Return to Transcripts main page

CNN This Morning

Biden To Visit Border For The First Time In His Presidency; Biden To Discuss Migration With Mexican, Canadian Leaders; McCarthy Makes Concessions To Conservatives To Secure Speakership; Hamlin Thanks Fans In First Post And Photo Since Collapse; School Teacher Shot By Six-Year-Old Is In Stable Condition; Executions Of Two Young Men Spark Protests Around The World; First International Flight To China Since Reopening Arrives; More Than 500,000 Customers Without Power Across California; Explosions Heard In Ukraine During Ceasefire. Aired 6-7a

Aired January 08, 2023 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:25]

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone, and welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. I'm Amara Walker.

President Biden is set to make his first trip as president to the southern border later today, the purpose behind his visit and what it could mean for U.S. immigration policies.

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin post a message to supporters as the NFL honors him in the first game since his collapse. We've got a look at the tributes.

And more than half a million people across California are without power this morning as high winds and rain hammer the state. We've got a look at the forecast including where we could see record flooding.

Plus, Harry tells all. The revelations in his forthcoming memoir coming up on CNN THIS MORNING.

Welcome, everyone. It is Sunday, January 8th, a new week. Thank you so much for waking up with us here on CNN THIS MORNING. A lot of news to get to.

Up first, President Biden heading for the border while the 118th Congress prepares to get down to business. The president stops in El Paso, Texas, today on his way to a summit in Mexico City. This will be his first visit to the border during his presidency.

The administration is under fire from Republicans and some Democrats over the migrant crisis along the southern border as the surge continues. The border crisis is one of the issues House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Republicans are vowing to tackle now that they are in control of the House.

First they have to set a new set of House rules. That is at the top of the to-do list when the House convenes tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. Now, President Biden will get an update on the migrant crisis when he visits the border today. White House correspondent Arlette Saenz has more.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Biden will make his first trip as president to the U.S./Mexico border on Sunday, visiting El Paso, Texas, a city that has seen a surge in migrants in recent weeks.

Officials here at the White House say the president wants to see -- get an assessment of the border security situation on the ground there, and he will meet and hear from officials with Customs and Border Protection. The president will also be joined on this trip by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

And officials have also said he -- the president wants to learn more about the efforts to stem fentanyl flow into the country. Now, this all comes as the president has faced pressure not just to visit the border but also address these issues regarding the border as it has quickly become a political liability for President Biden. The Texas governor, a Republican, Greg Abbott, said that it's about time that President Biden paid that visit down to the U.S./Mexico border.

But on the other hand, the president has also accused Republicans of engaging in demagoguery, saying that they need to come to the table to pass comprehensive immigration reform, which this White House says is the only way to fully ease these issues relating to the border. Now, earlier this week President Biden did announce a new expansion of a migration program.

The U.S. will be expanding the Humanitarian Parole Program for four countries, Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, allowing up to 30,000 migrants each month to apply to come to the U.S. from those countries through that program. But it also includes plans to expedite expelling those migrants who come from those countries but have not applied through those legal processes to get here.

Now, after this trip down to the U.S./Mexico border in El Paso, President Biden will travel down to Mexico City for the North American Leaders Summit. It is there where he will meet with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and also Mexican President Manuel Lopez Obrador, who is a key partner when it comes to addressing these issues of migration. The White House says that migration is not the only topic that will be discussed at the summit. They will also be talking about security and other economic issues as well.

Arlette Saenz, CNN, the White House.

WALKER: All right. So, after a wild week the House preparing to get down to business with Republicans in control. One Republican lawmaker says the chaotic speaker fight may have actually helped.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. TIM BURCHETT (R), TENNESSEE: We actually interacted more this week than we have in the last four years. Democracy is not a pretty thing sometimes. It's ugly. Sometimes it's just a knock-down-drag-out.

[06:05:00]

But maybe that's -- that's what we need to get to where we're at. And I think -- I think the country is going to be well served. I honestly do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: All right. That's one way to look at it, I guess. Let's dig deeper now with "New York Times" congressional correspondent Luke Broadwater.

