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Laura Coates Live
RFK Jr. Drops Out Of Race, Endorses Trump For President; Democrats Claim Patriotism At Democratic National Convention; Texas Mom's Illegal Voting Conviction Being Revisited After Reversal; Laura Coates Interviews Rep. Jasmine Crockett; Laura Coates Interviews The Olympic Power Couple. Aired 11p-12a ET
Aired August 23, 2024 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[23:00:00]
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Go ahead, Solomon.
SOLOMON JONES, RADIO HOST, WURD: Well, I've got a different take on Beyonce because I know people who -- only watched because they thought Beyonce was going to be on there. They didn't care about Kamala Harris, didn't care about the Democrats or the Republicans, Trump, whatever. They wanted to see Beyonce. And so, people watched to the very end. And so, I think that if -- the best that Donald Trump can do to steal back the news cycle is to get RFK Jr. Then Kamala Harris and Beyonce are somewhere texting each other laughing emojis and saying, wait until we activate the BI.
PHILLIP: All right. We'll see if that happens in this campaign. Everyone, thank you very much. And thank you for watching "NewsNight: State of the Race." "Laura Coates Live" starts right now.
LAURA COATES, CNN HOST AND SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: So, Harris and Walz, Trump and Vance, RFK Jr. and -- wait, nope, if you can't beat him, join him, as long as he's going to return, right? RFK Jr. is officially out of the presidential race. He suspended his campaign today, says he's pulling his name from about 10 battleground states. And surprise, surprise, he endorsed Donald Trump.
Now, how did this happen, you might ask? Well, he says he tried to get Vice President Kamala Harris to talk to him, but he says she refused. Trump, though, heard him out. And, in fact, floated the potential of a cabinet job for RFK Jr. if he wins. A cabinet job for who? Not the same RFK that you said this about just in May, right?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: RFK Jr. is a Democrat plant, a radical left liberal, a big-time taxer, he wants to tax you, an open border advocate. I'd even take Biden over Jr. because our country would last about a year or two longer than it would with Jr. He is not a Republican, so don't think you're going to vote for him and feel good. He's a radical left Democrat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Okay, so what happened since May, which is when that was, to change all of this? It's not like RFK Jr. underwent any sort of transformation since then. To the contrary, his polling has actually plummeted, down to just about 5%. And if anything, his campaign, it got a little stranger, shall we say, once he admitted to dumping a dead bear in Central Park several years ago. I can't make this thing up.
But Trump now sees something in him. And so, we brought him out tonight. At his rally in Glendale, Arizona, RFK's walkout song, "My Hero" by the Foo Fighters. Now, can I just for a second read those lyrics to you, just some of them? There goes my hero, he's ordinary. Huh. So suddenly, according to Trump, RFK is no longer a dangerous radical. Suddenly, RFK Jr. is an ordinary asset.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I'm very pleased to welcome a man who has been an incredible champion for so many of these values that we all share, and we've shared them for a long time. He's highly respected. He is a great person. He is a phenomenal person, a phenomenal man who loves the people of this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: There goes my hero since May. But will it work? That's the big question. With me to discuss another twist to this ever-changing race, White House bureau chief for "The Washington Post," Toluse Olorunnipa, Republican strategist Liam Donovan, Democrat strategist Ameshia Cross, and staff writer for "The New Yorker," Clare Malone, who profiled the failed presidential candidate in the article, "What Does RFK Jr. Actually Want?"
Liam, let me begin with you here. So, this has been -- I'm going to hand out neck braces for Halloween with candy this year because everything changes every single day and you have all these epiphanies, so to speak, and no, no, no, I changed my mind about this person. What makes him so different now that Trump would say, yep, I want you or maybe your voters?
LIAM DONOVAN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST, FORMER NATIONAL REPUBLICAN SENATORIAL COMMITTEE AIDE: There was a time when he was very useful to Donald Trump. There was a time not that long ago, just two months ago, when a quarter of the country didn't like the choice they had before him. Twenty-five of Americans were saying, we don't like either of these major party choices. So what Kennedy represented was a name brand, you know, way station for people that hadn't made their choice yet.
And on net, the third-party minor candidates were benefiting Donald Trump. In the two-party share, he had a minor lead, but when you asked the full ballot, it actually benefited him fairly significantly. That all changed in the last six weeks, the whiplash that we all have gotten. It is no longer double (INAUDIBLE). Only single digit, actually, you know, between the assassination and the swap on the democratic side. People are reasonably happy with their selections and as such. Kennedy has gone from 20%, it's fading to 15%, and overnight is now down below 5%.
