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U.S. House Speaker Stalemate; Benedict XVI Buried Following Funeral Mass; China to Reopen Border with Hong Kong on January 8; Russia Announces Truce with Ukraine for Orthodox Christmas; Prince Harry's Memoir "Spare." Aired 10-11a ET

Aired January 05, 2023 - 10:00   ET

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

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ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): That is the sound of outrage and despair as the fight over who will be the next speaker of

the U.S. House drags into its third day. We are live in Washington. Plus:

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GIOKOS (voice-over): Thousands of people came to see former Pope Benedict laid to rest. We take a look at his legacy within the Catholic Church.

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GIOKOS (voice-over): And, royal rivalry: Prince Harry's autobiography promises to open fresh rifts in his relationship with his brother, William.

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GIOKOS: I'm Eleni Giokos. Hello, welcome this is CONNECT THE WORLD. We are live from Dubai.

Will the seventh time be the charm to get a U.S. House Speaker and unblock the impasse that is paralyzing the government?

Well, you are looking live at the Capitol, where House members will return in just two hours and could try again to elect a new leader.

Kevin McCarthy, who wants the job, arrived at the Capitol a short time ago and reported progress after some late night bargaining. But after six

failed votes, it is still not clear if he can pull off a win. CNN's Lauren Fox has more on what is happening and what is at play.

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LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Chaos on the House floor after Congress adjourns for a second day without a speaker

elected.

REP. BRIAN FITZPATRICK (R-PA): One of our three branches of government is offline right now. That is a very dangerous thing for a country, it cannot

continue much longer.

FOX (voice-over): Representative Kevin McCarthy failed to secure the job after three more votes took place on Wednesday. The California Republican

now losing six votes in two days.

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA), MINORITY LEADER: I think it's probably best (INAUDIBLE).

QUESTION: Do you have a deal with those guys right now?

MCCARTHY: I've think there's a lot of progress.

FOX (voice-over): The failure to elect a speaker means members can't be sworn in, leaving Congress paralyzed until the standoff is resolved.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: I have never seen anything like this disrespect for the institution in a most cavalier, frivolous way.

It is quite sad.

FOX (voice-over): Twenty holdouts rally their support for Republican representative Byron Donalds.

REP. CHIP ROY (R-TX): For the first time in history, there have been two Black Americans placed into the nomination for Speaker of the House.

FOX (voice-over): Sources tell CNN McCarthy is continuing negotiations with the group of opposing lawmakers and met separately with freshman

holdouts.

REP. FRENCH HILL (R-AR): I am sure that there are some that might be no permanently. But Mr. McCarthy is not treating them that way. Everyone is

engaged in these meetings and discussions. He is open from hearing from all of them.

FOX (voice-over): Republican sources tell CNN that McCarthy proposed more concessions, one including a rules change, which will allow one member to

call for a vote to oust the Speaker, and to appoint more members from the Freedom Caucus to the rules committee, which dictates whether bills come to

the floor.

McCarthy might concede to a vote on a bill proposing term limits for members and a border security plan although, even with all of those

concessions, Republican sources say McCarthy would still not have enough votes.

REP. LAUREN BOEBERT (R-CO): Kevin McCarthy does not have 218 votes, Kevin McCarthy --

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And, you have 20?

BOEBERT: I ...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I asked you a very specific question --

(CROSSTALK)

BOEBERT: -- I will not withdraw, our asks were not petty of Kevin McCarthy, they were not self serving. We were simply asking for commitments

on what the American people want to see.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GIOKOS: Well, a big thank you to Lauren Fox, for walking us through all of that in her report.

Just a few moments ago, you heard Nancy Pelosi call the mayhem over her old job "quite sad," like she's ever seen before and President Biden says it is

embarrassing. Mr. Biden said he is obviously concerned about having a Congress which can function and at the disarray at the Capitol.

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GIOKOS: Mr. Biden will meet with his cabinet today and will focus on legislation passed during the first half of his term. For more, let's check

in with CNN's Jeremy Diamond at the White House.