Luke, good morning to you. First off -- I mean, look, voting for speaker as we've been saying was supposed to be the easiest part. Clearly that was not the case as we saw that chaotic last few days.

So when the House convenes tomorrow, they have to pass this rules package to be able to start official business, right? How do you think that is going to play out?

LUKE BROADWATER, CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORK TIMES: Right. Well, so these rules were negotiating through very hard fought sessions all last week. The hardliners got a lot of what they wanted. We do know that there are some moderates now expressing concerns about the rules package and some have already said they're going vote no. So, we could see another fight on the floor Monday night about this rules package.

You know, some Republicans have said (INAUDIBLE) but if last week was any indication, I think, it's fair to express a little skepticism about that, there's likely to be a lot of infighting and a lot of chaos within this Republican caucus.

WALKER: So, what do you make of that spin from Representative Tim Burchett of Tennessee who basically said, well, this is the way democracy is supposed to work, it's supposed to be this ugly, and the public is now better served as a result? Do you agree?

BROADWATER: Yes. Well, Kevin McCarthy said that too. He said, now we've learned (INAUDIBLE) the past week. But if you talk to some of McCarthy's top allies, they realize this was humiliating for them and the House Republicans in general.

They wanted to have all these differences worked out in private well ahead of time. It all played out in public. It was shambolic. Everyone agrees to that point.

Now, McCarthy did get it done eventually. Can he get other things done? Can he eventually bring them all together on other issues that are, you know, just as important if not more important?

Can they come together about the national debt? Can they come together about the debt ceiling? Can they come together about funding the military? These are all things that could be huge blowups and very difficult to get done if the last week was any indication on how the House Republicans will be able to lead that chamber.

WALKER: Right. And also, on some complicated issues as well that Kevin McCarthy, you know, says that he wants to move his conference quickly on -- includes, you know, investigating Hunter Biden and, you know, a whole host of things that he has promised. How quickly do you think he will be able to move his conference on these acts or business that he wants to get to?

BROADWATER: Yes. Some of the first things that they're going to do next week are green-lighting these investigations. In the rules package there is written into the rules an investigation into the origin of the coronavirus. They promise to investigate Dr. Fauci and haul him before this panel and ask him tough questions. They're going to investigate the vaccines.

Next week on Tuesday they're suppose to green-light two investigations. One into Chinese aggression or what they see as actions taken against America by the Chinese government. And then the other is this sort of widespread investigation into what they're saying is the weaponization of the federal government under Joe Biden, the Justice Department, the FBI, law enforcement generally.

So, those are the first three investigations they're planning to authorize. And I do think those have a lot of support within the Republican Party and those will probably pass, even if Democrats are going to be very angry about at least two of those, the DOJ investigation and also the investigation into Fauci.

WALKER: What about comprehensive immigration reform, as we know, which has been an intractable issue for decades it feels like? McCarthy also mentioned securing the border in his first speech as speaker. And we know he's been fiercely critical of Biden on that subject. What immigration legislation are Republicans planning?

BROADWATER: So, I would expect almost nothing on immigration to pass. The best chance that an immigration deal had was a proposal in the Senate from Kyrsten Sinema not too long ago. But given now that we have two chambers in the hands of different parties with completely different views about how to handle the border and immigration, I would expect almost nothing to pass.

What is more likely is that House Republicans will impeach Alejandro Mayorkas, the Homeland Security secretary. They've already announced that they're going to investigate him for what they say was lying to Congress when he said the border was secure and that they will likely move to impeach him.

[06:10:07]

So, I expect to see a lot of fighting over the border, the border being used mostly as a political cudgel and not a lot of real solutions getting done.

WALKER: Got it. Well, Luke Broadwater, appreciate you joining us this morning. Thank you.

BROADWATER: Thank you.

WALKER: And later this morning, Congressman Chip Roy of Texas who was key -- a key negotiator when it came to getting Kevin McCarthy elected as House speaker joins Jake Tapper on "STATE OF THE UNION." That's at 9:00 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

So, Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin continues to make huge strides in his recovery. Hamlin is now breathing on his own and for the first time since he collapsed on the field last Monday. He was the one making a statement.

