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Laura Coates Live

Trump Goes All-In On Risky Midterm Picks In High-Stakes Races; Pentagon Fires Top Members Of The Stars And Stripes Military Newspaper; Laura One-On-One With Baseball Legend Darryl Strawberry. Aired 11p-12a ET

Aired August 21, 2026 - 23:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[23:00:00]

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Thank you, Chef Liza. You guys know, scan that Q.R. code at the bottom of the screen. We have a quick question for you, Pete, from our audience at home. How long does a Twinkie last?

PETE SEAT, VICE PRESIDENT OF BOSE PUBLIC AFFAIRS GROUP, FORMER WHITE HOUSE SPOKESPERSON UNDER PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH, SUBSTACK AUTHOR: I think it's forever, right? Isn't it like a thousand years or something?

PHILLIP: Yeah, I think they can survive a nuclear blast, last I checked.

SEAT: Then I want an entire house made of Twinkies.

PHILLIP: All right, everyone, thank you very much for being here. Thanks for watching "NewsNight." You can catch our Saturday morning show, "Table for Five," tomorrow at 10 a.m. Eastern. "Laura Coates Live" picks it up right now.

LAURA COATES, CNN HOST AND SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Tonight, the president goes to bat for his embattled Senate pick, Darline Graham, in South Carolina. So, did he help or hurt? Plus, the Pentagon fires top members of Stars and Stripes in a dramatic move that could threaten the paper's editorial independence. One of the reporters fired, he'll join me tonight. And later, from addiction to redemption. I go one-on-one with baseball legend Darryl Strawberry. Tonight, on "Laura Coates Live." My opening statement tonight, President Trump has always loved picking winners. But some of the candidates he's embracing this year, they're making him work for it. Take Darline Graham, the late Senator Lindsey Graham's sister, appointed to his seat after a push from Trump. The president was in South Carolina tonight, rallying for her ahead of Tuesday's runoff against Ralph Norman. And the race got a whole lot more attention this week because of this debate answer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, TELEVISION NEWS ANCHOR, NEWSMAX TV: Taiwan in the South China Sea national security issues for the United States. And if so, why or how? SEN. DARLINE GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: I'm just going to be honest here. I'm not on national security. I'm not that informed on national security, so -- but I do support the military.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: One South Carolina Republican put it this way: That moment should be a serious gut check for Trump and his political team. But Graham says being a political outsider is part of the appeal. And you know what? Trump is backing her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GRAHAM: The critics say I shouldn't run for the Senate. They say I'm not a politician. You know what I say? Guilty as charged.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: She's very smart. And she was being honest. I mean, she's into the price of groceries, the price of food, the price of beef. And it's not -- it hasn't been her thing, but she's surrounded by very good people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Now, we haven't seen the president make many in-person campaign stops during this election cycle. The fact that he's even there, I mean, that's a pretty big tell. If you wanted more evidence that he knows the risks, here's another.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: And the problem that we have is they say that Trump does great when he's on the ballot, but when he's not on the ballot, his people don't come, and they don't vote for senators, congressmen and other Republicans. So, what I really want you to do is pretend, please, that I'm on the ballot. Just come and vote. It's so important.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: He might be there in invisible ink, anyway. But Darline Graham? Well, she isn't Trump's only risky midterm bet. Don't forget Ken Paxton, Trump's hand-picked Senate nominee in Texas. He beat out Senator John Cornyn even as many Republicans were shouting Paxton's baggage will put the seat at risk. Oh, and there is baggage, ethics scandals, an impeachment by the Texas State House, then an acquittal in the state Senate, a years-long securities fraud case that ended without a conviction.

And now, he's got another problem, money. He's being outraised by his Democratic challenger, James Talarico, by about seven to one. And the polls show a dead heat. And if you're a Republican in ruby-red Texas, that's not exactly the kind of thing you want to be seeing. Even Paxton is sounding the alarm.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEN PAXTON, TEXAS SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: Because we need help. But we need help now because James Talarico has been spending $3 or $4 million a week on T.V. for the last month.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Ironically, we used to hear that from Senator Lindsey Graham when he was running against Jaime Harrison in South Carolina. Remember? Well, listen, help is on the way because next Thursday, the president will head to Houston to attend a fundraiser for, you guessed it, Ken Paxton. And Trump has made it clear he's willing to put his money where his mouth is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I've raised a lot, and nobody knows what it is. But I will tell you, it's about $850 million. And I'll be spending a lot of that money for -- and my own money.

