. >> narrator: as america usmembers john mccain... >> john mccain fed together two almost opposing concepts. he was all about duty and he was all about dissent. >> narrator: the life politics and legacy of a meverick. >> in some ways, mccain is a pioneer of the politics i think we're going to get, and in some ways i think he's the last ofhi breed of somng we're losing. >> narrator: tonight on "frontline," "mccain." fr >>tline" is made possible by contributions to your pbs station from viewersike you. thank you. and by the corporation for public broadcasting. major support is provided by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, committed to buildinre just, verdant, and peaceful world. more information is available at macfound.org. the ford foundation, working with visionariesn the front lines of social change worldwide, at fordfoundation.org. additional support is provided by the abrams foundation, mmitted to excellence in journalism. the park foundation, dedicatedgh to hning public awareness of critical issues. the john and helen glessner smmily trust, supporting trustworthy journ

>> john mccain critical of the president... >> narrator: mccain continued to fight. >> senator john mccain said the president's performance was disgraceful. a low point in the history of the american presidency.to >> nar to the very end. >> john mccain senator, esidential candidate, and vietnam war hero has died. >> got to pbs.org/frontline to explore extended interviews with lindseyraham... >> it's a real smear campaign, but it hurt. >> orson swindle... a if we couldn't take the pain we were scared to death we would do something to hurt our country. >> and others... a very impressive catelogue of demerits. >> visit our films page where you can watch more than 20 frontline documentaries. connect to the frontline community on facebook and twitter. then sign up for our newsletter at pbs.org/frontline. >> the stock market is down 21 percent. >> narrator: 10 years the great recession. >> that took a pie of our soul. >> narrator: cities like dayton are still struggling to come back. >> i actually worked in this same exact plant for gm. i'd say it probably averaged out around $35 an hour.uy at f

and cindy mccain. i think that they will be ones who will be making sure that this legacy that john mccain represented of values, character and leadership, but that is understood and carried forward for years to come. >> but we've been kind of going over it, i read part of the song that the student ensemble is going to sing and brophy for those that don't know is a college preparatory school that john mccain's sons, john and jimmy, jack john mccain the fourth, went to, and jimmy mccain. i read this and it's important to because it's called arizona. it says, i love you arizona, your mountains, deserts and streams, there are two very famous "twin peaks" and "twin peaks" in arizona. and the outlaw i see in my dreams, we will first hear from andrew mccain and bridget mccain and we will hear from the former vice president joe biden and he will talk about, we are told to come up the relationship going back 40 years. he will also have some very funny stories and we will talk to larry fitzgerald, the wide rece

senator mccain laughed. i realized i and my beloved marine corps had just been insulted by john mccain in a first of what would be many jokes. only later did i know -- and senator gramm was talking about that -- that this marine joke was one of many in the mccain represent -- repertoire. i have heard it many times now and since. it always gets a laugh. but these jokes are a great part of his wonderful personality. irreverent, wisecracks to keep people humble, keep them laughing, even about serious topics. i remember when i was in vietnam with senator mccain. we were actually at the lake in hanoi where he had been shot down and parachuted into this lake. and there is a statue -- there's actually a statue of john mccain coming out of the lake. and the language is in vietnamese, and he said, you know, i really don't like this statue. i can't stand it. you know why, dan? no, i have no idea, john. look at what it says. john mccain -- major, united states air force. then he let a few choice words out that i can't

that is what john mccain was talking about and what it will take to allow someone like a mccain to emerge again. >> i'm not so sure that someone like john mccain will ever -- >> don't give up. >> we talked about that before. where are people going to talk about it. the straight talk express in 2000 was the candidate going most full bore you will ever get, and he dialled it back a little bit, but it was interesting to see a politician who, for a time, was unafraid to say anything. >> true, also someone whose hall mark has been not only bipartisan, but also civility for the most part. what occurred to me is that today, this morning, is the start of a week of national reflection, and i don't just mean about senator mccain, the contrast between his legacy and what the country is now experiencing is what we will see for the next six days culminating with president's obama and bush. their fallen colleague. and i think every day this week people will have to stop and refle reflect. >> dana, i was here on the campaign, i was there for a portion of the time and it was really fun. there was so much

i think we should find a way to honor john mccain in a way that john mccain would have seen fit, and that is we ought to pass a piece of legislation that we wouldn't have passed absent this moment. we ought to come together in a bipartisan way and we ought to do something that makes both political parties really uncomfortable. that was one of the things john mccain was great at. this man is gone and we are surely poorer for it, but we can do something big that's in line with the spirit of how he wanted to disrupt this place. if we wanted to make both parties uncomfortable -- and john was a guy who loved to point both barrels at pwoergt -- both parties i think we could find a way to do that in a way the american people would applaud and i think that would be the right way to honor john mccain. his willingness to take on everybody and all the sacred cows in this town was why a lot of people hated him but more why a lot of more people loved him. if we're going to honor his spirit we ought to find a way that's big, disruptive and uncomfortable for washington, d.c. thank you, mr. presiden

