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Laura Coates Live
Hurricane Conspiracies Collide With The Election; Michael Moore Warns Kamala Harris; Menendez Brothers' Conviction Gets A Second Look; Laura Coates Interviews NBA Star Jimmy Butler. Aired 11p-12a ET
Aired October 04, 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]
MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: We now have data that shows that when Taylor Swift posted her endorsement of Kamala Harris on her Instagram account, democratic registrations went up 88% in the three days after that. So yes, they matter.
ABEL MALDONADO, FORMER CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR: Just in closing, I have to disclose that my family does own a small winery, but --
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: From California.
MALDONADO: It's from California. But it's wine, it's wine, and the wine industry is going through some very difficult times. Foreign wines coming in and being blended, inflation, cost of cork bottles. Everything is expensive. So, drink more wine. When times are good, drink wine. When times are bad, you can drink more wine.
PHILLIP: All right, that's a good -- that's a good Friday night message. Thank you all for being here. And don't forget to catch Roy Wood, Jr. on an episode of "Have I Got News for You." That's tomorrow, 9 p.m., right here on CNN. Have a great weekend. "Laura Coates Live" starts right now.
LAURA COATES, CNN HOST AND SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, tonight, hurricane conspiracy theories collide with the election and could end up hurting people who need help the most. We'll have all the facts.
Plus, Kamala Harris rallies in Michigan as one of the state's most famous personalities from there wars one particular move could cost her the entire election.
And could the Menendez brothers be close to getting out of prison? The man who says he found new evidence at the heart of their case joins me tonight on "Laura Coates Live."
All right, we don't normally start the show off with something nutty. But hear me out. You may need your tinfoil hats for this one, okay? Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted this about Hurricane Helene. "Yes, they can control the weather. It's ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can't be done."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNKNOWN: What you're talking about Willis?
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: No, really, we have no idea what she's talking about. First of all, who is they? Okay, so this conspiracy theory, it may be silly, ridiculous. Shout out to you, Gary Coleman. But this next one isn't just silly. It's just not.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It has been a terrible response from the White House. They're missing a billion dollars that was used for another purpose, and nobody has seen anything like that. Now, a lot of the money that was supposed to go to Georgia and supposed to go to North Carolina and all of the others is going -- and has gone already. It has been gone for people that came into the country illegally, and nobody has ever seen anything like that. That's a shame.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: And it's just not true. At all. And here's why. I'll explain it very simply. Congress appropriated two separate pots of money. One specifically to provide shelter and services to migrants. The other specifically for disaster relief. Not a penny of the funds for storm victims has been used for migrants. It's two separate funds.
Now FEMA says it has the money to deal with the immediate needs now, but is warned it will need additional money if more hurricanes hit this year. In the meantime, they stress that this kind of misinformation -- it's a nice way of saying it -- will hurt those who need help.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEANNE CRISWELL, ADMINISTRATOR, FEMA: This level of misinformation creates this scenario where they won't even come to us, they won't even register, and I need people to register so they can get what they're eligible for through our programs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: And the need, it is significant. Parts of North Carolina have been completely wiped out. More than a hundred are dead in that state alone, and dozens are still missing. I mean, I talked to a couple just last night who lost everything. People do need help. FEMA is not perfect, but by several accounts, they are being responsive. Just listen to Georgia's Republican Governor, Brian Kemp, today, who said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. BRIAN KEMP (R-GA): We will continue to urge FEMA to add more impacted counties to the federal declaration list. We started with just 11, and after a call to both the White House and FEMA, they upped that number considerably up to 44 or 45 counties.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: He called. They answered. Joining me now is CNN political commentator and former Obama administration official Van Jones, former DHS deputy secretary for the Trump administration, Ken Cuccinelli, and senior political correspondent for Puck, Tara Palmeri.
Nice to see all of you here on this Friday night in what a week it has been. Let me begin with you, Ken. Trump falsely claiming that there is no money for disaster relief, and the reason is because the money has gone to help migrants. That's not true. Why make those claims?
KEN CUCCINELLI, FORMER DEPUTY SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY: So that's, of course, not a question, that's a statement. And you're not entirely correct. The fact is that we moved money around within DHS all the time.
[23:05:00]
In the Trump DHS, money got moved to enforce immigration. In the Biden-Harris DHS, it has been moved to finance illegal immigration, and a lot of that money, including through FEMA, has gone to illegal immigrants. We didn't -- and by the way, under the Trump administration while I was there, FEMA money didn't go for enforcement either. FEMA money stayed in FEMA to be prepared to respond to situations like this.
