military, which is, of course, totally, totally understandable given senator mccain's amazing role as a u.s. military officer. there's the governor and the first lady of arizona greeting cindy mccain. let's just listen in briefly.

>> attention.

>> members of the arizona national guard casket team as they're called. they are proceeding with the casket to the capitol rotunda. 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 had been coming for a year, but the nature of this disease was that he had great days. great weeks, in fact. and then followed by bad days. and it was such an emotional roller coaster. a psychological roller coaster dealing with this illness. and as you all know, a guy who will not quit. so this was long coming. that was a gift in some ways because the family had the gift of time to sit down with the senator and reflect on his legacy. and his life and that was incredible. but in the end, how do you prepare for this? i am sure as much time as they have had, it's still incredibly

emotional. >> and we think of mccain and the family. we think of service. you see cindy mccain there next to her two sons and, of course, meghan. two sons in uniform. jack mccain who followed his father, grandfather and father's lead and went into the naval academy and is now serving in the u.s. navy and next to him, jimmy, who enlisted as a marine during the iraq war. he enlisted. and, i mean, all you need to know and think about when it comes to service is that. and i'm just so sorry for meghan. >> see our tears for our brother, our father, our husband, our fellow citizen, our senator. let these tears bring blooms in

the desert he loved, in the country he served and in all our hearts. amen. >> please be seated. governor ducey, governor brewer, governor simington, governor napolitano, representative colby, senator schlatz, senator heller, senator flake, cindy mccain and all members of the mccain family and friends. john mccain believed in america. he believed in its people, its

values and its institutions. he said he came to this realization during his time as a p.o.w. in vietnam. i fell in love with my country, he said, when i was a prisoner in someone else's. as a result, he dedicated his life to serve his country. when he saw challenges to its institutions or values, he fought to protect them. thus his efforts to rein in excess campaign expenditures and congressional earmarks which he viewed as corrupting our values and institutions. and his insistence that battlefield detainees be treated in accordance with american law and values. in international affairs, his beliefs led senator mccain to promote american principles of freedom and democracy for others. and in our military campaigns, to support our missions and our

troops. john had a keen eye for american interests and could spot dangerous adversaries a mile away. he was among the first to advocate the surge in iraq to regain the initiative in the war there. i've been with senator mccain all around the world, and i will tell you that he had better instincts about how and when and where to assert american power than any other leader that i've known. he had been to more countries, knew more foreign leaders and had a better grasp of history than any other american official, including our secretaries of state. one illustration that we're all familiar with was when others were looking into vladimir putin's eyes with an eye of understanding him and reaching accommodation with him, john, of course, said i looked into his eyes and saw kgb.

well, i believe john's greatest contribution was to american national security. we must comment a bit on arizona interests as well. in a word, he loved his adopted state. he loved its beauty. he was committed to protecting our environment and our water and our forests. he worked throughout his career with our native american citizens and with arizona's veterans. he was a big champion of our many military installations. some have disagreed with some of senator mccain's votes on policy positions. but that should not diminish our gratitude for his service. and let's return to where i began. john's love for america and arizona. he represented our values all over the world as senator from arizona. and america is stronger for his fierce defense of our values. we can be proud he was our

senator. i consider it a great privilege to have served with john and i will miss him as a friend and as a strong force for america in the world. >> we've all seen the grainy video. a young man in his 30s emerges from behind the folding doors of a bus. plows forward with strength. his feet land on the ground, and he limps forward towards freedom. it's john mccain, and he's just spent five years as a prisoner

of war, shot down, ejected from his plane. his right leg and both arms broken. he managed miraculously to save himself from drowning in the lake in which he landed only to be captured by the north vietnamese. no one expected john mccain to make it through the night, but as one of his fellow p.o.w.s put it, dying was not in his plan. confined to solitude, tortured, this son and grandson of navy admirals repeatedly refused release until every other american brother was released with him. of all the speeches, interviews and town hall meetings that have been played and replayed these days since john mccain has left us, it's this moment, more than any other, that can't help but

stir a spirit of patriotism deep inside every american. bringing goose bumps to your arms and leaving the hair standing on the back of your neck. because as you watch his release and learn his story, the senator's life, lessons and wisdom take on a much more meaningful context. when john mccain called on us to serve a purpose greater than one's own self interest, it wasn't a talking point designed to win the next election. it was how he had actually lived his life and continued to live his life. it's how he wanted us to live ours. his talk of country first wasn't simply a slogan on a yard sign. it was what john mccain had done and demonstrated over and over

