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Hidden Gems Of Montana; CDC: Daily Vaccines Doses Administered Down 46 Percent From April Peak; More States Reopening With Daily Case Count Lowest Since Last June; New Body Cam Videos Document Ronald Greene's Brutal Death; Biden Vows U.S. Will Help Rebuild Gaza Without Hamas; Trump Allies In Mounting Legal Jeopardy; Princes William & Harry Blast BBC For Deceiving Diana. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired May 22, 2021 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:00]

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MIKE CERISE, PRESIDENT, OUR LADY OF THE ROCKIES: Beautiful site with 90 foot height you look up and you see just a beautiful lady there looking the city and keeps an eye on the city us.

We're inside the lady now on the bottom floor here people would come up here and go through the statue and look for their plaque and leave a rosary like this or hang something. It's nondenominational so everybody can honor it the way you want it for ladies all over attribute to mothers down below or she's done - Memorial Wall.

And we have hundreds of names that just go around the whole building. When you're standing here, you're on top of the Continental Divide. It's just a beautiful place for people to come up and visit.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome to Ringing Rocks.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just a very unique geological feature and location. The kids love to scramble along the rocks and then of course they bring their hammers and get to make music.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's all - together ready.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every rock does a different tone. It's really fun to drum on the rocks make unique noises that you don't get to hear every day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's just a great place to enjoy the outdoors the view and spend the day with the family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for being with me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. All around the country businesses are reopening and life for many is starting to move towards normal. That has a lot to do with this Coronavirus cases are way down the lowest they have been in close to a year. The country is averaging fewer than 30,000 new cases a day for the first time since June of 2020. But a point of concern for health officials the pace of vaccinations is also falling. It's down about half from its peak last month.

The number of fully vaccinated Americans is expected to hit 40 percent soon, slowly moving closer to that number that matters the most 70 to 85 percent herd immunity mark. Natasha Chan joining us lives here in Atlanta. So Natasha, you know tell us more about the reopening plans around the country?

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred, we've seen how that those reopening plans vary so greatly from state to state and those attitudes varying too from urban areas versus rural areas.

Here in Atlanta in Georgia, any remaining social distancing requirements were lifted already in early May, May 1st. But New York just New York City just lifted its requirements for vaccinated people. They didn't - they don't have to wear masks nor have to social distance.

As of last Wednesday, California has announced that June 15th they're lifting restrictions as well. So things are definitely started to change and open up across the country, even for the states that were more restrictive.

And of course, that's following those recent CDC guidelines allowing fully vaccinated people to not have to wear masks in public. And that's what we're seeing here on the beltline that really goes through much of the City of Atlanta, most people are not wearing masks here, people are enjoying the weather in some parts of the beltline getting very crowded people taking up the entire width of the pathway.

We talked to some people who are definitely sensing this moment and how big of a deal it are, given the past year we've experienced? This particular person said though, that his workplace COVID spread throughout his workplace in December, he himself got sick. And so he's still feeling a little uncertain about this moment right now.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel like the CDC kind of jumped the gun on saying like Gods find nowhere now because you're going to have a lot of people that are not vaccinated, that are like, no, I am, I am vaccinated. You know, you can't tell me to put a mask on I have my vaccination. And I'm not going to ask someone to see their vaccination card, right? That's ridiculous.

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CHEN: So that becomes very difficult for people with public facing jobs, the fact they can't really ask for proof of vaccination. And the honor system is what they're concerned about, Fred.

WHITFIELD: OK, lots of concerns still. Thanks so much, Natasha Chan there in Atlanta lots of walkers and bikers out there. Let's bring in Polo Sandoval now from New York. So Polo, tell us what you're watching with all these reopening plans there in New York?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred. Already shaping up to be quite the warm day here in New York and that really is what's fueling all the concerns for health officials is as it's going to get warmer throughout parts of the country, especially in the southeast and people are likely going to head indoors which is fine for those that are fully vaccinated.

But for 62 percent of population that is not well, health officials are certainly hoping for boost in vaccination rates across the country.

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SANDOVAL (voice-over): Another dose of progress this weekend. By now one out of every 12 people in the U.S. ages 12 to 15 have received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose according to the CDC, and efforts to get shots into younger arms are less than two weeks in the U.S. also averaging fewer than 30,000 new COVID cases a day?

DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CDC DIRECTOR: The last time the seven day average of cases per day was this low was June 18th, 2020.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): Along with dropping case counts to countries seeing less COVID hospitalizations none at one of the bay area's biggest hospitals for the first time in 14 months.

[12:05:00]

DR. MONICA GANDHI, SAN FRANCISCO GENERAL HOSPITAL: It feels like a milestone there is zero emission at San Francisco General--

SANDOVAL (voice-over): Encouraging statistics mean more reopenings. Ahead of the weekend, Delaware lifted its mask and social distancing mandates as well as capacity limits. California drops all capacity restrictions when the state fully reopens June 15th.

And Michigan which struggled with a severe COVID surge just a few weeks ago, announced it's returning to full capacity for outdoor events on June the first. Michigan's Governor aiming to do the same indoors come July.

DR. JESSICA SHEPHERD, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, VERYWELL HEALTH: Now it comes to how do we live in communities and with each other between those that are vaccinated and unvaccinated? These are things that time will tell but also taking into account continuing that message of the importance of vaccination.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): Some state officials crediting improved vaccination rates for restoring more normalcy for the residents nationally though, the Biden Administration is concerned. The average daily pace of Coronavirus vaccinations is down almost 50 percent from its peak last month. States like Oregon, adding a shot at a jackpot in exchange for a shot in the arm.

GOV. KATE BROWN (D-OR): If you've been waiting to get a vaccine, or you just haven't gotten around to it yet. We're going to give you an extra incentive. How about a chance to win a million dollars?

SANDOVAL (voice-over): A similar incentive seems to have helped in Buckeye State the Ohio health officials reporting a 28 percent increase in vaccinations for people 16 and older following the announcement of a million-dollar lottery for the vaccinated at full rights scholarships for vaccine recipients under 18.

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SANDOVAL: And if that million-dollar figures still not enough to convince you there are some fresh stats that are have been released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now showing that there have been roughly 1300 so called breakthrough cases.

That's the infection of fully vaccinated people with the Coronavirus but that is compared to 127 million people now fully vaccinated. So health experts there Fred say not only are those kinds of cases extremely rare, but they also have not encountered any kind of unexpected patterns in those breakthrough cases, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right Polo Sandoval in New York. Thanks so much for that. Alright, let's talk further on all this. Dr. Carlos del Rio is the Executive Associate Dean at Emory University School of Medicine here in Atlanta is with me now so, good to see you Dr. del Rio. So let's begin with, you know, good news here, right? We're averaging fewer than 30,000 cases a day now. Put that into context for us?

DR. CARLOS DEL RIO, EXECUTIVE DEAN, EMORY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: Well, I think it's just fantastic. As the CDC Director said a little while ago, you know, less than 30,000 is a number we haven't seen since June the 18th, of 2020. So it really is a tremendous achievement. It's a great improvement.

I would like though, however, to get us below 10,000 cases per day that would be really desirable. And I would like to get us also below 100 deaths per day. We're right now averaging about 500 deaths per day. So we're having a good trajectory. But we're not quite in an area that I feel totally comfortable saying this is over.

WHITFIELD: Do you feel like the only way to reach those numbers is if the pace of vaccinations picks up? I mean, what can the CDC or anyone do at this point to encourage people because the numbers are slowing?

DR. DEL RIO: Well, I think we really need to continue pushing for vaccinations. And I will tell you, for example, here in Georgia, the data suggests that we're doing fairly well in urban areas, you know, close to 60, 70 percent of people in urban areas have at least receive one shot but in rural areas is less than 20 percent.

So again, we're going to have to really go to the community and go to rural communities throughout the country, and really vaccinate people and for that, you're going to have to work with local physicians, people trust their local doctors, they don't trust the government. So you're going to have to work with local physicians to get vaccines into arm of people in rural communities. WHITFIELD: Alright, more states continuing to reopen, relaxing, a lot of measures encouraging, you know, people to get out, get to the businesses. What are your concerns?

DR. DEL RIO: Well, you know, my concern is that CDC was very clear, the CDC Director was very clear that fully vaccinated people don't need to mask. The problem is how do you distinguish who's fully vaccinated, right?

