Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Sports Writer Grant Wahl Dies While Covering Quarterfinals; State Dept. In "Close Communication" With Family After Grant Wahl's Death During The World Cup; Sinema Leaves Democratic Party, Registers As Independent; Kari Lake Files Lawsuit Against Arizona Election Officials; McCarthy Slams Griner Prisoner Swap, Says It Makes Putin Stronger; Judge Declines DOJ Request To Hold Trump In Contempt; Jan 6 Committee Expected To Reach Decision On Criminal Referrals Tomorrow; Supreme Court Weighs Case That Could Upend Electoral Politics; Harry And Meghan Take Aim At British Press In New Docuseries; First Episodes Of "Harry & Meghan" Documents What Led Up To Royal Family Breakup. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired December 10, 2022 - 15:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:00:13]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington. Shocked, grief and a search for answers. The sports world is reeling over the sudden death of a prominent U.S. sports journalist at the World Cup. Grant Wahl died in Qatar Friday after collapsing in the press area.

Now, white flowers fill his empty seat. He was only 49 years old. The circumstances around his death still unclear. But in a podcast and newsletter, published days before his death, he had complained of feeling unwell including tightness in his chest. You may remember Wahl was the same journalist who made headlines in November, after he was detained and briefly refused entry to a World Cup match for wearing a rainbow t-shirt in support of LGBTQ rights.

The U.S. State Department says it's in communication with Wahl's family and World Cup organizers. And CNN's Don Riddell joins me now from Doha. Don, just awful news, just made everybody gasp late last night here in the U.S. What more are we learning about the circumstances surrounding Wahl's death?

DON RIDDELL, CNN HOST, WORLD SPORT: Well, Jim, you're certainly right about the reaction. I mean, it was just so sudden and so bizarre, frankly, that it has taken most of the day to really begin to try to process it. And certainly, for the immediate hours after I learned about it, I mean, it just didn't make any sense at all.

There were people in the stadium, fellow journalist who saw what happened. I was covering the game from a different part of the stadium so I was unaware about any of this until 5:00 this morning here local time. But witnesses have told CNN, that at the end of the 90th minute in this game, when the Dutch stood at an extraordinary equalizer against Argentina, that he collapsed.

And as extra time and penalties subsequently took place, in throwing the 80,000 fans in the stadium, most people were unaware of the drama that was happening up in the broadcast section, where medical professionals spent 20 to 25 minutes trying to revive Grant Wahl. We do understand that he was taken to hospital, but obviously, we now know that he did not survive.

And it really has just knocked, you know, the stuffing out of the football, broadcast and reporting community, which is pretty intimate. A lot of people, you know, we're all rivals working for different publications and different broadcasters, but a lot of us are mates. And a lot of us knew Grant Wahl really, really well.

I spoke with him just two weeks ago, he joined me on the set here in Doha. And we were talking about the upcoming game between the United States and England, which was such a key game for the development of the sport in the United States. And this is what he had to tell me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RIDDELL: How do you feel about this game and all that it represents, especially for the growth of the game in the states?

GRANT WAHL, SPORTS WRITER: You know, it's huge in the United States for the soccer community and just for the growth of the sport and trying to regain respect for U.S. Men's Soccer after not qualifying and 2018. There's this long cultural tie between English soccer and soccer in the United States. And this search for respect from the United States.

So when this draw happened in April, everyone in the U.S. was very, very excited about the opportunity to play England again. And they'll always remind you in the U.S., at least, that England has never beaten the U.S. in a World Cup.

RIDDELL: Right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIDDELL: Jim, I've got to tell you, it is still so strange hearing grumbles voice in my ear and talking about him in the past tense.

ACOSTA: Yes.

RIDDELL: I only got an hour of sleep last night. And to be honest, I'm not really sure it's hit home for a lot of us just yet.

ACOSTA: I'm sure it's going to take a long while for that to happen, Don. And the outpouring of support has been huge coming out of the larger sports world. A lot of folks were really shaken by this. What are you hearing?