and sure enough, john mccain without the massive campaign operation, john mccain the maverick, john mccain on a ring and a prayer came back and he won that nomination. and i think that really -- it really epitomized the type of person he is. he was -- when you walk into his senate office, it wasn't cold or corporate. it wasn't like a lot of senate offices that you walk into. there was just a bustle of activity. and any time you went into to see the senator, you weaved through a thousand different desks and stacks of paper everywhere and people roomi-- p roaming here and there. it was not the most organized office in the world. he was -- a constant -- he was just constantly in motion and constantly moving. i think the one time that i wanted -- i went into his office through the years where there was more of a silence and it was more contemplateive was when i saw him in february -- think it was february of 2017. and it is so interesting when i went to the hill, which i've been going to for 20 years. every time i went to the hill, i would have jesse rodriguez say who do you want to meet or wh

he quotes mccain from the time after mccain was recovering from brain surgery, mccain said he wanted to live as long as he could, but said he was blessed to live a great life, which is just an incredible understatement. the senate republican leader, the majority leader mitch mcconnell put out an statement. than era filled. cynicism about national unity and public service, john mccain's life shown as a bright example. >> thank you for all of those statements, joe johns, coming in reaction to the death of john mccain. >> it's got to be so hard for your family because you're losing the leader of your life, essentially the leader of your family. to do so so publicly and they are expressing their gratitude for so many messages of love and support that they are getting. >> in all of his political endeavors, there was never a bigger fan and supporter than his wife cindy mccain. take a look at this special memory she shared with cnn about her husband's unsuccessful presidential bid. >> i don't know if you remember his concession speech. >> i do. >> that he gave. i've been married to him for

president, any thoughts on john mccain? >> do you believe john mccain is a hero? >> nothing at all about john mccain? >> press, let's go. make your way out. let's go. we're finished. >> mr. president, any comment on john mccain, sir? >> reporter: the president had faced push back from democrats and republicans on capitol hill and veterans groups and even from within the white house. finally, on monday afternoon, he issued a statement addressing mccain's service to the nation after only issuing condolences to mccain's family. that statement authorized the flags here at the white house to be lowered to half staff. they first resisted which many presidents have followed. lowering the flags until mccain was laid to rest. now the white house is saying that is exactly what would happen. we asked press secretary sarah sanders about the change here at the white house. she would only say it is the president's decision to issue a second statement to lower the flags and address mccain's service. that statement spoke for itself. dave and laura. >> abby phillip, thank you. sen

post john mccain. i think the donald trump republican party is the republican party moved on from senator mccain. >> i think that is right. look at immigration alone. i remember mccain having to run for reelection, i think it was in 12 where he had to project strong image against immigration. and yet, as much as he would vote with his heart, on an issue like that he could also lead consensus to push for pardon me reform. so he had the ability to go big. even in the middle of the difficult fights, but you're right. how about in 2008, the standard bearer, a supporter, he was tough on the administration about what was going on in the world, but he wanted the surnl. it was in a difficult position be in, when there was such a deep desire for change in the country by 2008. so i think that he was kind of out of step with the politics at the time, but true to his principals. now you have to wonder, the defender of the liberal order in foreign policy, weather that part of the republican party has moved away fro

and sure enough, john mccain without the massive campaign operation, john mccain the maverick, john mccain on a ring and a prayer came back and he won that nomination. and i think that really -- it really epitomized the type of person he is. he was -- when you walk into his senate office, it wasn't cold or corporate. it wasn't like a lot of senate offices that you walk into. there was just a bustle of activity. and any time you went into to see the senator, you weaved through a thousand different desks and stacks of paper everywhere and people -- people roaming here and there. it was not the most organized office in the world. he was -- a constant -- he was just constantly in motion and constantly moving. i think the one time that i wanted -- i went into his office through the years where there was more of a silence and it was more contemplateive was when i saw him in february -- think it was february of 2017. and it is so interesting when i went to the hill, which i've been going to for 20 years. every time i went to the hill, i would have jesse rodriguez say who do you want to meet or wh

mourning mccain. tributes pour in, funeral services are being planned for former senator john mccain. president trump is not invited and only under enormous pressure and after a scolding from the american legion does he issue a proclamation and order the white house flag lowered to half staff. replacing a maverick. the loss of senator mccain means arizona's governor will pick someone to fill the seat. who will be picked to hold it through 2020? >>> understanding. president trump invited the world to watch him on a clumsy conference call with the president of mexico to announce a new trade deal. mexico calls it an understanding and so far, canada is not in the mix. will congress sign off on a new deal? >>> video game killing. a video game competition in florida turns deadly when a competitor opens fire, killing two and wounding dozens of others before killing himself. it's captured on live stream. i'm wolf blitzer, you are in the "situation room." >>> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >>> breaking

