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CUOMO PRIME TIME

D.C. Episcopal Bishop Denounces Trump Photo-Op At Church After Peaceful Protesters Were Tear-Gassed; Keith Ellison On Trump's Call To "Dominate" Protesters; 7th Night Of Protests As Trump Threatens Military Crackdown. Aired 9-10p ET

Aired June 1, 2020 - 21:00   ET

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


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ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, ANDERSON COOPER 360: Yes, justice. Magic Johnson, thank you. Appreciate it.

JOHNSON: Thank you, Anderson.

COOPER: The news continues. Want to hand it over to Chris for CUOMO PRIME TIME. Chris?

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN HOST, CUOMO PRIME TIME: Really important conversation, Anderson, thank you very much. Let's continue Anderson's conversation that it should be going on all over this country.

Welcome. I am Chris Cuomo and this is PRIME TIME.

George Floyd, as you may know, was killed one week ago today. Tonight, I fear what's happening, may make everything worse.

If you want to see this country get to a better place, you can't just watch the coverage. You are not going to be led to a better place. I hope that is something you're aware of now and that it's not frightening.

Everything that matters most in this country has always been bottom- up, whether it's the pandemic, whether it's how we treat one another, whether how we demand justice and fairness from our institutions.

Our President tonight treated those who want change as the enemy. He gave a speech about what's going on, and never mentioned the problem of police abuse, the abuse of force that started this.

He never mentioned the problems that minorities face, during this period of social unrest, during this pandemic and beyond. He said he was an ally to protesters, and at the exact same time, he had officers forcing out peaceful protesters right across from where he was.

You can see it. I want you to watch, and watch this line advance and move these people out in a way that we didn't see last night. Peaceful protesters, OK, and you check anywhere you want, these were peaceful protesters.

He said he was an ally. It was all captured live. So, he was lying in real time. As he was saying something, the opposite was being demonstrated. He was literally doing the worst to the people he said he supported.

But the reason I have such fear tonight that if we don't all come together, we're going to have worse days ahead, is why he did what he did.

He had them cleared out, so he could do this, so he could walk to where the protesters were in front of St. John's Episcopal Church over there in Lafayette Park, and lift a Bible.

I don't know why. He certainly wasn't taking any oath. He didn't open it. He didn't read from it. He didn't even go into the church. He really didn't say anything.

I mean, if I were to pop the sound right now--

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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: --coming back, it's coming back strong. It will be greater than ever before.

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CUOMO: So, why didn't he go in? Maybe he stayed outside because what happens inside that Church, especially, is much more and better identified with the people he had chased away from in front of it than what he is about.

Google the history of St. John's Episcopal Church. It's been there since the early 1800s. I think it was President Madison staked money for its founding.

It has always been about addressing the needs of the local community, especially social justice. It supports activities to help the people who need it. It doesn't refer to those seeking justice as "Thugs."

It's making masks right now for the pandemic. It doesn't pretend there is no pandemic problem. And it preaches inside that building, that church, that you must live what is in the Good Book.

Holding it in your hand, if you don't hold its message of loving mercy in your heart, is an empty gesture by an empty suit.

Even the Bishop of that Church is appalled. Here is Reverend Mariann Budde on CNN just moments ago.

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BISHOP MARIANN EDGAR BUDDE, EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF WASHINGTON: Let me be clear.

The President just used a Bible, the most sacred text of the Judeo- Christian tradition, and one of the churches of my diocese, without permission, as a backdrop for a message antithetical to the teachings of Jesus and everything that our churches stand for. And to do so, as you just said, he sanctioned the use of teargas, by

police officers in riot gear, to clear the church guard, I am outraged.

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CUOMO: Just look at that image of him, standing in front of a church, holding a Bible. He's basically saying, "Hey, all you evangelicals, I'm your guy. Law and order, it's all in the book, they tell me."

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What this President wants this to become about, at a time when leaders need to regain trust, right, that's what's missing right now, how do they gain trust? You speak truth, and you show steps that are being taken to get to a better place. Talk's not enough.

Trump wants to make this a battle of might makes right. He asked governors to dominate protesters. He literally said, "Listen, this is a Movement. And if you don't show force, it will grow."

