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Don Lemon Tonight

SCOTUS Dismisses Obamacare Challenge; Interview With Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX); Voting Rights, Infrastructure And Police Reform Legislation In Limbo; Vladimir Putin Praises President Biden, Calling Him A Professional; Republicans Push Lie That FBI Planned Capitol Attack; Department Of Justice Releases Harrowing New Bodycam Video Of January 6 Riot; Biden Signs Bill Into Law Making Juneteenth A National Holiday. Aired 11p-12a ET

Aired June 17, 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): The Justice Department releasing horrifying new body camera video of the January 6th attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: Get off! Take that -- off!

LEMON (voice over): Prosecutors say the man you see in the red jacket is a former marine and a former New York City police officer. He is part of the violent mob rushing police officers and tackling them to the ground. So why are Republicans still trying to pretend the rioters weren't a threat?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): Plus, the Supreme Court upholding Obama care for the third time protecting health care for millions of Americans. And President Joe Biden signing a bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States.

Let's get to one of the people in the room today when the president signed the bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday and that is Congressman Colin Allred of Texas and he joins me now. Congressman, good evening and thank you. That is a big smile you have there. So, it's good to see you.

Look. You're from Texas where Juneteenth got its start. You stood there in the White House, a House built by slaves, where the first black female V.P. spoke before, you know, the current president, who served under the first black president, signing that bill. It's symbolic. But, I mean, it's a hell of symbolism, don't you think?

REP. COLIN ALLRED (D-TX) (on camera): It really is. And you know who was also there is was Opal lee who I know so many Americans are just now getting to know but I've known for some time because she is from Fort Worth right next to my home here in Dallas. Ms. Opal Lee has been marching and pushing for Juneteenth to be a holiday, you know, for so long.

And as with so many things black women made this happen whether it's Ms. Opal Lee at 94 years old or whether its Sheila Jackson Lee my colleague in Texas who is the cosponsor of this and introduced this bill and it was a day of history. I think President Biden said it right. It would be one of the greatest honors of his presidency creating this holiday.

LEMON: I think Sheila Jackson Lee said to me once this was like 12 years in the making or something. It's been a long time that she has been fighting to get this done. Let's listen to President Biden just before signing the bill.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Juneteenth marks both a long, hard night of slavery and subjugation and a promise of a brighter morning to come. This is the day of profound in my view, profound weight and profound power. A day in which to remember the moral stain that the terrible toll that slavery took on the country and continues to take. What I've long called America's original sin.

At the same time, I also remember the extraordinary capacity to heal and to hope and to emerge from those painful moments in and a bitter, bitter version of ourselves to make a better version of ourselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Fourteen of your Republican colleagues voted against making Juneteenth a federal holiday some of them says the holiday is divisive or some kind of ploy to make critical race theory the prevailing ideology of the country, re-examining how we present our history is a hot button issue now. Are you surprised that this is a wedge issue?

ALLRED: I am. I am. Because I think what the president said there is right. That great nations don't shy away from their mistakes. They embrace them and they learn from them. And you know, Senator John Cornyn from Texas who I certainly don't agree with on everything said today that you know, America is the greatest nation on earth but we're not perfect and we have to strive to be a more perfect union.

And that is what I think all of this is about. The greatness of our country isn't that we have been infallible, is that we've tried to address the mistakes that we've made. And that we had, you know, modified, we amended our constitution, we've changed our society. We are much, much different country than we were 156 years ago when the slaves in Galveston, Texas finally found out about President Lincoln's decree and (inaudible).

[23:05:07]

LEMON: Yes. We the people in order to form a more perfect union not a perfect union, right? We keep striving for that every single day. Because there is no perfection. Nothing is perfect. That is the whole idea of the country. Listen, President Biden says the next step is to deliver on equity. He

mentioned housing, education, and more importantly voting rights, right. Most importantly as a matter of fact. Are you concerned about the fate of voting rights there in Congress?

