top of the hour. you are watching cnn. i'm brooke baldwin. two days after his death, senator john mccain's final words have now been released to quote the association he treasured the most, his fellow americans. just a short time ago, his former campaign manager read a letter from the war hero, presidential nominee, father of seven. he died saturday from brain cancer at the age of 81. they are words of pride, power, and also the belief of a promise of better days ahead. >> these are john's words. my fellow americans whom i have gratefully served for 60 years and especially my fellow

arizonians, thank you for the privilege of serving you and for the rewarding life, the service in uniform, and in public office, has allowed me to lead. i tried to serve our country honorably. i have made mistakes but i hope my love for america will be weighed favorably against them. i have often observed that i am the luckiest person on earth. i feel that way even now, as i prepare for the end of my life. i have loved my life, all of it. i have had experiences, adventures, friendships enough for ten satisfying lives, and i am so thankful. like most people, i have regrets. but i would not trade a day of my life in good or bad times for the best day of anybody else's. i owe the satisfaction to the love of my family, one man has never had a more loving wife or

children he was prouder of than i am of mine. and i owe it to america to be connected to america's causes, liberty, equal justice, respect for the designate it ignity of . brings hopeness more sub lime than life's fleeting pleasures. our identities and sense of worth are not circumstance up scribed but are enlarged by serving good causes bigger than ourselves. fellow americans. that association has many more to me than any other. i lived and died a proud american. we are citizens the world's greatest republic, a nation of ideals, not blood and soil. we are blessed and are a blessing to humanity when we uphold and advance those ideals at home and in the world.

we have helped little bit rate more people from tyranny and poverty than ever before in history. and we have acquired great wealth and power in the progress. we weaken our greatness when we confuse our patriotism with tribal rivalries that have sown resentment and hatred and violence in all corners of the globe. we weaken it when we hide behind walls rather than terry tear them down when we doubt the power of our ideals rather than trust them to be the great force for change they have always been. we are 325 million opinionated vociferous individuals. we argue and compete, and sometimes even vilify each other in our raucous public debates. but we have always had so much

more in common with each other than in disagreement. if only we remember that and give each other the benefit of the presumption that we all love our country, we will get through these challenging times. we will come through them stronger than before. we always do. ten years ago, i had the privilege to concede defeat in the election for president. i want to end my farewell to you with heart felt faith in americans that i felt so powerfully that evening. i feel it powerfully still. do not despair of our present difficulties. we believe always in the promise and greatness of america because nothing is inevitable here. americans never quit. we never surrender. we never hide from history. we make history. farewell fellow americans. god bless you. and god bless america.

>> jared kushner's own words. let's go to phil mattingly, covered mccain up on capitol hill. our congressional correspondent. i was listening to that and i was reading, so this is from dana, from mark salter. i was wondering you know at what point would senator mccain have thought to have written those words. john salter told me early spring he wanted a statement issued postmortem. we discussed what he wanted to say, did a draft. he took a cull couple of things out, added a few lines and i put it in a drawer until the time came. phil. >> brooke, i think it's important to note with the senator particularly over the course of the last year is how keenly aware he was of the moment he was in and the legacy he wanted to leave. obviously he also wrote a book with mark salter which people have been quoting over the last 24 to 48 hours. there was also that poignant speech on the senate floor where he basically said my friends we

are getting nothing done, we are getting nothing done a call to arms for the senate to move away from the divisive nature which move back to a time where people could come across the aisle and work. disagree, no question about it but try to figure out a path forward. it is a one of those things that i have noticed how deeply affected members of the senate has been. everyone knew this was coming. yet and still there are tears, hilarious stories, and also a recognition of as one senator put it to me, the bigness that was jared kushner in this instituti institution, a recognition of what the u.s. senate represents has sometimes devolved into pettiness and pure partisan fighting. it's bigger than that and that's what jared kushner represented. in the days ahead you will see a mix of traditional and deeply personal. when the senate opens, the senator's desk will have a black

drape and white roses on it. senator ryan will give personal remarks about senator mccain. and as we have been reporting about the funeral arrangements, a who's who. joe biden, democrat, close friend to john mccain. will speak at his arizona service. paul ryan, mcconnell, others were speak obviously the service here in d.c. at the national cathedral, president obama, former president bush. two senators will give remark as well. and his final resting place at the national naval academy. and he will be buried next to his best friend, form her classmate and in the institution that he revered and hold so dearly in his hear, the u.s. naval academy. >> phil mattingly we will look for all of that when the senator opens in less than an hour now.

