Summary
U.K. welcomes King Charles III as new monarch, addresses U.K. on first full day as King. DOJ & Trump submit names for special master candidates. Top Trump aides have been subpoenaed for January 6 case. King Charles III & Prime Minister Liz Truss face worst cost-of-living crisis in decades.
Transcript
STEPHANIE RUHLE, MSNBC HOST: Good evening once again, I`m Stephanie Ruhle. And as we continue this special extended edition of the 11th Hour, we are keeping a close eye early Saturday morning eye on the U.K., Friday was King Charles III`s first full day on the job. He spent part of it addressing the British people. We will have much more on all of the Royal developments just ahead.
But first, we have to get into the breaking news involving our government`s investigations into former President Trump. Both the Justice Department and Trump`s legal teams have just submitted dueling proposals for a special master in the Mar-a-Lago documents case. DOJ putting forward retired federal judges Barbara Jones and Thomas Griffith. Trump`s lawyers have also selected a federal Judge Raymond Dearie, as well as lawyer Paul Huck, Jr, the former Deputy Attorney General for the State of Florida.
And there is more breaking news, The New York Times reporting this evening the Department of Justice has now subpoenaed two of Trump`s former White House advisors. The Times says, former White House Political Director Brian Jack and Senior Policy Adviser and Writer Stephen Miller are among more than a dozen people getting subpoenas this week.
According to the paper, the move is, "part of a widening investigation related to Mr. Trump`s post-election fund-raising and plans for so called fake electors, according to people briefed on the matter. The January 6 committee has also been looking into Trump`s fundraising schemes. Here`s how they describe what was going on during one hearing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMANDA WICK, SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE COUNSEL FOR JAN. 6TH COMMITTEE: Between Election Day and January 6, a Trump campaign sent millions of fundraising emails to Trump supporters sometimes as many as 25 of the day. The emails claimed the, "left wing mob was undermining the election, implored supporters to "step up to protect the integrity of the election" and encourage them to "fight back." But as the Select Committee has demonstrated, the Trump campaign knew these claims of voter fraud were false.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RUHLE: Committing Member Congressman Jamie Raskin says he`s not surprised the DOJ has taken a closer look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JAMIE RASKIN, (D) MARYLAND JANUARY 6TH COMMITTEE MEMBER: It`s always been a scheme for self-enrichment for him. I`m glad that people are finally starting to bear down on the financial details because they decided to make money off of the election.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RUHLE: You might say sure, Jamie Raskin will say that, he`s a Democrat. I don`t want you to listen to this. From one time Trump lawyer Ty Cobb, you might remember he represented Trump and Trump`s White House during the Special Counsel Robert Mueller`s investigation. Well, now Cobb says the situation for Trump is not looking good.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TY COBB, FORMER TRUMP LAWYER: I think the president is in serious legal water not so much because of the surge, but because of the obstructive activity he took in connection with the January 6 proceeding. I think the - - and the attempts to interfere in the election count in Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and perhaps Michigan.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you think the possibilities are of an indictment of former President Trump?
COBB: I think they`re very high.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RUHLE: All right, so the former president`s former lawyer says Trump`s in big, big trouble while Trump`s current lawyers are still saying the search was illegal, which it wasn`t.
With that let`s get smarter with the help of our leadoff panel, Luke Broadwater joins us, Pulitzer Prize Winning Congressional Reporter for the New York Times. And Barbara McQuade, thankfully back with us, veteran federal prosecutor and former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. She worked with the DOJ during the Biden transition, and is now a professor at the University of Michigan`s School of Law.
Barb, help us understand what happened tonight with the possibility of a special master who it will be specifically and where did things go from here?
BARBARA MCQUADE, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY: Well, both sides put forth two names and all really, you know, quite legitimate names, former judges, retired judges, people who`ve had distinguished legal careers. And so, what happens next is the judge in the case will select one of those names.
You know, in a one of the names that perhaps stands out is a judge -- a name put forward by the Trump team of retired judge out of the Eastern District of New York, former U.S. attorney in that district and also has served on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. So, someone quite familiar with the handling of classified documents, shall make a decision there.
