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Laura Coates Live
Harris Goes On Fox News To Make Her Case; Trump Faces Latino Voters; New Call To Release The Menendez Brothers. Aired 11p-12a ET
Aired October 16, 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)
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: And before we go, a reminder. This time next week, Anderson Cooper will be hosting a town hall with Vice President Kamala Harris, just 13 days before the election, 9 p.m., right here on CNN. Thanks for watching. Laura Coates starts right now.
LAURA COATES, CNN HOST AND SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Tonight, Kamala Harris says game on and goes on Fox News to make her case. The testy interview and the new pledge she just made. Plus, Donald Trump faces Latino voters in Miami, and there's one question he was just asked that you absolutely need to hear. And the Menendez brothers fight for freedom inside the new plea to try to get them out. As the investigative reporter at the heart of their case, well, he's going to join me tonight on "Laura Coates Live."
Well, no one can say that Kamala Harris is hiding from the press anymore, can they? Nope. That talking point ended tonight, maybe once and for all. Let's have a moment of silence for that. I'm just playing with you, sorry. I had to. Seriously, though, the vice president appeared on Fox News tonight. Yes, you heard me, it was on Fox News. Host Bret Baier questioned her in a 20-plus minute contentious interview.
Now, the decision to actually appear on a channel that largely caters to Donald Trump was not done on a whim. It was, as her campaign told me this week, a decision to reach every voter they can. In this case, independents and Republicans.
So, how did it go? Well, best to boil it down like this, okay? Harris faced questions on some of the most popular attacks from her critics, that the last four years haven't been great, them being generous in the way they described it to her, and that she'll just be more of the same.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let me be very clear. My presidency will not be a continuation of Joe Biden's presidency. And like every new president that comes in to office, I will bring my life experiences, my professional experiences, and fresh and new ideas. (END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: That was her answer, saying that she's going to use daylight once she takes office, if she takes office. Now, the other popular attack from her critics is that no one knows what she stands for because her views have changed from 2019, particularly on the issue of immigration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: You supported allowing immigrants in the country illegally to apply for driver's license, to qualify for free tuition at universities, to be enrolled in free healthcare. Do you still support those things?
HARRIS: Listen, that was five years ago, and I'm very clear that I will follow the law.
BAIER: So, decriminalizing border crossings, like you said in 2019.
HARRIS: I do not believe in decriminalizing border crossings, and I've not done that as vice president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Now, anyone who watched will have also heard Harris try to make the point that this election is a choice between someone like herself and someone whose former aides have deemed him unfit to lead. And though January 6 never came up in the Fox interview, it did come up in another Q&A tonight, a town hall with Latino voters in Miami with Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAMIRO GONZALEZ, CONSTRUCTION WORKER, FLORIDA RESIDENT: I want to give you the opportunity to try to win back my vote. Okay, your action and maybe inaction during your presidency and the last few years sort of -- you know, was a little disturbing to me. You know, what happened during January 6 and the fact that, you know, you waited so long to take an action while your supporters were attacking the Capitol.
And also, people in your administration who don't support you. I'm curious how people so close to you and your administration no longer want to support you. So, why would I want to support you?
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The people that don't support, a very small portion. That was a day of love from the standpoint of the millions. It's like hundreds of thousands. It could have been the largest group I've ever spoken before.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Well, his reaction was a whole meme. You saw -- you saw the head flop, right? I'm reading into it, but I think I know exactly what that head flop meant. [23:05:01]
Joining me now, Democratic strategist Maria Cardona, editor of the National Review, Ramesh Ponnuru, former White House deputy press secretary of the Trump administration, Sarah Matthews, who has endorsed Kamala Harris for president. Okay, first of all, Maria, what did this mean? The head flop. I mean, I almost hurt my neck, but what did it mean to you?
(LAUGHTER)
MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: That he didn't get it done. Clearly, he did not get it done. That was not a satisfactory answer. Not for that Latino gentleman. I don't think for any American who really understands the danger that Donald Trump still poses
COATES: I mean, a day of love --
CARTWRIGHT: Yes.
COATES: -- is an odd thing to have said.
CARDONA: It is a very odd thing to have said. You know, his supporters will eat it up because they believe every single thing that comes out of his mouth. But in this very close election, Donald Trump should be passed trying to get support from just his supporters. He needs women, he needs suburban women, he needs Republicans, he needs moderates, he needs Latinos, he needs more Black voters.
