this is cn breaking news, we continue following the breaking news this hour. the death of the u.s. senator john mccain. >> welcome to viewers here in the united states, and around the world. 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 war. >> that did not change his spirit, after he returned, he returned to politics after the war. he ran for president twice, and in 2008, he became the republican nominee, eventually losing to the former president, barack obama, shortly the news of his death broke, a prosession here, you can see the vehicles escorting the hearse from the property to the city of phoenix, arizona. >> mccain's wife, cindy, sent a

tweet saying my heart is broken, i'm so luck to have live today adventure of loving this incredible man for 38 years. he passed the way he lived. on his own terms. surrounded by the people he loved and in the place he loved best. >> we get more now from dana bash, a look back at the distinguished political career of senator john mccain. his dramatic senate return. against doctor's orders after being diagnosed with brain cancer. >> i have been a member of the united states senate for 30 years. >> his late night thumbs down that crushed the party's push to repeal and replace obama care of. his last big moment in the spotlight captured so many of the complexities of his character. a stubborn man who survived many a brush with death who spent for moments to shine as a leader and put country first. yet, forever a hot dog fighter

pilot with dramatic flare and white knuckle political instincts. john sidney mccain, iii, was born with a storied legacy of service to live up to. >> his father and his grandfather instilled in him, a sense of duty, honor and country. >> young mccain's passion of literature. he was a voracious reader all his life. >> hemingway has always been my favorite author in many ways a larger than life figure that i have always admired a lot. >> yet, mccain followed the path of larger than life figures in his own family. enrolling in the naval academy, where he stood out for being a troublemakerer, not a future leader. >> i'm the guy that stood fifth from the bottom of his class at the naval academy. >> he became a fighter pilot, his first combat mission of aboard the u.s.s forestal. >> on deck, his plane was accidental struck by a missile causing a huge inferno, 134

fellow sailors died. a few n-- a few months later, hs plane was shot down. >> i was shaking violently almost straight down. so i had to eject very quickly. he was knocked unconscious. >> he found himself surrounded by angry villagers swinging baio nets, they forced him to give this interview in exchange for life saving treatment. he was taken as a prisoner of war and tortured. >> he was beaten on a regular basis. you know, being hung by his arms from a ceiling, sockets pulled out. >> when his father, jack mccain was named commander of u.s. pacific forces, the vee -- the vietnamese offered him freedom, he refused, it would have broken the p.o.w release protocol. release in order of capture.

ultimately they broke mccain. getting him to sign a statement, admitting to claims against him, which he regretted the rest of his life. >> after he signed it, i think i wanted to just die. >> because he felt so disloyal? >> he had felt shame that he had let the country down. >> finally after nearly 5-1/2 years in prison, mccain was releas released. >> you still see the impact of it today, the way he was tied, you know, with the way he cannot raise his arms, his hands, can't comb his hair. the things that we take for granted. >> his marriage to his first wife, carroll, who waited for him while imprisoned fell apart. captain mccain was a naval liaison to the u.s. senate where he caught the political bug. in 1982, he ran for the house from arizona. home with new wife cindy and won. john mccain -- >> four year s later it was on t the u.s. senate, early on, controversy, the keating five,

he and four our senators investigated the failed savings and loan bank. a key contributor to his campaign. an investigation cleared mccain of wrongdoing but rebuked him for poor judgment. the episode sent him on a crusade to clean up washington, pushing campaign finance reform, fighting big tobacco, railing against earmarks. >> it's our obligation and duty to the american people. >> everything with passion, humor -- >> he is very direct and funny. he has a way of sort of, teasing people he likes. >> and thanks for the question, you little jerk. he was a little jerk. >> and a famouses temper. >> and be a complete jerk to his closest friends and hug you dearly next. >> in the fall of 1999, mccain announced his candidacy for president. as an underdog, he got attention by being constantly available to

