president's photo-op. >> we'll continue to track that coming up in minneapolis, we'll see you back here tomorrow. br brianna keilar picks up our coverage right now. we begin the day with reflection, i am brianna keilar. right now in new york, demonstrators are gathered peacefully in plaza park, they'll march across the brooklyn bridge the next hour. ma in minneapolis, a memorial gets underway for floyd in an hour. a huge turn-out as expected. today is the first time the three former minneapolis police officers will face a judge after being charged with aiding and abetting the murder of george

floyd. i want to get to athena jones in new york. i know floyd's brother is expected to be there. tell us about this and what you are seeing. >> we are in brooklyn. you can see people streaming in, a diverse crowd streaming in for what is going to be a memorial for george floyd. we expect to hear words according to organizers from terrance floyd, the brother of george's. reverend mccall, we expect to hear a prayer from him and comments from elected officials. we have been talking a lot about how diverse these marches have been and diverse these demonstrations have been. we are seeing people of all ages. we have with us now, members of the clergy, talk to me why it is so important for you to be here.

>> it is important for us to be here standing in solidarity with our sisters and brothers who's given a message where their lives don't matter. having spent 20 years teaching in black schools and work ng the african-american community, i feel an obligation to be here standing in solidarity with our sisters and brothers who are suffering. you want peace, this is a quote from the 1970s, it is very much what is needed to be heard today as well. it is a message that is not old and not out dated and we obviously have lost that sense of justice, and we'll have no justice and no peace. >> reporter: we talk a lot about

how important clergies were to the civil rights movement in the 1950s. we are seeing more of that today as we are hearing more and more people streaming in and elected leaders like congressman hakeem jeffery will be speaking later as well. >> thank you athena. mourners are beginning to arrive at the sanctuary in minneapolis. that's where sara sidner is live at the george floyd's vigil. tell us what you are seeing. >> reporter: there is any place in the city that represents the absolute, love, kindness and care that people felt with george floyd and one another is here in the very area where he lost his life. we are standing outside at the memorial where we have been for days. this part of the city have been kept because the people of this neighborhood says this is a

sanctuary, this is not a place where you get to come and do any kind of destruction. we have seen a man losing his life. they want this to be a place of peace and people coming together, a place where you can feel sorrow and express yourself. i am going to move out of the way and let our photographer take you into the memorial. this has grown and grown and grown. it is so quiet today compares to every other day. it is so peaceful today and there has been chants and fam y families have been here and store owner has talked to us. the owner that called the police on george floyd tospoken to the family. there were tears, we often don't

call police, we take care of ourselves here because we know what it means to call police on people of color. the people that owns this store are palestinians, we know what conflict is and we try not to have conflict. what you are seeing here is the conflict is gone and the love and care and honoring this man and his family has replaced that. everyone here has been helping each other. there are free lattesburritos, citizens have been buying hundreds of dollars of food just to make sure their neighbors are taken care of. >> so beautiful. sara sidner, thank you. the three fired police officers who were involved in

floyd's initial arrest. these are the three in addition to derek chauvin who's been charged with second-degree murder. these men are charged with aiding and abetting. derek chauvin there is second-degree murder. he'll not face the judge until june 8th so on monday here. josh campbell is outside the courthouse. the personnel files for these officers were also released. tell us what you are learning there? >> reporter: we have been d digging through these records. you look at the range of experience and couple with the feedback that the officers charged with second-degree murder was the most senior officer of the group. he's been on the job as two decades as a police officer. we noted he had several complaints over the years, 17 different allegations of wrong

doing by members of the public, not so for the others. two decades and verses experiences from the others. two officers had been on the force for over a year or less. one of them is only six months. the most senior person charged with the serious crimes. three of those four will be presented behind mess very shortly. i want top gi give you a sense what's happening here. the irony here is very thick. you can see the members of the national guards, they were called into the city, called up by the governor to protect critical infrastructure because of the protests stemming from alleged actions from these officers. three of those officers are behind bars waiting to see a judge. we expect this hearing to be brief and we are told by the attorney general this will be along the process, we are

