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CNN Tonight

Tyre Nichols Remembered At Memphis Funeral; Hunter Biden Calls For Criminal Probe In Aggressive New Legal Strategy; How Powerful People Game The System; Black American More Likely To Be Audited By IRS Than Any Race; Speaker McCarthy Optimistic After Meeting Biden; Tom Brady Retires For Good; Missing Monkeys At Dallas Zoo Found. Aired 10-11p ET

Aired February 01, 2023 - 22:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[22:00:00]

LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR: Well, good evening, everyone. I'm Laura Coates, and this is CNN TONIGHT.

Tyre Nichols laid to rest tonight. The 29-year-old who was just trying to get home beaten beyond recognition by police officers just about 80 yards from his own front door. The horrific scenes were caught on camera. The D.A. down in Memphis says up to 20 more hours, including audio from after the beating and after the ambulance takes Tyre Nichols to the hospital has yet to be released, but apparently it is forthcoming. Tyre Nichols' mother grieving, RowVaughn Wells calling for the passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROWVAUGHN WELLS, MOTHER OF TYRE NICHOLS: I just need whatever that George Floyd bill needed passed. We need to take some action because there should be no other child that should suffer the way my son and all the other parents here have lost their children. We need to get that bill passed. And because if we don't, that blood, the next child that dies, that blood is going to be on their hands.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: A sorority that no one wants to be a part of. Of all the mothers who were impacted and fathers and loved, his older sister, Tyre Nichols' sister, Keyana Dixon, saying that she's heartbroken at the loss of her own brother.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEYANA DIXON, SISTER OF TYRE NICHOLS: It left me completely heartbroken. I see the world showing him love and fighting for his justice, but all I want is my baby brother back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Her baby brother, Tyre Nichols, was laid to rest in Memphis, Memphis of extraordinary significance not only because it's where he lived and where he died, but because of the powerful cities placed in the struggle that is ongoing for civil rights in this country, the very same city where Dr. King fought for justice for black workers, the city where he was assassinated 55 years ago, on April 4th, 1968, on the balcony of his room at the Lorraine Motel.

Now, in his eulogy for Tyre Nichols, the Reverend Al Sharpton invoked that moment and talked about how before the funeral he actually visited Lorraine Motel with his youngest daughter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: Dr. King came to Memphis to fight for garbage workers, city employees that had no safety to have been killed with a malfunction. And we are here actually 55 years later looking at the balcony where Martin Luther King shed his blood for city workers, for black city workers to be able to work in the police department, work in sanitation.

And the reason why, Mr. and Mrs. Wells, what happened to Tyre is so personal to me is that five black men that wouldn't have had a job in the police department would not ever be thought of to be in an elite squad. In a city that Dr. King lost his life, not far away from that balcony you beat a brother to death.

People had to march and go to jail and some lost their lives to open the doors for you. And how dare you act like that sacrifice was for nothing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[22:05:00]

COATES: I want to expand on very point and bring in Michael Eric Dyson, distinguished university professor of ethics and society at Vanderbilt University's Divinity School.

Michael Eric Dyson, what a moment, and, frankly, if we string it together, a far too many moments in the hour of America's history. And I wonder from your perspective, you were at the funeral today, so emotional, the idea of it happening in Memphis in particular, the idea of the sacrifice that Reverend Sharpton spoke about with respect to Dr. King, tell me what went through your mind today.

MICHAEL ERIC DYSON, DISTINGUISHED UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR OF ETHICS AND SOCIETY, VANDERBILT DIVINITY SCHOOL: Yes, I was there, I spent a lot of time with Reverend Sharpton. The brutal paradox he underscored that Martin Luther King Jr. at 39 years old standing in front of room 306 on the Lorraine Motel balcony where a report rang out against -- across the parking lot, felling the greatest leader for civil rights we've ever seen in this nation, exploding his report inside of his jaw, cutting his necktie off at the knot, he fell backwards on the ground. His legs were bicycling through the banister. His best friend, Ralph Abernathy, went into the room, extracted a board from the laundered shirt and scooped his blood into a jar saying this is the blood of the prophets. That moment in black America and indeed American history is monumental, so much so that a man who was felled by an assassin's bullet is now raised 19 feet above the highest monument on the sacred ground of Washington, D.C. as a representative of this nation's best ideals. In that city, because of his efforts, black police people, black fire people were able to gain employment. And what Reverend Sharpton underscored today of that brutal paradox is that the very progress made by Martin Luther King Jr. and all, et al, has now been undercut by an act vicious, if you will, renunciation by the very fundamental structure of democracy and of racial loyalty.

