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Uvalde Teacher's Aide Wants Deposition From Firearm Manufacturer; U.S. Gun Debate; Russia's War On Ukraine; U.S. Economy; Tiananmen Square Massacre Anniversary; Queen Elizabeth Ii's Platinum Jubilee. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired June 04, 2022 - 04:00   ET

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

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and welcome to all of you watching here in the United States, Canada and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.

Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, terrifying new details about one of the 9-1-1 calls a student made to police during the school massacre in Uvalde, Texas.

Ukraine marks 100 days of war. We'll look at whether new military hardware for Ukraine can make a difference.

And pomp and pageantry as Queen Elizabeth celebrates 70 years on the throne. We're live with a preview of the upcoming celebrations.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM, with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: The mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, was an unthinkable tragedy, 19 young students and two teachers gunned down. But now we're hearing more chilling details about police failures on that terrible day.

A state senator says the incident commander, police chief Pete Arredondo, did not have a police radio on him at the time of the shooting. We're also getting new information about a desperate 9-1-1 call by a 10-year-old student while the shooter stalked the building. CNN's Ed Lavandera has the latest.

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ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New questions raised in the investigation of the deadly school shooting in Uvalde.

Texas State Senator Roland Gutierrez says School District Police Chief Pete Arredondo didn't have a radio with him at the scene, something that may have hindered his ability to communicate directly with police dispatchers. STATE SEN. ROLAND GUTIERREZ (D-TX): I have been told that this person did not have, this person being the incident commander, did not have radio communication and I don't know as to why.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Gutierrez says he learned the school district chief didn't have a radio from a law enforcement official at DPS. CNN has reached out to Uvalde police and the school district for comment on Gutierrez's statements and to Chief Arredondo to confirm if he had a radio but we have not heard back.

Arredondo is facing serious criticism for making the call to not send officers sooner into the adjoining classrooms where the gunman killed 19 students and two teachers.

GUTIERREZ: I don't think any of us need to be rational people or policemen to understand active shooter protocol says you go in. You go in immediately.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Gutierrez says he wants to know more about what was happening at Robb Elementary School on that day, including what information was relayed to first responders on the campus from the 9-1-1 calls made inside the school.

Like this one from a transcript reviewed by "The New York Times" from 10-year-old student Khloie Torres who survived the massacred.

She says, "There is a lot of bodies -- I don't want to die. My teacher is dead, my teacher is dead, please send help, send help for my teacher. She is shot but still alive."

Torres' call lasted for 17 minutes. According to the transcript, 11 minutes into it, the sound of gunfire could be heard.

The senator says he was told by the Commission on State Emergency Communications that the 9-1-1 calls were replayed to the city's police force. What remains unclear is whether or not that information was given to the school district police chief, Pete Arredondo.

Questions have also been raised over how the gunman got into the school. Initially, investigators said it was through a propped open door.

An attorney for educator Emilia Marin says she was the one who propped open the door while helping a co-worker carry in items but that she did shut the door when she heard her co-workers running and heard people yelling, he's got a gun.

Marin, who ran to a nearby classroom to hide survived but her attorney says, in the days that followed, she was overcome with emotions thinking she may not have closed the door after all.

DON FLANARY, ATTORNEY FOR EMILIA MARIN: It really shocked her. It hurt her. It scared her. It even made her second guess her own memories. And so, the rangers had to tell her, no, we've looked at the video. You didn't do anything wrong and still she was worried.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Authorities testified last week that the door didn't lock after Marin kicked it shut.

LAVANDERA: Preliminary death certificates were released today for 20 of the 21 victims in this shooting. Even though we knew all of them died from gunshot wounds, it really is the first official documentation that details the gruesome nature of this attack.

And in those documents it said the vast majority of these victims had been struck by multiple gunshots -- Ed Lavandera, CNN, Uvalde, Texas.