And denying what happened on January 6th when we all saw it with our own eyes, it happened, you know, minute by minute as we were all appalled --
COATES: Uh-hmm.
CARDONA: -- staring at our television sets, not understanding what was going on, and never thinking that something like that could happen in this country --
COATES: Yeah.
CARDONA: -- and he still denies that it happened, says that it was an event full of love, and I think that is going to see meant for so many voters, the fact that he is unqualified and wholly unfit to be elected again.
COATES: Sarah, that was the impetus for you even leaving the White House. You were there.
SARAH MATTHEWS, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY: Yeah. I resigned on January 6th because I saw firsthand Donald Trump's unwillingness to call off the mob. And a real tipping point for me, I kept hoping that day that he would meet the moment, time and time again, throughout the day, hour by hour, hoping he would step up and do something. And he didn't. Why? Because he was enjoying what he was seeing.
And then what did he finally do after the Capitol police had regained control of the building? He sends out a video where he tells the rioters, I almost said protesters, they were rioters, let me be very clear about that, he says to them, we love you, you're very special.
COATES: Hmm.
MATTHEWS: And he didn't differentiate between the peaceful protesters that we saw at The Ellipse that day and the rioters who defaced our Capitol, brutally attacked police officers.
And then I think for him, to this day, to double down and say it was a day of love, that's what he thinks about January 6. It was a celebratory day for him because he saw how he could inspire his people to do what he wants and enact his will and try to do everything he can to stay in power.
And that's the type of leader he is, and that's why I will never support him again and why I have endorsed Harris.
COATES: Ramesh, you want to jump in?
RAMESH PONNURU, EDITOR, NATIONAL REVIEW INSTITUTE: Yeah, they were full of love for him, and that's all that matters from his perspective. I think what's interesting is what Maria was saying about how much Trump's campaign is devoted to mobilizing its base rather than persuading people to join it.
But at the same time, if you look at the polls from now compared to 2020 or 2016, some people have, in reaction to the Biden administration or whatever they're feeling about the perceptions of the moment, they are coming around.
He has -- it has, I think, been Trump himself so much. But something has persuaded people to give him another shot. His numbers are better than they were and the previous to go around.
COATES: Well, one of the issues that has been very mobilizing for voters has been the issue of immigration. And although January 6 did not come up in that Bret Baier Kamala Harris interview, immigration certainly did. And there's actually this moment when he was pressing her on the number of people that she had allowed into the countries, his phrasing. Listen to how that exchange went.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Those are tragic cases. There's no question about that. There's no question about that. And I can't imagine the pain that the families of those victims have experienced. For a loss that should not have occurred. I am so sorry for her loss. I am so sorry for her loss. Sincerely.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: She was being asked questions about murders that had been committed of American citizens by the undocumented persons in this country. That was the response. This is after she failed to give a precise number that he was pressing her on, the number of it. In fact, this is how the interview really started on immigration. How do you think she did in dealing with what you knew would be top of mind in this conversation?
CARDONA: Actually, she did -- I think she did well, Laura, because I think it was very smart of her to start with the empathy because, absolutely, you have to have empathy. Those are really horrific, tragic cases.
COATES: Uh-hmm.
CARDONA: And then to move on to the solution because the fact of the matter is, is that she did do something. She and Biden did something the very first day that they walked into the White House.
[23:09:53]
They proposed a comprehensive immigration reform bill that talked about the commonsense balanced approach that the vast majority of Americans support, which is stronger border security as well as expanded legal pathways for the long-settled immigrants that have been here for decades, including Dreamers.
Donald Trump did nothing when he was in office. He didn't build a wall, he didn't keep undocumented immigrants from coming here, and he eviscerated so many of those legal pathways. So, the Biden-Harris administration came in there in less than zero. They had to triage because our immigration system was in shambles.
And so, hopefully, she is going to get a chance to explain all of that if she needs to because they actually did a lot to bring our immigration system to a point where they could handle what was coming in. And then when the numbers --
COATES: Well, she's got 20 days to make -- I mean, I hear the point you're making --
CARDONA: You know what? But you know what? That's why she's focused on the solutions, because that's what Americans want to hear. And she's got a great point to make, that if Donald Trump and Republicans were so focused and so interested in solutions, they would not have turned their back on the border security bill, and that's exactly what they did, which means they have no interest in governing on this, they just want to weaponize it.