And you are right about North Carolina. It's interesting that the responses are different in different states, but the combined state federal response in North Carolina is the worst I've seen since Katrina. And yet in other states right now, it's not that bad, it's much better. Uh, this is a very serious situation. And as, uh, David Axelrod said earlier, I believe it was today, that this could have an impact on the election based on where the impacts are. The basics --
COATES: Well, Ken --
CUCCINELLI: -- aren't being fixed. They aren't being done quickly. And the -- and an election isn't a basic, it's a level above that. So, until the basics are back in place, it's awfully hard to see this election coming off smoothly here.
COATES: I hear your comments. FEMA, of course, refutes your statements. And Van, I see you shaking your head.
(CROSSTALK)
They what?
CUCCINELLI: Sorry, you --
COATES: Are you and I going to -- oh, I thought you and I were going to have a battle of semantics. We're not, right? Okay, Van, let's go to you for this point here because, obviously, there is going to be an appropriation of aid according to where the states need it most and what's happening. But you were shaking your head during what Ken Cuccinelli had to say about the allocation of resources since Katrina and using the political backdrop. What's your response?
VAN JONES, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, yeah, I certainly respect Ken's service to our country, but I just see it completely differently. First of all, I would take the word of the people on the ground, including Republican governors, who are not saying any of the things that you're saying. Republican governors have actually been praising the Biden administration and praising FEMA for moving and doing a good job. Thank you for putting it up.
This is not -- this is coming from the people who have any responsibility today. People who have responsibility today are working hard, and they're getting support from the government.
The reality is it has been the Republicans in Congress, unfortunately, who have been unwilling to fully fund FEMA. FEMA has been saying all year that they will need more money. They will need more money because we're having more storms, because we're having more disasters, and those disasters are getting bigger and it costs more money.
Now, I don't know what Marjorie Taylor Greene is talking about. Maybe she thinks the Jewish space lasers are changing the weather, but I'll leave that to her. But FEMA does need more money, but the money they need should be appropriated by Congress. It's not being given to immigrants.
And I'm very, very concerned here because when people are hurt, when people are scared, you want good leadership to have people turn to each other and not on each other. What's happening right now is some Republicans, not the ones who have responsibility, but others, are really interested in having people turn on each other, turn against immigrants, turn against newcomers, as opposed to doing what people on the ground are doing, which is turning to each other to help.
I would really encourage Republicans who do not have any responsibility right now to follow the ones that do.
COATES: Well, let me ask you, Tara, I want to bring you in to the conversation because there are a lot of lies, a lot of rumors, they're swirling around right now on social media, that both so state and federal officials have launched websites to debunk these claims. I mean, that's what they're having to do --
JONES: Wasting money. Wasting money and wasting time.
COATES: -- to try to debunk the claims. And Republican North Carolina State Senator Kevin Corbin posted, well, an exasperated plea on Facebook, saying, "Will you all help stop this conspiracy theory junk that is floating all over Facebook and the internet about the floods." He's talking about Western North Carolina. "FEMA is stealing money from donations, body bags ordered but government has denied, bodies not being buried. It is just a distraction to people trying to do their job." Does this confusion and this sort of backdrop actually help the campaign for Donald Trump or society generally?
TARA PALMERI, SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, PUCK: It's not good for society, but he's obviously weaponizing this time of desperation. People feel like there is a lack of funds, perhaps leadership. They're in one of these dire moments and they are, obviously, seeking leadership. So, any sort of, you know, confusion, questions about the authorities and what they're able to do is going to make them look towards other leadership.
So, of course, Donald Trump is trying to fill that void and create the impression that the current government in which Kamala Harris is currently associated with is not doing a good enough job. So, he's using this moment of crisis to essentially, you know, propel his campaign forward. And you have the government agencies having to dispel this but, of course, it's ending up in the Twitter sphere, like you mentioned, Reddit.
[23:10:00]
And often, that's where people go for information rather than government agencies because he has so much distrust with the experts, the media, and the authorities. So, people look to the comment section, to Reddit.
COATES: Well, you know, obviously, immigration, as we all know, is a big issue for people at the polls, likely not bigger than the economy more broadly, which, you know, Carville will always say it's the economy, stupid. And there was a surprisingly good jobs report. Employers are still adding lots of jobs. Wages are going up. Inflation is still too high.
But Harris has a story to tell on the economy. And I'm wondering, Ken, let me go to you on this, do you think that she, her message, it will be persuasive to the voters?
CUCCINELLI: Well, no. In the last few weeks, you've seen proposals like price controls and, frankly, they took an incredibly long time to roll out any policies at all. And her attempts to separate herself from the Biden-Harris performance and -- you can say what you want about last month's numbers. They downgraded the previous years by a million jobs, a million jobs. So, that's not really a credible measure any longer.