Hamlin posted on Instagram, "The love has been overwhelming, but I'm thankful for every single person that prayed for me and reached out. We brung (ph) the world back together behind this. If you know me you know this is only going to make me stronger. On a long road keep praying for me."

Andy Scholes is with me now. Andy, I mean, so many encouraging updates when there's so much uncertainty just a few days ago, and to just hear from him directly.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And, Amara, just considering where we were Monday night to where we are now Sunday morning, it's just been an incredible journey and a positive one this entire time. You know, seeing Damar Hamlin back on social media, it's just so awesome.

His doctor say he continues to make progress, remarkable progress, but he remains in critical condition. But you could see this in this picture, he had a big smile on his face in this FaceTime he posted on Instagram with Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin and rapper Meek Mill. This is the first time we've seen Hamlin in the hospital.

Now, Hamlin then also posted many of the tributes that he's been seeing saying the love is getting him through. We had two NFL games last night, and before both, they celebrated Hamlin's recovery.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At this time, the Raiders ask everyone to join us in a moment of support and love for Damar, and cheer for him and his family as they continue their fight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes, before the Jaguars and Titans' game all the players for both teams getting together at midfield on one knee to say a prayer for Hamlin. On the ESPN broadcast someone had the clever idea to flip the mic flags to turn the "E" into Hamlin's number 3. That was pretty cool.

And at both games there are obviously many signs in support for Hamlin. Many players wearing his jersey with others wearing the "Love for Damar" warm up shirts. Patrick Mahomes had his own custom Hamlin warm up hoodie made that had a pic of Hamlin with Hamlin strong on the back. And after his game Mahomes said all the positive news about Hamlin has really uplifted the players.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICK MAHOMES, QUARTER BACK, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: This week it's been hard for a lot of guys. But to have him being able to talk and being able to be with his family, it gave us that motivation that we can come out here and still enjoy this game that we all love. And hopefully, he can continue to get better and better and know that we're all still praying for him. We all send love to him. And hopefully, he's back on the field sooner than later.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes. And the Chiefs beat the Raiders to get one seed in AFC and a bye in the first round in that game of Jaguars beating Titans last night to win AFC south. They've got 14 more games today, Amara. You know, they plan on honoring Hamlin in all of those. The big one, of course, though it's going to be Buffalo, 1:00 Eastern, as the Bills host the Patriots.

And you know what? It would not surprise me if Hamlin records a special message to all the fans and they put that on the jumbotron before the game. You can only imagine how amazing a moment that's going to be.

WALKER: Oh, for sure. It must be so uplifting for him to just see so much support everywhere. Driving in this morning I saw a big digital image of his jersey outside the State Farm Arena. So, so much love and support for him. Good to see that. Andy Scholes, thank you.

Still ahead, we've got an update on the Virginia teacher who was allegedly shot by a six-year-old student. The latest on her condition and what we know about how this happened.

Plus, after days of rain and flooding people across California, and especially the northern part of the state are bracing for even more severe weather. We are tracking those storms ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:18:26]

WALKER: About 18 minutes past the hour. And guess what? My colleague Alex Marquardt joining us now from Washington. I heard that you had to battle some problems in the system --

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN ANCHOR: I made it.

WALKER: -- and you came out on top.

MARQUARDT: Yes. Minor technical snafu but better late than ever, right? I'm here now.

WALKER: I agree. MARQUARDT: Thank you so much for handling the last 18 minutes. You did a great job.

WALKER: I was lost without you, Alex. I'm glad you're here with us.

MARQUARDT: Couldn't tell.

WALKER: All right. Well, here are some of the top stories we are following this morning. According to Newport News police a teacher in Virginia school teacher, shot by a six-year-old student on Friday, is now in stable condition. The teacher identified by her alma mater as Abby Zwerner was previously in critical condition after the shooting.

