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Queen's Coffin to be Flown to London in Coming Hours; Queen Now Lying at Rest in Scottish Cathedral; Ukrainian Troops Greeted as Heroes as Russians Retreat; Ukrainians Press Attack, Move Deeper into Donetsk Region; House Panel Weighing Invitations for Trump, Pence; Trump Aids Subpoenaed by DOJ in January 6 Probe. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired September 13, 2022 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and around the world. Live from Buckingham Palace, I'm Becky Anderson and I'll be covering all the very latest developments as the world continues to mourn Queen Elizabeth II.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: And live from CNN Headquarters here in Atlanta, I'm Rosemary Church. I'll have details on all of our other top stories including Ukraine's big gains against Russian soldiers on the battlefield.

ANDERSON: Well, it's Tuesday, September 13th. It is 9 a.m. here in London where in just a matter of hours the late Queen Elizabeth II will make her final trip back here to Buckingham Palace after being honored in what was an emotional farewell in Scotland.

In London the Queen's coffin will remain at Buckingham Palace behind me here before it is moved to Westminster Hall on Wednesday and there she will lie in state until her funeral next Monday. Well, ahead of that, preparations have been underway overnight. Soldiers here seen rehearsing for the Queen's funeral procession.

CNN Correspondents are fanned out across the U.K. covering the developments for you. Isa Soares standing by outside St. Charles Cathedral in Edinburg. And Nina dos Santos joins me here outside Buckingham Palace. To both of you, thank you very much, indeed, for joining us. Let me start with you, Isa. And it has been certainly a long day in Scotland yesterday and a long evening as people queued to pay their last respect to the Queen whose body lies in a casket at St. Charles Cathedral. What have people been telling you about how they feel?

ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Becky. That's right. We have seen and continued to see, I may add, an outpouring of love and respect for mourners who have been lining the streets of Edinburgh. Not just this morning, as you can see those mourners filing behalf behind me, making their way into St. Charles Cathedral but also those who have been lining the streets overnight. And there were many waiting for about seven to eight hours. According to one police officer who was here overnight, with the lines stretching several kilometers I've been told. Goes just passed me here on to Princess Street, down the road and past been passed the Meadows where it snakes, that's what that line was going through yesterday and beyond.

And people saying to me, look, it's, you know, what is six, seven hours, even eight hours of patience, waiting patiently for 70 years of service. And that's what the people are prepared to do, the sacrifice they are prepared to make. I want to bring in Shawna here and her 19- month-old son. It was very quick this morning. Wasn't it?

SHAWNA: Yes.

SOARES: How long did you have to wait?

SHAWNA: It probably took us about 45 minutes from when we got our wrist band all the way up.

SOARES: So, that was pretty speedy.

SHAWNA: Yes.

SOARES: You were expecting longer lines?

SHAWNA: I think I've been looking online and seeing last night a 12- hour wait and I really wanted to bring him. So, I've kind of keeping my eye on it this morning when they said it was about an hour we popped in and came down. About 45 minutes.

SOARES: What did this moment mean to you, why was it so important for you to be here and to pay your respects?

SHAWNA: I mean, I just think the Queen was incredible and we used to live in London. If we has still been there, I would have gone to Buckingham Palace and on to Westminster and done all that to see -- to pay my respects. So, I think having it here, I have to come and see. I just had to bring him, I think it's just a moment in history for him and is something I can tell him about when he's older.

SOARES: Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Shawna and 19 month old Blair. And Blair had his breakfast as she's left the cathedral. People of course prepared to make the sacrifices. One couple said we had to make the decision between lining up and getting across these cathedral. One other couple that I met said, you know, we have to make the decision between winding up and getting, of course, to the cathedral, pay their respects.

[04:05:00]

All seeing that very solemn, of course, procession last night where he saw the king walking lockstep with her siblings behind their mother's hearse. So, many people having to choose between those in order to, of course, pay their final respects. The final farewell, of course, for so many Scots, an opportunity they thought, Becky, they wouldn't get to take part, of course, in this voyage, let's say, Becky.