ALLRED: You know, I think we got some great news today. I really do. With Senator Manchin releasing you know, his plan. And I think it's something that we can work with. It meets the criteria that I as a voting rights lawyer have always believed we have to do. Which is number one, make it easier to register to vote, make sure folks can vote early and by mail on Election Day without interference and make sure their votes are counted and not diluted through gerrymandering. It has all of that in it.

And so the first step was make sure we have enough Democrats in the Senate to agree to something, we have that now. Now we have to get it passed without filibuster. And Opal Lee actually when I saw her today, Ms. Opal Lee, she told me, I told her this is all because of you. She said we can't stop here. And I agree with her. We can't stop there.

LEMON: Yeah. Well, she's right. Happy Juneteenth. Thank you, Congressman. I appreciate it. Thank you.

ALLRED: Absolutely. Happy Juneteenth.

LEMON: Thank you.

And now I want to bring in CNN political commentator Charlie Dent, a former Republican Congressman and Jim Messina, the former Obama campaign manager and White House Deputy chief of staff. Gentlemen, good evening to you. Let me say Happy Juneteenth to both of you as well.

Jim, a big win at the White House today with that signing ceremony. But you know, we have a battle ahead on voting rights. Joe Manchin is trying to get support for his compromise proposal. On the Democratic side Stacey Abrams came out and said that she supports it but of course McConnell is already trashing it. If the GOP won't support Manchin's compromise and Manchin won't ditch the filibuster is that it for voting rights?

JIM MESSINA, FORMER OBAMA CAMPAIGN MANAGER (on camera): No. I don't think so. I think this is going to be the moment where you see the Democratic Party have to reckon with, you know, what we're going to do here. Don, we just have the highest voter turnout in a hundred years in a presidential election and the response to that in state Capitol after state Capitol is not to celebrate and say hey isn't it great that we're all coming together in democracy it is to make it more difficult to vote here.

And they're passing bills that are, you know, in my opinion un- constitutional but even if they are constitutional they are designed to do one thing. That is make sure that we don't have the kind of turnout we had last time.

And so I think today I agree with Congressman Allred. Today was a very big step because Joe Manchin the most moderate member of the Democratic Senate came out and said this is what I can live with. This is how we can move this forward. And I think it is an incredibly big moment. And then the question is, if you're Mitch McConnell and you want to trash this and you want to go right after it, you know, is this really the fight you want?

Is this the legacy you want? Apparently, it is. But I think it is going to come to a point where Democrats are going to say, if we can't move forward on something like this, you know, why do we have these Senate rules? And is it time to make a change? This could be the issue. You and I, we've been talking about this for a year, Don. This could be the issue that finally forces the real discussion about is there a new way to run the United States Senate?

LEMON: Charlie, a source is telling CNN that Leader Schumer told Democrats there will be a vote on Tuesday to break the filibuster and an open debate on voting rights. He doesn't have the votes right now. So give us the strategy here. What do you think it is?

FMR. REP. CHARLIE DENT (R-PA), CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR (on camera): Well, I think he is putting down a marker, clearly. And he -- you're going to find out where people are. I mean, he is going to lose the vote. If I were Senator Schumer right now I'd recommend that he pivot to dealing with the John Lewis voting rights act. I think that the Democrats frankly have over reached on the For The People Act. There are some good aspects to that that legislation but there are problems with that bill.

And Manchin has pointed that out among others. So I think that the voting rights act bill should be the one they should be focused on. They have an infrastructure deal coming. You know, at least the first step. And there is police reform. They have a lot on their plate. But right now this pivot to the voting rights act is John Lewis's name. That is the best thing they could do.

LEMON: Charlie, I want you to take a listen to what Vladimir Putin said about Biden today after the summit yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): This image of President Biden which is pictured by Russian and U.S. media does not correspond to reality. This image of him can feel discouraging but there is no need to be discouraged because President Biden is a professional and he should be very precise while working with him to not miss anything. He doesn't miss a thing.

