Return to Transcripts main page
Laura Coates Live
Biden Gives Final Warning in an Interview; Report: Biden Won't Enforce TikTok Ban; Wendy Williams Speaks Out Against Guardianship; CNN Remembers "Mr. Baseball" Bob Uecker. Aired 11p-12a ET
Aired January 16, 2025 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[23:00:00]
T.W. ARRIGHI, VICE PRESIDENT OF PUSH DIGITAL GROUP, FORMER COMMUNICATIONS AIDE TO SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM: -- alcohol is growing in popularity, which is welcome news to a lot of people who struggle with alcohol. And I support that, even as someone who drinks willingly and excitedly.
But what I worry about is, I was a couple weeks ago at Fordham, my alma mater, and I went to a local bar that was empty on a game day. I talked to the bartender and he says, all these bars are going to close down because no one is coming. And that's really scary because we are battling a loneliness epidemic. If we don't fix it soon, it's a problem for party more.
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: All right, that's a message for you tonight at home. Everyone, thank you and thank you very much for watching "NewsNight." "Laura Coates Live" starts right now.
LAURA COATES, CNN HOST AND SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Tonight, President Biden gives his final interview before leaving the White House. He warns about the bullies, he says, he thinks are threatening democracy.
Plus, former T.V. host Wendy Williams breaks down emotionally in a rare interview and says that her court-ordered conservatorship makes her feel like she's in prison. Her brother is my guest tonight.
And a TikTok turnaround? New reporting that says President Biden will not enforce the ban against the app, the very same ban, remember, he signed into law. Tonight on "Laura Coates Live."
So, President Joe Biden sat down tonight for the final interview of his presidency, and he hammered home the fear that he has repeatedly raised during his time in the White House, his fear about the future of democracy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I really am concerned about how fragile democracy is. That sounds corny but, I mean, I really, really am concerned because you've heard me say it a hundred times. I really think we're in an inflection point in history here. There are so damn many bullies around. And I now extrapolate that all the way to democracy. The reason for all the safeguards out there is in a very trite way to say, keep the bullies from taking advantage of everybody else. Basic guardrails.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Well, he didn't explicitly name who he thinks those bullies are, but he underscored his concerns about, again, that concentration of wealth and power, things we spoke about yesterday, and about the potential to warp the truth.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: I just think things are at a point where it's awful hard to -- I've had four of your colleagues the last four years tell me they're worried they're going to be serious players like you. Not you, but your caliber. Worried about whether or not they're going to be held accountable for telling the truth. When the hell has that ever happen in America?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Now, even though Biden didn't name names, one does come to mind. The man about to reenter the White House in just four days, Donald Trump. And Trump will be sitting in the Oval Office with the most positive ratings he's had, frankly, in years.
Take a look. A new CNN poll shows 46% of Americans view him favorably now. That was 39% this time last year and 33% at the end of his first term. In fact, these are the best numbers he has had since just after he won in 2016.
Now, more than half of Americans say the country will be better off four years from now at the end of his second term. And so, Trump's newfound popularity raises a big conundrum for Democrats. Do they resist his every move like they felt they had to in his first term or do they play ball on issues they say Americans care most about? Well, some Democratic governors are already signaling it might be time to change tact.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): I don't want to pretend we're always going to agree, but I will always seek collaboration first.
GOV. WES MOORE (D-MD): I'm not the leader of the resistance. I have been very clear that -- that I will -- I will work with anybody who wants to be a good partner inside the work to make sure that Maryland is supported.
GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D-PA): I'm going to be wishing him success because his success is going to be our collective success. I'm going to find opportunities to work with him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: What's that saying about tact? It's the art of expressing your opinion and not gaining an enemy? Hmm. Now the scene in Congress might be a little bit different. Democrats have grilled many of Trump's cabinet choices, including defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, the pick for defense decretary, and Pam Bondi, of course, for attorney general.
And look, they have every reason to do so. Those posts are incredibly important. Dare I say, as the lawyer in me, the A.G, perhaps the most important. But at this point, it seems like their confirmation is inevitable despite the attempts at grilling them. Now, some of the most controversial picks, they are still waiting for their day in the court of confirmation hearings, aren't they?
[23:04:58]
People like Kash Patel for FBI Director or RFK, Jr. for Health and Human Services secretary, and let's not forget Tulsi Gabbard for director of National Intelligence. You can certainly expect fireworks there as well. But, you know, no matter the outcome, a resurgent Trump and Republicans seemed to be in lockstep. That would force Democrats to address some very uncomfortable questions, indeed.
I want to bring in CNN political commentator and former national coalition's director for the Biden-Harris 2020 campaign, Ashley Allison, and Republican strategist Matt Gorman. Good to have you both here.