john mccain. >>> shooting. >> and the legendary neil simon has passed away. he lives behind a list of shows that shaped the 20th century. i'm laura jarrett in for christine romans. >> good to have you here. i'm dave briggs. it is 4:00 a.m. in the east. tributes pouring in for john mccain. a titan in politics and american hero. he died this weekend at his ranch in sedona, arizona. he was 81. the death coming the day after his family announced he stopped treatment for brain cancer. >> mccain served as naval bomber pilot and served six years as prisoner of war in vietnam. he made his name as a maverick. a giant of the senate and two-time presidential candidate. he is survived by his wife, cindy and seven children and mother roberta who is 106. we get more on memorials from kyung lah in phoenix. >> reporter: dave and laura, senator mccain, such a prominent figure, and arizona's favorite son. services in the home state. flags at the capitol lowered in remembrance of the senator. it is here where the se

and mccain lost the fight for his life. over his decades' long senate career, the arizona senator made a name for himself with his approach to bipartisan ship. >> i spoke out strongly on other issues where i thought many trump was wrong. i have not been shy about it. >> john is at his best when he's fighting as a maverick. he is most happiest. he is most happy when he gets something done. >> at this very moment, there is a bill on the floor of the united states senate that would effectively kill obamacare. >> mccain's health issues came at a critical juncture. a senate vote on legislation to begin dismantling the affordable care act, also known as obamacare. the 52/48 republican majority in the senate left little margin for error. less than two weeks after surgery to remove a blood clot over his eye -- >> hey, how you doing, guys? >> mccain made a dramatic return to the senate. >> the senior senator from arizona is recognized. >> i thank you, mr. president. >> mccain delivers this roughly 15 to 20-minute speech that is sort

john mccain. we welcome our viewers in the united states and around world. i'm george howell at cnn world headquarters in atlanta. john mccain served the u.s. senate for more than 30 years. six terms in that role. better known as the maverick and what you're seeing right here, these images in progress, the hearse being carried through the city of phoenix, arizona. john mccain being remembered in that state. the senator passed away saturday afternoon. he was at his home near sedona, arizona surrounded by his family in his final hour. he just recently discontinued treatment for the aggressive form of brain cancer he was fighting. people knew this moment would come. still it didn't make it any easier for the many people who knew him, people who admired him, people who loved him. his senate colleagues remember him as a giant in that body. politically conservative but fiercely principled and independent. his absence in the senate this year due to declining health it was clear a true warrior until the e

mccain, he was lieutenant commander john mccain iii. his father was a four-star admiral. his grandfather had been a four-star admiral. on october of 1967, lieutenant commander john mccain was flying his sky hawk dive bomber on a mission over hanoi, north vietnam. that day, the 30-year-old was shot down and captured by the enemy. he would spend the next 5 1/2 years as a prisoner of war. in 1973, h e wrote a firsthand account of his vietnam years for "u.s. news and world report" and he described the moment a missile hit his plane. "i pulled the ejection handle and was knocked unconscious by the force of the ejection. i didn't realize it at the moment, but i had broken my right leg around the knee, my right arm if three places and my left arm. i regained consciousness just before i landed by parachute in a lake right in the corner of hanoi. mccain was then captured by the north vietnamese who tried to get the naval officer to give them military secrets. here's how he described it. "i think it was on the fourth day two guards came in instea

five and a half years after he was pulled from that lake, john mccain finally was free. >> mccain had aged so dramatically from the young man who crashed his plane. when he came down the steps in california and greeted and limped across the tarmac it was such a dramatic moment. >>> coming up. >> the notion that anyone would question his honesty or integrity was so antithetical to who he was that i think he was at the point to where he was willing to walk away. [music playing] (vo) progress is in the pursuit. audi will cover your first month's lease payment on select models during summer of audi sales event. sharper vision, without limits. days that go from sun up to sun down. a whole world in all its beauty. three innovative technologies for our ultimate in vision, clarity, and protection. together in a single lens. essilor ultimate lens package. purchase the essilor ultimate lens package and get a second pair of qualifying lenses free. essilor. better sight. better life. but i am a simple farmer.bas! my life is here... [telephone ring] ahoy-hoy. alexander graham bell here... no, no,