I repeat once again, he is focused. He understands what he wants to achieve and reaches it very skillfully. You can easily feel it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[23:10:08]

LEMON: So the U.S. media that he is referring to is clearly right wing propaganda, but why do you think Putin is pushing back on it and praising Biden like this?

DENT: Because I think that President Putin, like President Biden, they both know that U.S./Russia relations are at a low point and that there are very low expectations for what came out of that meeting, but they need to establish a rapport. They need to open lines of communication. And they at least need to just have some conversations that were frank and candid.

But beyond that, and things aren't going to change much, but I think there has to be some level of respect. I mean, Russia is not in a good place in respect to the U.S. And I think Joe Biden clearly articulated concerns with Russian behavior in recent years. Joe Biden didn't make any mistakes. I mean, he didn't throw the U.S. Intelligence community under the bus like President Trump did in Helsinki.

So the bottom line is, I think Putin knows that he needs a better relationship with the U.S. And frankly we need a better relationship with Russia even though they've been involved in some very maligned behavior in recent years.

LEMON: Jim, you know what, you played a key role in making Obama care a reality. Your former boss President Barack Obama responded to the Supreme Court today tweeting this and I quote. This ruling reaffirms, reaffirms what we have long known to be true. The affordable care act is here to stay. Are you confident that he's right?

MESSINA: I am confident that he is finally right. Three United States Supreme Court decisions, 71 attempts by the Republicans in Congress to repeal it. And I finally think that we are past it now. The approval rating of Obama care is 55 percent. Only 34 percent disapprove. That is basically the base of the Republican Party.

You know, we may see some other attempts but we are finally to a place where we can agree it is the law of the land and the Supreme Court is not going to overturn it. And we can actually go and do what everyone -- Congressman Dent -- everyone else has said for a while, which is make it better and find ways to continue to increase people's coverage and their rights in health care. And I could not have been any happier. When we are off the air, Don, I will be having a cocktail to celebrate another victory in the long end Obama care.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: As my mom would say, ain't that some -- you know what-ish? It rhymes whit chit. All right. Thank you both. See you soon.

DENT: Thanks, Don.

MESSINA: Thank you.

LEMON: Tomorrow is a brand new federal holiday and that set off a scramble nationwide as governments and offices need to figure out really what to do. And they have to do it overnight. So let's get the details now from CNN correspondent, Kristen Holmes. Hi Kristen, Good to see you.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Don. How are you?

LEMON: I'm doing well. So explain this to me. So the president signed the bill today. I mean this came, this happened very quickly. Signed the bill today because Juneteenth is just two days away on Saturday. It will be observed tomorrow by the federal government. So now what?

HOLMES: Well, look. That's been the big question for the federal government, for agencies that we've spoken to, for state and local officials as well as private companies really for the last 12 hours. We always knew there was going to have to be some maneuvering to add a federal holiday. This hasn't been done since 1983 with Martin Luther King Day but compound all of that with the fact that they were given less than a 24-hour notice.

So it has been quite a bit of a scramble as you noted. And I spoke to someone earlier this evening who said that while they worked for a private company they still had no idea what was going to happen with their meetings tomorrow morning because they were set to take place at a federal building. So a lot of complications here.

Now the federal government and the Biden administration says that most federal employees will have off tomorrow but I have to tell you when I reached out to specific agencies as to what exactly that would look like, I was bounced around for hours. I still don't know what the Department of Education is doing in terms of tomorrow.

And then there's this whole aspect of the state and local governments which has been an entire mess of its own. Some of these states are in the clear. Maryland, Nebraska, Missouri. They say that their public officials or at least most of them will have off tomorrow. But states like California it was just too late.

Officials there are telling us in order to have a federal holiday, or have this holiday in the state it had to be approved by some sort of legislation. So what you're really seeing here is a piece meal solution. Places like the stock market, they are remaining open. They say they'll reassess next year. D.C. is shutting down, however, they are allowing construction, something that is usually halted when there is a federal holiday because they say it is just too late.

But I will say one thing here which is every agency, every private company, every single state official that we talked to said that while this year was a little bit messy, they will be ready next year.

