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Laura Coates Live
Harris and Trump to Meet for High-Stakes Debate; Tyreek Hill Speaks Out; Actor James Earl Jones Dies at Age 93. Aired 11p-12a ET
Aired September 09, 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]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MADISON GESIOTTO, FORMER NATIONAL SPOKESPERSON, RNC: Lil Wayne was not chosen for the Super Bowl halftime show this year. They chose Kendrick Lamar, Holly Grove's own, best rapper alive. Lil Wayne needs to be included in that performance.
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Brian?
BRIAN STELTER, AUTHOR, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT FOR VANITY FAIR: James Earl Jones died today. He was an EGOT winner. He played a king, a president, Mufasa, Darth Vader, and he was our voice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
This is CNN (INAUDIBLE).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STELTER: There was nothing like the authority of that voice, Abby. So, rest in peace, James.
PHILLIP: Nothing like James Earl Jones. Rest in peace. Everyone, Thank you very much. "Laura Coates Live" starts right now.
LAURA COATES, CNN HOST AND SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Ready to face off. Harris and Trump take the stage in their first and probably only debate. We will take you inside the dueling strategies. Also, tonight, police dragging NFL star Tyreek Hill out of his car. The bodycam video just released and what Hill is now saying. We've got fresh reaction from none other than Stephen A. Smith. And remembering the singular, incomparable James Earl Jones. Actor Courtney B. Vance will be my guest live, tonight on "Laura Coates Live."
So, has there ever been a debate as anticipated as tomorrow's? I mean, really, talk about this political "Price is Right" game show doors with just 57 days to go. So, you got behind door number one, you got the way the Harris campaign wants you to see the debate: The prosecutor versus the felon. Now behind door number two, the way the Trump campaign wants you to see it: The fighter versus a -- quote -- "dangerous radical socialist."
Now, tens of millions have already decided which door they're going to pick and the way they will see the debate. But for those many undecided who have yet to do and make that decision, tomorrow's preview could, in fact, be the deal breaker. In less than 24 hours, America will see Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris share the debate stage, this very one you're looking at right now, together in Philadelphia.
You know what makes it even more intriguing? Looking at the scene of their very first meeting, the first time they'll ever be in the same room conversing with one another, Trump on the left, Harris on the right. Harris will have the opportunity to do what so many Democrats said President Biden failed at doing in his first debate, to prosecute the case against Donald Trump, to turn a debate stage into a kind of political courtroom. Now Harris, she says she's ready to do just that.
Trump on the other hand looks eager to land some punches on Harris's policy positions. They say Harris won't know what's coming. And I quote, "Imagine a boxer trying to prepare for Floyd Mayweather or Muhammad Ali. You just don't know what angle they're going to come at you with." That's Jason Miller, a Trump senior advisor.
Now, if we're using boxing analogies already, I wonder if the gloves are going to come off. Former Democrat turned Trump ally, Tulsi Gabbard, has -- she has been prepping Trump. Now, she famously tried to take Harris a task on her record back in 2020, and tonight says that Trump is going to do the same.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TULSI GABBARD, FORMER HAWAII REPRESENTATIVE: What Kamala Harris is saying, the lies that she is selling to the American people now, is the exact opposite of the record that she has had, frankly, as the incumbent in this race. She has been in the White House for the last three and a half years. She's not to be underestimated because she is talented on a debate stage, there's no question about that, but she's going to have a tough time trying to defend this record that, quite frankly, on the -- from the view of the American people, is indefensible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: So, since we're in the mood for Muhammad Ali references, there'll be no floating like a butterfly like he did behind Hillary Clinton in 2016. That will be possible. The rules forbid that. And (INAUDIBLE) interruptions from 2020 against Biden also not possible, at least not in theory, because the rules forbid that to -- that the mics are going to be available and unmuted, right? The mics are going to be cut. So, what exactly is Harris planning for? Well, this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (voice-over): He plays from this really old and tired playbook, right? Where he -- there's no floor for him in terms of how low he will go, and um -- and we should be prepared for that, we should be prepared for the fact that he is not burdened by telling the truth." (END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: All right, let's go to the magic wall for the debate. Do's and don'ts with two campaign veterans. I know you wanted to see John King. Guess who I've got instead? I've got Bryan Lanza, the former deputy communications director for Donald Trump's 2016 campaign, and former advisor to former President George W. Bush and the late Senator John McCain, Mark McKinnon, who spells out his 10 pointers for Kamala Harris in Vanity Fair.
[23:05:05]
So really excited to have both of you, guys, at the magic wall. Let me begin with you, Mark. What does Harris need most to accomplish?
MARK MCKINNON, FORMER ADVISER TO GEORGE W. BUSH AND JOHN MCCAIN, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF "THE CIRCUS": Well, first of all, this debate is consequential for Kamala Harris much more than for Donald Trump. People know Donald Trump. Trump is not going to change one vote one way or the other.