[23:05:01]

But I'll be spending a lot of that money for candidates that I think are good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: He thinks they're good. But it's voters who get to settle the bet. I want to begin in South Carolina with the person who would face off against whoever wins Tuesday's upcoming Republican runoff in South Carolina. I'm talking about Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Dr. Annie Andrews. Dr. Andrews, thank you for joining us this evening. The president doesn't just think Darline Graham's answer was honest. Listen to how he describes the kind of senator she would be.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: But she's surrounded by very good people. And she said that she's totally for the military. I mean, she's going to do what the military wants and really what the president wants.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: What the president wants. What's your reaction?

DR. ANNIE ANDREWS, SOUTH CAROLINA SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: That's very different than what I'm hearing from voters all across the state of South Carolina. South Carolinians don't want to be told who to vote for, who their candidates are by Washington, D.C. They want someone who will solve their problems, someone who will work seriously to address the cost-of-living emergency, fix our broken health care system, and root out the corruption in Washington, D.C. They want someone who will fight for South Carolina, not for this administration's agenda. COATES: You know, I know that you have called out Darline Graham for admitting national security is not her expertise. And, obviously, there's going to be a learning curve for whoever enters the Senate for the first time and whatever committees are put on and whatever expertise they also have to acquire, let alone bring. But senators, as you know, are not required to come into office as national security experts, but her answer was shocking to people nonetheless. Why does that answer tell you that she's not ready to be a senator, even considering a learning curve?

ANDREWS: Well, there's a reason they don't let medical students do brain surgery on the first day of medical school. You have to be prepared for the job that you have. It is very clear to me that Darline is not ready for prime time. She has no business running for a full U.S. Senate term. She was ill-prepared.

And South Carolina voters deserve better. And the good news is they're so focused on Tuesday's election. I'm focused on November 3rd's election when South Carolinians get a real choice, and they can choose to elect a pediatrician instead of yet another career politician.

COATES: Well, doctor, let me ask you the same question that she was asked. Obviously, people are wondering, and if you are the senator, you likely have to face some of the same scrutiny about national security. Are Taiwan and the South China Sea national security issues for the United States? And if so, why or how?

ANDREWS: Yes. I mean, China is an existential threat and Taiwan is a courageous democracy. And it is our job as the United States of America to stand side-by-side with our allies, with our democratic allies. What we need to do is zoom out a little bit and think about where we've come on the international stage, where we are right now under this administration. We need to find a way to return to our position of moral authority on the international stage so that we can defend our democratic allies in the face of threats like China.

COATES: Perhaps that was an answer she could have selected. I'll see what she says, maybe, if she wins on Tuesday. Darline Graham has been in the Senate for only a matter of weeks, so she does have the title in front of her. You have doctor in front of yours. But voters often say they want politicians to be more authentic. Is there something to be said to her point of admitting what you don't know given a lot of the criticism of the bluster and the blowhards that seem to occupy most of the Capitol?

ANDREWS: Yes. Absolutely. I respect someone who admits when they don't know something, but that doesn't mean you should have the job of a U.S. senator. You know, when I go to work at a children's hospital, sometimes, I am faced with a very difficult clinical problem, a very sick child. I have to call for help. I have to call in consults. But the job is to solve the problem, to take yourself seriously, and to recognize the limits of your expertise.

But I think everyone across this country recognizes that Darline is not ready for this job. But, again, the good news is the choices don't have to be Darline or career politician Ralph Norman. They can choose a pediatrician. And if people want to elect the first ever pediatrician senator to elect the first elected female senator in South Carolina, they can read more about me at drannieandrews.com.

COATES: Important for people to consider that as well. And no Democrat has represented South Carolina in the Senate in more than 20 years. The state is considered deep red. Trump won it by 18 points in 2024. Who are the voters that you can win that previous Democrats couldn't?

ANDREWS: Yes. So, 2026 is not your average election cycle. This is so different than when my friend, Jaime Harrison, ran for this seat back in 2020. This is an open seat now. I'm not running against a 23-year incumbent senator.

People in South Carolina are also feeling the pain of this failed administration. They're watching as their gas prices continue to rise as nothing is done about grocery prices.