and over again in the navy, through vietnam, and all the way to his favorite battles on the floor of the united states senate. in 2008, he electrified an arena in minneapolis proclaiming we're americans, and we never give up. we never quit. we never hide from history. we make history. those weren't the empty words of some politician grabbing the microphone and the spotlight for a few fleeting moments. men had followed john mccain into battle, and we knew we could do the same. this man was trusted, and he was tested. qualities in increasingly short supply. we sometimes think that politics is life and death, but john

mccain knew better. because he had actually seen death and dying and tragedy. make no mistake, he fought like hell for the causes he believed in. he plowed through election after election with the energy and focus of a warrior. but along the way, he did it with humor and humanity. and without compromising the principles he held so dear, i would rather lose an election than lose a war, and we knew he was telling us the truth. in that way, john mccain was about more than politics. he brought us above politics. john is probably the only politician who could get us to set aside politics and come together as a state and a nation, as we have.

like many of us here in arizona, john mccain was from somewhere else. but his spirit, service and fierce independence ultimately helped shape the state with which he became synonymous. almost exactly 20 years ago, john mccain delivered the eulogy at barry goldwater's funeral. that other great legendary arizonan who america holds dear in its heart. where barry goldwater was born in arizona, john mccain was arizona's favorite adopted son. nearly 45 years old when he moved to arizona. this is the first place, he said, where he truly found a connection. arizona has enchanted and claimed me, he wrote. i love it so much. and i am so grateful for the

privilege of representing the state and its people. but in reality, we were the ones who were privileged. privileged to have john mccain fighting for us. privileged to learn from him. privileged that when he was back home to run into him at the movies or at a ball game or starbucks, just like he was any one of us, privileged to proudly call him a fellow arizonan. to the rest of the world, john mccain was arizona. when all of us here traveled and told people we were from arizona, people knew two big things about it. john mccain and the grand canyon. imagining arizona without john mccain is like picturing an arizona without the grand canyon. it's just not natural.

to the woman who brought john mccain to arizona, cindy, thank you. the hearts and prayers of not only angela and i but our entire state and nation are with you and your family at this moment. always known for your elegance, grace and compassion and those qualities have been on full display this past year. you are a model for us and an inspirati inspiration. arizona loves you, cindy mccain. to the woman that brought john mccain into this world, mrs. mccain, roberta, 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's no doubt where john mccain inherited his determination, resilience and tenacity. it was built into his dna.

you see it in john's children who carry on his spirit of service, doug, andy, meghan, sydney, jack, jimmy and bridget. may god bless you and keep all of you. your family 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 most of all. breaking into a signature grin he said, my biggest challenge is deciding whether or not to run for re-election in 2022. dying, as has been observed 50 years earlier, was not in his plan. john mccain was a fighter, and he called on us to fight with

him. for american values, for the ideals and character of a free people. for justice and opportunity for all. for each other and for this blessed and bountiful country. none of us were ready for this. we never would have been ready for this. but john mccain often said of americans, we never surrender. so while we grieve today as a state and as a nation, john mccain's fight for america isn't over. it's a fight all americans are obligated to continue on his behalf. and as we march forward with the courage and resolve he would have demanded, may we take comfort in knowing in that fight john mccain will always have our back.

>> our heavenly father, we are grateful to have been gathered

here today in the arizona state capitol to honor the life and memory of thy servant john mccain. we are grateful for his life and for his sacrifice. gathered in this spot, we are especially grateful that john made arizona his home. more than 7 million of thy children have done likewise, and all of them, all of us, are grateful for john's able representation over these many years. we ask for thy spirit to abide with us as we mourn his passing. we ask for an added measure of thy spirit to be with john's sweet family who have sacrificed so much for so long in sharing their loving husband and father

with us for these many years. send the comforter that they might be reminded that joy cometh in the morning. now as we go forward, let us remember thy humble servant with gladness and cheerfulness. to answer his call to summon the better angels of our nature, to see and appreciate the humanity in our opponents, to more freely forgive so that we might be forgiven. of course thee pray in the name of jesus christ, amen. >> please stand. we have thanked god for the blessing that john mccain is, continues to be for us.

let us go now from this place in peace and comforting one another in the sure knowledge that one day we will join john in his home in heaven with his god.

