Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Marches, Day of Service to Honor Martin Luther King Jr.; Prince Harry Says with Great Sadness That It Has Come to This; Puerto Rico Officials Fired Over Unused Emergency Aid. Aired 3:30-4p ET
Aired January 20, 2020 - 15:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DANA BASH, CNN HOST: Welcome back to a special Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday edition of NEWSROOM. I'm Dana Bash in for Brooke Baldwin.
The slain civil rights leader and icon is honored each year on the 3rd Monday in January with a national day of service to encourage everybody, all Americans to come together and to voluntary to improve their communities.
Now this morning in South Carolina, the leading Democratic 2020 hopefuls marked the holiday by joining together in a march in Columbia, South Carolina. In San Antonio, Texas today thousands out for what has become one of the country's largest MLK marches. And in Washington. visitors flocked to the King Memorial for a wreath laying ceremony.
[15:35:00]
I'm honored to be joined now by Martin Luther King Junior's son, Martin Luther King III and Dr. King's granddaughter, Yolanda King. Thank you so much to both of you for being with me.
I remember meeting you both two years ago during a civil rights pilgrimage that I attended. We were standing out the Dexter Avenue Memorial Church in Montgomery, Alabama. And you told me that the most important thing that your father got across to people was the concept of nonviolence, particularly the young people.
Is that what you're thinking about, what's sort of the front of your mind today as we honor your father?
MARTIN LUTHER KING III, SON OF SLAIN CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER: Well, certainly, absolutely, today more than ever, when you think about the incivility and the political discourse and exactly where we are right this moment.
We have to get above the noise to create a more civil, humane and just society because if we do not, we will maybe tear ourselves apart at the seams. And it really feels that the climate is that way, although it should not be. We are a nation that has so much potential. My father talked about
making America become what it ought to be, and clearly that is a little different than make America great again because we still have not become what we ought to be. When we become what we ought to be, maybe we will be great.
BASH: Go ahead, Yolanda, do you have a comment there?
YOLANDA KING, GRANDDAUGHTER OF MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.: Can you repeat the question, please?
BASH: Just what you're thinking. I know you didn't obviously get to meet your grandfather but you know a lot about him. I mean you get to stop -- the whole country stops to honor him, and you've learned about him and you've spoken about him, I've spoken to you about him. What are your thoughts today given where young people are in following his guidance on trying to make a difference through peaceful protest?
YOLANDA KING: I don't think we're there, where we are supposed to be yet but we can make a difference. And it's amazing how all of these young people are trying to make a difference through our community. And like my dad said, we can make America -- we can improve it and make it great, and -- but we have to work together to make the nation that we want, to have a good generation.
BASH: Well said. I want to go back to your dad about what you mentioned, both of you actually mentioned, making America great and about divisive times. I want to read a tweet from the President today.
Saying, it was exactly three years ago, January 20th, 2017, that I was sworn into office. So appropriate that today is also MLK Jr. Day. African-American unemployment is the lowest in the history of our country by far, also best poverty, youth and employment numbers, ever. Great!
BASH: You're reaction to that?
KING III: Well, I think they're always good words but the question is, is it actually documented and true?
When I travel around the country, between the ages of 18 and 30 years old, African-American unemployment rates are 40, 50 and 60 percent in some communities. So if we were as well off as being stated, you would see violence decreased. You would see a community exist in more of a different way.
But every day somewhere around this nation, particularly in communities of color, somebody is being killed, in poor communities someone is being killed. More and more people are living on the streets. In a trillion-dollar economy, a nation with trillions of dollars of economy, we have the audacity to have homeless people. That is unacceptable.
My father talked about eradicating poverty, racism and militarism and violence, and my mother in her lifetime talked about the same thing. We have the capacity to do that, we just have not identified the will, but when will and capacity come together then we will see some results. So I think it's great to say that but I don't know that it's accurate.
BASH: Well, it is a day today, as I mentioned, that we stop and think and reflect on your father, your grandfather's legacy and what he was really trying to get at with his tremendous work being an American hero. Thank you both so much for joining me. I appreciate it.
KING III: Thank you for the opportunity.
YOLANDA KING: Thanks again.
BASH: Thank you.
And on the eve of the President Trump's trial in the Senate, his team has a preview of their case. Our special coverage continues.
[15:40:00]
Plus, Prince Harry speaks for the first time about stepping down as a Royal. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BASH: We're now hearing directly from Britain's Prince Harry about the decision he and wife Meghan have made to step back from their Royal duties.
A video released on their Sussex Royal Instagram page shows Harry delivering a very personal statement to a live audience in London.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRINCE HARRY, THE DUKE OF SUSSEX: It brings me great sadness that it has come to this. The decision that I have made for my wife and I to step back is not one I made lightly.