[23:10:00]

They're bracing themselves for the impending Medicaid budget cuts and what that will do to further devastate access to health care in rural parts of South Carolina. So, this is a very different election cycle.

And we have polling data that shows that I am appealing to center- right Republicans who feel like their party has left them and the independent voters in South Carolina who want someone who will tell them the truth, want someone who will wake up every single day and fight for South Carolina, and that's exactly what I'm due. We're working to bring out the Democratic voters to win over the independents and to give those Republicans permission to vote for a pediatrician instead of yet another career politician.

COATES: And I will say your work with children might prepare you quite well for working with senators, but --

(LAUGHTER)

-- just put that out there, on there. I don't know. I don't know. But, you know, you've been clear that you're not a socialist. You've called the DSA a separate party, but the DSA itself says it's not a political party and DSA candidates are winning Democratic primaries. The reason I ask you this is because the Democratic Party has talked about a very big tent.

As much as your name is on a ballot, Republicans are going to try very hard to make sure that they consider any Democrat on a ballot to be synonymous with a DSA candidate. Does that mean that the Democratic Party, knowing that, should support DSA candidates who have won their primaries?

ANDREWS: You know, I'm not going to tell the national party what they should do. I am all about us having a big tent. I think we need to let states and districts pick the candidate that fits best for that state and for that district. I'm less concerned about what's happening in other Senate races in other parts of the country because I'm so concerned about all the problems South Carolinians are facing. Again, we're on the brink of a health care crisis, gas prices are so high, prescription drug prices are high, we had a measles outbreak in Spartanburg County, we have autoworkers in our BMW plant and folks who build planes in our Boeing plant that have been deeply affected by these unconstitutional tariffs.

We have very real problems, and that's what I'm focused on. I'm not focused on the labels. When I take care of children, I don't ask the parents where they land on a political ideological spectrum. When I talk to voters, I don't ask the same either.

COATES: Well, we're seeing a lot of candidates lean into Medicare for All. A recent poll found that 90 percent of Democrats want that policy to be the focus. You're pushing for a public option instead. Why a public option instead of Medicare for All?

ANDREWS: Because I'm a pragmatic person, because I understand we need to work together, work across the aisle in a bipartisan fashion to move the ball down the playing field. Right now, we have a profit- motivated health care system, and we need over time to shift that to a true patient-centered system. And the first thing we need to do is offer a public option so that people have the option of buying a plan from the federal government, removing that profit motivation from that transaction.

That will force our private insurance companies to offer more comprehensive benefit plans at lower premium rates. And over time, as more and more Americans choose the public option, we'll see a domino effect. And when that happens, then and only then can we have a real bipartisan conversation about building a health care system that actually meets the needs of every single person in this country.

COATES: Dr. Anne Andrews, thank you for joining.

ANDREWS: Thank you.

COATES: Up next, another purge by the Pentagon, this time targeting Stars and Stripes. Multiple top staffers fired in a move that now threatens the paper's independence. A reporter who was fired, Lara Korte, is live with me next.

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[23:15:00]

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARA KORTE, REPORTER FOR STARS AND STRIPES, FIRED BY PENTAGON: I'm working for Stars and Stripes, not for the Pentagon, not for any administration, not for any policymaker. I'm here to cover the military community.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COATES: My next guest says that statement of editorial independence got her fired from her job as a reporter at the military newspaper Stars and Stripes. The paper is government-funded but, historically, it has been editorially-independent. No influence from the Pentagon.

But today, the Pentagon fired the publisher, editor-in-chief, and that reporter for -- quote -- "insubordination" related to those comments that you just heard in an interview with CBS News.

The reporter who was fired, Lara Korte, joins me now. Lara, I mean, people hearing that statement and then hearing the word "insubordination," they probably can't even square it. What do you make of their explanation that you were fired for that?

KORTE: Yes. I mean, as you said, I feel like my comments were exactly in line with historic precedent and also the Pentagon's own recent statement reaffirming our editorial independence. And so, to me, that was simply stating a matter of fact and a matter of common knowledge.

COATES: You have a few days to appeal this firing. Do you intend to?

KORTE: I should say that we were -- per the separation notice, we have a couple of days to respond. It's unclear what exactly we're going to do at this point. As you mentioned, two other people were also fired today. And so, you know, we are having discussions. We are talking about the path forward. But at this moment, you know, this happened a couple of hours ago, so we're still processing it.

