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Elizabeth II's Coffin Now At Royal Family's Official Scottish Home; White House Will Not Travel With A Delegation To Funeral; Biden, First Lady VP Harris Honor Victims Of 9/11 Attacks; Elected Officials, Police Chiefs On Leaked Oath Keepers List; Personal Chef Recalls Cooking For The Queen; Several States Push For New Laws On Abortion. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired September 11, 2022 - 18:00   ET

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


[18:00:38]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The show respect to a woman who has been an inspiration to me all my life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lovely lady. You know, a great queen.

ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Giving Scots an opportunity to pay their respects and show really their affection and their deep love for a monarch.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: For all of those who have lost someone, 21 years is both a lifetime and no time at all. It's good to remember. These memories help us heal.

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ukrainian forces have been able to take control of some villages here in the Kharkiv region.

SEN. MARK WARNER, (D-VA): The Ukrainians are demonstrating their will to fight, and candidly, the Russians' inability and lack of supplies to their troops is playing out as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: I'm Pamela Brown in Washington. You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

The first leg of a final journey. Queen Elizabeth II has arrived in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh.

A smattering of applause and show of love as the Queen's flag-draped coffin passed through the city's Royal Mile. For 500 years, this has been a processional route for kings and queens. And today it was part of the six-hour funeral procession from Balmoral Estate, where the Queen died Thursday.

Across the countryside, through villages and cities, crowds of mourners lined the streets to pay their respects. These scenes will be repeated as the Queen's casket travels back to London for the funeral at Westminster Abbey a week from tomorrow.

And here is one of the many poignant momentums of this day. Princess Anne, the Queen's daughter, drops a curtsy, as you see, to her mother as she enters the royal family's official Scottish residence, the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Tonight she lies and rest there.

CNN's Nic Robertson is in Edinburgh for us, and Nick, it is 11:00 p.m. there. It has been quite an emotional day, hasn't it?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Oh, it has. You know, as the Queen's coffin and quartet wound its way, those six hours, 175 miles from Balmoral, the crowds began to gather all around here in the center of Edinburgh. And why? Because people believed that the Queen had selflessly given herself to their service through her life and that they wanted to return something, pay their respects.

They came here young and old, and they all had that similar passion to pay respects. This is what some of the people told us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wonderful, just wonderful. Because I've grown up and it's just wonderful to be here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My mom and I, we've not would not be here. She is 88, and she is in quite poor health, and she felt it really important, despite not being very well to make today's presence.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think King Charles will do an unbelievable job. And he'll do just as good as the Queen, hopefully.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I don't think he did. I think the Queen is always going to be best.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: And there you go. That's the next generation taking their view on it all, of course. There is such a passion here, even among the young for the Queen and what she's done. And of course this is a period of transition now for King Charles, and he'll be coming here to Edinburgh tomorrow to have a service, a prayer service, and a vigil at his mother's side in the church.

[18:05:06]

BROWN: And Nic, as we look ahead, walk us through the next series of events beginning tomorrow.

ROBERTSON: It's a big week. King Charles has some meetings in London tomorrow morning. He and the Queen consort will come here to Edinburgh. They'll go in a procession from where the Queen is resting now in the Palace of Hollyroodhouse to St. Giles' Cathedral. They will be joined by other royals and they will have a press service there. And then King Charles will go and meet with Scottish parliamentarians.

The Prime Minister Liz Truss will be here as well in those meetings and at that prayer service. But this is going to be replicated across the other parts of the United Kingdom. Because on Tuesday, the king is going to Belfast in Northern Ireland. He'll have a similar set of political meetings, a similar service in a cathedral there. In Wales later in the week, and of course then the Queen in the middle of the week being taken to London and will lay in state.

And the Westminster Hall, one of the oldest of the buildings within Westminster Abbey where people from across the country will be able to come and pay their final last respects -- Pam.

BROWN: Truly a sendoff fit for a queen.

Nic Robertson, thank you so much.

And let's continue this conversation. Joining us now is Sally Bedell Smith, CNN contributor and author of "Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch."

