COVID vaccines should last.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The Republican controlled state legislature in Michigan has proposed 39 bills that will impose new restrictions on voters. My next guest is calling on the U.S. Senate to pass the For the People Act to halt Republican efforts to make voting harder.

Joining me now is Garlin Gilchrist, Lieutenant Governor of Michigan. We love having him on. Lieutenant Governor, thank you so much. Appreciate you joining us. 39 bills, many impose voter restrictions. Take us through what's in these bills and how they suppress the vote.

LT GOV. GARLIN GILCHRIST (D-MI): Well Don, these bills. There's only really one phrase to describe them. And that is anti-voter turnout. You know in Michigan we saw record voter turnout in the 2020 election. We saw record midterm voter turnout in the 2018 midterm election that not only elected governor Gretchen Whitmer and I but were the voters of Michigan also passed an enormous set of reforms to make voting easier, including no excuse absentee voting that helped that high turnout during the pandemic.

But this legislation that was introduced by the Republicans in the state legislature in Michigan is really seeking to, you know, overrun the will of Michigan voters and make it more difficult for people to vote as giving - trying to give the legislature more power and decrease the power of those local canvassing boards that certified the election, all because they believe the big lie in Michigan, the Republicans refuse to accept the results.

And so, they have now try to suppress the vote rather than earn it.

LEMON: Yes. You heard what Governor Whitmer said. She says she's got her veto pen ready for any anti-Democratic legislation. But Republicans say that they have a plan to get around her veto. How can they do it?

[23:45:00]

GILCHRIST: You know, it is - the irony is not lost on me. And it shouldn't be lost on anyone that literally rather than earning the support of people in Michigan, they want to circumvent it, they want to try to find loopholes in the law to undermine the right of the very voters who elected us here in the state of Michigan. So they're going to try to use a ballot initiative process, or Republicans need to be ready for is I think there's a big grassroots movement that is ready to protect voting rights in Michigan, and to beat back these claims.

And certainly because of voters in Michigan elected Democrats across the board, in the executive branch of government, in the governor's office, Secretary of State's office, the attorney general's office, we're going to challenge these at every opportunity.

LEMON: Let's talk a little bit more about that, because in 2018, Michigan voters approved an amendment to the state constitution by two to one margin that guarantees mail-in ballot access to everyone in the state, it mandates same day registration. So all that would be moved?

GILCHRIST: Well, some of that would be undermined. And the truth is, it is a demonstration that a mere three years later, Republicans are running away from voters, they are so out of touch with the will of the people of Michigan, that they're choosing to instead make it more difficult to vote instead of protecting and expanding access to voting.

And Don honestly, I don't understand why they're so afraid of voters. You know, we want more people to vote in Michigan, I want more people to vote in Michigan, it makes the Democratic process better, it makes our democracy stronger. But passing laws that make it more difficult for some people to vote better, that is anti-voter and anti- democratic.

LEMON: So republicans are pushing these, you know, voter suppression laws all over the country. So what's the answer? What - can Democrats do anything to stop it? What's the plan?

GILCHRIST: Well, this absolutely is a nationally coordinated anti- voter strategy. You've seen it in Georgia, you've seen it in 47 states, have had legislation introduced then that includes the 39 bills introduced in the state of Michigan.

But you know, I'm proud that the Michigan House - I mean, excuse me, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed H.R. 1 For the People Act and them calling on the Senate to do the same so that it can be there can be federal protections for voters across the board. So that these state laws cannot work to undermine voting rights anywhere.

LEMON: Lieutenant Governor Gilchrist, thank you so much for your time. I appreciate it.

GILCHRIST: Thank you for having me, Don.

LEMON: New information coming out on just how long vaccines should last? We've got that for you right after this.

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[23:50:00]

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LEMON: Health experts urging Americans to get vaccinated as cases spike all across the country. Fears growing that the spread of variants could drive another surge. Good news, more than 56 million Americans are already fully vaccinated. Joining me now to discuss, CNN Medical Analyst, Dr. Jonathan Reiner. Doctor, thank you. That was my you know, the crowd applauding you here.

So the socially distanced crowd. So listen, I just spoke with Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist in the segment before. His state is seeing a surge in new cases and variants spread. What do you think about what's happening in Michigan?

DR. JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: It's just as you said, there's, there's a big surge and I think it's probably a combination of pandemic fatigue, you know, loosening of people's guard, insufficient vaccination. But, you know, despite - despite that, you know, there is - there's good news to talk about.

You know, what we're seeing now is out of six months with the Pfizer vaccine, really great data showing that out of six months, the efficacy of the vaccine remains above 91 percent, with very robust protection against severe illness, and almost 100 percent protection effectiveness against the South African variant.

So we're seeing very good data from the Pfizer vaccine. And what this means is with renewed vaccinations around this country, with renewed enthusiasm, we can get a hold of this pandemic.

LEMON: You know, there's lots - I put it on social media, how I got my shot, and it was - I know everyone doesn't have the same experience, but it was very efficient, very quick here and painless and I hope everyone when it's their time, you know, I was the age to do it, and lucky enough to get it done. But everyone do it. Everyone should do it, regardless of you know, ethnicity, and however you feel about it.

Just do it, just do it. Today, I want to talk about what President Biden is urging religious leaders to do and that's to get vaccinated during this holy season. Also telling them to spread the word on vaccinations, how critical is it to have faith leaders on board?

REINER: It's really important. As you know, we've spoken about in the past, there's a lot of vaccine hesitancy in this country. And we need to reach people, through the people that they trust. And for a lot of people - a lot of people have faith, it's their leaders, their ministers, their rabbis, their imams.

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So when people of - with - who hold a position of respect in a community show their leadership by getting vaccinated and preaching about the importance of that, it really resonates. In order for us to get to herd immunity, we're going to reach, we need to reach all the people in this country where at least 80 percent of the people in this country and the last 20 percent to 30 percent are going to be the hardest.

So I love the idea of reaching out to faith leaders at this time, and getting them to talk to their parishioners about vaccinations. I want to take vaccines to churches, let's do vaccine events, at churches, as we you know, get into the later spring and early summer. Let's take vaccines to the people, not wait for people to come to the vaccine centers.

LEMON: Thank you, doctor. Let the church say Amen. And thank you, doctor. Have a good night.

REINER: You too, Don.

LEMON: Thanks for watching everyone. Our coverage continues.

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