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Biden Stressing Importance of Democracies While Abroad; Russia Outlaws Navalny's Network Ahead of Biden-Putin Summit; Ex-White House Counsel Testifies on Trump's 'Crazy' Orders; Prince Edward Speaks Out on His Father's Legacy, Family Rift. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired June 10, 2021 - 06:00   ET

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

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Brianna Keilar alongside John Berman on this NEW DAY.

[06:00:02]

President Biden on the world stage, vowing to rebuild America's alliances and sending a warning shot to U.S. enemies.

"The point of no return." After years of legal battles, former White House counsel Don McGahn testifying about the alarming decisions by then-President Trump.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: A CNN exclusive. The queen's youngest child, Prince Edward, weighing in on the royal family dynamics and the fallout of Prince Harry's move to the United States.

And happening now, turn around, bright eyes. An almost total eclipse of the -- you know the rest. The remarkable pictures coming in from around the world.

KEILAR: A very good morning to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. It is Thursday, June 10. And, wow, we really have something to watch here this morning.

BERMAN: I think we have live pictures.

KEILAR: This is amazing.

BERMAN: Happening now.

KEILAR: The ring of fire solar eclipse, so named. We now understand now why. This is obviously a very beautiful scene that we are watching here throughout the morning.

And President Biden waking up in England this morning, ahead of a meeting later today with Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Tomorrow, the start of the G-7 summit is going to be dominating Mr. Biden's agenda.

The president began his trip by telling hundreds of service members that the future of the world depends on restoring America's long- standing alliances, and he also vowed to stand up to adversaries like China and Russia. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That the United States is back, and democracies of the world are standing together to tackle the toughest challenges and the issues that matter most to our future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: President Biden clearly trying to separate himself from his predecessor in the isolationist approach to U.S. foreign policy. He also sent a stern warning to Vladimir Putin ahead of their face-to- face meeting in Geneva next week.

Our Jeff Zeleny made it safely to the U.K., traveling with the president. He joins us this morning from Falmouth in England, Jeff, what can we expect today?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John and Brianna. President Biden will be meeting face-to-face with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in their first meeting as leaders together.

But it was that message we heard the president deliver last evening here to American troops, stationed here in England, about the importance of democracy, about the importance of this transatlantic alliance.

And he did talk about America is back. Now the challenge, of course, for President Biden as he begins his first full day here, is to prove that America is indeed back, talking about democracy. But in that speech last night in Mildenhall, the Air Force base, he had this to say about the week ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: I'm heading to the G-7, then to the NATO ministerial event, to meet with Mr. Putin to let him know what I am going to be doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: So clearly, some strong words there, some blunt words from President Biden about his meeting next week with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But it is the meetings going into that, leading into that, that is going to set the stage for why President Biden believes that democracies do still thrive and need to thrive against the autocrats in this world.

Now, he was talking about how he believes the world is as an inflection point. And of course, the U.S. is a perfect example of that.

But President Biden is going to really begin developing that personal relationship with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson as they meet here later today. And it's very interesting. We'll remember the 2020 campaign. Mr. Biden

referred to Boris Johnson as an emotional and physical clone of Donald Trump. Of course, those words are yesterday, not today.

Since Mr. Biden was elected, the prime minister has said that, Look, President Biden is an example of how America is back.

So watch that dynamic. The two of them are going to be doing a new -- a revised version of the Atlantic Accord, something, really, that happened 80 years ago with FDR and Winston Churchill. They'll be modernizing that as they're meeting face-to-face.

But really, Biden has relationships with many world leaders, not necessarily with Boris Johnson. So look for that today.

And of course, this evening the president will also be talking about how the U.S. is going to be buying some 500 million doses of COVID-19 vaccination for the world.

BERMAN: That is big news for the world. Every step of this trip, firsts for President Biden. We'll be watching it along the way. Jeff, thank you so much.

ZELENY: Sure.

KEILAR: Russia is raising the stakes ahead of next week's summit between President Biden and Vladimir Putin. A court in Moscow declaring two organizations linked to jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny are extremist groups, forcing them to shut down, really disqualifying their members from upcoming elections.

So let's talk about this now with Leonid Volkov. He is the chief of staff to Alexei Navalny, and he's here with us in studio today. Thank you so much for coming.

[06:05:07]

LEONID VOLKOV, CHIEF OF STAFF TO ALEXEI NAVALNY: Good morning.

KEILAR: Is there any possibility that this ruling could have been handed down, in your -- in your view without Putin's knowledge? I think I might know the answer to this one.