But Kamala Harris is still not well defined. And so, the race right now is to define Harris. She wants to do it in her terms. Trump wants to do it in his. The most important thing that she can do is exude confidence. People -- the most important attribute that people want in that president is perception of strength. And so, confidence going into debate is the thing that she should really focus on most of all and having a lot of supreme confidence is key. She has got to talk about change in going forward.
The problem is that most voters in this country believe that they want to change the direction of the country. They're not happy about it. And so, the problem is that Kamala is, by being vice president, is virtually the incumbent administration. So, she has to figure out a way to make her argument about change while being an incumbent, and that's why a new way forward is how she does it.
And how does she do that? She separates herself from her old boss. Let him polish his watch. He doesn't mind if you separate yourself. He's not going to feel bad. He wants you to win. Go ahead and talk about the freedom agenda, different from the democracy agenda. Talk about your new plans on housing and your new plans on price gouging. Talk about all your new policies that separate you from your boss. Make it about change.
Listen, your whole candidacy embodies change. You don't have to talk about being a woman, being a woman of color, it's all about change, but talk about your policy differences from your old boss.
COATES: A very fascinating points. Let me bring you in here, Bryan. I wonder about Trump as well. What are the most important points that he needs to hammer home?
BRYAN LANZA, FORMER DEPUTY COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, TRUMP 2016 CAMPAIGN: Well, first of all, I say Mark is right that President Trump is very well-defined. I think this is the seventh debate. He has done this a lot. He's around television cameras all the time. So, he's used to that apparatus of being around there.
I think the first thing President Trump needs to do is acknowledge that Americans are suffering. He's going to be pointing to the prices of everything, the cost of affordability. Everything is out of price range for everything. Every month, households are struggling to make payments or having to max out their credit cards, take out new credit cards. He's got to make that case that America is suffering and that change is coming.
And he has to additionally make the case of why America is suffering and how he's going to change that. He has to remind -- he has to remind the American people that the Harris-Biden administration created this inflation, created the dynamics that has wiped out their savings, that has led to bankruptcies, that has led to credit card defaults. He has to do all these things.
But I think most importantly, which allows him to communicate that message best, is I don't think he should be insulting Kamala Harris. Every time he insults Kamala Harris, the pundits, the media, they talk about those things and they're not talking about the issues that matter to the American people, which are immigration and inflation. So, if he insults Kamala Harris, I expect that to be the leading issue of everything. We're now talking about the damage that the Harris- Biden administration have done to the American family.
So, those are the three things I'd have him focus on, and I know those are the three things the campaign is also working to address.
COATES: Really fascinating. Come on back to the table, Mark and Bryan, because joining this conversation is CNN political analyst Natasha Alford, also CNN contributor Lulu Garcia-Navarro. So excited to talk to you, guys.
Look, Natasha, The New York Times/Siena poll shows this is a 28% -- 28% of voters say that they need to learn more about Harris. She has an opportunity to tell people about her policies, about what she stands for. This is building since and before the DNC. How does she accomplish that? How does she not sound like a broken record, not have to constantly identify herself and move the conversation forward?
NATASHA ALFORD, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, we know an estimated 29 million people watched that DNC speech. And there were folks who were coming in as Democrats who didn't know enough about Kamala Harris, but they saw the poise, they saw this commander-in- chief essence that she gave off effortlessly.
But they also heard her story. Again, people who thought they knew Kamala, they thought they knew the Biden-Harris administration, but hearing about her humble beginnings, the way that she worked for so much of what she had, the significance of a home, the fact that she knows what it means to actually get a home after years of not having it, it made her so relatable. And I think that for those who didn't watch that DNC, doing the essence of the same thing on this debate stage, sort of rising above pettiness, I think that will work in her favor. COATES: So, say they now identify and can relate or respect her personal journey a little, how does she now go to the politics of it, and on the one hand, try to distinguish herself as the candidate top of the ticket, no longer in the proverbial shadow, but also not alienate Joe Biden?
LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, CNN CONTRIBUTOR, JOURNALIST FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES, PODCAST HOST: This is going to be the hardest task for her because she does embody change. She is a change candidate by simply being a woman of color at the top of the ticket. But where she really is going to struggle is in defining herself, taking what she can from the record of the Biden administration, which is strong in certain aspects but really trying to separate herself and others.
[23:10:07]
And I think the real problem is going to be on immigration, because not only has the administration has a very poor record on immigration, but recent comments that have come to light that she made on immigration are also going to be troublesome for her to defend and it's going to be a place where Donald Trump really attacks.