We're not having in this country; we don't have a vaccine passport. We don't have a way to tell who's vaccinated who's not? And without having that businesses are having a difficult problem, because I wish he sees he had said in areas where vaccinated unvaccinated people are likely to congregate indoors, like in grocery stores, like in other places like that it is convenient is required that people continue to match for the time being, and that wasn't done.

So really, businesses are now in a pickle, right? They're trying to figure out what to do. And it's going to be hard. And I think as your reporter said, when people go indoors, because it's going to get hot outside, we probably going to see a slight spike in cases. I just hope it's only a slightly not a major spike.

WHITFIELD: Yes, they have to rely on an honor system. People just have to be, you know, honest about whether they have been vaccinated or not, you know, and that's part of the gamble here. So then when you have incentives being offered, you know, Ohio for example, you know the lottery system.

[12:10:00]

WHITFIELD: $5 million, you know up for grabs a million at a time. Do you believe that's what it's going to take to get more people vaccinated?

DR. DEL RIO: Well, there are multiple strategies, but the science of behavioral economics shows us that when you have a big price like that, it actually makes a difference. In Ohio, as was said, so - 28 percent increase in the number of people vaccinated works particularly well with young people to do those kinds of things.

So I think many states are going to be doing the similar thing of or businesses of encouraging people to get vaccinated and offering cash prizes of significant amount, because I think people will be encouraged. Again, you're not getting the prize; you're getting the opportunity to participate in the lottery.

WHITFIELD: That's right. All right, Dr. Carlos del Rio, thank you so much of the Emory University School of Medicine, always good to see you be well.

DR. DEL RIO: Take care.

WHITFIELD: And of course, we'll have much more on all of this. Make sure you watch our special at 2:30 Eastern Time, "Life After Lockdown" we'll answer questions about travels, summer camps, vaccines and so much more. You don't want to miss it. Alright, coming up, tased kicked and dragged a new video from the deadly police encounter of Ronald Greene.

Plus, the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas holds but what will it take to establish long term peace?

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WHITFIELD: Alright, we now have new video today obtained by CNN showing the sequence of events that led to the death of Ronald Greene, a black man in police custody. And a warning some of the images you're about to see are very disturbing.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: --oh, Jesus--

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Well, Louisiana State Police just released this footage which includes nine different body cam and dash cam video clips. Greene's death happened over two years ago. His family says police told them initially that he died on impact in a car crash. I spoke with Green's mother, Mona Hardin last hour, and she told me she is disgusted by this whole situation.

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MONA HARDIN, RONALD GREENE'S MOTHER: They have no credibility. They continue to try to shy away from it and shine the light on other issues that has nothing to do with my son's murder. I'm disgusted. I just haven't grieved, and I haven't even screamed, I haven't cried. And they have - there's no empathy for how they do another human being. And they let these families continue to suffer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The case is now the subject of a federal civil rights investigation involving the FBI, the Department of Justice and the Attorney General's Office. Joining me right now is retired LAPD Sergeant Cheryl Dorsey. She's also the Author of the upcoming book, "The Confidence Chronicles: The greatest crime never told".

Cheryl, so good to see you I mean, this is incredibly difficult to watch. All of these video images, these clips, and even the still photographs showing the damage on you know, Ronald Greene's, head and face. How stunned were you when you saw all of these images and video?

CHERYL DORSEY, RETIRED LAPD POLICE SERGEANT: Well, I was very disturbed for sure. But I was not stunned. I remember this incident clearly what had happened two years ago. And I knew then, because I know what I know that they weren't being honest about what happened in this incident. And I found it very peculiar at the time that the officer who we hear speaking so aggressively to Mr. Greene was involved in a solo car accident within close proximity to this incident. And so, I knew that it was going to be problematic. And we understand why the state troopers have been hiding this information for two years.

And so now we've heard from one of their spokes persons that officers have been disciplined as if that's supposed to somehow calm everyone down, one of the officers was given a 50-day suspension. Others remain on the job and one more has been relieved of duty why probably for something very similar?

So, it's not until there's a death involved that we hear nationally about the things that put people in those communities deal with day in and day out.