ANDERSON: Well, that's the story in Scotland. In Edinburgh, in Scotland. Isa, thank you. Let's get you now to Scott McLean who is just on the south bank of the River Thames overlooking the Houses of Parliament. And it is at Westminster Hall where the Queen's casket will be taken and where the Queen will lie in state from tomorrow.

And, Scott, you are there with some early risers this morning. Those who are already queuing to pay their last respects. Just explain where you are and why that's significant.

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's pretty remarkable, Becky, considering that, look, the Queen's body will not arrive in London until later on today. Obviously, it's still where Isa is in Scotland. And even then, it will be at Buckingham Palace until tomorrow afternoon. It won't be at Westminster Hall, right across the river here, until about 5:00 local time tomorrow. So, remember, it's 9:00 local time on Tuesday. So, we have well over 24 hours, more than 30 hours still left to go.

So, this is the lineup we imagine will stretch along the river, across the Lambeth Bridge here to where we are. This is where the line is starting at the moment. This is where they're telling people to queue. So, there is eight people in the lineup right now. The women who are at the front of the line I spoke to them last hour. They got here yesterday at 11:30 in the morning, so almost 24 hours ago.

And I just met the newest people who joined the line about half an hour ago. This is Steven and Monica. And I just wonder, guys, why was it so important for you to be here?

MONICA: Because this is history. We want to be part of history and we want to respect -- to pay our last respect to the Queen because she was a very hard-working woman. She had integrity, dignity and she was a role model for the British nations.

MCLEAN: Steven, I wonder, are you prepared to be here for the next 30 plus hours?

STEVEN: Yes, absolutely. We brought -- 100 percent --

MCLEAN: Can you show us?

STEVEN: This is 100 percent plastic recycled plastic bottles.

MCLEAN: So, you have a very warm duvet.

STEVEN: Absolutely, yes. And we have a sheet for the ground. We have clothes and we also have a friend that's coming over with food later. And so, between the three of us, if we needed to have a rest for example or to use the bathroom or something, we can -- so we don't lose our place because there are no tickets in this. So, I'm number 7 and this lady is number 8.

MCLEAN: Monica, can you show us what you have for supplies?

MONICA: I have this pancake but it was really nice when I left home. And then I have the Filipino chocolates and I've got water in my bag. And so, I'm not worried because I had a big breakfast. I had pasta and chicken for my breakfast.

MCLEAN: Hopefully you eat something else as well. Monica, we were talking earlier, I wonder, you know, when you get to the front of the line tomorrow at around 5:00, literally you'll be able to file past the coffin, I don't know, for maybe 30 seconds, a minute. Is it -- I mean is it worth it for that amount of time?

MONICA: It is worth it. Even if they will just let me stay for five seconds, that's it. I will just say my silent prayers to the Queen and that's all I can offer.

MCLEAN: I'm sure our viewers are wondering if you're cold because it's really not warm right now. You do have a jacket, right?

MONICA: I have a jacket. I have a jacket but I'm warm. I have lived in England for 36 years so I am used to the British weather.

MCLEAN: She's very hardy.

MONICA: Yes. I have this one and it's nice and warm.

MCLEAN: All right, Becky, so there you go. The latest people to join the queue here. It's only eight so far. Very keen folks but obviously as we get closer to 5:00 tomorrow when the body will be lying in state, that is when officials here expect there to be a lot more people queuing to see it.

ANDERSON: If she can do it without a jacket, you can do it without a jacket, Scott McLean.

MCLEAN: I'm not that tough, Becky. I'm not that tough.

ANDERSON: You haven't lived in this country for 36 years. Wonderful to hear from those folks.

MCLEAN: Clearly.

ANDERSON: And I'm really getting a sense of the occasion of what it feels like for them to be part of this moment in history. Scott McLean is in central London.