the nation will spend a week paying tribute to senator john mccain, a survivor of torture. he couldn't raise his arms because of the wounds he suffered as prisoner of war. for decades he excelled at reaching across the aisle even in these times arguably the most difficult period in modern political history. as the country honors the fallen senator the white house stands glaringly out of line with the nation in mourning. today the flag there at the white house back at full staff. meantime over at the u.s. capitol, the flag today is at half staff. plus multipat multiple opportun today the president failed to mention a thing about the passing of john mccain. >> thank you. >> any thoughts on john mccain, sir? >> mr. president -- >> thank you very much,

everybody. >> mr. president, do you have any thoughts on john mccain? do you have any thoughts on john mccain? do you believe john mccain is hero? >> let's go, keep moving. >> thank you. >> time to go. >> press, let's go. we're finished. >> thank you very much, everybody. appreciate it. thank you. thank you. >> does the american legion asked you to lower the flag to half staff? any reaction to the american legion? any reaction to the american legion can go asking you to make a proclamation to john mccain? what would you say about john mccain? >> let's go. out. >> let's go to the white house and jeremy diamond. jeremy 0 for 3 at least on opportunities with cameras in the president's face. nothing. what's with the disconnect at the white house. >> we are actually now at 0 for 5, brooke. on five separate occasions today the president was asked about senator john mccain, given an opportunity to offer his tribute

to the long-serving senator, former prisoner of war, american hero in the eyes of many. and the president declined to answer those questions, ignoring them instead, staying silent as senator mccain's name was mentioned time and again during multiple press opportunities just today. the president has yet to say anything, in fact, about senator john mccain. he put out a tweet after the senator's passing offering his symposium sympathies to mcgregor cane's family. but that is all we have heard from the president, all that we have heard from this white house as it relates to the president to senator mccain's passing. the president's drawer, ivanka trump is willing to call john mccain an american hero and in fact did so just today. >> i want to extend my deepest sympathies to the family of senator john mccain, an american patriot who served our country with distinction for more than

six decades. the nation is united in its grief, and the world mourns the loss of a true hero and a great statesman. >> that comment, brooke, is particularly striking when you think about the fact that president trump has yet to ever call john mccain an american hero after he during early in the 2016 presidential campaign said that he did not believe mccain was a hero because of the fact that he had been captured in vietnam. of course john mccain was captured in vietnam and was in prison for more than five years, tortured, suffering some of the worst torture at the hands of the vietnamese at the time. the white house not commenting on this matter. they also haven't responded as of yet to a letter from two republican and democratic leaders in the senate, senator chuck schumer and senator mitch mcconnell who requested that department of defense resources be allocated to allow flags on

federal buildings to be lowered to half staff. at of yet, the white house flag remains at full staff right now. >> you heard the question shouted a the president, on behalf of the american legion, please lower the flag to half staff. still we see it flying high. coming up next, pope francis refusing to respond to calls for his resignation after a former archbishop very publicly accused him of turning a blind eye to a cardinal that he knew had abused children. more on that also ahead. the president making a new trade deal with mexico to replace nafta. but canada so far left out it. we will break down what's in the grooel agreement and the significance of what canada can play. and at any moment melania trump will be hosting an each on the south loun at the white house. we are expecting her to say a few words at the tree planting ceremony. what might she share? she tweeted about john mccain,

the war hero, what might she say about that which clearly the in stark contrast to the actions of her husband. you are watching cnn i'm brooke baldwin. ♪ ♪