All right, Ashley, you and I have talked about this over time. Biden is still driving home the point about the fear of the future of democracy. There's a thought that people who were voting, they wanted to talk about kitchen table issues. Is there a disconnect in him talking about this now?
ASHLEY ALLISON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, FORMER NATIONAL COALITION'S DIRECTOR FOR THE BIDEN-HARRIS 2020 CAMPAIGN: No. I think it always should be both and (ph).
COATES: Hmm.
ALLISON: I never thought democracy was going to be the only issue that people went to the ballot box. And many Americans did show up and vote for Kamala Harris because of that fear. I also think it's important that democracy doesn't die with one solid blow. It's death by a thousand cuts, so we have to be persistent and continue to push back.
And, I mean, we hear Democrats saying that they'll work with Donald Trump if it's good for the country. And I think that is important, just as important for Republicans. If there is an overreach like on January 6th or before January 6th where someone tries to skew election results, Republicans did stand in the breach and say, no, we aren't going to do that, whether it was the Georgia secretary of state or Mike Pence.
So, we all have a responsibility to govern to protect our democracy. And people want something different. People want change. People want the price of groceries to go down. And now, that's on Donald Trump and Republicans' responsibility to do that. We'll see if they can get it done.
COATES: You know, you talk about overreach. There's a different O word, oligarchy, that Biden spoke about yesterday. He reiterated today the idea of this fear of concentration of wealth. And if something different means going to people who are successful, say, in the corporate space, there are a number of people who are already in Trump's corner. Do you have concerns about the billionaires who seem to really have his ear?
MATT GORMAN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST, FORMER SENIOR COMMUNICATIONS ADVISOR TO SENATOR TIM SCOTT'S PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: No, not at all, because two of those charter members of the oligarchy just got the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Joe Biden the other week, David Rubenstein and George Soros.
So, this suddenly newfound concern about oligarchy is pretty rich to me, number one. And number two, you know, somebody, again, in that same speech, he talks about people paying their fair share. This was a guy whose son was indicted for tax evasion.
So, a lot of it just rings hollow to me. It's a lot of -- I thought it was a very small speech, talking about fact checkers on social media, oligarchy. I really didn't take much of what he said with much seriousness.
COATES: Yet the idea of fact and truth and the conveying of information, very important, right, in any democracy. But on this point, if you take away the comparison factors for a second, I know it's difficult to do in a place like Washington, D.C., just the idea that there would be someone other than elected official who would have the ability to influence and elected officials like the president --
GORMAN: Yeah.
COATES: -- does that give you pause about the type of power they could conceivably have?
GORMAN: Are you referring to all the Joe Biden aides that propped him up over the last four years?
COATES: No. I'm --
GORMAN: I know, I'm being facetious. I know. I know --
COATES: I know, but I do want to clarify the point because I know it's the comparison point. But at its core --
GORMAN: Yeah.
COATES: -- there is obviously a concern about how much influence, but are you concerned about whether it's detrimental?
GORMAN: Again, my point is, I find it rich that suddenly Democrats, after four years of -- Biden, as we've read in "The Wall Street Journal" and a bunch of other things, was essentially propped up by certain aides. A few of them that were -- closely guarded the president and talks about future democracy as an 82-year-old running for re-election put his party in the predicament they were in in July of 2024 suddenly being so perturbed by the idea that unelected advisors have such an influence over the president. What were they doing for the last four years?
ALLISON: Well, I think my concern is -- look, if you're an American billionaire or someone that works an hourly wage job and has to do a couple jobs at that to just get by, it's not that one is more important than the other. I think it's about access. It's about, is the person who is in a lower economic status, do they have less influence over the person who was elected?
My argument is that in a democracy, we should all have equal influence. Right now, we will see, but it does not appear to be the case when you have so many billionaires.
Yes, Democrats have billionaires that support them also. That's fine. People -- if you're a part of this democracy, you're allowed to support people, you're allowed to vote. But it is, do those people get preferential treatment because of the money? That's what the oligarchy is.
COATES: I mean, you know, money makes the world go around. I wonder if it will make politics as well. We'll see. That's part of the issue here. But certainly, there is someone who's trying to get the ear of the president. His name is Mayor Eric Adams. He'll be going down to Mar-a-Lago. Actually, according to "The New York Times" Maggie Haberman, he's on his way to Mar-a-Lago, which seems to be the new epicenter of politics --
[23:10:00]
ALLISON: Yeah.
COATES: -- in this country.
GORMAN: Yeah.
COATES: Better weather, I suppose.
GORMAN: They're worse places, yeah.
COATES: The mayor's team, though, insists that they are just trying to talk about ways to move the city forward. You can't help but remember that he does have some looming criminal issues. What's behind it?