RIDDELL: I mean, that's exactly right. I mean, in hindsight, we, you know, we're following his podcasting and his blogging and what he was reporting on while he was here, and I mean, he's his own boss now. He's a freelance reporter working for himself, grantwahl.com. And he was talking a lot about himself and how he was feeling during this tournament and what a grueling assignment it is.

I mean, it's not an assignment anybody complains about. We're all incredibly lucky to be here covering this tournament. He pointed out that it wasn't his first rodeo. It was his eighth Men's World Cup tournament. He absolutely loved it, but he admitted that it was taking a toll on his health. He says he usually gets sick.

And on this occasion, we know he had been to see a doctor for days previously. We know that he had been complaining of a tightness of his chest. We know that he thought he might have bronchitis.

[15:05:00]

And yet the demands of this tournament and the excitement of going to the games and keeping your readers and your viewers and your listeners up to date, led him to this situation where he was still covering the games and he was still very much burning the candle at both ends. And, you know, it does seem as though that has played likely a major factor in his untimely demise.

The other thing that we're, of course, hearing is, as you say, the outpouring of emotion and all the tributes from his peers, and from his fans and the people that followed him. And the thing that he's going to be remembered for is the fact that he was a cheerleader for the growth and development of U.S. Soccer way before it was fashionable. I mean, now we see, you know, how successful the Premier League is in the United States, how successful the Men's National Team is.

The Women's National Team has been successful for a long time. But he's been a cheerleader. And he's been the guy that standing there promoting this to the rest of the world and saying, hey, you guys, you should see what's happening here in the United States. Take us seriously, it's time.

And other sports journalists and other football writers around the world, when they wanted to cover a U.S. football story or a soccer story, Grant was the man, he was the conduit. And that's why this has just stunned the entire international soccer community.

ACOSTA: It is so, so sad. All right, Don Riddell, thank you very much for that report. We appreciate it. And you take care as well.

I'm joined now by Soccer Podcaster and Commentator Chris Wittyngham, who co-hosted a podcast with Grant Wahl. And Chris, thank you so much for being with us. My sympathies to you and for those who may not be familiar with Grant Wahl's career. Tell us more about the impact he had on the sports world.

CHRIS WITTYNGHAM, SOCCER PODCASTER & COMMENTATOR: Yes, I think if you go back to his time at Sports Illustrated, he was someone who came up through the pipeline of traditional journalism at the time. And at the time, there was no room at a magazine like Sports Illustrated for just a soccer writer. So he also covered college basketball, did other stories, was renowned for having done the first big story on LeBron James while he was still in high school at St. Vincent St. Mary's, and sort of announced LeBron James to the world back in a time when magazine covers carried that sort of significance. And, as your previous guest said, brought the American version of football, the world's football to the world.

And as much as it was referenced as cheerleading, it was also not foregoing your journalistic principles for the sake of trying to grow a sport. It was also, you know, holding stakeholders, to account powerbrokers to account. He once ran for the FIFA presidency, because it was so corrupt at the time, particularly after the World Cup hosting rights were awarded to Russia and Qatar. So this is a journalistic Titan. And on a personal level --

ACOSTA: Yes.

WITTYNGHAM: -- one of the best people I've ever worked with.

ACOSTA: It sure sounds that way. And Chris, let's listen to what LeBron James has to say. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEBRON JAMES, LOS ANGELES LAKERS FORWARD: I've always kind of watched from a distance. You know, even when I, you know, moved up in the ranks and became a professional and, you know, he kind of went to a different sport and things of that nature over the years. Anytime his name will come up, I would always think back to me as a teenager and having Grant, you know, in our building down at St. V. So it's a tragic loss. It's unfortunate, you know, to lose someone as great as he was.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Yes, Chris, professional athletes respected Grant Wahl. That's not always the case with sports reporters, but it was with Grant.

WITTYNGHAM: Yes. And it wasn't because he treated them lightly, it was because he earned their respect. And really, in the form of magazine writing, you get a chance to know people deeply and you think of the figures, some of whom Grant has interacted with recently, that treat him like these current members of the U.S. Men's National Team, figures like Jesse Marsch, who's the one of the biggest American coaches in the world right now coaching at Leeds United in the Premier League.