And people can ask the simple question and none of -- nobody can spin it. Are you better off than you were four years ago? And the strong feeling, and we see it in polling regularly, rolls in around two to one the other way.
And so, if she can't separate herself from the economic record of this administration before voting really gets going, she's going to have a serious problem.
And I don't see last month's jobs report particularly so close on the heels of having to write down a million jobs from the year before as doing the job, to use the same word again, on the economy.
COATES: Well, Van, I wonder your take on this because I always think about those two data points. Are you better off now than you were four years ago? But it presumes we live in a vacuum and that the intervening years would have had no impact whatsoever on how the economy would fluctuate. What do you say to the idea of that being the singular data point?
JONES: Well, I'm sorry, four years ago, we were stuck indoors hoarding toilet paper and we couldn't send our kids to school. So, I don't know what you're talking about. We're definitely better off than we were four years ago. And also, it is definitely -- you know, Donald Trump inherited a great economy from Barack Obama, slowed it down. We had a manufacturing recession under him, and then tanked the economy under COVID. So, we can argue back and forth.
But I think where Ken is right is that people don't trust these numbers. They don't care about these numbers. These reports are good for political elites like us, of ordinary people who are looking around trying to see, am I -- do I have any hope, do I feel any better, and do I think any of these leaders are going to help me.
I think Kamala Harris has done a good job of beginning to make the case. But, as you have to remember, she has only been running for president for a couple months here. Donald Trump has been running for president for 10 years and still can't tell you what he's going to do on healthcare.
And so, what I think Kamala Harris has done, when she makes the case that she's going to do something concrete on housing, not blaming immigrants for the housing crisis, but something concrete, I think that helps. If she makes a case that she's going to get more loans to small businesses, I think that helps.
But this week, nobody pay attention. She came out. She finally sounded like a Silicon Valley innovation first Democrat, which is what she is from our home state, from California, and talked about crypto, talked about innovation. She kind of let Donald Trump steal the march on her on that issue from her for a minute. She has now caught back up on that.
Look, she's got to make that case brick by brick by brick. I don't think these reports mean a lot to ordinary people, but I think real plans from a real leader like Kamala Harris do.
COATES: Perfect segue to my next conversation. Van, Ken, Tara, thank you all so much.
CUCCINELLI: Good to be with you.
COATES: Well, Donald Trump, tomorrow, will return to the place where he nearly lost his life. I'm talking about Butler, Pennsylvania, the site of the first of two assassination attempts just in the last couple months. He'll be holding a high-profile campaign rally there, and one guest of note, hence to segue, billionaire Elon Musk. Now, Elon Musk endorsed Trump minutes after that shooting, you recall, and in recent months has become a key figure in boosting Trump's campaign.
I want to bring New York Times reporter Teddy Schleifer into the conversation. Teddy, glad you're here. I mean, look, Elon Musk has taken a pretty big role in politics. He seems to have Trump's ear --
THEODORE SCHLEIFER, REPORTER, NEW YORK TIMES: Yeah.
COATES: -- and Trump seems to enjoy that as well. What about his influence on the election? What is the impact and the optics of him going there at this time?
SCHLEIFER: Well, it's -- you'd forget, given how much Elon Musk tweets about Donald Trump. But Elon Musk has not been in a frame with Donald Trump for a photograph this entire campaign. Elon Musk --
COATES: That's right.
SCHLEIFER: -- did not attend the Republican National Convention.
[23:15:00]
There was some speculation about Elon possibly speaking there. Elon has not attended. As far as we know, has never attended a Trump rally at all. You know, 2016, 2020, 2024, this is his, you know, first experience being like just any reporter or any Trump superfan who attends a rally and gets to see it up close. You know, I wonder whether or not Elon will speak. I could see that happening.
You know, clearly, he has enormous influence with Trump, who's a person who he didn't really know personally at all 12 months ago. Now, they text. Obviously, Elon, as we might talk about, is spending a ton of money behind the scenes to help. He's not only the world's richest person, you could argue he's the most important donor in this entire election. And now, he's front and center on kind of a pretty seminal moment in the campaign where Trump is visiting this tragic site.
COATES: And yet he's very controversial. So, I mean, the idea of having the influence and the outsize --
SCHLEIFER: Yeah.
COATES: -- people also know a great deal about him and he can be mercurial. He can be, obviously, unpredictable. I wonder what will happen tomorrow. But there was an announcement today that had eyebrows raising and then tongues wagging, and that was when Trump announced on Truth Social today that he had a huge endorsement.
SCHLEIFER: He said it was JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon. Turns out, though, that's not true. And CNN is reporting that Dimon has no plans to endorse anyone. We've seen this before with kind of a Taylor Swift vibe. She came out to say, uh-uh, and then she followed up with her endorsement in a different direction. Why would Trump run with this?