The other key thing in the filing is the parties disagree about what the special masters should look at. According to Trump`s lawyers, the special masters should review every document. And according to the government lawyers, they should carve out these 100 or so classified documents because there`s just no way under the sun that any of those belong to Donald Trump. Those should go right back to the government so that they can resume this intelligence assessment for the damage that may have occurred while these documents were stored at Mar-a-Lago.
[23:05:08]
RUHLE: So, Barb, Trump`s team puts forward to, DOJ puts forward to, and now the judge picks one out of that four. What if she doesn`t like any of that?
MCQUADE: Well, she has the ultimate decision. I suppose she could say none of them are good, I`ll choose my own. But, you know, if you look at the names, it seems that any one of them would be fine. You know, maybe with the possible exception of Paul Huck, who appears to have some relatives on the 11th Circuit. You know, certainly --
RUHLE: OK. Can I interrupt you, like, relatives, it`s his wife, right? Of all the people in the world, this guy has a wife who`s on the 11th Circuit. To me, that seems like a great big red flag.
MCQUADE: Well, she herself, of course, would most certainly have to recuse herself from any matter. But I agree, I think he would tend to know the colleagues of, of your spouse. And so, I think that makes him a non- starter.
I would also say he is someone who is really stands out from the other three as not like the others. He`s never worked for the federal government. His career appears to be much more political working for former governor of Florida. He was a deputy attorney general, and a strong member of the Federalist Society. So, I think the other names are all very legitimate, serious people. And, you know, he would seem to be among -- maybe not my top choice.
RUHLE: Luke, what can you tell us about the DOJ now investigating Trump`s fundraising efforts after the election? Anyone among us if we`re even related to our Republican, we know how many fundraising emails, phone calls hardcopy letters, they send day in and day out? And we`ve kind of grown to accept it, is the DOJ finally realizing how much did they raise? And where the hell did this money go?
LUKE BROADWATER, THE NEW YORK TIMES CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Yeah, I mean, you know, if I just look at my text messages I`ve gotten, I get maybe six, seven text messages every day trying to sell me Jared`s book.
So -- but the -- yes, I think I`m talking with the January 6 Committee and the staff this week. They`re very encouraged by what they`re seeing out of the Justice Department. During their hearings, they laid out several avenues that they believe they presented of voluminous evidence of that could be investigated by the Justice Department. A couple of those were the fake elector scheme, and also what they call the Big Rip off, which was the fundraising and their views -- and their view bilking of donors.
And what we`re seeing now with the subpoenas our subpoena is very much asking questions along those same lines. And if you look at who`s getting them, it tells a pretty clear story of what avenue they`re going down. If you look at Brian Jack, for instance, he was one of the people who helped plan the January 6 rally. He contacted members of Congress to get them to speak at the rally, including Mo Brooks, who wore body armor and told the crowd to kick ass and take names. And then Stephen Miller, who helped write Trump`s speech on January 6. He also spoke on national television about the fake elector`s scheme. And he had a phone call with Donald Trump the day of January 6. So, he`s very much involved in both the fake electoral scheme, and then also putting forward the plans for January 6. So, you can kind of see what they`re doing here. Obviously, this is all the grand jury stuff is all secret. But there are sorts of hints in the subpoenas about what they`re looking at.
RUHLE: Do we know what any of these Trump appointees are doing after receiving these subpoenas? They have no choice. Do they have to show up? Or are they trying to fight it?
BROADWATER: You know, we haven`t heard yet. But we do know they appeared before the January 6 committee. Stephen Miller came in, and at least with a legislative investigation did sit for questioning. Now, I`m told he was somewhat combative with the committee. And he invoked executive privilege at times, including about that phone call he had with Donald Trump. And he did have first-hand access to Donald Trump on January 6, so he would have been in a position to tell the Committee about what the president -- the former president was thinking and doing. But I`m told he did invoke executive privilege during that time and did not answer some of the committee`s questions.
It will be interesting to see if he tries that again, with the Justice Department. You know, I understand there may be some tougher rules there. Barb, probably knows more about this than I do. But in terms of when you can invoke executive privilege and the kind of leeway you will be given in such an interview before the Justice Department.
RUHLE: Barb, we showed just a bit of it a moment ago, but I want to play more of what Ty Cobb, Trump`s former attorney during Mueller hearings, the Mueller investigation. I want to hear more about what Ty Cobb had to say about the Mar-a-Lago search.
