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Harry and Meghan Marry; Texas School Shooting; Cuba Plane Crash. Aired 2-2:30a ET
Aired May 20, 2018 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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CYRIL VANIER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Live from the CNN Center here in Atlanta, I'm Cyril Vanier. It is great to have you with us.
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VANIER: The sun has risen over Windsor for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. It is the first day of the rest of their lives. Their wedding on Saturday was like no other.
Stepping out of the church for the first time as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Harry and Meghan sealed their vows with a kiss. And while these ceremonies are steeped in tradition, this one broke the mold.
How could it not?
With a bride who began the day as an American TV star and ended it as a newly minted duchess.
Let's take a look at our last glimpse of Harry and Meghan on Saturday, heading to a private evening reception hosted by Prince Charles.
You see the ride, a 1968 Jaguar convertible with a bespoke license plate, displaying their wedding date. This capped off a perfect day full of love. Listen to one of the bishops who gave a sermon at the wedding.
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REV. MICHAEL CURRY, EPISCOPAL CHURCH: It was nonverbal communication throughout the whole thing. And you could watch them look at each other. And even when they didn't -- weren't talking, the way they looked at each other just sent a message of these people are in love, for real.
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VANIER: That was Bishop Curry. His sermon was among the highlights of the wedding, as was the gospel choir. CNN's Nick Glass has the highlights reel.
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NICK GLASS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The gospel soul classic, "Stand by Me," from 1961, we assume the song means a lot to the couple and we also assume it's never been sung at a British royal wedding before.
The choir stood at the back of St. George's Chapel Windsor and simply sang for Harry and Meghan. There was a palpable sense of departure here. On one side of the chapel a certain English royal stiffness perhaps and reserve; in contrast, a warmth and vivid emotion on the other side.
Meghan Markle's arrival looks like she may help change things.
We always knew that the turnout would be glamorous, the divorced, biracial American actress marrying the most popular of English princes. We weren't disappointed. The church filled. Meghan's on- screen husband from "Suits," Patrick J. Adams; David Beckham, footballer and model; Mr. Elton John and husband; Serena Williams, tennis player.
The vintage Rolls-Royce swept bride and mother to the chapel. We glimpsed the dress for the first time.
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GLASS (voice-over): (INAUDIBLE) French couture, Givenchy were the most delicate and lengthy of veils, sewn with floral symbols from all over the commonwealth, 1930s tiara was borrowed from the queen.
It seems that Meghan had always planned to walk down the first part of the aisle by herself, followed by her retinue of bridesmaids and pageboys. In the absence of her father, Prince Charles met her halfway.
And of course, at this wedding, there was love. This was visibly, inescapably a romantic union.
REV. MICHAEL CURRY, EPISCOPAL CHURCH: The late Dr. Martin Luther King once said, and I quote, "We must discover the power of love, the redemptive power of love."
GLASS (voice-over): For a good 30 minutes or so, St. George's Chapel reverberated to unfamiliar oratory, American and passionate. The response was mixed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He didn't -- he wasn't getting anything out of it.
JUSTIN WELBY, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY: I, Meghan, take you, Harry...
MEGHAN MARKLE, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: I, Meghan, take you, Harry...
WELBY: -- to be my husband...
MARKLE: -- to be my husband... WELBY: -- to love and to cherish...
MARKLE: -- to love and to cherish...
WELBY: -- until death us do part.
MARKLE: -- until death us do part.
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GLASS (voice-over): And so Harry and Meghan were married in a great English medieval chapel and kissed without any prompting from the waiting camera man. Thomas Markle watched it all on TV.
"My baby," he said, "looked beautiful and very happy."
In what seemed like Californian sunshine, his daughter now has a title. She is the Duchess of Sussex, although we'll still probably refer to both of them as just Harry and Meghan --
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GLASS (voice-over): -- Nick Glass for CNN.
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VANIER: The thousands of people around the world who didn't get an invitation to the royal wedding held their own celebrations on Saturday. In Windsor, England, massive crowds lined the streets, hoping to see the royal family entering the castle grounds. And some of them were asked to sum up their thoughts in just one word.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One word, amazing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Unbelievable.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Emotional.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Magic.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fantastic.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wonderful.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fantastic. Phenomenal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just cool.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lovely.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Great.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sensational.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's lovely.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fantastic.
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VANIER: Back in the U.S., where Meghan Markle is from, fans got up very early to celebrate. This was in New York, where some trekked out to a bar to watch the ceremony.
In Johannesburg, South Africa, fans enjoyed the royal wedding from a big screen with traditional scones and cupcakes with Union flags in them.
OK, on to more somber news now. The Texas town of Santa Fe is in mourning after Friday's shooting at a high school there. Two teachers and eight students lost their lives when the shooter allegedly all so students at the school opened fire at Santa Fe High School.
More than a dozen people were wounded. The victims of Friday's shooting were remembered Friday at a vigil. One survivor who knew the alleged shooter told CNN that there were no clues he would do something like this.
