>> Cathy: THURSDAY WAS THE THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF GEORGE FLOYD'S MURDER BY FORMER MINNEAPOLIS POLICE OFFICER DEREK CHAUVIN.

EARLIER THIS WEEK, MINNESOTA ATTORNEY GENERAL KEITH ELLISON PUBLISHED A BOOK ABOUT LEADING THE PROSECUTION TEAM THAT WON THE MURDER CONVICTION AGAINST CHAUVIN.

LATE LAST WEEK, ELLISON ANNOUNCED THAT JUUL WILL PAY THE STATE OF MINNESOTA $60.5 MILLION IN WHAT OFFICIALS SAY IS THE LARGEST TEEN VAPING SETTLEMENT.

ATTORNEY GENERAL KEITH ELLISON JOINS US TO TALK ABOUT BOTH STORIES.

GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.

>> AGREED TO BE HIRE.

THANK YOU.

>> Cathy: SO YOU KEPT TRIAL NOTES.

>> YEAH.

>> Cathy: AND AS AN ATTORNEY, IS THAT A NORMAL PRACTICE FOR YOU?

>> YEAH, I THINK JUST ABOUT EVERY ATTORNEY IN TRIAL IS GOING TO KEEP NOTES AND, YOU KNOW, YOU SEE THE JUDGES SCRIBBLING AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST SO THAT YOU REMEMBER TO ASK ABOUT SOMETHING THAT CAME UP OR DON'T FORGET THIS QUESTION.

AND, YOU KNOW, YOU JUST TUCK THEM AWAY AND THEN AFTER THE TRIAL WAS OVER, I THOUGHT, WE NEED TO KEEP A OCUMENT.

WE NEED TO -- >> Cathy: HISTORICAL RECORD.

>> RIGHT.

>> Eric: YOU SEE IT AS A TEMPLATE FOR OTHER PROSECUTORS?

>> IT COULD.

I COULD TELL YOU THE PROSECUTOR IN MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, IN THE TYREE NICHOLS GAVE ME A CALL.

WE TALKED AND ALSO IN MUNROE, LOUISIANA, ALSO IN COLORADO, ALSO N TEXAS.

SO IT'S NOT EASY.

NOBODY HAS TONS OF THESE CASES THE THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO DO A NUMBER OF THEM IS THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.

EVERYBODY ELSE, THEY'RE SOMEWHAT UP SOD EPISODIC.

>> Cathy: I THINK YOU SAID AT THE TIME THAT THE VERDICT WASN'T JUSTICE.

IT WAS ACCOUNTABILITY.

>> RIGHT.

>> Cathy: SO I MEAN, SINCE THE CHAUVIN VERDICT, HOW MANY BLACK MEN HAVE BEEN BRUTALIZED AND KILLED BY POLICE SINCE ANY TIME?

SO I'M WONDERING, WHEN DOES JUSTICE COME?

>> WE DON'T KNOW, BUT WE'RE GOING TO KEEP WORKING FOR IT.

THERE HAVE BEEN ABOUT 363 OFFICER INVOLVED KILLINGS THIS YEAR.

MANY OF THEM WERE LEGAL.

AND I JUST WANT TO MAKE IT CLEAR, IT IS NOT ENOUGH FOR THE POLICE TO USE DEADLY FORCE IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES.

BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE HAVEN'T PASSED THE GEORGE FLOYD JUSTICE AND POLICING ACT.

BUT WE HAVE DONE SOME THINGS LOCALLY THAT I THINK ARE GOOD.

WE'VE RESTRUCTURED THE POLICE OFFICER'SPOLICEOFFICER'S STAT STANDARDS AND TRAINING BOARD.

THAT'S GOOD.

WE BANNED NO-KNOCK WARRANTS.

WE RESTRICTED CHOKEHOLDS AND WE GOT SOME REALLY GOOD POLICE LEADERS IN PLACE WHO I FEEL A LOT OF CONFIDENCE IN, CEDRICK UALEXANDER, BRIAN O'HARA, AXEL HENRY, UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF BUILDING TRUST WITH THE COMMUNITY.

AND NOT TO MENTION PEOPLE LIKE CHARLIE ADAMS WHO'S THE HEAD OF THE FOURTH PRECINCT WHO'S ALWAYS BEEN AWESOME.

