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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Harry and Meghan Detail Royal Struggles, from Discussions of Baby's Skin Tone to Suicidal Thoughts; House Set to Vote Tomorrow on $1.9 Trillion COVID Relief Bill; Calls Grow for New York Governor Cuomo to Resign After Third Accuser Shows Up. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired March 08, 2021 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:00:00]
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MEGHAN MARKLE, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: I just didn't want to be alive anymore.
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LAURA JARRETT, CO-ANCHOR, EARLY START: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pulling back the curtain on the royal institution, racism and isolation and other revelations just moments away.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CO-ANCHOR, EARLY START: And President Biden is one house vote away from historic relief for American families. More jobless benefits and stimulus checks for millions and a potential game changer for poor families across the country. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world, this is EARLY START, I'm Christine Romans.
JARRETT: Good morning Christine, I'm Laura Jarrett, it's Monday, March 8th, it's 5:00 a.m. here in New York, and last night, we heard one of the most detailed and frankly, stunning depictions of the British royal institution in generations. Harry and Meghan recounting in painstaking detail what led to their departure as working royals. Meghan says racist and sexist coverage in the "Tabloids" pushed her to a place she never imagined.
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MARKLE: I just didn't want to be alive anymore, and that was a very clear and real and frightening constant thought. I went to the institution and I said that I needed to go somewhere to get help, said that I've never felt this way before and I need to go somewhere, and I was told that I couldn't, that it wouldn't be good for the institution. There are so many people who are afraid to voice that they need help, and I know personally how hard it is to not just voice it, but when you voice it, to be told, no.
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JARRETT: Just incredible. CNN's Anna Stewart is live in London for us this morning. Anna, we will get to all the reaction in a second, but there was just so much in this interview. You know, it takes a lot to keep me up until 10:00 p.m., but this is -- you couldn't turn away. And I thought one of the most remarkable moments in that whole interview was this whole discussion of Archie's skin tone.
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: It was utterly shocking. In addition to the -- that terrible moment, Meghan said she felt suicidal at times, there was the issue of race. Now, we expected racism to be a topic, institutional racism in the U.K., the racist undertones in some of the British media's betrayal of Meghan, well, we really weren't expecting though, was that discussions would take place between Prince Harry and his family with concerns about the color of their child's skin. Take a listen.
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MARKLE: In those months when I was pregnant, all around the same time, so we have in tandem the conversation of he won't be given security, he's not going to be given a title, and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born.
OPRAH WINFREY, TALK-SHOW HOST & TELEVISION PRODUCER: What?
MARKLE: And --
WINFREY: Who is having that conversation with you? What? There's a conversation with you --
MARKLE: With Harry.
WINFREY: About how dark your baby is going to be?
MARKLE: Potentially and what that would mean or look like.
WINFREY: And you're not going to tell me who had the conversation?
MARKLE: I think that would be very damaging to them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEWART: No name given and Prince Harry, when he was asked about it later in an interview said that's a conversation I am never going to share. Some really serious allegations made here against the palace, usually of course, it's a no comment policy. I think --
ROMANS: Right --
STEWART: They might have to break that one today.
ROMANS: Wow, and you know, Prince Harry made some not so subtle references to his mother, Diana. Listen.
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PRINCE HARRY, DUKE OF SUSSEX: And what I was seeing was history repeating itself. But more perhaps or definitely far more dangerous because then you add race in and you add social media in. And when I'm talking about history repeating itself, I'm talking about my mother. When you can see something happening in the same kind of way, anybody would ask for help, ask the system of which you are part of, especially when you know there's a relationship there that they could help and share some truth or call the dogs off, whatever you want to call it.
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ROMANS: You know, Anna, and he talked about how his mother left him an inheritance, it's almost as if she saw this coming. That they had this flexibility a little bit because of her inheritance, like she could see her son living outside the institution potentially.
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STEWART: There were just so many parallels really to be drawn between Princess Diana and Meghan, not at least an outsider joining the royal firm hoping for a fairy tale ending and getting anything but -- but what's so interesting is the difference, they were both unsupported, they would say by the royal family. But in Meghan's case, she's also vilified by the press. In this interview, Prince Harry suggests that is down to racism. If you think that the media here in the U.K. would be more sympathetic this morning to their case, I think in some outlets they have been. But certainly, this morning, one of the TV anchors, I believe morning show "Good Morning Britain" Piers Morgan has been slamming the Sussexs once again.
I can show you a tweet that he's written in which says, "let's be clear, Prince Harry and his wife just spent two hours trashing everything the queen stands for and has worked so hard to maintain whiles pretending to support her. And they did it while her 99-year- old husband Phillip is serious ill in hospital. It's contemptible." This is what many Brits are waking up to this morning, and they haven't seen the full interview because it may have broadcast in the U.S. --
ROMANS: Right --
STEWART: But it doesn't broadcast here until tonight.