[23:10:07]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COBB: In my own view, it is about the bigger picture. The January 6 issues, the fake electors to try to hold, on cling to the presidency in a desperate fashion. The search warrant is unusually large.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And broad.
COBB: It`s very, very comprehensive in terms of, you know, the types of documents that the government can take.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RUHLE: Earlier this week, Bill Barr said the DOJ is getting closer and closer. And now we hear from Ty Cobb, what do you think about that, Barb?
MCQUADE: I think that they are right, especially when it comes to the Mar- a-Lago documents. You know, the January 6 investigation has a lot of tentacles, and I think it will take a long time for the Justice Department to get their arms around. All of that would happen there. It involves members of Congress. It involves people in states all over the country. That could take a lengthy amount of time, but the Mar-a-Lago documents really are a much more finite case, the number of witnesses is limited. You know, he took them and he didn`t give them back. It`s a pretty simple case and easy to understand.
And one reason that I tend to agree that charges seem likely in that case, is the presence of aggravating factors. You know, Hillary Clinton, as Jim Comey explained shortly before the election, was not charged because there were no aggravating factors in her mishandling of classified information. But in ordinarily, unless those aggravating factors are present, people are not charged. But here are those aggravating factors are present. The things that Jim Comey cited at the time were a willful violation of the law, storage in such a way that it could expose the documents to disclosure, to an improper person and obstruction of justice, concealing the documents in such a way as to obstruct the government`s investigation. All of those factors are present here. And so, it seems to me that the charges are, I would say more likely than not.
RUHLE: And of course, the storage of these documents at Mar-a-Lago, this is not just a private home. It is a massive club, hundreds and hundreds of people going in and out of this place every single day.
Luke, I want to share Vice President Kamala Harris was asked whether prosecuting a former president might be too divisive, and I want to share what she told Chuck Todd.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, (D) U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: I think that our country is a country that has gone through different periods of time where the unthinkable has happened. And where there has been a call for justice, and justice has been served. And I think that`s potentially going to always be the case in our country that people are going to demand justice and they rightly do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RUHLE: Luke, we saw an angry, violent mob storm our capital over simply accepting election results. How much concern is there if Trump were to be indicted? What people in this country could do, what blowback would look like?
BROADWATER: We`ve seen that, you know, President Trump can certainly pick up a lot of anger. And he likes to do that sometimes. You know, we`ve seen some of the rhetoric he uses that really resonates with some of the far- right and the extremist groups in the country, and obviously resonated on January 6, when people stormed the Capitol. But you know, I look at this kind of -- as somebody who came up as a local and state level reporter, and I`ve seen, you know, mayors get their house raided and governors get their house raided, and senators and Congress people, and so the FBI, it -- I know, everyone says it`s unprecedented, but the FBI does very serious public corruption investigations. And it just so happens we`ve only had 45 presidents, and it probably was a matter of time until one did something that warranted a thorough search of their house, you know, so and that`s where we are today.
RUHLE: It was only a matter of time, Luke, you are the consummate optimist. It`s only a matter of time before President did something so bad, thank you for that. Luke Broadwater and Barbara McQuade.
When we come back the other big news of the day of course, the U.K. formally welcoming its new King, who today promised to carry on his mother`s long legacy. And then a royal reality check entering a new era in the U.K. with questions about the future of what they call the firm. As our special edition of the 11th Hour continues on this Friday night.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:19:30]
RUHLE: The new King of England was greeted by his people at Buckingham Palace today with some singing the newly revised anthem. God Save the King. But over the years his relationship with the public has been complicated. NBC`s Richard Engel has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD ENGEL, NBC NEWS CHIEF FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT: King Charles became the Prince of Wales at 20. He was a pilot in the Air Force and commanded a ship in the Royal Navy.
[23:20:10]
He was 32 when he married Lady Diana Spencer.
KING CHARLES II: I suppose in love. Whatever in love mean.