MARQUARDT: On Friday, Zwerner and the student, who had the gun, were involved in an altercation, they say, when the student fired one shot hitting her. Police say that the shooting was not an accident. Richneck Elementary School will now be closed both Monday and Tuesday in the wake of the shooting, and that's according to the school's principal.

Now, this morning global outrage after the executions of two young men in Iran. One was a karate champion. The other, a volunteer children's coach. They were killed by the regime in connection with the nationwide protests that these demonstrations have swept the country after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, that was back in September. She was killed at the hands of Iran's morality police.

Mohammed Mehdi Karami and Seyed Mohammad Hosseini were hanged early Saturday morning, that's according to state affiliated media. The men allegedly took part in these anti regime protests last year.

[06:20:04]

They were convicted of killing an Iranian paramilitary force member in the Iranian capital of Tehran. Now, the human rights group Amnesty International they say that Hosseini was convicted in the same hearing as Karami and two other men. They were all sentenced to death. Amnesty is saying that the convictions relied on forced confessions.

The number of people known to have been executed in connection with these protests has now reached four. As many, however, as 41 more protesters have received death sentences in recent months. That's according to statements from both Iranian officials as well as Iranian media. But that number could be far higher.

WALKER: Well, today the first international flight to China since its reopening has arrived in the in the Chinese city of Guangzhou. Chinese -- China Southern Airline says the flight which departed from Toronto landed at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport just after midnight local time.

The flight was delayed for around two and a half hours for public safety reasons that was not clear whether this was because of COVID-19 restrictions in China. China dropped quarantine requirements for international arrivals from Sunday in a major step toward reopening its borders that have shut off the country from the rest of the world for nearly three years. As California braces for more rain, severe weather is already having an impact on that state. More than 540,000 people are without power across California as high winds and rain moved back in late last night.

MARQUARDT: And let's get right to CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar for a look at where the storms are now and where they're heading -- Allison.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right. Well, it's multiple waves that we're going to be dealing with in the next two or three days, and one of them is going to bring a significant amount of moisture.

You can see that first wave now starting to push its way in towards the Intermountain West and a new wave starting to form out of the open Pacific. Here is a look at all of the rainfall totals that we've had for some big cities just since the beginning of the year.

San Francisco Airport picking up over six inches, Sacramento over four, even Los Angeles picking up over two inches which under La Nina advisory it is very rare for southern California in a La Nina year to pick up significant amounts of moisture.

For today, the bulk of the rain is really going to be focused over northern and central portions of California before continuing to push into the Intermountain West. Because we are talking about a significant amount of rain on top of many inches of rain just over the last two weeks, we do have flood watches in effect. And you see for a lot of areas here totaling over 15 million people under just that watch alone.

As we push this forward, again, you start to see that second wave begin to enter as early as this evening, and it will continue through the day Monday and for some areas even into Tuesday as well before another round pushes in in the latter half of the week. Overall when we talk about additional rainfall amounts, you're talking widespread four to six inches. But there could be some places that could pick up as much as a foot of rain, which is why you also have risks for excessive flooding both Monday and Tuesday as well.

MARQUARDT: Just an extraordinary amount of precipitation. Allison Chinchar, we know you'll be watching that closely. Thank you so much.

CHINCHAR: Thanks.

MARQUARDT: Now, despite a proposed ceasefire Ukraine is reporting Russian missile strikes in the eastern Donetsk region. We'll be live in Kyiv with the latest. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:27:35]

MARQUARDT: Late yesterday, Ukrainian authorities say that Russia launched at least nine missile attacks and began artillery shelling in multiple regions of Ukraine that killed at least four people and injured at least 13 others. The attacks damaged businesses, residences, and a local government building, as well as networks that supply heat to an area in the eastern Donetsk region.

WALKER: Now, all of this after several explosions were reported throughout Ukraine only one hour before the 36-hour Russian proposed ceasefire for Orthodox Christmas was supposed to end. Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected the ceasefire proposal as a cover being used by the Russian to resupply and stop Ukrainian advances in the eastern Donbas region.

MARQUARDT: CNN's Scott McLean joins us now from Kyiv. Scott, tell us more about these Russian attacks.