He's half-right. Demanding justice and the full freedoms of the liberty that is a God-given right in this country, that is a Movement. And it is one that he should be leading. But he is wrong about force.

America does not go for harsh strength. Not for long. If you try to beat back people, in all these cities, you're going to have them joined by many, many more, even in a pandemic that is keeping a lot of people home for now.

That's what happened just tonight. I find it to be the most frightening sequence of events since Mr. Floyd was murdered. The question now is how will the nation react? We'll watch together.

Little bit of a different night tonight, more curfews going into effect nationwide. One in Los Angeles just began, as we speak, so has Atlanta's. Two hours from now, New York has a new curfew, 11:00 P.M. That goes into effect.

We'll be working two shifts tonight. I'll do this show now, and then we'll be on from midnight to 2:00.

New York has a bigger police presence. 8,000 officers are there.

Curfews, you're going to see in spots all across the country. Do they work? I don't know. It really depends on the time, place, and manner of their enforcement. We'll watch.

But we have something bigger than just watching the events unfold. We have somebody who's going to be key to the future of this situation, the Lead Prosecutor on the Floyd case.

One man is in charge of all the cases to come, and overseeing them, OK? It's not the Hennepin County Prosecutor.

It's going to be the Attorney General of the State of Minnesota, and we have him with us tonight, OK? Attorney General Ellison is here to talk about what's going on and what Keith Ellison believes will happen.

But let's state that we're going to look all over the country, but let's start with where this started. CNN's Sara Sidner is in Minnesota.

Today marks seven days since his death. I believe you are situated near the scene of where this all unfolded. You were explaining to me, last night, this place is being treated solemnly in the community. They don't bring the noise and the anger and hostility there. They keep it sacrosanct, at least for now.

What's it like at this time?

SARA SIDNER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely a place of peace, a place of reflection, a place to remember, a place to honor, all of that for the Floyd family, and also for the neighborhood.

This place hasn't been destroyed. Yes, boards are up, but nothing has happened here to any of these buildings. What has happened are incredible scenes of solidarity.

We watched as Terrence Floyd, one of the brothers of George Floyd, showed up for the very first time, Chris, today, to the scene where his brother died, was killed. And he showed up, and as soon as he got to the mural that shows George Floyd, he broke down in the arms of the friends that brought him here.

He walked to the side of the store, the Cub Foods store, where we saw Officer Derek Chauvin's knee pressed down on Floyd's neck for more than seven minutes, and he kneeled down, and he prayed.

And when he did, the hundreds of people that were here kneeled down with him. They kneeled down with him, and they prayed with him, and there wasn't a bit of noise. It was pin-drop silence in these streets, for five solid minutes, as they prayed.

And when they got back up, Terrence Floyd said, "I need to talk to some of the protesters out there. Do not do violence in our name. Stop it. You can't use this family for that.

You're destroying your own neighborhoods, your own places of business, the places that people go to eat. Stop it.

Instead, do something else, vote, and not just for a higher office, not just for political high office, like the presidency, vote for your local council folks, vote for your state folks, vote for your county folks."

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He was very clear that you cannot do violence in his name but that he understood. He understood people's rage. He understood it. He is a family member. He's like, "But don't use us like that." And he said that George Floyd, himself, would never have wanted to see the destruction that has gone on. Of course, he would never have wanted to be in the situation that he was in with those four officers.

And as we talked about last night, Chris, this was over a $20 counterfeit bill, 20 bucks. He lost his life--

CUOMO: Did the words of the President - did the--

SIDNER: --over 20 bucks.

CUOMO: Did the words of the President echo to that community yet tonight? Him not mentioning the issue that sparked all of this about the - the abuse of use of force by officers, that protester needs to be dominated, that he'll send in the military, have those words echoed?

SIDNER: It has not been missed.

And the reaction here is not one of rage. It's of disgust. People are disgusted with the idea that the military would be turned upon citizens of this country inside this country. It's disgust. That's what people feel.

But they have also, in part, ignored him, because there is also more information that has come out, while all of this was going on, just before the President spoke, about the autopsy, both from the pathologist, who the family hired, to look into the death of George Floyd, and the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's office.