So it's just incredible to see the outpouring of support and love for the late Queen. Does it surprise you at all?

SALLY BEDELL SMITH, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: No. And I think it's going to get bigger and bigger and bigger. And in the millions by the time we see the funeral on Monday, and because she was so beloved, she was so admired, she held the standard for everybody else. She was the consoler in chief. She -- you know, she was -- she was the person everybody would turn to in times of trouble.

Most recently we saw what she did during the pandemic, during the lockdowns. And that was just one of many, many times over the course of her reign when she stepped in like that. But she also held a standard of behavior and stood for values, timeless values that everybody really should aspire to. And she not only espoused them, she walked the walk.

BROWN: Never wavered, even though parts of her life were very tumultuous. I want to look at this video, this poignant moment from today when her daughter, Princess Anne, dropped a curtsy as her mom's casket was going by. It gave me chills.

SMITH: It gave me chills right now. They were very close. And Princess Anne was with her a lot this summer. The day before she died she was elsewhere in Scotland, and she rushed to Balmoral as fast as she could when she heard the news that her mother was failing. And thankfully, Prince Charles and Princess Anne were with her mother when she died. And they were her two eldest, obviously her heir.

And I think it's only fitting that her only daughter be with her. She took the journey from Balmoral to Edinburgh. And, you know, it's just sort of where she should be. But that is the curtsy is the ultimate mark of respect to a monarch who happens to be a mother.

BROWN: Right.

SMITH: And -- but it was just incredibly poignant to see that.

BROWN: A daughter's love for her mother. It is just so profound.

SMITH: Yes.

BROWN: And it was a truly beautiful moment. You know, as we look at all the events planned around the funeral procession and everything leading up to that, it reminds me of a little bit of what Queen Elizabeth said. She would say we have to be visible. We have to be out there. People have to see us. And that is exactly the case here with her sendoff.

SMITH: Yes, it is. In all state funerals in the U.K. are big events. I mean, what we're going to see on Monday hasn't been seen since 1952, since the funeral for her father, King George VI. And it was a massive display of just platoon after platoon of armies and bands and carriages and delegations from all over the world. And that hasn't been seen in 70 years. And I think it's going to be staggering in scope and fitting as a tribute.

[18:10:01]

BROWN: Yes. President Biden was at the Pentagon today for a ceremony marking the 21st anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and he mentioned the Queen and the message that she sent on that horrible day. Let's listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: I remember a message sent to the American people from Queen Elizabeth. It was on September 11th. Her ambassador read a prayer of services at St. Thomas Church in New York where she poignantly reminded us, quote, "Grief is the price we pay for love." "Grief is the price we pay for love."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Very moving.

SMITH: Very moving, and very much Queen Elizabeth II. It's actually those words are inscribed in a memorial in the middle of Governor Square right opposite where the American embassy used to be, that it's something that we will probably always remember coming from her. And it's really true.

BROWN: Yes, it certainly is. Sally Bedell Smith, always good to have you on. Thank you for providing your invaluable insight into this historic time.

SMITH: Thank you. You're welcome.

BROWN: President Biden says he will be attending the queen's funeral. And tonight we're getting some more details on the plan starting to take shape.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: I don't know what the details are yet, but I will be going. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: CNN's Joe Johns joins us now from the White House.

So Joe, what are we learning?

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Pamela, that was on Friday. And we knew the president was expecting to go to the funeral. He said as much. We knew also that the president essentially accepted an invitation, the White House did. And all of that has already gone past. What we did not know was whether there would be a U.S. delegation, an official U.S. delegation, a traveling party going with the president over to the funeral.

You know, it's not uncommon with state funerals of this type and size for there to be a whole delegation, including top dignitaries from the United States, including some former presidents. Well, now we know from the reporting of CNN's Jake Tapper that there will not be an official U.S. delegation traveling over to the funeral.

We are told through Jake's reporting that Buckingham Palace extended an invitation to the White House to the first couple and the first couple alone. So only Joe Biden, the president, his wife, the first lady, Jill Biden will be attending. No official delegation.