>> Eric: DO POLICE OFFICERS IN THE WAKE OF HE SARS-Cov2 CASE, DO NECESSARY FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE TURNING ONE OF THEIR OWN IN OR RAISING QUESTIONS ABOUT A COLLEAGUE?

>> WELL, I CAN TELL YOU THIS.

WE PASSED A LAW SAYING THAT YOU HAVE A DUTIED AND AN OBLIGATION TO INTERVENE AND TO LYND MEDICAL ASSISTANCE.

AND, YOU KNOW, LOOK, RICHARD ZIMMERMAN, THE LONGEST SERVING MINNEAPOLIS POLICE OFFICER TOOK THAT STAND AND SAID THAT IS WRONS.

THE CHIEF DID THE SAME ND CERTAINLY OTHER OFFICERS DID TOO.

SO WE'LL SEE.

I THINK THAT IN THE MEMPHIS CASE YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE THE OFFICERS SAYING WE DON'T TRAIN THAT.

WE DON'T CONDONE THAT.

AND REMEMBER, 14 OFFICERS RIGHT AFTER THE TRAGIC DISINTD, WROTE AN OPEN LETTER IN THE "STAR TRIBUNE" SAYING WE DENOUNCE WHAT DEREK CHAUVIN DID.

>> Eric: I WAS INTERESTED IN THE BOOK WHERE YOU TALK ABOUT WHERE YOU COULD HAVE STARTED YOUR CASE.

IT COULD HAVE BEEN IN CUP FOODS.

IT COULD HAVE BEEN WHEN THE OFFICER PULLED A GUN.

BUT I GUESS IT SHOWS THE HOW ENORMITY OF HOW IMPORTANT THAT TAPE WAS, THE VIDEO?

>> WELL, DARNELLA FRAZIER, YOUNG HERO, 17 YEARS OLD.

BUT YOU HAD TWO OTHER 17 YEARS OLD, AND A NINE-YEAR-OLD.

YOU HAD A 61 YEAR OLD MAN.

YOU HAD A FIREFIGHTER, WHO I THINK SHE WAS 27 YEARS OLD.

THE PEOPLE WHO OBJECTED TO THE TREATMENT OF GEORGE FLOYD WERE MUSCLE RACIAL, INTERGENERATIONAL, BOTH SEXES.

AND THAT WAS WHAT THE PEOPLE WHO WERE PROTESTING IN THE STREET LOOKED LIKE TOO.

AND THAT'S ALSO WHAT CHAUVIN, LANE, TOU AND KING LOOKED LIKE TOO.

THEY WERE A MULTI-RACIAL GROUP TOO.

WHAT DO WE MAKE OF IT ALL?

WE'VE GOT TO HAVE GREATER TRUST IN ORDER TO HAVE MORE EFFECTIVE LAW ENFORCEMENT.

AND I HOPE THIS IS A CONTRIBUTION TO THAT CONVERSATION.

>> Eric: THANKS FOR BRINGING UP THE THAT THE OFFICERS INVOLVED WERE MULTI-RACIAL.

RIGHT?

AND I THINK SOME PEOPLE THINK, WELL, THE MORE YOU HIRE OFFICERS OF COLOR AND WOMEN, IT'S GOING TO MAKE IT ALL BETTER.

BUT THAT'S NOT EXACTLY TRUE.

>> IT HELPS, BUT IT DOESN'T SOLVE THE PROBLEM.

I MEAN, I THINK YOU NEED A FEW THINGS.

ONE IS, IF YOU COMMIT A CRIME, YOU NEED TO FACE ACCOUNTABILITY WHETHER YOU HAVE A BADGE OR NOT.

ALSO, WE NEED ADMINISTRATIVE REMEDIES.

DEREK CHAUVIN HAD 18 PLIER EXCESSIVE FORCE COMPLAINTS AND HE WAS A FIELD TRAINING OFFICER.

WE'VE GOT TO CREATE A SITUATION WHERE WE HAVE ONLY THE BEST OFFICERS DOING FIELD TRAINING, AND THAT THERE'S ACCOUNTABILITY.

IF DEREK CHAUVIN WOULD HAVE GOT INTERVENED EARLIER, HE MIGHT STILL BE ON THE FOURS.

HE MIGHT NOT E IN POLICE DEPARTMENT, BUT HE PROBABLY WOULDN'T BE IN PRISON.

>> Eric: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF "BREAK THE WHEEL" THE TITLE.

>> FOR 100 YEARS, WE'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH THIS.