Both of those pathologists said that a homicide had occurred. In other words, someone had killed him.

But they disagreed on exactly how he died, and what caused his death, one saying it was cardiopulmonary attack, and the other saying asphyxiation. And that was the family's pathologist, who said he believes that this was death by asphyxiation.

CUOMO: Right.

SIDNER: So, two very different methods of dying there, but homicide, he was killed. Both agreed that.

CUOMO: Right. And look, I think the distinction - the distinction between the two reports may make a difference in a prosecution, may not, depends on the charge, depends on the case.

SIDNER: Absolutely.

CUOMO: Depends on the other evidence. But one thing is for sure. Nobody there is going to accept any reckoning that what happened to George Floyd with those officers had nothing to do with why he died. That is eerily reminiscent--

SIDNER: Right. CUOMO: --of what happened with Eric Garner that it wasn't the choke that killed him. It was, you know, the state of his physical disrepair.

Sara Sidner, thank you. As you know, if there's something we need to see, or hear, you get in my ear. I'll come right back to you. Be safe and be your best.

SIDNER: We'll be here.

CUOMO: Thank you.

SIDNER: Thank you.

CUOMO: All right now, one officer has been charged. A big part of the outrage on the streets is not just about the actions of what happened with those officers and George Floyd, but the inaction afterwards.

Why did it take so long for that first officer to be arrested? Why aren't the other three in the same position? That is a big question. The charges against him, are they the best charges? Do they fully capture what this was about? Those are big questions.

And we have a very special guest tonight to discuss what happens with those other three. What does this case look like to him? What is justice? What do the autopsies mean?

The Head Prosecutor, the very center of it all, Minnesota's Attorney General, Keith Ellison, joins us next.

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CUOMO: All right, the latest news in terms of the prosecutions, or potential prosecutions, of all four officers involved in the death of George Floyd is that there are now two autopsies, regarding what killed him.

One conducted by an independent party, determined - that one determined that Floyd died of asphyxiation, in other words, from being - having his throat crushed by the officer's knee.

The officer - the other was conducted by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner, and they say it was a result of being restrained.

This, as the country is dealing with the actions, and inaction, both of which have been found intolerable.

These cases all will run through the Minnesota Attorney General, Keith Ellison. He is a longtime government worker. He was a Congressman. He is a social activist. And now, he is in the pole position of handling the administration of justice in this matter with national implications, and he joins us now.

Mr. Attorney General, it's good to see you.

KEITH ELLISON, (D) MINNESOTA ATTORNEY GENERAL, LEAD PROSECUTOR IN GEORGE FLOYD CASE: Good to see you, Chris, how are you?

CUOMO: I'm doing better than I deserve. And I - I know that this is the kind of position that you take very seriously, and that those who know you would say you've prepared a lifetime for.

Let's start national, and then get to your responsibility locally.

The President tonight, no mention of what the protests around this country are about. No mention of any problem with policing ever. No mention of any problems faced by minority communities in this country.

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He said that those who are doing anything other than peaceful protesting must be dominated, and that he will use the military, and that governors must crush this Movement, otherwise it will grow.

What does that mean to you as somebody who is in charge with keeping law and order, administration of justice, in the "Focus State" in the country right now?

ELLISON: You know, the attitude where you want to dominate someone, it's exactly what I believe is at the heart of so much of the problems between police and community.

That's really what is driving this conversation, a spirit of wanting to dominate someone. It's not helpful. It has gotten us into the problem that we're in now. And it would be my hope that the President would just stop it, and not - not really comment unless he can comment in a constructive way.

You know what?

CUOMO: What would be your advice, Mr. Attorney General, if he were to reach out to your State, depending on your reading of the Insurrection Act of 1807, used very rarely, as you know, I don't have to tell you, was used after Rodney King, though--

ELLISON: Right.

CUOMO: --with the riots in L.A. Do you think your State would accept that kind of help from the Federal Government? Would they want the military present?

ELLISON: You know, I would not offer a comment on that unless I talk to our Governor who is, you know, doing, I think, an excellent job in trying to exercise restraint and restore public order. It's a very delicate balance, as you know. And it's not easy.