[23:05:00]
In the states that matter, that's more or less in some places. The reason he's doing this in Arizona is because that's the single biggest state where he's taking some of that vote and it disproportionately helps Donald Trump.
COATES: Yeah.
DONOVAN: But -- but that is the story of the last six weeks.
COATES: I mean, Toluse, first of all, that's the name of the next book, the story of the last six weeks.
(LAUGHTER)
That's what's going on. Well, let me ask you, I mean, if you saw this rally, they actually had fireworks go off when the two shook hands. Now, that's like usually what happens in a love story and the bromance is solidified, you've got the fireworks happening. But this was Trump's way of trying to, after the DNC, the ultimate counter- programming. I mean, usually it's celebratory when you've got a naming of a candidate. Now, an endorsement of a third party and fire -- I mean, look, seriously, fireworks are going off behind him.
TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA, WHITE HOUSE BUREAU CHIEF, WASHINGTON POST: Trump hates not being in the spotlight. He hates the fact that over the past four days, Kamala Harris and the Democrats have been winning in the ratings race. They've been capturing the attention of the entire country. They have pulled off a pretty impressive convention in which they were able to rally around Kamala Harris and her story has become the dominant story in this campaign.
And so, he wants to change the narrative. We've seen it as he has been doing press conferences, as he has been launching these various attacks that create new headlines. And now, as he has welcomed this endorsement from RFK Jr, he is trying to change the narrative, he's trying to shake up the race, and he's trying to win over some of those voters that are Trump-lite voters who maybe think of themselves as Trump voters, but they are considering maybe going to a third party.
COATES: Yeah.
OLORUNNIPA: He's trying to win those voters back because 2%, 3%, 4% in a close race could actually win in some of those battleground states like Arizona, Pennsylvania, Georgia. If he is able to win over some of those votes, he can potentially change the narrative of the election.
COATES: I'm going to call this the one potato, two potato, three potato, four strategy. Clare, let me ask you. Listen to how RFK explains why he is now supporting Trump. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT FRANCIS KENNEDY, JR., FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We talked about not about the things that separate us because we don't agree on everything, but on the values and the issues that bind us together. And one of the issues that he talked about was having safe food and ending the chronic disease epidemic. Don't you want a president that's going to make America healthy again?
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Okay, he said that many of what they believe in does not line up. That's fair, you don't have to be 100% on the same page. But there's a lot that separates the two of them, in my understanding. What is drawing RFK to Trump? Is it the not healthy food, but the carrot of maybe a cabinet position?
CLARE MALONE, STAFF WRITER, NEW YORKER: I think it's a few things. I definitely think the sort of tantalizing, could I get a cabinet position, could I chair some prominent panel, is there. But I'd also say that Kennedy's campaign had an interesting culture of -- he actually disagreed with a lot of people who were campaign staffers or senior advisors. The campaign had a sort of fracas over what was RFK's actual stance on abortion.
So, I actually think he's sort of comfortable with the gray areas. And part of his pitch throughout the past year or so has been, you know, we're really talking about existential issues like chronic disease. We're not here to divide you with, I mean, frankly, the major issues of the election, things like immigration or abortion rights.
I mean -- so, he is -- he is, I think, a little bit comfortable both with the gray areas of disagreeing with someone. I guess, including his wife, Cheryl Hines, I think, is not supportive of this Trump endorsement. But Bobby Kennedy is also -- he also loves the spotlight just like Trump. So, I think that's also an attraction for him.
COATES: Well, you know, Ameshia, the Harris campaign released a statement about RFK's decision, saying -- quote -- "For any American out there who is tired of Donald Trump and looking for a new way forward, ours is a campaign for you."
So how do they thread this needle between, on the one hand, attacking Trump, on the other hand, not trying to alienate RFK's supporters and saying, no, you don't want that side, if you don't want to vote for him, it's this ticket that you want?
AMESHIA CROSS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I think you connect Trump to RFK because there isn't that much daylight between them. We're talking about two people who are anti-vaxxers, two people who are anti- science, two people who have stood by policies that do not protect a woman's right to choose. We know that when RFK Jr. was actually still in this race, his vice-presidential candidate, Shanahan, is starkly against IVF. She's someone who talked about a pseudo-science where women in their 50s could basically get more sunlight and somehow that would help them conceive.
These are people who are beyond weird. These are people who also have very dangerous policy positions. RFK believes that if you have a vaccine, if your children get vaccines, they're going to be autistic. My older brother has autism.