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BRUNHUBER: The White House illuminated orange for National Gun Violence Awareness Day. President Biden says he's being briefed constantly on congressional negotiations on past gun reform and vowed to do what he can to bring about real progress.

In a rare move, he gave a primetime address to put pressure on Republicans to do something about the epidemic of gun violence in America. The president has proposed a ban on assault weapons or at least raising the age to buy weapons to age 21.

He went on the offensive against gun manufacturers.

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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: To repeal the liability shield that often protects gun manufacturers from being sued for the death and destruction caused by their weapons. They're the only industry in this country that has that kind of immunity.

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BRUNHUBER: One of the victims was Amerie Jo Garza. Attorneys representing her mother sent a letter to Daniel Defense, the maker of the weapon used in the massacre.

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BRUNHUBER: Joining me now is Jessica Levinson, a law professor at Loyola Law School.

Thanks so much for being here with us. We have these folks trying to sue gun manufacturers. On the other hand, there's what the president referred to, the law that protects gun manufacturers from most liabilities. This was something that was passed in 2005. Explain what it does and what effect this has had.

JESSICA LEVINSON, LOYOLA UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL: Well, I think it's had an enormous effect. This is a 2005 law. As you said, it was passed under George W. Bush. And it was passed basically to protect gun manufacturers from civil liability.

And that's because, starting in the late 1990s, people were filing suits against gun manufacturers under the theory that they were actually causing a public nuisance, based on the way that they were manufacturing and selling and allowing to be sold guns. And some of these cases were dismissed but a lot of them settled.

And the gun manufacturers started lobbying very aggressively to say, we need some protection here. Now we have seen some exceptions to this particular law, where we've seen some successful settlements.

But it's really changed the ability of people to try and hold gun manufacturers liable.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, I think the way to win seems very specific, because, as you say, despite that law earlier this year, the families of several victims of the Sandy Hook shooting got a $73 million settlement against Remington.

But that was really the first time that a gun manufacturer was held responsible for a mass shooting in the U.S. like this.

So will that be a precedent or maybe a legal template for others to follow here?

LEVINSON: Yes, and we'll see. So part of this law says that you can be held liable if the gun manufacturer is violating a separate federal law or state law.

And what the victims of Sandy Hook, what their families said, is, in fact, the gun manufacturers violated a Connecticut law, based on how they advertised the guns and what type of use they were for.

And so that was a successful argument there. It was part of an exception built in to the law. We haven't seen other cases really define how broad that exception will be. That's what we're waiting for.

BRUNHUBER: So opponents of these gun control measures, first off, they say it's wrong to target the tools, the guns. And then it's like suing a car company if somebody was killed by a drunk driver.

Do they have any merit?

LEVINSON: I understand that argument. But I will say that, when it comes to gun manufacturers and when it comes to how they are marketing and what they can reasonably foresee will happen, based on how they are marketing, I also think there's a very good argument on the other side, that we're not holding gun manufacturers accountable in all cases when somebody commits a crime.

What we're doing is saying, you're taking very specific actions. You're trying to target guns to certain people. You're advertising in a very specific way.

We can reasonably understand what might happen. And therefore, the argument is, at least, don't bar liability, allow the suits to go forward. It doesn't mean everybody wins. It means they get their day in court.

BRUNHUBER: The House committee is investigating semi-automatic rifles.

Is there anything the government can do on that angle?

Or is it more efficient for the states to take action, like in California where you are, to make it easier for people to go after the manufacturers?

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LEVINSON: Well, I think the answer could be both, except we know there's something called the supremacy clause. No state can violate the federal law. So the more effective tool would be for the federal government to repeal this immunity.

This is the type of thing where you would want some sort of national rule that provides at least a floor. And states can be more restrictive if they want to be. But they don't have to be.

Now, of course, all of this is happening against the backdrop of a Supreme Court that's very conservative and might be leery of anything they view as an undue burden on Second Amendment rights.