SCHLEIFER: I don't necessarily even know if Trump really thought this was true. To me --
COATES: Well, that's even scarier then.
SCHLEIFER: I was going to say, to me, the big takeaway from this is not whether or not Jamie Dimon endorsed Donald Trump or not. I don't think any voter in Pennsylvania is waiting for the JPMorgan CEO to sway their vote, but like Trump clearly was presented with information, probably through social media.
If you sort of look at the way the Dimon endorsement on Truth Social was rolled out, so to speak, that Jamie Dimon had endorsed him and Trump pressed send on Truth Social and blasted that out to, you know, tons of people, and then, of course, he had to know that within minutes, Jamie Dimon and JPMorgan, who have a very highly paid communication shop, would disabuse the public of this notion that he endorsed, but like Trump clearly did it, anyway, right?
And it just shows like -- to me, the big takeaway here is it sort of shows the information ecosystem that we saw during four years of the Trump presidency where, you know, random people are showing him half true things from right wing websites. And, you know, it would be a big deal if there was just kind of a crank who, you know, was fed, you know, bad info. But he was the president of the United States. He could then broadcast that info --
COATES: Uh-hmm.
SCHLEIFER: -- to hundreds of millions of people who follow him every day on the internet, not unlike Elon Musk does, you know --
COATES: Right.
SCHLEIFFER: So, I don't know whether he really thought this is true or not, but it just sorts of shows, I think, the information ecosystem that surrounds Trump that he thought it was true and told a bunch of people.
COATES: Well, he said, you know, I don't know anything about it. Somebody put it up, was his statement, despite knowing that it was false.
SCHLEIFER: Yeah.
COATES: And, of course, it almost follows that logic of it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission. But there's an advantage to that when you can't un-ring the bell, when he has to then come out and say, no, I'm not.
SCHLEIFFER: Right.
COATES: And you can spin that later to suggest, oh, you've changed your mind. I mean, it's one of those lose, lose for the person who is said to have endorsed.
SCHLEIFFER: And, in fact, he did this with Jamie Dimon even with -- earlier this year with regard to whether or not Jamie Dimon would be Trump's treasury secretary.
COATES: Yes.
SCHLEIFFER: At one point, Trump said, Jamie Dimon, we're thinking about him to be treasury secretary, and then, you know, mere moments later, walked it back. Look, I mean, clearly, I don't know if Jamie Dimon is the most important person, but I think this is a reflective window into sort of how Trump thinks and makes decisions.
COATES: Fool me once. Teddy Schleiffer, thank you so much. Look, Kamala Harris is campaigning in Flint, Michigan, courting a very important group there, Muslim and Arab voters. Will they show up for her in November? That's the question. Well, filmmaker and Flint native Michael Moore, he may have an idea, and maybe a little bit of a warning for Harris. He joins me in just a moment.
And later, an interview you don't want to miss. NBA star Jimmy Butler gets deep about being a family man in the upcoming series, "Starting 5."
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[23:20:00]
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COATES: Well, tonight, Vice President Kamala Harris trying to shore up support among Arab American voters. A campaign official says Harris met with community members during her trip to Flint, Michigan, expressing concern about the crisis in Gaza and calling for a path toward self-determination for the Palestinian people. She also called to free the hostages kidnapped by Hamas and to keep Israel secure.
There's a really big reason that Harris held this meeting in Michigan. It's home to almost 400,000 Arab Americans. More than 200,000 are registered to vote. And the Midwest battleground state will likely come down to the very tip-top wire. Biden won Michigan by about 150,000 votes back in 2020. And the polls right now show that Harris and Donald Trump are tied. This was just about a month to go before Election Day. And on the campaign trail, protesters are pressuring Harris to do a lot more to stop the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN: We got to keep running now!
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm here because we believe in democracy. Everyone's voice matters. But I am speaking now. You know what? If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I'm speaking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: My next guest is an outspoken critic of the Biden administration's response to the war in Gaza, but also a staunch supporter of Harris, Oscar-winning filmmaker, host of "The Michael Moore" podcast, and native of Flint, Michigan, Michael Moore. Michael, good to see you tonight. This is a very important home stretch for these candidates. And you've got a new poll that found that nationally, nationally, Arab Americans are evenly split between Harris and Trump, give or take a percentage point. Do you think that this meeting between Harris and Arab American leaders will do enough to satisfy critics and push her ahead?