He thinks it's easy because he's never actually had to do it, and he's never taken responsibility for his consequences of his actions. But our Governor is doing that.

I'm working closely with him to try to do all we can to restore public order, and make sure we preserve people's First Amendment right, to grieve, and to raise their voices, about what is clearly a historic and widespread problem, which is excessive force by police.

CUOMO: Do you believe that the people from the communities, who are protesting, are getting a little bit of a bad name for some of the violence, and the looting, and the destructiveness that is going on in some of these situations that is actually perpetrated or fomented by outside groups?

ELLISON: Well, I can assure you that the overwhelming number of people, absolutely, are there to raise the noble cause of liberty and justice for all, respect by law enforcement for all, racial justice and equality.

That's why folks are out there, and they're multi-racial, multi- community - multi-ethnic group.

Now, I have seen evidence of people who don't seem to have any connection with the protests. They're not wearing T-shirts. They're not wearing flags. They don't have chants that they're using. And they're going out between 1 o'clock and 3 o'clock in the morning, and are committing acts of arson and vandalism.

Now, that is happening. There's - there - you know, some of the protesters have actually confronted them, and photographed them doing it, and it's available.

And I think - so, I think that these folks are doing this to tarnish the reputation and the image of the protests. And I think that they want to create, in the public mind, the idea that this is all a bunch of bad folks, and - but it's not true.

The people who are raising their voices are trying to make this a better country, and I would just urge them to protect their protests. Take pictures of people, who are doing things that are going to divert the protests from what's real and legitimate and true aim.

CUOMO: The President is going out of his way to make a point that these are Left-wing organizations. The play for him is clear. He says "I don't see any Right-wing organizations."

He's basically ascribing ownership of fringe political movements to the Democrats, and Republican Party, and saying, "In this case, it's all your team, Mr. Attorney General. These are Democrat-affiliated groups doing all this destruction because you want to destroy America."

ELLISON: There's no factual basis to that. That - that is a political comment. It's not a factual comment, certainly not based on any investigation I've seen.

CUOMO: All right, now, to the investigations that you are looking at right now.

Big part of the frustration was the time between what was seen, and evident as, you know, textbook probable cause, in the videotape of the alleged murder, and apparent murder of George Floyd, but no arrest.

And, as you know, the communities that you're responsible for are filled with young Black men, who've been arrested on probable cause when there were no charges anywhere near ready to be filed, but not with these officers.

That is now an outstanding question with the other three officers. Do you expect them to be at least arrested on probable cause?

ELLISON: Well, let me tell you this. I got this case last night, right about this time. I've spent the last 24 hours, reviewing evidence in this matter, which I cannot ethically comment on, as a Prosecutor.

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And I can assure you, we are taking a fresh look, and we plan to hold everyone accountable, who is legally culpable. And that is what we're going to do. I am committed to equal justice for all. No special treatment for any, without fear or favor. That's what I have to do as a Prosecutor.

And so, while I am not ready to announce anything on the show tonight, Chris, I want to assure everybody that we are looking, very carefully, in holding everybody accountable, who failed to do their duty, below - and fell below the legal requirements of their position, or did something affirmatively that would be in violation of the law.

Already, these people have been fired. I know that that is not enough to restore faith, but what we're doing is looking at the charges, looking at the behavior. And when we are ready, and that won't be long from now, we plan on taking the proper and deliberate action.

CUOMO: The community, and really, you know, not to make it too heavy for you, Keith, but the country, is waiting to see what happens, and more importantly, how it is explained.

Minnesota Attorney General, Keith Ellison, we'll be watching. You always have this show as a platform to make your case to the American people.

ELLISON: Thank you, Chris.

CUOMO: All right. God bless and good luck going forward.

ELLISON: You, too, Sir. CUOMO: All right.

Change, all right, that is supposed to be the point of protests that we have been here too many times.

But as I was just talking with the A.G., and he told you he saw proof, and I've heard this now from leaders in every community, OK, the overwhelming is what you're seeing.