COATES: Well, Sarah, one of the first clips that the Harris campaign posted on social media was about her prosecuting transnational criminals. She has talked about her prosecuting experience. She was able to get across some of her message. But I do wonder, did she persuade the Fox viewers that she was the right person to lead this charge?
MATTHEWS: I think that this was a valuable interview for her to do because she was able to present facts to this audience that they might not necessarily always hear. So, for example, she talked about the bipartisan border deal that Trump killed. And so, that was an example of something that the Fox audience might not necessarily be aware of, that she raised to them to go -- maybe go Google and look it up for themselves.
And additionally, she talked about all of the people in his administration that aren't supporting him. She talked about Mark Milley, things like that that showed that -- just things that they are not going to hear that often.
COATES: Uh-hmm.
MATTHEWS: And I think, too, that it just showed a willingness on her part to go into the lion's den. And she knew that this was going to be a tough interview, but she did it anyways. And to -- of Fox News audience watcher, maybe a woman who's sitting at home, who has heard that Kamala isn't bright or that she's not tough, she's, you know, weak or whatever it is that Donald Trump likes to say about her, then they watched that interview, and maybe they didn't agree with everything she was saying, but their takeaway was, she seemed pretty tough.
And I think that her prosecutor side did come out. Look, when she's in the courtroom or in those committee hearings or on the debate stage with Donald Trump, she thrives in those settings where her back is against the wall. And so, I think that this interview showcased that really well, whereas sometimes maybe those easier interview, softball friendly audiences, she might not do as well, because I actually think she thrives in that kind of setting.
COATES: You know, one of the questions that has been lingering in people's minds and has gone back is -- here we are, what? Seventy something days into her actual top of ticket campaign, you can forget that, but people are wondering about her honesty at the Fox News audience, particularly, whether she knew or believed that Biden was in cognitive decline. In fact, that came up, Ramesh. Listen to what that exchange was like.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BAIER: When did you first notice that President Biden's mental faculties appeared diminished?
HARRIS: Joe Biden, I have watched in from the Oval Office to the Situation Room, and he has the judgment and the experiment and experience to do exactly what he has done in making very important decisions on behalf of the American people.
BAIER: You met with him at least once a week for three and a half years. You didn't have any concerns?
HARRIS: I think the American people have a concern about Donald Trump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Is that a good answer, Ramesh? PONNURU: I think that even people with an open mind are going to see that answer and some other answers she gave as evasive. Now, I'm not blaming her necessarily from a political standpoint for it because there are some questions that don't have a good political answer. I don't think she had a great answer on the immigration question. I don't think she had a great answer on what she's going to do differently from Joe Biden over the -- than he has done over the last three and a half years. But enough of those things accumulate where you start to look evasive.
COATES: You do it. Go ahead.
CARDONA: I think it's so ironic that you started this, and I think this is true, that the Fox audience was concerned about her honesty. Honesty, honesty. We're talking about Donald Trump here, the contrast that she's making, and they're concerned about her honesty?
But that goes to your point about what this audience is fed every single day, which is why I come back to -- I think it was a brilliant move for her to do it. I think it absolutely showed her to be strong, to be tough. She didn't take it from Bret. She pushed back, especially on the issue of the -- what Donald Trump said about the enemy within.
COATES: Uh-hmm.
CARDONA: And she played it -- he played a clip that did not include what he actually had said, and she called him out on that.
[23:15:00]
I thought that was one of the strongest moments for her and it really showed her prosecutorial chops and the fact that she is tough and she is strong. And the contrast made Donald Trump look weak, pathetic and small because he's the one that is now saying no to so many things, including a debate with her.
PONNURU: She's strongest in offense. When she's making the case against Trump, she does her best. When she's on the defensive, I don't think quite as convincing.
COATES: Well, there goes my high school basketball coach's motto. I guess the best offense is not defense.
(LAUGHTER)
Everyone, stay with me. Doubling down on eating pets. Elon Musk will be in charge. Just some of Trump's answers when taking questions from Latino voters. Will they do him any favors?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Maybe we'll get your votes. Sounds like maybe I won't. But that's okay, too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Plus, a plot twist. New evidence of the Menendez brothers' murder case has the family calling for their release.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COATES: Donald Trump trying to win over Latino voters today, but ending up building questions about January 6th and the false conspiracy he helped spread about Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, eating pets. False. During the Univision town hall, a voter asked Trump why he said it. Trump's response, just reporting what I heard.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: This was just reported. I was just saying what was reported. That has been reported. And eating other things, too, that they're not supposed to be. But this is -- all I do is report. I would -- I have not -- I was there. I'm going to be there, we're going to take a look, and I'll give you a full report when I do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Well, my panel is back with me. Sarah, there's no evidence that anything that he was reporting on, so to speak, actually happened. This is an easy pivot, I would think. But why does he keep going forward?