They went to college together, is enormous respect for Grant. And it's not because he treats them lightly, it's because he actually takes time to get to know his subjects as people. And so, there was that element to his work as well. But he pulled no punches, believe me, especially at this World Cup. You mentioned the incident that happened with him ahead of the U.S.-Wales match, we wore a pride shirt into the stadium. He was someone who is fiercely committed to journalistic integrity and bringing the issues of the game to the world. ACOSTA: Yes, he spoke truth to power in sports journalism. And that's not always something that you see in that field of work. Chris, let me ask you this, in a podcast episode that you did together that was released just days before Wahl's death, he told you he was not feeling well. Does it surprise you that he would keep on working despite feeling ill? Maybe he just thought he could power through it like some of us -- so many of us feel from time to time.

[15:10:06]

WITTYNGHAM: Jim, I think you and your background and the work that you've done for CNN would certainly know that the answer to that question is no, I am not surprised that he still wanted to go and watch Argentina play a World Cup quarterfinal against the Netherlands. This is an American sports terms, our Super Bowl, in the realm of political news, it is our election.

It is -- it's the biggest thing. You don't stop, you push through. And relative to other World Cups, Grant told me that this one was fairly easy, because there's no travel. You stay in the same bed every night, which is not the case when you're traveling the whole of Russia, or the whole of Brazil, or the whole of South Africa, as in previous World Cups. You kind of get to go back to the same bed every night.

So he always kind of said to me, yes, there's no problem. This is a cinch and I believed him. And yes, he was sick. But you could never have possibly expected that this would happen.

ACOSTA: Absolutely. It is just so shocking and sad. And, Chris, thank you very much for your time and taking some moments out of your day to share your perspective on Grant and his life, his legacy. I mean, if people are wondering, why are so many Americans wrapped up in this World Cup, I think Grant Wahl deserves some of the credit and a lot of the coverage that he's done.

He certainly got a huge part of that, huge booster for the sport. Grant Wahl, he's passed away at the age of 49 years old. Chris, thank you so much for your time. We appreciate it.

WITTYNGHAM: Thank you, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. Coming up, Senator Kyrsten Sinema declaring her independence. Why she chose now to announce she's leaving the Democratic Party and what it means for the balance of power in the Senate.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:15:52]

ACOSTA: Major shakeup up on Capitol Hill that could have some wide ranging implications. Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona told CNN in an exclusive interview, she's leaving the Democratic Party and registering as a political independent, it's the second time she switched parties.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Green Party activist, to Democrat, to Moderate, to Conservative Democrat, to Independent, are you just getting more conservative, or are you just in search of a home? How do you see it?

SEN. KYRSTEN SINEMA (I), ARIZONA: So my values have never changed. I have always been the person I am today. And frankly, I'm really grateful to my parents and the life that I've had that's led me to here with all the experiences I've had, all the opportunities I've had to learn. But one of the things I tell folks at home because I really pride myself on my willingness to learn and grow. And I know in this town, people don't like it if you ever grow or change.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: The top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer and the White House are downplaying the news pointing to ways they've worked with Sinema before in a bipartisan fashion. But Sinema's moved just cause some uncertainty about how Democrats can control the Senate in the next Congress, given their incredibly slim majority.

And I want to welcome back to the show veteran Democratic Strategist James Carville, as well as CNN Political Commentator S.E. Cupp. James, great to see you. S.E., great to see you as well. James, what did you think of all of these? When you heard about that -- I mean, Sinema, we mentioned it was almost mentioned Sinema was one person over the first couple of years of the Biden presidency. And then she's pulling this right after that big Raphael Warnock win kind of pulled the rug out from under the White House a little bit. What do you think of all this?