WHITFIELD: So, you say you know, you understand why they were hiding this because it is so heinous. But then that's why it's also so confusing. They had body cams on; they knew that these were being recorded. But now this speaks to the level of the multi layered, I guess cover up here because a whole lot of people either saw that video long ago stored it made sure that it wasn't released.

I mean, what do you believe the sequence of events were when that body cam is on? And images are being recorded? To whose hands does it go? Who gets to see it? And how can it sit for so long?

DORSEY: Well, if they were on top of their game, certainly everybody should see it. The Patrol Supervisor who's going to ultimately have to write a report relative to what happened or didn't happen and lie, acquiesce that misconduct that murder.

The Police Captain should surely be brought in to know what occurred and on up the chain of command. And so I always say Fred that fish rots from the head, they knew that this information was out there and existed and people ask often why do officers engage in this activity when they know they're being filmed?

Because they get tunnel vision, and this is not an uncommon occurrence at the end of a foot pursuit or vehicle pursuit when officers want to punish someone. And we saw that, and we even heard an officer take a victory lap bragging about the kind of pain that was inflicted on Mr. Greene.

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WHITFIELD: So, we are seeing this instance Ronald Greene being beaten, abused, and he dies. What does this exemplify, in your view, in terms of you talk about the demeanor of the officers who were patting each other on the back who were saying, you know, job well done, essentially?

What does this tell you about this kind of pattern of practice, absent of the body cam videos, which have only been around for, you know, under 10 years? DORSEY: It corroborates what everyone has been saying for decades about police and aggressive behavior, brutality, assault under the color of authority, all of that. We did not know any of this stuff was going on pre-Rodney King, right?

That was the first time, and everybody was clutching their pearls like this was an abomination and a one off, but we know that this happens regularly. I know for a fact that officers put hands on folks at the end of a pursuit and we've heard even from the FBI in 2006.

And again in 2015, about the KKK infiltrating these police departments 18,000 across these United States, and some folks come on for the sheer purpose of inflicting harm and danger, murder, to black and brown people.

This is according to the FBI; there are reports of Chiefs on Police Departments who give out dinner cards in Williams County Sheriff's Department in Texas to their officers who abused folks. LA County Sheriff's Alex - in a way but he knows this goes on, they go out and get tattoos and have celebratory barbecues when officers hurt people or kill folks. And so how do you stop this?

WHTIFIELD: And now more than 400 days after a Ronald Greene's death an investigation, several investigations are underway. But do you see now that even evidence of this crime, this killing of Ronald Greene will now lead to perhaps probes of other mysterious deaths in police custody? Do you see this, you know as having long tentacles to reopen other cases?

DORSEY: It certainly should in the case of every officer that was involved in this incident with Mr. Greene, much like the case of George Floyd, you know, those officers that were involved when we see something on national news is generally not the first time and I say every officer who engages in this kind of behavior who's ever arrested a black man?

Now every case they've touched is tainted. Did they lie about those arrests? Did they manufacture probable cause to stop them in the first place? And what about the folks who are no longer here who they've killed?

Because once police officers put hands on us, kill us, there's only one version and that's the one that they tell. And then great deference is given to that. I hope we're about to see an end to that kind of belief in what police officers say wholesale as being truthful and honest.

WHITFIELD: Cheryl Dorsey, always good to see and hear from you. Thank you so much.

DORSEY: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, coming up, he was born to a Leader of Hamas then became an informant for Israeli intelligence, you'll hear from a man who knows what it's like to be born into conflict, and what he says it will take to rebuild Gaza? (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:25:00]

WHITFIELD: The fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is now in its second day and it appears to be holding. There were some early skirmishes when Israeli police clashed with protesters in the first few hours of the ceasefire.

But since then, there have been - there has been relative calm after 11 days of fighting, where at least 250 people have been killed. There was extensive damage throughout Gaza as well. President Biden says the U.S. will help rebuild Gaza, but with conditions.

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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We will do this in full partnership with the Palestinian Authority on Hamas Authority in a manner that does not permit a mosque to simply restock its military arsenal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Joining us right now is Mosab Hassan Yousef, he is the son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a Co-Founder of Hamas, and he later went on to become an informant for Israeli Intelligence. He's also the Author of the book, "Son of Hamas" so good to see you Mosab. So we just heard President Biden there.