[04:10:00]

Nina dos Santos here with me here at Buckingham Palace. The logistics that go into what will be the next six days leading up to the Queen's funeral on Monday are quite remarkable. I mean, this is an event that has been in the planning for years, but the head of the Metropolitan Police, the police force here in London has said this is a massive challenge but one that his force will rise to.

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. He was only installed just the other day. So, we've had a really remarkable time here in the U.K. A new prime minister last week, a new sovereign. Also, a new person at the helm of the largest police force in the country that has oversight of huge operations like this and jurisdiction over very serious issues like terrorism that have been a reality during the Queen's monarchy as well.

So, they're expecting somewhere between 750,000 people perhaps even up to 2 million people, Becky, to converge upon the British Capitol to pay their respects to the monarch in the days up to the funeral and then the funeral itself will be a huge logistical challenge. Where they've got to police this not just huge crowds, some elderly people, very young people. Because remember, this will be a family personal occasion. And they've got foreign dignitaries. They've got foreign royals, even the U.S. president, Joe Biden.

They're probably going to have 3 helicopters in the air, 10,000 police officers, and also remember that there's one and a half thousand members of the army who are involved in these preparations as well. So, it is something that the country hasn't seen on this scale, not even since the last big state funeral which was Winston Churchill back in the 1960s. About 200,000 people headed to the streets of London in 2002 when the Queen's late mother, the Queen mother back then. But these numbers are likely to eclipse that.

I think actually we can see some of these pictures -- as you can see on our screen here -- of the preparations. You and I were here at 4:30 in the morning. These pictures were taking place just behind us. We saw all of these officers with full trumpets and everything first thing in the morning practicing. There were body doubles of royal mourners. This is the type of preparation that is going into this right now.

If I may I would like to go through what's going to happen later on today. Because the Queen's coffin is going to be conveyed to an RAF C- 17 by a party in Edinburg at about 6 p.m. this evening. It's going to take a one hour flight to RAF Northolt, which is a Royal Air Force base to the northwest of the capital here. And from there the Queen's Color Guard will convey the coffin to state.

And that's when we'll see the early procession of the Queen returning to Buckingham Palace. She'll be going through various streets of London and landmarks that many of our viewers will be familiar with. For instance, past Horse Guards parade. She'll head down the 15 mile journey through motorways, freeways and then head along Hyde Park until she comes to Horse Guard's parade, which is right behind Whitehall, which is where the machinery of government is. Not far from Westminster and Parliament I might add. And then her hearse will come through the mall here. It will be accompanied by her daughter, the Princess Royal -- Princess Ann who will be on the same plane as that coffin. And when it arrives here at Buckingham Palace, King Charles III and other members of the family will already be there to greet it.

ANDERSON: That is all later on this afternoon. I remember being on that road from RAF Northolt into London which is about a 45 minute journey at normal speed when Princess Diana's body was returned in 1997. It takes me back 25 years ago now. But it's a memory I will never forget. Thank you.

An awful lot going on here. Scott McLean is out and about. Isa Soares is, of course, is in Edinburg. Nina here with me here at Buckingham Palace. A very, very busy day once again for the royal family and for those who are involved in security and logistics here. We will, of course, be here to cover it all on CNN's special continuing coverage of Queen Elizabeth's final journey, the memorial plans and the new royal era. All of that coming up later this hour. I'll be back with that.

Let's get you to my colleague Rosemary Church at the CNN Center in Atlanta for some other news for you -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: Thank you so much, Becky. Appreciate it.

Well, as a counteroffensive dislodges troops in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian forces are being welcomed as heroes. She is saying glory to Ukraine and the bread, the soldier says, thank you.

[04:15:00]

In addition to moments like that captured on social media, we're also seeing this. Abandoned Russian tanks and other weapons litter the roads and villages, signs of a disorganized and humiliating retreat. And here's how it happened. Ukraine had been signaling for weeks about a counteroffensive in the south but the southern attack may have been a decoy and instead a major push in the northeast began.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his forces have retaken 6,000 square kilometers just this month. That is more than 2,300 square miles.