JAMES CARVILLE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, first of all, an entrance disclosure (ph). I am a close friend and supporter of Ruben Gallego, if he runs to the Senate from Arizona in 2024. If I were a Kyrsten Sinema's political adviser, which I'm decidedly not, I would advise her to do just this. I think this is a move and I agree she's not going to beat the United States senator come January 2005.

I was looking at some poll numbers from civics, which is a kind of Blue-Ribbon outfit, they really are. A favor built among Democrats is five favorable, 82 unfavorable, among Republicans 25, favorable, 45, unfavorable, among Independents 25-56. You don't need 42 years of political experience to say these are not winning numbers.

The other thing is, it's just a false characterization to say that this changes a whole lot. The only change that is discernible is that if a Democratic senator in a state with a Republican governor dies, then that would be to the Democrats disadvantage. And I furthermore give Senator Sinema some credit, she did this after the Georgia election.

So I think this is totally no answers, she's not going to be reelected. She probably knows that. She doesn't want to watch, you know, corny polls showing her, you know, 72 points behind in a Democratic primary. And it doesn't really change a lot and it's probably a move in her interest. ACOSTA: And S.E., you know, Sinema, it says she's not worried about the criticism. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: You've already been a target of the left and people have been very critical of you. They're going to call you every name in the book after this comes out. They're going to call you a traitor. They're going to call you and ingrate, what are you going to say?

SINEMA: Well, I think I'll do what I always do, Jake, which is keep doing the work that I know is important for my state. You know, I just not worried about folks who may not like this approach.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: You know, S.E., Mitch McConnell has previously called Sinema the single most effective first term senator he's seen. There's some other Republicans cheering this on. They're kind of giddy about this.

S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Listen, she certainly knows how to be the center of attention and keep it that way. You know, voters be damned. To James's point, she's not popular among Democrats, so this was a canny move.

[15:20:06]

I can't psychologize Kyrsten Sinema and decide for her that that was solely what it was about, you know, just keeping her seat. Maybe she also wants to continue to be wooed and courted. And maybe she's feeling like she is more of an independent, which, frankly, is how a lot of people feel especially in her state of Arizona. But this is certainly a canny move to remain a central figure in the Senate, a central figure in Arizona, even as she's very unpopular there. And she wants to keep her job.

ACOSTA: James, there's a lot of interesting stuff going on in Arizona these days. Maybe you can help us figure this out. We learned late yesterday that Kari Lake, the Republican who lost the race for governor is suing state election officials, challenging the vote count, asking the court to declare her the winner. Is this life after Trump now election losers disputing the results?

CARVILLE: All right, Kari Lake is, she's out there. She's goofy and stupid and ignorant. Let me tell you what's going on in Arizona. Proposition 211, which is the citizens ballot measure to tell people I spent over $5,000 a dark money in Arizona they have to disclose. That pass by 73 percent.

Arizona had a ballot measure that would allow non-citizens to pay to Arizona intuition rate at Arizona colleges and universities. That's big news. Kari Lake being goofy, right-wing stupid is hardly big or startling news. Let me see, loss, she's done. And by the way, New Mexico would have 70 percent had a ballot measure to guarantee daycare for all New Mexicans. They are big stories going on in the southwestern United States that don't involve Kari Lake. And, you know, we should be very aware of these, Jim, very aware. She'll keep doing everything, every stunt she can pull to get attention. But I don't really think that's the big story coming out of here.

ACOSTA: Yes. S.E., what do you think of that? Because, you know, one of the things that is very interesting to contrast here is kind of notable and that when Trump was challenging the election results and peddling the big lie and so on, you know, there were a fair amount of folks on the MAGA side of the Republican Party who were totally on board with it.

Kari Lake is almost kind of, you know, shouting into a void.

CUPP: Yes.

ACOSTA: And there's not a whole lot of folks, you know, jumping on that bandwagon to overturn those election results in Arizona.

CUPP: Listen, Trump changed a lot. 10 years ago, you know, if you had not one but several election losers, shouting about challenging the results and really just being poor sports, they would have been laughed at. Trump does it and it was normalized for a time. And he gave people permission to do it and not be embarrassed by it.