JARRETT: Well, I guess they will be in for it because I heard a very different interview than the one that Piers Morgan apparently did. They were very clear to defend the queen, and they were very clear about how supportive she has been. They were silent on some other members of the institution and the firm. Anna, before we let you go, there had also been this perception I think in the British press that Harry and Meghan had blindsided the royal family when they asked out of their royal duties, when they stepped aside, but Harry says otherwise. Listen to this.
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HARRY: I -- when we were in Canada, I had three conversations with my grandmother and two conversations with my father before he stopped taking my calls, and then said can you put this all in writing what your plan is.
WINFREY: So you just said that your dad stopped taking your calls. Why did he stop taking your calls?
HARRY: Because I took matters -- by that point, I took matters into my own hands. It was like, I needed to do this for my family. This is not a surprise to anybody. It's really sad that it's gotten to this point, but I've got to do something, for my own mental health, for my wife's and for Archie's as well because I could see where this was headed.
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JARRETT: His father stopped taking his calls. I mean, it's just -- there were so many stunning moments. And that was another one of them. Is the -- is the British public in Harry's corner on this or do they see him as almost turning on his homeland, Anna?
STEWART: Well, it will be really interesting to see throughout the day what the reaction is. It's still only 10 O'clock in the morning here in the U.K., they haven't watched the full interview. Up to this point, it's been a really polarizing issue, opinion is split, and it really depends on what newspapers you read and which TV shows you watch as to where you fall and which camp. Having watched this interview, I don't think anyone can really argue against what has been said by the duke and duchess of Sussex in serious allegations. And they have put the world right on so many narratives that have been widely shared, whether it was something as simple as did Meghan make the duchess of Cambridge cry before the wedding?
Meghan says it was the other way around or the big issue of why they stepped out from the royal family. They say they didn't really want to, they wanted to step back as senior working members of the royal family, but they didn't want to leave.
JARRETT: Yes, they said they would still be there if they had only received the support from the family and from the firm.
ROMANS: I'll tell you one thing, there is a queen in the United States and her name is Oprah Winfrey.
JARRETT: Yes --
ROMANS: That interview was well done. She is the one with the regal status here. Thanks so much, Anna Stewart, so nice to see you. Great interview, folks. I mean, really something there. All right, a legacy- building legislation. The Senate passed its version of President Biden's American rescue plan over the weekend with money going directly to poor families. A critical and historic effort to eradicate child poverty and expanded child tax credit, that's in here, that credit would give parents with children under the age of six, $3,600 per child each year and $3,000 per child under the age of 18.
Key here, direct monthly payments making it easier to pay bills instead of getting a lump sum at tax time. It's essentially a guaranteed income for poor families with children. It's only a year here, but there's hope among Democrats that they could get this moving on a more permanent basis. Democrats are determined to spend big to rescue the economy and address income inequality. Also in this relief package, $1,400 direct checks phase out for people who earned $80,000 or more, $300 a month in extra jobless benefits. That's in here, that last until September 6th. The bill would also make the first $10,200 of those jobless benefits tax free for households making less than $150,000 a year.
Time is critical here, 11 million workers could lose their benefits between mid-March and mid-April unless Congress passes the bill quickly.
[05:10:00]
Also included, money for schools, housing aid, funding for state and local governments, money for a national vaccine program. So, when will you see another stimulus check? That's the biggest question I get. Payments could hit bank accounts within days after Biden signs the relief bill. People with bank information on file likely get their money first, others may get paper checks or prepaid debit cards in the mail, Laura.
JARRETT: So, the $1.9 trillion relief bill passed by the Senate does have some changes from the house version. Narrowed eligibility for those stimulus checks, Christine mentioned, the smaller federal boost to unemployment benefits and no increase in the federal minimum wage. Jasmine Wright is live at the White House for us this morning. Jasmine, nice to see you. The Senate version is expected to pass the house tomorrow. But just muscling through this bill the way the White House has, has showed just the big challenges ahead.
JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN REPORTER: That's right, Laura. Look, President Biden looks to be one step away from major victory, but the process of getting there, it was not painless. We saw West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin holding up the vote by hours on end, requiring intervention from the president himself in a phone call CNN learned to get him to come over to the other side. It is a visual of how difficult it is going to be for this White House to govern and navigate when they have such slim majorities really empowering individual senators within their own party for frankly the potential to torpedo any of President Biden's agenda. Now yesterday, on "STATE OF THE UNION" with Jake Tapper, he asked Joe Manchin whether or not he felt pressured to vote. Here was his answer.
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SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D-WV): President Biden and I have been friends, I have the utmost respect, I think he is the right person in the right place at the right time. We -- our conversations have always been cordial. And I don't think he's ever said, Joe, never go against your convictions. Always do what you think is right.