ENGEL: Charles was soon in the shadow of a star, it was a dark time for him and the royal family, of divorce and Diana`s death. Charles turned to campaigning for the environment and remarried this time with old love Camilla, he took on more royal duties as his mother`s health faded, and he`s learned the power of charisma, already turning to his popular son, William and his wife.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He`s going to use William who is very popular to take up the causes that he will no longer be able to go. So public about, I think, will also be very much in his favor.
ENGEL: The next generation of British kings is in line, no queens on the horizon. Charles, William and George seen together during the late Queen`s Jubilee, a new chapter begins for a king with vast preparation and history.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RUHLE: Standing by live this early Saturday morning in the U.K., our own Lindsey Riser. Lindsey, you talked to all sorts of people outside the palace today, how are they reacting?
LINDSEY REISER, MSNBC ANCHOR: Well, they will look at speech that the King made today for a hint of that steady hand that his mother had during so much turbulence during her reign. We know that it was a time of economic uncertainty and political uncertainty even before the Queen`s passing, when the new Prime Minister Liz Truss was appointed two days prior. And people told me that they felt like he struck the right tone in his speech. At the same time knowing that this is his son grieving the loss of his mother. Let`s listen to what a mother and daughter told me about this new era.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, it`s quite a shocking time and everyone`s times the whole world. And hopefully, they`re suffering some closure for the new King and the Prime Minister and work it through this thinking of a Queen for the strength to she has shown in her life.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m looking forward to a new era as well. I really believe in King Charles and, you know, being environmentalist, he is. I mean, that`s all that matters, actually, in the time we live. I think we were in good hands.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REISER: I think he did indicate in that speech today in that recorded message that he might take a step back, he said that he won`t be able to help them any charities that he`s been so passionate about over the few years knowing that they would be interested to hand. So, Steph, it remains to be seen whether he will maybe dip his toe into some of the politics of the day unlike his predecessors, Steph.
RUHLE: Well, his mother might not have been very political, but she was passionate about one thing and it was her dogs, her beloved corgis. Do we know much about what where they`re going now? She still had at least four of them?
REISER: She left behind four dogs, two corgis, one dorgi across between a corgi and a dachshund, she`s credited with creating that breed as well as a cocker spaniel. And you`re right, her love of dogs started when she was 18, when she was gifted, a corgi named Susan. She continued to breed and own more than 30 dogs after that. And so right now, it is unclear exactly what`s going to happen to those four dogs left behind, but a lot of royal experts believed that they could go to members of her family, Stephanie.
RUHLE: Well, if the royal family is watching, my family would welcome those four pups. Lindsay, thank you so much.
I want to bring in John Quelch, a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He was appointed in 2011 by the Queen herself. And my old friend Peter Spiegel, U.S. Managing Editor for The Financial Times.
Peter, you heard that woman saying the U.K. is in good hands. But here`s the thing, the king doesn`t have any political power. He doesn`t make any policy moves. So, what real impact can he have?
PETER SPIEGEL, U.S. MANAGING EDITOR FINANCIAL TIMES: Yeah, I mean, I think that`s the problem going forward. I mean, even by Royal standards, European Royal Standards, or other royal houses who have more power. I mean, I`ve lived in Belgium for six years and the king of the Belgians is able to pick a former tour to become prime minister. There are formal powers. The British royal family doesn`t have that. So, the only thing you really have is this moral suasion. And the Queen had --
RUHLE: They have control of tabloids, yes.
SPIEGEL: They have control of tabloids. The Queen had moral suasion in spades. And it goes back to frankly, as you showed in the last hour, Boris Johnson speech. He talked about --
RUHLE: Isn`t amazing?
SPIEGEL: It was amazing. And what he said which really stuck with me was she was the last leader on the global stage in public life who wore a uniform during World War Two. She stayed in London during the Blitz. She was a driver, official driver for the army. She was a mechanic, and ever since that, as a young princess, she`s been able to have the common touch and her moral suasion the moral authority. carry through.
Now, Charles, we`ve known -- and again as Richard said in his piece --
[23:25:00]
RUHLE: For 75 years.
SPIEGEL: He`s been overshadowed first by his mother, then by Diana, now by his son. He has been through scandals. He doesn`t have the kind of moral suasion that his mother has. So, OK, maybe your guests there says that they`re in safe hands now. I think it remains to be seen, I think we`re -- Charles is probably going to be a transitional figure. He`s already older. He`s not going to have as long reign as his mother, obviously. We have in his sons, someone who`s much more popular than his father is, he also seems to have a little bit more of that common touch that his grandmother had, went to schools with commoners, married a commoner.