But it's been so ineffective, not just practically in that it has overturned no elections. But it's really hurt the party and the image of the party. And for independence, which, you know, you'll need if you're a Republican running for office, it's a huge turnoff the election denialism, the conspiracy theories and these never-ending phony audits and recounts and lawsuits. I think people are sick of it. And it's now sort of -- it's not getting the attention that it did, you know, when Trump made it kind of popular.

ACOSTA: James, let me ask you this because there's huge development that happened this week with the Biden administration being successful in bringing Brittney Griner back home. The House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, who still is trying to line up the votes to becoming speaker of the House. He was quick to slam President Biden for this and let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R), MINORITY LEADER: I'm glad and American is coming home. She was arrested for a trumped-up charge, but to exchange the Merchant of Death for this, it's made us weaker.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

MCCARTHY: It's made Putin stronger and it's made Americans more vulnerable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: James, what's your reaction to that? What do you think of that? CARVILLE: So Jim, I'm going to say something controversial, but I'm going to preface it with something true. There are some people who legitimately say that prisoner exchanges just encourage more hostage taking. I 40 percent agree with him. But that's a legitimate policy position.

Does anyone in their right mind think that if Brittney was a blind Chi Omega from SMU that the reaction would have been the same? Of course not. And, by the way, the country that engages in the most uneven prisoner exchange is Israel. My Hebrew is not what it used to be. I'll have, you know, Jim Gerstein to tutor me, but look up that prisoner exchange of Gillian Shelac (ph) who is a corporal in IDF, a rank that I hold dear to me because that was the rank I held in the United States Marine Corps was exchanged for something like ,1027 terrorists.

[15:25:12]

So I think that there are legitimate things to say, well, maybe this is not the best idea. But a lot of this, like a lot of things in America are driven by the fact that this young person is not white, and is not straight. And if you don't believe that, you're not in tune with American politics. I'm sorry, this is something that just has to be said.

The other I would make is most of the people that are criticizing this, not all, all pro-Putin, anti-Ukraine. This is exposed a big, big fault in American culture and American opinion.

ACOSTA: S.E., what do you think? Because, you know, there -- it was quick, it was pretty quick the way, you know, someone the right really pounced on this. Shouldn't folks just be happy that Brittney Griner's home?

CUPP: It's been worse over at Fox News and Newsmax. You know, two places that really profess to love this country and it shouldn't sound like it if you listen to a lot of them, really trashing the homecoming of an American citizen.

Listen, as James says, there are reasons to be critical of this deal. It was imperfect. But there's no reason not to celebrate Brittney Griner coming home unless, I don't know, you're mad that she's a black lesbian, or maybe unless because Joe Biden was instrumental in her release, and he's a Democrat. And so you don't want to give him any credit or unless it's because perhaps you don't love this country as much as you say you do, and as much as you pretend to and instead you'd rather side with our enemy, Russia and Putin. None of the scenarios are good here, but that's the math. There's no way around it.

ACOSTA: All right, James Carville, S.E. Cupp, great to see both of you. Appreciate it.

CARVILLE: All right.

CUPP: Thanks.

CARVILLE: Thank you, man.

ACOSTA: Thank you so much.

Coming up, new developments in the Trump case involving documents found at Mar-a-Lago, why a judge just turned down a request from the DOJ to hold the former president in contempt.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:31:46]

ACOSTA: CNN is learning a federal judge refused a request by the Justice Department to hold former President Donald Trump in contempt of court for failing to comply with a subpoena ordering him to turn over all classified documents in his possession.

Sources tell CNN the judge instead urged Trump's team and the Department of Justice to resolve the matter themselves.

CNN's senior legal analyst and former federal prosecutor, Elie Honig, joins us now.

Elie, what do you make of this?

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, Jim, it shows the judge was not willing to go to the extreme of ordering Donald Trump in context.

Contempt is a measure of last resort. I was involved as a prosecutor in hundreds of subpoenas. I never went to the judge and asked for contempt.

The crux of DOJ's complaint is, we keep on asking him if we've gotten all of the documents, they keep on telling us, yes, and we keep on finding more.