But the real problem here is that we judge her. She is judged by a completely different standard than Donald Trump. You just heard this from my colleagues here. You know, a long list of what Kamala Harris has to do, it's hers to sort of lose, and then Donald Trump basically has to act normal. That's basically what we're asking of him.
COATES: Bryan, is that all he has to do?
LANZA: I'll take normal.
(LAUGHTER)
COATES: He's like, there you go. Well, hold on, I wonder about that because is this by virtue in part that it's Donald Trump or also that it is somebody who is a non-incumbent, although he once was, against somebody who's an incumbent? A lot of this to me sounds like what Congress does. When you're the minority party, they spend a lot of time being unproductive and just trying to undermine the platform of those who are in the majority. All they got to do is play defense. Is that part of what's going on with Trump? Is that only his thought of his own responsibility?
LANZA: No. listen, I think at the end of the day, he still has to show a vision forward. I mean, if people want change, people are frustrated, their economic conditions are worse than they were four years ago. And so, as they're hungry for that change, they're looking for something.
The Harris campaign wants you to forger that they are responsible for the bad economic conditions for the last three and a half years and say focus on -- focus forward, focus forward.
I think Trump has to say, yes, it was bad because of X, Y, and Z, Harris and Biden, but here are the substantive differences I'm going to make, because Harris really isn't promising change. She's saying, you know, we're going to do the same thing, everything is great, don't worry, we're just going to move things to the left a little bit more.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: But the problem --
LANZA: That's not enough.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: But the problem is --
LANZA: People are suffering right now.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Yeah, people are, but the problem is that prices are not going to go down. You know -- I mean, they don't -- deflation is not a thing. Nobody wants deflation. That would mean the economy is crashing. So, this promise that is being made, that somehow Trump is going to come in and everything is going go back to 2019 before the pandemic, is not a real one. And so, I think, you know, speaking in facts, trying to say like, this is a plan, the economy is going in the right direction, you know, inflation has gone down substantially --
LANZA: I would even say this. Even the things that she's promoting today, it's a popular thing. Look at the canceling student debt, right? That's more money into the economy that's just going to perpetuate inflation even longer. So, it's like her promise to win is promising more money, which is going to make inflation even worse. I think that's the problem she has economically.
MCKINNON: But Trump is planning four times as much spending as Harris.
LANZA: Absolutely.
MCKINNON: He would pump the deficit four times as much as Harris.
LANZA: He's just judged differently.
COATES: You think -- wait, you think Trump is judged differently than Harris?
LANZA: With respect to spending, absolutely. He has given the pass.
MCKINNON: Well, I think there are two things. One, people have a sort of distorted view of what it was like four years ago. And the other thing is that Trump, no matter what he does, is a candidate of change. He always wants to break stuff. I mean, he doesn't come across as a typical politician. So, no matter what he does, he's sort of a changed candidate, even though he has been an incumbent president.
COATES: So, how do you -- how do you deal with that if you -- if you have the criteria to be, if you're Harris, to be substantive, granular --
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Likeable.
COATES: -- likeable --
(LAUGHTER)
-- and he has to just not interrupt? I mean -- and not go into the details of it? How does she have an opportunity to, on the one hand, do what needs to get done and also straddle that?
ALFORD: Well, I think this is where the fourth estate comes in. This is our job, right, as journalists, tomorrow to actually push on the policy questions, because what I do feel is that people are pushing for a higher standard of policy detail than they've actually pushed Donald Trump for.
Go to their websites. I want every viewer right now to go and compare the websites. Donald Trump's Agenda 47, the issues that he lays out, the promises, in some ways they kind of seem like they're written by a middle schooler. Aside from the exclamation marks, they're just so general and broad.
When I go to Kamala Harris's page, I do see -- perhaps her issues are limited, right? She has a few issues that she focuses on.
COATES: Uh-hmm.
ALFORD: But we're talking about improving the number of affordable housing units, three million. You know, she's giving examples of things that I think feel tangible. Going against price gouging, people who are paying too much for groceries, and saying it's not just about the president not taking care of inflation, there were companies that were exploiting this moment of COVID and using it to bring in record profits. So, making those connections for people, I think, are important. It's up to the journalists tomorrow to push both of them on the policies that they're advocating.
COATES: And it'll be up to the voters at the end of the day to decide what they're looking at and what they like. And I think on the one hand, they're going to want the specificity. But you also know there's level of superficiality when it comes to politics, particularly when either you have a woman on the ticket or you have a woman of color on the ticket or you have somebody bombastic or perceived like Trump is as well.
[23:15:00]
People have preconceived notions and already have very strong opinions of both. Now, what are they going to do? We have to wait on it.
Stand by, everyone, because ahead, one of the biggest issues in America will likely come up at the debate, and you know what it is? Reproductive rights. And Trump's stance? Anything but clear. Will Harris be able to capitalize?