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MADALYN WILLIAMS, SANTA FE HIGH SCHOOL SHOOTING SURVIVOR: I love everyone in Santa Fe's coming together and in a beautiful way. The vigil last night that we were at, so many faces that I haven't seen in years -- sorry...
ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You don't need to apologize.
WILLIAMS: -- people that I was -- that I hadn't talked to in years, people that I had gotten in huge fights with, they just came up to me and hugged me. They said even though I'm upset that it happened I'm glad you're OK.
HILL: I know you know some of the victims. That's a lot to process. That's something that you and your friends have been talking about?
WILLIAMS: It is. We were just talking about how just Thursday, we were laughing with them. We were cutting up, just being teenagers and now we don't get to do that anymore.
HILL: You also knew the shooter.
WILLIAMS: I did. I was talking to him in 7th period on Sunday -- or on Thursday. And there was no warning signs. There was no indication that he could do any of this because he was very quiet and very sweet. He was funny. He was never mean to me. He was nice. We'd make jokes. We laughed about memes on the Internet.
And there was no red flags, no warning.
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VANIER: That's CNN's Erica Hill, reporting from Santa Fe, speaking to one of the survivors of the school shooting. And she was just describing this young man, a 17-year old, who is the suspect here. He made his first appearance in court on Friday. Officials say he used a shotgun and a .38 revolver that were legally owned by his father.
Meanwhile, his family has released a statement, saying that they are as shocked and confused as anyone else by these events. They add that they are gratified by public comments by fellow students that, quote, "show Dimitri as we know him, a smart, quiet, sweet boy."
There are new reports of countries besides Russia allegedly hoping to influence the 2016 presidential election in favor of Donald Trump.
According to "The New York Times," Donald Trump Jr. took a meeting in August 2016 with a man called George Nader, who claimed to represent two Arab princes who wanted to help Mr. Trump get elected.
Also offering help at the meeting was Joel Zamel, an Israeli social media expert. A lawyer for Trump Jr. told CNN that nothing came of the Trump Tower meeting. Still, it's illegal for foreigners to be involved in U.S. elections and both Zamel and Nader have come under scrutiny by special counsel Robert Mueller.
For weeks the Communists have feared a potential trade war between the U.S. and China, the world's two largest economies. But now as officials from both countries try to reach an agreement, China's vice premier says the U.S. and China have pledged not to engage in a trade war. That's according to Chinese state media.
China has also agreed to buy more goods and services from the U.S. But some experts are warning that may not significantly reduce China's trade deficit with the U.S.
Cuba entered its second day of official mourning after Friday's deadly plane crash in Havana. And official says the cockpit --
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VANIER: -- voice recorder has been found and authorities are still searching for the other black box; 110 people were killed and the only three survivors are said to be in critical condition.
CNN's Patrick Oppmann has more on the crash from Havana.
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PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just seconds after takeoff in Havana, an explosion, a Cubana airline with 113 passengers and crew aboard crashed in a field next to the Jose Marti International Airport. Rescuers were greeted by scenes of total chaos. Passengers'
belongings littered the ground. The Boeing 737 split into several pieces. The plane's burned-out tail coming to rest near a tree; 110 people died in the crash but miraculously, seemingly against all odds, three people, all Cuban, all women, survived.
Cuban officials cautioned the survivors have traumatic brain injuries, broken bones and severe burns and that their recovery is far from certain.
"These patients have highly complicated injuries," he said. "It has taken an extraordinary effort to stabilize them."
Friday's accident was the worst aviation disaster Cuba has suffered in nearly three decades. It comes as the island's Communist-run government recently canceled flights and pulled aircraft experiencing mechanical problems from service.
The plane Friday had been rented from a Mexican airline and had a Mexican crew. Cuban officials are still investigating what caused the plane to crash.
OPPMANN: This is the terminal where the plane left from. It was supposed to take off from here and fly most of the way down the island to a city called Holguin, Cuba. Instead, it crashed just after takeoff.
OPPMANN (voice-over): Residents that live in the area of the crash scene said the plane struggled to get airborne.
"The plane was revving its engines to take off, but it couldn't," he told CNN. "Luckily, it didn't land on anyone's house."
Cuban officials say they have now recovered the remains of all the victims. But the process of identifying the dead following such a devastating crash could take weeks -- Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.
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VANIER: Now one more thing, take a look at this scene from the skies over Hawaii. It is just incredible, molten lava pouring out of volcanic fissures. It is threatening dozens of homes and even a major highway along the big island's east coast.
Geologists warn that the fresh lava could move with greater ease and cover more area than before. So far, 40 structures have been destroyed and, with a new 5.0 magnitude earthquake that also happened on Saturday rocking the island, there is no sign the volcanic activity is slowing down.
Thanks for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Cyril Vanier. I'll be back with the headlines at the bottom of the hour. But now though, "MARKETPLACE AFRICA."