BRUNHUBER: That's exactly what I wanted to ask you about, because Democrats are trying to pass a series of gun control bills. And Republicans keep saying that all of these measures that they're trying to take step on the Second Amendment.

And they usually use that as sort of a symbolic shield but that the Supreme Court really offers a much more solid legal shield, right, especially this Supreme Court that's so far to the Right.

LEVINSON: Yes, although I will say we should all read Justice Scalia, who is a conservative icon, we should read that famous decision in Heller, in 2008, where he said there is an individual right to bear arms. It's not just for the militia or the military.

But he said, honestly, that's just step one. Step one is recognizing the right. Step two is when can a right be burdened, because we know all of our rights in certain circumstances can be burdened.

This idea where, well, we can't have any gun restrictions because of the Second Amendment, that's just a political expediency. That's not a legal argument. Justice Scalia talks about some of the reasons why maybe we can restrict gun ownership in that opinion. We should take that as a guide.

BRUNHUBER: So many Americans recognizing we need to do something. So we appreciate you untangling some of the legal barriers. Jessica Levinson, thank you so much.

LEVINSON: Thank you.

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BRUNHUBER: A vigil was held Friday for the four people killed at a medical clinic in Tulsa, Oklahoma. People gathered to remember Dr. Preston Phillips. Also remembered were Dr. Stephanie Husen, receptionist Amanda Glenn and patient William Love.

More than 100 days and counting. We'll have the latest on the fighting in Ukraine when we come back.

Plus the top African leader reaches out to Russia to try to address a food crisis on his continent. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Russia's military has been attacking Ukraine for more than 100 days. Neither side shows any side of giving up. The International Red Cross says the level of destruction defies comprehension.

The most intense fighting is centered on Sievierodonetsk Ukraine claims it has regained control of about half of that city. But Britain's defense ministry predicts the entire Luhansk region will be under Russian control within two weeks.

Moscow continues to press its relentless assault across the Donbas region. Ukraine says Russian troops are amassing for a renewed assault on the key city of Slovyansk. To the south, Ukraine says that its forces have progressed into the Kherson region, reclaiming several kilometers of Russian occupied territory.

Some 12 million Ukrainians have been internally displaced by the fighting, according to President Zelenskyy. But in the capital, there is almost surreal sense of normalcy. We have more from CNN's Matthew Chance.

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MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you are joining me here in the heart of the Ukrainian capital. You could see, 100 days after the start of this war with Russia and life seems to have returned to some degree of normality.

That's right, isn't it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

CHANCE: It has gotten a bit better. Right.

People are here at lunchtime. They are in this lovely cafe. They're ordering their lunches and they're having coffees out on the street, just like it was before February the 24th, when the Russians attacked.

But, of course, behind all of this, you've got to remember the massive price that Ukraine has paid: 20 percent of the country's territory has now been occupied by Russian forces. That's according to the Ukrainian president. There have been countless casualties, deaths. There's no exact figure.

But when you talk about soldiers and civilians on both sides, the estimates run into tens of thousands of people who have been killed, who have lost their lives and then there are millions more who have been uprooted, 12 million internally displaced people as a result of the fighting.

Ukrainian officials that we've spoken to said 5 million people have actually left the country, many of them to Russia. Ukrainian officials accused Russia of forcibly evacuating hundreds of thousands of people from Ukrainian territory into the territory of the Russian Federation.

And despite all this calm here, you can see elsewhere in Ukraine the military situation is very dire indeed. There is fierce fighting taking place in the east of the country in Donbas, where there is a battle still underway for control of the city of Sievierodonetsk, which is now 80 percent under Russian control.

And, of course, there is a counteroffensive underway as well with Ukrainian forces trying to take back territory that has already been conquered by Russian forces into the south of Donbas as well. So a lot of dynamism, a lot of ebb and flow between the two sides still.