MATTHEW: Yeah, as you mentioned, there's zero evidence of it. Even the local officials there have said there's zero evidence. The Republican governor in Ohio has said it. And he's going to keep doubling down on it because this is what Donald Trump does.
I saw it firsthand working for him as a spokesperson. He will refuse to admit when he is wrong. And so, he continues to double down on it. And then the lie somehow seems to grow. That's where you heard him say at the end of that clip. Oh, they're eating other things, too. He's just adding to it because he has to. He can't admit when he's wrong. And so, that is the strategy, is to never admit that you're wrong.
And so, this lie, though, in particular, is so offensive. And -- I mean, it has just like torn that community there apart. I'm from Ohio, and so I take this personally. It's really upsetting.
But it also just speaks to this increased, you know, anti-immigrant rhetoric that we've seen from him while on the campaign trail, and the authoritarian rhetoric, you know, when he's talking about the enemy from within. He has referred to immigrants also as the enemy from within, in addition to his political opponents, said other things like they're poisoning the blood of this country, and the list goes on.
And you just have to ask yourself as a Republican who is maybe on the fence about supporting Donald Trump. How much more of this rhetoric do we need to see? Are we willing to tolerate? Because I'm of the opinion that we just need to turn the page and put it in the past. I'm tired of the divisiveness and the chaos that he brings and the lies because that's what this was. This is a lie. But he will never admit to it, and him and J.D. Vance are going to continue to double down on it.
COATES: Well, you know, you asked the question how, and that's a question a lot of voters have, particularly. They had it tonight. About how his plan to deport immigrants would actually work. It's one thing to put it out there, but how would it work? Listen to his response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We just want them to come in legally through a system because they've released hundreds of thousands of people that are murderers, drug dealers, terrorists. So, we want workers and we want them to come in, but they have to come in legally. They have to love our country. They have to love you, love our people. The problem with this administration is they've totally lost control.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: So, I didn't hear an answer to how, Ramesh. Is this going to hurt him, with Latino lawyers in particular?
PONNURU: Yeah, well, it's not an answer to the question --
COATES: Right.
PONNURU: -- that he was asked. And one of the interesting things, though, that is coming out in the polling is that a lot of Latino voters, if you ask them about the rhetoric that Trump has used about associating immigrants and especially illegal immigrants with violence, they say, oh, he's not talking about me, that's not me. And so, it isn't hurting him the way a lot of people had expected that rhetoric to hurt him.
Can I just add one other thing, which is that --
COATES: Yeah.
PONNURU: -- to repeat the Haitian -- the attack on the Haitians, it's -- if you take him at face value, what he's saying is he doesn't care enough about the truth to do the most basic due diligence when he hears something before repeating it on national television, which is something that none of us would do, and we're not running for president of the United States.
COATES: Great point.
CARDONA: I think it's worse than that. I think it underscores his love for attacking communities that don't look like him. And that's what he's doing with the Haitians. That's what he's doing with immigrants in general. And that's why I think this whole thing, the town hall on Univision, was a whole debacle for him, because on the Haitian immigrants, it showed the hatred that he has to immigrants. On the whole issue of the deportation, it shows the hatred he has to not just immigrants, Latino voters. [23:24:53]
And I have a problem with those polls that show that, you know, a lot of immigrants or Latinos don't think that he's talking about them, because a fourth of Latino families live in mixed status families where there are undocumented people there, and they feel vulnerable, they feel attacked, they don't feel safe with somebody who would be president who wants to deport 20 million people. That would not just be a debacle society-wise for the country, but it would put our economy in the toilet, right? Economists have said that.
And so, I think one of the things that the Kamala Harris campaign did that was really smart today, they had a press conference this morning, Laura, right before the town hall, with the kids that were separated by Trump's family separation policy.
COATES: Uh-hmm.
CARDONA: And they talked about how this hurt them, this scarred them for life. And there is still a generation of immigrants that are orphans because of what Donald Trump did. And he has pledged to do it again if he is elected. And so, again, this is yet another reason not just to Latino voters, but to Americans in general who wholeheartedly rejected that family separation policy to say (INAUDIBLE).