nowhere near trial, we heard nothing of a plea. this is a first step as people call for justice. it will start behind us here in short order. >> josh, thank you so much for taking us there to the courthouse in minneapolis. >> keith ellison has moved quickly with his decision to prosecute the three other officers and upgraded the charges of derek chauvin, ellison who also tried to temper e expectations of the outcome of this case. >> winning the case is hard. we are confident in what we are doing. history does show there are clear challenges here and we are going to be working hard in relying on each other and our investigative partners and in the community to support that

endeav endeavor. >> i want to bring in our guest, serving as head of the u.s. justice civil rights division. thank you for being here. >> thank you for having me. >> i wonder if you agree with ellison's assessment that winning a conviction is going to be hard to get. >> winning conviction and police misconduct cases are always hard to get. there is a lot of reasons for it. there is a much higher of success at the state level than there is often at the federal level because the standard that justice department prosecutors have requires the highest criminal intent proof there is in criminal law. i would say the facts in this case are so incredibly strong, facts that we have been watching you know with being kicked in the guts over and over again and the video footage of three officers on mr. floyd's body and

officer chauvin on his neck for more than eight minutes while he was pleading for his life and others were pleading of pure signs of distress and he was restrained and handcuffed. these are the kinds of evidence that should make this really a slam dunk conviction but the n reason why i think attorney ellison is cautioning expectations where there has been a lot of cases where videos of evidence and juries carry bias, too. we need to temper our expectations. >> okay, so it is as bad as they come. so it means if it is bad as they come in this case and the conviction is not secured. that's going to speak volume about what is possible for justice in the case of people who died at the hands of police. i wonder if you can explain this

to us. people look at that nine minutes video and at certain point derek chauvin is not acting as a police officer, they look at him acting in a way that's consid considered cruel to another human being. why does that protection still stand when it seems that he's not in the moment and for really quite many minutes, he's certainly not serving as a police officer. >> look. i expect a conviction here and the other three officers as well. i think that there is to me no question that these facts should meet a conviction not only at the state level but to be honest with you, a federal level too where the bar is so much higher. i don't see how even to look at those as anything but definitely

full. that's why we saw swift condensation by police chiefs around the country in a way that we have not around these instances. there were nothing in the books and training, the defense council will argue these things. i think looking at the facts of these case, i expect a conviction. >> okay, i wonder when you hear about a friend of george floyd who was in the car with him saying that floyd did not resist, he didn't resist arrest. he was asking why he was arrested, he was troying to appeal to the officer that this did not need to happen. >> the officer to engage in intentional killing at that point. the case is going to voinvolve also looking at training, how

was officer chauvin trained and was there resisting arrest? none of those things exist. the factor in this case would make a conviction at the state and federal levels because these are facts that go es to the stae of mind of officer chauvin going to the fact that he's acting outside of the bounds of anything that even his own police chief thought was legal and permissible. >> because you look at that video it is not police -- vanita gupta, we appreciate it. when jonah mattis resigns, he said he never criticized the president. how the white house is stepping up security against protesters

with a big-old wall. >> drew breeze apologizes of his comment of disrespecting the flag. this is cnn's special live coverage. we have a saying at us foods: we help you make it. you, the independent restaurants of america... we've always got your back, but through all of this... you made it happen. you made our friday nights. you even made us dessert. ♪ so, to help you get back to full strength, we're giving away free re-opening kits at our website so you can safely re-open your doors. for all you do, from all of us, let us help you make it. ♪

a book that you're ready to share with the world? get published now, call for your free publisher kit today! president trump's threat to use military force on protesters have led to a string of stun regular views of some of the leaders. james mattis is quote "angry" and "appalled" by the president's action.

he says the president does not unite the american people and did not even pretend to try but instead he tries to divide us. agreeing with mattis is john allen. "the president has failed to show sympathy, empathy compassion or understanding." the president really, ripping the president from forcing protesters from the street in order for the president to walk for a photo-op there at st. johns. now in response to james mattis, president trump tweeted a lie that he fired the general. mattis resigned. do you remember that?

