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Top-Ranked Tennis Star Novak Djokovic & Wife Test Positive; Funeral Service for Rayshard Brooks, Killed By Atlanta Police; Pennsylvania Supreme Courts Allows Bill Cosby to Appeal 2 issues in Sexual Assault Convictions; Bolton: "Maybe" a Mistake I Didn't Confront Trump about his Conduct. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired June 23, 2020 - 13:30   ET

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

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[13:31:58]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: A diagnosis and an apology. Tennis star, Novak Djokovic, is saying he is sorry and announcing that he and his wife have fallen ill with the coronavirus. He's facing growing scrutiny for holding a tennis charity event that had no social distancing. Three other tennis players who participated have also become infected with the virus.

More now from CNN's Christina Macfarlane in London.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINA MCFARLANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brianna, the world's men's number-one tennis player tested positive for coronavirus catching the disease in a tournament that he organized and competed in, in the Balkans.

Djokovic and his wife announced they have tested positive, meaning he is the fourth player at the tournament to test positive in the last two days.

And he's now facing huge scrutiny for staging the charitable event without social distancing measures in place, even though he insists the event stuck to government rules.

In the past two weeks, thousands of fans traveled to Croatia and Serbia to watch matches between players in frequent physical contact with each other. They were seen high fiving and hugging on the court, playing basketball and soccer in between matches, and dancing together at a nightclub.

The tournament manager says Djokovic said he's very sorry for each individual infection that has taken place and he will self-isolate for 14 days.

But this is sure to hammer his reputation and have ramifications for tennis as a whole with the U.S. Open looking to get back under way in less than two months -- Brianna?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: Christina, thank you.

Underway right now, the funeral service for Rayshard Brooks, who was killed by police in Atlanta. The family will be speaking in just moments. Stand by for that.

[13:33:37]

UNIDENTIFIED PASTOR: That is the spirit of the lord. Just a little bit.

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[13:38:32]

KEILAR: We're watching the funeral for Rayshard Brooks, the black man killed by police in Atlanta almost two weeks ago. Let's listen in.

AMBREA MIKOLAJCZYK, FRIEND OF RAYSHARD BROOKS: The guys would laugh hysterically while Ray danced to his jam.

Ray rode a bike to work in the rain, on hot summer days and tough road conditions and was always the first to arrive. There was an instance where a guy car broke down and he didn't have a ride.

When Ray seen Josh walking home, he got off his bike, he pushed it and walked right alongside of Josh so he wasn't alone for a full two hours. That's the type of man Ray was.

Ray looked out for everyone. When a single mother next door to him was being physically abused Ray gave the guy a taste of the medicine and told him never to come back. And he didn't because he knew what was best for him. He proceeded to look out for that single mom as well as her child.

Ray had a significant impact not only on our team but my clients. They called him legal aid because he knew the answers to everything. He was smart as a whip. There was never a task too great or too small for Ray. He was helpful almost to a fault.

He never had a bad day. He radiated such a bright light that, regardless of the cowardly act that took his life, his light will not be dimmed. He will shine so bright, even in his absence.

[13:40:05]

I believe, through Ray's death, we'll have the tough, hard, long overdue conversations of race and what it means to be black in America.

I believe through Ray's death, we will have the police reform for black and brown people that includes compassion, grace, mercy, understanding, instead of fear, judgment, bias and the automatic presumption of guilt.

I believe, through Ray's death, our daughters and sons' lives will be spared. They will not have to suffer the same as Ahmaud Arbery, Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and the countless others before them.

I believe there will finally come a day we no longer have the dreaded police talk with the brown babies.

Through Ray's death, we will live in a world we are not afraid of police but we come to know them as guardians, protectors and peacemakers of our communities. His life will not be in vain.

Ray's life will forever be a beacon of hope, change, love, resilience, living life to the fullest, elevating those around you, displaying agape love, the love in the highest form. Ray's bright light will forever change the world.

"Our Ray of Light," a poem. How dare you hurt -- hunt Ray down? Didn't you know he wore a crown? Didn't you know he was a king? To blessing memory and dream.

To Mika, Tomeka, my whole entire construction team, all of his loved ones and everyone who knew him, are now left to navigate this pain. Oh, but do you feel it? Because I feel it. Ray's life will not be in vain.