How to describe this?

So much drama. Congress needs to begin again and the question is will they go for another vote?

Is there a possibility they will adjourn?

This is really whether or not McCarthy will have the votes walking into the room.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it is certainly a chaotic situation for Kevin McCarthy, despite the fact that he is

continuing to make these key concessions.

He still doesn't have a guarantee of being elected speaker, particularly, those four Republicans who seem to say, no matter what Kevin McCarthy does,

no matter what concessions he makes, they will not vote for him, which means McCarthy can only afford to lose -- can't afford to lose one other

member in order to be elected speaker.

Here at the White House, certainly they are licking their chops and eating popcorn, as they watch this chaos unfold on the Republican side. Sure, it

is problematic for the country, in terms of what they are able to get done.

But they are relishing the split screen moment of House Republicans, who have vowed to focus on investigating President Biden, his administration

and family, struggling to even get their own caucus together to be able to elect a speaker and actually move forward with those items and policy

agenda items that they would like to pursue as well.

Yesterday, what you saw was the split screen moment, where President Biden was on the road, alongside the top Republican in the Senate, minority

leader Mitch McConnell, taking somewhat of a bipartisan victory lap, touting new funding, which will build a new bridge and fix an ailing bridge

on the border between Ohio and Kentucky.

Talking about bipartisanship, touting his bipartisan track record, contrasting that with what House Republicans, the chaos they are currently

involved in and the things they have vowed to do.

I am told by White House officials that is a contrast that the White House not only invites but intends to drive home in the coming months, putting

the president on the road, trying to have him above the partisan fray, by talking about some of the bipartisan bills that were passed last year or

the year before.

They're actually being implemented right now, funding rolling out through the infrastructure bill, the CHIPS Act, which focuses on semiconductor

manufacturing, and also some of the provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act.

You will see that contrast increasingly play out. But you heard the president himself. He said, right now, Republicans not being able to elect

a speaker is embarrassing and, ultimately, not a good look for the country as the world watches.

GIOKOS: Yes. The optics are not great. Jeremy Diamond, thank you so much. Good to see you.

So some of the holdouts against McCarthy huddled this morning. This is still very much a cliff-hanger. His faultiness within the Republican Party

coming to the surface and I want to take a deeper look into this and take a deep dive with Republican strategist and CNN political commentator, we've

got Alice Stewart with us.

Six votes in two days. McCarthy has not been able to get a majority of the votes to be elected as speaker.

What is your read on this?

We have got two hours to go, this is the question I posed to Jeremy as well.

Are we going to see a seventh vote?

Will we see Congress adjourned once again?

Because McCarthy has made it clear, he is willing to make concessions but will that be enough?

ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, that is the big question, Eleni. What I'm hearing from Republicans is that there was great success

last night in terms of McCarthy negotiating with the holdouts, as well as this morning.

The Freedom Caucus itself is also meeting this morning to hash out some details. But the concern is, no matter how much Kevin McCarthy meets with

these holdouts in what is being called the chaos caucus and continuing to offer concessions, as Lauren outlined at the top of the show, it is really

weakening the position of speaker.

And it's putting all of the power in the Freedom Caucus. That is a concern for the moderate Republicans and the mainstream faction of the Republican

Party. They are frustrated that you have 10 percent of the conference dictating terms for 90 percent of the conference.

Here is the way this works. You have rational, moderate Republicans and this fringe element of the Freedom Caucus. They are not operating in good

faith. They continue to ask McCarthy for concessions but also they are saying they are not going to vote for him regardless.

So there is a concern that this is an exercise in futility, that, no matter what he continues to give, they will not go his way. And Republicans I am

speaking with are frustrated with the fact.

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STEWART: Here we have Republicans fighting amongst themselves, when they need to be fighting with President Biden and Democrats.

While there is so much focus on what is being done on the floor of the House, they are also concerned about what is not being done, with regard to

domestic issues, such as inflation, the economy, as well as crime and also, international issues like securing the border, oversight on Ukraine funding

as well as a belligerent China.