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pope francis is refusing to address a call for his resignation as he grapples with the sex abuse scandal playing the catholic church. carlo maria vigano wrote a lengthy letter in which he claims the pope knew five years ago about conduct involving a d.c. cardinal but did nothing about it. when asked about the letter, this is what pope francis shared with reporters. i'll read it for you. he says i will not say a single word about this. i believe the statement speaks

for it self and you have the sufficient journalistic ability to mick your conclusions. it's an act of trust. the pope also says he may speak on issue at a later date. father edward beck is our religion kmep tater. nice to have you back on. thinking of survivors ever this abuse they would obviously say a later date is not sufficient. why do you think the pope is not being more forceful about these allegations? >> certainly w this letter, brooke, the writer obviously has a vendetta against this pope and other paroleates that he names in the letter. you may remember that this is the archbishop who put kim davis that county clerk from kentucky who refused to sign a same sex license for a photo op with the pope making it seem as though the pope agreed with her. he was relieved then, by pope francis of his position in

washington as the ambassador to washington after that incident. this particular archbishop, very right wing, has had a vendetta against this pope for some time. so many -- if you read this letter, this 11-page letter, his accusations are not sourced. there is no evidence given. so when the pope was asked to respond on the plane to it, he simply said, look, you are reporters, if you do your job, you will see why i'm not responding. in other words, it doesn't really deserve the dignity of a response. >> of a response. >> at least at this point. >> okay. do you think still, though, the question remains, didn't speak about it in any lengthy way, if at all in ireland. what do you think -- why suspect he addressing this head on? >> well, i think, again, he certainly talked about abuse in ireland and apologized for abuse. he spoke about it in almost

venue that he was. with this particular accusation that you knew about cardinal mccarrick and the accusations against cardinal mccarrick of abusing minors and seminarians and priests, that he hasn't spoken on. i think we will see him probably eventually speak on it, but remember he did accept the resignation of mccarrick from the college of cardinals. and he banished him from doing any ministry. john paul ii pope never did that. this pope did that when faced with the allegations of cardinal mccarrick. the question is, when did he know? and who told him? and all of those particulars have yet to come out. i don't think the pope is going to speak about those until there are more details that he would know about it. >> last question quickly, what does it say about divisions within the catholic church? >> it is really fierce right now, brooke. there is this right wing segment of the church that is trying to blame all this on a gay lobby or

a gay conspiracy in the church. this archbishop, vigano, has been utterly anti-gay in all that he has written. you will note that the 11-page letter doesn't talk much about the victims of sexual abuse. it talks about those who enabled the gay lobby and he names those who he thinks are sympathetic to the gay lobby. this is an issue of right versus left, those who want to bring fansis down and those who believe he is making great strides in many areas for the church. i think we are going to continue to see this play out. people are saying it could lead to split in the church. that remains to be seen. >> father beck, thank you. >> thank you, brooke. coming up next, president trump just announced a new trade deal with mexico to replace what he referred to as the nipoff that was nafta. and the mexican president joined him on speaker phone to propose a toast to celebrate.

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we are back. you are watching cnn. i'm brooke baldwin. we are following this breakthrough in trade today between the u.s. and mexico.

there was a joint conference with the mexican president to change parts of the nafta free trade deal starting with the name. >> we are going to call it the united states/mexico trade agreement. we are going to get rid of nafta. it has a bad connotation. i will be terminating the existing deal and go into this deal. we will nert with canada. they want to start. they want to negotiate veried aboutly. one way or another we will have a deal with canada. >> president trump called the nafta deal between the u.s. mexico and canada the worst trade pact deal in history. up until now president trump and the mexican president have been trying to overcome the hurdle of reaching a deal. joining us now, katherine pampel. you have an interesting theory

as to why the president first went to mexico instead of having the three countries working at once. >> technically, the president is not authorized to do bilateral deals with canada or mexico. congress has the final say. i think it dates back to his days as a business man. >> dealing with one company at a time. >> right. you are sitting across from somebody at the table, and you know what you want, and you kind of know what they want and you can horse trade. having more than two parties complicates things a lot. it is harder to hold the different priorities in your head. i think that's why he is going after the bilateral negotiations with nafta and also the dealings in asha. >> krista preland, i know she is going to have a chat with the president -- presumably the president at the white house tomorrow. so far, canada is hanging out in the cold.