COATES: Well, you know, this just in. There's a reaction from Trump to the show. I'm just kidding. There's reaction from Trump about the Bret Baier interview with Kamala Harris. He said, congratulations, and great job by Bret Baier. It's a lengthy one as well. Great job by Bret -- look, (INAUDIBLE). It is interview with lying Kamala Harris. She has a massive and irredeemable case of Trump derangement syndrome, blah, blah, blah is the rest, you can read it on the screen.
Sarah, does it surprise you he would have come out to be supportive of Bret in this instance?
MATTHEWS: Well, yeah, he loves to when he has to, right? Yeah, he has to in this case. I think he saw Bret kind of take her on. I think it was interesting in this interview almost that Bret had more of a hinge on this interview than it felt like the V.P. did because --
COATES: What do you mean?
MATTHEWS: -- he needed to appease his Fox News audience and the audience of one, Donald Trump, because he knew that if he wasn't tough on her or pushing back or, you know, making Trump look good in the interview, that that would upset Trump. And so, I think that Bret had to do what he needed to do in that interview. He did ask her some tough, fair questions, I thought.
I really thought that moment, though, where he deceptively edited the clip with the enemy from within comments, was unacceptable and, I mean, just shameful in terms of journalistic standards. But I think that Donald Trump, yeah, is going to be happy with the performance that Bret did. But I think that it's interesting because you'll never see Donald Trump do an interview like that, I don't think, in the homestretch because his campaign seems to be hiding him. I mean, that's why he didn't do "60 minutes," a second debate with her. They're not releasing his medical records. I saw in that lengthy post, he talked about her cognitive decline. Okay, well, release your records then, Trump. I would love to see them.
PONNURU: The participants at Univision asked him the toughest questions he's gotten in the last few months.
CARDONA: That's right.
MATTHEWS: Well, it didn't go well for him, I don't think.
COATES: I'm trying to know how the audiences, well, the electorate in particular, viewed all of it. Thank you all so much. Really thoughtful conversation.
Look, it's one of Trump's new favorite catchphrases. If you don't vote for him --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: You got to have your head examined.
Should have their head examined.
We're going to have to send you to a psychiatrist to have your head examined.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: The latest group who he thinks needs some therapy, Black voters. So, what does a Black voter who is supporting Harris think about that? D.L. Hughley tells me after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COATES: So, Donald Trump is not a doctor. Can we all agree? He's got some medical advice for a whole lot of voters. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Any African, American or Hispanic, and you know how well I'm doing there, that votes for Kamala, you got to have your head examined because they are really screwing you.
(APPLAUSE)
They are really screwing you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: There's so much to unpack in that statement, right? But they're not the only voters Trump thinks need a little therapy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Any Jewish person that votes for her, especially now, her or the Democrat Party, should have their head examined.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Is there a theme here? Because what advice does the former president have for America's seniors? You guessed it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: If any senior doesn't vote for Trump, we're going to have to send you to a psychiatrist to have your head examined.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Okay, now it's cliche. But it seems that everyone voting for Harris, according to him, needs to have their heads examined, at least in the world, according to Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP (voice-over): If you vote for her, you ought to have your head examined.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: I told you it was a cliche at this point. Well, my next guest is a Harris supporter, but he will likely argue he doesn't need a checkup or to have his head examined. Comedian and radio host of "The D.L. Hughley Show," D.L. Hughley is here. So good to see you. I have to ask you.
D.L. HUGHLEY, COMEDIAN: Likewise.
COATES: What's your reaction when you hear Trump say that people need to have their head examined if they support Harris?
HUGHLEY: Well, I think that that's standard for him. But I think if you, instead of dancing, instead of answering questions at a press conference, you dance for 40 minutes, somebody might say, white people haven't danced that much since Vanilla Ice.
[23:34:57]
Like, so I just -- I think it's a --
(LAUGHTER)
-- it's really -- like the standards by the judge are a little off to me. But I think if Kamala laughs doing a press conference, she did something wrong there mentally, but if he dances before (INAUDIBLE), there is nothing wrong. So, I think that they are clearly judged by two different standards. And any man who has been having a mental decline, he has really in is no position to (INAUDIBLE).