GORMAN: I -- cynically, probably wants a pardon. Though as somebody -- I mean, we all spend enough time in New York. I would love New York to become a better, safe or more vibrant city than it currently is right now, if Trump can help with that. As we talked about, if Democrats can reach out and work together with us, I'm all for that. But I don't think there might be -- I think there might be an ulterior motive in that. And God bless them.
ALLISON: I think, surprisingly, Eric Adams -- Eric going to meet with Donald Trump is not the most problematic thing that's going on with Eric Adams's term right now. He's not particularly popular in New York with Democrats or Republicans. I think the trip is a bit self-serving.
GORMAN: Taking Turkish Airlines flights to get down to a home base.
ALLISON: Right, exactly.
(LAUGHTER)
COATES: Gosh, some shade is happening on this desk. That's fine. But let me ask you about that in particular. There is an obvious sympathy that Trump is likely to extend to those who he believes are being targeted by New York prosecutors, right? There's a connective tissue there.
The question will be, especially given the way in which Mayor Adams has resisted being in locks up with members of the Democratic Party, particularly on issues of immigration and beyond, whether this will translate to other areas. You've already seen Senator John Fetterman talking about cooperation.
Are we seeing a different trend in Washington, D.C., perhaps, where unlike the first administration, there might be a more of an incentive for Democrats to get along with Trump?
ALLISON: Here's what I will say, is that Democrats would be making a mistake if they thought -- if they played this the same way they played 2017.
GORMAN: I agree with that. You're right.
ALLISON: We're not the same country. We should be a smarter party. We need to learn and grow. So just because something doesn't look exactly the same doesn't mean that Democrats are taking the need of Donald Trump.
I think people are still evaluating what actually happened in this election and thinking of a path forward. And I think elected officials have a responsibility to govern for their constituents. And when Donald Trump does something that favorable for the American people, then fine, support him. I'm just waiting and wonder what that will be.
GORMAN: I think in 2016 and 2017, many people, some in my party in the establishment, obviously Democrats, thought that Trump winning was an aberration, maybe caught folks sleeping, right? So, it's easier to fight back against that in theory.
In many ways, this was a reaffirmation, right? After all he had been through to win the popular vote, too, it's hard to come out. You know, metaphorical guns blazing every single thing they do. It just doesn't ring the same. I agree with you on that.
ALLISON: It's not strategic.
GORMAN: No, it's not.
COATES: Well, we'll see how they play it all in what, four days? Ashley Allison, Matt Gorman, thank you both so much.
Hey, new tonight, that ceasefire deal to free the hostages in Gaza is now one step closer to reality. Israeli prime minister's office has just confirmed that the ceasefire agreement with Hamas has been agreed to. And up until now, Netanyahu had not wanted to comment on it until all the details were finalized. Now, the next step is for the Israeli security cabinet to meet before the full government signs off on it. Israeli official told CNN, the full vote is not expected until now Saturday night.
Still ahead, the TikTok whiplash after passing a law to ban it. Members of Congress now suddenly rushing to try and save it. And now, even President Biden appears to be giving up on the law he signed, or is he? So, do the politicians get this all wrong or something else going on? We'll ask Andrew Yang that very question next.
And later, a "Laura Coates Live" exclusive, Wendy Williams's brother speaking out about his sister's issue with the guardianship after she compared it now to prison. My interview is just moments away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:15:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COATES: All right, we're three days from the big TikTok ban, and it looks like it might not be banned after all. The AP is reporting tonight that Biden is not going to enforce the ban, the ban he signed into law after Congress passed the bill with strong bipartisan support. Donald Trump also doesn't seem to want to ban TikTok after he panned the platform as well.
Now, if you're scratching your head, wondering what is going on, well, you're not alone. This was when lawmakers were trying to pass the ban. Remember this?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MICHAEL BENNET (D-CO): The sooner we ban this, the better.
SEN. MARK WARNER (D-VA): If you don't think the Chinese Communist Party can twist that algorithm to make it the news that they see, reflective of their views, then I don't think you appreciate the nature of the threat.
REP. CATHY RODGERS (R-or): Your platform should be banned.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): I'll support commonsense, bipartisan steps to take one of Beijing's favorite tools of coercion and espionage off the table.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: That was then. This is now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): And we'll work with the Trump administration and with both parties to keep TikTok alive.
SEN. ED MARKEY (D-MA): A TikTok ban would impose serious consequences on millions of Americans.
SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ): This is a platform where many Americans are consuming their news. To take that away from them when it's not necessary, when we can find a solution to this, is just unacceptable.