The way in which Reverend Sharpton spliced those together is especially important. Because here were five black cops who beat to death a black man, and as Vice President Kamala Harris said, at the hands and feet of black men who were ostensible brothers to this black man, whose struggle of Martin Luther King Jr. made possible their very jobs, undercut the very people he loved. It is a jarring reminder of just how complicated these issues are.

COATES: I do want to get deeper into that. You mentioned the words, the phrase, racial loyalty. And, in fact, Reverend Sharpton spoke about the insulting nature of it being five black men, in addition, of course, and it should not be lost on anyone, I know it's not lost on you as well, the power dynamic of abusive power and those who are powerful that also are black. But listen to what Reverend Sharpton mentioned about the particular insult of it being black men. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: There's nothing more insulting and offensive to those of us that fight to open doors that you walk through those doors and act like the folks we had to fight for to get you through them doors.

You didn't get on the police department by yourself. The police chief didn't get there by herself. People had to march and go to jail, and some lost their lives to open the doors for you. And how dare you act like that sacrifice was for nothing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: In many respects, Michael Eric Dyson, we talk a lot about the idea of diversifying the powers that be, having seats at the table with the hope that when one has a seat at the table, they will inevitably not have their community on the menu. But here, from what we've seen with Tyre Nichols, there is something perverse, albeit perhaps not as shocking as we'd like to believe, that people in power will abuse it. Speak to me about the particularity of the racial loyalty that you speak of.

DYSON: Yes, it's brilliantly put, Ms. Coates. The fact is this, that when we speak about racial loyalty, we're premising that upon the fact that we have struggled together, we have endured oppression together. We know implicitly, almost intuitively what it means to be subject to arbitrary forms of power that have been exercised against our vulnerable black bodies.

[22:10:04]

So, the last thing in the world we want to do is to turn around and replicate the very thing that in one sense pointed us out as people who were exceptions to the American dream as opposed to recipients of it. So, when you've got five black cops that we have worked for, that we have struggled for, that we have, as Reverend Sharpton said, marched on their behalf to put them there, for them to undercut us is a strike that is especially brutal.

Now, let's be honest, in Minnesota as well with George Floyd, look at the multiracial fact, two white cops, an Asian cop, and a black cop killed a black man. So, here's the point. You can have multiculturism and diversity that is not just. That was an act of diversity in Minnesota, and yet it was not toward justice. This was an act of racial progress by having black men on a force, but it was not toward justice. This is why Martin Luther King Jr. said it's not white versus black, it's right versus wrong.

And Dr. King said let us not replace black supremacy with white supremacy. People thought he was off his rocker, that he was exaggerating the case. He understood at the end of the day those who willed and possessed power will be tempted to brutalize those without that power. And what we saw in this case is that men were using their badges and guns as pretexts to exercise the lethal force and ferocity of their power in the same way we complain about white brothers and sisters doing the same against us. If it's good for the goose, it's good for the gander and we've got to stand up against it as an act of the ultimate racial loyalty to our principles and practices.

COATES: As an act of humanity, indeed. Michael Eric Dyson, always a pleasure to get your insight in particular on these particular matters. And, frankly, we've discussed topics like this for far too long you and I together and beyond.

DYSON: Yes, ma'am, thank you so much for having me. And thank you for doing such a good job in doing this.

COATES: Thank you, Michael.

I want to bring in a woman who knows all too well what Tyre Nichols' family is going through tonight. Emerald Garner is the daughter of Eric Garner, who died in 2014 after being placed in an unauthorized chokehold by a police officer, and his final words, I can't breathe, were captured on video to become a rallying cry for police reform and the Black Lives Matter movement. Emerald Garner joins me now.

Emerald, thank you for being here this evening. I have to tell you, just thinking about this phrase that keeps going through my mind, never again and then once again here we are. And I'm always struggling, as I know you are, trying to figure out how we get to never again lasting. Tell me about what it's been like for you each time we hear instances and you see instances of police encounters that have turned deadly. It must be particularly triggering and especially sad for you. Talk to me about what it's been like today.