do you think in the end they will all per congress come together to be part of the deal. >> if there is going to be something that replaces nafta at least under current law it has to involve all three countries. whether canada actually holds all the cards or is in a bad position depends on who you talk to. on one hand trump really needs a win, before the mid terms, he wants to be able to say he renegotiated nafta. in that case he needs canada on board. and he needs canada on board actually in the next four days. >> let's remind everyone. june wasn't too long ago and this is what freeland said on cnn. this is back when president trump had called canada a threat to national security. remember this. >> so what you are saying to us and to all of your nato allies is that we somehow represent a national security threat to the united states. and i would just say to all of canada's american friends and there are so many, seriously? >> seriously? >> yeah, and that's part of the

problem here. that we have done a great job at alienating our friends and allies, including canada and to some extent mexico. obviously some of that relationship warmed up recently. we have done it with south korea, japan, lots of countries around the world. whether canada actually come to the table here is a little bit questionable because there is this short window, if in fact trump wants this deal signed as the mexican government says it once before the existing president of mexico leaves office. >> leaves office. >> why is why you have this short window to get canada on word. otherwise the whole deal could fall apart on the mexico side. >> thank you so much. coming up next here on cnn, moments ago the jacksonville florida sheriff's office shared new details about the mass shooting at a video game tournament over the weekend. when we are now learn being how the gunman targeted his victims. next.

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police now believe the 24-year-old man targeted gamers when he opened fire at a video game tournament in jacksonville, florida. the man killed two and wounded 128 others before taking his own life. those who survive say they had little time to run for cover as the gunman walked in the room and started firing. >> all of a sudden next thing you know pop, pop, pop, and everybody starts scattering.

my first instinct was to drop down and get kumplt i was in the fetal position under the table. i was next to some guy that also got shot. i remember holding hands and stuff like that and praying this stops. next thing you know, it stopped for a sechlkd i'm guessing the suspect reloaded or something and just starting firing more. i was underneath the desk and i ended up getting hit. >> let's go the our senior investigative correspond end drew griffin in baltimore, the gunman's home town. the sheriff held a news conference a short bit ago. what did he say about the investigation. >> a lot to unpack. first of all we know that david katz targeted those gamers specifically because the sheriff has the surveillance tape of the shooting. the 24-year-old who went to that contest apparently with two guns, not one, but two guns, brooke, that were recently purchased, opened fire, and on the video, as you are about to

hear, the sheriff says he passed several people before focusing on the gamers themselves. take a listen. >> video surveillance footage from inside the restaurant clearly shows this is a single shooter incident and that the suspect took his own life after shooting the victims. the suspect carried two handguns, and extra ammunition into the establishment with him. however, at this point we believe he only fired one handgun during the incident. the suspect clearly targeted other gamers who were in the back room of a chicago pizza participating in this gaming tournament. the suspect walked past patrons who were other parts of the business and focused his attention on the gamers. >> reporter: cnn's brian todd also reporting that other gamers said that this person, this suspect who killed himself,

david katz had just lost, may have been upset over that loss when he opened fire. the investigation has moved here to the baltimore inner harbor where the suspect lived in a town home with his father. the atf visited the town home last night. both parents, they are divorced, are cooperating. as to motive, we still don't know motive yet according to the sheriff. but we are learning that david katz has some emotional issues in his past. the "baltimore sun" finding divorce records of these parents, one, his father a nasa engineer, that say that david katz did have emotional and stability problems. there was some dispute and problems over the bills to cover medical expenses. at one point david katz did have to be hospitalized for psychiatric treatment. the other thing we learned about the guns. we recently purchased them brooke just within the last month or so and one of the guns had an aftermarket laser sight attached. that is according to the sheriff

down in jacksonville. >> when you get more, let us know, drew griffin, thank you. coming up next, we continue our tributes to the late senator john mccain, his friend and former staffer joins me live from arizona to share his memories of the man who served his country for more than half a century. >> i fell in love with my country when i was a prisoner in someone else's. i loved it not just for the many comforts of life here. i loved it for its decency, for its faith, and the wisdom, justice, and goodness of its people. en better, with amazing amenities like movie theaters, exercise rooms and swimming pools, public cafes, bars and bistros even pet care services. and there's never been an easier way to get great advice. a place for mom is a free service that pairs you with a local advisor to help you sort through your options and find a perfect place. a place for mom.