Back to you, Pamela.

BROWN: All right. Joe Johns, live for us from the White House. Thanks, Joe.

Well, it's been a popular question. Who will take care of Queen Elizabeth's dogs? Tonight we have that answer.

Plus, more and more military and police officers are joining a domestic extremist group. We're going tell you about that, coming up.

But first, she lost her husband in the 9/11 attacks. And on this anniversary, Terry Strada has a message for President Biden. And she joins us next.

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[18:17:33]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: I hope we'll remember that amidst these dark days, we dug deep. We cared for each other, and we came together. You know, we regain the light by reaching out to one another and finding something all too rare, a true sense of national unity. To me, that's the greatest lesson of September 11.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Today marks 21 years since the 9/11 attacks. And as you just heard there, President Biden stressed the need for unity in today's speech at the Pentagon. And he also touted successful attacks on al Qaeda leaders on his watch, and promised to disrupt terrorist activities, quote, "wherever they exist."

Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris was in New York for today's solemn commemoration at the 9/11 -- the national memorial there featuring the annual reading of the victims' names at Ground Zero. And in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, First Lady Jill Biden honored the 40 passengers and crewmembers who lost their lives on United Flight 93.

Nearly 3,000 people died in the 9/11 attacks. Hijacked airliners crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Terry Strada joins us now. She is national chair of 9/11 Families United, a coalition of survivors and families of the victims of the September 11th attacks. Terry lost her husband Tom on 9/11. He was working in the World Trade Center's north tower.

Terry, nice to see you again. It has been 21 years since you lost your husband, since he made that frantic call to you and then you found out within hours he had died. And it's been 21 years since your kids lost their father. Does the date September 11th ever get any easier for you?

TERRY STRADA, NATIONAL CHAIR, 9/11 FAMILIES UNITED: No, Pamela, it does not. We miss him deeply on this day. We miss him every day. But to stop and remember all of the loved ones, all of our friends that I lost also, it's a painful day. It's a painful reminder of all that we've lost. And we also have so many unresolved issues with 9/11 that the families are really continue to suffer, and we'd like to be able to close some of these chapters.

[18:20:00]

BROWN: And I want to talk a little bit more about those issues in just a second. But first I want to talk about what happened today during this morning's readings of the names of those killed in the 9/11 attacks and in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Andrew Colabella, a cousin of 1993 attack victim John DiGiovanni made an impassioned call for unity during these polarizing times. I want to listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW COLABELLA, COUSIN KILLED IN 1993 WORLD TRADE CENTER ATTACK: It took a tragedy to unite our country. Back then, no one cared if you were Republican, Democrat, age, gender, race, ethnicity, we were united. It took a tragedy to unite us. And I want to remind all of you there, it should not take another tragedy to unite our nation because if I have to stand at this podium again or another podium for another event because of lives lost because of dereliction of duty, it's going hurt, just like it hurts me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Terry, what is your reaction to what you just heard there? STRADA: Well, I agree with him. I mean, the country was unified in

such a beautiful way post-9/11. And I do wish that we could get back to that again. And that's going to take strong leadership from our leaders of our country to do that. And I look forward to hoping we can get back to that again someday.

BROWN: And you had mentioned earlier just about the issues that you were still fighting for, you and your organization have been demanding justice for the murder of your husband, all those killed and injured on September 11th. And in an opinion piece that was published on your Web site, it's titled "President Biden, It's Time to Hold Saudi Arabia Accountable for 9/11." You write in it, "Exposing the kingdom's part in murdering my husband and thousands of others is an essential truth regarding September 11th and holding the supporters accountable remains a moral imperative."

We should note you do praise President Biden for declassifying U.S. intel reports. But what does holding Saudi Arabia accountable look like to you?

STRADA: Well, it looks like the president working with the 9/11 Families and having the kingdom take responsibility for murdering nearly 3,000 people on American soil. They have been denying this truth for 21 years, and we are very grateful that President Biden released all of these documents that now show such a strong connection. There is no more denying that the kingdom was involved in murdering our loved ones, and they do need to pay a restitution to some of these -- to all of the family members.