MOSAB HASSAN YOUSEF, SON OF HAMAS FOUNDER SHEIKH HASSAN YOUSEF: Hi Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Hello to you, you know, vowing not to help Hamas, working with the Palestinian Authority. Is it even possible to rebuild Gaza without some coordination with Hamas?

HASSAN YOUSEF: First of all, thank you for having me on the show. Before we go to President Biden, and the politics I would like to share something with you something personal.

WHITFIELD: OK.

HASSAN YOUSEF: Well, you're a mother and I know that you have child, children and you have a son.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

HASSAN YOUSEF: And I have traveled the world you know, for the last 10 years. I left the territories. I was a child of the conflict. I didn't know where to go. I was stateless. I was homeless. I was deportee.

[12:30:00]

And I didn't have even a passport to travel with. And I went on a very wild adventure, you know, from religion to a religion, from political party to another political party. I became a movie star for two minutes. I became "New York Times" bestseller author, all that.

But unfortunately, there is one in this -- one person in this world who does not understand any of this and I'm her son. You introduced me as the son of Hamas, or the son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, you know.

But I am not the son only of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, there is a mother in the picture, you know, that nobody talks about. And you as a mother, if somebody takes your child from you, for 10 years, and they don't allow you to see him, how would you feel? How would you feel about that?

I never asked something personal, you know, from media, from public, from anybody. People came with donations, people came with offers with all types of things, and I refused. But today, I would like to ask CNN, because I think CNN can, to help me simply see my mother, please, before we talk about constructing Gaza, before we talk about building the infrastructure, before we talk about the peace process, and the next president, and all that.

WHITFIELD: Sure. Well, Mosab, while I hear that pain and I don't know, from personal experience, what it is that you're feeling, but I do understand what it is you're saying, I certainly cannot make that promise. Not on behalf of CNN. I would like to talk to you about --

YOUSEF: No, no, you don't have to make the promise right now. Fred, you don't have to make the promise right now. I'm not asking you to make it right now. And by the way, I'm not talking from emotional place.

This is like a, there is no other way for me, you know, to explain the damage that happens to children. I escaped that situation. Somehow I was lucky. But many children right now you saw those children in Gaza?

WHITFIELD: Yes. Well, talk to me about --

YOUSEF: Thirty years from now --

WHITFIELD: Talk to me about your thoughts and hopes for those children.

YOUSEF: -- those children are going to be -- are going to be the next generation of terrorists basically because of what they perceive on daily basis of human brutality from everybody, from their parents, from the political parties, from the moolah (ph), from the priest, from the politician from everybody, you know.

WHITFIELD: Do you have any hope then --

YOUSEF: My mother could die.

WHITFIELD: Do you, Mosab, have any hope?

YOUSEF: Fred, this is very important. Please, please, please just listen to me. I've done like thousands of it, over the years, you know, and it did not change anything about the Middle East. I said everything I witnessed. I kept myself apart, you know, to just show the world the reality of the Middle East conflict. And it looks like it didn't work. It didn't work, because the war just ended yesterday. And there will be a war tomorrow.

So please give me this opportunity. Let me steal those couple of minutes. I know that we are running out of time. Let me steal it from you. Let me steal it from CNN, please. I never asked anybody for anything. And I know that I surprised you with this. You know --

WHITFIELD: So if you could --

YOUSEF: -- can CNN launch a campaign just for a son, his mother?

WHITFIELD: -- two minutes if you can give me your thoughts at about 20 seconds. And tell me and express to me how hopeful you are and if in any way you see this two day ceasefire, becoming more than that.

YOUSEF: I want to see my mother. You know, I'm a strong man. I'm a very strong man. I stood in front of the United Nation and I trust the nations. And I stood in front of the crowd. I'm not afraid of nothing. I free dive. I skydive. I do all type of extreme things. But is it too much to ask to see my mother? You know, she doesn't know how to drive. She never left the territory. She's almost 70. She's not going to live for a long time. Can I have a hug one last time and tell her that I'm sorry.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Mosab Hassan Yousef, it certainly is not too much to ask to be with your mother to get that hug, to see her. I do hope that that can be facilitated in some way. But I certainly cannot promise that this network can make it happen. But I do appreciate your time. I'm wishing you the best. Thank you so much.