he resigned and protested the president's decision to abandon the kurds in syria. the only person that president trump and president obama both fired was michael flynn. president trump beefing up the physical barriers between himself and protesters, especially those protesters who are outside his white house windows. construction began before dawn on some additional fencing. over the last several days, we saw protesters and police clashing repeatedly outside the white house and near lafayette park which is there just outside of 1600 pennsylvaniaview. i want to go there to cnn white house corn boris sanchez. tell us what you're seeing there, boris. >> reporter: a starkly different scene here outside lafayette park. we've seen just 24 hours ago, several dozen protesters have come here today. they've come and gone in several

different waves. one thing you'll notice that is different immediately from yesterday, they're being allowed right up to the barrier that has been installed and reinforced here at lafayette park. several concrete blocks like this one have been put down in different spots along the fence. it has been expanded down to the eisenhower executive building just southwest of us. last night the protests, very peaceful but very different. law enforcement that was here had pushed them halfway down the block. this street, this intersection has been closed over the last several days. today you can see traffic is moving. it is open and also, i want to note, if we can zoom past the law enforcement officers. they're not wearing riot gear. we haven't seen any law enforcement presence in this portion of lafayette park in that head to toe riot gear with shield that's we've seen in previous days. the d.c. mayor. that her team had been work with

the federal government to try to limit that militarized presence that we saw just yesterday. notably, no arrests in d.c. last night. zero property damage, as was related to the protesters that were here. and tonight, there is no curfew. we'll keep an eye on it and let us know if it changes but right now it is mostly calm. >> last night the curfew was moved to 11:00 p.m. thank you for the report. after his own teammates called him out, drew brees is apologizing for his comments about disrespecting the flag. next, why the nfl has amnesia. plus, we're awaiting two live events. a memorial service in minneapolis for george floyd and this is happening as three of the officers charged with aigd second-degree murder appearing in court for the first time before a judge. we'll be right back. non-drowsy e plus a powerful decongestant. so you can always say "yes" to putting your true colors on display.

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the xfinity voice remote will find exactly that.for, happy stuff. the group's happy, i'm happy. you can even say a famous movie quote and it will know the right movie. circle of trust, greg. relax, the needles are jumping. you can learn something new any time. education. and if you're not sure what you're looking for, say... surprise me. just ask "what can i say" to find more of what you love with the xinity voice remote. quarterback drew brees is condemning his own words one day after he made comments about nfl players kneeling during the national anthem. before you hear brees' apology,

let's hear what the saints player told yahoo! finance on wednesday. >> i will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the united states of america or our country. let me just tell you what i see, or what i feel when the national anthem is played and when i look at the flag of the united states. i envision my two grandfathers who fought for this country during world war ii. one in the army and one in the marine corps. both risking their lives to protect our country and to try to make our country and this world a better place. >> now, brees posted his regrets today saying in an attempt to talk about respect, unity and solidarity centered around the american flag and the national anthem, i made comments that were insensitive and completely missed the mark on the issues we are facing right now as a country. they lacked awareness and any type of compassion or empathy. instead those words have become

divisive and hurtful and misled people into believing that somehow i am an enemy. this could not be further from the truth and is not an accurate reflection of my heart or my character. let's talk about all of this with a sports journalist. you probably know her, and contributing writer at the atlantic and she posts the unbothered podcast on spotify. few for being with us. i wonder what you think of what brees said and his apology. >> so drew brees, unfortunately, was guilty of what too many african-americans, too many black people, period, often hear from white people. when we were talking about our experiences, he immediately centered himself as if for one, he's the only person who is engaging in this conversation, who has had family members that have served in the military. one of the first things colin kaepernick said was that he also had friends and family who served and maybe drew brees

wasn't up on the history of why colin kaepernick chose to nekne. he chose to kneel because an army ranger, a green beret, excuse me, nate boyer, told him when you take a knee, it is a sign for the fallen. maybe drew brees didn't understand the connection but we've had three or more years to find out and understand what colin kaepernick's protest was really about. so the back lash that he received was from people who felt like he took what is a very trying experience of being black in america and he made it about himself, rather than what the issue is about, which is police brutality. the apology, i'm not sure if credit or being commended, if that is what he exactly deserved. he needed to apologize for sure but i would like to see what drew brees does from here on out. as the old adage goes, pay

attention to what they do, not to what they say. >> i want you to watch a clip from fox commentator laura ingram. she's talking about nba star lebron james speaking up on politics. and then she talks about drew brees. >> it's always unwise to seek political advice from someone who gets paid $100 million a year to bounce a ball. oh, and lebron and kevin, you're great players, but no one voted for you. millions elected trump to be their coach. so keep the political commentary to yourself or as someone once said, shut up and dribble. >> well, he's allowed to have his view about what kneeling and the flag means to him. i mean, he's a person. he has some worth, i would imagine. this is beyond football though. this is totalitarian conduct. this is stalinist. by the way, on the streets of