You see Ray was in the midst of building, building something big, grand, life anew. The lord tells us, joy comes in the morning and so does the morning dew. I feel it in my spirit and I know you do, too.

For through Ray's death, he will save the lives of our daughters and sons.

There's a movement, a shift in the atmosphere, for this will be his legacy. The battle is won. Ray has made it abundantly clear. The rage, anger and fear that appears in the heart, souls and action of those that callously don't care.

Through our Ray of light, all those who turned a blind eye finally recognize and acknowledge the plight of those brown and black and it is not the same of those that are white.

We have to all come together, do better, protect our fathers, uncles, brothers, sisters, cousins and sons who are oppressed to that they can be great, greater than what the system traps them into becoming.

For we are all created in his image, designed as masterpieces for living and loving.

Our Ray of light. For you can never dim his light. It will forever shine so very bright.

Thank you.

(APPLAUSE) (MUSIC)

ROCHELLE GOODEN, MOTHER-IN-LAW OF RAYSHARD BROOKS: First of all, I want to give honor to God. I want to give honor to God because he is the leader. He knows everything before it even happened.

I'm not much of a speaker but I am going to say this. I want to thank everybody who supported the Brooks family, Tomeka, my daughter. My grandkids. From the depths of my heart, I really thank you guys.

Rayshard gave me the honor not just to be a mother-in-law but a mom. He never called me mother-in-law. This is my mother-in-law. He always took me as mom. And I always took him as son. I never called him Rayshard. I called him my son. Because that's what he were to me and he still is in my heart, my son.

[13:44:59]

Rayshard took care of his family, like any other man, young man out here could do. Especially with the time and the situations that's happening now with the COVID and the jobs that's less and the church is not opening right now because. But he tried to do what he could do and he did a good job.

I'm going to say something very funny because right now I think all of us need a smile on our faces. Me and Rayshard used to have barbecue challenges. And he knew Tomeka, they love lamb. I don't like lamb.

And I tell Rayshard, I say, Rayshard, I say, oh, ain't you going to put the fire down? Rayshard said, I got this, mom, I got this. He would get a glass of water to try to put the fire down and the smoke still coming and could barbecue. I had to teach him secrets to it.

But he ate some lamb. And then I told him, I said, well, you know what. I don't eat lamb. But the last thing Rayshard said when he ate that lamb he said baaa.

(LAUGHTER)

GOODEN: I said, OK. I said, OK. I said, OK, see? You're wrong for that.

And awesomest thing else, was he always loved old-school music and I used to tell him, I say, oh, I always go, baby boy on him. If you seen the movie, "Baby Boy," I go, boy, what you know about that? He said, mama, I know some Al Green and stuff and all kind of music. I love all kind of music, mama. That's me.

He had the biggest smile. The smile that -- I mean, I look at my grandbaby right there. She is looks just like him. And when I look at her, I know that he's not gone because I see her.

And that's what he will want us to do, to love. Not the love that he gave us but to love one another like God loved us.

Thank you. And I love you guys. (APPLAUSE)

KEILAR: I want to bring in the national correspondent, Ryan Young, who is outside Ebenezer Baptist Church where the service is taking place.

And I think one of the things that strikes me here, Ryan, you know, you are seeing this family, they're in so much pain.

The death of Rayshard Brooks is also about something larger as well, this movement that we are seeing in the country. And it just -- I mean, it feels like we were just covering George Floyd's funeral yesterday. I know it was two weeks ago but it feels like it was just yesterday.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. We are here for Mr. Brooks but that's a lot of the sentiment of people here in the community, especially Atlanta. They feel like this is happening over and over again.

When we talk to the pastor here, Raphael Warnock, he was saying that now this is happening too many times where he knows how to prepare for one of these situations because he thinks about all the young men that have died and he's had to preach on the Sunday afterwards.

And of course, a lot of people ask him, what is he going to preach about in the next step. He said he thought about Dr. King asking back in 1963 for some changes to how things were being done with young black men and the police department.

Well, that conversation seems like it's continuing. So people are hoping the focus stays on the mission in terms of the idea. They want to see real reform.