Plus, police released body cam video of NFL star Tyreek Hill being detained at a traffic stop. Stephen A. Smith is here to respond.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COATES: There's one issue likely to come up during tomorrow's debate, and you know it'll be abortion. And Donald Trump is likely going to face questions about his shifting message on reproductive rights, which has gotten only more ambiguous in the last few weeks. First, on August 23, Trump touted that his administration would be great for women and their reproductive rights.
[23:20:02]
Then on August 29, he seemed to support a ballot measure in Florida codifying abortion rights into the state's Constitution.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN: So, you'll vote in favor of the amendment?
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm voting that -- I am going to be voting that we need more than six weeks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Cue the alarm bells from his campaign because they tried to put the genie back in the bottle and said Trump hadn't made up his mind. The very next day, Trump apparently did make up his mind in the other direction.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I think six weeks -- you need more time than six weeks. I've disagreed with that right from the early primaries. When I heard about it, I disagreed with it. At the same time, the Democrats are radical because the nine months is just a ridiculous situation where you can do an abortion in the ninth month. All of that stuff is unacceptable. So, I'll be voting no for that reason.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: And tonight, during a call with the National Faith Advisory Board, Trump never mentioned abortion despite taking credit for the end of Roe v. Wade.
My panel is back with me. And, of course, I'm looking to see how they're both going to react to the accusation that they are shapeshifters in a way, right? That they are going to fluctuate, they're going to flip-flop. Also, of course, the more personal aspects of it, how will they greet each other, what's going to happen. But Bryan, let me ask you about this. He's going to face a very tough question on abortion, and I wonder how he will account for his shifting positions and stances.
LANZA: You know, listen, I think what he'll say is he'll point back to 2016 and say, listen, I put out a list through the federal society of people who wanted to overturn Roe. Judges who wanted to overturn Roe v. Wade send it to the states, and we achieved that. I'm very comfortable with the states making these decisions because that's the closest to the people and they should make the states. He himself has said that six weeks is too soon for him. He's uncomfortable with that. But he's also stated the obvious, where most of the country is, that things -- nine months is way too extreme. So, he's somewhere in the middle.
But at the end of the day, because he lives in Florida, he had to make a difficult choice. He had to choose six weeks instead of nine months, and that's what the choice is. But it's a complicated issue for him because he's still sorts of navigating. Even when I saw that statement, he addressed reproductive rights, that's not the way the abortion community likes that word being used.
COATES: Right.
LANZA: So, there's the -- you know, the old Trump comes out. You know, he was pro-choice most of his life. He was a Democrat most of his life, and he's struggling with that position. But he's clearly taking the position, at least today, that he's pro-life.
COATES: He has already been the president. He also was the president behind securing Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade. How is his position still not clear?
MCKINNON: Well, listen, I mean, first of all, it's not that complicated for Trump because he has never had an ideological position on it. He has only done what's politically beneficial to him. He did all that to get elected president. As you said, he was a Democrat before. But he's not going to win a single vote for anybody that supports reproductive rights.
But he's -- but the reason he did that flip on floor is he's concerned about what's happening with women, and women are turning out in incredible numbers in early voting and registration. And he's worried about that effects. We tried to have it both ways. And then he pissed off his base, and then he had to turn back and flip back again because he really has no core belief about reproductive rights. He just does whatever is politically convenient.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: But if you look at the recent polling, the shocker -- the shocker in this is that more people see him as moderate than they see Kamala Harris as moderate. Trump is moderate, which is just like, to me, inconceivable. But, you know, I don't know if they're confusing morally flexible with moderate.
But it does work in his favor that he shifts his positions because people see him as a dealmaker. They still have this impression of him as a kind of businessman who doesn't need to stand on ideology, will be willing to make a deal on something as fundamental as reproductive rights if it is convenient for him.
And so, I think it actually benefits him that he is wishy-washy on this particular issue. You're right, it's not going to win him any votes with women. But for a lot of people, they just see him as someone who is willing to not stand on ideology.
COATES: Well, you know, speaking of women, I mean, he's going to be debating one, right? And we know that the optics are going to be very important, Natasha. I want to play for everyone for a second the way he has struggled to, in some ways, control his attacks against them on the debate stage. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I've been very nice to you, although I could probably maybe not be, based on the way you have treated me. But I wouldn't do that.
UNKNOWN: Question, do you still believe --
TRUMP: Why do you (INAUDIBLE)?
UNKNOWN: I do.
TRUMP: (INAUDIBLE) all the time.
HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: My Social Security payroll contribution will go up, as well Donald's, assuming he can't figure out how to get out of it. But what we want to do is to replenish the Social Security trust fund.
TRUMP: Such a nasty one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: So, there is reporting that Harris's campaign wants to bait him into acting in this manner. On the other hand, Trump's campaign is probably already alerted to that and wants to know how to retort. How do they do it?