COATES: You're saying we. Do you intend this to be a unified front, no matter what the decision is?

KORTE: We'll each be submitting our own responses if that is the path that we choose going forward. But, obviously, there are two other people in this unique situation with me. And so, certainly, we're communicating and having conversations.

[23:20:00]

But like I said, you know, this is pretty new to us, and we're still trying to figure things out.

COATES: You must have been shocked. I mean, this is very stressful. It's rightly unnerving. I can imagine it is very emotional to have lost this opportunity and not have a valid explanation. What was your reaction to having this notice?

KORTE: Certainly, it was shocked because, as I mentioned, I feel like my comments were very much in line with publicly stated policies and long-held precedent and tradition. My, you know, initial reaction to this is just concern for the military members and the military community. They've trusted us with their stories. We've been covering them, especially over the last six months in the conflict with Iran. These are stories that I think are very important. I'm proud of the coverage that we've done, and I sincerely hope that Stripes can continue doing this coverage moving forward.

COATES: Do you think that that played a role somehow in the decision?

KORTE: It's unclear. The separation notice didn't mention anything about coverage specifically. I will say that we've been, you know, focusing on some really important issues in recent weeks and months. My colleague, Alison Bath, an excellent reporter, covered the, you know, hardships faced by members of the military on the USS Abraham Lincoln, a really important story. Just today, actually, you know, a couple of hours before we got this notice, I was working on a story about military families evacuated from Bahrain and the challenges they're still facing.

COATES: You know, the new head of the paper, Navy Captain Bill Urban, he wrote in a letter to the staff that the Defense Department gave -- quote -- "I received multiple assurances that it was committed to the editorial independence of Stripes." Are you convinced?

KORTE: I will be very interested to see how that statement and how that commitment plays out in the coming months. I'm glad to hear that, at least in writing, that leadership is committed to the editorial independence of Stars and Stripes. That's what I was, you know, expressing when I made those comments to CBS. And so, I do truly hope that that is the case going forward.

COATES: Well, Lara Korte, thank you so much for joining. I'm sorry that this is what you are enduring. I look forward to hearing what happens next and your considerations. Thank you.

KORTE: Thank you.

COATES: Up next, the commander-in-chief's ballroom gets a temporary lifeline courtesy of the Supreme Court as the justices now get ready to weigh just how far a president can actually go. Our favorite Supreme Court expert, Kim Wehle, is live with me tonight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: The military has wanted this done for a hundred years and presidents have wanted it done for a hundred and fifty years. So, I just want to thank the Supreme Court and the chief justice. And we have a ruling that it is proceed. When they say proceed, I think that's a good thing. It's a good thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: President Trump celebrating his White House ballroom victory tonight. The Supreme Court is allowing him to keep building it while a lawsuit to stop it works its way through the courts. Figure that out. A lower court had ruled the ballroom was unlawful because Congress hadn't approved it, but the administration is appealing and it's unclear when the full Supreme Court will rule on the legality of the project.

I want to bring in former federal prosecutor, author, and professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law, Kim Wehle. First of all, you know that phrase, ask for forgiveness, not permission. If you're allowed to keep building this while everything works its way through the courts and, ultimately, you're going to be done building it, is there any way that a court is going to say, all right, go tear it down, this is wrong?

KIM WEHLE, FORMER ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY, PROFESSOR AT UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE SCHOOL OF LAW: Well, he's not even asking for permission. You know, I think that's the game, right? He has changed the arguments to support this or the administration has. They've been all over the place.

This is really clear, Laura. It's not only in the Constitution, once again, in the property clause, that building on federal land belongs to the United States Congress. But there is a statute that directly requires congressional authorization. This is flat out illegal.

And I really think the bigger question, we know what Trump does, why is the Supreme Court, again, this Supreme Court, this chief justice, allowing the president of the United States to flout the Constitution, to flout the rule of law, to flout binding federal law dating back to 1912? The Supreme Court is becoming a threat to democracy.

COATES: But why do you think they -- obviously, they would anticipate the arguments that we are even raising here today. Why do you think they did not stop the building? Is it because it's, what, 65 or 70 percent done and they realize there's a mootness issue coming up, meaning, at some point, it won't matter if they say no? It's already done.