COATES: Well, you know, I thought it was very odd for a number of reasons. One being, if I've got 20, at that point, 21 days until the election, and I've got a captive audience and a camera on me --
HUGHLEY: Right.
COATES: -- I'm probably not going to spend it dancing. I'm going to talk about my opponent. I'm going to talk about what I'm actually going to do. I'm going to try to persuade --
HUGHLEY: Right.
COATES: -- the persuadable voters. And then there's a moment when sometimes you do have a camera in front of you, and some think you say the wrong thing. And I'm pointing to the former president, Barack Obama, who faced some pushback because some believe that he was finger wagging, that he was scolding Black men who don't support Harris, and that he should not have done so in the way that he did. Do you have any thoughts about how the campaign is dealing with and addressing Black male voters in particular?
HUGHLEY: Well, I don't know that he is -- I think he's a surrogate in the way that he's campaigning. I know he represents the campaign. I think that Kamala Harris has gone to Univision. I think he has gone to Wisconsin where the Republican Party responded. I think he has gone to Fox News. I think he has addressed young Black men. I think he is clearly showing that he is willing to go anywhere and talk to anybody. So, I think (INAUDIBLE) diverge her opinion.
I think it is ridiculous to believe that anybody or any one group should be supportive of anybody. I think that we're not, like people say all the time, we're not a monolith. I think that he's going to do as well as Republicans do. I don't think that he has the numbers that he believes he does. But people have the right to vote for whoever they want to. And Barack Obama politically has earned enough political capital to say what he says. I wasn't offended by it. I just think that it's a difference of opinion.
COATES: Do you think that, given that (INAUDIBLE) he has, that he should continue to speak directly to the demographic, that people believe Democrats are fearful they might lose to Trump, particularly Black men?
HUGHLEY: Well, see, I think the premise is different. I've spent a lot of time hearing about how Kamala Harris's standing is eroding with young Black men, but not as much about how Trump's standing is eroding with old white men, like Dick Cheney, Geraldo Rivera, Jeff Flake. New York Times/Siena poll had them from 5 to 9% of Republicans. So, if we're going to have a, you know, an honest argument, they both have seen erosion in people that have been supportive of them.
But why is the story about what her erosion looked like and not his? Why are we more concerned about what a young Black kid says at a barbershop in Detroit, but not what a vice president or a, you know, the president of the Republicans of Texas or Pennsylvania? Why is there -- why is it we're not having a legitimate conversation about their erosion in him? Why is nobody in intelligence doesn't want to vote for him? Why does nobody from the military want to vote for him?
So, we can have a conversation about her erosion with Black men, it's a legitimate conversation. Equally, why aren't we talking about what he has lost? If people want to support him, they don't.
COATES: The truth is you make a fine point. And the idea is you began this whole conversation about the double standards that are at play and why there is a different focus in so many ways. And you make a good point as to why there is that balancing of how the electorate might be drawing or looking at or examining these false equivalencies of aspects of it.
But then I do wonder, you mentioned Fox News, you obviously watched it tonight when she went to Fox News, spoke to Bret Baier.
HUGHLEY: I did.
COATES: What was your opinion, A, of her going to Fox? It was the first time she'd ever been there, I understand. But also, the fact that she has gone there. She has been interviewing and being interviewed by many people over the past several weeks at the very least. What did you make of her conversation with Bret Baier?
HUGHLEY: I think that it is somebody whose desire is to appeal to as many people as she can who are willing to hear her. But I think, like, even if we're talking about -- she went to the lion's den and entertained the lion. So, anybody who says she didn't do well is being disingenuous.
I think that another example of the -- she has been running -- She has been the Democratic frontrunner for 90 days, and she was asked to come up with a plan for Black men. Donald Trump has been the Republican nominee for president for 10 straight years, and no has asked him for his position on that. After 10 straight years, he has been running for president since 2012, he has been the Republican representative since 2015, and has concepts of a plan.
So, I can understand why there is -- a gap is close, because America has never even had a female president of any type. There's no disputing the fact that one of the things I think is going on, the one unassailable advantage that Kamala Harris has enjoyed is enthusiasm.
[23:40:02]
And I think there's a deliberate attempt to tear down enthusiasm. The polls have been virtually -- it's ironic. When Trump was two points ahead in the battleground and two points ahead in the national polls, it was so bad that Democrats got rid of their (INAUDIBLE). But now, it's not bad.