RUHLE: William?
SPIEGEL: William. Yes. And I think, you know, we`ve been a lot of talk over the last 12, 24 or 48 hours about modernization of the royal family. I don`t think Prince Charles, a 74-year-old man is the face of modernization.
RUHLE: King.
SPIEGEL: King Charles III, roll off the tongue just yet. I don`t think he`s the face of modernization, I think we`re at the wait a generation for that to happen.
RUHLE: Let`s share a little bit more of what the king new King said today in his speech.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING CHARLES III: My life will of course change. As I take up my new responsibilities, it will no longer be possible for me to give so much of my time, and energies to the charities at issues for which I care so deeply. But I know this important work will go on in the trusted hands of others.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RUHLE: Is he signaling here for us, John, that he intends to be more politically neutral, because we heard just a moment ago, from a woman outside the palace earlier today, how much he appreciated his environmental activism, can`t really do that in his new position.
JOHN QUELCH, APPOINTED COMMANDER OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE: That`s correct, Stephanie, and he made it clear that he will abide by the constitutional principle that precludes the Monarch from being involved publicly and statements or positions or opinions that can be construed as political.
I think that over the decades, he has, of course, staked out his position very clearly and very publicly as Prince of Wales, and so that now he becomes king. People do know where he stands, even if he is not able to be publicly, as active as he was. But I think if you look at that sentence in the speech today, where he talks about issues that he will no longer be able to speak about in the same way as he has before. I think he is embracing the principle of being a political in public. And of course, he will have what the Queen has always previously had, which is the opportunity to have the regular audience with the prime minister in private, where his views can be expressed to the highest democratically elected office holder in the land.
RUHLE: But let`s talk about that, Peter, because the new Prime Minister was just sworn in three days ago.
SPIEGEL: Yeah.
RUHLE: The new King was just named today. When Queen Elizabeth ascended to the throne, she had Winston Churchill to guide her almost mentor her, how different is this scenario? Could the relationship be flipped, even though King Charles was only named today, he`s actually been in position for this.
SPIEGEL: Absolutely.
RUHLE: A lot more, a lot longer than Liz Truss.
SPIEGEL: And let`s not forget, Liz Truss also was not elected. She was elected by the Tory party membership, but she has not won a general election. So, inexperience doesn`t have the public behind her. It`s I think we`re kind of in a strange place for the U.K. right now. I mean, we`re having this energy crisis in the U.K., because of the Ukraine war. It`s like political instability, the pound is almost at parity with the dollar right now. The economy is incredibly weak. And you have two leaders, one of whom we know very well and has been around for a long time, but not very popular, and has a mixed reputation at home and abroad, and a Prime Minister who is unknown on the global stage with a huge economic crisis at home. So, I think it`s a really difficult time for the U.K. right now. And something we`re following very closely.
RUHLE: John, what do you think?
QUELCH: I think trust has to be earned. And I think that King Charles recognized as the deficiency and his own public reputation in the U.K. vis- a-vis that of his mother, and recognizing that I believe that he will be able to step up and make a very important contribution. So, I would say I`m much more optimistic. And I believe that actually, the fact that we are in this slightly unusual state, where both of these leaders are new to their roles, means that there could be a basis for a mutually supportive relationship between these two that could be very constructive.
RUHLE: They`re in this together. John Quelch, Peter Spiegel, thank you both for joining us tonight.
Just ahead, the new king and the changes he could bring to the monarchy, changes some say are long overdue, when the 11th Hour continues.
[23:30:07]
But first some of Sir Elton John`s powerful tribute to the Queen during last night`s concert in Toronto.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELTON JOHN: I`m 75. She`s been with me all my life, and I feel very sad that she won`t be with me anymore.