VOLKOV: No, of course not. It's -- it's Putin's desire to clean up the political filth (ph) in Russia entirely in front of the upcoming elections that will have place in September. Not only the members of our organization are now disqualified and not allowed to be on the ballot, but anyone who ever donated or in any form supported could not run even for a village council any more in Russia. This outlaws hundreds of thousands of people.

KEILAR: So as you are aware, the president will be meeting with Vladimir Putin here. Do you think that he should or should not, based on this new development?

VOLKOV: Well, I think having meetings is better than not having them. But it's also very important, like, what is the initial position. What position President Biden will take to President Putin, also with regard to everything that is happening right now.

And we know -- we have learned from the past, from the past 20 years' experience with President Putin, that he only understands a level of -- a language of strength, nothing else.

So if American president would talk once again, like, pushing reset buttons, building bridges, negotiations concern, Vladimir Putin -- unfortunately, that's his psychology -- will consider it only as a sign of weakness, and he will make use of it.

So hopefully, also given the recent developments, there will be a stronger position, and some leverage will be developed, actually, to force Putin to act according to his international obligations.

KEILAR: So what -- so what? What would that be? What would a stronger response be than, I mean, you know, a reset. You're talking about stuff that you feel like Vladimir Putin kind of chuckles at. So what would a stronger response be?

VOLKOV: Mr. Putin desperately needs, actually, to be there at this meeting at the table. He doesn't have many domestic success to sell to his voters, to his audience. Elections are upcoming. His party's doing very bad in the polls. That's why he's effectively prohibiting any opposition to participate in the elections, but that's not enough.

Average household income in Russia decreases for eight years in a row now. Since the only thing he could feed into his propaganda machine would be some success on international level, on international policy. That's why he, Putin, is already hardly selling the story about meeting Biden's son.

So Putin wants to be once again like a respected member of international community of world leaders. He wants to sign new treaties, and renew agreements.

And this gives President Biden a lot of leverage. President Biden could just say, Mr. Putin, if you want to be considered like credible, if you want to ask to sign the new treaties with you, please first act upon your responsibilities and commitments with regard to existing obligations that you already have.

KEILAR: This decision means you, in the eyes of the law in Russia, are an extremist.

VOLKOV: I am. Pretty much like --

KEILAR: How does that make you feel?

VOLKOV: Well, so they have put us on the same level as al Qaeda or Taliban, with the only difference that al Qaeda members are allowed, technically, to run -- to participate in elections in Russia, and we are not. Because --

KEILAR: You're saying technically al Qaeda could run in Russia, but you cannot?

VOLKOV: Yes, exactly.

KEILAR: I want to -- I do want to ask you, while I have you here. Alexei Navalny, while incarcerated in a Russian prison, received the 2021 Geneva Summit Courage Award, I believe it's called. Does he know he received it? What does -- what does he think about this?

VOLKOV: Yes, he knows about it. He -- he regarded it with a lot of appreciation, and it's actually a very important sign. So his daughter received this award on his behalf two days ago in Geneva. Geneva is not getting a very important point on the man.

It's a very important for cognition, that actually, his fight against the corruption is also a fight for human rights. Because while usually this prize has been awarded to -- traditional to say, well, human rights advocates. Now Alexei Navalny is a politician in the corruption fight.

But he managed to demonstrate through our work, through the work of our anti-corruption foundation, which is now an extremist organization in Russia, that actually, every corruptokrat (ph), every corrupt government, they'll end up violating basic human rights, such as right to participate in an election, a right to freedom of assembly, something like this.

It's kind of inevitable for a corrupt government, which wants to sustain power forever, which wants to protect itself and the money it was able to steal.

[06:05:09]

So I think that this link between corruption and human rights, it's something which is really like, let's say, Navalny's legacy.

KEILAR: Leonid, we really appreciate you being here and joining us in studio. Thank you so much.

VOLKOV: Thank you.

KEILAR: So for the first time, we are seeing the testimony from former White House counsel Don McGahn, detailing in plain language the potential acts of obstruction by then-President Trump. So what happens next?

BERMAN: The New York City mayoral race taking a bizarre turn. Why the leading candidate took reporters on a tour of his apartment.

KEILAR: Why did he do that? And why is it so dark, I wonder?

Check this out: also dark, a solar eclipse.

BERMAN: This is happening now. This is live, breaking coverage.

KEILAR: This is happening right now.

BERMAN: It just moved a little more. I'm giving you the play-by-play.

KEILAR: It did. It's beautiful.

BERMAN: It keeps moving.