>> family and friends paying respect to a truly great american, a great american patriot. someone who will be severely missed here in washington, d.c., and arizona, around the country, indeed, dana, around the world. we saw an emotional experience, especially for the family, which

is totally understanding, at a sensitive moment like this. >> i mean, completely understandable. you know, you saw his two sons in uniform. his daughter meghan. his daughter bridget. he has three other kids. he has seven kids altogether, doug, andy and sidney as well were the first after cindy mccain to come up and pay their respects and say good-bye to their father. this is difficult, but this is the first. this is the first of what we will see day in and day out until sunday when john mccain is laid to rest, as he says, in his latest book, where it all began. the river that goes through annapolis where the naval academy is. >> for the next several hours, people in arizona will be able to come to that casket and pay their special respect to this

great american. s.e., i know this is a sad moment for you, and we saw an emotional family, a truly emotional family reacting to this moment. i know you're very close with meghan who was seen, understandably, crying the whole time. >> yeah. yeah, my heart is broken for her. she is, as anyone who knows her will tell you, the strongest person i know. and she has been such a pillar of strength through this very, very difficult year. she has spent countless hours alone with her father. she's had to cancel adventures with us and vacations with us because she wanted to be home because she was told he was better when she was there. and so i am heartbroken for her. my heart is with her right now. i know she will get through

this. and i know that even as much time as she had to prepare for this, she is grieving. grieving today. they were incredibly close. no father and daughter were closer, in my opinion. he relied on her. called her multiple times a day. she was his touchstone, and he was her rock. >> our heart goes out to her, her brothers and sisters and her mother, grandmother. the whole family is suffering, clearly suffering right now. but they certainly can appreciate the unbelievably important role that john mccain played in our history over these many recent years. jan brewer, we just see the former governor of arizona also just walking by. many members of his staff, his family, important arizona leaders, others are paying their respects to john mccain right

now. the state government of politics reporter for the arizona republic and, maria, you've covered senator mccain for a long time. what are you thinking? >> well, that was a series of very emotional remarks. i had talked to governor ducey. that's the office i mainly cover these days. he has been reminiscing over this last week, and even before then, about how he admired mccain. how he looked up to him. sharing some anecdotes. some humorous. some serious. always emphasizing how senator mccain was able to go, you know, beyond party lines very often. say the unpopular thing, even if people in his own party were not going to like it. you clearly saw him there talking about the significance of mccain and how he really shaped arizona and became synonymous with our state. we've really seen that with the outpouring of arizonans who have shown up, everything from outside this memorial service today to even the transport of

senator mccain's body to the mortuary here. >> yes, and this will continue for the next several hours. the public will be allowed to go and pay their respects to a great american as well. jeff zeleny, you were watching very closely. and as you pointed out correctly, the senator himself over these past 13 months, as he was dealing with this severe form of brain cancer, he got very much involved in planning all of this. >> he did, wolf. and that's what we are going to see really playing out over the next four or five days or so. really what senator mccain -- he's giving a message and a lesson to all of us, indeed the world. every day at every step of the way. and one of the messages we're seeing now, it's a bipartisan group there. something we don't see all that much of in washington. all that much in certainly in arizona. has become deeply divided. a democratic governor, former republican governor, a former democratic member of congress

from arizona who indeed was a close friend of mccain's. but other lessons we're going to see going on in the coming days are going to be very specific in terms of who he chose to give readings. who he chose to give eulogies. even his pallbearers. there's going to be a tappestry if you will, of american political leaders from all stripes. of course, it was only nine years ago, in fact, this week, where senator mccain himself was giving a eulogy for ted kennedy who died of the same type of brain cancer. so he is taking part of that playbook, i'm told. giving, really, he wanted his farewell to linger a bit. he wanted his story to be about him. and one thing that is not being discussed but certainly is underlying all of this is who is going to fill senator mccain's seat? impossible to replace him, no question, but the man who will be doing that, and he refuses to talk about it with very good reason until next week, is the

governor, doug ducey who is right there. i heard him say it was striking. john mccain's fight for america isn't over. so those words there from the man who will choose, at least the interim, temporary replacement for senator mccain. certainly that's something we'll discuss in the coming days. for now at least, as we watch these events unfold, this is something senator mccain indeed wanted. >> whoever governor ducey selects will serve in the united states senate through 2020. >> indeed. >> a new election in november of 2020. elaine povich, you've written a biography of john mccain. when we say he was planning a lot of this, certainly he was involved in selecting those who would speak. and remember in phoenix, joe biden, the former vice president, a democrat. a close friend. he will speak. >> indeed. of course, joe biden's son beau died of the same kind of cancer that took senator mccain from us. the circles are so entwined.