EMERALD GARNER, ERIC GARNER'S DAUGHTER: I first want to send my love and light to the family of Tyre Nichols. If nobody else understands what you're going through, I understand what you're going through, and it's absolutely triggering. It plays on, you know, all of my emotions. It just brings up old feelings and it's kind of like PTSD where you get stuck and you fall back into the emotions of what you felt or what I felt nine years ago, almost nine years ago.

COATES: And so it's important you said that, and I think people really understand that this is continuing. This is nothing that has an end date for what happens. And the fact that you have been through and are still going through this, I wonder in particular, you know, in the media, there's always a tendency to shine the light and have the cameras present, but there's a point in time when the cameras go away and the red light stops and attentions turn in a different direction. What is left for the family who is behind? What is that process ahead for the family of Tyre Nichols?

GARNER: It's going to be a lot of emotions. You know, I just completed my first memoir which walked folks through what I was going through from the day that my father was killed up until now. We needed mental health services. I want people to reach out to provide those services, bereavement services. I encourage people to go to my website and just look at the many ways that I've been healing over the past couple of years, the things I've been doing to get myself to a place where I can wake up and get out of the house every day.

[22:15:08]

It's very hard. They're going to need time. You know, right now, there's a lot of cameras, there's a lot of excitement. Everybody wants to be there, but it's a very different feeling when those cameras go away because you're left with your thoughts, you're left with your feelings, you're left with the emotion that you have to keep reliving every day that you -- that you go through these emotions.

COATES: And his mother today spoke about the idea of her son having an assignment, an assignment from God and that the only solace she's able to take as she is trying to even approach grief is that the assignment is complete. And yet you had Vice President Kamala Harris today -- I want to play for you this moment, because she spoke about an assignment that's legislative in part, and that has to do with how to codify the grief in a way that is productive and prevents. And listen to what she said to say about the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act just today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: I was as a senator, as a United States senator, a co-author of the original George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. And as vice president of the United States, we demand that Congress pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Joe Biden will sign it, and we should not delay, and we will not be denied. It is nonnegotiable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Well, what was your reaction to her saying that today? GARNER: To be honest, I didn't watch the funeral. I spent today doing things that were emotionally fulfilling for me because I knew that if I went there, I would be setback to eight years ago, you know, almost nine years ago. And I didn't hear her say that, but that is what we need. Myself, I've been working on plenty of campaigns. We've got the Eric Garner Chokehold Act signed into the New York State legislation.

If you visit my website www.wecantbreathe.net, it gives you a whole list of all the things that we did last year, pushing for legislation. This is what we needed to show the public that we have strong people with us. We needed her to say that. That was a need. And you see, it just caught me up. My whole energy just changed because I'm excited about it. We need these legislations to be passed. And the only way we can get these things down is if we mobilize together. We need to have these things done because we don't want to see another Tyre Nichols, we don't want to see another Eric Garner. We don't need these lists to get any longer. We need legislation.

We can have these conversations all day. We can have people come on and give their opinions. We can have people march and protest. But when it really counts, we really need people to stand with us. And I've seen it time and time again people come, they say I've got you, we're here, we're going to do this, we're going to do that, and then three months go by, you never hear them again, one year goes by, you never hear them again until it's our anniversary, until there's a birthday or something.

My sister died three years after my father and we decided to name the organization We Can't Breathe, because we're a collective. And without my sister and my father, I'm not able to breathe easy. I'm really not because I'm missing them. I should be here with my sister fighting for my father, but now I have to fight for my sister and my father.

So, I relate 100 percent to everybody that attended the funeral. They needed to see people, and I just want the people to continue to stand with them, stay with them and be with them and support them through their time of need. They're going to need a lot of people. One person can't just help. They need a village of people to help them.

Emerald, I'm so glad I got a chance to talk to you tonight and to hear your perspective in particular. It's so important. And, look, if we're going to talk about putting our money where our mouth is, maybe put our legislation where our humanity ought to be as well. Thank you so much for joining tonight.

GARNER: Thank you.

COATES: Everyone, when we come back, why Hunter Biden's attorneys want an investigation of what they call efforts to weaponize his personal data purported to have come from his own laptop against his father. Why the aggressive new legal strategy and will it be effective? We'll see.