And even 100 days after this conflict began there is no sign of it coming to an end, because both sides, both the Russians and Ukrainians, appear to be digging in for very long fight -- back to you.

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BRUNHUBER: For more on this, let's bring in Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst at Australian Strategic Policy Institute. He joins us from Canberra.

Thanks so much for joining us. Let's start with the critical city of Sievierodonetsk. As I was saying earlier, on one hand, the British ministry predict it will fall to Russia in two weeks.

But Ukraine says it's pushing back. Yesterday we reported that they only control about a fifth of the city. Now they say they've gained ground and control about half of it.

How do you see this playing out?

MALCOLM DAVIS, SENIOR ANALYST, AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE: Look, I think the situation is very fluid. Our ability to understand what's playing out is very difficult to figure out.

The fog of war is very clear in that there's going to be battles running back and forth, advances, retreats, counter offenses. This is the nature of the conflict going forward the next few weeks. But I think it's very clear the Russians have started to regroup,

starting to apply what's known as combined armed tactics, which is allowing them to be more effective on the ground.

So the Ukrainians are fighting back furiously but it's quite likely that the Russians will, in fact, take Sievierodonetsk in the next few weeks.

BRUNHUBER: OK, so then if they do take it, can Russia hold it, given the influx now of high-tech Western weapons that might help Ukraine retake it?

DAVIS: I think that is the key question. And it depends largely on how many weapons come in. We've seen a lot of long-range rockets. So really it does depend on the amount of weapons we send the Ukrainians and how effectively they can apply them on the battle space.

If they can bring those bear, also armored fighting vehicles, you start to see the potential for the Ukrainians to push back the Russians. If they can't bring sufficient force to bear, then the Russians can probably hold onto Sievierodonetsk and start to think about pushing forward to Kramatorsk.

BRUNHUBER: I guess helping them in all this is the terrain, right?

When Russia made its pivot to the south and to the east, many of the experts were talking about that shifting to more eastern spaces. That would give Russia a big advantage.

DAVIS: They are starting to combine tactics, more effective when using armored fighting vehicles and tanks supported by airpower and artillery. That is what we are seeing. They're making better use of the terrain, of traditional military doctrine.

And that's why they're starting to make incremental advances in the east; whereas before, they were constantly falling back and being under attack.

BRUNHUBER: Now a few days ago, the British Ministry of Defence claimed Russia has likely suffered devastating losses amid its mid and junior ranking officers in the conflict, just quoting there.

What impact do you think that might have?

DAVIS: This is the flip side to the equation. On the one hand, the Russians are reapplying lessons and tactics and making some progress but on the other hand, the forces are shattered from the earlier failures.

They've lost a lot of key mid- and lower level officer ranks, which is critical for ensuring fighting ability and discipline. And morale is at an all-time low amongst the ranks. If they can't rebuild that command level of their forces, if they can't rebuild their logistical support and get their forces fully supplied again, then morale is never going to pick up. Therefore, it's going to be more difficult for the Russians to hold

territory. So as I said at the beginning, it's really fluid, it's really uncertain.

BRUNHUBER: But those sort of mid-level command troops, how important are they in the Russian military?

Because as I understand it, many of them don't really have that much responsibility or prerogative of initiative.

DAVIS: Well, certainly, compared to Western military approaches, you're correct. But at the level of the individual squads and companies, I think those middle officers do play an important role in ensuring battlefield discipline and ensuring command, control over their forces at lower levels.

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DAVIS: So the loss of those personnel is leaving a critical gap in Russian military mission command and in terms of their ability to undertake operations and, in particular, to try and restore morale.

BRUNHUBER: All right, well, we'll keep watching. Thanks so much for your expertise, Malcolm Davis. Really appreciate it.

DAVIS: My pleasure.

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BRUNHUBER: President Putin is denying that Russia is preventing Ukraine from exporting its wheat. Ukraine has been accusing Moscow of blocking its ports, which put much of its grain exports on hold.