But these poor children that lost their parents in such a brutal way, I have witnessed firsthand how horrible a terrorist attack is for children and the pain and suffering. And we all have this open wound as long as the kingdom goes around unpunished for their crimes against humanity on that day. And I am a patriot. I love this country, and I don't believe we will ever be safe if we don't hold them accountable and punish them in a way that is right and that we set the record straight and we get the history right about what happened. And then hopefully this chapter will close for us.

BROWN: You mentioned just how hard it is on children. You have children. And in fact, you have a baby just before the September 11th attacks happened. And with that in mind, I want to go to a discussion about, you know, young people in this country, right. Voters who were not born perhaps when the towers came crashing down or were just born right before that. How do you keep them engaged and pushing for accountability?

STRADA: Well, through our Web site, you know, through our activism, we do try to get the children that are now adults to join us in this fight. And there has been a couple of really great ones come on board. And they advocate passionately to the media and to the White House. You know, we're always pleading to work with us, to come, you know, stick with us and do this. And it's the younger children that will carry on the torch beyond what I can do after we hopefully get all of this accountability. We're going to need I think set a national curriculum and teach 9/11 in a respectful, honest way. And we can't hide the facts. We can't hide that the kingdom of Saudi

Arabia really played such a vital role in sending their agents over here. It was their network that they set up to support the hijackers. You know, this support of extremism, that they were unleashed on the world. It really all needs to be taught correctly in our history books so that we can ensure that it never happens again.

BROWN: Terry Strada, thank you so much for your time. And I'm so sorry for all the grief that you and your family have had to go through now these 21 years. We will be right back.

STRADA: Thank you. Thank you so much.

BROWN: And as we go to a break, a look at one of many emotional moments from this morning's 9/11 remembrance in New York.

(VIDEO OF 9/11 EVENT IN NEW YORK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Well, tonight we're learning stunning new details on how a far- right extremist group is attracting people in public service across this country. You may remember the Oath Keepers from their role in the Capitol riot. Well, the Anti-Defamation League reviewed more than 38,000 names on a leaked membership list and found it contains hundreds of U.S. law enforcement officers, elected official, and members of the U.S. military.

[18:30:12]

Take a look here at this map. You have California, Texas, Florida, they are all among the states with the most total signups within those professions. Texas, for example, well, Texas had 33 members of law enforcement. Ten military personnel and eight elected officials sign up according to the ADL.

CNN's Josh Campbell has more on these disturbing statistics.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN SEGAL, VICE PRESIDENT, CENTER ON EXTREMISM: They are specifically targeting law enforcement and military to be part of their organization.

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Police chiefs, county sheriffs, military service members and others reaching out to a noted extremist group. This according to a new report by the Anti-Defamation League.

SEGAL: What we found in our investigation was 373 individuals who are currently serving in law enforcement that we believe signed up for oath keeper membership.

CAMPBELL: The ADL says that number could be higher. It pored through more than 38,000 leaked names published by a nonprofit whistleblower site in 2021, listing the alleged membership roles of the far-right anti-government group.

SEGAL: What it is is a snapshot of the ability of the Oath Keepers and their agenda to attract people in positions of power to express interest in their movement.

CAMPBELL: Members of some groups, including the Oath Keepers, have been accused of plotting to block the transfer of power in 2021, stockpiling weapons near Washington, and storming the Capitol on January 6th. The Oath Keepers' leader Stewart Rhodes and 10 others have been criminally charged. Rhodes and the others have pleaded not guilty. His trial begins later this month.

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: There's two universes here of Oath Keeper members. There is the world before January 6th, where people could have found their way to the Web site, heard about it through a friend, thought, well, this is good. They're keeping their oath to the country. Then there is the world after January 6th, where you realized this is a group that actively, among multiple chapters, engaged in seditious conspiracy.

CAMPBELL: And the concern goes far beyond the Oath Keepers to include a range of other domestic extremist groups like the Proud Boys, the so-called Three Percenters and others. National security experts have been raising alarms over the number of police officers accused of taking part in the Capitol siege, and at least 95 January 6th defendants who served in the U.S. military according to a CNN review.