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[22:20:00] COATES: New tonight, attorneys for Hunter Biden asking state and federal agencies to investigate a computer repair shop owner, also Rudy Giuliani and right-wing political figures allegedly involved in spreading his personal data. It marks a change in Hunter Biden's legal strategy, and, frankly, the first time his lawyers are saying that it is his personal data reported to be found on a laptop left at the Delaware repair shop.

Now, the personal data includes what appears to be a trove of financial documents and emails and photos, including some potentially salacious material.

Joining me now to discuss all of this, CNN Legal Analyst Elie Honig and author of the brand new book, Untouchable, How Powerful People Get Away With It, a question everyone is always asking. I want to get in just a moment. But let's talk about this Hunter Biden strategy that we're learning about. It does mark a shift, right?

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, Hunter Biden on the offensive. This is quite an attack that he's launching against many of his opponents across a range of possibilities. What I find interesting about this is, on the one hand he may have a point on some of this. It is a federal crime to essentially hack, to access someone's information on a computer without authorization. And if you get that kind of information to knowingly spread it. He may have a point there. He's also lodging defamation claims against certain people who he claims knowingly spread false information about him.

But here is the thing. Even if he's right, none of that has anything to do with any of the things he's under investigation for Hunter Biden. He's under investigation for potential tax fraud, for a potential firearms offense. So, he can be right. And I see what he's doing. The best defense is a good offense, but it's not really going to protect him from the Justice Department if they see fit to indict him.

COATES: And, of course, the political talking point is to connect that behavior allegedly to anything to the president of the United States and try to bridge that gap.

[22:25:04]

And we know logic doesn't always come into play there.

But also speaking of his father, President Biden, there was a search. They did not recover anything from the FBI of classified docs. Tell me why you think the searches are continuing. It's obviously no longer an honor system.

HONIG: Well, they have to exhaust all the possibilities into the ground. Good news for Joe Biden, the best news of the day is no classified documents were found in that beach house. FBI clearly has decided we need to search every home, residence, office and make sure we have everything and then they'll do the special counsel's job of deciding if there's anything criminal. COATES: Interesting as well, I mean, we're hearing a lot about the charges that are coming and throwing around the former president of the United States, Donald Trump. One in particular had people scratching their heads, it relates to hush money payments to Stormy Daniels. Now, your book, actually, it's an incredible one. It's called Untouchable, it's an unbelievable read, I can tell you. Thinking about it, you actually reveal in the book your former office, SDNY, first looked at this at a federal level but never charged. Tell me about this.

HONIG: Yes. So, I reveal in the book what was happening behind closed doors at our former birthplace, the United States Justice Department, back in 2021 when Trump is leaving office. Now, he can be indicted by the Justice Department and my old office, the Southern District of New York, had this hush money investigation, they decided not to charge him. They decided they had problems with the credibility of Michael Cohen. They didn't believe some of the other witnesses who came in.

And they felt that while they could have indicted, they have been close in the line, they could have indicted, they were wary about the practical and political falls of potentially indicting a former president. And they also felt conversely that, well, he's done all these other more significant things. This is just weeks after January 6th, and so they gave it a pass. Now, two years later across the street, the state prosecutor and the Manhattan D.A. is reviving this and seemingly going through a lot of the same steps that I outlined in that book that the SDNY went through two years ago. We'll see if the D.A. reaches the same conclusion or perhaps a different conclusion.

COATES: Maybe they'll have to read your book and figure out what went wrong and figure out --

HONIG: There are some good information there. They ought to read it.

COATES: Well, listen, this book, I mean, Untouchable, How Powerful People Get Away With It, that question is really the number one question I'm sure you get about how do we have these sort of justice system, one for the wealthy and one for everybody else. Your book does case studies about this very notion. Can answer the question, how are people getting away with it?

HONIG: I think I can help people understand that, because people like to look into the criminal justice system. In a way, Laura, this book is sort of a bookend to your book because you take your experience as a prosecutor, as do I, and you examine some of the inequities, some of the disadvantages people face, and I take sort of the same perspective.

I'm looking at some of the built-in advantages for powerful people, for wealthy people embedded in our laws. I talk about how some savvier bosses know how to exploit those vulnerabilities. And, frankly, as you do, I examine the role of prosecutors and I say, we do our best, we have the high principles, but we don't always live up to that. And I do call out in this book several prosecutors who I think have failed to adequately pursue justice against powerful people. COATES: I mean, you talk about Jeffrey Epstein, you talk about Bill Cosby, you talk about Trump, Merrick Garland does not escape your gaze as well in this book.