WARNER: TikTok's creativity is great. I think influencers, they ought to be able to continue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Hmm. Well, most people still don't want Chinese ownership of TikTok, whether they think that there should still be content creators in the platform to have it. It's about the ownership. But they want to give the company more time to find a different owner and an American buyer.
[23:19:57]
Here with me now, Andrew Yang. He is the founder of the Forward Party and ran for president as a Democrat in the 2020 election. Andrew, good to see you. I have to ask about the sort of whiplash that's happening right now. After this broad bipartisan support of the ban, why do you think both sides of the aisle are now thinking of ways to try to extend the time to get that American buyer?
ANDREW YANG, FOUNDE OF FORWARD PARTY, FORMER 2020 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You have a site that is the number one source of news for a lot of Americans who are a bit younger and is the home for millions of creators, tens of thousands of whom are actually making a living.
And so, if you are a member of Congress and you are presiding over the extinction of all of these creators and their jobs, I mean, obviously, you know, the creators will --
(LAUGHTER)
-- still be with us, but their profiles will be gone, their source of revenue will be gone. You know, it's a political loser. And so, everyone is now looking for a solution which would involve (INAUDIBLE) U.S. being sold to an American buyer.
COATES: So, what do you think? In the balancing act of national security interests versus First Amendment rights, do you think that the politicians thought that the American voters, the American public, and the consumers valued the national security more than the other? Did they just get this wrong in terms of what they thought the American people wanted?
YANG: What they got wrong was how quickly a buyer could be found and the willingness of bite dance to relinquish control. I mean, it's a bit of a game of chicken, Laura. The Chinese parents are like, hey, you know, like you want to ban us, let's see how your people feel about that. There has been a P.R. campaign talking about all the Americans who are making a living on TikTok.
And so, to me, it is a timing issue. This is a site that's worth billions of dollars. It's going to be a massive boom to whichever company or individual in this day and age ends up buying it. And that's going to be something of immense value to the Trump administration because it's a huge favor that they can do, essentially. And (INAUDIBLE) stops existing, then they can't -- they can't extract value from this multi-billion-dollar company being sold to an American company.
COATES: And, of course, they don't believe it's for sale. And we know that the head of TikTok is going to be at the inauguration. It must signal a whole lot. But in the national security concerns with TikTok's Chinese ownership, it has to do with the suspicion that China could mine American user data. Is that as much of a threat as it has been made out to be, do you think?
YANG: Oh, it certainly could be taken that way, Laura, because we don't know what the Chinese government is doing with the data. And this is, again, the number one news source for a lot of minors.
So, the prospect of a foreign government having all this information on kids and teenagers and being able to subvert or alter the news they get or their point of view, it's why leaders in both parties decided on the ban in the first place.
COATES: We'll see how this all plays out. The 19th literally around the corner, days away, and an inauguration, and whether the new administration will indeed be able to get a new buyer or certainly change the criteria for what it means to have ownership, all ahead. Andrew Yang, thank you so much.
YANG: Thanks, Laura. Great being with you.
COATES: As always, thank you. Up next, Wendy Williams emerges and breaks her silence, claiming that she is trapped in a guardianship and that she is not cognitively impaired, as has been said. So, what exactly is going on with Wendy Williams? And her brother is live with us next for an exclusive interview.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:25:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COATES: There's an old saying in broadcasting, never give up control of the mic. It's also what Wendy Williams used to say. And tonight, radio and T.V. show host Wendy Williams is trying to reclaim her mic. She's publicly blasting the legal guardianship that she has been under since her hit daytime talk show ended. Here's what she told Jason Lee from Hollywood Unlocked.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WENDY WILLIAMS, FORMER BROADCASTER, MEDIA PERSONALITY, AND WRITER (voice-over): I feel like I'm emotionally abused. And where I am, where I am, I stay on, like I said, I'm on the fifth floor. Anything I want to do, I cannot do. I am made to be held like prison. You know what I'm saying? I feel isolated like a mug.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Now her show ended in 2022 after health issues, and she was appointed a guardian after a financial advisor for Williams said in a court filing she was -- quote -- "of unsound mind" -- unquote. Last year, a care team for Williams said that she was diagnosed with dementia and aphasia. Just a few months ago, that legal guardian said that Williams had become -- quote -- "permanently disabled and legally incapacitated."
Now, we have reached out to the guardian, but not heard back. We should note, it is possible that a court order is preventing the guardian from speaking publicly.
Joining me now for an exclusive interview, Tommy Williams, the brother of Wendy Williams. Tommy, thank you so much for being here. I have to tell you, I have been such a fan of Wendy all of these years. And to hear her statements today, to hear her so vulnerable and raw, it was very, very emotional for us all. Can you tell me what your reaction has been to what you've heard today?
TOMMY WILLIAMS, BROTHER OF WENDY WILLIAMS: Dumbfounded. I couldn't believe it.