CARRIE CORDERO, CENTER FOR A NEW AMERICAN SECURITY: We want individuals who are charged with protecting public safety, who have taken an oath to uphold the law to obviously not be affiliated in any way with organizations whose mission is to go against law enforcement.

CAMPBELL: Carrie Cordero of the Center for a New American Security is helping spearhead an in-depth study on countering extremism, including why extremists have sought out military and police veterans.

CORDERO: They have tactical skills. They have skills with weapons. They understand and are trained in how to conduct an actual assault.

CAMPBELL: The ADL's review of alleged Oath Keeper members found one purported military member wrote, "I currently coordinate ground movements. I have influence on nearly 46,000 Marines and sailors. A California police officer wrote he had a wide variety of law enforcement experience including undercover operation, surveillance, and s.w.a.t.

Since January 6th, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has intensified efforts to rule out radicalization in the military and some police departments have expelled officers with ties to extremism including a former Virginia cop who was fired after being sentenced to over seven years in prison for breaching the Capitol on January 6th.

MILLER: What you want to do is vet people in the recruiting process. What does their social media show? Some of this is just about the basics. Most police departments have rules about what kind organization you can join. No, you can't be a member of the Ku Klux Klan. No, you can't be a member of an organization that supports the overflow throe of the U.S. government.

CAMPBELL: While the number people at the ADL found to be associated with the Oath Keepers is small compared to the actual number of police and defense professionals nationwide, even a small group can be dangerous can be dangerous.

MILLER: You can't have people who go to work one day at one place with an oath to defend the Constitution in the United States, and then the next day as part of an outside group are trying to overthrow the same.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMPBELL: Now, Pamela, it's important to note the ADL says there are some limitations to their findings. For example, it's impossible to tell whether people who allegedly joined the oath keepers prior to 2021 continue to be members to do this day. But ADL analysts and other national security expert say this data about military and law enforcement officials provides an important snapshot into the types of individuals these extremist groups are trying to recruit, and why it's so important for military and law enforcement personnel to know that they are being argued the -- Pamela.

[18:35:00]

BROWN: All right. Our thanks to Josh Campbell.

And you're in the CNN NEWSROOM on this Sunday night. We know who will care for the late Queen's beloved corgis. I know a lot of us have been asking that, myself included. Plus insight on what it's like to cook for Her Majesty from a man who once served as one of her personal chefs. Can you imagine the pressure he felt, up next.

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BROWN: Well, there are a lot of high pressure jobs in the world, but I have to imagine that being a royal chef nears the top of that list. My next guest knows firsthand about the job because he served as personal chef to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip for more than a decade before moving to Kensington Palace to cook for Princess Diana and her young sons.

Darren McGrady joins us now.

So wonderful to have you on. And before we get into what that experience was like for you, I first have to ask, Darren, how are you coping with the loss of a queen we all felt like we knew, but you actually did know?

[18:40:15]

DARREN MCGRADY, FORMER CHIEF OF QUEEN ELIZABETH II AND PRINCESS DIANA: Yes, you know, I spent 11 years doing breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner for the Queen. And when, you know, we heard the news, you get that feeling in your stomach as if you've lost a loved one. And, you know, to me, she was the grandmother, she was the grandmother of the nation, grandmother of the commonwealth, and loved around the world. An incredible lady. And, you know, I got the opportunity to cook for her and to travel around the world with her. She was a special lady.

BROWN: You know, people might wonder how do you become a royal chef. And as I was digging into your story, I learned that you simply wrote a letter saying you wanted to be the Queen's chef. You sent that letter to Buckingham Palace. Soon after you got the job. I mean, what? Tell us more about how that happened.

MCGRADY: I was sleeping on the Mall, watching the royal wedding with my family, Prince Charles at the time, Lady Diana Spencer, and I thought I want to be a royal chef working in the royal kitchen. So when I got home, I wrote a letter to the Queen, never thinking, you know, I would hear anything back. Not long after, I had an interview at the palace. And then there I was working in the kitchen. It was incredible. It was everything I expected it to be.