[23:15:11]

LEMON: One thing is for sure, and I know this to be true not just because I witnessed it but I just know. The bars will be packed tonight.

HOLMES: Absolutely.

LEMON: Because the country is opening back up and tomorrow is a holiday. I do know that that will be true. Thank you very much, Kristen. I appreciate your reporting. They want you to think it was Antifa. No, actually they say it was

tourists. Or a vast conspiracy by the FBI. But with so much evidence on video for all to see, why won't the GOP call January 6th what it was, a violent and deadly assault on the Capitol?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The Justice Department releasing dramatic and frightening new body cam video of the Capitol insurrection. It shows a man who prosecutors had identified as a former marine and a retired New York City police Officer, his name is Thomas Webster rushing officers while wielding a flag pole. OK. So, here it is and a warning. Disturbing. Some foul language. Hard to watch.

[23:20:12]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: Five thousand years.

(Inaudible)

UNKNOWN: You (inaudible) what (inaudible) attack Americans? F-- that. Come on. Take your sh-- off. Take your sh-- off.

UNKNOWN: Get over! Get over get over!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So despite all of the evidence of what happened that day, Republicans and the right-wing media are pushing a conspiracy theory that the FBI orchestrated the Capitol riots. I want to bring in now CNN's legal and national security analyst, Asha Rangappa, a former FBI special agent and political commentator Amanda Carpenter. Good evening to both of you.

Man, you know, you think like, OK. We've seen all the disturbing video from that day and then they release the next one and it's worse than the one before. Asha, looking at this new video, it is just all the more outrageous that some Republican lawmakers are lying about the Capitol insurrection, they are trying to white wash what happened.

And look. It's not over. There is this twisted conspiracy theory that the FBI orchestrated the riot. As a former FBI agent, right? Set the record straight. Is that crazy? What is that?

ASHA RANGAPPA, CNN LEGAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST (on camera): Well, Don, of all the conspiracy theories I've heard so far, the theory that the government tried to overthrow itself is certainly creative. But look. We know this is not true.

These Republicans would be onboard with a commission to get to the bottom of it. But here is the thing. They know it's not true. We know it's not true. They know we know it is not true. So what we need to do is analyze this not for its falsity or veracity but really how it is being used as a propaganda tactic. And what this is, it's really a bonding mechanism with their base.

This is a wink and a nod. It is saying, hey look. Here is the next whopper I'm going to tell. Watch me. And guess what? We have your back. We have your back no matter what. We're going to make sure that this whole thing gets confused and, you know, this whole thing gets muddied and in turn the base has their back.

And so, we need to think of this as a loyalty, you know, test and proof that is going on between these lawmakers and their constituents and that is why these theories are just going to get crazier and crazier.

LEMON: Amanda, you know, very few Republicans are speaking out today one of them is Representative Peter Meyer condemning the FBI conspiracy theory tweeting, not peaceful. Not let in by police, not Antifa, not FBI. Can't believe I have to say that. January 6th was not whatever ridiculous conspiracy or white washing explanation liars are peddling.

It was what it was. A violent attempt to stop the constitutional transfer of power. So it seems like when one lie doesn't work the people pushing this garbage just move on to another lie, but doesn't the video tell the story, or shouldn't it?

AMANDA CARPENTER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, FORMER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR FOR SENATOR TED CRUZ AND THE AUTHOR OF GASLIGHTING AMERICA (on camera): Listen. First it was Antifa. Then it was a peaceful protest. Now it is some inside job by the FBI.

LEMON: Don't forget the tourist.

CARPENTER: Oh, yeah. Peaceful tourists. Peaceful protests. Several iterations of that. Peter Meyer, it is sad that a Republican Congressman has to do this but he does and he is one of the few people that is doing it.

I mean, Don, when Tucker Carlson and Fox News started spewing this idea that this is an inside job by the FBI, you know, not an inside job by the president and the people who are carrying flags with the president's name and cheering the president on, when Tucker said that, I don't even think it is the worst thing that Tucker Carlson has said. I think it's one of the worst things that Fox News has ever aired.