That work is not getting done because of the infighting right now.

GIOKOS: Yes, exactly. And I mean, you know, a united Republican Party is what they should be focused on. As we say, the optics aren't great on this.

Texas Republican Chip Roy, one who voted against McCarthy, said he could get 10 holdouts to come along.

You just alluded to this, that, no matter what concessions McCarthy makes, there are many who do not want to vote for him.

So if not McCarthy, then who?

Are we looking at new nominations?

STEWART: That is the possibility. Look, you mentioned Chip Roy. He is someone who is bringing viable solutions to the table. He is really being

lumped in with Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert, who are showboating this for their own personal gain and personal grievances against McCarthy.

Chip Roy has viable solutions that he wants addressed. And he is having truthful negotiations with McCarthy. In the absence of progress on that,

there have been names put forth, of someone who actually could bring the party together.

We have Louisiana congressman Steve Scalise, who is someone who works well with all factions of the Republican Party. He also works across the aisle

with the Democrats. His name has been mentioned but he's keeping it close to the vest.

He is strongly standing behind Kevin McCarthy and is not going out to advocate or advertise for himself as speaker. Quite frankly, with as much

turmoil as there is right now in the GOP, it's not only a thankless job, many say no thanks. They would not want this speaker position right now

with the factions going on with the party.

But Steve Scalise is someone many do believe would be able to get the necessary votes for a Republican to be Speaker of the House.

GIOKOS: Well, we will see what happens in the next two hours. I'm sure we will have more to talk about in the coming days. Alice Stewart, thank you

for your insight, great to see you.

STEWART: Great to see you as well.

GIOKOS: The consecration of a life of service and a legacy, clouded by controversy. Former Pope Benedict XVI was laid to rest a short time ago,

following a funeral mass attended by tens of thousands of mourners in St. Peter's Square, take a look.

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GIOKOS (voice-over): The service marked the first occasion in modern times that saw a pope presiding over the funeral of his predecessor.

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GIOKOS (voice-over): Pope Francis led the service and a moment of silence for Benedict. Pope Benedict was the first pontiff in almost 600 years to

resign his position. He died Saturday in Vatican City, at the age of 95. CNN's Fred Pleitgen now joins us from Vatican City.

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GIOKOS: Fred, a final farewell to Pope Benedict. And as we said, a deviation from previous popes' funerals, in that the sitting pope is

presiding over this.

What did you see today?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: yes, that was something that made the whole thing even more special, more remarkable. You

were noting it was one of the first -- the first time in modern history, a sitting pope presided over the funeral of his predecessor.

If you look at Pope Francis today, on St. Peter's Square, though, he was presiding over the funeral but much of it was actually the mass carried out

by the dean of the college of cardinals.

However, Pope Francis did get up at various times. Of course, he is dealing with health issues, a knee issue, he is in a wheelchair. But he got up at

various times and did speak. Also, he led the moment of silence as well.

He praised Pope Benedict, his life and, of course, also all of the things that Pope Benedict had done for the Catholic Church. Of course, Pope

Francis and Pope Benedict have been in the Vatican, side by side.

However, they have been very much in sync on a lot of issues. You could really feel the warmth coming from Pope Francis as he spoke about his

predecessor.

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PLEITGEN: And of course, the square over here, St. Peter's Square was really an imposing scene. Certainly this mass was carried out exactly the

way that Pope Benedict would have wanted it. He had said he wanted a more humble ceremony to take place.

We recall, in 2005, when John Paul II was laid to rest, there were over 1 million people in and around the area of St. Peter's Square. Of course,

many made the pilgrimage here, especially people from Poland. This time, a more humble affair but nevertheless, one that did carry a lot of weight.

The latest we have heard and seen here from the Vatican, is that the casket with the body of Pope Benedict XVI has now been brought to its final

resting place in the crypt underneath the Vatican.