[23:30:00]
I spoke with Wendy last night. Um, we spoke just for a few minutes. I was going to patch my dad in on three-way, and I had no luck doing that. And so, we stayed on the phone. We just talked for a little bit. And then Wendy told me that she had some calls to make, um, which spiked my interest but not that much because I know she makes her calls and, you know, it's -- that's how she stays occupied there, so I didn't overthink anything.
This morning, I got a call from a buddy of mine and he said, you'll be on the Breakfast Club this morning -- no, Wendy will be on the Breakfast Club this morning. And I was concerned.
COATES: When you say you were dumbfounded, did you not -- you were dumbfounded that she has made these statements or that you didn't know this is how she was feeling?
WILLIAMS: I knew that this is how she was feeling. I was unaware that she was going to come out and make the statements, and I was unaware of the platform and what she was going to use in terms of the Breakfast Club.
You know, I -- I'm an avid watcher, Wendy. I've watched her shows loads of times. I know her personality. I know she's a mainstream. You know, she's everybody's girl. And, you know, to -- you know, the Breakfast Club went in on me last week. They brought up my t-shirts that I had designed and my wife designed. I tried to get out as I had an interview last Sunday. And I wanted to have something tangible that I can go ahead and put out there for the people because they seemed so interested and so concerned and so supportive for my sister. And I didn't feel comfortable getting anything because, you know, it's a slippery slope. I don't really know the legalities of it all. I didn't want to put myself too far ahead conferencing with family or, you know, just -- you know, it just didn't feel right, didn't feel right. I had the t-shirts for like a year --
COATES: What do they say? Just for the audience, what do they say?
WILLIAMS: "Free Wendy."
COATES: "Free Wendy."
WILLIAMS: "Free Wendy," #freewendy, simple shirts, have a crown on them. They're made on a string yarn, which is a platform that I use, a string yarn. You know, it's not like you're -- you know, it's not like Hanes are her way. You know, it's just a shirt that you can kind of go in, cut and paste, move things around. My wife did it, and she came up with something (INAUDIBLE).
COATES: But Tommy, hold on, on that point, I don't want to cut you off, but just the -- when I hear "Free Wendy," it obviously reminds me of "Free Britney," which was --
WILLIAMS: Yeah.
COATES: -- obviously a campaign because people believe that she was unfairly in a conservatorship and guardianship and that she was, for lack of a better phrase, being treated similarly to what Wendy has said she has felt she has been treated. Do you think that she is not being treated appropriately or that her diagnosis is inaccurate because she has said that she is not cognitively impaired?
WILLIAMS: Well, I'm not a doctor, but I do know my sister. And, you know, Britney Spears, I mean, that's -- I'm an individualist person. I look at case by case. That's Britney. This is Wendy. You know, it's similar. I hadn't followed Britney, so I can't speak on it. But I can say that, you know, Wendy is solid in her thoughts, in her delivery.
I think the only thing that she takes pause on is that, you know, with all this legal stuff going on, you know, she has to make sure that she is doing things appropriately and not speaking over outside of her realm.
So, I think that, you know, she has always been on point, and I think that's -- if anything, that is something to key in on, the fact that she is still and that she's still knows when to stop and when to start. I mean, people want everything but Wendy, just like when she did her show, she didn't deliver everything doses, and at this point, doses are most important because you're dealing with the judicial system. So, I feel as though -- COATES: Yeah. Well, hold on. Do you think that she is -- when you say doses, do you think that this is part of a strategy for her to have the courts reassess her guardianship? And if so, are you hoping that they will have a new situation for her or perhaps have her of her own agency again?
WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think that -- you know, by all means, I think this is definitely -- you know, Wendy's, you know, thoughts behind this is definitely to to make people aware and bring them -- and have the spotlight, you know, come her way and show light on some of the injustices that are going on that she feels along this journey of guardianship.
COATES: Is the family doing anything? How often are you in contact with her? Are you helping her to facilitate what appears to be her desire to leave this guardianship or leave the facility that she's in?
[23:35:02]
WILLIAMS: Well, you know, I stay in touch with Wendy, and I do the best I can in terms of, you know -- well, I can't say I do the best I can. I do it on myself. And so, there is the best that I can. And so, what I do is I speak with Wendy on a regular basis. At one time, you know, things weren't happening on a regular basis. You know, the calls would all have to be patched in.
I was kind of at the latter end of the patching in, you know, because I'm outspoken and because I definitely speak up and I don't censor myself. I try not to. I'm not the most popular at times. And so, you know, I was the last one brought into the fold on the family talks with Wendy. But when I was brought in, I quickly, you know, rekindled with Wendy, moved forward, and, you know, got a chance to be besties all over again.