WEHLE: Well, as you know, this was a stay that was filed by the president. There are standards for getting a stay. The president has to prove that. The President will be irreparably harmed. So, what the Supreme Court could have done is said, we're out, we're going to leave this to the lower federal courts. This is a very clear question of law.

[23:30:00]

Let the lower federal courts play out, and then, at some point, if we decide there's an actual there there, there's a legal question that needs deciding, we'll step in. But this court steps in to help Donald Trump. And, you know, we've talked about it many times, due process clause, Fourth Amendment, many cases, the appropriations clause, lots of places where the court has just said, yes, we're going to let Trump do what he wants, and Trump knows this.

COATES: There are areas they have not done that, though. You call them a threat to democracy. But there are areas they push back on tariffs. You've got Lisa Cook, for example, in the Federal Reserve. I mean, I could pick out different aspects of the court has done things that have tried to check and balance the power of another branch. You look at this, though, as trumping that.

WEHLE: Well, and those cases, I think, are -- I mean, Lisa Cook, he allowed her to keep her job. They allowed her to keep her job temporarily, but then not the FTC. And for the tariffs, they actually allowed those to go into effect while the case was pending, and that was one of those cases where clear authority of the United States Congress that has that.

So, I think if the court comes in once in a while and says, yes, the Constitution actually is binding, I'm not going to, you know, get out a ticker tape parade for them. I really think there's a whole series of cases where this court really seems compromised, frankly, and it's really a problem that Americans need to pay attention to.

COATES: Well, the former A.G., Bill Barr, he actually defends the administration's position. He wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that the National Trust lacks standing to even sue because its members haven't been impacted by the construction and the group has no oversight of the White House. Will the courts eventually buy that? Because standing, obviously, has been the Achilles heel of many a case where people say, this is wrong, I want to stop it, and the courts have said, you don't really have a dog in this fight.

WEHLE: Yes. The key standing case is called Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife. And in that case, the court said that having an aesthetic injury, that you frequent a place, that case had to do with animals in the wild and it's painful for you to not be able to see what you want to see, that's sufficient injury for purposes of standing, that is a bedrock principle of constitutional law. And the plaintiff here says, listen, I'm actually into historic preservation, she has some expertise in that, and she's saying, one of the representatives of this association, listen, this White House, we just have to drive by and see what an atrocity it is to the eye, so to speak.

COATES: Well, he says, eventually, it won't be. Do you share the concern? He says it's really about the military, it's about the security, it's about having that. And the courts defer when it comes to security issues with the president. Is that why he took that route?

WEHLE: Well, I mean, their argument was security for below ground. And the court, actually, the lower courts gave him --

COATES: Right.

WEHLE: -- the authority to go forward to security for below ground. And then, that argument morphed. Now, it's security for the entire thing. So, again, it's sort of whack-a-mole, and it is whack-a-mole because I think the lawyers, the administration, understands that if you just bulldoze through the law and it's a fait accompli, there's not going to be any pushback, again, by the Supreme Court, even though the lower federal courts are still upholding the rule of law. So, you know, it's a game. They're winning the game, and they're winning the game in lots of ways.

COATES: I guess you just got to outpace bureaucracy which, sometimes, is not hard to do, unfortunately. Kim Wehle, thank you so much for joining.

WEHLE: Great to be with you always.

COATES: Up next, I'll take you inside the story I've been covering all week, the murder trial of Tupac Shakur, where prosecutors had the jury listen and watch one of the biggest pieces of evidence yet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL DORSEY, FILMMAKER, PRODUCER, EDITOR: He wants the world to know he was there for Tupac's murder. He says he has cancer, he wants the truth to come out, and --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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[23:35:00]

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COATES: After nearly three decades of questions, the Tupac Shakur murder trial just wrapped its first week with a moment that caught everyone off guard. The defendant, Duane "Keffe D" Davis, spoke up for the very first time. But he wasn't on the witness stand and the jury was not in the room. He lashed out at prosecutors just after the jury went to lunch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DUANE "KEFFE D" DAVIS, DEFENDANT IN TUPAC MURDER TRIAL: They keep giving out my address. They broke in my house, vandalized my house, vandalized my wife's car. You know what I'm saying? Because they keep giving out my address. Now, they gave out my sister's address. This stuff is wrong.