To think that the FBI did this, and this is some secret coup against Donald Trump, is one of the sickest, saddest conspiracies that have been brought to the main stream. I mean, I don't want to over play this but it is extremely serious how far they're taking this. I mean, I just want to tell viewers, get comfortable with the footage that you just saw because it's going to be aired again and again and again.

[23:25:06]

Because this is going to take years to prosecute the hundreds of people that invaded the Capitol that day. It is going to take a long time to go through all the people that plotted this. They are going to fight it every inch of the way in court. You think this is going to play in the midterms in 2022? It is going to go until 2024.

LEMON: I mean, it is just unbelievable. And the behavior of these people, it's embarrassing. It's just the worst of human behavior. Asha, 21 Republican Congressmen voted against awarding the Congressional medal, a gold medal to the officers who defended the Capitol. I want you to listen to what Sandra Garza, the partner of fallen Capitol Officer Brian Sicknick, what she said about that just a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDRA GARZA, PARTNER OF OFFICER SICKNICK: It's despicable and they're all cowards. They could never do what the officers did that day. I loved what you said earlier on too, about them kissing Donald Trump's ring. If they're going to kiss anybody's rings it should be the officers that were there that day that saved their butts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Is that vote a slap in the face to all law enforcement?

RANGAPPA: It is absolutely a slap in the face. And it is also a tell, Don. If they can't vote for honoring these police officers because it would be an affront to former President Donald Trump, then it is because former President Donald Trump thought that these officers got in the way of something that he wanted to succeed.

I mean, you know, you have to follow the logic of this. I mean, I haven't heard any other explanation that makes sense for why they wouldn't do this. And so this is basically again backing the purpose behind this insurrection. Which was to, you know, overthrow the government and you know, overthrow the rule of law. That is what they are aligning themselves with. And law enforcement is there to enforce the rule of law. So this is a pretty clear dichotomy and we need to understand it that way.

LEMON: Thank you both. I appreciate it.

So Juneteenth is now officially a holiday. But my next guest says this is the only place where you ask for justice but you get a holiday. H- mm. I love talking to this next person. There he is. D.L. Hughley, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: OK, I know you're going to enjoy this segment, so pay attention. President Joe Biden making it official from now on this country will commemorate June 19, 1865, Juneteenth, as the end of slavery in the United States.

But comedian D.L. Hughley is skeptical about this new federal holiday. I should say he is also an author, he is very prolific, the author of "How to Survive America," and he joins me now. DL, good to see you.

D.L. HUGHLEY, COMEDIAN: What's up, young man? Good to see you, too.

(LAUGHTER)

HUGHLEY: You all right?

LEMON: Yeah, I'm doing great. I know you're doing great as well. I can't wait to talk about your book. But first, I just want to get your take on Juneteenth becoming a federal holiday because I saw that you tweeted this. You said, America is the only place on earth where you ask for justice, but you get a holiday. What were you thinking?

HUGHLEY: Right. Well, ultimately, it's this. If you order something online, they send you something that wasn't quite what you ordered, but it is dope, so you keep it, but it doesn't change the fact that you want what you order. What we ordered was justice. It is dope that we got Juneteenth, but -- and then, if they -- I wish that they would kind of categorize it correctly. It wasn't the end of slavery. It was two years after slavery --

LEMON: Two years after, right. Yeah.

HUGHLEY: -- and we found out. So it was two years that the government was complicit in letting Black slaves in Texas be in bondage. So, almost everything that happens here is, if you look under the surface of it, is it covers up some pretty heinous things.

So I think that it's horrible that we can get 50 senators to vote on Juneteenth, a hundred senators to vote on Juneteenth, but not 50 to vote on the anti-lynching deal. I think that it's horrible that we can get a hundred senators to vote, you know, on Juneteenth, but not George Floyd.

And I think it's crazy that we got a holiday that is, you know, the abolition of slavery where white people -- more white people will be off on that day than Black people.