reporters aboard his bus the straight talk express. he trounced front-runner george w. bush in the new hampshire primary then lost south carolina where it got ugly and personal. mccain soon dropped out and returned to the senator even more determined to work across the aisle with democrats like ted kennedy, on issues like a patient's bill of rights and immigration reform. >> i announce my candidacy for the president of the united states. >> in 2008, his second presidential bid, this time, he was the heir apparent, but mccain's support for a surge of troops in iraq and bipartisan work on immigration reform hurt him with gop voters. his poll numbers plunged. he held town halls in new hampshire and talked boarder security instead of immigration reform and climbed back. >> the fact that you are getting a second chance, what does it say? >> we are happy with how far we came. >> he had to pick a running

mate, joe lieberman was his first choice. >> so i hear. >> he never told you that? >> no, he did. >> they convinced that lieberman's support for abortion rights made it impossible. mccain still went bold, first timer alaska governor sarah palin. at first, palin helped mccain draw conservative support he was lacking but after bizarre interviews, many campaign aides considered her a liability. >> putin rears his head and comes in to the air space of the nice. >> mccain would never say he regretted choosing palin. >> he does not talk about it. no, ever. >> and he never will. >>. the economic collapse in september against 08 ultimate lt sealed his doo he feet. still, he worked to stay out of gutter politics. taking the mic from a voter who claimed barack obama was arab. >> no, no ma'am. >> and giving a concession speech that marked the historic moment for the country. >> this is an historic election

and i recognize the special significance it has for african-americans and for the special pride that must be theirs tonight. >> mccain settled in to life as a senior statesman. fulfilled a dream of becoming senator armed services chairman and traveled around the world every chance he got. and an informal diplomat and an informed senator. president trump was elected mccain took it upon himself to reassure world leaders, visiting 26 countries and four continents in the first six months of 2017 alone. even at age 80, mccain liked to travel with and mentor younger senators in both parties forging close relationships. >> he is loyal to his friends. he loves his country, and if he has to stand up to his party for his country, so beit, he would die for his country, i love him to death. [ cheers and applause ] >> his july 2017 brain cancer diagnosis and treatment for it

forced mccain to slow down, he hated pity. this is how he wanted to be remembered. paraphrasing his political hero teddy roosevelt. >> i have had the most wonderful life and career that anybody you will ever meet. >> thank you. >> cnn washington. john mccain did not shy from criticizing president trump when he felt it was warranted. mr. trump, who never served in the military was widely criticized for belittling mccain's 5-1/2 years as a fri prisoner of war. trump has tweeted this, my deepest sympathies and respect go out to the family of senator john mccain, our hearts and prayers are with you. the former u.s. president barack obama ran against john mccain for the office of president in 2008, they released a statement saying this in part.

we shared for all our differences a fidelity to something higher the ideals for which generations and americans and immigrants alike have fought, marched and sacrificed. it goes on to say, we saw our political battles even as a privilege, something noble and an opportunity to serve as stewards of those higher ideals at home and to advance them around the world. >> the obamas wrote, few of us have been test today way john once was or required 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. and at john he's best, he showed us what that means and for that we are all in his dead, michelle and i send our heart felt condolenses to his family. >> we have lieutenant colonel francona with us, thank you for

being with us. let's talk about your feelings on john mccain's military service. we have an image of you standing side-by-side with john mccain. we will see it in a moment. there it is. how do you feel military service helped to shape the life of the u.s. senator? >> i think it was key. in fact, you know, if you look at his early life, his service to the country began as a young mid shipman at the naval academy in the 1950s. and it shaped his whole life. he graduated and as he liked to say, you know, the fifth lowest from the class, but he did graduate. he became an aviator. and as you know, and as we all know, he spent 5-1/2 years in north vietnam, and all those experiences shaped the man he became, a gifted politician that

was able to straddle the divide that we have in politics. >> you yourself a vietnam veteran and you were involved in the p.o.w return operation. i want to talk specifically about john mccain's capture, shot down over north vietnam, and held captive and when offered the opportunity for early release, he refused. he stayed for another several years and endured more punishing tortu torture. >> yeah, you know, the, his father became the commander of u.s. forces in southeast asia and the he vietnamese were looking for the propaganda score, they offered to release him, and he revifused because i went against the release protocol. you are released in the order you were captured. he did it anyway, it was a testament to his character. you know, that same character had that we saw before and