UNKNOWN: I've heard it's going on both ways, that there's --

DAVIS: They are wrong.

UNKNOWN: -- that there's concerns both ways.

DAVIS: They are wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Jurors also heard the backstory behind this famous image, the last known photograph of Tupac Shakur alive. Here's how photographer Leonard Jefferson described the moment he took it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIS: They keep giving out my address. They broke in my house, vandalized my house.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COATES: I want to tell you what he said. He talked about how he saw Tupac Shakur on the strip. He was driving and said, hey, Tupac. And Tupac Shakur turned around, and then posed for the picture upon request. That's the last time anyone saw a picture of him before he was shot.

My next guest knew Tupac not just as an icon, but as a close personal friend who directed some of his final work. It was one of the very few friends who watched over Tupac in his final hours. Filmmaker Gobi M. Rahimi joins me now. Gobi, thank you for being here. I'm sorry for the loss of your friend. It's 30 years that has passed, but I know your closeness, it is still very real. The prosecution this week used Keffe D's own words to make their case where you hear him tell officers straight up that his crew was behind the murder.

[23:40:00]

COATES: Do you believe that's what really happened?

GOBI M. RAHIMI, FILMMAKER: First off, thank you for having me. It's a pleasure to be in this conversation with you. Mr. Davis has been saying one story for a couple of decades. He has made books. His own words have been used to sort of build a case against him. So, you normally take a man for his word, especially if he has been telling the same story for that long.

COATES: He even adds to it, and some of the conversations we've been hearing, where he implicates, and this is an allegation, Sean "Diddy" Combs saying that he essentially contracted him for this act. Now, Diddy's team says in a statement to CNN, Davis has denied his own claims, maintaining that he made the statements to gain fame and notoriety, and that they were not true.

When you hear about these allegations and discussions about a beef between East Coast, West Coast rappers, Bad Boy, you know, obviously, Death Row, and one witness saying that Tupac inherited, inherited this beef, what's your reaction?

RAHIMI: So, Laura, what's really interesting about the P. Diddy name coming into the mix is the first directing credit that I have with Tupac is for a video called "Two of America's Most Wanted." And we filmed a narrative scene, the first 15 or 20 seconds of the video. And it's on YouTube. It has got hundreds of millions of views. It is where he reenacted a scene where there was a Biggie and a Puffy, and he essentially accused them of setting him up at the Quad Studio shoot. So, the first time he got shot, he was accusing them of being involved.

So, Diddy's name coming up in the second shooting, I don't think that's too far-fetched, especially if Pac was willing to create content that historically would be there forever that implicated them. Because the one thing I'll tell you about Tupac is Tupac was loyal. And if you were loyal back to him, he would give you the shirt off of his back. But if you broke that trust or if you didn't keep your word, he would go to war with you. COATES: There was a retired Vegas police officer, Gobi, who testified on the stand that he rode with Tupac in the ambulance, and that he asked him, who shot you? Who shot you? Here is what he said Tupac said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GARRY DALE, FORMER OFFICER, LAS VEGAS METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: He was still talking, and I was trying to -- I was trying to convince him to tell me the name of whoever his assailants were.

UNKNOWN: And did he ever respond?

DALE: Yes, he responded, no, we'll take care of it. Something like that.

UNKNOWN: He said, no, we'll take care?

DALE: We'll take care of it. Something like that.

UNKNOWN: And that's the only thing you were able to gather from this Mr. Shakur?

DALE: Yes. I couldn't get him to talk to me any further than that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: You knew him. Does that sound like something that Tupac would have said?

RAHIMI: The story I had heard was there were lot more four-letter words used in the conversation. But I also do believe that Tupac would want to take care of situations on his own without getting the police involved because Tupac used to say the biggest gangs in America are the police force and the judiciary. And, in fact, one day, I may run for mayor of Los Angeles because the politicians are the biggest crooks.

So, I don't think he had a lot of trust for police, and he had a very, you know, contagious relationship with the officers in Atlanta and other run-ins that he had had. But one thing I think is really important to say is Tupac said, I never had a record until I made a record.

COATES: I have to ask you quickly because you were in the hospital in his final moments and as he died in that hospital. I know that there was testimony that his mother tried to contain whoever could come in and out. People were trying to get in that room, trying to take photos and all sorts of things to exploit him in his most vulnerable state. If you could say anything to Tupac, knowing everything you know now, what would it be?