HONIG: This is to Attorney General Rowe, who I've had issues with on different levels. Merrick Garland has been straight, he's been honest, but thus far he's not been up to the task of holding powerful people to account. Maybe that will change but he hasn't done it yet.

COATES: If you read it, you'll know why. Everyone, the book again is Untouchable, How Powerful People Get Away With It. Thanks, Elie.

HONIG: Thanks, Laura, I appreciate it.

COATES: Look, black taxpayers, did you realize, are at least three times more likely to be audited by the IRS, this according to a new study. The question is why is this happening? I'm going to ask a top Treasury Department official all about it from this black taxpayer, next.

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[22:30:00]

COATES: Well, it's a notice nearly every American has dreaded receiving, a tax audit from the IRS. They're long, they're complicated, and according to a new study, they impact some Americans disproportionately more than others. That study tech (ph) is by researchers with Stanford University found that black taxpayers are at least three times as likely to be audited as other taxpayers. The question is why.

Well, it's not because of bias with individual agents but rather discrimination in the computer algorithms the agency uses to determine who should be targeted. Joining me now is deputy treasury secretary Wally Adeyemo joining us now. Nice to have you here, Secretary. Thank you for joining.

You know, when I first read about this study and the results of it, the idea of three times as likely for black taxpayers to be audited is pretty startling to a lot of people. Help me break down these findings and about this idea that it's not individual bias by an IRS agent but rather it's an algorithm that is the problem.

WALLY ADEYEMO, DEPUTY TREASURY SECRETARY: Laura, thank you so much for having me. And from the beginning for the president, Secretary Yellen and myself, we've been focused on making sure that we fairly administer the tax code. And it isn't fair that working class black Americans or working-class people in general are more likely to be audited than millionaires in America.

But because of underfunding of the IRS for the last 10 years, millionaires are 80 percent less likely to be audited today than they were 10 years ago. And the challenge that you face is that it's really easy to audit someone like you or me who gets a W-2 and gets a paycheck that the IRS can look at. But it's far harder to audit wealthy individuals, people who earn most

of their money not through paychecks but by collecting stocks and do partnerships and things that are complicated. And that's why the president has pushed so hard for the $80 billion the IRS received as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, money that's going to help the IRS improve their technology and also improve audits against wealthy individuals.

[22:34:58]

But the secretary committed that the money that's going to be used to upgrade the IRS is going to be focused on going after wealthy tax cheats who make more than $400,000 a year. So, those investments will help us make sure that those people who are the most likely to hide money from the tax system are the ones that we go after going forward.

COATES: Well, those that can hide money have more money, right? And the idea of thinking about that and as you mentioned it might be very counter intuitive to people to think, look, the more complicated the tax returns and the idea the people are able to put money here and put money there, that that would be the likely person not to be held to literal accounting on these issues.

I remember seeing pictures of the, what was the IRS cafeteria in Austin with the -- being covered in boxes as an account and a result of having all of the underfunding. But this idea and the correlation of the earned income tax credit really interests me in particular because there is a correlation, as you mentioned, the income level and those who are going to be taking advantage of certain programs, not exploiting but taking advantage of opportunities to do so that the racial disparities and the wealth gaps that we have in our country really contribute in part to the algorithm being able to disproportionally impact and really put in a position black and brown people in this country.

ADEYEO: And Laura, you know this well given the reporting you've done on it, but the reality is that people who earn a paycheck in the working class are often the ones who are the hit hardest by things like this, and that's why the president and the secretary have been focused on making sure that we get the funding to ensure that we can setup a tax system that pushes for fairness. Not only in fairness, but also puts us in a position to earn money from the people who are the most likely to have money to hide going forward. Today we know that we--

COATES: Well, I'm -- I want to -- okay, Mr. Secretary but keeping -- one moment, if I -- I don't want to cut you off, but I am interested in this particular point. I know we're talking about an increase in funding and I don't pretend to be a Steve Jobs or a Wozniak, but why can't we just fix the algorithm? Why is the funding contingent -- why is the algorithm contingent on increasing funding?

ADEYEMO: Well, we're definitely are working to fix the algorithm, but not only fix the algorithm to make sure that we're in a position where we're fair in going forward, but also to fix the algorithm in a way that allows us to go after those who are most likely to hide large amounts of money going forward.