But I`m glad she`s at peace, and I`m glad she`s at rest. And she deserves it. She`s worked bloody hard. I send my love to her family and her loved ones, and she will be missed. But her spirit lives on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:35:17]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In so many generations that have come through and just known her as this like presence, even without being a political voice, just being this kind of yeah stability and sort of yeah more than just a figurehead I think you know, nations grandmother as appropriate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RUHLE: As the U.K. enters a third day of mourning Queen Elizabeth some are having a difficult time really having the conversations about her legacy. Queen Elizabeth is getting plenty of praise for her decades of dedication to tradition, yet there are also critics asking if more could have been done to reform an institution some still view as a relic of imperialism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m not like the biggest fan of the Queen or just like the monarchy in general. So, I wasn`t like that upset or overwhelmed by it. It was just something that happens, I guess.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You`re not the biggest fan of the monarchy, I wonder why?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mainly to do with like British like colonial history, things like that. A lot of things that have gone on, which have been quite shady even like recently with like Prince Andrew and everything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RUHLE: Now, the future of the royal family is up to her son, King Charles III.
Let`s discuss. Boston University History Professor Arianne Chernock and Documentary Filmmaker Alex Holder, join us.
Arianne, I want to share according to a leader of one anti-monarchy group, this "Charles may inherit the throne, but he won`t inherit the deference and respect afforded to the Queen." What is he walking into? Not just is he up for the job. But is the monarchy much more of a target now that the Queen has passed?
ARIANNE CHERNOCK, HISTORY PROFESSOR, BOSTON UNIVERSITY: Well, let`s face it, Charles comes to the throne with a lot of baggage. You are just alluding to this. He has his own personal scandals with Princess Diana and Camilla, his own history of political interference, some would say intervention, the charges of racism that were leveled at the royal family by Meghan Markle, as well as that broader history of imperialism. And then there`s the fact that he`s a man and an older one at that. All of these are going to be hurdles.
RUHLE: Alex, we keep hearing that Charles could be bringing us into a modern monarchy. What does that even mean? What changes could he bring? Will he bring?
ALEX HOLDER, DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER: Well, I think firstly, hi, Stephanie, lovely to be back with you.
RUHLE: Good to see you.
HOLDER: I think that King Charles III is inherently modern by virtue of the fact that he is taking the throne in 2022. But the things that are being spoken about right now is slimming down the monarchy, and making it less working Royals.
But at the end of the day, the monarchy is more than just one person. I mean, whilst Queen Elizabeth II was a remarkable, stunning, immensely favorable and beautiful person. She is -- she was she was one person. The monarchy was something that`s bigger than any one individual. And King Charles is going to inherit this throne. And he will do the best job he can. But it will continue. And I think one of the most incredible things about the monarchy why I love it so much, is the fact that it continues, it never stops. It is that shared story of 1000 years that we all come together and admire.
RUHLE: Arianne, you mentioned the scandals that King has been involved with in the past, obviously, his personal life. How extraordinary is it when you think about the evolution of the monarchy where we are today, that here we are Camilla, the new Queen Consort.
CHERNOCK: I don`t think Charles or Camilla would ever have imagined this for themselves back in the early 90s. It`s a very unlikely fairy tale, but a fairy tale for them, nonetheless. I think that`s why today, Charles put so much emphasis on offering reassurances to his audiences, a sense that they are there to provide the kind of stability that somebody sought in his mother, and that they`re not going to be making radical changes.
RUHLE: Alex, young brits seem split on whether to keep the monarchy in place, the way you speak about the monarchy, so lovingly, so nostalgic, that feeling isn`t shared by many others, especially those even younger than you, so you don`t see it as vulnerable in any way?
HOLDER: Well, I think it`s been around for so long, and I think it would be somewhat, I guess obnoxious for me to say that I think this would disappear because of one person. I mean, there`s been lots of kings and queens over a very long period of time.
[23:40:01]
I think there`s perhaps a bit of a misconception with what the monarchy actually is. There`s for sure the anachronistic aspect of it, right? The pomp, the ceremony, you know, the silly clothes and the costumes, et cetera. But there`s also, as I was saying, before, the shared story, this idea that a 96-year-old lady can pass away, and there is this outpouring of grief. And it`s because she`s such she was so prevalent in all our lives. She was somebody that we only ever knew, she was always there, people came and went, but she was always there. And now she`s gone. And now there`s a new person who`s going to take over. And we will hopefully, rally behind him and his family. And we will support him and he will support us, and -- but the point is the story. It`s this shared idea of something that we all have together that this is -- this family, what they represent. It`s above politics, it`s about our anxieties. It`s something very special.