But the judge essentially said, look, the parties, Donald Trump's team, DOJ's team, this is between the two of you. You need to work it out.

Donald Trump's lawyers have said they completed a search of his four properties. They found these two additional documents. The judge said to DOJ, I don't know why that's not enough, I don't know why you need me to get involved.

This is reality of life in the courtroom, Jim. Judges don't like to make extreme rulings if they can avoid it. And judges often to this. They say to the two parties, you need to get-together, you need to work this out.

And often it does yield a satisfactory result. We'll see what DOJ makes of it from here.

ACOSTA: Elie, the January 6th committee is expected to reach a decision on criminal referrals tomorrow. This could be a significant moment. A source tells CNN the committee is considering referrals for Trump

and four of his closest allies. What do you think?

HONIG: Well, as we discussed, legally, a criminal referral doesn't carry any particular force, any technical force.

ACOSTA: Right.

HONIG: That said, it is important what Congress ends up putting together because the committee has put together so much compelling evidence.

To me, if I'm the prosecutor, what I'm looking for is the actual evidence. There's still plenty of evidence we know the committee has not gone over to DOJ.

So I'm sure DOJ prosecutors -- we know Merrick Garland had said we want all that evidence. We need it for our investigation.

So I think the fact that the committee is focused on the four people beyond Donald Trump who we reported is very significant.

And I think what the committee is trying to do is draw DOJ's attention to the people who they think were at the highest levels of power here, the most culpable, Donald Trump and the people who were his closest and highest-ranking enablers.

ACOSTA: Elie, this has been on my mind the last several days. This week, the Supreme Court heard arguments for a case that could upend electoral politics and embolden state legislators to act without judicial oversight.

If adopted, it would give state legislatures the power to set rules in federal elections without any constraints by state courts or other state authorities.

I know it's dense maybe for a lot of folks to soak this in. But there are big stakes going on with this case, are there not?

HONIG: The stakes here are so important.

Let me try to break it down. The Constitution says it is up to state legislators to decide how each state votes on its presidential electors, on its other officials, and how it divides up its congressional districts, how it gerrymanders.

[15:35:02]

Now for centuries, that has been taken to mean "subject to our balance of power." So a state legislature can pass laws but then a governor can veto it. Or, more importantly, the state courts and the federal courts can review that law to make sure it is constitutional and fair.

Well, there's a certain line of thought that is a couple decades old, called the Independent State Legislature Theory, which holds that state legislatures can do whatever they want and nobody can stop them. And if this is ringing bells of Donald Trump 2020, pressuring state

legislators to throw out the vote of their people, that's why this is such a big deal.

The oral argument happened this week. Clearly, the three liberal justices have now interest in this, they're not going to on rule in favor of it.

Three of the conservatives, Roberts, Gorsuch and -- excuse me -- Gorsuch, Alito and Thomas are all in favor of it.

That leaves us with three justices, the middle, Roberts, Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. They don't seem ready to go all the way and embrace this extreme theory. They seem to be looking for some middle ground here.

Jim, it's significant this theory, as you said, goes to the heart of our democracy, even reached the Supreme Court this week. We will get that ruling in June or so. And the stakes are enormous on it.

ACOSTA: It is enormous. It merits a lot more attention than it's gotten the last several days. I think it will get more as the court weighs in on all of this.

And I can't imagine. It would just be stunning if they were to adopt this theory and make it the law of the land somehow. It would just be staggering.

Elie Honig, thank you so much. Really appreciate the time, as always. We appreciate it.

HONIG: Thanks, Jim.

ACOSTA: Yes, good to see you.

Coming up, how a new series from Prince Harry and Meghan may on only deepen their years-long rift with the family. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:40:54]

ACOSTA: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle taking aim at the British Tabloid media in part one of a new Netflix series a lot of people are talking about. It documents what led up to the breakup from the royal family involving Harry and Meghan Markle.