There was another ceremony there; the casket was sealed, they are actually three coffins in total, a cypress coffin that the pope is actually laying

in, placed into a zinc coffin, then into a wooden coffin.

That is then let down into the crypt. We have received some video from the Vatican a couple of minutes ago, showing that process taking place. Pope

Benedict XVI has now found his final resting place.

And of course, a lot of people here on this square came here to pay their final respects, the biggest delegations, official delegations coming from

Italy. But then also, Germany. A lot of people did make the pilgrimage from Germany specifically, from his homeland in Bavaria, which he was very much

attached to for his entire life, Eleni.

GIOKOS: Fred Pleitgen, thank you very much for those insights, much appreciated.

And, in the next hour, we will be speaking to cardinal Vincent Nichols, archbishop of Westminster. That's all coming up.

And Hong Kong residents line up to get vaccinated. This is after China announces changes to its pandemic border rules. We have a live report from

Hong Kong just ahead.

Also, we will check in at the hospital which is treating the NFL player who suffered cardiac arrest on the field. What his team is saying about his

recovery, that's all in just a moment.

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GIOKOS: China says it will reopen its border with Hong Kong starting Sunday, nearly three years after it was largely closed. Hong Kong residents

rushed to get vaccinated ahead of the opening.

The shift comes after Beijing suddenly dismantled COVID controls following nationwide protests. On Sunday, China also plans to drop quarantine

requirements for international arrivals. They also plan to scrap other restrictions in place since the start of the pandemic. CNN's Ivan Watson

now joins us live from Hong Kong with the details.

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GIOKOS: Three years of people basically being unable to cross between mainland and Hong Kong. Things are about to change in just a few days.

How are people responding to this?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Hong Kong government announced they basically will ration, they will give quotas to

the people who can travel across that boundary between Mainland China and Hong Kong; 60,000 people can go in either direction.

They will be limited to those who can go through three lane checkpoints and those who can travel by plane to Hong Kong airport or by ferryboat or by a

special bridge, which has been constructed in recent years.

There are also restrictions, such as travelers, the Hong Kong government says they need to get pre-journey negative COVID tests before they can make

the trip. A lot of countries around the world, a growing number of governments have imposed similar requirements.

Beijing does not like it but we have not heard any criticism of what Hong Kong's government is doing, part of China itself. In the meantime the

Chinese government says that the COVID situation within China is under control. Even those scientists are predicting that the infections, the

outbreak are likely to get much, much worse.

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WATSON (voice-over): Hospital hallways crowded with sick people, patients treated on sidewalks and lines of vans waiting for entry to busy funeral

homes. A huge COVID-19 outbreak is battering China.

The surge coming more than three years after the virus was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Chinese state television says medical workers

are stepping up to meet the challenge.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We have expanded the award, added more beds. We brought in experienced doctors to work with the young

ones to get them up to speed quicker.

WATSON (voice-over): But social media footage shows hospitals in China's wealthiest cities clearly inundated with patients. And a recent Chinese

study projects infections will not surge in less developed, rural parts of the country, until later this month.

Officially, as of Thursday, only 24 people in all of China died from COVID- 19 since December 7th, according to China's CDC, with only six COVID victims in Beijing.

ZHANG, BEIJING RESIDENT (from captions): That is totally ridiculous and not credible, you know, my closest relatives, among them, four -- there are

four that died already. That is from one family. So I hope the government will honestly and credibly tell its people and people in the world what is

really happening here.

WATSON (voice-over): Last month, CNN journalists filmed bodies stored in containers, awaiting cremation at one Beijing funeral home. The World

Health Organization criticizing China for underrepresented the severity of its outbreak and not sharing enough real data on the scale of the outbreak.

DR. MICHAEL RYAN, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: We believe the current numbers being published from China underrepresent the true impact of the

disease in terms of hospital admissions, in terms of ICU admissions, particularly in terms of deaths. We would like to see more data, on a more

geographic basis across China.