RAHIMI: What would I say to Tupac?

[23:44:55]

I would say, you were a Luke Skywalker surrounded by nothing but Darth Vader. It's time to shake him before they take you out.

COATES: Gobi Rahimi, thank you. Ahead, we're going to lighten the mood for Friday night. I got a new star witness. You see him as baseball legend Darryl Strawberry in our conversation, next.

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COATES: Baseball star Darryl Strawberry says he made a contract with God that he was going to live to see this day, when the Mets retired his jersey number, the cherry on top for a man who was a four-time World Series champion, an eight-time MLB all-star, and who held the Mets home run record for 37 years.

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But his journey to stardom was anything but easy. Over his career, he battled addiction and cancer and run-ins with the law. But the thing that kept him going through all of it, his faith. And he writes all about his long journey from player to preacher in his new book, "Another Life." And tonight, Darryl Strawberry is my star witness.

Darryl, I am so excited to get to know you. I've been a huge fan of yours. I mean, I am in a long line of fans for you. And Darryl, when people hear your name, they immediately think baseball legend. And this memoir gives a side that most people are not familiar with, and your journey to becoming a preacher. Tell me, why was it so important for you to tell this story?

DARRYL STRAWBERRY, AUTHOR, FORMER MLB PLAYER: Well, it's a long journey, from player to preacher. But thanks for having me, Laura. I really appreciate it. It was a process. First year, I just really wanted to give honor to the Lord Jesus Christ, who is my Savior, who transformed my life and brought me to another place, reinvented myself to become a man.

You know, baseball and sports, wearing a uniform just makes you an athlete, but it was just really more to it in my life. I thank my wife, Tracy, who has been a big part of the change in my life, and my mother, her prayers. While I was out playing sports and living the heathen lifestyle, she was more concerned about me being saved and me being right. I had people behind the scenes doing great things while I was out there doing the wrong thing.

So, it's always nice to be able to have that. When you finally recognized that, you come to this place where you enter into a new place. You have to take the uniform off. One day, baseball is going to be over, then who are you?

COATES: What was the click moment for you that made you say, I've got to change?

STRAWBERRY: Well, I think it's my wife, Tracy. She took me back to church. I was out of church for a long time. I was in the midst of addiction. I was always getting in trouble, violation, probation, and just living this wild, sinful lifestyle. And I just needed to repent to God and come back to the symbol of the cross and just allow myself to find peace and freedom. The freedom is not on the outside. The freedom is on the inside. And we all search for so many things.

I just wanted to have that inner strength and inner peace to be the person that my mother raised me to be. Mama raised me right. Don't get me wrong. I'm the one that was making those decisions to make all the foolish mistakes.

COATES: You've known President Trump for years, even did a stint on "The Celebrity Apprentice" as well.

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TRUMP: Darryl, you're fired.

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COATES: And he recently granted you a pardon for your past tax evasion charges. What was going through your head when he called you to tell you the news that you were pardoned?

STRAWBERRY: Well, first, I think I've already been pardoned by Jesus. I think he already gave me a pardon. I was set free. It was just a friendship, a relationship I've had with the president for a very long time, even before he was president. So, people need to know I'm not in politics. He's always been my friend. I've always played at his golf tournaments and known his kids and his family and people that work in his business. I've been with them for a very long time.

So, it has nothing to do with him being the president. It has to do with him being a friend and saw that I had really had a transformation in my life and was doing great work. And I was going back out there. I wasn't boasting about myself. I was boasting about the Lord Jesus and helping people, going into the prisons and the hospitals, school, trying to get kids to stay away from drugs, had treatment centers down in Florida, trying to get kids off the opiates and those that were dying and stuff like that.

So, when you guard your heart, he gives you his heart. And now, there's no judgment. It's all a real thing that we must come to and face and look at and look in the mirror and look at ourselves. I know I have to look at myself. I have to thank God every day for extending the grace to me because it is something I don't deserve, but he gives it to me, anyway, Laura.

COATES: Well, let's talk about deserving because every New York fan will tell you they absolutely deserved a championship title the first one in over 50 years and it came to the Knicks. I mean, the owner of the team, James Dolan, said they accepted an invitation to the White House. Not clear if all of them are going to show up to the White House as well. But as a four-time, four-time New York champion, tell me what it meant to you to see not only the New York Knicks bring one home, but what it means for you to be invited to the White House. Would you want them to go?