[23:09:52]
And I'm very offended by people who are pushing these anti-science narratives and quite frankly scaring the hell out of folks and passing along much diseases and other things that we had eradicated decades ago because they refuse to actually follow doctor's advice and continue to go against them. I think that they thread the needle by saying exactly who RFK Jr. is, whom his own family has roundly come out and rebuke for some of the stances that he has taken and linking that directly to what we've seen from Donald Trump.
Again, there's a reason why there are people who supported Donald Trump, who also supported RFK Jr. Those were the people that he was peeling off initially because they are two sides of the same coin.
COATES: Well, you know, Liam, I want to bring you back into this point because Trump, speaking of reproductive rights, he takes credit, as you know, for ending Roe v. Wade and getting the Supreme Court justices on the bench to be able to position them to do so. He also posted on Truth Social that he'd be great for women and reproductive rights. And then he added to that tonight saying that the Republican Party is a -- quote -- "leader on IVF. Really?
DONOVAN: Well, so I think this goes back to the clips you were showing of him saying what he needed to say about RFK. At any given point in time, Donald Trump is more than willing to say to that audience whatever works for that situation. So, you know, I think that will be --
COATES: But if you see that -- I'm going to cut you off when we finish, but if you see that and that's the idea of almost being ideological chameleon, whatever you want to hear, I'll tell you. What do you want my name to be, right? That's -- if you see that as a strategist, doesn't a voter see that and think, no?
DONOVAN: I think they will at some level. In a weird way, that was an appeal, not in this context. But you have to think back to 2016, part of the reason that Donald Trump read as the moderate candidate in some ways to some voters was because they kind of understand that politicians are kind of full of it in a lot of places, at least say, you know, or be nakedly transactional about it.
But I think I just wanted to make a point that, you know, Ameshia laid out a lot of things I think we'll hear, but I think there's a reason why you had the Harris campaign layout not try to antagonize these voters and to leave it to the surrogates to say all the nasty things about RFK because there are spaces, not on CNN, not necessarily in print media or otherwise, but there are spaces that there are key voters that are going to decide this election who actually do care what RFK says. And the fact that he's supporting Donald Trump and will not be in the way of Donald Trump, I think, is important. It's marginal. It's not a huge thing. But I think they do have to be careful. And as you said, there is a needle to be threaded there. They have to be careful not to antagonize people who are gettable for them and push them into Trump's arms.
COATES: Quick, I want to go to you on that point, Ameshia, back to you, Tolouse, one second, because the Democrats seem to inherently understand the need to talk about reproductive rights at the DNC. It was a huge part of the conversation. They spent a lot of time actually hammering Trump over abortion. How effective do you think that's actually been, not only in last week or this week, but going forward?
CROSS: I think it's extremely effective because we know of a handful of states that actually have ballot initiatives to further restrict women's reproductive rights. Those ballot initiatives will come up in time for the November election. But we also know that over 54% of the voting electorate is women. And we've seen that women have been galvanized, regardless of what side of the aisle they subscribe to, they've been galvanized around women's reproductive rights, access, and choice. Women want to be able to make those decisions for themselves. Between them, whoever their partner is, and their good lord.
At this point, there is a pressure from conservatives to have government intervene in something that has for a very long time been fought for women in privacy rights. And I think that in as much as the Democrats can continue to carry that mantle, can continue to talk to women across multiple demographics about why they need to stand forward, in addition to bringing in men, there are several men-led organizations, Men for Choice being one of them, that is laying out the advocacy points for men as to how this affects their lives as well.
We can't talk about the economy, we can't talk about women's roles in it without also talking about them and family planning. Birth control and access to birth control options are a huge part of women's reproductive rights. And the Republican Party has decided that they are going to fight this war on women no matter what. And I think that the Democrats are smart to keep pressing go in advocacy against them.
COATES: Toluse, let me ask you to give you a last word on this because we've come from a week where it began with President Biden and a bit of a swan song and people being very deferential and the thank you, Joe, to culminating in the official torch being passed to now official nominee, Harris. That is quite the bubble to be in the DNC and to hear all the support. You got to take that out, to Liam's point, to the rest of the country, to get to that 270.
When you look ahead at the impact of now RFK endorsing Trump, what do you think is really going to move the needle for those voters who are looking to be persuaded? Is it endorsement? Is it more granular detail on the issues or are we continuing on the personality train?
OLORUNNIPA: I think it's going to be a little bit of all of the above. We saw during the DNC, we saw a lot of euphoria, a lot of happiness within the halls of the United Center. But we also heard from a number of people on stage saying, it's not always going to feel like this over the next 74 days. There are going to be moments where we have to work really hard because times are tough.
