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Prince Philip Dead at 99; Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) is Interviewed About Sen. Manchin's Calls for Bipartisanship and Allegations Against Rep. Gaetz. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired April 09, 2021 - 08:00   ET

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

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: At Prime Minister Boris Johnson's residence have been lowered to half-staff.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS JOHNSON, U.K. PRIME MINISTER: Like the expert carriage driver that he was, he helped to steer the royal family and the monarchy so that it remains the institution indisputably vital to the balance and happiness of our national life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: These are live pictures right now, Buckingham palace as you see there. The country learning of this news, which really has implications around the globe. CNN royal correspondent Max Foster joining us now from London. Max, we know that the prince had just been in the hospital for some time. And yet, I think this was somewhat surprising for many people to learn this morning of his passing.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Well, he's been in hospital so many times, hasn't he? And he's always come out. It's interest hearing Boris Johnson talking there about Prince Philip's carriage driving. He was very energetic, very busy, even until relatively recently. And he was back at Windsor Castle having been in hospital for a month, initially with an infection, then had a procedure on his heart, and clearly, he deteriorated recently.

And it was just a few hours ago that he sadly died. The family would have been informed before us. They clearly got hold of everyone, including Prince Harry in California. But thoughts currently, of course, with the Queen who is in Windsor Castle on her own. They were in a bubble, Philip and the Queen, in Windsor with some key staff. And now she's on her own. And as Boris Johnson was describing there, he really did steer -- help steer the British monarchy. Of course, the Queen was up front, she was the head of state. She made the final decisions. But he was her key adviser, her confidante. And behind the scenes as well, he was very much patriarch of the family, making a lot of the key family decisions.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: -- coming into light about how the kingdom will observe his passing over the next several days.

FOSTER: We'll have to wait and see. There is a plan in place, both within a pandemic and the lockdown. One version there, and another version if we were out of lockdown. We're still currently in lockdown, even if the restrictions are loosening somewhat. But the plans are never official until the Queen has signed them off. So she'll be looking at that currently.

I know that Prince Philip was intimately involved in his own funeral plans. Frankly, he wanted certain things reflected. His military achievements and also his work with the WWF, the conservation work, for example, that was all reflected there. But they can't have the procession you London. They can't have floral memorials because they don't want to encourage crowds.

So what I think will happen, what I assume will happen at this point is the body will be kept at Windsor Castle. Staff and family will be able to pay their respects over the next few days, and then they'll try to come up with some sort of COVID-ready plan, really, for a funeral, which will take place at Windsor Castle.

It has been an extraordinary life.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

FOSTER: They were married for more than seven decades, but have been destined for each other since childhood, according to one of Queen Elizabeth's bridesmaids.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think she fell in love when she was 13. He was good looking. He was --

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She never looked at anybody else, ever. And I think he really truly has been a rock.

FOSTER: The couple married in Westminster Abbey on November the 20th, 1947. For the rest of his life, Prince Philip was a near constant presence at the Queen's side. He gave a rare insight into life behind palace walls when celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that the main lesson that we've learned is that tolerance is the one essential ingredient of any happy marriage. It may not be quite so important when things are going well, but it is absolutely vital when things get difficult. And you can take it from me that the Queen has the quality of tolerance in abundance.

(LAUGHTER)

FOSTER: If this companionship came at a professional cost, it was one Prince Philip was prepared to pay.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just to be there all the time behind her and really to sacrifice his life. He did it, too, sacrificed his life. I think he would have loved to have gone on the Navy and really made a career out of that. So he sacrificed, too. And so I think it's made for a wonderful, solid marriage.

[08:05:02]

FOSTER: The Queen and Lieutenant Mountbatten met before the Second World War when he was a young naval cadet.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His number one job from the word go has been to, quote, support the Queen. Everything he does is in support of the Queen. It's just been one of the great royal romances, I think, of history. People talk about Victoria and Albert. It's a phrase which just trips off the tongue, and I have no doubt that in years to come people will talk about Elizabeth and Philip in exactly the same way.

FOSTER: Famous for his energy, the duke's health inevitably deteriorated as he headed into old age. The royal family Christmas was disrupted in 2011 when Philip had to be taken to hospital for minor heart surgery. Five months later, during the Queen's diamond jubilee celebrations, Philip had to go to hospital again, this time with a bladder infection. Family came and went, and within days, Philip was well enough to return home, but not to return immediately to his public duties.