mccain was just amazing guy. i first met him. >>> we went in to congress together and we were not there a couple of days before we all just knew that mccain would be the president of our class, he would be the leader of our class. you know, i had so many, so much time with him. and just most recently, i remember, he took a very hard position on the healthcare law and didn't feel as though it was going to be fair to people or help people. and i called him, and i said, john, you know, you have always been a hero to me, and you have just under lined it so many times because of the way in which you care so much about the people. he was just an independent guy. loved his country more than anything else and i just cannot tell you all the listeners, what an incredible guy he was. i mean, he really did march to his own drummer. when he had had -- when he had take a position that was against the grain, he did not revel in it, he just felt there was a deep conscious about john, combined with a backbone that allowed him to

we all have our john mccain story. at times when we were moved by his stubbornness, his courage, his passion, sometimes all three at the same time. i look forward to hearing these stories and tributes from my good friends. we all grieve for cindy and the family and they'll continue to be in our prayers and lastly, i do believe, now that i've thought about it, that that's what timothy had in mind when he wrote, i have fought this good fight, i have finished the race, and i have kept the faith. so we say thank you, john mccain. >> i yield the floor. suggest the absence of a quorum. >> mr. president-- >> a quorum called. >> i ask that the quorum call be dispensed with. >> without objection. >> mr. president until the very end he served his country. until the very end. and service to john mccain meant living something unique. in all the history of the world living in service to something unique. the american, e pluribus unum, when compared to the brutal divisions of our time, but it was an idea that defined john mccain's l

john mccain did. ve in the military. john mccain did. welcome to the xfinity store. thanks, janet. it's my happy place. you can learn how to switch to xfinity mobile, a new wireless network that saves you cash. and you can get 5 lines of talk and text included with your internet. and over here i'm having my birthday party. dj fluffernutter, hit it! ♪ dj fluffernutter simple. easy. awesome. ask how to get $300 back when you sign up for xfinity mobile, and purchase a new samsung phone. visit your local xfinity store today. ♪ >>> john mccain returned to washington after losing the 2008 election, then in his fourth term in the senate, he was soon at odds with president obama. >> john mccain would become a regular antagonist toward barack obama's leadership. >> it's time that president obama woke up to the realities in the world and reassert american leadership. >> mccain kept a lower profile but continued to be, as he had his entire career, one of the biggest supporters of american troops abroad. >> t

first of all, my hats off to senator mccain and the mccain family. there were so many powerful moments it was, you know, such an honor to spend nim time around senator mccain, but one of the first times i was out with him was when his campaign had kind of collapsed and there were a few of us that stuck around as volunteers and i think it was up in new hampshire. i was doing every role, i was press guy, travel aide, what have you. when i went to go with him, whoever was with him before me gave me a black bag and i didn't really understand what that was for and i looked in it and i saw that there were some grooming tools, like a hair bush, and i still didn't really get it until we got to the event and the van pulled up so that we could get out on the side of the van where the crowd couldn't see us and senator mccain, you know, this decorated war hero comes over to me and bends over in supple case and i realized at that moment he couldn't raise his arms above his shoulder to comb his hair because his arms had been broken so many times as a pow, as a pri

because if you had the mccain s.o.b., it's obvious what john mccain would want you to call that mccain s.o.b. building all the time. so there are important things to talk about, and yet i want to urge one bit of caution, which is we should not think that what john mccain would want us to do in this time and place is in any way reducible to marble. because just as america is not the sum of her cities, so too the united states senate is not the sum of its buildings. the united states senate is not the places where we meet. as john reminded us in his farewell charge read posthumously yesterday, as john reminded us, america is an idea. america is a cause. america is about liberty. america is about justice. america is about universal human dignity. and even though john could often run over you when you were having a debate and argument if you were in his way, probably more than any person i've ever met, john actually believed in universal human dignity. the reason he was so big on the global stage is because he stood in the tradition of 230 years long announcing what america believes about

john mccain without the massive campaign operation, john mccain, the maverick, john mccain on a wing and a prayer, he came back and won that nomination. and i think that really, it epitomizes the type of person he is. when you walk into his senate office, it wasn't cold. it wasn't corporate. it wasn't like a lot of senate offices that you walk into. there was just a bustle of activity. and anytime you went in to see the senator, you weaved through a thousand different desks and stacks of paper everywhere and people roaming here and there. it was not -- it was not the most organized office in the world. he was a constant -- he was constantly in motion and constantly moving. i think the one time i went into his office throughout the years where, there was more the silence. it was more contemplative, when i saw him in february -- i think it was february of 2017. it was so interesting, when i went to the hill, which i've been going to for 20 years, every time i go to the hill, i would have jesse rodriguez say, who do you want to meet? who do you want to line up meetings with? and he woul