WATSON (voice-over): Beijing's decision to allow citizens to travel internationally, ending years of self imposed isolation, just as the virus

spreads out of control, has triggered a global debate.

A growing number of governments imposing travel restrictions, ranging from the U.S., which requires preflight COVID tests, to Morocco, which

temporarily banned all travel from China.

Beijing is now threatening reciprocal measures. The growing international dispute of little concern to Chinese families that are struggling with the

sudden loss of loved ones. Some statistical models predict China could lose more than 1 million people due to COVID-19.

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WATSON: Eleni, you have asked how are people here in Hong Kong reacting to the internal boundary opening up with Mainland China. I do think the Hong

Kong economy has taken a real beating over the course of the last three years from being cut off from Mainland China as well as for many years the

rest of the world.

So the tourism sector here, luxury goods, the amusement parks, they would welcome a huge mainland Chinese market coming in.

On the flip you have over the counter pharmaceuticals, drugs for things like fever, colds, they have been all bought up before the mainland Chinese

came here because of a huge demand, the huge numbers of sick people on the other side of the boundary.

I saw that first-hand when I tried to find some fever and cold medicine for my daughter. The pharmacy said it had all been sold off. That goes a step

further with the international debate.

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WATSON: Countries like Thailand, New Zealand, they want Chinese visitors to help their economies; whereas other countries, like Sweden and Germany,

just today have announced that they want testing before Chinese travelers can come to their territory. Eleni.

GIOKOS: As you are saying, an uncertain period, without having all of the data at hand according to the WHO. Thank you so much, Ivan Watson, much

appreciated.

The Buffalo Bills say that Damar Hamlin is showing signs of improvement. Hamlin remains sedated and in critical care, more than two days after he

suffered a cardiac arrest during Monday night football.

CNN has learned that Hamlin's father spoke to the entire Bills team over Zoom on Wednesday. He lifted their spirits by telling them that Damar is

improving.

The NFL's chief medical officer says the league is investigating every possible cause for what happened. CNN's Adrienne Broaddus is outside of the

hospital for us, in Cincinnati.

Encouraging to hear that he is showing signs of improvement.

What more do we know?

ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, that is the news that fans and everyone watching this story wanted to hear. It is important to

underscore, we have not officially heard from Damar Hamlin's doctors or hospital representatives who are caring for him.

I did speak with the director of communications here at the hospital yesterday. She wanted to inform me that the hospital staff would not be

speaking at this time to the media. Likely, this is due to HIPAA and privacy concerns.

But we do know that Hamlin is still here at the hospital, in the intensive care unit, still listed in critical condition. When I last spoke with his

uncle, he shared with me that his nephew was turned over on his stomach. He explained this was a position that the doctor said would help relieve that

pressure from his lungs.

He is on a ventilator. The next step, according to the nephew, was to get Damar Hamlin breathing on his own. We do not know where the medical team

caring for Hamlin is at right now in regards to that process.

However, one of his close friends, someone he played with during high school, Rodney Thomas II, stopped by the hospital to visit him in person.

Here is what he had to say.

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RODNEY THOMAS II, DAMAR'S FRIEND: Just keep putting prayer, thought, whatever you do, just keep putting all of that energy toward him, toward

his mom and dad, his family. They are the ones that need it right now.

When he walks out of here and he sees the support he has had, the impact that he has had, it's going to be a real special day. He will be able to

continue and even further, be able to influence and impact (INAUDIBLE) place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROADDUS: That is a day that Damar's family and the nation, quite frankly, are waiting to see. The family spokesperson, Jordon Rooney, told me this

community has really wrapped its arms around Damar's parents, so much so they've had to turn away some food donations.

Outside of the hospital, we have seen fans here. Some came to pray, because they believe in the power of prayer. Others just stopping by to leave words

of encouragement, words of hope and healing.

At the corner, leading to the hospital, there is what I like to call a get well soon corner. And there is a single golden balloon, showcasing the

number 3, which is what Damar wears on the field. Back to you.

GIOKOS: Overwhelming support. Thank you so very much, Adrienne, for that insight. Good to see you.