And for the latest in Ukraine CNN's Melissa Bell joins us live from Kharkiv. And senior International correspondent Fred Pleitgen is tracking Russia's reaction from Berlin. Great to see you both. Melissa let's start with you. We're seeing these stunning advances being made by Ukrainian troops in the northeast. How were they able to achieve this? And could it perhaps represent a significant turning point in this war?

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you Rosemary, there was a clever communication about the counteroffensive in the south ahead of its beginning on the 29th of August. And then just about a week ago the beginning of that eastern counteroffensive up here in Kharkiv region that appears to have wrong footed Russian forces. But there is also and we've seen evidence of this on the ground when we've been able to go further in to some of those liberated parts of Kharkiv region -- the other successful element to this Ukrainian strategy. Not just of course the determination of the soldiers determined to recapture their own country and the lands that were lost six months ago. But the use of the NATO provided weapons and in particular the long range artillery that has allowed both in the southern counteroffensive and here in the eastern counteroffensive. Over the course of the summer, ahead of the counteroffensives have allowed Ukrainian forces to take out the key infrastructure that had been allowing Russian forces to resupply their positions.

So, we'd heard a lot about the bridge over the Dnipro and the attempt there to cut off the ability of Russian forces to resupply Kherson and men and in weapon. And we heard a great deal of that. We've seen evidence here in the Kharkiv region when we went into Chkalovske a couple of days ago, that remember, is one of the towns that was described as key because it is on the Russian supply routes. We saw there the railway bridge that had allowed again Russia from Balakliya base just on the other side of the border to supply both men and weapons further to the south and specifically to the military bases in Izyum and then further south to their front lines in the Donetsk and the Luhansk regions.

Now that clearly is what's been happening here. Over the course of the summer those weapons provided by the United States, but other NATO allies as well, used to take out that long range artillery, some of that infrastructure ahead of the counteroffensive, this determined push by the men and women themselves over the course of the last couple of weeks. So, a very well-thought through strategy. We've been learning over the last couple of weeks, prepared of course with allies. More gains with the help of Washington, prepared for and it turns out I think far more successful, Rosemary, than even the Ukrainians could have dared imagine.

CHURCH: Yes, it has been stunning. And, Fred, what's been the reaction in the Russia to Ukraine's significant advances in the northeast and this humiliating defeat for Russia's troops?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think the Russian's are also saying it's more successful than they would have imagined. There's really there's really a flurry of reaction that were seen from the Russians. You can sort of feel, Rosemary, how the Russian state and then also state media are trying to find their footing amid these big events that the Ukrainians appear to be making.

On the one hand you have a lot of the state TV channels that are clearly saying that these are the toughest hours as they put it for the Russian military inside Ukraine. A lot of acknowledging that what Russia calls its special military operation. They have of course continue to say -- or to deny that they're actually in a war. They call it a special military operation which many of the state TV pundits had said would end in a couple of days and now we're going on about 7 months. So, this going on and the Russian army apparently going backwards.

Many are saying these are very tough times for the Russian military. There are some who are even saying they don't believe that Ukraine could be defeated militarily at all. It's a big point of contention right now in Russia. \

What you're also seeing is some public criticism and some public dissent of the authorities which is something you don't necessarily or that you really don't see very much of at all in Russia these days. Of course, a lot of the opposition has been sidelined, exiled or is in jail.

And you have Ramzan Kadyrov, for instance, who course is a close ally of Vladimir Putin, he's the strong man there in Chechnya. He has sent thousands of fighters to Ukraine already and he was very critical. He said mistakes were made. He said he would take it up with the Russian military. And if he doesn't see anything fruitful there, that he would then take it up with the leadership of Russia, obviously meaning Vladimir Putin.

[04:20:00]

The big question I think right now, Rosemary, what's the reaction of Vladimir Putin going to be? What is the Russian military, what is the Russian state going to do? Are they going to try to find some way to further escalate things or are they going to try and move more troops in? Are they going to try and open different front lines or they going to try and find some other way out.