[23:25:03]
MICHAEL MOORE, OSCAR-WINNING FILMMAKER: No. I wish it would. But we'll have to wait and see what happens with the meeting after, now that it's over, it happened today. You know, those of us in Michigan, we care very, very much for our Arab and Muslim neighbors. We grew up with them. It's a strong community. It has done a lot for our state.
That 150,000 out of 200,000 registered voters, that voted for Biden and Harris in 2020. That 150,000 now is, I think, well, it was 66%, Harris and Biden got in 2020, 66% of the Arab vote in Michigan. The last poll when Biden was running, it had dropped to 12%, 12% that were going to vote for Biden.
COATES: Hmm.
MOORE: But the thing was that Trump got a third of the vote in 2020. He got about 30% roughly of the Arab voting in Michigan. And in this past May, he was still at 30%. So, even though people were very upset at Biden, they were not going to vote for Trump.
COATES: Uh-hmm.
MOORE: That's clear. And I think that will remain clear. It will not -- that won't happen. But, you know, I don't understand. I just -- God, I just -- I think there are so many people in Michigan, especially I'm talking about Arab Americans and Muslim Americans, who've lost people in this war. I mean, it seems like -- I hear from so many people, they know somebody who has died, killed by our bombs, our funding of this war. And the majority of Americans don't want this war. The majority of Americans want to ceasefire, as does Kamala Harris.
And I think my feeling about -- you know, I'm not on the inside of the White House.
COATES: Sure.
MOORE: Everything I have heard is that she has made her feelings known. This war has to end. There has to be a ceasefire. And the people of Israel have a right to their -- you know, to be protected and not killed themselves. So, it's -- it's -- I think, listen --
COATES: Describing it is unbelievable, to think about all that you've just been trying to unpack. And I hear --
MOORE: Yeah.
COATES: -- just the difficulty in trying to even -- MOORE: Yeah.
COATES: -- surmise all that is at stake and all the different angles and to try to summarize the pain that is being experienced --
MOORE: Correct. I know --
COATES: -- exponentially every single day. It's difficult to do --
MOORE: Laura?
MOORE: Go ahead.
MOORE: No, I just -- yes. Thank you. You summed that up very well. There's a lot of pain in the state of Michigan and we care deeply about our Arab and Muslim neighbors. But I also think, and maybe this is just I've taken too much opium today --
(LAUGHTER)
-- but I really believe, I really truly believe the fact that she would not sit on the dais there in Congress. When Netanyahu gave that speech, full of vitriol, awful speech, she wouldn't show up. She went to a sorority meeting instead. And I thought, wow. And he didn't like that. And the next day, he made a beeline down to Mar-a-Lago to go and meet with the American BB. So --
COATES: How do you think -- Michael, how do you think that would have translated to the Arab Americans and Muslim Americans in Michigan, her absence while she attended a significant convention?
MOORE: I think it's -- I think a lot of them have the same kind of hope that I have with her, that we trust her heart, that she'll do the right thing. And that has shown in the polling in Michigan, that 12% that Biden had sunk to with the Arab vote in Michigan. The last poll I saw from last week in Michigan, it was 42%. It had gone up from 12% for Biden to 42% for Harris.
COATES: Well, Michael, let me ask you about that.
MOORE: Yeah.
COATES: Well, I'm thinking of that direction. And speaking of directions, frankly, you actually warned that Harris could hurt her chances if she drops her progressive positions in exchange for moving to the center. Liz Cheney has endorsed her and a full-throated one at that. Do you think that endorsement and similar moves turn off the type of voters that she's trying to court? Should she heed your warning?
MOORE: Well, no. Getting Liz Cheney's vote, first of all, I'm pretty sure that Dick Cheney, he also endorsed her.
COATES: Uh-hmm.
MOORE: Didn't require that she invade a country like he did with Bush. That had nothing to do with 9-11. I don't think that she's -- I think that -- look, she is a politician. She's going to take anybody. Anybody says, I want to vote for you. What do you say to them? I don't want your vote. It was just like -- no, that's all a good thing. No problem.
[23:30:00]
I have -- I personally don't have a problem with that because I've met her -- I've met her, I don't know, two or three times. Uh, I've met her husband. I happen to be seating next -- seated next to her in a restaurant, uh --
COATES: You mean, Cheney?
MOORE: -- one night. No, I'm talking about Kamala Harris --
COATES: Harris. Okay.
MOORE: -- and her husband, Doug Emhoff, and they had their, his daughter, her stepdaughter there. And it was a wonderful discussion. I could see -- I didn't know anything about this mamala thing back then, but I could see how much she loved him, his kids. These are good people. These are very good people.
And I think that she will do the right thing. I may have to eat this tiger's hat long before the playoffs are over. I don't think so, though. I think that she is going to do the right thing. I don't think she likes all this slaughter. She hates the idea of civilians being killed. She does not approve of starvation as a war, as a weapon of war, which is what's going on, you know.