roberta mccain. it is deeply humbling to stand before you today at the united states capitol to commemorate the life and service of an american patriot. senator john mccain. the president asked me to be here on behalf of a grateful nation to pay a debt of honor and respect to a man who served our country throughout his life. in uniform and in public office. and it's my great honor to be here. in the long history of our nation, only 30 americans have lane in state here in the united states capitol rotunda. today, as a reflection of the esteem in which his colleagues and our country hold him, senator john mccain joins those ranks. the son and the grandson of four star admirals, john came from a family that prized military service. he entered the united states unable academy when he was just 17 years old. his service as a unable aviator took him around the world and eventually to the war in vietnam. it was there on his 23rd bombing run that john was shot down and captured. refusing early release for the

the plane will have the mccain family, including cindy mccain, megan mccain, jimmy mccain, bridget mccain, ashley mccain, caroline mccain, shep mccain, his grandson, andy mccain, his son. lucy mccain, his son's wife. margaret mccain, andrew mccain, sydney mccain and jason sweet, one of the son-in-laws. the entire family is going on the trip and they will go through the ceremonies two, maybe three more times. he will lie in state in the capitol rotunda, senator ayotte for 24 hours and the funeral sunday. again, another moving tribute that i know you will be at on saturday in washington d.c. >> it will be a moving tribute. you know, i think it just shows you how close the mccain family is. for someone like john who gave so much to our country and we know his patriotism and his sacrifice what a leader he was but what a great family man. what a close knit their family was, to have them all on the plane with him. that's what he would have wanted. >> trace: and i noticed you said you believe that john mccain had more energy than anybody you had ever met. a lot of people echoed that in today's s

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senator john mccain. >> it's an aggressive brain cancer. if you look at numbers alone, the average survival is around 14 months. >> about two weeks earlier, john mccain was diagnosed with brain cancer. >> it's crushing. it's crushing. >> confidente and former press secretary, brook buchanan. >> i was so shocked when he told me he was flying back to d.c. i was like no, stop. you can't. you have to rest. he was like i feel fine. i'm going back, going back. >> mccain's dramatic entrance was straight out of one of the romantic hero novels he loves to read, a standing ovation from colleagues who gathered to greet him. >> it seemed to take him by surprise. >> he appreciated it. didn't expect it. but it meant the world to him. >> lindsey graham is mccain's best friend in the senate. >> i've always viewed him as indestructible. it never crossed me life there would be a political life for lindsey graham without john mccain until now. >> mccain knew he had everyone's attention and he took full advantage. >> i stand

reflection and remembrance pouring in to the memory of senator john mccain. >> senator mccain was always an outsider, he was always a maverick. >> he was a statesman. a walking, talking, living legend of a statesman. zp >> independent, courageous, profile in courage. we want these people to be great people, we want them to be grand. and he was. >> a look back at mccain's sweeping life from the military to a prisoner of war camp to a senate seat to a presidential nominee. new recollections to a live of consequence. >>> also new, the trump white house, concerns about what the next week might bring after a bruising few days, next here on msnbc live. >>> but of course, we begin this hour with one of the day's most profound images. the august 26th, 2008, front page of senator john mccain's hometown paper, paying tribute to him, as a political giant, an arizona legend. at the white house this hour, the u.s. flag flying at half-staff, honoring the life of the longtime senator. just one of the first visible public tributes. lawmakers on capitol hill doing the same to pay homage to an american he

on the senate floor vice president mike pence pleaded with mccain to vote yes, but this is john mccain after all, former prisoner of war who survived 5 1/2 years of beatings and interrogations in vietnam. >> one of my colleagues kept a running commentary. and he kept on saying, i don't know, which is tougher, d. etou interrogator or tired old senators? probably not going to change his mind. >> at 1:29 a.m., thumbs down. mccain voted no and killed that crucial republican bill to repeal and replace obamacare. >> senator mccain? >> it made mccain a hero to obamacare supporters, but a traitor to many in his party. >> this is clearly a disappointing moment. >> a place he found himself many times in decades of legislative fights. >> he's been called the maverick for a reason because he's not just a maverick out there by himself kind of pursuing his own interests. that's not the kind of maverick john mccain is. john mccain likes to get things done that will make a difference. >> when we come back, mccain's first brush with death. hey, what do you guys wanna listen to? ooh, hip-hop! reggaeton.