People who are angry, and have taken to the streets, who are hurt, and have taken to the streets, they are not all agitators. But there are agitators among them, OK? So, what do we do with that? The majority are voices that need to be heard.

And look, let's look at our country's own history, OK? If you don't get loud, and you don't get in the face of government, things do not change in this country. So, what is the path forward?

Senator Kamala Harris is focused on exactly that, her take on where the President is taking us, and where this country needs to go, next.

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CUOMO: All right, we're watching what's happening around the country, especially tonight with some new curfews being locked in.

Here, in New York City, there's going to be a curfew, effective in about an hour and a half at 11:00, but there's already action in New York City tonight. We have Shimon Prokupecz, who is out looking around.

You've seen some bad acts already, Shimon. Take us through it.

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME & JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: It is bad, Chris, and it's sad because what's now going on across New York City, we're in Union Square. Let me just try to show you, we've been pushed back by police here. There's a store there, a smoke shop.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): Looters have broken into the store. They threw a Citi Bike through that window. They then removed stuff, items, from the window. Police are actually up the block. This was all going on, as police were maybe even a half a block away.

They finally realized what was going on, and they were able to chase the group away.

But I want to show you something else, quickly, Chris.

PROKUPECZ: There's another store here, where they have been coming in and out of the store. It's this corner store here where the glass is all broken. It was actually boarded up. They got through the boards. They broke the glass here. And they've been in and out of the store.

I was standing here and several of the looters were walking in and out taking items out. There are no police officers here. It is 9:30. There's a curfew in an hour and a half.

It's almost as if these looters because, right, that's exactly what they are, are striking earlier because they know that there's a curfew coming. This is not the only location, Chris, this is happening.

We were on the Upper East Side, on 5th Avenue, and there was a - another store that we witnessed some of the looters breaking the window, using a hammer in one case, using a brick, in another case, to break through the glass.

And from what I understand, this is happening in other parts of the City, on the Upper East Side as well, high-end shops that are being targeted. So, this situation here clearly, as you said, Chris, is getting bad.

CUOMO: Is, to your - to your knowledge, were people calling the police? Were they made aware of the situations and deciding not to answer? There's some police right there.

PROKUPECZ: I don't - yes, there are - well police officers are just a block away, and we're also in Union Square. I know that the police have been trying to chase some of the looters around because where we were earlier, we could see the police trying to chase them down.

But they're, in some cases, as you - as we talked about last night, they're on bikes, and so they're able to get away.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): They also were at another location we were at, on 14th Street--

CUOMO: Yes.

PROKUPECZ: --where it was a Nordstrom. They also broke through the boarding there.

CUOMO: Right.

PROKUPECZ: I think we showed some video of that. And they were able to get in there.

So, this is going on now all across the City, you know, and it's just a situation that's - it's just really sad, when you think about, there were peaceful protests today, and now, this is what's happening here tonight, Chris.

CUOMO: Right. I mean, look, and again, everything has to be looked at through the lens of what the need is. You know, in some cases, is it just crime? Shimon, thank you, stay safe with the team. Come back to me when you see more.

Is it just crime? Is it just opportunism? Sometime, sometimes. Are some people broke, especially now with 40 million people out of the country, and is this about need and desperation? Sometimes.

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Is this about agitators, who come into these situations, who I've dealt with, on the street, in different cities, who are just malefactors? They're just up to no good. They serve no positive purpose. That's also true.

So, there's a lot going on. As we monitor the situation, in cities across the country, let's get - this is Los Angeles, by the way, now under the harshest curfew that it's seen since 1992.

By the way, that was in the wake of Rodney King. By the way, that was the last time we've seen the Insurrection Act of 1807 exercised. And it was when the State asked for the Federal help in policing the streets during those riots.

Let's bring in Senator Kamala Harris, from California, of course, former prosecutor, herself, dealt with cases involving law enforcement misconduct.

Senator, thank you for joining us, on the phone tonight. I hope your family is well. Let's start with your reaction to what the President said.

No mention of abuse of force by police, the issues that minority communities face that obviously are a big part of fomenting what's happening, and reverberating around the country, and then going and holding up the Bible, and saying that states, like yours, need to come in, and dominate, and stop this Movement before it grows.