STRAWBERRY: I was thinking about, you know, the Knicks. You know, they were just like us in 1986. The city embraced them, and they captured the city of New York. New York is a very special place, very unique place, very hard to win because there's a high demand on you.

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So, congratulations to Mike Brown and his team and the entire organization. I've been a fan from back in the 80s when they were not good.

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But to see them where they're at, it's up to them. I'm not in the middle of that. I have no opinions either way. It's up to the organization, up to the players. I would tell players, you know, me, personally, I would never put politics in front of what you accomplish. What you accomplish as an athlete is very difficult to do. It doesn't mean you're going to always get that opportunity and have that window where it's going to be open for you to walk through. They've been able to walk through that, and that's one thing I'm proud of. Go Knicks!

COATES: Well, there you go. Let's talk about this because you talked about how hard it is. For 37 years, 37 years, you held the franchise record for the most career home runs in Mets history. And that was until just a year ago when Pete Alonso broke your record with his 253rd home run. And you wrote in the book that you were rooting for Pete the whole time. How did it feel watching him take that crown you wore for decades?

STRAWBERRY: Thirty-seven years. At some point, records are meant to be broken. You can't have them forever. But it stood for a very long time. And I like Pete. I had a lot of great conversations with him. He was always asking me questions about being in New York and what it's like to win there. I said, it's great. It's a feeling that you will never experience like anywhere else because the fans will never ever forget you when you play in a big city like this.

So, congratulations to him. I know he has moved on. I hated to see that. I wish he could went -- on and continue to have more success in New York because this is home for me. I mean, winning four championships, being able to come back here and do the things I do now, you know, have a new book, and out there to, like, encourage people that whatever you do, it's just don't quit. That's what -- for any athlete or any person that's out there, it is just don't give up because you never know the miracle that God has behind your life that's waiting for you.

COATES: That is really, really profound, and I love to hear you say that. I have a couple questions I always ask people because I really want to get into your mind and your brain. Although, hearing how devout you are, I think many people understand a different aspect of you. But let me ask you this, Darryl Strawberry. Who was the last person who told you no and were they right?

STRAWBERRY: The last person that told me no was my wife before we were married. She was, like, no, no more for you, we're not living this way.

COATES: Living proof. Happy wife, happy life. There you go, Darryl Strawberry. Let me ask you this one.

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What do people assume comes easily to you? And then tell me what does it actually take.

STRAWBERRY: I think people assume that when you play sports, it's very easy because they think, well, we make it look easy because we're very talented. But you have to work hard. You have to work when nobody is looking. While everybody else is sleeping, I'm out running the bases by myself, talking to myself, telling myself I'm going to be the next Dave Parker, I'm going to be the next Pete Rose, Charlie Hustle.

Those are the kind of things that inspire me to become great at what I was doing. And a lot of people don't see that part. They just see the part when you run out there and you have the uniform on and now you excel. And that's very difficult to do. It's not that easy just to go out there and do it.

COATES: What do people misunderstand about you?

STRAWBERRY: Well, I think a lot of misunderstandings is about my personality when I was -- you know, when I was like I was because I was bitter and I was angry. And I wasn't bitter at them. I was bitter at my father and the lifestyle that happened to me, the rejection, and the things that he did to us as a family.

My mother raised five of us by herself. I thought I just needed to be the man of the house. And I needed to do something for my mother because it was hard for her to just raise five kids by herself and not ask for anything from my father. None of us never did. I ended up leading my father to the Lord after my life got changed. So, it was a blessing and a curse at the same time. But I went back and I made those amends, and I extended that forgiveness.

COATES: What was that moment like when you extended that grace to your father? How did he receive it?

STRAWBERRY: A tear came out of his eye, and I kind of lost it. I was in the hospital. I laid in this bed and just cried so hard. I never cried so hard. And I said, I'm so sorry, because two wrongs don't make a right. And then God reminded me, how dare you not extend the grace to him and I gave it to you. And we must always remember to go and give it back to somebody else.

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COATES: Darryl Strawberry, thank you. His book again is "Another Life." Thank you all for watching. "The Story Is with Elex Michaelson" is next.