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Alex, Amara, good morning. So, they came last night just after 11:00 local time. That's significant because this is literally just minutes after the end of Russia's unilaterally declared 36-hour ceasefire ended. Also, still Christmas day here in Ukraine.

Our team in eastern Ukraine, Ben Wedeman's team, heard several explosions, seven of them in total. And this morning they've been out to survey the damage. And they found some absolutely massive craters from those missile strikes.

One of them landed in a more industrial area, in the street near some garages, the other one, though, was right outside the front entrance of a high school. And there is -- windows blown out and plenty of debris really everywhere. But it didn't actually hit the building. It hit just outside of the building.

There were also missile strikes reported by local officials in Kharkiv region. One of them -- or two of them, I should say, hit an industrial facility where a 50-year-old man was killed. And Ukrainians say that throughout this 36-hour ceasefire period, there was plenty of incoming fire from the Russians. And, of course, the Ukrainians said that they were never going to observe this ceasefire to begin with, but there were some deadly consequences that came along with that.

One other thing to mention very quickly and that is that the Ukrainians also say that they struck a military base in Melitopol, that is deep inside Russian-held territory. Alex, Amara.

MARQUARDT: Yes. Strikes all up and down that front line hundreds of miles long. Scott, as you know, the U.S. just announced a multi- billion dollar military aid package for Ukraine, which includes for the first time these Bradley armored fighting vehicles.

[06:30:07]

What is the sense of the expectation of how that will impact the war in Ukraine's fight?

MCLEAN (on camera): Yes, so the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Jack Reed, was actually here again Kyiv just the other day. And he said that he believes that these Bradley fighting vehicles which will look a lot like tanks, but they're not as heavily armored as tanks will actually make a big difference in allowing the Ukrainians to push through the frontlines to break through and really exploit some new gains. But the Ukrainians, of course, have been asking for actual tanks as well. What they have gotten the similar fighting vehicles when the Germans and the French.

But the reason why the U.S. is hesitant to send tanks is because frankly, they got a lot of gas which makes it difficult to get fuel to the front lines. They also are very difficult to maintain. And so, perhaps they're more of a headache than they're actually worth at this stage. But they're hoping that the Bradleys will do for now that other countries will step up with their own tanks to send to the Ukrainians.

WALKER (on camera): All right, hopefully, they can make a good use out of them. Scott McLean, thank you very much.

And still to come this morning, we're learning a whole lot about the Royals from Prince Harry himself, including intimate details about his time in Afghanistan and how he felt around his mother's death. Up next, an inside look at his upcoming memoir and the fallout.

A quick programming note, "WHO'S TALKING TO CHRIS WALLACE?" returns for a new season of conversations with newsmakers. Hugh Jackman and James Cameron join Chris for the season premiere. You can catch their interviews tonight at seven right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:35:00]

WALKER: Prince Harry's much-awaited memoir, Spare, is set to hit shelves on Tuesday. Ahead of its release, the Duke of Sussex is sharing some of his memories about growing up in the Royal Family.

MARQUARDT: Many of his memories sent some British media outlets secured early copies of the book and they're already revealing bombshell details from it. CNN's Max Foster has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Leaked copies of Harry's memoirs, Spare, didn't fail to shock. The tabloids had a field day, from his scuffle with Prince William to pleading with Charles not to marry Camilla. The Daily Mail called Harry the prince of pettiness. The Sun claimed he was throwing his own family under a bus for millions of dollars. For Harry, the negative reaction would have been predictable. Since a tabloid first exposed his relationship with Meghan, he's been at war with the papers.

PRINCE HARRY, DUKE OF SUSSEX: I had no idea the British press was so bigoted. I didn't see what I now see.

FOSTER: For the latest revelation, his claim that he killed 25 insurgents and viewed video of these missions as a soldier in Afghanistan has created a backlash among some of his former comrades. The Telegraph Newspaper picked up this quote by Harry. "It seemed to be essential not to be afraid of that number. So, my number is 25. It's not a number that fills me with satisfaction, but nor does it embarrass me." He says he viewed these targets as chess pieces rather than people.