ALFORD: How do they --
COATES: No, how do both teams -- how do both sides, both campaigns, how does the Harris campaign effectively exploit this tendency?
[23:25:01]
How does the Trump campaign do something to repel it?
ALFORD: I think it is Kamala Harris's job to remind people that it's not about how Donald Trump is acting for the moment, it's about who he has been. I mean, we just talked about abortion. He has claimed responsibility for that. You have legitimate stories of women who've been turned away at the emergency room, right?
So, when you go to the facts, it is not about the person that you're pretending to be in order to get votes and to win a political point, it's about who you've been. That's where his record works against him.
And I think, again, even if he doesn't go out and attack her personally, if he plays it perfectly, it is the job of journalists to press him on the things that he is promising to do, and in that, they will be able to exploit some weaknesses.
COATES: What should their job -- what should Kamala Harris's job be in terms of -- I think you're saying if generously, when he makes a personal attack, when he mispronounces the name, when he tries to get her hot under the collar, what should she do in response?
GARCIA-NAVARRO: I'm sure she's got some zingers ready. I mean, we all know that this is going to happen, and she has been prepping for quite some time. I don't know what they -- what they should be.
But again, what are people giving advice to her? They're saying take the high road, but also, you've got to look tough. You know, you have to seem like you're forceful, but at the same time, you have to be winning. It's this constant sort of pressure to be many things all at once.
And that I think is the danger because when Donald Trump is on the offensive, what often happens is that it does fluster people, it does make people feel like they're under attack, and it can -- it can -- and what he wants to make her do is basically lose her cool and seem like she's irrational, seem like she's dumb, all the things that he has been accusing her of.
ALFORD: But that's the one thing I'm actually confident about. Like, as you described that, I actually feel really good because you've seen her in those back and forth in the Senate.
LANZA: She's good at this.
ALFORD: She is fierce. She's so good at being in. I know that she's usually in the control seat, you know, asking the questions and things like that. But I think she's calm under pressure. Even her lion sisters said that, her sorority lion sisters. I know some people don't understand how important that is, but that's a culture thing. She's got it down pack. So, I think it's going be a strength for her.
COATES: You've also said, Mark, that she should throw in a couple laughs because that might irritate somebody. Well, I want to play for you. He does not like to be laughed at. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I hate when people laugh at me. I hate it.
(LAUGHTER)
I hate it. You're so disrespectful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: So, she will, of course, start laughing? What?
MCKINNON: Well, listen, I think her laugh is one of the best things about her. I think it's incredibly sexist when Trump or Republicans attack her for her laugh. And I would love to hear her laugh at the debate and for her to even say something about it. I said, Donald, I know you don't like my laugh, but you know what I think is really weird? I've never seen you laugh ever. Could you laugh for us right now? (LAUGHTER)
COATES: Will that be enough, Bryan?
LANZA: I think we've all seen him laugh over the years. But listen, I think, you know, when you sort of do this insult exchange and, you know, what the campaign wants Trump to respond to when she tries to bait him, you know, I would recommend a campaign as, you know, immediately for President Trump just to start talking about the price of milk between then and now, you know, because the real insult is what the Americans people have to pay for the Joe Biden-Harris inflation economy.
That's the insult to the American people. It's not what Harris says to Trump or what Trump says to Harris. It's what the people are feeling every day that they have to make a payment for gas or food. That's the insult. It's not the pettiness.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: But that's not what people are going to be tuning in for. People are going to be turning in for like the actual --
MCKINNON: Harris can -- she can effectively bait him right back and just say, okay, Donald, let's talk about jobs. You know, you lost more jobs than anybody since Herbert Hoover. You lost more than two million jobs. We gained 15 million.
LANZA: Yeah, but, Mark, here's the problem with that, and that's the problem that the Harris campaign struggles with and the Biden campaign struggled with the economy, is they genuinely believe they created all those jobs. Flipping the switch for getting rid of COVID and people returning to the same jobs is not job creation. You know it's not job creation. The American people know it's not job creation, and that's why they didn't buy that argument.
COATES: But we'll see if they buy it and who also will explain it the best tomorrow. That's incumbent upon those two people who've asked the opportunity to be the president of the United States. Thank you so much, everyone.
Next, newly-released police bodycam video showing NFL star Tyreek Hill being handcuffed and detained before yesterday's game. Hill is speaking out on CNN tonight and so Stephen A. Smith, who joins me next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COATES: It was only a few hours before the season's opening game. Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill was one block away from Miami's Hard Rock Stadium when he was stopped by police. He was pulled from his car, surrounded by multiple officers, thrown to the ground, a knee was put in his back, and he was handcuffed. Now tonight, after public outcry and a lot of it, the Miami Police Department is releasing body camera footage of the incident and it is disturbing to watch. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN: Hey, keep your window down. Keep your window down. I'm going to get you out of the car. As a matter of fact, get out of the car. Give me your ass. Get out of the car. Give me your ass. I'm going to break that freaking window. Get out of the car. Get out of the car right now. We're not playing this game. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out!