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA): Chris, I think that Donald Trump has combined the worst of George Wallace with Richard Nixon.

You know, when he talks about "End it now and then dominate the streets," you know, "Dominate," it - literally one iteration of dominate is about supremacy, and that's what Donald Trump is about.

And let's be clear about it. He has spent full time, from the time he ran for President, throughout his term in Office, full time trying to sow hate and division among the American people.

And - and what he is right now doing, in terms of invoking the American Military, threatening the American people with the American Military, the use of the American Military against its own people, he is not a Commander-in-Chief. He is a Divider. He is clearly scared. And - and he cannot meet this moment that he has partly created because of his inability to understand the pain and the suffering.

Right now, America is raw. Her wounds are exposed.

And instead of having a President who understands it, who empathizes, who lifts up the spirits, and acknowledges the pain, we have someone who chooses to hold up the Bible like a prop, for his own political gain, and for a photo op. And that's just the reality of where we are.

Look, in the history of America, we have to have leaders who acknowledge Black people have been treated as less than human in the history of our country and - and presently, when you look at what happened to George Floyd. And America has never fully addressed the historical and systemic racism that has existed.

CUOMO: So, Senator?

HARRIS: And instead of having - instead of having a President who does that, we have someone who fans the flames. And that's where we are right now.

CUOMO: I get your - I take your criticism of this President.

The past President, Obama, obviously spoke to these issues much differently than this President, from personal experience, and feeling, and just rationale for society.

And he put together this Commission on better law practices like nobody adopted them. Last night, former Commissioner Ramsey was on here. And he was part of that Commission. And he said "Our report was basically thrown in the garbage."

When young men and women come up to you, or even middle-aged men and women come up to you, and say, "Listen, Harris, I like your spirit. I like the way you're going. I like that they're looking at you for VP.

But you know nothing's going to change. Obama couldn't change anything. Clinton didn't change anything. This is never going to change. This country does not love us the way we love it."

What do you say to give hope that there will be change?

HARRIS: Well, first of all, I believe that, to give hope, one must speak truth.

So, there is certainly truth in saying that it is overly simplistic to say if you vote, this will be solved because Black folks have been voting for generations when we were allowed to. So, it is not that simplistic.

To give hope, it has to be about acknowledging truth, and then fighting for what we know we can achieve. Understanding, for example, that this - the policing issue is the tip of the iceberg.

We need to deal with that, and we need to deal with that by continuing what President Obama and his Administration started.

They were doing pattern-and-practice investigations of discrimination by police departments in this country. Donald Trump came in with Jeff Sessions and undid those.

Barack Obama and his Administration did do the work of enforcing consent decrees on police departments that had been found to engage in misconduct. Donald Trump came in and undid those.

So, elections do matter, and - and we can make progress.

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Continuing on that progress, I'm going to tell you, part of what we need to have, across this country, and I'm calling for this as part of the legislation I'm pushing, is we need to have a national standard on use of force by police officers, where instead of asking when there's a show of excessive force, was it reasonable, which is the current legal standard, we should be asking was it necessary?

So that when prosecutors bring these cases against police officers, they have a burden that actually they can meet based on what is a fair standard. We need to be calling for independent investigations of police departments.

It's - I speak as a former prosecutor. It should not be the D.A. or the State's Attorney's Office, who works with that police department every day who's doing those investigations.

It should be an independent entity, and that could be the Attorney General of that State. It could be U.S. Attorneys. But it needs to be independent.

There are things that we need to fight for, but we have to also hear the voices of pain. We need to acknowledge them. We need to respect them. And we need to also understand that this cannot be an issue that it's only Black people and people of color fighting for. Racism impacts every American, not just as a moral issue but as a practical issue.

CUOMO: Senator, I remember you telling me, early on, when you were making your run, for the nomination, that the answers to this don't lie in the minority community.

They lie with the majority, the people in power, the people with the influence. That's what changes culture. The minorities don't have the power to change their own problems that this has to be a "We." It can never be a "Me."

Senator Harris, good luck to you going forward. Thank you for addressing these issues.