CNN's Max Foster has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR & ROYAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): The first three episodes have dropped, and the verdict is in. Harry and Meghan's Netflix docuseries hasn't had any major bombshells yet. But there was a targeted attack on the media. PRINCE HARRY, DUKE OF SUSSEX: No one knows the full truth. We know the

full truth. The institution has the full truth, and the media know the full truth because they've been on it.

FOSTER: Suggesting the royal press pack is simply an extension of the palace's P.R. team. And the family is afraid of challenging the media.

The series shines a light on their childhoods. Harry talks about his mother, her battle with the press, and the difficulty he had growing up as a royal child in the spotlight.

KATE WILLIAMS, CNN ROYAL HISTORIAN: For them, this is very much all tied together. Harry feels he's being chased by the press ever since he was a child. It's continued into his marriage. And it was unsustainable. And that's why he had to leave the royal family.

FOSTER: Then, there was Meghan's perspective, learning to live in the royal fold. The first senior royal she met was the queen.

MEGHAN, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: I remember, in the car and driving up and he said, you know how to courtesy, right? And I just thought it was a

joke.

FOSTER: Then there was this anecdote, when she first met Kate and William.

MEGHAN, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: I remember, I was in ripped jeans and I was barefoot.

It was like I was a hugger. I've always been a hugger. I didn't realize that that is really jarring for a lot of Brits.

I guess I'd started to understand very quickly that the formality on the outside carried through on the inside.

FOSTER: The episodes are peppered with intimate moments in what was billed on an inside look into their relationship from the start. And it includes moments like this.

MEGHAN, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: Oh, my God, Jess. It's happening. It's happening, it's happening.

FOSTER: Videos and pictures never made public before --

MEGHAN, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: He told me not to peek.

FOSTER: -- of the moment Harry proposed.

PRINCE HARRY: There's leaking, but there's also planting of stories.

FOSTER: There was the trailer teasing dramatic moments that weren't included in the first three episodes. Any bombshells the palace fears may be still yet to come.

Max Foster, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: Joining me to talk about this, Emily Nash, royal editor for "Hello!" magazine.

Emily, there's been a pretty fierce reaction in the U.K. that we picked up on over here in the United States. One look at the headlines blasting the couple for what they are doing to the royal family.

The series was very critical of the British press, as you know, with Harry making many comparisons to what happened to Princess Diana. I imagine this is just not going well over there.

EMILY NASH, ROYAL EDITOR, "HELLO!" MAGAZINE: Look, it's not gone down very well with the press, as you can imagine, given the way he has attacked them in the series so far.

That being said, I think most people who are watching it have a much- measured take. I don't think, as Max said, the bombshells were there that people were expecting. They are possibly going to come in this week.

ACOSTA: And I want to play a moment from the series when Meghan talks about meeting the queen or to the first time. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MEGHAN, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: I was, like, "pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty." "like, was that OK?"

ACOSTA: That particular moment has caused a big reaction. Tell us about that.

NASH: Well, some people are interpreting that as her mocking the royal family and the queen. I personally thought she was mocking herself somewhat.

Again, it was an example of the huge culture clash, if you like, of this American being introduced to this incredibly old-fashioned traditional family.

People are going to hate if they already hate them, unfortunately. People who are fans of them have a lot to like about the first few episodes, the insights into their lives. It is dividing opinion.

[15:45:02]

But the only one is really here, Netflix, who are getting so many viewings. I think whoever -- whichever way you look at it, they are the ones coming out best in all of this.

ACOSTA: They also address what they saw as racism towards Meghan and the failure of the palace to deal with that. Let's watch a bit of that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PRINCE HARRY: But what people need to understand, as far as the royal family are concerned, everything she was being put through, they have been put through as well. It was almost like a rite of passage.

And some of them were like, right, but my wife had to go through that so why should your girlfriend be treated any differently? Why should you get special treatment? Why should she be protected?

I said the difference here is the race element.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Tell us have we seen changes at the palace since then?

NASH: Absolutely. I know the palace was reviewing their percentage of staff, for example. They set themselves a target which they came very close to achieving this year. But it's a work in progress.