new orleans, we're looking at live pictures, they're shouting, f drew brees. >> that's amazing to me. >> that's what this moment has done to the beautiful team spirit of the new orleans saints. >> he's a great christian man. >> i don't know if you can find a better example of what a black athlete faces when they speak up and use their voice, versus what a white athlete faces when they do. >> well, first of all, let me thank laura ingram. because she said shut up and dribble, i got another check. i was the narrator in the documentary that wound up being produced based off her comments about how through the history of a movement, black athletes have always been told, shut up and dribble. so thank you, laura. i appreciated the extra check. but yeah. you showed the hypocrisy right there. it is not just black athletes. it is black people, period. all those people, when colin kaepernick was protesting who said this is not the time.

this is not the method. we don't like this. now you see people who are frustrated. all this under rest and rebellion across the country. when do you like it? i would like all those people who have an issue when black athletes speak out, or black people speak out, when we protest. please tell us the date, the time, how you would like us to protest, how would you like to us speak to issues that are important to us in a manner in which you feel comfortable. clearly, laura ingram is more comfortable with one athlete, or one, a certain time of athlete speaking out, versus another. i don't see the difference but clearly she does and i would love to know what that difference is. i think i can guess though. >> i would love to know as well. the coach of the denver broncos had said that there is no racism. there is no discrimination in the nfl. he's spoken out for that and apologized. it is worth pointing out that there are no white owners. right? most of the coaches are also white. some teams have threatened the

bench players if they kneeled. you were to call them if they have amnesia. >> i think you men there are no black owners. >> sorry. there are no black owners. >> yeah. the nfl, for them to enter into this conversation about racial inequal is interesting. they're a really great reflection of that inequality. you have only two black general managers. never been a black owner. so for this coach, for vic fangio to say he doesn't see racism, either he has a really big blind spot or he doesn't want to see it because it makes him uncomfortable. what we're seeing in real-time are examples of the type of resistance, conversation, the cumulative effect of feeling like you're talking on a brick wall, if you're trying to explain what is our experience in the country. the nfl because you

theoretically have a meritocracy, yes, the best players play. but don't act as if the nfl is somehow impervious to the racial prejudices and biases. this is the same league where it took a long time for black quarterbacks to be able to play because there was an assumed notion that black quarterbacks could not lead other men and they were not intellectually capable of playing the position. that was a real thing. for him to say that, it is just disgraceful. when i wrote the column for the atlantic, it was about continuing to practice selective amnesia when it came to their own racial track record. >> i think a lot of people don't realize that and that's why reading your column is so important. thank you for sharing your thoughts with us on cnn. we appreciate it. >> thank you. sfflt just in, a republican senator breaking with her party saying she is struggling to support the president in 2020. i want to talk now with manu

raju on capitol hill. >> she has criticized the president from time to time. she did vote against removing him from office during the impeachment trial in the senate earlier this year. she makes it very clear, speaking to reporters just earlier today, that she is not yet on board and endorsing president trump in 2020. she said, i'm still struggling with it. i have struggled with it for a long time. i think you know that. i did support the president in the initial election and make sure i'm able to work with the administration and the president. now, i asked her if she agrees with the criticism from that scathing remarks made by president trump's former defense secretary, and she said yes, i do. she said she was happy that james mattis issued that criticism when he called the

president a threat against the constitution. she said the president in his view, was trying to deliberately divide this country and had strongly criticized the president's photo op in front of a church on monday and the removal of protesters outside saying it was something of a squelch of their constitutional right to protest. she said she agreed with that criticism from james mattis. she said she was happy that he found the words and something that she was struggling to find the words about how she feels, and you said it. she is a lone voice here. i've been speaking to republicans up and down today and they are virtually all siding with the president. they're saying, mattis' criticism, it is his criticism. they'll leave it between those two. very few are willing to say anything to suggest they are on board with what he is saying. but lisa murkowski, one of the few to break ranks. >> what's the calculus on that? is this a decision where they're

considering their own political future? it is just hard to imagine that every single republican with the exception of lisa murkowski is actually cool with what's going on with the president. >> yeah. she's not up for re-election and a number of the senators are up for re-election. a lot of them realize, be in line with the president. if you're on the other side of his trigger finger, that could be a problem in the fall. >> thank you for bringing that to us from the capitol. soon the three other expolice officers who were at the scene when george floyd was killed, two of them helping restrain him, they're going to make their first court appearance. at about the same time, there is a huge memorial service manned in minneapolis with the floyd family. we're following all of this. we'll have live coverage for you.