Still ahead on CNN, despite two days of voting, Kevin McCarthy is nowhere close to getting his dream job as the next House Speaker.

Will Republicans rally around him today?

We go live to Capitol Hill.

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GIOKOS: Welcome back, I'm Eleni Giokos in Dubai, you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD.

Russia has just announced a truce in Ukraine for Friday and Saturday to allow people to celebrate orthodox Christmas. This follows a call by the

Russian orthodox church in Moscow for a 36 hour Christmas truce in the war.

Patriarch Kirill said it would allow orthodox people to attend services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Scott McLean is in Kyiv for us this hour.

Scott, big news; a truce for orthodox Christmas announced just minutes ago, something we have been hearing over the past few hours, in fact, that it

was put on the table. We now have clarity that there will be a cease-fire.

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, yes, this is what the Russian side of the equation is saying. As you mentioned the Russian orthodox church,

the head of the orthodox church, has called for the cease-fire to begin tomorrow, which is orthodox Christmas Eve at noon and then run for the rest

of the day.

And then all of Christmas Day, the day after tomorrow, January the 7th, right up until midnight on the 8th. Now it seems like the Kremlin is

supportive of that call for a cease-fire as you mention.

This statement we are just getting out, based on the fact that a large number of citizens professing orthodoxy live in the combat areas, we call

on the Ukrainian side to declare a cease-fire and give them the opportunity to attend services on Christmas Eve as well as the day of the nativity of

Christ.

So the Russians say they will have a cease-fire. Now the ball is with the Ukrainians waiting for their response. The timing here is interesting

because today is also the day, Eleni, where you had Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan working the phones, trying to get something even more

ambitious than this, really.

He spoke earlier with Russian president Vladimir Putin and urged him to unilaterally declare a cease-fire and also open the door to peace talks.

Obviously, you have this temporary cease-fire.

But I think Erdogan was hoping for something a little bit more long lasting. The Kremlin put out an earlier statement, saying, look, we are

open to these peace talks but the Ukrainians would have to agree to our demands to begin with them, which is to recognize that the territorial

lines have changed right now.

Essentially calling on the Ukrainians to recognize the parts of Ukraine that the Russians have already seized, which seems pretty unlikely at this

stage. Erdogan also spoke with Zelenskyy, offering his services to try to broker any kind of a peace deal, as he has been doing over the last couple

of months. Eleni.

GIOKOS: Yes. Thank you so much for that, Scott. We are now waiting to hear from the Ukrainian side on whether they accept the cease-fire for

Christmas. We will bring you an update on that story as it develops.

It is a simple question of math. Kevin McCarthy needs 218 votes from his Republican Party to become the next Speaker of the House. But he has fallen

short of that magic number, even after six votes over the past two days.

Some 20 hardliners in his own party have been holding firm, despite major concessions from McCarthy. This morning he told reporters he is thinking

that he is making progress.

[10:35:00]

GIOKOS: CNN's Melanie Zanona has been following the drama, the chaos from Capitol Hill. She now joins me live.

With 1.5 hours to go before Congress resumes, you have been hearing McCarthy speaking out about what concessions they have been making.

What is he willing to put on the table?

What else can he concede, what else can he give up?

MELANIE ZANONA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's been a furious number of negotiations over the last 24 hours. Kevin McCarthy was huddling with some

of his critics and supporters last night.

He did make an offer to some holdouts last night. We reported first at CNN one of the big things he has agreed to is allowing any single member to

call for a vote on toppling the sitting speaker. That is a major concession.

He previously said that was a red line for him, he would not budge on the issue. Essentially, he would negotiate away his authority. His critics

going forward could use that as a cudgel over his head.

Also, we are told he has agreed to put more conservative members on the House Rules Committee. That is a committee which has sway over which bills

come to the floor, how they come to the floor. It is important. That is something conservatives have really been pushing for.

He's also made an agreement to have some votes on a number of bills, that some of the holdouts have been pushing for, including on imposing

congressional term limits and a bill about the border.