and mccain will lie in state at .he capitol building. mccain asked george w. bush and iend.k obama to give juleweljew eulogies. requenator mccain held the record as cbs news's most frequent guest. national security analyst fran esident , president george w. w.h's homeland security advisor, she worked with senator m as a on immigration reform. fran, let's start with you because i have heard you say fr that senator mccain was always one of the first people you alled for advice. so i'm wondering what you fr learned from him and when was he last time you called him for advice? nk likee, interestingly, i think like many, what i learned from him was country comes first. interestingly, it was may of 2017, i was asked, invited down to washington to be interviewed dir the fbi director's job. and there had been a good deal inessratchiness between the senator and the president. friend.m an incredibly loyal friend. toi wouldn't go down without talking to him. i wasn i'm not sure i wanted to go down at all. he was i called his ranch, i got a hold i told i cindy and i talke

to the woman that brought john mccain into this world, roberta, mrs. mccain, 106 years young. you raised a remarkable son and we are truly blessed that you are among us still. when we look to you, there is no doubt where mccain inherited this resilience. it was built into his dna. you see it in john's children who carried on a thirty of service, doug, andy and megan and jack and cindy and bridget. may god bless you and keep all of you. your father was very proud and so is the state of arizona. >> in may, angela and i had the great honor of visiting with john and cindy at their cabin. before lunch, the senator broke the ice by sharing what was weighing on his mind oemost of all. breaking into a signature grin, he said, my biggest challenge is deciding whether or not to run for reelection for 2022. dying has been aboobserved 50 ys earlier was not in his plan. >> john mccain was a fighter and he called on us to fight with him for american values and for the idea and characters of the free people. for justice and opportunity for all. for each other and this blessed and bountiful c

president, any thoughts on john mccain? mr. president, any thoughts on john mccain? >> thank you very much, everybody. thank you. >> any thoughts on john mccain? do you have any thoughts at all about john mccain? >> get moving, let's go. let's go. keep moving. >> nothing at all about john mccain? any action to the american legion asking for a proclamation of john mccain? >> we're finished. >> mr. president, any comment on john mccain, sir? mr. president, why won't you call john mccain a hero, sir? >> after that, jeffrey, all of the pressure clearly got to the president. he eventually issued a statement saying despite our difference on policy and politics, i respect jurors's service to our country, in his honor signed a proclamation to fly the flag of the united states at half staff until the day of his internment. what's your reaction? >> what are the odds donald trump wrote that statement opposed to someone in the press office. how about 100% this was written by a staffer. i don't think this is complicated. donald trump hates john mccain, he resents him, and john mc

we saw harry kisi singer and roberta mccain, mccain's mother. the senator wrote about her and his childhood growing up. it was like a mobile classroom. she was extroverted, feisty. much has been made about how she loved to hop in the car, maybe get speeding tickets on the way. years ago, she suffered a stroke. she's here now. she's somebody as jeff mason, who is joining me now, knows well, spoke about her son when he was in the world of politics. 2007/2008, she was out there with him, supporting him, of course, as any mother would do. >> for sure. she was an active member of the campaign in 2008. she was certainly a huge supporter of her son. she also liked to be in the fmi and was. as senator mccain's whole family was. the campaign in 2008 that i had the privilege to cover with kelly and others was a family affair. that included not only his mom but certainly his wife, cindy, and all of his kids. >> i'd like, michael, you to share some of your thoughts here, as you look at the luminaries, frankly, the political big names coming in. joe lieberma

john mccain served in the u.s. senate for more than 30 years, six terms in that term and many people in the u.s. and around the world know this man by that nickname, the maverick. >> that is right. absolutely. >> senator mccain passed away on saturday afternoon. he was at his home near sedona, arizona, he was surrounded by his family in his final hour. >> he just recently discontinued treatment for cancer. people knew that this moment would come, but still, it did not make it easier for the many who knew him, who admired him, and who loved him. his senate colleagues remember him as a giant. politically conservative, but fiercely principaled and independent. >> and mccain's absence was felt this year in the u.s. senate due to declining health. a true warrior though, until the end. he battled this aggressive form of brain cancer that was first diagnosed back in 2017. mccain served as a u.s. navy aviator for more than 20 years. he was shot down over north vietnam, and he was captured and held there as a prisoner of wa

my point is john mccain and we got to go megan mccain really well here at fox, cindy mccain, the entire family, these are people who are strong and they had a tough battle, tough fight in recent months and you wonder where does megan mccain, john mccain that toughness, that spunk? yes, his father and grandfather, navy admirals but his mother who is still alive, pretty tough woman as well. john: apple does not fall far from the tree. frank donatelli is joining us. he was senior campaign advisor to john mccain. was that in the -- was that -- frank tell us about that experience. >> right, that was 2008. i moved over to the republican national committee to be senator mccain's person at the rnc. for the last six months of the campaign. while the campaign lasted almost two years and i think we were ahead for ten days, but senator mccain was the happy warrior always. always working very hard. one thing i remember was from early in the campaign this was when president bush had announced the search to try to save the american effort in iraq and everybody was walking away from that but not mccain