The mayor's here. We know that Stacey Abrams is also here. So you see people who are a part of another community who might be able to make some changes from a governmental perspective that people are looking for this.

So we go for the next step. When you go down toward the Wendy's, that's completely changed now. Brianna, you cannot get into that area without a pass.

There's young men with long rifles who decided to take over that part of the community and not allow certain people to pass that area because they're calling that hallowed ground. So that's one extreme.

But we know Atlanta, especially over here, Ebenezer Baptist Church where Dr. King preached, there was something else. There was nonviolence.

And we know Bernice King will get up there and talk about changes that she wants to see and in this city so many people here love. And this big conversation is continuing. In fact, she is talking right now.

You understand that people are so definitely tired of the back and forth between good policing and what should happen next. Think about this from the police community perspective. There were

sickouts for several days after these officers were charged. We are told that's, for the most part, has stopped.

[13:50:05]

But people in this community hoping that everyone can come together to have the conversation that's so desperately needed.

KEILAR: Ryan Young, thank you so much, in Atlanta for us.

Just in, a big regret from John Bolton as he continues to speak out against the president.

Plus, more disturbing headlines from the nation's top health officials warning about the surge in coronavirus cases.

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KEILAR: This just in. Pennsylvania's Supreme Court has ruled Bill Cosby is allowed to appeal two issues in 2018 his sexual assault convictions. Cosby is less than two years into a three to 10-year sentence for drugging and sexually assaulting a former Temple University employee at his home back in 2004.

[13:55:12]

I want to bring in CNN correspondent, Alexandra Field.

Alex, what does this mean for Cosby?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN: Hey, there, Brianna. This is what Cosby has been asking for, raises the possibility of whether his conviction of a 2004 sexual assault could be overturned.

His attorneys argued there was an unfair trial based on two issues that the Pennsylvania state Supreme Court has agreed to consider.

The first is the fact that prosecutors introduced testimony from five witnesses from women who made similar accusations that Bill Cosby had incapacitated them and assaulted them but Cosby had never been charged for any of the acts for which those women described.

The other issue that the state Supreme Court said they are going to consider is information that was included in the 2018 trial from a deposition in a previous civil case, in which Cosby admitted that he had procured Quaaludes for women he wanted to have sex with.

He and his defense team said he only gave that deposition because he was promised there would never be any criminal charges based on that information.

A spokesperson for Cosby is now, of course, supporting the decision that's been made by the Supreme Court to consider this appeal, calling Mr. Cosby thankful for this decision -- Brianna?

KEILAR: We'll stay tuned to see what the decision is there.

Thank you so much, Alex Field, for that report.

Just in, former national security adviser, John Bolton, now suggesting that it may have been a mistake that he did not confront President Trump on his conduct during Bolton's time in the White House.

I want to bring in CNN national security correspondent, Kylie Atwood.

Kylie, tell us about what he said and certainly this is something that follows a lot of pressure on Bolton.

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Brianna. We've seen a tons of pressure and questions about the former national security adviser and why he has come out with this book now saying these things about the conduct of President Trump and why he didn't really stand up to the president while he was still at the White House.

And this is one of the things that he was just asked about during a "Washington Post" interview. And he said, quote, "Maybe it was a mistake" that he didn't go directly face-to-face to President Trump with some concerns that he had about actions that were taken that questioned the legal bounds.

What Bolton told the "Washington Post" is that he did, in those instances, go to the legal counsel of President Trump. He also went to the attorney general in some instances. But he didn't stand up face- face-to-face to the president and say you are making decisions that are perhaps outside of what is legally possible.

And so this is a really interesting admission from the former national security adviser.

Now he does say that what his admission was, was to push forth policy. He was the national security adviser. He said he wasn't an investigator. That wasn't his job.

But this is surely interesting, given, as you said, he has received a lot of criticism.

Now, Brianna, the other thing he said in this interview is that he really, certainly hopes that, if there's a transition from President Trump to possibly another president in November, he hopes that that transition will be peaceful.

But he said, in the Trump White House, nothing is certain -- Brianna?

KEILAR: Kylie Atwood, thank you for that report, from the State Department for us.

More breaking news in the coronavirus pandemic as the nation's top experts issue dire warnings on the surge. Another state, California, now reporting a new record for cases.

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