And people like me -- I mean, we're not -- it's not so much criticism as it is as we're trying to save Palestinian lives right now, and it's my tax dollars and our bombs that are killing them, and I can't have that on my conscience. So, I think, you know, that's why I want to be very clear about this, but I also believe that we've got our best chance with her, certainly better than with Biden, who has not been able to control Netanyahu.
And I think when she walked out of that meeting, she did have, finally the next day, a private meeting with Netanyahu. Somebody should roll that tape of her walking out of that meeting dressed in all black and the look on her face. And then the look on his face when he came out, he was not happy. And I thought, yeah, you're not happy.
COATES: To be a fly on the wall.
MOORE: Yeah, to be a fly on the wall. I'm guessing, though, because she's a person of conscience. And she's not in charge now. She can't control the war right now.
COATES: Well --
MOORE: But I think everything she says is true. She will make sure that people of Israel are protected and, hopefully, we'll get the hostages released. But most importantly right now, stop the killing. COATES: We will see.
MOORE: And I know, I got to believe that's where she's at with this. Yes, I hope so.
COATES: Michael Moore, we will see in the next 30 or so days what the voters of Michigan and other states believe as well. Thank you so much for joining us and sharing your views tonight.
MOORE: Thank you for having me. I appreciate it.
COATES: It was a murder case that gripped the entire nation. You know, now, it's getting another look. Prosecutors now reviewing evidence in the 1996 murder conviction of the Menendez brothers. The man who found that evidence is my guest, next.
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[23:35:00]
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COATES: A case that gripped the nation decades ago is back in the spotlight tonight. Prosecutors in Los Angeles are reviewing new evidence in the Menendez brothers murder case. Why? To determine whether they should have their life sentences overturned.
Remember that Erik and Lyle Menendez were convicted in 1996 for murdering their wealthy parents, Jose and Kitty, at their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989. The L.A. County D.A. says there's no question they committed the murders. But his office will determine if that new evidence warrants a resentencing for those crimes.
At the core of all of this? A letter written by Erik Menendez before the killings. His attorneys say that it corroborates allegations that he was sexually abused by his father. There's also a signed declaration from a member of the band Menudo who says that he was also molested by Jose Menendez.
Back when this trial happened, the defense argued the Menendez brothers feared their parents were about to kill them because they were going to expose their father's abuse. Prosecutors claimed they wanted their parents' multi-million- dollar estate. The D.A. says he believes that the topic of sexual assault would have been treated with more sensitivity if the case had been happening today. A new hearing now has been scheduled for November 29th.
Well, joining me now, Robert Rand, author who has been working on the story of Lyle and Erik Menendez for decades, and former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani. Gentlemen, thank you both for joining me.
Robert, I have to start with you. This case has been just spellbinding for so many reasons. You were the one that found the letter that -- which is now being used as evidence. Tell me about how you found it and how important you think it's going to be in their new case. ROBERT RAND, AUTHOR: Sure. Well, in March of 2018, I was on deadline for my original Menendez book. I have an updated edition that just came out September 10th. I was visiting with Marta Cano, Jose Menendez's sister, the aunt of Erik and Lyle Menendez. And her son, Andy Cano, sadly passed away from an accidental sleeping pill overdose in 2003. And I was spending a few days with Mrs. Cano. And she hadn't touched his bedroom since he passed away in 2003. And she told me, you know, there's a dresser full of Andy's papers, you may want to look through it, see if there's anything that might be helpful.
So, within 15 minutes, I found that letter. And I read it. It was a letter that Erik Menendez wrote to his cousin, Andy Cano, in November of 1988, about nine months before the killing of Jose Menendez. And as soon as I read it, I realized this could potentially be major evidence in the murder cases and possibly give the brothers a chance to reopen their case.
[23:40:01]
COATES: Hmm.
RAND: And the key paragraph is where Erik is complaining about the ongoing sexual abuse that was still going on when he was 17 years old, at the time he wrote this letter. And so, I immediately realized how important it was. I actually hand-carried it from Palm Beach to Cliff Gardner's Office. He was one of the appellate attorneys.
COATES: Yeah.
RAND: And, you know, at his office, he locked it safe. That's how I found the letter.
COATES: Neama, I mean, just hearing this and thinking what Robert has said, I mean, the D.A.'s office is saying that none of this new information has been confirmed. But, nonetheless, his office is looking into it. Now, if this evidence were to check out somehow, you think it would warrant a resentencing?