john mccain a p.o.w. john mccain a vietnam vet. john mccain the statesman. john mccain better known as the maverick. again, john mccain died at 81 years old, died after fighting a vea grefs form of brain cancer. and you're watching cnn live coverage this hour as we continue to remember the life and legacy of john mccain. stay with us. we will of course continue to bring you the reaction, people's responses, the thoughts about this man as our coverage continues. ♪ woman 1: proof of less joint pain... woman 2: ...and clearer skin. woman 3: this is my body of proof. man 2: proof that i can fight psoriatic arthritis... woman 4: ...with humira. woman 5: humira targets and blocks a specific source of inflammation that contributes to both joint and skin symptoms. it's proven to help relieve pain, stop further irreversible joint damage, and clear skin in many adults. humira is the #1 prescribed biologic for psoriatic arthritis. avo: humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including

that is john mccain. and it's worth -- i'll bet in the next day or two there will and lot of pointing back to that speech. judge jeanine: i'm sure we'll probably pull it up very soon. last question to you. you were in washington. you had occasion to know the man, the senator. and i get the sense, he has been on this show justice a few times. i get the sense he was always a guy who was in a rush. he had a lot to do in was always a lot going on. tell us about the personal john mccain when you were not on camera with him and the back and forth you might have had with him. bret: he was a jokester. he loved giving you a little needle here or there. he loved popping in, just waving saying hi. we have an online show after special report on wednesday nights for a long time. and he was doing a launch with greta van susteren at the studio next door. we were in the middle of talk and he just popped in in the middle of the online show, which was great it was the online show and we let things roll. we turned the camer

mccain said yes. he got up in the middle of hell, north vietnam, and he said, he said, and it was, he said i take my words from romans, from paul's letter to the romans. render unto ceasar who is ceasar's, render untoo god who is god's. don't pray to god to get you out of this hell hole. god didn't put you here, ceasar put you here. pray to god to be the best person that you can be here and once you get out of here. bud day,s he was telling me this across a dinner table a steakhouse in florida, broke into tears. he said it was the most liberating moment he could have imagined. these men stuck in a p.o.w. camp with no idea when, if ever, they would go home. suddenly this young, hot shot navy pilot, gave them words that gave them hope, and sustained them, literally for years, kept them alive. you know, there were things, so many things about john mccain like that, he was as a warrior reticent to share with people. but enormously revealing about his character. >> dana: one of the things that trace gallag

there you see right behind them, the widow, cindy mccain and her sons, by the way, jack and jimmy mccain, escorting her and the family to the rotunda. dana, this is a very, very emotional moment for the entire mccain family. >> yeah, i mean, it's a moment that they knew was coming starting 13 months ago when he was diagnosed with a fatal disease, brain cancer. but the fact is, and as we heard from s.e., she knows because she's so close with meghan mccain, and we have been reporting on, there were a lot of ups and downs. and he is a fighter. and he has had so many brushes with death throughout his life that, you know, the hope was that somehow he actually was immortal and could fight through it. but the reality is that just doesn't happen with this kind of cancer. >> let me bring s.e. into this. as you're watching this, all of us who, of course, knew senator mccain, know his family, it's a time for some emotions to arise. >> yeah, what's important about -- what's important to know about this disease is, as you mentioned, i think as jeff zeleny mentioned, the deterioration was rapid. it ha

mccain was that old school. he was beaten up in that 2000 election they went after his family, they said he had had an illegitimate daughter. turned out it was someone everyone south asia he had adopted. they had adopted but they spread the rumors in south carolina in that primary that it was his illegitimate daughter. they said his wife had drug problems throwing everything at him. he still stuck with politics. he came back again after he almost got knocked off in 2008 and kept going and going and wouldn't quit. i think that endurance that he show over the hanoi hilton all those years where he was getting beat up and tortured and basically crippled babove his waist, he stuck with it and had a sense of humor. he was a tough guy. i think had he some bitterness but didn't let it drive him. i think he resented people like w and people that didn't be in vietnam the way did he but seemed to come out on top. i'm sure he did. but as the public man was a hero and a grabbed hero as our colleagues said earlier tonight. he

correspondent mike emanuel now takes look at the life and times of john mccain. >> johnson he mccain the third born in 1936 at the naval air station in the panama canal zone. mccain father and grandmother were both four-star admirals and the family moved often the two bases on the mainland and abroad. it was inevitable with pursue a career. he graduated from the naval academy in annapolis in 1958. this war broke out in vietnam he volunteered for duty. he flew attack planes near the north the enemies escaped june june 92671 a record of where the aircraft carrier accidentally struck mccain's plane. the explosions and fires killed 134 people. >> i felt this tremendous blow to my airplane and saw the fire coming out so i probably had reacted more quickly than those in the planes near me. some of those plays near me did not survive. >> on the 23rd air mission on october 26, 1957 his plane was shot down. this time during a bombing mission over hanoi. the north the enemies captured him and moved him to the infamous hanoi hilton prison. >> it was terribly injured, fractured arms, broken knee