So, it's not only that we need to make sure the tax code is administered in a way that is fair for all Americans, which is essential and something the president has called on the IRS to do. We have been working to do that. But the thing we also want to do is make sure that we're going to use the resource of the IRS to go after those people who are the least likely to pay for the things that we need in America like our roads, like our schools, and we know those are wealthy Americans who make more than $400,000 a year.

So, I agree with you, but one of the things we need to do is address the challenges that we have with our technology system and to improve that to make sure that the tax code is administered fairly, but in addition to doing that, we want to make sure that we're raising the money to pay for the things we need in this country.

COATES: You know, I want to play for you very quickly what Speaker McCarthy in the wee small hours of the morning when he was first elected and got that gavel, one of his first orders of business was to address the idea of the IRS. Listen to this real quick.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN MCCARTHY, SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: I know the night is late, but when we come back our very first bill will repeal the funding for 87,000 new IRS agents. We believe government should be to help you, not go after you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: You've got a pretty steep hurdle if that's one of the first orders of business in terms of funding.

ADEYEMO: And I want to just make sure we're all aware of why they're going after the IRS. It's because they know that if you fund the IRS what it means is that you're going to be able to fix things like our technology infrastructure, to put us in a position to be able to go after wealthy tax cheats and to also improve services.

Because, frankly, one of the things that working class people and middle-class people want are better services going forward. With the money that we've already had, we've hired 5,000 new people to be on the phones. We're offering better services to people who get the earned income tax credit so they can file their taxes properly so we can lower the audit rates of those individuals going forward.

Today, the IRS has as many employees as they had in 1970 and their technology system is based on 1960s technology. We need to upgrade those things to make sure that we're in a position where we can go after the people who are the most likely to hide money from the IRS that can be used to pay for things we need in this country. And those are wealthy tax cheats and those who earn more than $400,000.

COATES: And before you go, I do want to get your thoughts on today's meeting between Speaker McCarthy and President Biden on the debt ceiling. McCarthy saying that he told the president that the House would not pass a clean debt ceiling with no strings attached. Meanwhile, President Biden, of course, saying that he won't negotiate over the debt limit and he welcomes a separate discussion. Where do things stand today?

[22:40:03]

ADEYEMO: So, the president made clear that he had a frank conversation with the Speaker, and he's also made clear that he's happy to talk about how we can reduce our debts and deficits. And by the way, we've reduced the deficit by $1.7 trillion over the course of the president's first two years.

But the thing that he's not willing to do is to have that conversation in the place where we're threatening to default on the nation's obligations. We both need to meet our commitments to paying for things like our troops and social security, and also talking about how to bring down our debt to deficits. The president has a plan to do so and we look forward to having that conversation.

COATES: Secretary Adeyemo, thank you for your time this evening. I appreciate it.

ADEYEMO: Thanks for having me.

COATES: Up next, everyone, Tom Brady is retiring, dot, dot, dot, again, but will it stick this time? And what does his ex-wife, Giselle, have to say about it? Well, Bob Costas breaks it all down for us after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[22:45:00]

COATES: Well, apparently, this time it's official official. Superstar quarterback Tom Brady says he is retiring and that he means it this time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM BRADY, TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS QUARTERBACK: I'll get to the point right away. I'm retiring for good. I know the process was a pretty big deal last time so when I woke up this morning, I figured I'd just press record and let you guys know first. So, it won't be long-ended. You only get one super emotional retirement essay and I used mine up last year.

(END VIDEP CLIP)

COATES: Well, no one better to talk to about Tom Brady retiring than the great Bob Costas. You saw this announcement today, Bob. It comes a year to the day of the first retirement, and he really is one of the most decorated players of all-time. Can you just speak to what he means not just the sport of football but to sports at large?

BOB COSTAS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, he is among a handful of all-time great athletes who transcends his sport in terms of awareness to the general public beyond those who otherwise wouldn't be that interested in the game. Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, talking about relatively contemporary athletes.

You go back further you talk about Babe Ruth and other people in that sort of category. And Brady certainly is in that category. Somebody doesn't have to know a screen pass from a field goal to know who Tom Brady is. So, he's got fame, but it's an earned fame. His achievements are extraordinary. You could say that in some respects Peyton Manning rivalled him, certainly his greatest contemporary. Joe Montana went to four Super Bowls, won them all, through 11 touchdown passes and no interceptions in those four games.