[23:15:00]
We are going to have to win over some of these voters who are still skeptical because the feeling of euphoria within that United Center is not what's happening across the country. People are saying that the country is on the wrong track. People are saying that they need more from -- need to know more about Kamala Harris, need to know more about how she's going to affect their lives. And so, there's going to be much more work that Democrats have to do to showcase that they actually will impact people's lives in a positive way.
COATES: Well, the phrase that was used was underdog. They seem to implicitly know that as well. Stand by, everyone, because from flag waving to USA chants, it was a convention that focused a lot on the word patriotism. Will Democrats be able to seize that patriotic thunder from Republicans? We'll talk about it in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COATES: From countless references to freedom and, of course, there was, of course, the Beyonce song, "Freedom," to flags waving in chants of USA, USA, Democrats used their nominating convention to stake their claim on patriotism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ELISSA SLOTKIN (D-MI): I want you to proudly claim your patriotism.
[23:20:00]
You are here because you love your country. Do not give an inch to pretenders who wrap themselves in the flag, but spit in the face of freedoms it represents.
ADAM KINZINGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, FORMER ILLINOIS REPRESENTATIVE: I want to let my fellow Republicans in on the secret. The Democrats are as patriotic as us.
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I love our country with all my heart.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: My panel is back with me. I'm going to go to you first, Ameshia. I mean, the Democratic Party, it was all about, in many respects, questions about the identity and introducing Vice President Kamala Harris. But it sounds like they were really trying to ensure that the identity that they wanted were aligned with patriotism above all. Did they do an effective job of trying to align their party with patriotism?
CROSS: I think they absolutely did. The Republicans have for a very long time aligned themselves with patriotism and for the most part acted as though they were the harbingers of it and the only ones who had access to it. Hugging an American flag does not make you the ultimate patriot.
We know that there are several members of the U.S. Armed Forces who have stood out in support of Kamala Harris and what she plans on doing, her policy actions specifically as it relates to uplifting and supporting of veterans, but also in rebuking a lot of what we saw from Trump and the rhetoric around veterans, particularly those who have been injured or who lost their lives in the line of duty.
But beyond that, I think that it is taking it back and showcasing what patriotism can actually look like in real life. People who fight for civil rights, people who fight for the betterment of their country, people who fight for education, access, and equity in terms of employment, in terms of housing, in terms of security. These are very patriotic goals. People who want to uphold democracy not only here but also abroad. These are things that are the cornerstones of who we are.
And for Democrats, it is making sure that they make that claim. And for the longest, they think that, unfortunately, they allowed a seeding of patriotism to the Republicans. And at this point, they are taking it back. They are being very outspoken about it. They're putting the right spokespeople out front to showcase what patriotism looks like, who can actually carry that mantra, and why it's so important for Americans to realize who we are, what we stand for, and the fact that patriotism does not look like Project 2025.
COATES: Liam, let me turn to you on this because, you know, to Ameshia's point, sometimes, there are certain parties who would like to cover a particular issue and say, this is ours, the economy is ours, we own this issue, we want to -- we want everyone to know that patriotism is all of ours. Democrats are really being intentional in trying to not only have Republicans come out. You heard Kinzinger talking about, let me just give you kind of breaking news here, that Democrats are also patriotic. What does that mean for the counter programming and messaging now from Republicans?
DONOVAN: Well, I mean, look, this is smart politics and they pulled off a full convention just demonstrating very normal images that are recognizable to the sorts of voters that are going to decide this election. And, you know, will that work? I think it is open question as to when Republicans will begin to go after her and win some news cycles. She has had been able to coast on vibes for 32 straight days. We have 74 left.
And I think it's an open question. It's not going to be patriotism that decides this. But as long as she's able to present as somebody that's recognizable, that is not scary, that is not some kind of San Francisco socialist, then I think she's going to be in pretty good shape.
And it's up to Donald Trump, it's up to the Republican Party to present some sort of message either that is proactively saying no, Trump is better or saying you don't want what the future holds, and really, frankly, tying her to the policies in the last three and a half years which has been the vacuum that we've seen over the last month, if not been driving that message home.
COATES: So, the whole point of a convention in part of patting ones up on the back and celebrating your own party is also to broaden the tent. It's televised for a reason. They were talking to the camera for a reason. They want people to know what they want them to know. They've been painted, Democrats, as elites, as those who are uber- liberal. But they had veterans, they had Republicans, they had unions, they had country singers, they had a variety of people on those stages. Did they do the right things to expand the tent for the electorate to see?
OLORUNNIPA: It was also important for them to expand the electorate of people who are interested in considering voting for Kamala Harris in part because, yes, Democrats have been painted as elite, they've been painted as out of touch, but Kamala Harris specifically has been painted as foreign, as someone whose background is shadowy or unclear. Donald Trump has been the person that's done that, often trafficking in racist tropes.