So, we get our -- I talk to Wendy, geez, maybe two times a day. You know, she'll call or I'll see a missed call or, you know, she catches me in the evening. It's a matter of when I'm -- when I'm free and when she wants to give a call. I'm always looking. And when I -- there's very few times that it goes beyond two rings because I'm so -- so much looking forward to talking to Wendy because, you know, I have a sister, Wanda, and I have a sister, Wendy --
COATES: Uh-hmm.
WILLIAMS: -- and I'm the youngest brother. I'm the youngest, the only brother, Tommy. And, you know, so for me, you know, it's nice to just be in communication. Now, she's not down here. And, you know, quite frankly, even during the course of her, you know, her television show and things like that, we didn't speak on a regular basis like we are now, you know.
COATES: And when you speak to her now, though -- just to be clear, when you speak to her now, you do not believe that Wendy should be in a guardianship?
WILLIAMS: No, not at all. COATES: Do you think there -- is there a space that Wendy should be in should she be returned to her full autonomy?
WILLIAMS: Yes.
COATES: And does your family, your sister, and your father, I know you speak for yourself, do they agree with you?
WILLIAMS: Absolutely.
COATES: So, the only holdup is what the courts will do?
WILLIAMS: The only holdup is courts, yes.
COATES: Tommy, it's pretty unbelievable to think about what we've heard today, not from you but from what we've heard, to think of someone like Wendy, who we all feel like we know so well, to go through what she's going through, and so many unanswered questions. Thank you so much. I know we'll continue our conversation. Thank you.
WILLIAMS: You know, yeah, sure. You know, I also want to share, I mean, because, you know, this is also very important. I think, you know, how Wendy, you know, moves about and, you know, and if this is a system, a system that is in place and compliance is this word that comes to mind, it comes to mind all of the time. Now, everybody doesn't do the right thing all the time, but there are certain points. If you want something, you need to do the right thing.
So, what does the right thing look like in this situation? I certainly feel as though, and I know this is one of the questions you posed, but it's something that I have on my chest that I want to share if I can, you know, I believe that, you know, coming down and spending the time is important, but it's the matter of what kind of time and quality time.
COATES: Of course.
WILLIAMS: I was very much anticipating Wendy's arrival when she came down. I was looking forward to traditional family time with Wendy, the kind that we've been missing all this while.
COATES: Uh-hmm.
WILLIAMS: And so, when we got together and it was going out and I understand everything, it was a big celebration time. My nephew graduating, us being able to see Wendy after all this time, definitely reason to celebrate. I just wish we had done it a little bit differently, you know, because, you know, there are some differences in who was appointed to come down.
COATES: Sure.
WILLIAMS: And the differences were, and I laid them out on my live on the "Tommy Williams Show" on YouTube, and I specifically had mentioned, you know, a couple of things that I felt as though were deterrents from, you know, the path that I thought that Wendy probably should have followed and probably a couple of the paths --
COATES: Well, I'm going to have to listen to that to make sure we fully understand all the scope of it because it's important to hear your perspective as her brother. Tommy, thank you so much for joining us. I do appreciate it.
I want to read a statement from an attorney representing Wendy in a lawsuit separate from the guardianship issue, saying in a statement about her interviews today, "Wendy's condition will only get worse with time and she will require care for the rest of her life. But as anyone who has had a family member with dementia knows, Wendy has both good days and bad days."
I want to bring in now Jason Lee, CEO of Hollywood Unlocked and vice mayor of Stockton, California. He actually interviewed Wendy Williams in the clip you heard just moments ago, an interview which comes out tomorrow on YouTube.
[23:40:02]
Jason, before we get to your interview, I just want to get your reaction to what you just heard from Wendy's brother, Tommy. He doesn't believe that she should have a guardianship and doesn't think his family thinks she should either. What's your reaction?
JASON LEE, VICE MAYOR OF STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA, CEO OF HOLLYWOOD UNLOCKED: Yeah, I mean, I don't talk to Tommy. Tommy and Wendy have had a checkered past for a long time. It is well documented. But I do talk to her son, Kevin, Jr. I do talk to Alex, her niece. In fact, I interviewed Wendy this morning with Alex on the phone. Alex is a journalist out of Miami, very sharp, very smart and very close to Wendy.
Wendy, I've known Wendy, Laura, for now probably seven, eight years. She has never sounded better, never sounded more clear minded, never has been as intentional as she was today about being very clear that she needs the community, the audience, her fans, people like us in journalism to get behind this "Free Wendy" movement. She has talked about feeling in prison. She didn't even know until the other day that they gave her cats away. And all of us who've ever been to Wendy's home and have been in Wendy's life knows that she loves three things: her show, her son, and her cats.