So, I just think it requires -- if she's going to make history, and I think she will, it requires people being deliberate and sober and understanding that the biggest -- the difference between him and her will be who supports her and comes out in the polls and who knocks on doors and who continues to do what it is, the hard work that it takes for making never happen.
COATES: I got to tell you, I think you made the case for seeing the forest through the trees. We'll see what happens next, in the next what, 20 or so days. D.L. Hughley, always so good to talk to you. Thank you.
HUGHLEY: Always. Looking good in pink. Looking like Pepto Bismol. Look at you, baby.
(LAUGHTER)
COATES: I have been known to get people indigestion, that's true.
HUGHLEY: I bet.
COATES: Thank you so much.
HUGHLEY: I'm going to get more. I keep getting the tool.
(LAUGHTER)
COATES: Thank you, D.L.
HUGHLEY: Bye-bye, baby girl.
COATES: Well, they were sentenced to life without the possibility of parole back in 1996 for killing their parents. But now, the Menendez brothers' family, they're calling for their release. The evidence behind the call for release and the family in their own words is next.
But first, new information on the death of former One Direction band member Liam Payne. Our affiliate obtained these images from police at the scene of his hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Officials say that he died after falling from a third-storey window. He was just 31 years old.
Payne had been open about his struggles with substances and abuse in the past, as well as his treatment plans. Payne was one of the five band members of One Direction, one of the best-selling boy bands of all time. After the band split up, Payne went on to pursue a career as a solo artist, releasing his most recent single back in March. Liam is survived by a seven-year-old son.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:45:00]
COATES: The notorious Menendez brothers' case that stunned the nation decades ago for the brutal murder of their parents in their Beverly Hills home back in 1989 is back in the spotlight after new evidence has now emerged, possibly placing the brothers an inch closer to freedom from life without the possibility of parole. Stepping up the pressure, the Menendez family, who made a very public push for their release today, including the brothers' aunt who delivered this emotional plea.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOAN VANDERMOLEN, MENENDEZ BROTHERS' AUNT: As details of Lyle and Erik's abuse came to light, it became clear that their actions, while tragic, were the desperate response of two boys trying to survive the unspeakable cruel of their father. This whole world was not ready to believe boys could be raped or that young men could be victims of sexual violence. Today, we know better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: I want to bring in CNN correspondent Veronica Miracle, who was at that press conference. Veronica, tell us what that family and the defense team had to say.
VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Laura, you saw that massive crowd of family. About more than 20 family members showed up today, they flew in from all over the country, and they were pleading for the release of the brothers, saying that they've served their time, that they were victims themselves, and that they should no longer be in prison. Cousin after cousin spoke about how their sexual abuse or evidence of the sexual abuse should have been brought in as evidence in trial years ago.
And so, they're calling for their release. You heard from the 93-year- old sister of Kitty Menendez. And here's what the defense attorney had to say. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK GERAGOS, MENENDEZ BROTHERS' DEFENSE ATTORNEY: They've spent over 35 years. And I've said it once, I've said it twice, if they were the Menendez sisters, they would not be in custody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MIRACLE: Now, the family is splintered. At least one brother of Kitty Menendez has come out saying he does not believe they should be released. He's not happy about this. But we are told the majority of the family is in support of their release, and they were there today.
COATES: Well, the L.A. D.A., George Garcon, is considering the family's plea and reviewing some new evidence brought forward by the Menendez's attorney. What is the evidence he is reviewing and when could we expect a decision on this?
MIRACLE: So, a couple of new pieces of evidence. And for the first time, this week, we're seeing actually the contents of a letter that attorneys say proves Jose Menendez sexually abused Erik Menendez, and they say this is incredibly important because it proves and it shows that there was sexual abuse before the murders took place, saying in part -- quote -- "I've been trying to avoid dad. It's still happening, Andy, but it's worse for me now. I never know when it's going to happen and it's driving me crazy. Every night, I stay up thinking he might come in."
In addition to this letter, there has also been a declaration from another potential victim that has been submitted to the district attorney's office, from a former boy -- from a former boy band member, from the Menudo band, and he says he also was a victim of Jose Menendez.
So, these two pieces of evidence, along with other pieces of evidence, the district attorney's office, they're reviewing.
[23:50:01]
They have until the end of November to make decision. But we have been hearing from ABC News that, apparently, George Gascon could make decision by the end of this month. So, we will be watching. Back to you, Laura.
COATES: Wow, Veronica Miracle, thank you for being on top of this story. I appreciate it so much.