(LAUGHTER)

HUGHLEY: So it's crazy.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Dr. King's birthday, same thing.

HUGHLEY: White people get a day off at slavery.

(LAUGHTER)

HUGHLEY: Right.

LEMON: But here is the point that --

HUGHLEY: I think everybody should be off that day. I think Black people should be off and white people should have to go to work. I think that is the way that would be fair.

(LAUGHTER)

HUGHLEY: That would be fair.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: So, he is a comedian, everyone, but I think there is some seriousness -- and he's got his cocktail. So, listen --

HUGHLEY: Absolutely.

LEMON: Do you think though that -- do you think there was such unanimous support because by doing this, right, sort of commemorating slavery, that it is deemed like, oh, this is something that is in the past and we shouldn't worry about it?

HUGHLEY: Absolutely.

LEMON: Yeah?

HUGHLEY: You can't -- you can't want to teach -- you can't want to celebrate Juneteenth with the end of slavery, but not want to teach it in your schools. White people are going to have a hell of a time explaining why we have a day off and who those dudes are in the park, bronze statues in the park with swords.

[23:35:00]

HUGHLEY: They want to keep the remnants of a horrible time, the monuments of the horrible time, but they want -- they don't want to talk about it.

There are way more statues to Robert E. Lee and Andrew Jackson than ever to Jesus. All you have to do to get a statue in America is be brutal to Black people.

LEMON: Yeah.

HUGHLEY: And -- but they want those statutes. They want the connection to the confederacy. They want the connection to the forefathers, but they don't want the stigma associated.

LEMON (on camera): Yeah. So listen, let's talk about your book, because I don't want to run -- I don't want to run out of time before we talk about your book because it's amazing. No, seriously. You're here to sell books and the message in your book is very important, so I want people to read it, "How to Survive America."

You say that minority populations wake up every day in a battle for their health and safety. The very air they breathe is more polluted. Their water is more contaminated. Their local food options are toxic. Their jobs are underpaid.

I just want to play some sound. This is from the president at today's Juneteenth announcement. It sounds very familiar. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our health care system and ensuring that equity is at the heart of our fight against the pandemic, and the water that comes out of our faucets and the air that we breathe in our communities, and our justice system, so we can fulfil the promise of America for all people, all of our people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): It sounds like somebody at the White House read your book. But, listen, seriously, what it is going to take --

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: -- for the country to seriously tackle these issues?

HUGHLEY: To stop pretending like they don't exist. Either we are incredibly either Black people are morally bankrupt and we deserve these things and we bring these things on ourselves or America has done some pretty monstrous thing.

And I think there is no -- almost everything that happens to Black people in America, invariably, there is blame associated with them, even if you look at what happened during the pandemic.

You had a -- someone from the administration come on TV and basically tell Black people, even though it was ravaging the world not to drink, smoke, and eat, that some kind of way, it was our mental, more failings that predisposed us to it and not the air we breathe, not the lack of opportunities we don't have access to because if you can work from home or if you had some distance from it -- if you had --

LEMON: Your dog is agreeing with you.

HUGHLEY: So if you had some distance from the virus, then you were a lot safer. But if you had to go to work, if you had to be on the boat, if you had to be in prison, if you had to be at work, if you had to be in a meat packing plant, if you had to be in close proximity to somebody, if you live in a multigenerational home, you didn't get to socially distance.

And even the prescriptions, like, even wearing a mask, when you had the bandana on, they had to send a memo out from the federal government saying, hey, Black people are going to be wearing bandanas. I don't think they're trying to rob a bank. I think they are just trying to not catch COVID.

LEMON: Mm-hmm.

HUGHLEY: So, almost everything that happens to us has happened to us before like even if you look at the fact that the Spanish flu killed disproportionately as many Black people, you know, if you project that out as this is.

So I think there's always been this indifference toward Black suffering and Black deaths --

LEMON: Yeah.

HUGHLEY: -- and brown deaths in this country. And it's always this finger saying you did it.