RUHLE: But it`s not above public feuds, public disputes. Arianne, do you think the gesture that the King made today in giving Harry and Meghan`s children, their royal titles? Do you think that is the first move in sort of mending this few that they`ve had publicly?
CHERNOCK: I think he was suggesting today that this is going to be a big tent monarchy, and a transitional one as well. And that just as Elizabeth ceded so much, especially later years, to Charles that Charles will be seeing quite a few responsibilities, certainly to William, and perhaps over time to Harry and Meghan as well, who remain incredibly popular, at least with certain audiences.
RUHLE: All right, Arianne, Alex, thank you both for joining us tonight, I appreciate it.
HOLDER: My pleasure.
CHERNOCK: Thanks, Stephanie.
RUHLE: Coming up, our next guest warned this week that the U.K. is on the brink of a historic economic implosion, interesting timing with a brand New King and a new Prime Minister, the challenges both must tackle now when the 11th Hour continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:46:46]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING CHARLES III: wherever you may live in the United Kingdom, or in the realms and territories across the world, and whatever may be your background or beliefs, I shall endeavor to serve you with loyalty, respect, and love as I have throughout my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RUHLE: As King Charles takes over the British throne, his nation is facing its worst cost of living crisis in decades. And just like us, the Brits are trying to rebound from the pandemic`s economic gut punch. There`s also the soaring cost of energy which is of course fueled by Russia`s war in Ukraine. Inflation hitting a 40 year high across the pond this summer. And just this week, the British pound fell to its lowest level against the U.S. dollar in 37 years.
So, let`s discuss and bring in my old friend Felix Salmon, Chief Financial Correspondent at Axios covering all the ways that money drives the world. Felix, take us outside Buckingham Palace, right? King Charles is going to be ascending on the throne at a time when people are suffering economically. And he can`t do much about it.
FELIX SALMON, CHIEF FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT, AXIOS: He can`t do anything about it. It`s not clear what Liz Truss can do about it. And her new Finance Minister Kwasi Kwarteng who`s coming in, guns blazing, he`s firing various bits of his civil service. But yet there`s inflation, which the Bank of England says is going to be 13% this year. They`re saying it`s going to get -- typically the entire country is going to get tipped into recession in the fourth quarter, it will stay in recession all the way through 2023, it will barely grow even after that. As you said, there`s the energy crisis.
What you didn`t mention is the massive labor crisis which was precipitated by Brexit. They have a customs border in the middle of the -- between England and Northern Ireland, which everyone in Westminster seems to hate. But that`s now enshrined as an international treaty with is really broken. And the fact that the pound is that $1.15 is no surprise. It`s a very weak and broken country right now.
RUHLE: All right, any hope you can show us here? I mean, or you just like to deliver us a Friday night nightmare.
SALMON: So, Liz Truss has said that she`s going to cap energy bills at about two and a half 1000 pounds a year, which is going to cost the government somewhere in the region of 200 billion pounds. That`s a huge amount of money. And there`s only going to increase demand for energy. And what Britain really needs to do is decrease demand for energy because it doesn`t have enough energy to go around. So, it`s expensive. It will definitely keep down inflation, because energy prices were a large part of inflation. I don`t know if it will really help the economy. But yeah, you are getting that 200-billion-pound fiscal stimulus. So, at the margin, that should help.
RUHLE: So, she can`t do much. The King can`t do anything. And we all know that the monarchy costs the U.K. quite a lot of money. How are people going to receive this because all the pomp, all the circumstance is beautiful, it`s traditional but it ain`t cheap and it doesn`t put food on the table for the rest of the country?
[23:50:08]
SALMON: Right. The monarchy is hugely expensive. There`s, you know, Buckingham Palace and the royal courtiers and all of that kind of stuff. I don`t think is a kind of budget line item, it`s going to be the first to be cut, people are going to give the new king a certain amount of benefit of the doubt on that front. But you`re right, you know, it does feel a little bit anachronistic. And Prince Charles or King Charles is not a massively loved person.