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i'm getting the best treatment that anybody could get, and i'm very happy. i'm very happy with my life. i'm very happy with what i have been able to do. and there's two ways of looking at these things. one of them is to celebrate. i am able to celebrate a wonderful life, and i will be grateful for additional time that i have. >> senator john mccain. he will be memorized for five days this week. with services. coming up a little later, planned in his home state of arizona and also in the nation's capitol where he served as lawmaker for more than 30 years. this just in, let's show the live pictures of the white house. guess what has just happened? the flag has now been lowered to half staff. it had been lowered. it was raised. now it's official lowered again. we reached out to the white

house for clarification on why it has been lowered again. presumably, out of respect for the late senator. as soon as we find out, we will let you know. my next guest worked with john mccain for 25 years. max faust. great to have you on. welcome. >> thank you. thanks for having me. >> you go way back with john mccain, 1992, there you were, an intern at mccain's phoenix office. you were telling me you had -- what? you were working at the car wash across the street. why john mccain? >> yeah, i was working at the car wash across the street and i needed an internship in college. and my college professor knew i had an interest in politics. and decan seeny was a senator, and john mccain was also a senator. because i saw his name across the street, i went in and you know got the internship. and the rest is history. so -- >> so, max, i was digging up an

old forbes article on you. this is the quote. mccain had long been struck by foss's technicality. max is the loveliest of young men, and if you asked central casting to send you revenge of the nerds they would cent send you mack. this was john mccain. >> yeah, i -- well my mom loved that quote. i'm probably turning red right now hearing it again. >> what was he like? >> he was an amazing person. and he was fun to be around. and you know, it was like being around a rock star. and you would walk through the airport with limb and people would turn and point. and you know -- you know, there's a thousand other politicians in the world but no one had that rock star status in that fun and people loved to be around john mccain. and he loved people in return. you know, i think he fed off,

you know, how he inspired people and how he inspired generations not only of people who worked for him, but across the nation. you know, i think you heard the -- what you just reported about the white house, i think that's a reflection of the outpouring of support not only in america but around the world. and it's great to see he's well deserving of it. and i'm honored to be here and talk about him and you know to be a part of his life. it's just a real honor to be here. >> yeah. tell me about your trip to -- was it walmart over the weekend and al the american flags. what did you do? >> yeah i got up in the morning and i had a campaign sign in my garage. i put it up on corner, we live on a busy street in phoenix about a mile and a half away from the funeral home. i drove by and there was the honor guard there. i didn't see any flags except that the honor guard was holding. walmart is another mile down the

street. i went in and bought all the flags, the ones i could find. i'm standing in line -- >> bought all the flags? >> the cashier is ringing them up. you a, all the flags in the basket and as the cashier is ringing them up one by one people are giving me the look, come on, it's taking forever. the lady behind me asked me about them. i said i'm going to put them out where senator mccain's body is laying i'm going to put them out. she hands me a dollar. and it just kept going from there. it -- you know, it is a reflection of mccain himself, because he inspired that in people. you know, of all walks of life. and you know, it was a perfect moment of love. it's -- i don't know what else to say about it. it was just a perfect moment. >> so beautiful. such a beautiful thing for you to do, for someone that you clearly so entirely respect. i wanted to ask you about 2008.