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any minute now, memorial services for george floyd are expected to begin there in minneapolis. that's what we're watching on the right side of the screen. his family will be there to say their final good-byes to their brother, to their son. i want to bring in miguel marquez. you're in minneapolis and you've been there for days now.

this is a key moment, a key day. the memorial for george floyd about to begin. tell us what you're seeing there. >> it's a difficult day for the family, clearly. it is also a difficult day for the city and for the state. i want to show you what's happening. this is just outside the side of the university that has opened its doors to the floyd family, and to everybody who is coming. they have an area here that can seat about 1,000 people. because of the coronavirus and social distancing rules, they have to limit the number of people to get in. just over here, this big throng of people over here. these are people being process ed into -- >> all right, we lost miguel's signal there. we'll try to get him back up. you're watching the memorial service for george floyd. we're keeping an eye on this as this is set to get underway. moments from now.

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hi there, i'm brooke baldwin and you're watching cnn's special coverage of the memorial of george floyd. >> hi, brooke, i'm don lemon. thanks everyone for joining us. today's memorial, the first in a series of services set to begin in minneapolis. it's going to begin in just a few moments and there you see the inside of the memorial service, but before it does and in the midst of the marches and the anguish and all of these calls for change, we want to do

what so many others will do today, and that's take a moment to reflect on george's life. the floyd family remembers him as a beloved son, father and brother. >> i love my brother. everybody loved my brother. knowing my brother is to love my brother. he's a gentle giant. he don't hurt anybody. >> for former nba star, steven jackson, george floyd was a close friend for more than two decades. their resemblance, so similar, that they developed a special nickname for each other. >> nine out of ten times, we called each other twin. he was just a great dude, man. somebody that supported me genuinely, somebody that wanted to be a protector and provider for everybody around hip. o your side of the town is not

agreeing with the other side and they hate each other but he's the only guy that can move around and everybody gets along with him. that was floyd. >> jackson also said that floyd moved to minneapolis several years ago in search of a better life. the former owner of the nightclub where george floyd had worked remembered how popular he was, not just with his colleagues but with all who met him. >> george was called in to do extra security as a support on some of our urban nights, which were usually tuesdays or sundays and he was just a really nice guy. everybody liked him. that's why he got called in by some of my guys. we need some help. and he was well liked in the latino and the african-american community. >> for those who didn't know george floyd, his horrific death sparked action in the form of massive protests.

>> black lives -- >> matter! >> look at this. thousands upon thousands of americans in all 50 states coming together every single day and night since george floyd's death ten days ago from holding the signs high in the air to taking a knee like these doctors, here you have, and nurses in new york city. many felt this moment was one in which they could not be silent. >> for once, everybody's tired, and everybody's ready for change. white people, black people, out here, if you look, this is not just black people in this movement. we have white, black, asian, hispanic, native, everybody is sick of the racism within this system, especially within this state of minnesota. minnesota ranked in the top five for most segregated states in the nation and we're tired of it here. we're tired and we want to see change. >> what happened to george floyd and what happens all too frequently in our country is not okay. it has to change and there's a deeper issue.

it's not just police, it's a deeper issue in all of us, so we've got to address that and then we've got to say, we're going to stand together, speak up, stand together, love each other and we'll see change happen. >> as we look at these live pictures now from north central university in minneapolis, you can see the grieving there inside of that room, it is palpable and brooke, we have been transfixed here in the united states on all of these images and the stories, and of course, the video that shows the death, the calls for justice spreading worldwide. this is a scene in amsterdam on monday where citizens gathered in solidarity, and then there's paris france, marchers spilling out into the streets. and also, in syria, a graffiti artist painted this mural featuring floyd's image and some of the final words that he spoke. i can't breathe. one of george floyd's cousins

telling me these tributes have helped soothe some of the family's unimaginable pain. >> it definitely warms my heart to see that we have so many people willing to support and to protest and to give him a voice and keep this going because he was a very loving person and he didn't deserve what happened to him. >> there's been global outpouring, making these words from george floyd's 6-year-old daughter gianna. you can see her here with her dad, makes these words all the more poignant. >> that's right, daddy change the world. what? >> daddy change the world.