In the spring of 2017, Prince Philip effectively announced his retirement, saying he would give up official royal duties. A year-and- a-half later, he was involved in a car crash, raising questions about whether he should be driving at the age of 97. Then public appearances were reserved for special occasions, such as Lady Gabriella Windsor's wedding in May, 2019. Prince Philip had been patron or president of some 800 charities, including the WWF. He was a renowned environmental campaigner. He also had his own royal heritage, being born into the Greek and Danish royal families. But he renounced those titles when he took British citizenship in 1947. So, what of his role in the British monarchy?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it was pivotal, because he was the head of the family. He was the fiber to be that, and he does that extremely well.

FOSTER: Would it have been difficult for him always in public to be taking a back seat to his wife?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would have thought that anybody with that responsibility would find it, I would say, taxing. But when you have this whole concept in your blood, and you keep your sense of humor and your sense of dignity, and you carry it out beautifully.

FOSTER: And one thing Prince Philip certainly had was a sense of humor, and a tendency to make gaffes. On a trip to Australia in 2002, he asked an aboriginal leader, do you still throw spears at each other? And when meeting the Obamas in 2009, a reference to world leaders.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you tell the difference between them?

FOSTER: Prince Philip, serviceman, campaigner, great grandfather, and a beloved husband.

(END VIDEO TAPE) HILL: CNN's Anna Stewart is live outside of Buckingham Palace for us at this hour, where I would imagine people are starting to make their way to Buckingham Palace as people often do as a way of paying their respects. What are you seeing there this morning? Or actually, I should say this afternoon in London?

ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: Yes, we are already beginning to see some people coming out to Buckingham Palace to see what's going on. The news, of course, only came out really within the last hour. You can see the flag is flying at half-mast over Buckingham Palace. And this is a nation going into mourning now. This is a man, Prince Philip, who served his country for 65 years. He'll be remembered for a fantastic legacy of public work, official duties. He attended some 22,000 engagements all by himself. He worked with the Queen. It's been a marriage of 73 years. He leaves behind a nation in mourning. His wife, the Queen, four children, eight grandchildren, and 10 great- grandchildren. You can expect the next few days for everyone to remember Prince Philip, his passions for life, his military career, his extraordinary upbringing. There's lots more to come in the story of Prince Philip.

BERMAN: Anna Stewart, thank you very much. Stand by for us there.

Joining us now, Max Foster, also with us, CNN royal commentator Kate Williams. And Kate, 99-years-old, Prince Philip in so many ways the center, or a center of that family, but also a bridge to a different world era. His brother, the deposed king of Greece -- just a different imperial era in the entire world. This is a moment in history.

KATE WILLIAMS, CNN ROYAL COMMENTATOR: It is a moment in history. And Prince Philip, he was born in 1921, had to flee from Greece because the monarchy was under threat. It was deposed. His family was thought to be under threat as well.

[08:10:00]

And Prince Philip, he was born just a few years after World War I and, of course, served in World War II, and he served so bravely in World War II. And so many of those who served in World War II, they are no longer with us. We have lost so many veterans. And the Queen herself has also served in World War II, and every time she is with veterans, she is just so sad. Here she is, her own beloved husband. They were devoted to each other throughout World War II. He was devoted on the side of the allies. They have this wartime correspondence. As soon as the war was over, they got married.

He really is the end of an era. Prince Philip was a man who saw nearly all of the 20th century and all the 21st century so far, so everything has changed. Technology, the world, travel. He is our longest married, longest serving consort, the longest married monarch, 73 years. It is so sad that he has died just a few months short of his 100th birthday. And a man who, above all, devoted service first to the monarchy and to the country and to his causes.

HILL: Max, as Kate just touched on, his devotion there to the monarchy, to the Queen, his wife. We know he was pivotal for her, as you pointed out in your piece, especially when it came to certain decision makings, but he was also a key part of the royal family in terms of the actual family sense. You mentioned the fact that obviously the family would have been notified before word went out to the public of his passing. And Max, I couldn't help but notice you said, of course, Harry would have been notified, even though he's in California. There's been much made of the relationship between Harry and his grandparents, especially in the last several weeks. Can you just put into perspective how integral Prince Philip was in those conversations in keeping the family together, or trying to bridge the gap there?