after. for many people around the world, people remember him for his run for u.s. president, maybe people in the state of arizona know him for the positions that he took standing up for that state of. i pose for you. what do you think would be the thing that stands out in your mind, remembering this senator? >> i think his overcoming adversity. i mean, the way he was treated in captivity, the torture that he believes broke him, but it made him the man he became. he was able to overcome that, and come back, and attain the rank of captain and maybe commanded one of the largest flying squads in the navy and go in to politics, and become a senator and a senator that was respected by both sides of the aisle, a testament to an american legend. >> thank you so much for your time. and perspective on remembering this american hero.

thank you. john mccain often reached across the aisle to get things done. he said working together doesn't mean abandoning one's principals. >> that is right. in one of his last speeches on the senate be floor, mccain implored his colleagues to work together and reminded them of what happens had they don't. >> -- what happens had when t s don't. >> merely preventing your opponent from doing what they want is not inspiring work. not letting them prevent agreements that do not require abandonment of core principals, agreements made in good faith that improve lives and protect the american people. the senate is capable of that. we know that. we have seen it before. i have seen it happen many times. and the times when i was involved, even in a modst way with working on a bipartisan response to a national problem and threat are the proudest moments of my career and by far the most satisfying.

this place is important. the work we do is important. our strange rules and seeming l eccentric practices that slow our procedures are important. our founders envisioned the senate as the more careful body that operates in a greater distance than the other body from the public passions of the hour. we are an important check on the powers of the executive. our consent is necessary for the president to appoint government officials and to conduct foreign policy. whether or not we are of the same party, we are not the president's subordinates, we are his equal. >> it was interesting to hear, the person that embodied the spirit of bipartisan ship, was not in washington for the last year, since december. >> that was the last speech we saw on the senator floor that he made. >> during that time, continued

to speak out on things that he disagreed with, with the republican party and the u.s.ity president, even while fighting his cancer. >> even right up to his final hour pretty much. >> our coverage continues after the break, stay with us.

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lincoln and radios very well. i strongly believe -- and roosevelt, i strongly believe in the republican party, and there's no reason for me to leave it. >> he survived plane crashes and being taken captive in war, and skin cancer. but in the end, he succombed to an aggressive form of brain cancer. >> he escaped death in a massive fire aboard a aircraft carrier and was shot down in his skyhawk jet over north vietnam, he was captured, beaten and tortured. >> he twice ran for president. he died in his arizona ranch, his family at his side and the official statement from mccain's office saying at his death he had served the people of the united states for 60 years. i spoke with dan rather as a reporter, dan covered senator

mccain extensively and i asked him about his thoughts on the u.s. senator. >> i think i first met him sometime in the 1970s. the thing about john mccain was, he would be the first to say he was not perfect. which is so say, he was human. but he always valued service to country above anything else. he considered himself a loyal republican. but, as a u.s. senator and before that a representative, he prided himself on, i guess, you say, his iconic lesson. that he was his own man, did his own thinking. he was loyal to the party when he felt he could be, and that was an overwhelming amount of the time. when he felt he could not be, he made it clear he spoke up and there was nothing, no hiding with john mccain. what we have here, you know, we as a country, we have lost one of our iconic political leaders

with the passing of john mccain. he was a brave man, as evidenced by his experience in the vee iem war, a hero by any reasonable analysis of that term. a public servant, he was a warrior, a public servant. he was exactly the kind of person that everyone hoped is in the u.s. congress. whether you are a democrat or republican, or something in between or outside. he is exactly the kind of person that you always hope will be representing us in washington. i knew john, i knew him well enough to admire many of his qualities from up close. having covered him over the years. but i'm not saying well enough to call him a friend. he had many close friends and i mourn for them and his family, of course. >> dan, you put forward a statement, i want to read part of it. in part, you say, mccain was