KEILAR: It's moving across parts of the U.S. and Canada. What is it doing? We're going to talk about that ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:15:25]

BERMAN: Former White House counsel Don McGahn, a key figure in the Mueller investigation, finally testified before the House Judiciary Committee. The transcript, released overnight, confirming what we have long known, that the then-president, Donald Trump, directed McGahn to try to get Mueller removed.

Now, McGahn refused, calling Trump's request "a point of no return," but this transcript also reveals more.

Joining us now is CNN legal analyst Norm Eisen. He also served as the House Judiciary special counsel in President Trump's first impeachment trial.

Ambassador, great to have you here. I want to read just a smidge of this transcript here. It has to do with the president's ask that Don McGahn make a false statement to the record about what he was asked to do.

So McGahn was asked, "If you had put out the statement the president was requesting, disputing that the president ever asked you to have the special counsel removed by Rod Rosenstein, would that have been accurate?"

McGahn tells Congress, "That statement would not have been accurate."

NORM EISEN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, John, good morning. Brianna.

KEILAR: Good morning.

EISEN: You know, the testimony of Mr. McGahn, which I worked on when I was counsel to the committee, that we pressed so hard for for the past two years, is important because of new details like that one.

After the Trump administration, it's hard to be shocked, but we should be shocked. This was this transcript. Chairman Nadler, a very talented lawyer, who did the principle examination, Sarah Istel. They wrung -- and McGahn didn't make it easy -- but they wrung these new details out of him.

We had a president who repeatedly instructed McGahn to obstruct justice, to have the special counsel, Mueller, fired. The president put himself at risk of prosecution in doing that, and McGahn felt that he was at risk of being prosecuted. And then to top it off, he told McGahn to lie about it publicly.

McGahn said he felt that would have exposed him to prosecution. And he attacked McGahn for telling the truth. So this ought to shock us.

KEILAR: He said he was asked to do -- and I paraphrase here -- crazy stuff.

EISEN: Yes. He used the more colorful "S" word than "stuff." He felt he was reaching the point of no return. He was desperate; the walls were closing in. We had a rogue, renegade president.

And, unfortunately, Bill Barr, who's now been castigated, the former attorney general, by two federal judges, he covered that up. He made it seem as if it was all OK, as if the DOJ shouldn't prosecute.

Of course, DOJ should have done a very serious inquiry into this, and Barr may have forestalled President Trump ever facing criminal charges for this.

BERMAN: The question is, what now, though, right? Because you will remember, in part of the Mueller testimony before Congress, he was asked directly, can the president be charged after he leaves office for obstruction?

It was a Republican congressman, Ken Buck, pressing him on this, and Mueller said, yes, yes. So now that we have this, does this provide a roadmap, if DOJ wanted to, to prosecute?

EISEN: John, I was sitting directly across from Mueller. I remember that colloquy with Buck.

Buck did not intend -- he intended to get the opposite answer, and we were all startled by Mueller's answer, but it's the correct one.

Look, DOJ has made a decision here. I think that, as a practical matter, I'd like to see the attorney general, Merrick Garland, and his staff reopen this. And there's a part of my brain that says the evidence is so clear. Now we have new evidence. How is it possible that in the United States of America, a president can obstruct justice and get away with it?

But I think the reality is the decision was made. The way that Donald Trump is going to face accountability, he's not going to get off scot- free. He faces accountability by state prosecutors in New York and Georgia for other misconduct, and this is important, because it is part of the atmosphere. It raises the barometric pressure.

I think it makes it more likely that there's an investigation and a prosecution of Donald Trump that intensifies in New -- starting in New York state.

KEILAR: Wouldn't it have been nice to know all of this a little sooner, though? Right? These details. It certainly would have. But they're very important, even now.

And Norm, we appreciate you shedding some light on them. Thank you. EISEN: Glad to be with you, always.

BERMAN: All right. This morning we have a CNN exclusive. The queen's youngest son, Prince Edward, on the royal family rift.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[06:20:00}

PRINCE EDWARD, UNITED KINGDOM: It's difficult for everyone. It's -- it's difficult for everyone. But that's -- as I said, that's families for you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: What he says about Harry and Meghan and how the queen is coping after her husband's death.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: It's been a challenging few months for the royal family. I think it is fair to say that. Maybe it's an understated way to say that. They are still mourning the loss of Prince Philip, of course. They're also combating frequent headlines since Harry and Meghan quit the firm, including serious allegations of racism.

And now Queen Elizabeth's youngest child, Prince Edward, is speaking exclusively to CNN about his father's legacy, and about how the queen is coping, and also about the elephant in the room, which is this big family rift that's going on.