To get an idea of what that means, have a look at this map here. It shows how many countries exactly depend on Russian and Ukrainian grain. In 2020 Russia was the top wheat exporter and Ukraine was number five. Combined, they accounted for 30 percent of the world's wheat sales.

And food shortages are a problem right now in parts of Africa. And the war will obviously make things worse. As David McKenzie reports, a top African leader went directly to Putin to talk food security.

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DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The head of the African Union was in Russia to talk to President Putin in Sochi to discuss food security on the continent.

Several African countries are dependent on Ukraine and Russia for grain, oil and fertilizer to secure their food security.

Now in that meeting, in the readout from the Kremlin and also in statements from the head of the African Commission, they discussed the blockade of grain from Ukraine, with some 22 million tons, according to the Ukrainians, which are being held because of warships and mines outside the port on the Black Sea coast.

That has potentially had a severe impact on countries looking to import that grain in the coming months. There is a much more nuanced viewpoint of this conflict from the African continent. Several countries have in fact backed Russia in certain ways because of their U.N. votes.

This is also a diplomatic win for Vladimir Putin to show that he isn't completely isolated from the international community. But there is a fear in the coming months that, if they are not able to get imports from Ukraine or Russia, this will have an impact on food prices and food availability in the next few weeks and months on the African continent -- David McKenzie, CNN, Johannesburg.

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BRUNHUBER: Another former Trump adviser has been indicted for refusing to cooperate with the January 6th investigation.

Plus help wanted signs aren't going anywhere in the U.S., despite fears of recession in some quarters. We look at how the American economy keeps creating new jobs.

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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber, this is CNN NEWSROOM.

Former Trump advisor Peter Navarro is being charged with criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with the January 6th committee. Navarro says he was arrested at a Washington area airport on Friday.

He faces two contempt counts, one for not producing documents demanded by the House committee and the other for failing to show up for subpoenaed testimony. Navarro claims he was unable to cooperate because former president Donald Trump had asserted executive privilege in the matter.

But the committee argued many of the topics had already been written about in his book.

This as the investigation dealt a major blow regarding two other former Trump White House officials. CNN's Ryan Nobles with the latest for us from the Capitol.

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RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Department of Justice informing the January 6th select committee it will not indict the former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows or his deputy Dan Scavino for criminal contempt of Congress, despite that the two men did not comply with the subpoena request.

This is a blow to the committee as they try to put some weight behind the subpoenas they've handed down. They still have a number of subpoenas outstanding at this point, including five subpoenas for Republican members of Congress, that these Republican members have defied up until this point. And the committee has not said how they plan to enforce.

While that was certainly a blow to the committee to lose out on the Meadows and Scavino subpoenas and criminal contempt referrals, they did have some success in that Peter Navarro, a former White House trade advisor, openly defiant of the subpoena, was indicted by the Department of Justice and will now face criminal prosecution.

And if convicted, he could face up to two years in prison and fines of around $200,000. This all comes at an important time for the committee. They begin their hearings, their big public hearings, Thursday of next week; the first one in prime time, 8:00 pm Eastern.

That's where the committee promises they will reveal much of what they've been working on behind closed doors, essentially lay the groundwork for what will be a month's worth of hearings on a number of topics, different parts of their investigation and what they have learned.

This could be an important part of their public relations strategy as they try to reinvest the American people into what happened here on January 6th and why there needs to be changes and people held accountable. Of course, they're still planning on issuing a final report sometime this fall -- Ryan Nobles, CNN on Capitol Hill.

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BRUNHUBER: The U.S. economy keeps churning out new jobs, despite fears of a recession. Employers added 390,000 jobs in May. That's lower than the previous few months but still more than twice the monthly average from before the pandemic. The unemployment rate remains at 3.6 percent, near record lows.