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WRIGHT: So asked on Saturday, President Joe Biden -- about Manchin, President Joe Biden was optimistic about the Democratic caucus in general and their unity, but this is absolutely going to be a relationship to watch. Laura?
JARRETT: Yes, that is for sure. He wields an enormous amount of power, and this is not the end of that story for sure. Jasmine, thank you so much.
ROMANS: Security at the Capitol politicized by the house Republican leader Kevin McCarthy blasting retired Lieutenant General heading up to the Capitol security taskforce. Russel Honore was chosen by Nancy Pelosi. McCarthy claims he brings a notorious partisan bias to the role. A summary of the report obtained by CNN shows the taskforce is calling for mobile fencing around the Capitol, a quick reaction Capitol police force and an overhaul of how members are protected in their home districts.
JARRETT: Well, still ahead for you, another accuser comes forward, another call to resign. But Governor Andrew Cuomo remaining defiant.
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[05:15:00]
ROMANS: This morning, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo vowing not to resign despite mounting pressure. And much of that pressure is coming from his own state party. Another former staffer -- another staffer has now come forward, Ana Liss telling the "Wall Street Journal" the governor asked her if she had a boyfriend, touched her on her lower back during a reception and called her sweetheart. Her allegations date back as far as 2014. Alexandra Field has more.
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Laura, Christine, there are mounting calls for New York's embattled Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign. The latest coming from New York State's Senate Majority leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins who says Cuomo must go for the good of the state. Also from the "Albany Times Union", a newspaper that has previously endorsed the three-term governor, they say he has now squandered the public's trust, this as more women allege inappropriate conduct from the governor, but Governor Cuomo is insisting he will not resign.
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GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): I was elected by the people of the state. I wasn't elected by politicians. I'm not going to resign because of allegations. The premise of resigning because of allegations is actually anti-democratic. The system is based on due process. And the credibility of the allegation. Anybody has the ability to make an allegation in democracy, and that's great, but it's in the credibility of the allegation.
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FIELD: Four women have alleged inappropriate conduct including three former Cuomo staffers. The governor has publicly apologized, saying he never intended to make anyone feel unwelcome or uncomfortable. He also maintains that he never touched anyone inappropriately. To those calling on the governor to resign, he says that the state's Attorney General Letitia James must be allowed to conduct her investigation. Christine, Laura?
JARRETT: Alexandra Field, thank you for that. The campaign to recall, California Governor Gavin Newsom says it's collected enough signatures to trigger a special election. The group says it has nearly 2 million signatures, more than a week ahead of the March 17th deadline. In early February, state election officials found about 83 percent of the signatures on hand were valid, if that rate holds, that would be enough to trigger the election. A UC Berkeley poll found that 36 percent would vote against Newsom in a special election, 45 percent said they would stand by him.
Well, coming up, the U.S. is turning a corner on the pandemic, but could some states easing restrictions too soon set the whole country back?
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JARRETT: New overnight. The lowest death toll from coronavirus reported in four months, but health officials worry that dialing back public health measures now could undo all this progress. Just look at the baseline, look at this number, it's still well above the numbers from last Spring and Summer, Christine.
ROMANS: Governors from both parties loosening public health rules after infection numbers dropped and vaccines are rolling out nationwide. This includes Mississippi where the mask mandate is going away and Michigan, where restaurant capacity is expanding, but the mask mandate in Michigan stays in place.
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GOV. TATE REEVES (R-MS): When you look at the numbers in Mississippi, it doesn't justify government intervention. It just simply does not. It doesn't -- it doesn't justify statewide mask mandate.
GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): We're kind of at the 10-yard line and we're taking another 10 yards ahead where some are at the 50 and dropping the mask mandate. And that's the dangerous situation.
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JARRETT: President Biden says there will be enough vaccine for all- Americans by May, but the White House coronavirus taskforce coordinator wouldn't put a timeline on exactly when Americans should expect to receive their actual shots. About 1.2 million vaccinations are happening a day now, but some medical experts warn that pace will not be enough to manage a potential surge caused by all these variants.
[05:25:00]
ROMANS: All right, while you were sleeping, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle put a devastating human face on the insular British royal institution. Meghan says her pleas for help were ignored, leaving her suicidal.
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MARKLE: And I remember him saying, I don't think you can go. And I said, I can't be left alone.
WINFREY: Because you were afraid of what you might do to yourself?
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JARRETT: Good morning and welcome back to EARLY START, I'm Laura Jarrett.
ROMANS: And I'm Christine Romans. Just about 30 minutes past the hour this Monday morning. And last night, while you were sleeping, we heard one of the most detailed and frankly devastating indictments of the British royal institution in generations, really.