One thing I didn't expect was that I'd actually be peeling carrots for the Queen's horse. And chopping dog food for the royal corgis, at the time (INAUDIBLE) 12 corgis. And every day we'd have to follow the menu, rabbit, chicken, beef, liver, because they were the most important things. Far more pressure than doing a state banquet, actually.

BROWN: Really? You know, I have to say I'm not surprised. I bet the Queen was more focused on food for her animals because she loved her animals so much more than food for herself. Like she just seems like, you know, because I've been reading that you said she really -- she ate to live, not live to eat. I mean, she wasn't a big foodie, right?

MCGRADY: That's right. She wasn't a big foodie. You know, it was difficult to get new dishes on the menu. She liked the same old favorites. If we had to send up a new dish or a new idea we needed to send the recipe, too. And in my YouTube video, I share a story of doing a strawberry dish that I made for the Queen. I forgot to send out the recipe. And there was a note came back in the book saying what or who are the veiled farmer's daughters? I sent the recipe straight back up with the footman that was a big mistake.

BROWN: Very quickly, were there ever any like other menu no-no's, like times where she crossed something out because you put something on the menu she didn't like?

MCGRADY: No. You know, when you start cooking for the Queen, you get to know very quickly what she likes and what she doesn't like. So you know if you're doing a roast beef tenderloin or something, the Queen always has the end piece. She liked it well done. She liked her beef well done. If you're cooking, you don't use garlic, and lots of things like that.

And then of course, you know, using indigenous produce, produce that's always in season, especially from her estate, whether it's soft berries from the gardens of Balmoral or venison and partridge, pheasant, you know, all the sort of game as well, she loved to have on the menu. But we rarely saw her in the kitchen. She didn't come very often. But

I remember one time at Sandringham, she came into the kitchen. And I was making crepes. And I had six pans on the stove. And I was flipping them over with a spatula. And the Queen came over and she stood watching me. Didn't say anything. And then suddenly she said, isn't that cheating? And I said I'm sorry, your majesty?

She said, shouldn't you be flipping them? I thought oh my goodness, royal command performance here. So I did one after the other, all six. And she just blast, bravo, and then laughed and walked away. Real pressure.

BROWN: That is like pressure I could not even imagine what that would be like. But it sounds like you excelled with flying colors and made the Queen very happy.

Well, it's so nice to hear some of these lovely memories you had cooking for Queen over these years. Darren McGrady, thank you for coming on to share these memories with us.

We'll be right back.

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[18:49:21]

BROWN: Well, the battle over abortion is headed to the ballot box. Several states this November will let voters decide how to handle the abortion issue. And that's after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade.

The battle over abortion has also heated up state legislatures with some surprising opposition. Caroline Kitchener, a national politics reporter at "The Washington Post," joins us now.

So, Caroline, I know you have been traveling the country covering the abortion issue. I want to start in South Carolina. Republicans in the state Senate failed to pass a near total abortion ban. Why did a bill like this fail in such a deeply red state?

CAROLINE KITCHENER, NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER, WASHINGTON POST: Well, what we saw last week in South Carolina was gridlock.

[18:50:03]

I think it was really widely expected that they were going to pass a near total abortion ban without any exceptions for rape and incest when they got started, but, you know, two months after this decision we are in a very different place. We've had the campus amendment. We've had special elections where voters have come out and shown that they really care about protecting abortion rights.

And I think state legislators even in a place like South Carolina are a little bit more nervous than they might once have been about passing legislation that many view as extreme. BROWN: Yes, I was talking to a Republican member of Congress this past

week who expressed that concern about how the abortion issue could backfire on Republicans, a concern that states would go too far, and you know, when you look at South Carolina you have to wonder, is this a bellwether for other red states to do the same to not pass near total abortion bans?