But inflation is near 40-year highs, raising concerns about a recession. President Biden is striking an optimistic tone, insisting the U.S. is well-positioned to combat rising costs. Here he is.

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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's no denying that high prices particularly around gasoline and food are real problem for people. But there's every reason for the American people to feel confident that we'll meet these challenges.

Because of the enormous progress we made on the economy, the Americans can tackle inflation from a position of strength.

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BIDEN: Still a problem. We can tackle it from a position of strength.

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BRUNHUBER: The U.S. inflation rate is at 8.3 percent, just shy of the 40-year high.

Republican Dave McCormick conceded the Republican Senate primary race to Trump backed candidate and television doctor Mehmet Oz. Their race went into an automatic recount with results due in two weeks.

McCormick says it's now clear he can't catch up. In November, Oz will face Democratic lieutenant governor John Fetterman, who is recovering from a mild stroke.

Millions of people in southern Florida, Cuba and the Bahamas are under tropical storm and flash flood warnings, bracing for a possible tropical storm Alex. It's already slammed Cuba, where one person has been confirmed dead and 50,000 people in Havana are without power.

The system is expected to bring even more heavy rain, flooding and possibly tornadoes.

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BRUNHUBER: Coming up, how police in Hong Kong are trying to stop people from commemorating a massacre more than 30 years later.

Plus, more celebrations are in store for Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee. More after the break. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: It's the anniversary of a tragic, historic event, the Tiananmen Square massacre, 33 years ago. Thousands gathered there to mourn the death of a former leader trying to reform China. China started halting newscasts in Beijing, including CNN.

Then on June 4th, Chinese troops killed hundreds of people in Tiananmen in a bloody crackdown. The number of those killed in the massacre still isn't known.

Hong Kong Police have closed part of Victoria Park hoping to avoid gatherings. Since then, people have gathered in Hong Kong. Pictures show police searching pedestrians on the streets. They will targeting those they say are inciting others to gather. Ivan Watson joins us from Hong Kong.

Things used to be a lot different, obviously, on this anniversary in Hong Kong. And it seems like the suppression is continuing, is that right?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That is true. We're reporting on the absence of something that was a tradition for 30 years in Hong Kong, where you'd have an annual vigil here, a candlelight vigil, honoring the victims, who were massacred in the capital of China in Tiananmen Square on this day 33 years ago.

And the police have called -- they've banned anything that they call an illegal gathering and closed off the park. And there's a tremendous security presence around here.

Just judging by the police vans that are parked around the corner here, it looks like hundreds if not more of police officers ringing the park, carefully watching anybody who comes through.

I've seen somebody have their documents checked, all as an effort to prevent people from gathering. You could face up to five years in jail for illegal assembly and you're also at risk of threatening public health with COVID.

Now in past years, this vigil was banned on public health grounds because of the pandemic. Talking about Tiananmen Square and the massacre and the killings of 1989, that's not illegal right now in Hong Kong.

But we have seen a real pattern of attempting to erase and remove monuments and even a museum marking what happened on June 4th, in Beijing, 1989. There used to be a museum in Hong Kong. That's been closed.

There were monuments on the campuses of two universities, those have been taken down over the course of the past year.

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WATSON: And this is in parallel with opposition politicians being rounded up, put in jail and the freedom of assembly, which is enshrined in Hong Kong's basic law. We haven't seen a permitted protest or demonstration in years in this city as part of what has been a real crackdown.

Now the authorities insist there are still freedoms here. But as you can see, there is also real concern about anybody trying to gather and show any kind of political sign. There are people committed to remembering and not erasing the history of 1989.

On Mainland China, it is heavily, heavily censored. There's no reference whatsoever allowed to June 4 and Tiananmen Square. It was allowed here in Hong Kong --

Look out, careful.

-- up until about three years ago. So the commemorations and remembering those who died on that dark day, that is likely to have to take place in other cities and countries around the world, including in Taiwan. Back to you. BRUNHUBER: Really interesting to see all that through your eyes

there, Ivan. Really appreciate that, Ivan Watson.