HARRIS: You take care, Chris. Thank you.

CUOMO: All right, we're going to take a break. When we come back, I'll show you what's happening around. You know, curfews can work either way here on Night Seven, a week now since George Floyd was allegedly murdered by police.

We have another great mind to help us understand, how do we get from here, to a better place, next.

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CUOMO: You know, two quick things to get us into a discussion of how we get to a better place. One, look, you're looking at the scene right now. I have to tell you, it's not as bad as I've seen it in the last few days.

It's scary. There's teargas. They're pushing back crowds. It's still very early. Things do get worse at night. No question. But I don't have horrible pictures to show you of a lot of bad scenes, and I'll take anything as progress right now. Less hurting is a positive.

Second thing, the politics of how this is being spun by the Right.

"Raw emotion is a natural result of injustice. We all feel it after George Floyd's death," says Congressman Dan Crenshaw, a young leader of the Republican Party, Congressman of Texas. He is the American hero, the war hero, wears the eye patch.

"But we are still accountable for our actions. No amount of righteous anger can justify violent and destructive action. We must do better. Leaders must end the riots now."

You see, this is a perfect example of a very intelligent man saying something that doesn't make sense. You can't look past why this is happening, and say this must stop.

"Stop this right now, but I'm not going to say anything about why this is happening. I'll say raw emotion is a natural result of injustice."

So, if you know there were injustice, if you don't address the injustice, why would they go home? Why is this wrong when you won't address the wrong that led to this? Do you understand the logic of that?

That's our problem with leadership right now. The President's saying "You have to dominate these people. Dominate them. Dominate them. This is a Movement. You must crush it or it will grow." This is a Movement for social justice. Let's bring in W. Kamau Bell,

Host of CNN's United Shades of America.

And, you know, I've noticed this again and again, and you've spoken about it well, but sometimes, you know, it takes pain to bring up the obvious that, "No, I'm not going to go home if you don't address why I am here. At least tell me you know why I'm here, and you understand why I'm here."

How do we get to a better place of communicating understanding of pain by leadership and anything that resembles trust of better days?

W. KAMAU BELL, CNN HOST, UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA: I mean, first of all, thank you for having me on, Chris.

I think it takes a fundamental understanding that this problem is structural and institutional, and this is the rule of the land that this - that this is not about one cop that killed one Black man.

We've seen these killings happen over and over again. We've seen police brutality on TV over and over again. You know, we can take you all the way back to Emmett Till, and before that, of Black people being killed, and not getting justice.

And so, the problem is not that one person, and convicting those four cops, which I think they should all be convicted of that crime.

It's about the institution that encourages and allows police officers, to be that way, and somehow makes other police officers not to speak out forcefully enough against those people or root them out.

CUOMO: So, you have people now, and, look, as you know well, these are very complicated situations, who's on that street, for what reason, what they're doing, why they're doing it.

But we know, in the main that this time, why is it that I've had more of my African-American friends emotionally broken by this, crying about this?

Is it a combination effect of Ahmaud Arbery, pandemic, now this, and they're sitting there looking at him, while they got their knee on his neck, and people are begging them to stop? Is it just too much all at once?

[21:50:00]

BELL: You know, a lot of Black folks that I've talked to, and I had this reaction, of like in the middle of a pandemic, damn, damn, we can't get a break from regular-old American racism in the middle of a pandemic that is also targeting our community. I mean, I think that's the thing that hurts us the most.

Because we know, Chris, if we weren't talking about this, it would still be COVID on the news, 24 hours a day. We still haven't defeated that problem. We still don't have a vaccine. We don't know when one is coming. That was 24-hour news until this hit. And, right now, people - what people are doing is sitting in their homes trying to figure out COVID, trying to figure out can I go outside, what are my leaders saying, should I wear a mask, should I not wear a mask?

And in the middle of all of that confusion that's being completely mishandled by Trump and his Administration, we are now dealing with another dead Black person in the streets, and multiple. It's Ahmaud Arbery. It is McDade. It's - it's got George Floyd.

And we're like we can't get a break during a pandemic? Again, that is already targeting us. If the United States had done right by all of its people, including Black people, during the pandemic, I don't believe we have these same sorts of riots all over the world.