I want to bring in an author who has been working on the story of Lyle and Erik Menendez for decades, Robert Rand. Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani is also with us. Neama, was it a mistake for the D.A. to post, then delete a screenshot of that undated letter that Erik Menendez wrote decades ago?
NEAMA RAHMANI, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR, PRESIDENT OF WEST COAST TRIAL LAWYERS: I don't think so, Laura, and I think all signs point to George Gascon agreeing to a resentencing. Now, he's had this information for quite some time, more than a year. But things are moving very quickly. And we've talked about the legal case and the challenges that Erik and Lyle have in proving self-defense, but they have presented a masterful case in the court of public opinion.
Veronica and I were talking off camera, and I haven't seen a crowd like this in Los Angeles or outside a courtroom since O.J., and there's a lot of support both here locally and throughout the nation for the brothers. I mean, setting aside the family members that spoke today.
So, I think all signs do point to George Gascon agreeing to this resentencing, and I think it will happen before the November 5th election because, of course, he's in a very highly-contested race.
COATES: And it seems that if you do a resentence, it would be a lower charge and possibly the time served would be enough, so to speak, in terms of the actual sentencing as opposed to life or the possibility of parole, but we'll see.
Robert, you have followed this case since the very beginning. I mean, prosecutors have been unmoved by the brothers' pleas throughout all of these years. Do you think that right now, the reconsideration of a sentence is an earnest effort by this D.A.? ROBERT RAND, AUTHOR, "THE MENENDEZ MURDERS": I do. If you had asked me a month ago if I thought George Gascon would get involved in the Menendez brothers' case before his election campaign ended, I would have said he's not going to touch this with a 10-foot pole.
COATES: Hmm.
RAND: And now, today, I think that there could be an actual decision by D.A. George Gascon right before the election.
COATES: You spoke, I understand, with some of the family members today. What did they tell you?
RAND: They are very hopeful. I mean, the news conference today was extremely powerful. It really hit the level of emotion that was in the courtroom when the brothers were on trial in the 1990s. I had one of the 12 reserved seats in the courtroom. So, there were 200 other reporters who were watching the court TV video feed of the trial events. And to actually be in the courtroom and be 20 feet away from the witness stand is a completely different experience than watching clips on YouTube or Court TV.
And, you know, what the people watching Court TV couldn't see were -- there were five family seats right in front of me, and the family was emotional. They were crying every day. So, to see them today actually express that emotion in front of cameras was incredibly powerful.
COATES: Hmm. Neama, the brothers' maternal aunt says the timing of this appeal, they were talking about the reelection campaign of the D.A, the maternal aunt says the timing of this appeal has nothing to do with politics. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VANDERMOLEN: While I recognize it is election season, this isn't about us or about the politics. It's about finding the truth, delivering justice, creating space for healing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: This D.A. is an elected official. He is in the middle of a tough reelection campaign. But what do you make of the accusations at the review of these murder convictions which, frankly, has been asked for quite some time, could be a political ploy at some point?
RAHMANI: Laura, I have to respectfully disagree with the aunt, the timing of all this when the district attorney's office has had this evidence for more than one year. And it's not just this case. The Marilyn Manson alleged sexual assaults, those are now being reviewed after two years.
It just goes to show the power of an election and, frankly, the power of a Netflix series. We've seen it time and time again where a documentary can change the trajectory of a legal case completely. Britney Spears and her conservatorship of more than 10 years. R. Kelly was never brought to justice until surviving R. Kelly. And Bob Durst, of course, three murders over the span of decades, and that documentary finally caused the district attorney here to charge him and convict him.
So, given the fact that the Netflix series "Monsters" is so popular, we're in the middle of this election, the timing is just right.
[23:55:02]
The stars have aligned for Erik and Lyle to be released.
COATES: Well, that may be true, but I want to just read for the audience one of the gut-wrenching exchanges during the trial. In fact, why don't I play it for you?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Now, do you recall the first time that he wasn't nice during the sex?
ERIK MENENDEZ, CHARGED WITH MURDER: Yes, yes.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): And you were 11?
MENENDEZ: I was 11.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: You had to wonder, election or not, how this information would have played into a jury's evaluation in full today. I want to thank you both.
RAHMANI: Thanks, Laura.
RAND: Thank you.
COATES: I want to thank you all also for watching. "Anderson Cooper 360" is next.
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