WHEN I WAS THREE AND A HALF YEARS OLD, IDENTIFY SAW MILITARY TRUCKS ROLLING BY IN DETROIT WHEN I WAS A LITTLE KID AND, YOU KNOW, THE 1919 RIOT IN CHICAGO, THE 1935 RIOT IN HARLEM, THE 1943 RIOT IN HARLEM, AND THEN THE CURRENT COMMISSION REPORT WHICH I THINK WAS A LANDMARK DOCUMENT THAT LOOKED AT, LIKE, 2,000 URBAN DISTURBANCES ALL SPARKED BY POLICE COMMUNITY RELATIONS.

AND THEN THE CHRISTOPHER COMMISSION WITH RODNEY KING, AND THEN AFTER FERGUSON, OBAMA SETS UP THE 21ST CENTURY POLICING.

THE SPARK WAS A TRAGIC INCIDENT BETWEEN POLICE AND COMMUNITY THAT SPARKED A CON FLA GRAITION.

WE CAN DO BETTER.

WE HAVE TO DO BETTER.

AND I THINK POLICE AND CIVILIANS WANT TO DO BETTER.

WE JUST HAVE TO HAVE THE WILL THE >> Cathy: THE JUUL SETTLEMENT, SO HOW DOES THAT COMPARE TO THE TOBACCO SETTLEMENT?

>> WELL, GREAT QUESTION.

THE STATE LEGISLATURE PASSED A BILL THIS SESSION THAT SAID THE MONEY IS GOING INTO A SPECIAL FUND THAT WILL HAVE TO DO WITH CESSATION OF JUUL USE AND VAPING USE.

YEAH, AND SO THAT IS A GOOD THING, BECAUSE LAST TIME THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN.

SO THE MONEY WILL GO TO IS CESSATION.

IT WILL GO TO HELPING PEOPLE GET OFF TOBACCO ADDICTION.

AND, YOU KNOW, THE MONEY WILL -- IT'LL GO TO EDUCATION, IT'LL GO TO, YOU KNOW, ALL KINDS OF THINGS TO HELP KIDS, BECAUSE WE HEARD INTEREST FROM A LOT OF KIDS WHO WERE ADDICTED TO VAPING.

ONE JUROR SAID, I HATE MY VAPE AND I LOVE MY VAPE.

AND SHE SAID THIS DURING JURY SELECTION.

SHE MADE IT ONTO THE JURY.

OF COURSE WE DIDN'T GET THE CASE TO THE JURY.

WE ENDED UP SETTLING AT THE 11TH HOUR.

BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE THESE RESOURCES AND I'M GLAD WE WERE ABLE TO SETTLE THE CASE.

WE ACTUALLY DISGORGED ALL OF THE REVENUE THAT JUUL MADE IN MINNESOTA.

SO THEY GOT ZEROED OUT IN MINNESOTA.

WE GOT THE LARGEST SETTLEMENT IN THE COUNTRY.

WE WENT TO TRIAL.

WE HAD A GREAT TEAM AND I JUST WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY INVOLVED.

>> Cathy: SAY, BEFORE YOU GO, I'M GOING TO ASK YOU ABOUT THIS TOO.

YOU MENTIONED THIS NEW AT THE STATE LEGISLATURE.

THERE'S ANOTHER LAW THAT BARS HEALTHCARE ENTITIES INGAUGING IN MERGERS THAT WOULD LESSEN COMPETITION.

LOOKS LIKE THAT WOULD BE SANFORD AND FAIR FAIRVIEW.

>> THE LAW WASN'T WRITTEN FOR ANY PARTICULAR PARTIES, BUT IT COULD APPLY TO THEM.

WE ARE CONTINUING.

WE ARE WRAPPING UP OUR INVESTIGATION.

THEY HAVE EXTENDED THEIR DATE TO CLOSE.

WE'VE ASKED THEM TO DO SO.

THEY HAVE DONE SO.

AND SO THAT'S WHAT'S GOING ON RIGHT NOW.

I MEAN, THE BOTTOM LINE IS, WE'VE GOT TO MAKE SURE THAT HEALTHCARE IS COMPETITIVE, COST EFFECTIVE, THAT WORKERS ARE PROTECTED, THAT MINNESOTANS' RIGHTS ARE PROTECTED, THESE ARE ALL CRITICAL THINGS.

>> Eric: "BREAK THE WHEEL,"