his name is john mccain. he was a prisoner of war in vietnam for six years, in congress in arizona, now elected to the senate seat of retiring barry goldwater. >> reporter: mccain began his long senate career in 1987, a republican that quickly became known as the maverick, willing to speak his mind, party allegiance be damned. his early time in the senate, though, was not without trouble. he was swept nup in the savings and loan scandal in the 1980s, and he made campaign finance reform a signature authority. his bipartisanship was fast disappearing from the political la landscape. >> a guy i fought with more than anyone in the senate was one edward l. kennedy. he would yell at one another, we would fight, then we would walk off and he would put his arm around me and say, hey, we did pretty good, didn't we? >> reporter: in 2000, mccain made his first run at the presidency, battling george bush. it did little to shield him from the bare-knuckled primary politics, but john mccain never expected special treatment

john mccain would have done it. you are pointing out proof of contrast in a moment where the country is remembering what matters. >> thank you, my friend. it was beautiful what you said in the end there. i will see you tomorrow night. >>> this is cnn tonight. you know, in these strange and challenging times that we live in it feels like one word has been lost and forgotten. that word is statesman. tonight we have lost a true statesman in every sense of the word with the death of john mccain. he is the embodiment of a true leader. he is being mourned as a hero and a patriot by his senate and house colleagues on both sides of the aisle and by his fellow americans, of course. after learning last summer he had cancer mccain stood on the senate floor, a man who was a proud servant of his country. i want to play some of his words which are more important now than ever. >> my service here is the most important job i have had in my life. i am so grateful, so grateful to the people of arizona for the privilege, for the honor

of john mccain deserves a whipping. >> john mccain is personally to blame. he disagreed with the president in certain areas. >> you're never going to have another john mccain. do i think that his life will inspire other people? i certainly hope so. >> do not despair of our present difficulties. we believe always in the greatness of america. >> he always belonged to america and now he belongs to the ages. >> announcer: this is "new day" with alisyn camerota and john berman. >> welcome to our viewers in the united states and all around the world, this is "new day." tuesday, august 28th, 6:00 here in new york. this morning, we have a picture to show you from the white house. the flag there, you can see it there in the early morning hours -- >> can you? >> barely but it's there. >> it has been lowered back to half-staff in honor of the late senator john mccain. for a time yesterday, it seemed like the only official flag not lowered to honor the senator. this morning, remarkable new details about why and why the president refused to utter a word of praise for the

mccain. >> mr. president, any -- mr. president, any thoughts on john mccain? >> do you have anything to say about john mccain? >> let's go, keep moving. >> thank you. >> do you believe john mccain is a hero, sir? >> why won't you say anything on mccain? >> press, let's go. we're finished. >> mr. president, any comment on john mccain, sir? >> the deafening silence, president trump refusing not only to honor mccain in person but also symbolically on top of the white house. the flag there raised back to its normal position overnight. this after flying at half staff over the weekend. this while the flags at federal buildings and sites nearby the white house remained at half staff throughout the day. but after criticism from both democratic and republican lawmakers and from several veterans groups, the white house finally lowered the flag once again this afternoon. the president said in his statement, quote, despite our differences on policy and politics, i respect senator john mccain's service to

you see sidney mccain. they will probably be coming into the view of the camera momentarily. >> bridget and also meghan mccain. >> bridget is doing a reading today along with another one of john mccain's adopted children, andrew, which i think is really noteworthy. you see his children there embracing and of course cindy mccain walking in. as you said, maeve, she has been a beacon of strength, of grace. >> she has been, you know -- many of his friends have said she was by his side 20 hours a day, you know, for many months, ensuring that he got the best care that he could, ensuring that he could stay at the cabin that he loved between sedona and cottonwood, and she has just been going for days now. it was so interesting because at the very end, friends said that john and cindy mccain had so much fun together. they spent all this time together watching movies, laughing, telling stories, and just really had a great final year together. >> yeah, i mean, the irony of the bond they got. i just wanted to mention a

god bless john mccain. and former president obama writing in part: few of us have been tested the way john once was or requested to show the kind of courage that he did. but all of us can aspire to the courage to put the greater good above our own. at john's best, he showed us what that means i and for that we are all in his debt. former president george w. bush also writing in a statement: some voices are so vibrant, it's hard to think of them stilled. john mccain was a man of deep conviction and a patriot of the highest order. from across the aisle former president jimmy carter writes: john mccain was a man of honor, a true patriot in the best sense of the world. americans will be forever grateful for his heroic military service and for his steadfast integrity as a member of the united states senate. it's noteworthy that both current and former leaders of the free world from all across the political spectrum here in washington are rallying together in their grief this morning. back to you. grif give that'