you know, and the run for the white house. he had this ready to be commander in chief platform, oodles of experience and went up against the totally unexpected energy of a guy named barack obama. can you just -- what was that like, that concession speech? >> well, i think it was -- i think it was john mccain putting country first. and putting the healing of a nation in front of his own political ambition or what he wanted to achieve in his life. and i mean that's john mccain at his finest. when anybody else -- you know what would happen now in politics, but anybody else wouldn't have give that speech. and john mccain gave that speech. i think you see the same sentiment come through in what he just put out in his statement you know, after he has dyed. he is always about pulling people together and putting

america first. you know, not what divides us but what brings us together. you knew, you know, this was the first african-american president, what this could have done to the country. and he stood up you know, and led. it's inspiring. i would encourage anyone to go back and read his speech and read i hope it inspires the nation to come together, you know, and not be pulled apart. >> i feel it from you. max post, thank you so much. i really appreciate it. >> thank you. >> just a reminder that we are expecting senators from both sides of the aisle, speaking of inspiration to honor their colleague, john mccain. we will go live for that. stay with me. and automatically adjusts to keep you both comfortable. and now, all beds are on sale. save 50% on the new sleep number 360 limited edition smart bed. only for a limited time.

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the building up on capitol hill with late senator john mccain spent many hour may be renamed for him. chuck schumer announced his proposal a day after his colleague lost his battle with brain cancer. >> decades from now, little children to ask their parents, who was john mccain. they will explain the sacrifice, his patriotism, and most of all his fidelity to do the right thing. when he did the wrong thing, to change. >> mccain works in the russell

building named after richard russell, a staunch segregationist who voted to block the act. renaming the building would not require the signature of president trump. at senator mccain's request, the president will not be attending his funeral or any other memorial events. unclear whether the first lady will do so. her office has not responded to multiple attempts. melania trump just did a tree planting service. here she is a while ago. >> thank you, everyone, for coming today. an honor to make a -- here. very special day. i want to thank the national park services for doing an amazing job and keeping the white house in beautiful shape.

>> let's go to our white house reporter, kate bennet, who was at that tree planting ceremony. my question is, you know, what is the first lady's staff saying about their choice for even her not to attend any of the memorial events this week? what is their rational? >> the staff isn't saying anything, as you mentioned. we have made multiple requests, they are not responding. i don't think we are going expect to see the first lady at the john mccain memorial events. she did go to former first lady barbara bush's and the president didn't. i believe that's a bit different, that's splitting hairs, but it's a former first lady, something in line with what the current first lady is akin to and maybe slightly more appropriate she go without her husband. however, it's anyone's guess why the first lady is not attending john mccain's funeral or his

viewing at this point. she is not expected to. again, we haven't heard officially, but we are not expecting it. >> melania trump tweeted, thanking the senator for his service. you have said this before, the first lady has intention behind everything she does. >> i think this wasn't that much of a departure for the first lady. she has several times tweeted on her own. she doesn't have approval from the west wing or have to ask the president what to say or shouldn't say. she's been like that from the beginning and felt the need to thank the senator for his service. ivanka trump tweeted, saying thank you for your service. just the president hasn't done so. when i arrived for the tree ceremony, the american flag was back at full staff. now it's down again at half mass. certainly, this is a white house

grappling with how to handle this very important remembrance of senator john mccain. >> it was down over the weekend, then back up, waiting for an explanation from the white house. kate bennet, thank you so much. thank you all for being with me. i'm brooke baldwin. the looead starts right now. thank you, brooke. rare tribute for a rare breed of american hero. "the lead" starts right now. the cross country farewell plans for senator john mccain as his final words are read out loud to the nation. after his death, moments ago, the white house reversing course, again, on a tribute to senator john mccain. president trump ignores questions about him. plus -- shock and tragedy at a

madden tournament. why a gamer grabbed a real-life gun and went on a killing spree. another mass shooting in america. welcome to "the lead". i'm jim shooto. the senate will convene for the first time since the passing of senator john mccain, honoring the legacy of the man who held his senate seat for more than three decades. moments ago, the white house lowered the flag above the white house to half staff, again. the administration was criticized for raising the flag late last night, far more quickly than usual for someone of his standing. phil mattingly is on capitol hill for us. phil, tell us what the mood is. he had so many friends on both sides of the aisle. >> reporter: a gut punch is how a senator said on how people were feeling even though they knew it was coming. the scale of the loss and the