NEAMA RAHMANI, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR, PRESIDENT OF WEST COAST TRIAL LAWYERS: Laura, there's justice and there's a law. First, I have to tip my hat to Robert to finding this key piece of evidence. But, let's talk about the fair and just result, and I believe that Erik and Lyle were abused, and that they should be released.
The challenge they have is the law. They are arguing self-defense. And we know that using deadly force requires a threat of imminent bodily injury or death, and shooting your parents in the back of the head while they're watching T.V. and eating ice cream doesn't really qualify.
California is unique in that it has imperfect self-defense, which means that if you genuinely believe that you're at risk, even if it's unreasonable, it does reduce murder to manslaughter. And, of course, the brothers were convicted of first-degree murder, sentenced to life without the possibility of parole because they avoided the death penalty. But manslaughter under California generally carries a 10-year sentence, which means that reduction would get the brothers there.
COATES: Hmm.
RAHMANI: The challenge, though, is I don't necessarily think the brothers' actions fits within the four corners of that self-defense law. So, I think the other alternative is for District Attorney George Gascon, who's gotten a lot of pushback from being soft on crime, if he agrees to a resentencing in the interest of justice, I think that's the clearest path for the brothers or, of course, a pardon or Governor Newsom commuting their sentence.
COATES: This is -- this is but would be unbelievable to think of how much notoriety this case has received. I think about all the other cases that do not have a level of notoriety that might have a similar defense. But Robert, I understand that you are in regular contact with the brothers. What is their mood now that their case is being reviewed?
RAND: Well, they are cautiously optimistic that something might happen, but they are also resolved to living the rest of their lives in prison, so they become very valuable members of their inmate community. They are on leading classes, they are counseling other abuse survivors. And actually, Lyle just got his BA degree from UC Irvine in the first class of a program that started in prison, and Eric is working on his college degree.
COATES: Wow. Robert, what you've done in terms of furthering this investigation is really astounding. We'll follow this case very closely. Robert Rand, Neama Rahmani, thank you both so much.
RAHMANI: Thanks, Laura.
RAND: You're welcome.
COATES: Well, ahead, he's an NBA all-star, a prankster, a businessman, and the star of a new Netflix series who also drinks an insane amount of cappuccinos every single day. The Miami Heats' Jimmy Butler is our special Friday night guest, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COATES: To be a superstar in the NBA, and I do mean superstar, you have to be able to play. There's no doubt about that. But in the modern game, you have to be entertaining as well. Well, Heat forward Jimmy Butler, he understands that assignment.
For the last two seasons, Butler has shown up to Heat Media Day with some interesting looks. I mean, he put extensions in to make it look like he had long dreads back in 2022. Then last year, we all remember this one, he sported the emo look, full with some fake piercings.
With the NBA season right around the corner, fans were eagerly awaiting his latest look, which is why many were disappointed when they saw this on Monday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY BUTLER, NBA PLAYER: I don't know what I had planned, but all my plans went to complete and utter not my way because of what has transpired. But I'm here. Normal hair, no shenanigans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: No shenanigans is a new Jimmy Butler or more serious Jimmy Butler or just the same great Jimmy Butler? Let's ask the man himself. Jimmy Butler joins me now. He's being featured in his new Netflix series, "Starting 5," along with LeBron James, Anthony Edwards, Domantas Sabonis, and Jayson Tatum.
Jimmy, so great to see you tonight. I want to get the Netflix series, but I got to ask you, why no media day look this year?
BUTLER: I got stuck in a foreign country, so I didn't have time to do my hair, yeah. I was disappointed myself. I'm sorry I let all my fans down.
(LAUGHTER)
I promise to do something with my hair. I promise you, I will do something with it, though.
COATES: What was the look going to be had you had time?
BUTLER: Now, if I was to tell you right now, it wouldn't be a surprise for when it happens. So, I cannot tell you. I wish that I could, but I just can't do it.
COATES: I mean, how about a Laura Coates bob? I'm just saying you can have a little swing action. That's fine. I mean, no, no pressure. That's fine. Do what you want to do.
(LAUGHTER)
BUTLER: I will do a multiple choice on my Instagram and the bob will be one of them.
COATES: All right. Well, there you go. Well, let's talk about "Starting 5" instead now. The cameras followed you around through the last season really in a pretty intimate way. And I want to play a clip for the audience from the trailer. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN (voice-over): It's like I'm living a dream.
UNKNOWN: Surprised at myself at this point.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): It might be a game for you, but this is like my life.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Broken in my world.
[23:50:00]
UNKNOWN: It's hectic, but I don't think nobody can stop me.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): And good night!
UNKNOWN: I'm like a king of all trades. I think that's what the saying is. The Black king of all trades.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): I am the best, that is a statement.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): It's the exclamation point!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: People are so excited about this. Exclamation point, exclamation point. What are the fans going to get out of all this?