RICHARD KEMP, FORMER BRITISH ARMY COMMANDER IN AFGHANISTAN: The description he gave a British military training of training their soldiers to treat the enemy like not human beings, like chess pieces to be swept aside, I think that was -- not only was it wrong, but it also gives ammunition to jihadists who wants to carry out attacks, who wants to radicalize people and recruit them for their cause.

FOSTER: Harry served in the British Army for 10 years and completed two tours in Afghanistan. And as previously said, he did kill insurgents. The Taliban he wants fought against are now in power, and they've criticized his comments. "Mr. Harry, the ones you killed were not chess pieces, they were humans. They had families who are waiting for their return, " a senior official said.

From the serious to the salacious, Harry also describes losing his virginity in the book behind a pub to an older woman at the age of 17. And we learned he asked for a driver to recreate the journey his mother Princess Diana took through the tunnel twice in Paris where she died. That's according to an excerpt in People Magazine.

By his own admission, he may be oversharing, but that's what makes this book so remarkable. Royals never overshare. They barely say anything about their private lives at all.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: Max Foster, thank you for that. Joining me now is Royal Commentator Hilary Fordwich. I really appreciate you joining this morning. Look, I saw the Netflix documentary, first of all, which preceded the release of this memoir due out on Tuesday. That documentary was ostensibly about getting Harry and Meghan's side out, right, about why we love the Royal Family, how they felt Meghan was villainized by the paparazzi and the meda.

This memoir, I mean, just the stuff that's been leaked out, it is so incredibly intimate. Some might say TMI, a lot of salacious details about Harry's personal life. What do you think was the objective for this explosive tell-all memoir?

HILARY FORDWICH, ROYAL COMMENTATOR: Well, pleasure to be back with you again, Amara. A few things here. You asked many questions and a big picture. I actually covered their wedding for CNN. And for me one of the clips that you just showed and Max reported on where Prince Harry says, you know, from the very beginning the press was bigoted. Well, covering their wedding and up until then, absolutely not.

[06:40:11]

The people in Windsor, I mean, they were 15 deep cheering. There wasn't a whisper in the press. And even in that very own documentary, Piers Morgan was quoted as saying Meghan is going to be a rock star. So, there was immense support for them. I can't think of one example nor any of the correspondence around me, nobody even mentioned anything negative with them at all.

I think it's been the actions and what they've done since -- and their actions that actually the entire world has witnessed. We've watched them do it to themselves. So, my overriding feedback is it is so sad what they've squandered, which is their very high approval rating to where it is now.

And Prince Harry might say, oh, the palace leaks in the parry, and in that book he says that the palace spin -- spoon feeds the press. Well, they don't. I haven't been spoon-fed. Nobody else has been spoon-fed. We have witnessed and we have heard from their very own mouth things that are detrimental to themselves.

WALKER: Well, OK, but what about the claim -- and I want to talk more about the book but since you mentioned this in the documentary where they say that, you know, each Royal Family member has their own communications aids and they kind of pit them against each family member. I mean, that seems pretty vicious within a family. How much of that is true especially when it comes to framing stories to hurt one member of the Royal Family versus the other?

FORDWICH: You're right. It does sound very vicious. Well, I can tell you from reporting, and I'm sure there's no report you can find in the world that actually has been briefed something negative. And if you look at everything that's come out with regard to the book, the Netflix series, everything, have we heard one word formally from the palace? No. And there actually hasn't been anything that anybody can quote that's firsthand that they've said because why -- all we're doing is witnessing what Prince Harry is saying and he's saying all these things. So, it is unfortunately rather one-sided.

One thing I will say is that we don't hear publicly but that is being said and you can -- you can really see it on his faces that Prince Charles is on the outside coping very well, but anxious inside of the woods. And I will quote Jonathan Dimbleby who, of course, Prince Charles interviewed with who had said that, of course, he's saddened by this. And Prince Charles is a very gentle soul who wants to be reconciled with his son.