At least four people are dead after a train derailed in southern Germany on Friday. Some 13 passengers were hurt, more than a dozen with serious injuries. It happened near a resort town near the Bavarian Alps. An investigation is underway now.

The country's transport minister says a, quote, "technical fault" might have caused the derailment.

North Korea has accepted an offer of COVID vaccines from China. North Korea hasn't been known to accept imported vaccines, even though it's eligible through COVAX. In fact, COVAX scaled back North Korea's allotment in February because the country failed to arrange any shipments.

North Korea has also failed to respond to vaccine offers from the U.S. and South Korea. Kim Jong-un said earlier this week that conditions there are improving, a claim disputed by the WHO.

Still to come, the U.K. gives thanks to its queen. They show their appreciation for Britain's longest-reigning monarch. More on her Platinum Jubilee, stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: "Keep calm and carry on."

And that's exactly what the U.K. is doing amid the queen's Platinum Jubilee, despite Her Majesty's absence. On Friday, hundreds gathered in St. Paul's Cathedral to give their thanks to Britain's longest reigning monarch and her 70 years in service.

Meghan and Harry were there but were met with a mixed reaction. some cheering there but you can hear some boos. It was their first appearance together at a royal event in two years.

And there are much more Platinum Jubilee festivities to come this weekend. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will visit Cardiff Castle in Wales. Later is the Derby at Epsom Downs. But Buckingham Palace says the queen will be unable to attend that event as well.

The Derby will be followed by the Platinum Party at the Palace concert, featuring an all-star line-up from the worlds of music and dance. Anna Stewart is live in London.

And a real shame that the queen's going to miss the Derby. I understand she really enjoys that event. ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: She absolutely loves horse racing

and will be particularly disappointed to miss this event. It's really no surprise. We always warned going into this jubilee that Her Majesty suffers from episodic mobility issues. And we're told this is likely the case the coming days.

She will be watching the Derby from the television at Windsor Castle according to the palace. They're planning to celebrate Her Majesty's contributions anyway. So there's going to be some sort of guard of honor for her. I imagine something like that will still happen.

You mention that it is a busy day for the other members of the royal family dashing across the U.K., visiting all four nations, Princess Anne in Scotland yesterday. Today Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge go to Wales and Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex are going to Northern Ireland.

Behind me, you can see the stage is already set up for the Platinum Party at the Palace concert and rehearsals will soon be underway. Lots of star guests, Craig David, Elbow, George Ezra. Even Brian May from Queen will be performing.

BRUNHUBER: Obviously, a lot of the focus is on the eldest royal. But a lot of attention as well from the public and curiosity, I must say, is about the youngest ones as well.

STEWART: The youngest, the very youngest ones have drawn a lot of attention. Of course Prince Louis on the balcony here, with many, many faces on day one.

Also Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge and Harry and Meghan. It was a big moment for the U.K., the first time Meghan's been in the U.K. since the very high-profile departure. A lot is being made in the newspapers about, was there a lot of distance between the Cambridges and the Sussexes.

Nothing gets left up to chance with the royal family.

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STEWART: And Prince Harry and Meghan arrived just moments before Prince William and Kate. They are still very much a part of the royal family. So family events are quite high up the running order, which I think is interesting. And tonight we may see them all at the party taking place here.

BRUNHUBER: Interesting to see how everyone's parsing and tea leaf- reading every placement and movement that they're seeing there. Thanks so much, we'll catch up with you throughout the day, Anna Stewart, appreciate it.

That wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. We want to look back at some of the highlights of the Platinum Jubilee.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're excited about the jubilee.

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BIDEN: Your Majesty, congratulations on your Platinum Jubilee.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To salute Her Majesty for her service but also the atmosphere brings the nation together, doesn't it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We love the queen.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's once in a lifetime.

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