BUTLER: A lot. They get to really know who we are as people. You really get to see like the perfected version whenever you watch us on T.V. and we're going up and down a basketball court. But the behind the scenes of how we are as human beings, as fathers, as friends, as brothers, as sons, all that good stuff, I think that's what's really keyed in upon in the series.
COATES: That's got to be on the one hand really easy because that's who you are. You know, you know you're this whole person, not just who we see on game day, but also can be very vulnerable to let people into that part of your life. I mean, you're a family man, you have a daughter. What was it like to show people the rest of your story?
BUTLER: It was different. It's something that I haven't done before in a sense of this is the first time that people get to see my children because nobody knows what my kids look like. And I've done a great job of protecting them. And I love my kids, and I'm so very proud of them. I think that's the proudest that I've ever been of. My kids, not my career, not anything else that I've done. That I've been able to raise these beautiful, little human beings. So, they get to see that part of me.
And everything that transpired in the past year was documented. The good, the bad, all the emotions. The emo Jimmy was real. And, um, I was very emotional last year.
COATES: I got to ask you about what we've been watching in terms of the whole person. We see this play out a lot in the WNBA when there had been a lot of people who were leaning in some for the first time in a league that you have been supportive of throughout your career. And I do wonder, when you look at and see the focus on your fellow league, what has gone through your mind this year as you see it grow, as you see the attention on the individual players?
BUTLER: I love it. I have a daughter, so this could be my daughter one of these days. I pray that that's my daughter one of these days. And I just know how much women can do in sports and how entertaining that them going out there and hustling and being super talented. That is and fun for me to watch, fun for me to learn from in the same way.
I learned how to deal with my emotion way better because of women. I learned how to do so many things better on the floor because of women. I show my daughter tons of women's highlights of what it takes to be a pro, what it's like to be a role model. So, they teach me so much, they teach my daughter so much, and I'm grateful. Very, very, very grateful.
COATES: I love hearing that. The hashtag girl dad is quite apparent. But you know what? To do all that you do, you must have more than 24 hours in the day or you might have a secret recipe. And I hear that one of your many passions is coffee, that you really love coffee. I mean, you drink something like six to seven cappuccinos a day and you have your own coffee brand called Big Face. What? More than that? How?
BUTLER: Yeah.
COATES: More than --
BUTLER: Six to seven (INAUDIBLE) before I eat. That's before noon. I got early mornings, late evenings, kids running around. And I actually love coffee. It gives me the opportunity to talk to so many different people at a coffee shop. Going there, I get to be myself. I don't have to be an NBA player while I'm in there. Sometimes, I am, though.
I've got an incredible team that's helping me whenever I'm out, you know, playing this basketball, when I'm out playing basketball. They're helping me grow this thing to where I want it to be. So, after my career, whenever you all come and catch me in California or in Miami, I'll be in my coffee shop doing my latte art.
COATES: Oh, wait, you did a little leaf, the heart, what are you doing on the top? You did a latte art? You can do that?
BUTLER: Yeah. I'm getting there. I can do it, but not at the level that I want to be able to do it.
COATES: Oh, my gosh. Well, if the level you play is where you're striving for the level of perfection in the latte art, I don't even know what to expect. But Jimmy, I have to tell you, in the spirit of you being vulnerable and showing your children, I got to tell you, my son is a huge fan of yours, and he begged me to stay up late so he could ask you a question. Are you game for hearing him?
BUTLER: Of course.
COATES: All right. Adrian, what's your question?
ADRIAN, SON OF LAURA COATES: Hey, Jimmy.
BUTLER: What's up?
ADRIAN: I play saxophone, play basketball. I like writing. I wanted to ask you, how do you juggle all your priorities, like, with your basketball and your coffee business? How do you do that?
BUTLER: It's not always easy, but you always make time what you want to make time for.
[23:55:02]
ADRIAN: Really good advice. I will take it to heart. That was amazing. I'm going to really think about it. Thank you.
COATES: Okay, I'm dying right now, and I might cry. Jimmy Butler, thank you so much.
(LAUGHTER)
Don't forget, listen to your mother. That was his silent advice he gave you. Listen to mommy. Right?
BUTLER: Yeah.
ADRIAN: Yes. mom.
BUTLER: Listen, eat your vegetables, all of that good stuff. Go to sleep one time.
COATES: He must be a father. You heard it here. Jimmy Butler, thank you so much. I cannot wait for everyone to see "Starting 5." It debuts on Netflix on October 9th. And here's to the coffee business, my friend.
BUTLER: All right, cheers.
COATES: Thanks for watching. "Anderson Cooper 360" is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