It was interesting because Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, a couple of days ago he said that Russia was still open to negotiations with the Ukrainians, but he said those negotiations have to happen very quickly. And then you have that one incident or the incidents that we've been talking about a little bit on the air over the past 24 hours. Is that 18 local deputies who signed a petition for Vladimir Putin to step down from office. It's one of those things where that is definitely something that's noteworthy but these are very low level local officials and also people who it's not very many of them at this point who are signing a petition like that. But, still, something that is noteworthy and shows that the Russians realize they are in a lot of trouble right now in Ukraine -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: Yes, we'll see if that gains momentum. Fred Pleitgen, Melissa Bell, many thanks to you both, as always.

Well, still to come, the House committee investigating the U.S. Capitol insurrection is meeting today. We will see what's at the top of their agenda, just ahead.

Plus, a flurry of new subpoenas for dozens of former advisers to Donald Trump. Why are they coming out now? We're back with that and more in just a moment.

[04:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: The House committee investigating January 6th will meet in person today and one of the most pressing questions remains whether they will invite Donald Trump and his Vice President Mike Pence to appear. Sources tell CNN no one really expects them to testify but invitations should be extended for the record. The committee is also expected to plan its next round of hearings ahead of the final report likely to be released in December.

Well, a federal investigation into January 6th appears to be gaining momentum. Prosecutors want to speak with dozens of people close to Donald Trump including his former political director, campaign manager and deputy chief of staff. CNN's Sarah Murray has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: CNN is learning from sources that the Justice Department has subpoenaed more than 30 people in former President Donald Trump's orbit as part of this investigation into efforts to subvert the results of the 2020 election. Now these include a number of big names, people like Bill Stepien, who was the former Trump campaign director. People like Dan Scavino, Trump's former Deputy Chief of Staff. And Brian Jack, a former White House political director.

Now this appears to be an effort by the Justice Department to sort of stuck-up and gather as much information as possible while it's on the cusp of this quiet period. A period that it tries to not take any overt investigative actions that could be seen as influencing the outcome or the potential outcome of an election.

And we know from talking to sources about these subpoenas, they're very broad. Some of them are seeking information related to the fake electors plot, some of them are seeking information related to the Save America Pac, a political and fundraising vehicle for the former president. Others are asking for any documents people may have handed over to the January 6th select committee. Some are seeking to document, some are seeking documents and testimony. So, this is a wide and aggressive effort by the Justice Department and an indication that that investigation is intensifying.

Sarah Murray, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: The U.S. Justice Department says it's open to one of Donald Trump's picks for special master to review material seized in the search of Mar-a-Lago. He is Raymond Deary who has served as a federal judge in New York since he was nominated by then President Ronald Regan. Trump's attorneys has rejected both candidates suggested by the Justice Department. And I asked Republican strategist Doug Heye earlier about the developments.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DOUG HEYE, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, the biggest impact is the question of time. And certainly, the Department of Justice wants to move as quickly as possible. Donald Trump wants to move as slowly as possible. And clearly, he wants to run out the clock as much as he can and it's where Trump has been most successful. You know, quite often we see what Donald Trump or his legal team as said and we sometimes think it doesn't make sense. But if you want to slow things down, that does make sense for them. And that's where their goal is. And so, rejecting people made a lot of sense if that's your goal even if you didn't have a reason.

We'll see if this now is able to have DOJ speed things up. But we also need to be mindful that judges don't like shenanigans and so if you reject somebody, that's one thing. If you reject them without a reason, that's where judges step in and they start to call BS on this.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Our coverage of the new royal era continues in just a moment with my colleague, Becky Anderson in London. Straight ahead, preparations are underway as the coffin carrying the late Queen Elizabeth is due to arrive at Buckingham Palace today. And much has been said about Elizabeth the Queen, just ahead, we'll look at Elizabeth the mother and her relationship with her four children. Do stay with us here on CNN.