And so, it has been important for Democrats and Kamala Harris specifically to embrace that version of patriotism to showcase that I'm one of you. I come from a middle-class family. I come from Oakland, California. My family was striving and trying to make it in America just like everyone else. I will be a president for all Americans, as she said. And so, I think they were successful in sort of neutralizing this issue and pushing back against some of the attacks that Trump has levied against her.
[23:25:01]
Is she Black? Is she Asian? Where does she come from? What kind of background does she have? She has pushed back against that and said that I am an American. I am someone who would represent all Americans. I think she was successful in doing that. And by embracing so much patriotism, by having so much red, white, and blue on the floor of the United Center, she was able to showcase her version of America and neutralize some of these attacks that she has been facing.
COATES: There's no room for error, Liam. In the short calendar we have left, I mean, 70-something days to the election, early voting starts earlier than that, and debates on the horizon, no major interviews lined up. Every opportunity that they speak is going to be that much more important. What would you advise a Trump campaign to do to capitalize on that shortened schedule?
DONOVAN: Well, first and foremost, they need to be careful about lowering the expectations because she has shown a proficiency at delivering a speech. If you -- if you at once assume that the media is going to help her and continue to let these vibes go, I don't know why you'd expect that in her first interaction with the media that it would suddenly end on that note. I think she has certainly gotten better. She has found her stride.
So, I think controlling for those expectations in a way that they failed to in the first debate with catastrophic implications and keeping that in mind for September 10th, you cannot set her up with a low bar that she can leaf over.
But I really think, you know, this is really going to be about how long the honeymoon lasts because, okay, I think everybody understood that she needed to get her feet under her before we started asking too many questions, but now that the convention is over, I do think it's up to the media and, frankly, Republicans to press her on these issues and find out where things stand beyond just what the spokespeople are telling the media.
COATES: Well, we'll see how the voters see all of it and whether that honeymoon period would last. Thank you, everyone.
A Texas mom thought that she was passed a 2016 voting case against her after her five-year prison sentence for casting a provisional ballot was overturned. But you know, now, an appeals court is reconsidering that very case. Crystal Mason joins me to respond next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COATES: For nearly seven years, Texas mother, Crystal Mason, had the threat of serving a five-year prison sentence hanging over her head. She was convicted of voter fraud after casting a provisional ballot in the 2016 election while under supervised release from prison. Earlier this year, a Texas appeals court overturned her conviction and it seemed like it was all behind her. That is until now. An appeals court is granting the Tarrant County district attorney request to take another look.
But let me be clear about something. This woman cast was called a provisional ballot. Let me explain a little bit about what that is precisely. When there is any question about whether you are eligible to vote, we look to a federal law called HAVA. It stands for Help America Vote Act of 2002. And under that law, any U.S. resident should always be able to cast a provisional ballot even if their registration status is not clear. Now, it does not mean the ballot has to be counted. It's a conditional ballot. It will only be counted if they're actually eligible.
Now, election officials will try to verify voters' identity and eligibility to vote by looking at the voter rolls or verifying signatures. Are they actually registered? Are they voting in the right jurisdiction? Are they supposed to be voting there? Is that a real signature? They may also require additional information from the voter. And they can also require an affidavit like this one in Texas. If they can verify identity, eligibility, they count it. If they can't, they won't. And even if they are counted, they are counted last.
Now, this woman, Crystal, she filed a provisional ballot, but she was also on supervised release for Texas, for tax evasion in the federal courts. Now, in Texas, you cannot vote while on supervised release because your sentence is not technically over. Now, she says she did not know she was ineligible because of that. Apparently, election officials did, and they didn't count her ballot.
Crystal Mason and her attorney, Justin Moore, join me now. Crystal, just going through this and thinking about how this was a provisional ballot that was not ultimately counted, this case appeared over -- over when your sentence was overturned and you were acquitted. How are you feeling now that it's being looked at again?
CRYSTAL MASON, CHARGED, CONVICTED, AND THEN ACQUITTED FOR ATTEMPTING TO CAST A VOTE WHILE ON FEDERAL SUPERVISED RELEASED DURING 2016 U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: Overwhelmed. Me and my family is overwhelmed about this matter. And we're just ready for it to be over. This has been going on eight years now.
COATES: This has been in our conversations in the past. It was a nightmare then. It's a dream you can't seem to wake up from. What are you thinking as you learned that they were going to even look at it again? Have you thought, why me, why now, why still?
MASON: Definitely. First thought was, why me? Why we're still here? You know, I just rejoiced in Moritz for being acquitted. And here I am.