LEMON: Yeah.

HUGHLEY: It's your fault.

LEMON: It's your fault and not that there are food deserts and, you know, how people got --

HUGHLEY: Right.

LEMON: -- placed in the environments that they're placed in. Listen, before we run out of time --

HUGHLEY: Right.

LEMON: -- because your dog took some of your time, OK? What do people need to know about what it takes to survive in America as a Black person, D.L.?

HUGHLEY: I think you got to be lucky. I think you got to be lucky. You got to remember, we're supposed to be a Judeo Christian society, but when COVID took over and the government shut down, everything was gone. Churches were closed but liquor stores were open. So, like, you can Zoom Jesus, but not Jack Daniels.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: D.L. --

HUGHLEY: So a Christian society is Christian brothers.

LEMON: I got to go. What are you drinking?

HUGHLEY: Thank you, man. A little -- what is this? Clase Azul.

LEMON: Oh, Clase Azul.

HUGHLEY: It's tequila. Come on, you know, I didn't go to school.

LEMON: This is a green drink. Cheers. Happy Juneteenth.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: I am holding up my cup, and I'm cheers-ing you.

HUGHLEY: Tell your mama I said hey.

LEMON: I will.

HUGHLEY: Thank you.

LEMON: I will. She is watching. Thank you, sir.

HUGHLEY: Juneteenth is the day I passed out, so it is not really a celebration to pass out on TV.

(LAUGHTER)

HUGHLEY: All right, man. Take care.

LEMON: Good luck. Good luck. Make sure you get the book. It is D.L. Hughley, author of "How to Survive America."

So, he got an NFL contract, but the Navy says that he can't play. Cameron Kinley wants to fulfil his childhood dream and serve his country. He is here with me, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Cameron Kinley is the Navy's 2021 class president, football captain, and he just signed with Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But the Navy says that he can't delay his service to play even though they have made that exception for others.

Cameron Kinley joins me now along with Ryan Williams-Jenkins, who is the co-founder of Divine Sports and Entertainment. Gentlemen, it is so good to have you on. Thanks for joining. Cameron, I'm going to start with you. You had two dreams: to be in the navy and to play football.

[23:45:00]

LEMON: You've got a chance to be on a pro-team but the Navy says no to waiver. How are you feeling about that?

CAMERON KINLEY, NAVY ENSIGN: Hey, thank you for having me tonight, Don. It's definitely been tough the past couple weeks dealing with the decision and being so close to accomplishing one of your childhood dreams and having it taken away from you.

You know, I thought I was going to have the chance to do both, play in the NFL and serve as an ambassador for the Navy at that level. So, it's been kind of tough dealing with my emotions these past few weeks.

LEMON (on camera): Yeah. Ryan, listen, the acting secretary of the Navy is defending its decision to deny your request. Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

I looked at this case. I looked at the significant investment the taxpayers make in every midshipman. And our expectation and their expectation is that midshipman will graduate and be commissioned to the Navy and Marine Corps. So, talked with the (INAUDIBLE) and talked with (INAUDIBLE), looked for their military advice and we went forward. I made the decision to deny his request.

The legislation allows us to make exceptions when it is a significant benefit to the service. And for us, David Robinson, Roger Staubach, they both served first and they were recognized as graduates who had served in the military, and it added value to us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): Yeah. But Robinson and Staubach were in this situation decades ago, and another Navy graduate, Malcolm Perry, was given an exception just last season to play for the Dolphins. So, why do you think Cameron's case is so different? What is different?

RYAN WILLIAMS-JENKINS, CO-FOUNDER, DIVINE SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT: Yeah, Don, great question. That's what we are asking. We want to know what's different between Cameron Kinley and John Rhadigan or Nolan Laufenberg and George Silvanic, all service academy athletes that had an opportunity to play in the NFL this year, same class as Cameron Kinley.

So we would like to know what is different. There is a directive and order that is in place that came out in October, 2020, and we are in that directive right now. We're trying to figure out why that directive is not being used on behalf of Cameron Kinley.