And prior to that offer, there was also another breakthrough announced, that his PAC would not spend money in open primary in open seat districts.

So that's another thing conservatives were worried about.

They don't want McCarthy and the leadership to be able to spend money to try to defeat conservatives in primaries. So we've gotten a real glimpse of

just how far Kevin McCarthy is willing to go in his quest for power.

The question is, will it be enough?

That is still very much up in the air. Kevin McCarthy is currently in his Capitol office, meeting with some of his supporters. Meanwhile, the

holdouts are meeting themselves, to go over the offer and see if there is a path forward.

So we will see what happens today, whether they will be additional votes, whether they will need more time. Eleni.

GIOKOS: Yes, whether it will adjourn again. Interesting times, Melanie Zanona, thank you so much.

Just ahead, a new revelation in the royal rift between Prince Harry and the Prince of Wales, details from London, next.

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GIOKOS: A new accusation could add to the royal rift rocking the House of Windsor. Prince Harry claims his brother, the Prince of Wales, knocked him

to the floor during an argument over Meghan Markle back in 2019. That is according to "The Guardian." The U.K. newspaper says it has seen an

advanced copy of Prince Harry's memoir, "Spare."

[10:40:00]

GIOKOS: CNN has requested its own copy of the book from the publisher. At the same time, Kensington Palace, Buckingham Palace and a spokesperson for

Harry and Meghan have all declined our requests for comment.

I want to bring in CNN's royal correspondent, Max Foster, live from London.

Explosive details from what we are hearing contained in Harry's new book. Thus far, no comment from the palace.

How significant is this information, Max?

MAX FOSTER, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT: No one is denying it, either, are they? So you know, we go on what is there. Very personal details about very

intimate moments, crucial turning points within the royal family.

We are not getting anything from Prince William. So this is very much Prince Harry's point of view, describing how an argument started in

Kensington Palace, William being very critical of Meghan, saying she was difficult, abrasive.

The arguing went inside and ultimately Harry sort of grabbed -- William grabbed Harry's collar, broke his necklace and he fell to the ground and

hurt himself on dog bowl. Harry later -- says later William came around and tried to apologize.

A lot of people say that these are two brothers, probably competitive. Often arguments. We should not read too much into it. But I think Harry is

using this as an example of his struggle, living this existence where he was number two to Prince William.

Other people also say, that's the reality of living within the monarchy. If you have an issue with the monarchy, a monarchy can't survive without a

hierarchy like this. So we will really wait to see the whole book, what Harry tries to get out of it.

It seems to be a general commentary on how he was unhappy about being a spare. I have to say, Eleni, two other papers have appeared to get hold of

copies as well, so revelations are coming thick and fast.

GIOKOS: Look, you know, taking a macro view here, we just had a docuseries released, this book is now being released. One wonders what this will do to

really tense relations between Harry and Meghan and William and Kate.

What are you reading into this?

I think if you go to social media, everyone has an opinion. But I guess the reality is somewhere in the middle of all of this.

FOSTER: Yes, it is damaging. This is the British monarchy. And King Charles is head of state, in more than a dozen countries around the world.

Any sort of criticism of William particularly, stains on his character will carry forward to when he is the monarch as well.

So it is damaging. But Harry says, this is his fundamental point, he does not want to feel part of an institution, he wants to feel part of a family.

So he is speaking about things families talk about but they don't normally talk about them in such a public way, do they.

I think it will be very hard for William to make up with Harry now, not just because I am sure that he is hurt but the concern, that anything he

says to Harry will end up in the public domain. I think that is the main issue here.

I think there will probably be an invite to Harry and Meghan for the coronation and we will wait and see whether or not Harry accepts that. But

it does seem he won't at the moment, unless there is some sort of building upon this relationship.

GIOKOS: Max Foster, thank you very much for those insights, always good to see you.

We are going to a very short break. We will be back right after this, stay with CNN.

[11:00:00]

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