COATES: Justin, I want to bring you in here because I'm really curious as to why now. I mean, when Crystal's conviction was overturned, it was ruled that there was not enough evidence to prove that she knew she was ineligible to vote. Is there new evidence? Why is the D.A. asking the court to look at this again?
[23:35:00]
JUSTIN MOORE, CRYSTAL MASON'S ATTORNEY: Laura, this amounts to a Hail Mary by the Tarrant County D.A. I mean, this case has been well- briefed. Every lawyer that has seen this case realizes that the briefings have been airtight. The fact that this Tarrant County district attorney, which is a new district attorney from the original D.A. that prosecuted Crystal, is trying to ask for a higher court to review the appellate decision that came out in March, it only amounts to political theater ahead of this election.
But we do believe that the appellate court that is going to review this case is going to basically affirm and say that we got it right. So, we feel really confident going into, you know, this next round of briefing.
COATES: I mean, the D.A., Justin, is arguing the prior ruling. You speak about disregarded evidence that Crystal was aware of being ineligible to vote. What is your response to that?
MOORE: I mean, on its face and what's clear in the record, shows that Crystal did not know that she was ineligible. And at the very least, that the D.A.'s office did not present enough evidence that was sufficient enough to get over the reasonable doubt standard that all district attorneys have to meet when they're trying to convict somebody. So, you know, the D.A.'s response or the D.A.'s argument, I believe it should fall on deaf ears when it goes back to the appellate court. COATES: Crystal, I mean, you are a mother. You have three children. You have a family and a community who is looking to support you. And I wonder how you have been talking to your family about what has been going on and, frankly, how you are keeping yourself sane, knowing that you've had this over your head for going on eight years.
MASON: What I've been doing is -- it's election time. I'm (INAUDIBLE) people to vote. Me and my family, we've been out in the streets knocking on doors, telling people how important it is to vote. You got to remember the judge, the D.A., the prosecutor, they're all elected officials, and this is why we need to get out and vote.
COATES: Are you concerned that what has happened to you could happen to others and that people who may not know about an ineligibility will try to cast a provisional ballot or just say, you know what, it's not worth it, I don't want to take the risk, I'm not even going to do a provisional just in case? Are you worried that it could have the effect of making people want to stay home?
MASON: Definitely. It definitely will have the effect. You got to remember a mother being locked up for illegally voting, for voting, for trying to vote. And yeah, that would definitely scare someone away from the pose.
COATES: How do you explain it to your family, about what you're going through, and how do you keep them strong as you're trying to hold yourself up as well?
MASON: Again, like I said, I started the organization, Crystal Mason, the fight against voter suppression. And this is how we keep ourselves together. We go out and we educate people how important it is to vote. And if you're eligible to vote, we let people know that you need to vote because it really will make a difference on who we have in the office.
COATES: I mean, Justin, a lot of people would take what is happening to them, what has happened to Crystal, and they would look inward only and they would turn off and they would want to be distant. Some people would choose that. Crystal has not. She has chosen to have an element of public service in her life. But I do wonder what is the next step. Give the timeline to me of what happens next. Now that there's going to be the review, do we know when that review is happening? Do we know when a decision will be made and what more will be asked of you and your client to prove that she is innocent?
MOORE: So, what happens next is the D.A.'s office, they have 30 days to brief their argument and submit it to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, and then we have to submit our response shortly thereafter. After that, we're going to get a ruling at some point. Hopefully, it's going to not take as long as it has traditionally taken. And we need the Court of Criminal Appeals to provide a definitive response that shows clearly that Crystal is exonerated from this very frivolous, you know, I guess, war that the D.A.'s office has waged against her and voters that look like her. That's what we need from the Court of Criminal Appeals. If they don't give us a definitive answer, this could very well go all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court. Hopefully, it doesn't go that far. Hopefully, we can just deal with this now and we can put this behind Crystal.
COATES: An answer for you and for those who are watching to see if they might be next and what can be done about it. Crystal Mason, Justin Moore, thank you both so much.
[23:40:00]
MASON: Thank you.
MOORE: Thank you, Laura.
COATES: We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Lets' fight for it. Let's get out there. Let's vote for it.
MICHELLE OBAMA, FORMER FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: If we see a bad poll, and we will, we got to put down that phone and do something.
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Do not boo. Vote.
GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN), U.S. VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There'll be time to sleep when you're dead. We're going to leave it on the field.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: The joyful Democratic convention is over, and the real test for Kamala Harris's campaign, it now begins.