I think the deeper thing going on here is that Britain has had terrible prime ministers, you know, Queen Elizabeth rule. And the British public could always fall back on the idea that they had this Queen, this woman who was part of their sort of national soul, and she was still bad to state and she was leaving the country. And that was a reassurance.
When everything went horribly haywire during Brexit, you know, at least they still have the Queen. Now, they don`t have the Queen, they have nothing anymore, they`re not going to be able to feel that they can rely on King Charles III or anything. He`s been in, you know, he`s been King for about three days. So, it`s going to be very hard for them to feel any reassurance just as a country and remember that there`s strong rumblings in Scotland that that country should now become independent. The United Kingdom really is at risk of falling apart. It`s a very real risk.
RUHLE: Then is there anything the new King can do even if it`s just cutting his own family budget as a good show of faith?
SALMON: That would be kind of awesome. I would be all in favor of that. I think yeah, if you get them on the blower, you should definitely recommend that.
RUHLE: Well, we will soon find out. Felix Salmon, thank you so, so much. The King is ascending on the throne at a very, very difficult time. And also, a time when obviously just lost his mother. Felix Salmon, great to see you.
SALMON: Thanks, Stephanie.
RUHLE: Coming up next, people used to dream of meeting the Queen. And then there were these two very confused yanks. You must hear their story, when 11th Hour continues next.
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[23:57:02]
RUHLE: The last and I`m going to say most special thing before we go tonight, have you met the Queen? A very sweet story from one of the Queen`s royal officers has been going viral in the hours following her death.
Richard Griffin proudly protected the royal family for 30 years. And for 14 of those years, he was on assignment with the Queen herself. Well, several months ago during the Platinum Jubilee celebration honoring 70 years of Queen Elizabeth`s reign, he was asked to describe her majesty`s wit and charm. And I have got to share this amazing story that he shared.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD GRIFFIN, FORMER ROYAL PROTECTION OFFICER: One of my favorite stories is when we were at Balmoral and the Queen used to go up there in May to Cracow House (ph) and just stay there privately for a weekend. And she would go out with lunchtime for picnics. And very often, it would just be the police officer and her majesty. And one of the picnics, I went out with her, we had a lovely picnic and a lovely chat. And then we went for a little walk just the two of us. And, normally, on these picnic sites, you meet nobody, but there was two hikers coming towards us and the Queen would always stop and say hello. And it was two Americans on a walking holiday and it was clear from the moment that we first stopped, they hadn`t recognized the Queen, which is fine. And the American gentleman was telling the Queen where he came from, where they were going to next, and where they`d been to in Britain, and I could see it coming. And sure enough, he said to Her Majesty, "And where do you live?" And she said, "Well, I live in London, but I`ve got a holiday home just the other side of the hills." And he said, "Well, how often have you been coming up here?" "Oh," she said, "I`ve been coming up here ever since I was a little girl, so over 80 years." And you could see the clog`s thinking. He said, "Well, if you`ve been coming up for 80 years, you must have met the Queen." And as quick as a flash, she says, "Well, I haven`t, but Dick here meets her regularly." So, the guy said to me, "Oh, you`ve met the Queen. What`s she like?" And because I was with her a long time and I knew I could pull her leg, I said, "Oh, she can be very cantankerous at times, but she`s got a lovely sense of humor."
Anyway, the next thing I knew, this guy comes around, put his arm around my shoulder, and before I could see what was happening, he gets his camera, gives it to the Queen and says, "Can you take a picture of the two of us?" Anyway, we swap places and I took a picture of them with the Queen and we never let on and we waved goodbye. And then Her Majesty she said to me, "I`d love to be a fly on the wall when he shows those photographs to the friends in America and hopefully someone tells him who I am."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, that`s brilliant.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RUHLE: I think we all wish we could be a fly on the wall for that big reveal. And if you -- if you at home happened to be those American tourists, I definitely want to hear from you. We want to see those pictures, tweet us, call us swing on by to 30 Rock, they must be special pictures.
And on that note, a very, very long and special broadcast. I wish you a good night and a safe weekend. For All of our colleagues across the networks of NBC News, thanks for staying up late with us. Our coverage of the death of Queen Elizabeth continues now with this simulcast of our sister network, Sky News. I`ll see you on Monday.