FOSTER: Well, it's interesting that you mention Harry there, because you'll remember that after that Oprah interview, he went out of his way to mention to Oprah afterwards that the race comment, regarding his unborn son at the time, wasn't in reference to the Queen or Philip. So the Queen and Philip are on a different level for this family. They are the patriarch, the matriarch of the family. The Queen is head of state, head of the armed forces. So out front, she is the leader.

Behind the scenes, Philip was very much in control, would make key decisions about where his children would go to school, for example. He would bang heads together. I'm sure he was involved in conversations behind the scenes about the Sussexes leaving their royal roles, for example.

It's interesting, when you met him, you have to adjust to this now. It's so hard to imagine, as Kate was saying. he was married for more than 70 years. It's extraordinary. And he was in our lives for that period of time. But he was a very dominant figure. He made his own decisions. And his staff really had no control over him. He would wander through Buckingham Palace doing exactly as he wished. And I think it was very difficult for him to adjust to playing second fiddle to the Queen, and I think they, frankly, came to a decision very early on that he would lead on big family decisions, lead behind the scenes while she led out front and in public. And he found his own groove, if you like, his own role, his own purpose. And that's really the sacrifice that he made, but also the contribution, too.

BERMAN: Kate, talk about legacy for the family and for the kingdom.

WILLIAMS: There is such a great legacy. And Prince Philip, really -- he really left a great legacy of service. And all of his charities. We just think he retired in 2017. Really, it's incredible to think how much he did, how long he was going for. And I think what Prince Philip really has left is a legacy that's very hard to live up to. He was completely devoted to the monarchy, and it was a surprise to both him and the Queen to -- that she came to the throne so early. The king, George VI, he died very early. He was just in his 50s. It was very young. Both the Queen and Prince Philip expected that they would have many more years, that the Queen would come to the throne when she was, say, 40 or so, the duke mid-40s. And he had to give up so much so early. His naval career.

Just as Max was saying, it was a difficult thing for such a determined, such an alpha male to then have to walk behind the Queen to be the support. But he devoted himself to it absolutely. And his legacy, I think, is one of great devotion to the monarchy, and also so many of his causes for veterans and particularly for the environment, his work for the WWF. When Prince Philip was talking about the importance of conservation, it really wasn't very fashionable. People didn't really know what it was, and he really brought it to the forefront. And now it's so important.

And also the Duke of Edinburgh was that many people in Britain have done, I did it myself, in which it really was to try and give young people an idea and a sense of empowerment and a sense of enthusiasm in what they could do and what they couldn't do.

[08:15:05]

We all went on to sort of campaign trips, you know, living for ourselves, which is a challenge when I was 15 or 16.

But, you know, the legacy he's left for young people, for conservation and for devotion to the monarchy. He really has been someone who will go down in history as getting -- he was given a role and he took it, and though it was difficult at times, there were ups and downs. He was determined to make the best of it.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Kate Williams, Max Foster, our thanks to both of you.

Again, you are looking at pictures of the late Prince Philip. The news this morning, Prince Philip, dead at the age of 99.

Our coverage continues after this.

WILLIAMS: Thank you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: We have a CNN exclusive this morning. Democratic Senator Joe Manchin digging in on his support of the Senate filibuster and his commitment to bipartisanship.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D-WV): -- if we try to work towards the middle. You can't work in the fringes. You just cannot work in the fringes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So what does this mean for getting the White House agenda passed?

Joining me now is the House Majority whip, Congressman Jim Clyburn.

Congressman, thank you so much for being with us.

You know, Senator Manchin name-checked you and said he'd be excited to meet with you on the issue of voting rights.

[08:20:03]

But on voting rights, on infrastructure, on guns, in many ways, Joe Manchin is seen as a Democratic obstacle toward the White House and House Democrats getting their agenda through. So, on any of these issues, if you had a chance to meet with Senator Manchin, what would you say to him?

REP. JAMES CLYBURN (D-SC): Thank you for having me.

I have spoken with Senator Manchin. And I am scheduled to meet with him when we return to Washington. And I'll gladly meet with him. I want to share some experiences with him.