[23:44:58]
Joining me now, Harris ally, Democratic Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett. Congresswoman, so good to see you. I'm told we'll all sleep when we're dead, but we need rest after that DNC convention. Let me tell you that right now. There was a moment, congresswoman, and I keep thinking about it, given all our conversations, all of the moments that you have captivated the nation's attention with your style, with your holding the feet to the fire of those who have policy distinction, shall we say, there was an emotional moment you had at the convention, talking about your first meeting with the vice president at a time that you were feeling doubt. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JASMINE CROCKETT (D-TX): She saw the distress. I immediately began crying. And the most powerful woman in the world wiped my tears and listened.
(APPLAUSE)
She then said, among other things, you are exactly where God wants you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: I thought this was such a beautifully poignant moment. Talk to me about that, because we so rarely hear not only about vulnerability, but also about encouragement from those who take the time to provide it. Talk to me about that moment.
CROCKETT: Yeah, you know, that was the one thing I did not want to do.
(LAUGHTER)
I did not want to cry. So, we shorten the story. I read the speech over and over, trying to keep me from crying. But it's such a real moment. And when I look back and I reflect upon kind of this giant of a woman still just kind of looking out for others, it is just mind- blowing to me. It's mind-blowing to me that this is someone who has so much on her plate and has her own attacks that are coming at her, yet for whatever reason, she still has energy to pour into others.
And so, as she continuously says that it's important to lift others up, I just wanted the people to know that she believed that because ultimately, I don't think this election is about qualifications. All right, like, Donald Trump is wild and ridiculous, right? I think this comes down to who people like the best. And what we knew early on in the polling was that people were getting excited about her, but they didn't feel like they knew her.
And so that's why I decided that it was really important for me to, number one, credentialize what type of prosecutor she was, as well as give them a little bit of insight to something that's pretty personal to me.
COATES: I, for one, am glad you did because I think I often measure people by who they are when the cameras are not on, when it is those private conversations to really get a sense of who the person is. And now that we have some basis for that, and we've heard from this convention all week and in a kind of that political bubble that conventions bring, now the march is to 270.
And I'm wondering from your perspective, with the short time, what, 70-something days away now? How do the Democrats, how does the Harris- Walz ticket keep the momentum going, especially with the debate just 18 days away, when people are thinking about their feelings, but also want the granular detail of who was going to make them feel successful and thriving in America?
CROCKETT: Yeah, so you played a clip of the soon to be vice president, Tim Walz, and we can sleep and we're dead. I'm going to tell you, I feel like I'm the walking dead right now.
(LAUGHTER) COATES: Join the Zombie Club. Thank you.
CROCKETT: And I'm currently sitting in a hotel room. I didn't get to go home. I left the convention today, and I came to Michigan where I spoke almost as soon as I hit the ground. And I've got a number of other events that I've got to do. I won't get home until Sunday.
So, no, we are not resting, we're not letting up. We're not getting so excited that we're not going to do the work. You saw a candidate that decided that, you know what? I can show you better than I can tell you. In the middle of my convention, I am still out here on the road meeting to the people and making sure that the people know that they are the ultimate priority.
And so, I think that that's what people should really pay attention to, is who is actually coming to you. If I'm working for you to get your votes, then hopefully I'll work for you once I'm in office. But if I'm not even working to get your vote, then why should I actually give it to you? And what we've seen is that the Democratic team is working overtime.
And so, it's not just the vice-presidential candidate and the presidential candidate. It is all of us. We are all in, and we are going to go hard until November 5th. We have to win, not because it's about us, but it's because it's about the rest of the citizens in this United State as well as the rest of the world.
[23:50:01]
The eyes of the world are watching us to see what we're going to do. And trust and believe I know this all too well as I recently just got back from Taiwan.
COATES: Well, congresswoman, I wish you rest at some part along that journey. I would like to rest before I die. I don't know about you. Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but it's maybe a little cat nap. Thank you so much for joining us tonight. Good to see you.
CROCKETT: Absolutely. Have a good one.
COATES: Well, ahead, they are the Olympic power couple that brought America a viral embrace. Tara Davis-Woodhall running into the arms of her husband, Hunter Woodhall, after she won gold in the women's long jump. Well, now, it's Hunter's turn to compete at the Paralympics, and both are here with me next. There they are.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:54:57]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
UNKNOWN (voice-over): You did it! TARA DAVIS-WOODHALL, WOMEN'S LONG JUMP GOLD MEDALIST AT PARIS OLYMPICS: I did it!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: It was one of the fairy tale moments of the Paris Olympics (INAUDIBLE) between track and field athletes Tara Davis-Woodhall and her Paralympian husband, Hunter Woodhall. Tara had just made her 7.1- meter-long jump to secure gold.