CNN royal correspondent Max Foster sat down with Prince Edward for this interview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[06:25:05]

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Your Royal Highness, thank you very much for speaking to us. It's a very poignant time, of course, but I know you want to focus on celebrating your father's life at this point.

PRINCE EDWARD: Indeed. I mean, absolutely. And not just -- not just such a broad life, but a life that -- that was involved in so many different interests. And he traveled so much of the world and -- and saw so much. And not only that, but he was the sort of person that, you know, once met, never forgotten.

FOSTER: It would have been your father's 100th birthday. How do you think he'd look back on his public work?

PRINCE EDWARD: He was always, always incredibly self-effacing. It wasn't about him; it was about other people. He just gave them the nudge and encouragement, and -- and off they'd go. And tragically, it wasn't until he passed away that everybody went,

Wow, that's what he did? And, of course, it's too late. You never found out.

But then I suspect that, if he had made it to his 100th birthday, that a lot of that would have come out, and it would have been lovely to -- for him to have heard it himself. But then again, because he was just so self-effacing, he just wouldn't have wanted the fuss and the bother. And I don't think he ever really necessarily wanted to reach his -- because I just think it would be too much for us. And that wasn't him. That was just not him at all.

FOSTER: You're very focused on Duke of Edinburgh award scheme, which many people may think of as an Outward Bound scheme. But actually, it's more than that, isn't it? It's almost a motivational self- confidence exercise.

PRINCE EDWARD: Well, it's -- it's a framework. It's a framework of activities. It was to encourage young people and adults to get involved in non-formal activities, at a classroom, learning (ph). And, of course it empowered both adults and young people to take control of their destinies.

And it doesn't matter where in the world that young person or that adult is. It's the same. And hence the reason why I think it's spread to 130 countries, and it's doing, you know, particularly well in the States. It was a bit of a late start at that, but it's -- it's brilliant.

And what's really exciting about what's going on in the States is that nearly 50 percent of the young people involved are from what we would call at-risk or marginalized young people, disadvantaged young people, which is brilliant, because those are the young people that can really benefit from this.

FOSTER: We should also talk about his other role, which -- a bigger role, arguably, is his role as consort. And, you know, probably the biggest influence on, arguably, one of the greatest reigns of British history, away from the queen. Can I ask how she's coping without him?

PRINCE EDWARD: Well, thank you for asking. And -- and I think, actually, doing remarkably well, but then I think it was a fantastic partnership, and -- but over the last couple of weeks, life has gotten considerably busier. Things are beginning to open up. There are more activities. So weirdly, that sort of fills any -- any particular void.

I think there are going to be other times further on in the year, where -- where I think that it will become a bit more poignant and a bit harder. But at the moment, thank you very much, indeed, for asking, but I think everybody is in pretty good shape, really.

FOSTER: I don't want to pry too much in private matters, but this is a private matter which is also very public which you'll be aware of. But that just have been -- the family rift. Something (UNINTELLIGIBLE) there. That must have been very difficult for her, too. How is she coping with that, can I ask? PRINCE EDWARD: Well, it all depends on -- are you -- are you

euphemistically referring to -- to Harry and Meghan, are you?

FOSTER; Yes. Yes, I mean, there's a -- yes, the divide between the Sussexes and the rest of the family currently.

PRINCE EDWARD: You know, yes. I mean, it's -- it's very sad. We've all been there before. We've all had, you know, excessive intrusion and attention in our lives. And we've all dealt with it in so many different ways.

And listen, we wish them the very best of luck. It's -- it's a really hard decision. Fantastic news about the baby. That's great. I hope they'll be very happy with -- and that's -- And, you know, it's -- it's just -- families are families, aren't they, really? You know?

FOSTER: They are. I think you're right. They do happen in all families. It's just the very public nature of this.

PRINCE EDWARD: Yes.

FOSTER: And I wonder how -- how difficult that had been for her.

PRINCE EDWARD: It's difficult for everyone. It's difficult for everyone, but that's -- as I said, that's families for you.

FOSTER: We talked about how she just carries on in this remarkable way, in this very inspiring way. And the president of the United States currently in the United Kingdom. And the queen is the longest serving head of state in the world. She's met so many presidents, as I've said, and so many heads of state around the world.

I mean, I wonder what -- it must be an opportunity also for those heads of state to speak to someone who's been there, done that, and had that experience, as well.

PRINCE EDWARD: When you meet somebody who's -- who's had that level of personal experience and knowledge, it's -- I mean, some.