controversial, and far from perfect, in short, you say, he was human. but at best, he was frequent. he echoed the highest traditions and ideals of american democracy, he voted his conscious and spoke out fiercely against the current regime. it mentions to the polarity right now, there's not much room for middle ground. when you see john mccain, he reached across the aisle and stood for bipartisan ship. >> well, and that's the point. when i said, he always was country first. he was loyal to his party as i say, when he could be. but he was never one of those people who's first consideration was how is this going to affect me or how will it affect my political future. and furthermore, he was never won that said, well, i need to do what the party wants me to do. or what the party line is. it was always country first with him. and you know, we speak a lot

often, off handedly about honor and integrity. and john mccain had this deep within himself, and part of that was always reflected, he was always thinking country first. and when we look around today, finding people in public service, elected to public office, taking that view, first priority is to country, well the best you can say, is we better hope we get more john mccains. >> again, vet a-- again, vetera journalist, dan rather. >> stay with us, we will be back, and have more on the incredible life and legacy of john mccain. after this.

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senator john mccain passed away late in the afternoon here in arizona, at his beloved cabin here in this beautiful part of the country. as the skies became increasingly cloud and i we saw spots of rain fall here in this part of arizona. according to the statement that was put out by his office. he was surrounded by his wife, and family members and they noted that at his death, he had served the united states of america faithfully for 60 years. since the news of his passing has spread, we have seen people come by, some dropping off flowers. we watched a a couple leave an american flag here outside of the property that we understand senator mccain loves so much. just really an outpouring of love for the senator. a man elected six times to represent the statute of arizona in the u.s. senate and as we stood out here. we saw as a parade of suvs

arrived led by a prosession of police officers on motorcycles and a hearse and not long after that, we saw the same group leave the property here. and from what we understand the senator was very much a part of planning how he wanted to be remembered and also, planning how he wanted his funeral prosession to go. just another showing of just the strength that this american icon had all the way up until the end. stephanie elam, cnn. >> john mccain has been planning for his passing and his final days and has often discussed exactly what he wanted for his funeral. plans have not officially been announced yet. >> however, sources tell cnn that he favored three places for his service. former president's george w. bush and barack obama have been

asked to give eulogies and weer understand that mccain will be laid to rest at the u.s. naval academy cemetery in maryland, we should note that mccain toll several friends that he did not want president trump to attend his funeral. we have an indepth interview with john mccain about almost becoming president twice, take a listen. >> does the ambition ever go away? >> i had that ambition but i also had a lot of people who came to me, and said, we think you ought to run and we would like to help you. and that of course kind of reinforces the whole situation. after i lost had in 2000 and we conceded immediately, cindy and i went to that heat-- i went to it was one of the most idealic

places on early. i was crazy. you cannot almost go full stop. at the hotel we were staying at, they would come out with a one page sheet of paper about the latest news of the day. i found myself hanging around the desk waiting for it to come in. i'm not kidding you. >> it was like detox. >> yes, it was cold turkey. so, in 2008, when i lost, i went right back to work. and that is, that was the beauty of having the ability to continue to be involved. and i went right back to work and i stayed in the game and i stayed, ran for, planned for running for re-election and then, i was able to cope with it much more easily than if i had nothing else to do. >> world leaders are paying tribute to senator mccain. >> on this, from the president of afghanistan, we offer our

condolenses to the friends and family of john mccain, who was a great friend to afghanistan, he served his country honor ably in uniform and his service in the senate is exemplary, we will remember his dedication and support toward rebuilding afghanistan. they included a picture in one tweet. honoring mccain and it was written written, in saying goodbye, we did well saying goodbye to a great leader, a man of strong values and a true supporter of israel. my heart felt condolenses to his family and all of the american people. >> and more, it was tweeted, john mccain, soldier and senator, he will be represented both in europe and north america for his courage and character and a strong supporter of nato, my thoughts are with his family and loved ones. >> the death of senator john mccain, passed away at

81-year-old, we will be back after the break with more of our continuing coverage, stay with us.