WALKER: OK. Well, that's good to hear. I just wanted to get back to the book's details though. Is there anything -- I can't ask you to pinpoint just one detail because there's so many, but you know, what are some bombshells that really stand out to you? I mean, for me, it was that scuffle between William and Harry, that physical confrontation they apparently had over Meghan.

FORDWICH: Well, Amara, I might beg to differ. I think that they are two young men -- how many young men brothers haven't had some fist- fuffle (ph), some kerfuffle during their lives. And of course, these are two military men. And actually, all the documentaries and anybody who's known them growing up, and I know a number of people who knew that growing up, this was their repertoire. They were competitive and they tumbled all the time. So, I don't do that actually as so outlandish.

I think the most dangerous, very serious without anybody's opinion factually, and you actually quoted it there from Max previously -- factually, what is very dangerous no pun intended a bomb shout from this book is his kill count because when you have the head of the Taliban actually responding to that -- Prince Harry has claimed that he left the Royal Family, one of the two reasons.

One was the privacy, but then moving to LA and hiring PR firms. And the second was for the safety of his family, which we can all relate to. I think many people will concern for him and his children. Now, there is danger. And not just him, to the Royal Family and to the other servicemen he served with. That is the biggest option.

WALKER: That's a strong point. Quickly, we do have to go, but I just wanted to ask you how much of a nightmare this is for the palace? And do you think the silence at some point will be broken?

FORDWICH: They are holding fast. They're trying to hold as a team. And the fact of that is you could see it at the Christmas caroling servers that Kate Middleton, the now Princess of Wales held, they all dressed in Burgundy. Why? They are sticking together. They are never complaining and never explaining at the moment. At some juncture, I think we will see, like the Queen uttered, recollections may vary. There may be a subtle, discreet, and very -- taking the high road comment. Yes.

WALKER: Hillary Fordwich, I appreciate the conversation. Thanks.

FORDWICH: Thank you, Amara.

WALKER: And hear the story behind the royal drama in an "ANDERSON COOPER 360 SPECIAL." The Harry Interview airs Monday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN.

MARQUARDT: It is one of the worst race massacres in American history. Today marks 100 years since the violence at Rosewood. Have descendants of survivors are honoring those who were killed? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:45:00]

WALKER: Today, families will gather in Florida to mark the anniversary of a terrible racist attack. 100 years ago, Rosewood, a thriving Black community, was terrorized and burned down.

MARQUARDT: Historians say that it happened after a white woman in a neighboring town claimed that a Black man who lived in Rosewood assaulted her. And for the next seven days, the Black residents there fled or were massacred. CNN National Correspondent Nadia Romero explains the lasting impact 100 years later.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Over the past few years, growing efforts to unearth the tragedies of racial terror against Black Americans by fighting for awareness and atonement. RAGHAN PICKETT, ROSEWOOD DESCENDANT: It was not a secret. So, we

always attended the family reunions, and it was something that was always shared.

[06:50:04]

ROMERO: Raghan Pickett says her whole life she's heard the dramatic tales of what happened in Rosewood, Florida in 1923. The town's Black residents under siege by an angry white mob after a white woman said she was assaulted by a Black man. Homes and businesses burned down, Black families lynched, targeted, and torn apart. One survivor described the horrific events for CBS 60 Minutes in 1983.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And then they killed my aunt, and then they killed my granddad. They made my granddad dug his hole, and they did have but one arm, but they made him dug his own grave. And he prayed and they shot him backwards into the grave.

ROMERO: Pickett's great-granduncle a survivor of Rosewood who fled to safety by train.

PICKETT: How many people actually died -- documented, we know seven people, but we know there had to be more. We didn't -- we don't really know exactly where everybody went.

ROMERO: Old newspaper articles speak of Negro homes raided and burned down. Those hiding in the woods fleeing the deadly white mob. Calling the lynchings and terrorization of the Black residents a "clash between Whites and Blacks, followed by a special grand jury failing to return indictments. Florida State University Professor Maxine Jones calls it an intentional whitewashing of history to hide the horrors of Rosewood.