The Senate debate lasted two days. It was intense at times. Here is State Senator Sandy Senn of Charleston, one of two Republicans who opposed the final measure. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDY SENN (R), SOUTH CAROLINA STATE SENATE: What I heard coming from the mouths of the majority of the men in the medical affairs committee just sickened me because what I heard was, this is how my brain works anyway, that you little ladies in South Carolina need to listen to us. We can take care of everything for y'all, little ladies. And I also heard that little ladies have no place in politics.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: She is a Republican, conservative Republican rep Josiah Magnuson who backed the bill told CNN that it is, quote, "embarrassing" that the Senate failed to pass an abortion ban as most of these Republicans he said ran on strong pro-life platforms.

So, Caroline, do you think the Republican lawmakers who opposed the bill like Senator Senn could lose their jobs?

KITCHENER: I mean, we're going to see. We're going to see in November what happens. I am hearing the same thing from state legislators, from members of Congress. Everybody just wants to wait and see what happens in the midterms because they know that this issue is going to be huge. And it is a situation we've never seen before. Legislators have been able to say before that they were pro-life, but there was a very, you know, tough limit on what they could do because of Roe v. Wade. So now, you know, it's very much wait and see.

BROWN: And it's also very clear, now some of the complexities. What's happening, these stories of women who are facing a life-threatening pregnancy or having to flee their state, go to another state. You know, I mean, all these stories are emerging now and it really puts into clear view the complexities of what some of these states are trying to do with abortion bans.

Caroline Kitchener, thank you so much for sharing your reporting and coming on the show. We appreciate it.

KITCHENER: Thank you.

BROWN: And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM. World leaders including President Biden are preparing to travel to London for Queen Elizabeth's funeral. A former communications secretary to the Queen joins us with his unique perspective on her remarkable reign, up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:58:00]

BROWN: The Primetime Emmys will air tomorrow night and "Succession," HBO's dark comedy drama about the TV's most dysfunctional family is looking to clean up with 25 nominations.

CNN's Stephanie Elam has a look at the shows that could win big.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN COX, ACTOR, HBO'S "SUCCESSION": There's blood in the water. Sharks are coming.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From the ruthless to the hopeful.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know this school is rough, but we make it.

ELAM: The Emmys are here ready to celebrate the best of the small screen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All will be revealed.

ELAM: HBO and HBO Max lead the way with a whopping 140 nominations. Media empire drama "Succession" snagging 25 of those noms and acting nods for essentially the entire cast. HBO, like CNN, is part of Warner Brothers Discovery.

MICHAEL SCHNEIDER, TV EDITOR, VARIETY: "Succession" is a show that is beloved in this industry partly because it parodies this industry so well.

ELAM: Well, it may be the show to beat, don't count out newcomer "Yellow Jackets" or Netflix thrillers "Stranger Things" and "Squid Game."

SCHNEIDER: There's a good chance that "Squid Game" can kind of sneak in and be the first non-English language show to ever win Best Drama. Keep an eye on some of the actors from that show as well.

ELAM: Like Korean actress Jung Ho-yeon, who won a SAG Award for her portrayal in the survival drama.

JUNG HO-YEON, ACTOR: It is such an honor.

ELAM: Looking to score again in the comedy category is Ted Lasso. Last year's big winner is up for 20 awards, including Best Lead Actor for Jason Sudeikis who is also looking to repeat.

BILL HADER, ACTOR, HBO'S "BARRY": I need purpose.

ELAM: Hoping to stop Ted Lasso is HBO's "Barry." And "Abbott Elementary." The surprise ABC hit has seven noms including Best Comedy and Lead Actress for the show's creator Quinta Brunson.

(On-camera): It seems to have like put a bit of life back into just regular network TV.

SCHNEIDER: Because it is a rare broadcast hit in this day and age where everyone is talking about streaming and premium cable. "Abbott Elementary" is the perfect example of that. A breakout hit.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What the hell is this?

ELAM (voice-over): But the category to watch, some critics say, is limited series, with "Pam and Tommy," "Dope Sick," "Inventing Anna," "The Dropout" and "The White Lotus," all with multiple nominations.

MURRAY BARTLETT, ACTOR: Welcome to the White Lotus.