inaction is not an option. the american people are watching. history will be our judge. and it will judge us harshly if we don't put our country first in this crisis.

it's in moments of crisis that americans who have shown the world what we are made of. i'm confident that we will do so again. we will solve this crisis and our economy will emerge stronger than ever. many people remember the financial crisis during that time. 2008, and john mccain speaking in bold voice saying we will get through it, essentially. this u.s. senator from the state of arizona,i many people remembering his life and legacy. flags are flying half-mast to honor him. he was 81 years old. >> the last year of his life was spent fighting an aggressive form of brain cancer. many people first heard his name in the 1970s when he was a prisoner of war in v-- in ve--

vietnam. he spent six terms in the u.s. senate and he earned a reputation of being a maverick, fiercely fighting for what he believed in, often reaching across party lines to get business done. more on the legacy of john mccain, of course in a moment. but we want to tell you about other news that we are following. another major story about pope francis, speaking out on the sexual abuse scandals rocking the catholic church and apologizing. >> the pope prayed before a candle lit for the victims of sexual abuse. a person described the meeting with him as a powerful meeting and the other said that the pope was genuinely shocked by what he heard. he call today crimes and the cover up -- he called the crimes and the cover up, filth and said that the outrage of the abuse is justified. >> translator: the failure of the authorityies the priests an

all the -- to adequately address this appalling crimes has rightly given rise to outrage and remains a source of pain and shame for the catholic community. i myself share those sentiments. >> john allen is cnn's senior vatican analyst, he joins us from dublin. and he is covering the papal visit for us. listen, john, the irish prime minister, he has been calling for action. he has asked the church for action. he specifically asked the pope for action. is, is what the pope is saying enough? >> well, look, to judge from the reaction, be and not just in the

irish press, i would say on the irish street, i think the answer to the question is what the pope has said enough, the answer is no. i think many irish men and women are very congratulate fhappy to mo -- that the pope is engaging in the issue. but their mantra is deeds not words. what they are interested in seeing is tough new action from the pope, particularly on the issue of accountability not simply for the crime of the abuse, and the cover up. we should add that the pope's ability to engage this issue is being further clouded this morning by news that broke late last night that a former papal ambassador to the united states, archbishop is suggesting that pope francis actually knew about with abuse and misconduct allegations against former cardinal in the united states as early as 2013. and failed to take any action.

vigineau, who was the papal ambassador to the states from 2011-2016 is calling on pope francis to resign over that step. we we hare -- we are of course trying to obtain comment from the vatican. and as the story develops, that will cast a shadow over pope francis's efforts to get a handle on the issue. >> as a journalist and the general public, we have a temptation and expect the vatican to reply quickly and respond to the abuse allegations and the abuse scandals quickly and address them. but i was told a long time ago by a vatican watcher, if you want to understand the papal visits and the pope and the vatican, you have to understand that they think in centuries over a long period of time and you have to take a huge step back. if we change the scale that we

are looking at, how does it inform this papal visit? >> well, look, i mean, had in all fairness, the catholic church over the last decade and you know, you are quite right when we are talking about an institution with more than 2,000 years of history, ten years is the blink of an eye. over had that arc -- over that arc of time, they have taken dramatic steps to move forward on the sexual abuse scandals. they have developed policies for the prevention, detection and reporting of abuse. they have adopted stringent norms so that that minor is abused, that that person will be out of ministry and reported to authorities. it's progress. but it's just that we are in the 21st century the argument that they think in centuries doesn't really play in many quarters in the world anymore. particularly when you were talking about the protection of children. you know, i think people around

the world beginning with the abuse survivors, have a legitimate expectation that the vatican is going to engage in a bit of rapid response when it comes to what i think many of us would agree and pope francis termed yesterday, the repugnant crime of sexual abuse of a minor. until pope francis provides, i think, an answer particularly to the accountability issue, he is going to struggle to convince many sectors of the world that the catholic church has turned a page on the issue, guys. >> john allen reporting from dublin. thank you very much. we will speak to you again, thanks. and the u.s. and around the world, you are watching newsroom live, we will be right back after the break. 4

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. the skies over the u.s. state of arizona, known for its sunsets so stuns they are called the paint -- so stunning they are called the paint ed skied, here is sky, touching and certainly poigniant.