[12:35:23]

We'll be right back.

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WHITFIELD: The list of Trump's allies ensnared in legal troubles is growing. Federal investigators looking into alleged sex trafficking by Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz have secured his ex-girlfriend's cooperation and federal prosecutors seized 18 electronic devices of Rudy Giuliani's and more than one of his employees when they raided his home and office last month.

Plus, New York, the Attorney General's Office has opened a criminal tax investigation into the Trump organization's longtime CFO Allen Weisselberg. I want to bring in now CNN's Sonia Moghe. Sonia, what else can you tell us about this investigation into the Trump organization?

[12:40:18]

SONIA MOGHE, CNN PRODUCER: Absolutely, Fred. So, you know, Allen Weisselberg who's been a big part of the Trump organization for decades, he's the CFO now. We learned we reported this week, actually, that Mr. Weisselberg is the subject of a criminal investigation by the New York Attorney General's office.

We know that it is dealing with his taxes, and that it's looking at him as an individual. However, we also know that that investigation could expand to include his role as a Trump org official. And we know that prosecutors are looking at him. He's such a key player in so much of how the Trump org runs.

He's been, you know, running the organization effectively while the President was in office. And we know that these prosecutors have been looking at things that he might have answers to, things like personal finances, benefits given to employees, including his son. We've heard a little bit about some of those benefits and some of those perks from Allen Weisselberg's former daughter in law, Jennifer Weisselberg.

Now, Jennifer Weisselberg recently received a subpoena from the Manhattan D.A.'s office requesting documents including materials related to her divorce from Allen Weisselberg's son. It requested things like bank statements, financial records, including records related to a couple of Trump org businesses in Central Park in New York City.

Now, Jennifer Weisselberg has described just the close relationship in how in sync Allen Weisselberg and Donald Trump where. She spoke to CNN's Erin Burnett this week. Here's what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNIFER WEISSELBERG, FORMER DAUGHTER-IN-LAW OF ALLEN WEISSELBERG: Donald Trump and the Trump organization are one in the same. Allen and Donald may look different, but they are not different inside. There's no difference. The power that they've been they were handed.

ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: Will Allen Weisselberg flip on Trump?

WEISSELBERG: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MOGHE: And another big shift that we learned about this week was that the New York Attorney General's office which had not only that criminal probe into Allen Weisselberg, but for months and months now has had that civil probe into the Trump organization. What we learned this week, and we're the first to break this week that that investigation is no longer purely civil, as the Attorney General's office put it.

And you know, shortly after learning that news, the former President put out a statement and he said, quote, there is nothing more corrupt than an investigation that is in desperate search of a crime. But, make no mistake, that is exactly what is happening here.

Now, this news of this investigation no longer being purely civil means that the New York Attorney General's office and the Manhattan D.A.'s office can now collaborate when that investigation was civil, there was a wall between those, you know, civil investigations and criminal. So this could mean that there's more information sharing going on and that these two powerhouse offices can now work together on this investigation.

WHITFIELD: All right, the plot thickens. Sonia Moghe, thank you so much in Washington. Appreciate it.

MOGHE: Thank you.

[12:43:19]

WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up, Prince Harry speaks out in a revealing new interview, what he says is his biggest regret.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Princes Harry and William are blasting the BBC after a bombshell report that the British broadcasting giant lied and conspired to secure that infamous 1995 interview with Princess Diana. The late Princess's family members are drawing a direct link between Martin Bashir's interview and Diana's death.

Prince Harry saying, the ripple effect of a culture of exploitation and unethical practices ultimately took her life. Our mother lost her life because of this and nothing has changed. In a new wide-ranging interview with Oprah, Harry also now admitting that he worried his wife Meghan would suffer a similar fate as his mother and the Duke of Sussex expressing remorse for not speaking out sooner about the racism she faced.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRINCE HARRY, DUKE OF SUSSEX: My biggest regret is not making more of a stance earlier on in my relationship with my wife and calling out the racism when I did. History was repeating it. My mother was chased her death while she was in a relationship with someone that wasn't white. And now look what's happened. You want to talk about history repeating itself, then we're going to stop until she dies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Oh boy. Sally Bedell Smith is a CNN contributor and author of "Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch." Sally, so good to see you. I mean, whoa, that was riveting. I mean, are we all now witnessing a much more confident assured Prince Harry who is speaking out and far less worried about what his words might do or say to the throne?