CUOMO: I'll tell you something else.

Here's something we have to promise, not you, because you're always - you're always trying to do the right thing. We have to talk about this when there is someone not dead in the street because the reason we're not talking about the effect--

BELL: And in research, Chris--

CUOMO: --on African-Americans with COVID--

BELL: --Black people do that.

CUOMO: --is because there are no riots.

I know you'll come on to talk about it. It's on me. It's on people who have the platform and the power to do it. These are choices I make, and I don't make, and I got to be smarter about it.

Kamau, thank you very much, for being with me, the best to you and your family.

BELL: Thank you.

CUOMO: It really is on all of us. We're not going to be let out of this. It's about the choices we make. It just is. It's got to be a wake-up call. Something's got to wake us up. The nation's crying for change.

We finally heard from the President today. I wish we hadn't. Now, I know some will say, "No, no, no, he showed what he's about." You know what he's about. But, right now, he said everything we don't need to hear.

And I'm telling you, I know why he said it all. And that's the only thing I want you to take home with you tonight. See it for what it is. I'll make the case, next.

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TEXT: CUOMO PRIME TIME. (END VIDEO CLIP)

[21:55:00]

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TEXT: CLOSING ARGUMENT.

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CUOMO: Here's Trump's take on what's happening.

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TRUMP: Our nation has been gripped by professional anarchists, violent mobs, arsonists, looters, criminals, rioters, Antifa and others.

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CUOMO: No, he is gripped by that.

This country is gripped by outrage over abuse of force. He never mentioned that. He didn't mention the murder. He didn't mention any injustice. He didn't mention the pain. And he didn't mention the hurt. And you know why.

That man is the only person elected to represent us all. And yet, he looks out only for himself, always, in all ways. He is a manifestation of all the problems we're dealing with right now.

He won't admit the truth. He won't acknowledge the pain that is on these streets. He ducks accountability for the lack of change. And he blames the victim. "Dominate them! Stop the Movement! Use the military!"

He's doing it with George Floyd. For so many other young Black men, who've have been in the same position, he's doing it with more than a 100,000 preventable deaths, for the 40-plus million out of work.

Liberty and justice for all, where?

Look around this nation tonight. We search in City after City after City. We're seeing things that we don't want to see, but we're not dealing with why they're happening, right?

All the things that we make manifest in our pledge, to the flag, liberty, justice for all, where? This is not a "Me" thing. It must be a "We" thing. The majority must stand up for the rights of the minority. That's not just the American way. It's the only way.

And that's why this President remains silent on the true story. When he takes to his rabid refuge of Twitter, he says what demagogues in the past have said. He champions those who play to bigotry. He lumps the aggrieved in with outside agitators as thugs. Just like

demagogues, he wraps his actions in the might of the Military, perverting the mission of our Armed Forces and, frankly, BSing you over his actual power.

He knows he can't use the Insurrection Act unless a Governor requests it, and unless he can show that they can't protect themselves. He doesn't meet the standard. Nobody's going to ask him for that kind of help because we're better than that.

He orchestrated conflict for maximum gain. That's why he's doing this. Visibility! Timing his speech until after police moved in on a peaceful protest, he said he was allied with. Then, bathed himself in the illusion of holiness, holding up the Good Book.

Open it. Read it. Go inside that church. It's about social justice and catering to the community. Don't ask why.

Why does he look to paint his opponents with the stink of anarchists and opportunists who taint what are overwhelmingly lawful protests. Why would he play to that small slice?

Let's do it this way. Good, you're right, the Left should claim them. Democrats, make your case. But the same goes for you, Republicans and the Right-wing.

You want to say those are theirs? The President went out of his way to say, "I don't see any Right-wing groups there." Good. You want to defend them? Then you own them. And you know what? It makes sense.

Not only do officials not agree with what you're saying about these fringe groups being the dominant players, but you want to play teams. That's fine, because now things start to make sense, finally.

That's why the President says there're good people on both sides on Charlottesville and in Michigan. The answer came today, in another one of the demagogues' repertoire, just propaganda. Listen to this, and then we'll go.