>> he was known as a fighter and having an unshakeable spirit. over six terms in the u.s. senate, he earned the nickname the maverick. he fought to win the u.s. presidency. first in 2000 and then eight years later. it was a goal that he failed to achieve. >> i will fight every moment of every day in this campaign to make shurmer americans are not -- to make sure americans are not deceived. >> he learned that he had one last fight, he was told he had a know aggressive on form of brain cancer and he died saturday around his family. thank you so much for taking

time this day, a sad day in the united states as many mourn the loss of senator john mccain. of the lawmaker, this american hero, what stands out most to you? >> what stands out most to me, at a time when principals seem to have gone by the wayside, john mccain was always a man of principal. whether you agreed with him or not. you knew he was not taking positions and making decisions just for self promotion and self protection. he was a man willing to go against his own party. for example, on immigration reform, on campaign finance reform and most recently on the defense of the affordable care act. these were things that he believed in. and he was willing to put patriotism above party. that's in so little evidence

these days. >> it has been a year since senator mccain was in washington, d.c., the question that many ask, what would he have thought of his party, the republican party as it stands now? >> well, in the months before his untimely death, john mccain indicated his dismay with his republican party. he indicated that his republican party seemed to have abandoned the basic conservative principals and make no mistake, he was a conservative. the basic conservative principals that he believed in in. respect for the rule of law. respect for institutions like the judiciary and the free press and the department of justice. instead, i think he was seeing his beloved party that he had served so long, after being a war hero, becoming a cult of personality. becoming the party not of conservative principal, but the party of president donald trump.

who's only concern was his own promotion and protection, no matter how much damage may do to the country. john in mccain was a man who put patriotism above party. >> he has tweeted on the death of senator mccain, the president, my deepest sympathies and respect go out to the family of senator mccain, our hearts and prayers are with you. we understand that senator mccain does not want the u.s. president, donald trump, at his funeral. >> he doesn't. because he believes donald trump is tearing down his beloved country and destroying his longlong conservative principals. anyone could have written that tweet. it did not say anything from the heart or remarkable. what i would harken back, when he signed the john mccain defense bill. he thanks a lot of people, and guess whose name he never mentioned, john mccain.

we have such a petty man in the white house and we have in his passing john mccain just standing over him like a giant. the life and legacy of senator mccain certainly stands tall. keeping in mind, and putting in to context, this is a man who comes from a family, a deep military rooted family. >> absolutely. he comes from a deep rooted military family. he served the military. he was a war hero, even though he was captured, he was brave and stalwart in captivity and he was always a very strong supporter of the american military. in my view, sometimes too much a supporter of military as opposed to diplomatic solutions to problems. but he never abandoned his commitment to the military and to the ordinary soldiers that sacrificed so much to protect our country. >> his slogan the maverick, another slogan, country first,

but again, we did see a senator who in many ways embodied the spirit of bipartisanship in washington. >> absolutely. and you know, he ran for president in 2000 ask a maverick against the grain of his republican party, against the kind of christian conservatism that was taking over the republican party. he broke with his party on campaign finance reform. on immigration and more recently on healthcare. he was such a maverick. even though i'm not a republican. john mccain had been nominated by the republican party in 2000, i would have considered voting for him. >> we appreciate your time and perspective, putting senator john mccain in to context and understanding the history and legacy that he leaves behind. thank you for your time. >> my great pleasure. and you know, i think there's a reaction certainly from the u.s. state of arizona,

people who knew him for standing up for the issues that matter to people there. there's the remembrance of him in the united states. a man who ran for president twice, and internationally. a remembrance of a person who is very clear, you know, about what the u.s.'s role was, and with the rest of the world. >> i think that sets him apart. there's not many nonpresidents who are known across the world but john mccain is. thank you for being with us. >> stay with c -- stay with cnn. ♪ ♪

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