>> daddy change the world. >> hmm. as we wait for this memorial to begin, i just want to -- brooke, this is amazing to see the people who are in the room, the diversity in the room, and we hear the sounds of, really, celebrating a life as we mourn here. this has just been a moment that we have been transfixed to in this country and just watching all of this outpouring, hopefully, this will be a time of change that we make a pivot in this country, brooke, to do something different. >> no, i think, listen, i've been doing my own self-educating, self-reflecting and i know i've been in touch with you over text the last couple of days, just feeling you and sending you love and so many people in this country love and it's truly an honor to be on with you and telling this story and shining a light on george

floyd and to hear his little girl saying, daddy change the world, there's -- i was talking to van jones yesterday and he was saying, it had just begun, the marathon, we're walking in mud every step of the way that will be difficult but man, we have all got to walk that walk. >> mm-hmm. and what a beautiful painting there and you see some of the dignitaries in the crowd. we saw the mayor of minneapolis there moments ago, the reverend jesse jackson there as well and there will be many folks there who you might recognize their faces or not because they are wearing masks. we're in the middle of a global pandemic. it's hard to socially distance at a funeral, but i'm sure they're doing the best they can, but again, this is at north central university in minneapolis, live pictures coming from this memorial service, the number offirst of of memorial services. omar jiminez at north central university where today's public memorial is being held. describe the scene where you

are, omar. >> reporter: well, don and brooke, as you mentioned, this will be the beginning of what will be a series of saying good-bye to george floyd, a little bit over a week after he died and there was music playing as it has been in the lead-up to the beginning of this memorial service, set to begin in just a few moments here. we see some of the people in attendance right now. you saw minneapolis mayor jacob frey in there and minnesota senator amy klobuchar went up to the casket to pay her respects and we've also seen his friend and former nba player steven jackson who i spoke to throughout all of this and highlights one really important aspect in all of this. of course, we are remembering the life of george floyd but we're also beginning to process the legacy he's now leaving behind, a legacy that has now been felt in places across the world and to use steven jackson's words, george floyd

will be the name of change. woke up to these four former officers arrested and facing charges, part of what they wish but justice for them comes from seeing this through to convictions and that's part of their mindset in this today saying their work isn't finished. there's a mission tied to remembering george floyd's life because the life he lived now has the potential and as we've seen, could be a symbol for change to potentially come. don, brooke? >> omar, thank you so much. as we'll stay on these pictures and listen in throughout course of the next couple of hours to the speakers and the beautiful voices of the choir and the singing. i want to stay in minneapolis because as you point out, don, because we are in the midst of a pandemic, only a couple hundred people can fit into this space and there's so many others who would love to be there and are there just outside the memorial service, crowds are starting to

gather. miguel march guess in tquezcque that. tell us what folks shared, why do they want to be there? >> reporter: if there's a such thing as a somber protest, this is it. this is minnesota and people coming from all over to just be here, be adjacent to where the casket of george floyd was brought in, everybody from politicians to celebrities starting to pile in but in this area outside of there at the university that's opened its doors to this, you have hundreds gathered now, preparing for perhaps as many as 10,000 people to fill this area in the adjacent park. it has a bit of the feel of the memorial as well because you not only have people who have clearly been protesting all week but you have community groups that have come up, local businesses that have chipped in and you have water, food,

groceries, medical assistance, anything that anyone might need has popped up here in the last several hours and there is a sense of community in this -- i don't know how much time you spent in minneapolis. it's a great city. i always loved coming here to work, but you really get a sense of the place in times like this, and to see whites, african-americans, latino, everybody just show up to this in the numbers they're expecting. there's a couple of protest marches happening that will probably culminate here and they will have a very, i think, a difficult time. there's that rush of anger that was like adrenaline through the veins of this city and now it feels like we are beyond that, and minnesotans and people from minneapolis are trying to reconcile the past week with where we are today and it's going to be a tough day.