For people like the king, who founded the British Princes' Trust, for example, who has done so much to help people through the Princes' Trust from different minority backgrounds in this country, it's quite an accusation to accuse them of unconscious bias.

Yes, I think we can all do better. But that one particularly hurt the royal family.

ACOSTA: I'm sure.

And there are still three more episodes set to be released in the series. Is the palace prepared for what that might include?

NASH: I think we're all expecting the next few episodes to cover the very difficult departure of Harry and Meghan from the family and the difficulties within the family.

As Meghan alludes in the trailer to the family in conflict and the family business in conflict. And that is going to be very uncomfortable viewing I think for lots of people in the royal household.

ACOSTA: A lot of people are going to be watching for this. King Charles's coronation will be in May of next year at Westminster Abbey in London.

How does all of this impact their role within the royal family going forward and for that ceremony that is coming up next year?

NASH: Well, I think it's fair to say that there will be a lot of work to be done in rebuilding relations on both sides if Harry and Meghan are to come out for the coronation.

My understanding is, as the king said himself the day after he acceded to the throne, he loves them dearly, he still sees them as key members of his family.

Yet, I am sure there's a huge sense of confusion over the fact that all this is being raked up again. So it will be a difficult few months of discussion. But it will all depend on what comes out this week.

ACOSTA: All right. Emily Nash, thanks very much for breaking that down for us. We appreciate it.

Coming up, a massive T-Rex skull goes up for auction but sells for less than the dino-mite price than predicted. I'm sorry for that pun.

And tomorrow, joins Anderson Cooper and Kelly Ripa to celebrate real heroes and find out who will be the 2022 CNN Hero of the Year. "CNN HEROS, AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE" begins at 8:00 p.m.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:53:04]

ACOSTA: In Norway's capital, Oslo, Russian Noble Peace Prize laureate, Yan Rachinsky, blasted Vladimir Putin's assault on Ukraine in his acceptance speech. He called out Putin for his, quote, "insane and criminal war."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YAN RACHINSKY, RUSSIAN NOBLE PEACE PRIZE LAUREATE (through translation): In Russia, hatred is incited against Ukraine. It's culture and language are publicly declared inferior. And the Ukrainian people are deemed not to have a separate identity from Russians. Resistance to Russia is called fascism.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Rachinsky worked for Russia's human rights organization, Memorial, which exposed the abuses of the Stalinist era for more than three decades before it was shut down by Russia's Supreme Court last year.

If a rare dinosaur skull was on your shopping list this holiday season, I've got some bad news for you. A T-Rex fossil that was for sale is now spoken for. The scary looking bunch of bones is a 200- pound skull of an actual adult Tyrannosaurus Rex.

And 76 years ago it was dug up in South Dakota. Dinosaur experts say it's one of the most complete T-Rex skulls ever found. But somebody owns it now. Sotheby's Auction House sold it Friday for more than $6 million. That sounds high but it was expected to fetch about $20 million.

A lot of bones.

For many, this time of year is about giving back. We at CNN are saluting 10 extraordinary people who put others first all year long. A star-studded gala for our "CNN Heroes" airs live tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ANNOUNCER: Tomorrow, it's the time of year to be inspired and honor some of humanity's best.

(SINGING)

CARIE BROECKER, CNN HERO: We have found homes for almost 3,000 dogs.

TYRIE GLASGOW, CNN HERO: Our community center used to be the community drug house.

(SINGING)

[15:55:05]

BOBBY WILSON, CNN HERO: I want my grandchildren to have it better than what I have it today.

AIDAN REILY, CNN HERO: I have always wanted to serve other people.

(SINGING)

TERESA GRAY, CNN HERO: Human suffering has no borders. People are people. And love is love.

ANNOUNCER: Join Anderson Cooper and Kelly Ripa live, as they present the 2022 Hero of the Year.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Join me --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- in honoring --

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: -- CNN Hero of the Year.

ANNOUNCER: "CNN HEROES, AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE," tomorrow at 8:00.

(END VIDEO CLIP)