LEMON: Hmm.

WILLIAMS-JENKINS: We'd like to know if the secretary of the Navy, Thomas Harker, will reconsider his decision because right now the decision isn't in the best interests of Cameron Kinley or the Navy for that.

LEMON: So, Cameron, listen. To be clear, you're not looking to sidestep your naval commitment. You just want to push it back. Explain why timing is an issue for you.

KINLEY: Right. It's never been avoiding my commitment. I came to the naval academy to be the best officer that I can become. This opportunity presented itself. I know that I would have looked back with regret if I didn't pursue it. The opportunity was fulfilled. I was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and I was going to have the opportunity to fulfil both these dreams and serve as an ambassador.

Time is of the essence right now with training camp starting July 24th. If I don't have any new decision by then, then there is no way for me to go back down there in Tampa Bay. During my time down there in Tampa, I wasn't getting any questions about football and who we do play in Navy, but it was all about the military and the naval academy and my experiences.

So, I was already having the opportunity to serve as an ambassador for the Navy and to recruit, and I would just like to be able to continue to do that in the future.

LEMON: It is just an honest question, but doing the research of four other graduates, Cameron, from service academies like West Point and the Air Force, they have been allowed to forego their service commitments this year. They're up on the screen right there. Is there a difference between their requests and yours?

KINLEY: The only difference in our requests is that I go to the naval academy and they are in different branches, so it is definitely unique that my situation did not get handled the same way. I would just like the same opportunity.

LEMON: You even tried to get Vice President Kamala Harris's support on your graduation day. Tell me about that.

KINLEY: Yes. After I gave my speech at graduation, I kind of went over to Vice President Harris and I thanked her for attending the ceremony. She had some kind words. I looked her in the eyes and I said, hey, ma'am, I might need your help with a situation. I know you can't talk too much right now, but I would definitely try to get in touch with your office. She said that that was fine and that she would be willing to help. So, hopefully sometime soon we can connect.

LEMON: Fingers crossed, right? Ryan, Cameron needs a last-minute reversal from the Navy, but, I mean, you say you can't appeal this decision. Why is that?

WILLIAMS-JENKINS: Well, there is no appeal process in place for this directive. So what we're asking is that the secretary, the acting secretary of the Navy, reconsider the decision. We're asking that he sends it up to the secretary of defense who has the final authority on this decision. But there is no reason outside of that the directive does not allow an appeal for this process.

LEMON: Yeah. Well, Ryan, thank you. Cameron, best of luck to you.

[23:50:00]

LEMON: Both of you, please, keep us updated. We would like to, if there is some movement on this, we would like you to come back so we can report it. Thank you so much.

KINLEY: Thank you for having us, Don.

WILLIAMS-JENKINS: Absolutely. Thank you.

LEMON: Thank you. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON (on camera): Thanks for watching. Before we go, new details about what happened on January 6th. Here is a look at the new CNN documentary, "Assault on Democracy: The Roots of Trump's Insurrection." It airs at 9:00 p.m., Sunday.

[23:55:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (voice-over): The election is rigged.

CROWD: Stop the steal! Stop the steal!

TRUMP (voice-over): Fight like hell.

UNKNOWN: This is not a law enforcement operation. This was a military defense.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): We're coming for you, Nancy!

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Once they started banging on the door, that's all I heard.

UNKNOWN: Overran the Capitol.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Now, new details from those who were there.

UNKNOWN: President trump said, come to D.C., it's going to be wild. And I knew it was going to be history.

UNKNOWN: This might sound extremely strange to a lot of your viewers but I feel like he was anointed by god.

UNKNOWN: Donald Trump?

UNKNOWN: Yeah.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): We peacefully protested.

UNKNOWN: You call January 6th a peaceful protest?

UNKNOWN: I do.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Oh, my god. What is happening? I was scared. Absolutely scared.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): CNN special report, "Assault on Democracy: The Roots of Trump's Insurrection," Sunday at 9:00.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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