[15:45:00]
It was so many months of talks after so many years of challenges. And I know I haven't always gotten it right, but as far as this goes there really was no other option. What I want to make clear is we're not walking away, and we certainly aren't walking away from you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Wow, I want to discuss what we just heard and more from -- with CNN's Royal commentator Victoria Arbiter. So, Victoria, we were watching that and you were really struck by a takeaway. What the takeaway should be from what Prince Harry said.
VICTORIA ARBITER, CNN ROYAL COMMENTATOR: There were a number of things that really came out in this very personal interview from Prince Harry. And I think most importantly, clearly, he and Meghan are not 100 percent happy with the final outcome. They had hoped and I think perhaps, they were looking through rose-
tinted glasses. They had really hoped to keep one foot in the Royal family. And I think that was more about wanting to continue to support the Queen and the Commonwealth and particularly, for Harry to maintain his associations with his ceremonial military roles.
That simply was an untenable possibility. There has never been a successful model of a Royal having a foot in each camp. So I think what we saw in that speech is an acceptance from Prince Harry, but also a sense of disappointment that it's no going to continue you as had hoped it would.
Having said that, that doesn't mean Harry is going to pull back from the organizations, and the issues he is most passionate about. The welfare of veterans, conservation, climate change and his mother's legacy, HIV-AIDS.
BASH: And so, one of the things we heard about at the very beginning of this was that they were trying to brand Sussex Royal, which sounds like they are trying to do it. So you're saying one foot in, one foot out is not really tenable, but it's still possible in some ways for them to make money and not just make money on the speaking circuit but make money on their brand as Royals.
ARBITER: I don't think Harry and Meghan will have any trouble in eliciting interest from corporations and companies and organizations all over the world. Just
over the weekend, one of the big cheeses at Netflix said they'd be delighted to work with Harry and Meghan.
So I don't think that will be the problem. What's going to be tricky is finding the type of work that they're really passionate about that doesn't have any kind of negative reflection on the monarchy. They've both promised to uphold the values of the Queen, and that's going to be very important to them moving forward.
So, I think we'll probably see a lot of work in the documentary filed championing the causes they're most interested in. And as you mentioned, the public speaking circuit has the potential to be incredibly lucrative.
BASH: Just can't get enough of this story. Thank you so much, Victoria. Appreciate it.
ARBITER: Thank you.
BASH: And our breaking news coverage continues. The Trump team files an impeachment trial brief, their defense, abuse of power is not impeachable.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:50:00]
BASH: We are closer to knowing who might take home Oscar gold. The big winners this award season continued their streak last night at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. And, oh yes, there was this moment fueled more backstage buzz about Brad and Jen.
CNN's Stephanie Elam was there last night with all of the Hollywood scoop. Stephanie, the producers of the show gave the people what they wanted which is reaction shots as each of them accepted their awards. What are you hearing?
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, completely. Everyone wanted to know about Ben and Jen. I said, Ben. Brad. I went to a different couple. No, Brad and Jen.
BASH: It is all about the '90s.
ELAM: It's the 90s, that you can definitely tell when I was around paying attention to these things. But yes, when you a look at the pictures, obviously their actors, but the fact that he was standing backstage watching Jennifer Aniston accept her award for portrayal in "The Morning Show" obviously everyone was watching that.
And then on top of it, you've got this handsome guy going up there accepting his award for role in "Once Upon A Time in Hollywood" and then using some self-deprecating humor. The audience ate it up. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRAD PITT, ACTOR: I've got to add this to my Tinder profile.
Let's be honest, it was a difficult part. A guy who gets high and takes his shirt off and doesn't get on with his wife. It's a big stretch.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ELAM: You've got to love it there. So of course, everyone now is talking about Brad Pitt and Jennifer, whether or not they're going to get back together and I don't know if people are really paying attention to so much to the awards.
BASH: Well, they both won, so let's just emphasize that.
ELAM: They did.
BASH: Stephanie Elam, thank you so much for the report.
ELAM: Sure.
BASH: Appreciate it.
On the eve of President Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate, the President's team has a preview of their case. Our special coverage continues. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:55:00]
BASH: Two more government officials in Puerto Rico have been fired for alleged mismanagement of emergency aid. The Governor dismissed the Secretaries
of Housing and Family Services after a warehouse full of unused emergency supplies was discovered. Officials found critical things like water, baby supplies, emergency radios and others that have likely been there since 2017, and the devastating hurricane there -- hurricane Maria.
The process of taking stock of all of those items is now under way and thousands of people are still living in outdoor shelters there after a series of recent earthquakes.
Thank you so much for joining me today. I want to get back down to Washington, D.C. Brianna Keilar is in for Jake Tapper. "THE LEAD" starts now.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: The White House says impeachment is one word, two syllables that rhymes with parade. THE LEAD starts right now. Breaking right now -- a brand-new CNN poll coming out on THE LEAD taking the pulse --