And so, the fact that this woman, and I need to say her name, Sabrina Morrissey, who Charlamagne and I have had conversations throughout the day, Sabrina Morrissey is a person who's not only in control of Wendy and where her body is able to move, but her finances.
In the interview, she talks about flying down to see her son during his graduation, who she has been kept away from, who has not been able to call his mom when he wants to, whose apartment was being -- he was being evicted from because the Sabrina Morrissey woman and the people who are in control of Wendy cut off resources to her son, who she loves.
When he -- when she went down to visit her son, the caretakers who were supposed to be watching her just left her outside without her car there to pick her up. So, they're not really caring for her in a way --
COATES: Hmm.
LEE: -- that would make sense for somebody who's their guardian.
COATES: Now, Jason, of course, I've heard her name several times today in the interviews you've spoken about. I know you've spoken about her. We've reached out to Sabrina Morrissey. We have not heard back. We are saying that she is a court-appointed guardian. We're still waiting for more information or response. We have not yet received to confirm what you've said.
But I do want to hear about the conversation you had today with Wendy Williams. It is about 25 minutes, I understand. She was obviously upset to what was going on. Can you tell me what was your impression of why she wanted to talk about this now? Has -- did something happen in the recent past that made her want to express this today in multiple outlets?
LEE: Yeah, I mean, Wendy has been in fear of retaliation from Sabrina Morrissey and the conservators because she has been threatened that if she has contact with people, they will cut her off completely. There have been people like Lauren LaRosa that has gone to visit Wendy at her request to only arrive and be told a lie by the people that she's not in the facility that she got to.
In this interview, I said, are you afraid that something is going to happen, because now that you're speaking out and you're letting the world know that you're being, in your words, held prisoner, is something going to happen? She said, they're probably going to move me to a worse facility --
COATES: Hmm.
LEE: -- and they're probably going to take my phone from me.
COATES: Did Wendy express or have you talked to her at all about what has been her stated diagnosis? Did she take issue with the diagnosis or the conditions of her guardianship?
LEE: Wendy was unaware that they had painted a picture to the world that she had dementia. Laura, let me tell you --
COATES: Yes.
LEE: -- as somebody who was -- when I tell you I was somebody who was on her show regularly, talking on the phone regularly, I mean, I was in her life on a regular basis, right? When I had heard that she had dementia and that she was in this facility and couldn't be reached or couldn't contact anybody, I, as a friend, thought like I don't want to hear that Wendy Williams died in a facility with dementia, forgot me, just forgot her family. You know, that's really the picture that had been painted to all of us. Her family afraid to talk to me because they had been threatened that if they did talk to me, that they would no longer allowed to -- be allowed to have contact with Wendy.
And so, I think for her, she is just now finding out that her cats have been given away, that the people that they send to fly around to monitor her are being paid by Wendy's money, and that she said on the Breakfast Club that she only has $15 in her Goyard purse, you know, and this is somebody who is making millions and millions of dollars every year entertaining the world.
COATES: You know, Jason, it's so hard to hear about a woman so strong be so vulnerable in the way that she has described. And again, this attorney who had worked with her on a separate issue talks about good and bad days. We certainly heard from her today. We look forward to hearing more and your interview tomorrow as well. Jason Lee, thank you so much.
LEE: Laura, just if I can end with this, thank you for sharing this platform and this message because she wanted it to be very clear that "Free Wendy" is not a moment, it's a movement. They did it for Britney. We didn't know what she was going through. I love the comparison earlier.
[23:45:00]
But it is interesting to watch that with Wendy, we saw them first take control of her money at Wells Fargo, then we saw them take her show, then we've seen them put her away and taken from her family. So, thank you for sharing this.
COATES: There's more to this story. Thank you, Jason.
Up next, he transcended sports and entertainment with that signature voice and wit. Tonight, we remember Mr. Baseball, Bob Uecker, with some help from his very close friend, you know him, Bob Costas. That's live with us next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB UECKER, BROADCASTER (voice-over): The arm is back, here he comes, one-two. Swing! Good point! Hello, New York!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COATES: Today, we lost the booming voice of Mr. Baseball. Legendary broadcaster Bob Uecker died at the age of 90.
[23:50:00]
He built his career in Milwaukee. But his voice, that traveled around the globe.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UECKER: Here we go with Ryan Braun. The pitch to him. Swing and a drive! Left center of beat!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Those calls echoed through radios and TVs for more than 40 years. He became the voice of the Milwaukee Brewers in 1971. Before that, Uecker played for the Brewers as a backup catcher for six seasons.