But on sheer volume of achievement and longevity nobody rivals Brady. Went to 10 Super Bowls, won seven of them. Now, last year when he changed his mind about retirement, he was coming off a season where he led the NFL in yards passing, well over 5,000 yards. And lead the league in touchdown passes with 43. And his Tampa Bay Bucks had won the Super Bowl the year before and they nearly beat the Rams in the playoffs, the team that ultimately went onto win the Super Bowl.

So, you can see him thinking, hey, I'm pretty close, I got another chance to go back. And then this year his team went 8 and 9 in regular season, only got into the playoffs because they won a weak division and then he had a poor playoff game as did his team. And maybe that told him that at age 45, even though he can still play well.

He perhaps will never play as well as he once did, plus he undoubtedly concluded that it couldn't reach that peak again in Tampa because of various circumstances, so he'd have to relocate again, find another team. But does he fit?

And he's got family issues. He wants to stay close to his kids who live in Florida. So, there are all those things put together. This was the time. I have no doubt that this is final.

COATES: And I will say, this was the first regular season with the -- first losing record, frankly, for Brady in his 22 seasons as an NFL star. So maybe that's part of it. You did mention people like Peyton Manning, Serena Williams as a contemporary. Just to show you the comments they have made. Serena saying, "I'm getting teary-eyed watching this. Sad to see you go. Welcome to the retirement world again."

Peyton Manning saying, "It was an honor and a privilege to compete against him on the field and I truly appreciate his friendship off the field." And his ex-wife, Giselle Bundchen saying, "Wishing you only wonderful things in this new chapter of your life." What do you think the next chapter does hold? When he retired the first time, there are talks about him becoming a sports analyst. Is that next?

COSTAS: Well, yeah. He's got a deal with Fox Sports that reportedly calls for $375 million over 10 years. It involves him at least in theory being the color man or analyst on their number one broadcast team. But beyond that, he's going to be an ambassador for all of their interests. So, think of the value of saying that to a potential partner, corporate partner of some kind, sponsor, hey, want to play golf with Tom Brady? Let's discuss this deal over lunch, we'll have Tom Brady join us.

That may have greater value in the long run than his skills as a broadcaster whatever those skills might be. But in the immediate future, Fox has the Super Bowl this year, so I would expect that he will be part of their coverage not in the game itself, but there's a six-hour pregame and then a half time and then a post-game. And they'd be very foolish not to want Tom Brady to be front and center as part of that.

COATES: I mean, I don't know. Maybe Rihanna will have him as part of her half time show. The Navy might like it. Who knows about how that works. All we know is Bob Costas. He won't be as good as you, but we know that maybe --

COSTAS: Tom Brady and Rihanna, your half time entertainment. Yeah, there you go.

COATES: I would watch.

[22:50:00]

COSTAS: It's a fine idea though. Why didn't I think of that?

COATES: I don't know. But if it sticks, it was my idea. Remember that, Bob Costas. All right. Everyone, thank you so much.

COSTAS: Absolutely. So, would I. Yes, you have the patent on it. It's yours.

COATES: I'll take it, I'll take it. Thank you so much. And everyone, listen, the mystery at the zoo -- yes, the Dallas Zoo is deepening. New details from the Dallas Zoo where animals keep getting tampered with. Stay with us.

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COATES: An update tonight on one of the multiple mysteries at the Dallas Zoo. And this time it's good news. The zoo says the two Emperor Tamarin monkeys that were recovered by police yesterday are healthy and uninjured.

[22:55:00]

Their names are Bella and Finn and they are seen here in a quarantine enclosure where there are going to stay for a while before returning to the regular habitat. Veterinarians say they lost a little weight but are now are eating and drinking. The monkeys were discovered missing on Monday and the zoo saying their habitat was intentionally compromised.

A tip led police to find them in an abandoned house about 50 miles from the zoo which is offering now a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. The zoo says security has been tightened due to a series of tampering incidents, but that significant changes are still needed. Meantime, Zoosiana in Broussard, Louisiana says 12 squirrel monkeys

were stolen from their enclosure over the weekend. Police say an investigation is underway but as of tonight, the monkeys there are still missing.

Next, the fight over how we teach and talk about race in this country will go to ground zero in Florida where Governor DeSantis is warring with the college board over their AP African American studies course.

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