TYREEK HILL, WIDE RECEIVER, MIAMI DOLPHINS: What part of violence you understand? Hey, Drew. Hey, Drew. I'm getting arrested, Drew. I'm getting arrested. I'm getting arrested, Drew. I'm getting out, bro. God damn, Tweed.
UNKNOWN: When we tell you to do something, you do it. You understand?
HILL: I'm getting out, bro.
UNKNOWN: You understand? Not what you want, but what we tell you.
HILL: I'm getting out.
UNKNOWN: You're a little (bleep) confused.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Now, about a minute after this, and once Hill was handcuffed, he was again forced to the cement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Hold on, hold on. Hold on, bro. I just had surgery on my knee. I just had surgery on my knee, bro. I just had surgery on my knee, sir.
[23:35:01]
UNKNOWN: (INAUDIBLE) surgery in your ears when we go there. Put your window down.
HILL: Oh, chill, bro. Chill, bro.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Now tonight, Tyreek Hill speaking for the first time since that body camera video was released right here on CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: If I wasn't Tyreek Hill, worst case scenario, we would have had a different article. You know, Tyreek Hill, you know, got shot in front of Hard Rock Stadium. (END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: The Miami Police Department says that they released this footage earlier than usual -- quote -- "to reinforce the department's commitment to keeping the public informed." They've also placed one of the officers involved on administrative duties, that's important, while an investigation is being conducted.
At the police union, they are defending the officers, saying that Hill was -- quote -- "not immediately cooperating with the officers on scene who, pursuant to policy and for their immediate safety, placed Mr. Hill in handcuffs."
Joining me now, Stephen A. Smith, the host of "First Take" on ESPA. He is also the host of "The Stephen A. Smith Show" on YouTube. Stephen A, I have to know what your reaction was when you saw the body camera video, not just what we heard about it, but when you actually saw it. And I remember a phrase you used earlier today, and it stuck with me, the ease of dehumanization. What was your reaction?
STEPHEN A. SMITH, ESPA HOST, YOUTUBE HOST: Well, I still feel that way from the standpoint that, you know, it was excessive. It was completely unnecessary on the part of the officers, particularly and specifically when he was handcuffed. And so, I stand by everything that I said earlier this morning on ESPN's "First Take" and, of course, my YouTube show, "The Stephen A. Smith Show."
I mean what I said when I said it was just unnecessary and it just speaks to the ease with which Black men can be dehumanized because you've seen situations where people who happen to not be Black have had issues with the police.
And yes, they may end up in handcuffs and they be taken away, similar to what happened to golfer Scottie Scheffler in Kentucky a few months ago in May, but he was detained, he was put in handcuffs, he was detained, he was taken away, he was arrested.
That certainly was not the case with Tyreek Hill. But in the same breath, to forcibly throw him to the ground face first, to know this 90-plus degree weather and you're putting him on that asphalt and in terms of that heat, and then afterwards, he's standing up, you already have him cuffed, you have other officers around in the field in need to throw him, to push him and shove him to the ground that way, to sit him down that way, was completely unnecessary and it speaks to the excessive behavior of the police officers.
But in fairness to police officers everywhere, and specifically those police officers there, when this latest bodycam footage was released and we saw it, let me remind everybody, they did ask him to roll down his window. Not one, not twice, but at least three times. Then they also asked him to get out of the car. In each instance, there was hesitation on his part and a lack of cooperation. So, when they say he was uncooperative, you can see why they feel that way.
Now, again, I want to emphasize, that's no reason for them to go as far as they did. But in the same breath, him saying that he didn't know what he did and that he didn't do anything wrong, well, that's not entirely true. You're Black men in America. I will remind everybody of what I'm sure you would agree with, Laura. You roll down all your windows, you put your hand on that steering wheel.
The last thing you want to do, especially if you have tinted windows, is leave your windows up when the police officer is telling you to put it down, because when you don't do something like that, we have seen and we have had a reason to sense that the worst possible thing could happen. Tyreek Hill did not do that. So, when they say he was uncooperative, they did have a point with the latest bodycam footage we saw.
COATES: And yet, Stephen A. Smith, and you articulated a few points, I'm going to address them in turn. One, on the idea of cooperation. There are many people who would say, there are instances of people fully cooperating, doing nothing wrong. And the lesson that is imparted around Black and brown people around this country is there is no escaping those officers who endeavor to commit excessive force against you. Not all officers, but those who endeavor do so.