But it would be his announcing that won over fans in Milwaukee and far beyond. He became Mr. Baseball, as Johnny Carson called him, and his voice took him beyond the broadcast booth, landing roles in T.V. shows and commercials and movies like "Major League."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UECKER: (INAUDIBLE) just the bit outside. He tried to corner this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: But Uecker, he never let Hollywood change him. And he kept calling Brewers games until last year, even while privately battling lung cancer.
With me now, another baseball-announcing legend who worked with Uecker several times, his friend, Bob Costas. Bob, thank you so much for joining us.
BOB COSTAS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Hi, Laura.
COATES: A great one gone. He was really a legend.
COSTAS: Yeah, he was. That shot you just showed was from last September. I had worked for several years with Bob at NBC in the 1990s, All-Star Games and World Series and whatnot, and we became close friends.
And I wanted to visit him in the booth one last time because I had a feeling this would be his last season given his health. And that was the last weekend of the regular season. And whenever we were in the same town, I'd drop by and we'd just do our little thing on the air. We had no particular plan. We just visited for four or five innings and some of it was reminiscences and some was wisecracks, most of it coming from Uke. There he is at age 90.
He had almost two separate careers. As a radio announcer with the Brewers, he was just fabulous, exciting, goose bump raising calls of big moments, and in baseball, especially, because it's a day in, day out game. The local announcer is so important. And he was born and raised in Wisconsin. He started his career in Milwaukee with the then Milwaukee Braves. So, he was one of theirs for more than half a century. So, there was that connection.
But America knew him from his more than a hundred appearances on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson. It was Carson who dubbed him as Mr. Baseball, which was sort of tongue in cheek because Uke's lifetime batting average was 200, you know.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTAS: And he made his whole persona out of that futility. And then there was the "Major League" movie where he ad-libbed half of his lines as the announcer Harry Doyle, and those lines were funnier than the lines that were in the script. And there was the light beer from Miller commercials and the national games he did with Al Michaels and Howard Cosell in the 70s on ABC, and with me and Joe Morgan in the 90s on NBC.
But a lot of fans outside Milwaukee might have kind of lost track of him in recent years because it had just been the games that he did on the radio. But that was really where his heart was. Even though he was a national figure, his heart was with baseball and with his hometown of Milwaukee. And that authenticity really endeared him to the local fans.
COATES: That's so beautiful. I remember going to baseball games with my dad, and people still listen with the radio heads.
COSTAS: Yes.
COATES: They like to hear the announcers. They're watching the live game, like people like you who are talking about it. What was your favorite moment, if you can remember, of all the ones you've had, your favorite moment or one of them?
COSTAS: Well, one that I was involved in, Game 6 of the 1995 World Series on NBC, Cleveland at Atlanta. And to my right is Joe Morgan, first-ballot Hall of Famer, two-time MVP, member of one of the great teams in baseball history, Cincinnati's Big Red Machine. And to my left is Bob Uecker. And Morgan starts talking about his own World Series experiences, which not only involve him, but Pete Rose and Johnny Bench and Tony Perez and Sparky Anderson, all of them Hall of Famers except for Rose, who would be, if not for extenuating circumstances, all bold face names.
When he is done, I turned to Uecker, half to amuse myself and half to know that Uke is going to say something funny, and I said, Uke, do you ever play in the World Series? And he said, well, I was with the Cardinals in '64 when they played the Yankees in the series, but I was on the disabled list. I said, what was wrong with you? He said, I had hepatitis. I said, how did you get that? He said, the trainer injected me with it, which --
(LAUGHTER)
-- in his mind accounted for why the Cardinals without him were able to prevail in that World Series.
[23:55:00]
COATES: Humble and funny and actually announcing until just a few months ago.
COSTAS: Yes.
COATES: He called the last game of the season for the Brewers. And after the team lost in the playoffs, it was you who consulted the players. How much did Bob mean to the players themselves, knowing that Mr. Baseball was always there?
COSTAS: He was so beloved by the players. He had his own locker in the clubhouse. When they would go to the playoffs, they would (INAUDIBLE) him share, which he would then give to charity. But that was unheard of. They (INAUDIBLE) him a player's share.
And well into his 70s, he would pitch batting practice. There he is in the shot you have right there. He'd get into a uniform and pitch batting practice. He was one of them.
And he was actually, even though they had Hall of Fame players during their history, he was more famous than any of them. Robin Yount and Paul Molitor, players who went to the Hall of Fame, would tell you that when the bus pulled up at the hotel on the road, there'd be more fans there looking for Uecker than looking for the best of the players.
COATES: Well, we'll continue to look for him now in a different way. Bob Costas, thank you so much and thank you for sharing that legacy, a really important one.
COSTAS: He is immortal. Thank you, Laura.
COATES: Thank you all for watching. "Anderson Cooper 360" is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