MAXINE JONES, PROFESSOR, FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY: I think we should feel uncomfortable about certain aspects of our history, but this is our history.

ROMERO: In 1994, Florida Governor Lawton Chiles signed a bill to give $150,000 to survivors and scholarships to their descendants like Pickett who now heads college about 140 miles from where her family's history intersects with a painful past. Many saw the passing of the law as a big moment of reckoning.

JONES: I'm glad that the state of Florida acknowledge that Rosewood happened and decided to compensate the families. Again, you can't put a price on what these people lost, the generational trauma.

ROMERO: Two generations later, Jonathan Barry-Blocker, a descendant of a Rosewood survivor says his grandfather was separated from his family during the terror. Some family members were never reunited again, burying his painful memories by refusing to ever speak about what happened.

I didn't learn about his connection to Rosewood until I was 13 when the movie came out.

JONATHAN BARRY-BLOCKER, ROSEWOOD DESCENDANT: I was born and raised in Rosewood. This has my home.

ROMERO: The 1997 movie Rosewood.

BLOCKER: My father sat me down and informed us that -- or informed me that people may ask questions in light of this movie, and I didn't know why. And he said, well, your grandfather was involved in it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Colored folks own all the land around here, all the businesses too.

ROMERO: This movie the first time Blocker learned what he says had been haunting his grandfather.

BLOCKER: It wasn't a full recounting of events but the gist was someone lied, someone destroyed a whole community of lives. Someone actually caused people to lose lives violently and suffer violence. And I just thought that was unconscionable.

ROMERO: Blocker says his grandfather applied for compensation from the state but was denied because he couldn't prove he owned land in Rosewood. Fearing death, Blocker's grandfather, along with many of the other survivors, never returned to Rosewood and never reclaimed property and land. A loss back then still impacting their families today.

BLOCKER: Did we own land? Could we have owned land? Could we have amassed land? Could we have built wealth? What would that look like a generation or two generations down? What opportunities might we have pursued different than what we've pursued now? Might we be further along in our maybe generational goals?

ROMERO: Nadia Romero, CNN Atlanta.

WALKER: Yes, all the haunting question. Thank you, Nadia Romero, for that.

Still to come this morning. President Biden will soon make his first trip to the Southern Border as more and more migrants arrive and border cities. The strain its having on places like El Paso, Texas is just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARQUARDT: The final weekend of the NFL Season kicked off with two games yesterday in both Las Vegas and Jacksonville. Players and fans there showing their support for Damar Hamlin. Both games did have really big playoff implications.

WALKER: That's right. And Andy Scholes is back. Hi there, Andy. The Bills and their fans keeping a close eye on the Chiefs game.

SCHOLES (on camera): Yes, they certainly were, guys. You know, the Bills, they did have that inside track at being the number one seed in the AFC before their game with the Bengals was officially canceled. But, you know, since it was, all the Chiefs needed to do was beat the Raiders yesterday and they would earn that one seed and buy in the first round in AFC playoffs.

And the Chiefs just toying with the Raiders in this one. Look at that. at one point, they played Ring Around The Rosie before Patrick Mahomes would end up getting this ball back on this play. He would throw a touchdown to Kadarius Toney. The play was actually unfortunately called back for holding, but the Chiefs still want easily 31 to 13.

So, the Chiefs are the one seed, but since that Bills-Bengals game was canceled, if the Bills went today and then meet the Chiefs in the AFC title game, that game is going to played at a neutral site despite the Chiefs having that top seat.

The Jaguars, meanwhile, completing the journey of going from worst to first. Under three to go in this game against the Titans, Josh Allen gets his fumble recovery. He's going to take it for a touchdown to beat Tennessee 20 to 16 and win the AFC South Division. The Jags is the second team ever to start the season three and seven and end up making the playoffs. So, quite the turnaround for the fans there in Jacksonville, guys. We're going to know the entire playoff picture by the end of tonight.

WALKER: All right, exciting times. Andy, thank you so much. And the next hour of CNN THIS MORNING WEEKEND starts now.

MARQUARDT: Good morning and welcome to CNN THIS MORNING.