And the second point is it strikes a lot of people that this was an ego issue, not one of force. I'm talking about the officers. Officers are entitled to use force, to repel a force used against them. But it seemed as though what they were reacting to was an attitude that they perceived, and they were reacting to the fact that he was slow in his efforts. This is not the same thing, though, as one thing that they actually are in danger, and that's the criteria.
SMITH: Well, that is the criteria.
[23:40:00]
And you being a lawyer by profession, you would know better than me. I'm not refuting a syllable of what you said. I completely support it 1,000%. And as a Black man in America who has been pulled over, who has been cuffed, who has been detained, who has been thrown in jail for a traffic violation, yes, it happened to me in Troy, Michigan many years ago, I know exactly what you're talking about, and you're absolutely 1,000% on the money.
But that's not what we're talking about here because we're not acting as if the officer is right. Even though they made a point when they said he was a bit cooperative, it still doesn't negate the reality that their physical behavior was completely unnecessary.
COATES: Uh-hmm.
SMITH: How they acted towards Calais Campbell and Jonnu New Smith, his teammates, was completely unnecessary, even though they didn't identify themselves as his teammates, they identified themselves as his friend. It was all unnecessary. It was all beyond the pale. It was all completely unnecessary. And in one officer's case, it was definitely excessive.
But what we're talking about is the importance of Black men being able to go home, being able to avoid putting themselves in a position where you can have a rogue police officer whose ego might be a bit compromised, who has a temper tantrum because they're dealing with whatever it is that they're dealing with, and they may be taking it out on a patron or, you know, somebody just a regular citizen. We understand what the dilemma is.
COATES: Hmm.
SMITH: So, what I'm saying is when Tyreek Hill looks into the cameras and he says, I did nothing wrong, are you saying that you would do exactly what you did and you would encourage everyone else to do exactly what you did? I would challenge that.
COATES: Now, we got to go, Stephen A. Smith, but I got to ask you about this. I want to know what your take is on the fact that Beyonce was shut out of the CMAs.
SMITH: Oh, it's reprehensible. They're so full of it. I mean, I wouldn't blame people for boycotting the Country Music Awards. You got to be kidding me. I mean, you know, top 10 on the billboards. Obviously, "Texas Hold 'Em" was an incredibly popular song. The whole album was big time. We know who she is, what she brings to the table, what her greatness personifies, and what have you.
You just have people that were resentful from her because she wasn't a country music star back in 2016 when she performed. And their mentality was she didn't belong there in the first place. They want to tell you that she didn't belong there. Well, what reason would you have for doing it? At the end of the day, what defines a country music singer? Somebody that's performing country music, just like an R&B singer is performing R&B, a hip-hop artist is performing hip-hop. It's not the person, it's their art and their artistry.
And what she put forth was top notch, it was big time, it was incredibly deserving of being acknowledged if not flat out rewarded. It's one thing for her to not win. But for her not to even receive a nomination, I'll be damned if that wasn't some form of prejudice on the part of the country music community. Not the entire community, not everybody, not all. I'm just talking about our nominee for the country music awards. That is an egregious, egregious thing to do.
COATES: Stephen A. Smith, thank you so much. Nice to talk to you, my friend.
SMITH: Thank you. You, too. Take care.
COATES: Ahead, remembering James Earl Jones, who played roles spanning one of the most powerful forces in the galaxy to a working- class father in segregated America. Courtney B. Vance is here to share his legacy, next.
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[23:45:00]
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES EARL JONES, ACTOR (voice-over): You are my son, and a one true king. Remember who you are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: That voice, one thing is for sure, everyone will remember the great James Earl Jones, the king of the big booming voice whose career spanned six decades from Broadway to Hollywood. He passed away today at the age of 93.
He was one of the most versatile actors of his time. And even though he could command anyone's attention with his voice, his physical presence in front of the camera or on the stage was just as powerful.
He has nearly 200 film and television credits to his name and has starred in dozens of plays, one starring in 18 plays in just 30 months. He gave us shocking revelations that became part of culture itself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EARL JONES (voice-over): I am your father.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: He gave us hope and something to dream about.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EARL JONES: People will come, Ray. People will most definitely come.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: He had advice for navigating one of the toughest forts of all.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EARL JONES: Want to know about politics in Washington? Four words. Watch your back, Jack.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: He gave us philosophical reflections about the nature of power.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EARL JONES: What is steel compared to the hand that wields it?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: And he gave us tough love and harsh truths.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) EARL JONES: Your mama and me worked it out between us. And liking your Black ass was not a part of the bargain. And don't you try and go through life worried if somebody like you or not. You best make sure that they are doing right by you. You understand what I'm saying, boy?
UNKNOWN: Yes, sir.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: That was from the play "Fences." Jones won a Tony for his role as Troy Maxson, a Black working class father trying to provide for his family in a 1950s America.