But it wasn't so much that accomplishment and it was a huge one that captured the world's attention, even though it was truly a feat in itself. I mean, who's out here jumping the length of a stretch limo? But rather, it was this shared moment between Tara and Hunter, an enthusiastic embrace right after she won that medal. Well, now, in less than a week, Hunter will get his turn to compete for gold in the Paralympics, and they both join me now.
I think we were so excited for you, Tara, and we were so excited when it happened. And then to see the two of you following your career for a long time, it was such a beautiful moment. Bring us into that moment. What did it mean to you to get that immense support from your husband, someone you've known since high school, who is an Olympian in his own right?
DAVIS-WOODHALL: Yes, it was honestly a moment of a lifetime. I mean, I've been dreaming of this moment since I was four years old, since I started track and field. So, being able to accomplish this, it meant everything. And then to have my partner here there, you know, we've been working so hard this season to get to this moment right here, it was just such a special interaction between us. And -- I don't know, it was just a moment in time that we'll probably never get back, but now there's videos and pictures of it forever.
(LAUGHTER)
COATES: We were all watching. I was screaming in my own home about it. I was so excited about it. It was a very sweet moment. But it was also the mutual appreciation that I saw, not just the admiration, but mutual respect that the two of you had, knowing the journey that you need to accomplish that objective. And While Tara, for you, it might be in the temporary rear view mirror, Hunter, yours is ahead. Talk to me about how your own experience as a Paralympian comes into play when you're only supporting Tara, but looking ahead at what's coming up for you.
HUNTER WOODHALL, THREE-TIME PARALYMPIC MEDALIST: Absolutely, yeah. We actually are leaving for Paris tomorrow or the next day, I guess, rather, and this will be my third Paralympic Games. Every year, I've been able to learn something new. Tara and I got married in 2022. Since then, we've been training together every single day. We cook together. We recover together. So, we really have done this whole entire process as a team.
So just being there for each other and being able to celebrate in that moment and put on display all the hard work we've done is like -- it's so incredible. We didn't have that opportunity in Tokyo with some of the restrictions. So, man, it was just a dream come true in Paris, and we're so blessed we get to go back and do it a second time. I just couldn't be more excited.
COATES: Who says you can't work with your spouse? There you go. You have the living proof of what it can be. You can get a medal for it. Look, you're supposed to be competing, Hunter, in the 100 meter and the 400-meter races. You recently tested positive for COVID, I understand. Are you going to be ready to compete?
WOODHALL: Absolutely. I just wanted to give a shout out to my team. I have the best team in the world. Right when we got the diagnosis, they said, hey, we're going to get through this, here's the plan, let's stick to it, let's make it happen, and we'll be ready for Paris to represent the United States and my team. So, we're ready to go. I'm feeling better every single day. And today, I was doing some block starts, and Tara was running next to me to give me that pressure that I'm going to feel in competition. So, yeah, I'm ready mentally and physically. We'll be there.
COATES: I mean, man, when I'm even a little bit sick, I'm like, I'm not doing anything, let alone training for the Olympics. So, I mean, bow down to you on this point. Tara, I wonder, has he risen the bar for you now in the support you're going to bring at the Paris Paralympics? Because, man, everyone is talking about it. And is it like you're (INAUDIBLE) each other or you're going to be that much more, you're going to jump on to the track? What's happening?
(LAUGHTER)
DAVIS-WOODHALL: I'm just going to be on the track. I'll just be on the track with them.
WOODHALL: Racing with all my back (ph).
DAVIS-WOODHALL: I mean, I feel like our support for each other comes naturally. So, you know, I'll always be there and supporting him. I'll be on the first row right next to the finish line. So, you know, we're going to have our moment. But right now, it's about him. He's going to go out there and kill it. I know he's going, you know, bring home that gold.
COATES: I'm so excited for both of you. I hope there's rest in your future right after this next Olympics as well. But then, are people already asking you about the next one? I'm sure I won't do that. Well, yeah, I will. What's next?
DAVIS-WOODHALL: L.A. 28, baby.
WOODHALL: L.A., baby. Bring it home.
COATES: All right.
DAVIS-WOODHALL: We're coming home.
(LAUGHTER) COATES: I can't wait. Well, Tara, Hunter, thank you both. Good luck. We'll be rooting for you, Hunter. Bring home the gold and do the best you can for the United States. We're always in your corner. Thank you.
DAVIS-WOODHALL: Thanks, guys.
WOODHALL: Thank you so much, guys.
COATES: And hey, thank all of you for watching. "Anderson Cooper 360" starts right now.
[00:00:00]
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Good evening.