SALLY BEDELL SMITH, CNN ROYAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, well, I think he is speaking out in a much more forceful way. I want to make one point before I return to that issue, which is a very important one, which is another thing that he said in these wide ranging interviews was that it was Meghan who got him into therapy and that the royal family had been very unset with that, very unhelpful. And I think it's worth noting that he gave an interview four years ago.

[12:50:08]

And he said, and I'll quote, he said, as for me personally, my brother, you know, bless him, he was a huge support to me. He kept saying, this is not right, this is not normal. You need to talk to someone about stuff. It's OK. William, four years ago, urged him to go into therapy. So the idea that they were insensitive to him, I mean, for heaven's sake, Prince Charles was in therapy for 14 years. And he went through union analysis.

I think this is a kind of selective memory, and it's important to understand the context. I have every bit of compassion for Harry and all of the struggles he has been going to. And Meghan may well have introduced him to a therapist who has helped him in getting back to the, you know, rather, you know, incendiary charge about racism. Diana was pursued her whole life from the time the paparazzi first saw her.

WHITFIELD: You mean her whole life when she was introduced to Prince Charles?

SMITH: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

SMITH: Yes. Once she began her relationship with Prince Charles. And the pursuit was unrelenting. And it included a lot of boyfriends that she had along the way. And Dodi was the last one. But it's important to remember Dodi Fayed was the man with whom she died.

And the previous relationship with Hasnat Khan was largely private. And he was a surgeon, he was a hero. I think the reason that everybody was fascinated by Dodi is he was a sort of incorrigible playboy.

Yes, that pursued Diana and Dodi. But in degree it was perhaps greater. But, you know, I think his larger point that the paparazzi pursued her to the day she died, is a very valid one. But I also think that it was, and she may well have endured racism and other ways, particularly from the tabloids. But the fact is that she was, I think, as her brother said, at her -- at the eulogy, she was haunted her entire life and I have no doubt that Harry wants to do everything to prevent his wife from being haunted.

WHITFIELD: Yes, well, Sally Bedell Smith, thank you so much for your expertise. It's just remarkable to hear this real stream of consciousness, you know, coming from Prince Harry --

SMITH: Yes.

WHITFIELD: -- about his experiences and how he really is talking about the connections of, you know, these struggles that he's had for many years and how things are really kind of coming --

SMITH: Yes.

WHITFIELD: -- together for him now and finding a way in which to manage and handle it all and sharing it publicly so that everybody else can learn from it. Sally Bedell Smith --

SMITH: Yes.

WHITFIELD: -- thank you so much. Well, I know we're going to talk again --

SMITH: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: -- at another time. Thank you so much.

[12:53:29]

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: By the end of June, the moratorium on evictions is set to expire and a full blown homeless crisis could follow. Almost 12 million people are reporting they may not be able to make next month's rent. Kenneth Hodder is the national commander for the Salvation Army, so good to see you, Mr. Hodder.

So behind those numbers are people, you know, families, the elderly people still looking for work, families with children, who are you seeing coming in for help?

KENNETH HODDER, NATIONAL COMMANDER, SALVATION ARMY: Fredricka, thank you for the opportunity to be with you today. Right now, we are anticipating what we refer to as pandemic poverty. We think that there's a significant risk that over the next few years, millions more households will fall below the poverty line.

After the great recession of 2008, 2009, the army found that the greatest economic impact took place in 2010, '11, and '12. So we believe that it's important now for us to be ready for the lifting of the moratoriums so that people will not have to make agonizing choices between paying their rent, providing food, or paying their utility bills.

WHITFIELD: So what is being ready? I mean, billions, you know, of dollars in housing vouchers could be on the way but, you know, connect the two for me?

HODDER: Sure. The Salvation Army is always concerned with the person right in front of us. And that's about 30 million people every year. Right now in the midst of a very volatile employment market in terms of economic shifts that are going on, everyone has a role to play, the government at the federal, state, and local level, corporations, nonprofit organizations, and individual Americans.

[12:59:58]

So the army is going to work with all of them. And we hope to bring all of the resources to bear on the problem.