[23:50:06]
The actor playing his son in that clip is Courtney B. Vance, who was nominated for a Tony for his role as Corey Maxson. Courtney B. Vance, incomparable in his own right, joins me now.
Courtney, thank you so much for being here. Frankly, we could be here all day just talking about the virtues of this artist. You worked with him for --
COURTNEY B. VANCE, EMMY AND TONY AWARD-WINNING ACTOR: Oh, my goodness.
-- what, three and a half years on "Fences?" Tell me what that was like to be --
VANCE: Yeah.
COATES: -- not only guided and mentored but beside him.
VANCE: He was my father. My parents -- we did the show six -- five or six different times in different cities and my parents came to each one. And he brought me along. He taught me. I knew nothing when I first started with "Fences." I was completely green, and he and Frankie Faison and Mary Alice and Charlie Brown (ph) and Ray Ronan (ph), they all brought me along.
And that man there, that man, I -- that line of, you better don't be looking to see what people -- asking people what they can do for you, just make sure they're doing right by you, that is the line of my life, doing right by somebody. Now, go on and cut them bones.
(LAUGHTER)
COATES: Hmm. It's amazing to think about him in those moments. I mean, from -- I mean, he played anywhere from Othello and Lear and Oberon. I mean, he was a stage, a consummate stage actor. And many people -- I got in trouble once in my household when I said to my father, oh, I know James Earl Jones, he's the voice of Darth Vader. And my father almost jumped out of his skin to give me this man's repertoire in full, knowing that he could not be reduced.
SMITH: Wow. COATES: I was a stutterer my entire childhood. He battled it, overcame it, and eventually, it became part of his emoting in a powerful way. Tell me what people are missing about James Earl Jones. And when you think about his legacy, Courtney, what should it be?
VANCE: He -- the overcoming. The -- you know, there was a whole group of -- he was a pioneer, Cicely Tyson (INAUDIBLE). He and Lloyd Richards. In fact, Lloyd Richards directed him, us in "Fences." James Earl was about maybe 5'3" or 5'4." He was -- James Earl was his understudy in a play. So, you know, they were -- they were pioneers back in the 50s -- 40s and 50s. There was no one that they could look to. They just went out there and did it. They were --they were out there alone, and they were -- they got together with each other and took care of each other and watched each other's back.
"The Blacks" was a show, a play that they were all in that, I think, believed that ran for about three years. So, they brought that to -- all of that to "Fences" and to me. I was a beneficiary of all of their largesse. So, he took me by the hand. And when I was up to speed with them, Lloyd brought me along right when we opened on Broadway. We were on fire. So, if you missed it, you missed it.
COATES: I had a chance to see him when he was big daddy and cat in a hot tin roof, and that was got to be almost nearly 20 years ago now. But just being able to see this certified thespian who had two Tony awards, a special Tony for lifetime achievements, cast and roles not typical for a Black man, a doctor in the 60s, let alone all the work he was doing.
And as you said, they were alone. Tell me what lessons he imparted and the wisdom, knowing that time to time, Courtney, I can't imagine the experience of James Earl Jones coming up was all that different than the experience of Courtney Vance as well.
VANCE: Well, I had James to look at. That's the major difference. They didn't have anyone. So, for them to navigate the world where there were no August Wilson and Lloyd Richards to cast them at things, so they had to find their way, they had to make a way out of no way and still maintain their dignity. They were the standard for who we grew up to be.
My wife, Angela Bassett, said she saw him in a play, "Of Mice and Men," and that propelled her into her career. So, he has influenced his generation, Cicely Tyson. They've all influenced thousands of African-American actors and thousands of people.
[23:54:57]
I mean, he wasn't just -- he wasn't just African-American actor, father, he was all of our fathers, and that probably is the greatest legacy, that he was all of our father.
COATES: I tell you, he made us all proud and will continue to do so. And I cannot wait to share this man's legacy with my own children, as I already have in part.
VANCE: Amen.
COATES: Courtney B. Vance, a legend in your own right, thank you so much.
VANCE: Thank you for having me, Laura. We love you, by the way -- by the way.
COATES: I love you very much, too. Thank you. I'm giddy inside that you're even here. Before we go, reaction tonight from others who James Earl Jones impacted over his career. Mark Hamill writes, R.I.P., Dad. From Disney CEO Bob Iger, the stories he brought to life with a uniquely commanding presence and a true richness of spirit have left an indelible mark on generations of audiences.
And from Wendell Pierce, who says James Earl Jones is the sole reason he became an actor, he stirred a vocation in me that gave voice to my unsung heart songs. By example, he led me on the exploration of my own personal humanity and the study of human behavior and others. An intangible, ever-present soul. He was a once-in-a-generation talent that has left an enormous legacy on American culture.
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