I'm going to take him back to his parents, my parents and our grandparents. And let him get a better understanding what voting rights mean to me and others who look like me. And I do not know whether or not he's had that kind of a conversation.

He said that if I remember your interview, that January 6th changed him. Well, it changed me as well. And I want to remind him of what some of those insurrectionists were saying to those African-American law officers who were out there. One man talking about how many times he was called the N-word. I want to know how does that man compromise in such a situation. How would he have me compromise in such a situation?

So I think that it would be good for us to sit down and have some shared experiences.

BERMAN: Do you see him as a partner or an obstacle?

CLYBURN: I have always seen him as a partner. I have never seen him as an obstacle before. And I would hope that he would not be an obstacle now.

BERMAN: I want to ask you one more question about House business. And it has to do with your Republican colleague Matt Gaetz who is under federal investigation in this case that involves sex trafficking. The lawyer for a friend of Matt Gaetz, Joel Greenberg, who has been charged, I want to play you what that lawyer said. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Does Matt Gaetz have anything to worry about?

FRITZ SCHELLER, ATTORNEY FOR JOEL GREENBERG: Does Matt Gaetz -- that is such a -- does he have --

REPORTER: What happened today in court?

SCHELLER: Does he have anything to worry about? And you're asking me to get into the mind of Matt Gaetz.

I'm sure Matt Gaetz is not feeling very comfortable today.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BERMAN: Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger has called on Gaetz to resign. What do you see as the future for Matt Gaetz in Congress?

CLYBURN: Well, I certainly don't see a future for him in the Congress. I think at some point in time, he will be out of the Congress. It might be good for his party for him to do it on his own, rather than to take the Congress through some kind of a vote.

I do believe that people can reform. And maybe it's time for him to spend a little time thinking about his immediate future and hopefully prepare for a longer range future.

BERMAN: Congressman, you're the chair of a congressional House investigation into the origins of the pandemic and the response to the pandemic. I understand this morning, you're writing a letter with new information about political influence used on science in the last administration.

What have you learned?

CLYBURN: We've learned, and you may remember some time ago, Paul Alexander and Scott Atlas seemed to have been perpetuating some kind of herd immunity kind of process. We had some whistleblowers, or at least some people who shared with us information that were being used to intimidate them in trying to carry out their scientific duties and responsibilities to the country.

And so what we're trying to do is find -- is follow up on that because we've not gotten to the bottom of that yet. We need to know exactly what they're doing. So, I sent the two of them letters, along with Steven Hatfield or Hatfield, I believe, to ask some questions that we will have -- would like to have some answers to.

But I'm very pleased that the Biden administration is bringing science back in to the place. And we're going to have it next week. Ms. Walensky, Mr. Fauci, Mr. Kessler, and we're going to talk to them about the way forward. I don't want to spend too much time on what was.

[08:25:03]

I really want to use that information to get a better frame, what will be, as we go forward.

BERMAN: Congressman Jim Clyburn, we appreciate you being with us on this busy news morning. Thank you for your time, sir.

CLYBURN: Thank you very much for having me.

BERMAN: One of the prosecution's key witnesses in the Derek Chauvin murder trial will testify today about what he found as George Floyd's cause of death. We're going to speak with an attorney for the Floyd family, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. MARTIN TOBIN, PULMONOLOGIST: A healthy person subjected to what Mr. Floyd was subjected to would have died as a result of what he was subjected to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: A medical expert explaining in painful, intricate detail why it was the actions of former Officer Derek Chauvin, not drugs or pre-existing condition, that killed George Floyd.

Today, the Hennepin County medical examiner who conducted the autopsy on George Floyd is set to testify.

Joining me now is Benjamin Crump. He's one of the attorneys for the Floyd family.

Good to see you this morning.

I know you described that testimony that you heard from Dr. Tobin yesterday as some of the strongest testimony that you've heard yet. We are expecting to hear from the medical examiner today and we know, based on that autopsy report that his findings will not line up exactly with what we heard from Dr. Tobin and other experts yesterday.

Are you concerned about his testimony today?

BENJAMIN CRUMP, ATTORNEY FOR GEORGE FLOYD FAMILY: I am not, Erica, because I believe the video tells us.