and i think senator mccain had maybe this in mind that we are together, we are entwined. joe biden and john mccain could not have been more different politically coming from different places, coming from different parts of the country, coming from different experiences. joe biden never served in the military, although his son did. and yet, they became fast friends even before this terrible bond over cancer. it's telling the people that john mccain has chosen to speak at his service. the one thing i wanted to mention to you also is that this is a very sad day, and my heart is broke sln as well, but john mccain was always about having fun. one of the reasons there are so many people both democrats, republicans, arizonans and people all over the country, and i should say the world who care so bmuch about him is he was fu

to be around. everybody wanted to go with him on congressional trips to be at the back of the bus as he campaigned. i think people are really going to miss him. the whole part of him that was so much fun. >> yeah, now we're looking at the state capitol in phoenix, arizona. they've closed the camera at the casket. we should be getting that back later when the public is allowed. these were all friends, family, staffers, others who worked closely with senator mccain who were allowed to pay their respects first. charlie dent, you served in congress. you got to know senator mccain. what always impressed me, he was the chairman of the senate armed services committee. when he want a congressional delegation, he always insisted that democrats and republicans would join him. >> yeah, i never traveled with the senator but the stories have been wonderful. he insisted on bipartisanship. and i watched this, too. two of the people who spoke at that funeral, very close to, jim kolbe and jeff flake.

it's appropriate to have people like that around. if we're going to remember this man properly, after the services are done and he is laid to rest, the best way to honor john mccain is by congress actually doing something. i mean, solving some problems. whether it's on or on fiscal reform. that's what he would want us to do. people had a general affection for him. we heard the stories about the temper and all that. but he was passionate. and i'll tell you, he was an institution. and the governor just talked about there's, in arizona, there's the grand canyon and john mccain. yeah, he institutionalized himself. he could do things maybe a lot of other politicians could never do. he wasn't afraid. and i think he would like all members of congress to mind a backbone and act like he did from time to time. >> on campaign finance reforges he co-sponsored legislation with russ fein gold, a liberal

democrat on comprehensive immigration reworked with democrats. he was trying to work with democrats across the board where he could. >> and he even did so at great political peril. during the troubled asset relief debates in 2008, he suspended his presidential campaign. and he led. and he was part of the solution. which probably hurt him politically in his campaign and it really suffered, but he felt he had to do it to save the economy, save the country. that's what i liked about him. this man was fearless. at times others need to be a little more fearless. >> john kirby, talk about john mccain the military man. >> again, comes from the storied family and our naval history. no question about that. a lot of pressure on him. the son and the grandson of four-star admirals. the first father/son team to get four stars in the navy. so a lot of pressure on him. he goes off -- he flies and doesn't just fly any aircraft he

wants to fly attack aircraft. he's flying attack missions off the coast of vietnam. off the "uss intrepid" and he was shot down. but the thing that -- two things those of us in the navy admire most about him aside from his grit and courage in the cockpit was the way he handled himself as a p.o.w. and it's legendary. everybody knows the story about how he refused to get released, even when the vietnamese found out his father was a four-star admiral. but the other thing that so many of us respect about him is his humility. we talk about his sense of humor. he can be cantankerous and certainly tough on people. but he was very humble. he never bragged about himself and what he did. it was always the team and what we were doing as a team or a caucus or as a military. even in the last remarks that rick davis read for him and he

talked about his imperfect service, how many times do you hear that? my service was imperfect. you don't. you just don't hear that today. >> s.e., you think we're going to step back at this moment now over these next few days as we honor appropriately senator mccain and see any change emerging here in washington as a result of what he tried to bring forward? >> i would certainly hope so. wouldn't that be an incredible honor to him? i was really touched, grateful that in those final remarks he chose, as he so often did, not to prey on our fears and our bassist instincts. he was hopeful in that message n told us that we'll get through all of this. and we'll be stronger for it. i needed to hear that. and i think a lot of people did because these are trying times.

the country feels at times, it feels uncertain and we're treating each other badly a lot of the time. so to hear him and his parting words, give us that gift of optimism and hope instead of the fear that dominates so many of our political conversations right now was an incredible -- was an incredible gift. i'm glad he said it. >> and today is just the beginning of the memorials, the services, the special moments that we are all going to share with our viewers here in the united states and around the world. very quickly, john kirby, your son is now in the u.s. navy. >> he is. >> like john mccain, he was the son of a naval officer. the grandson of a naval officer. and now your son is in, serving in the u.s. navy. the son of a naval officer. and i want you briefly to share with our viewers what senator mccain wrote to your son because

those words are very appropriate and so powerful. >> i'll do that, wolf and try to get through this. it will be the third time i've read this on air. and hopefully i can do it a little more smoother than before. i asked the senator back in january to send a letter to my son who was getting ready to be commissioned as an ensign. just giving him some advice. something that he could hold onto as he goes out to lead sailors. i'll read a part of it to you. he wrote, as you may know, my father and grandfather served in the navy. both were men of great courage n dignity. both were tough acts to follow. but they also inspired me to serve a cause greater than my own self-interest. from the naval academy to government service, it encouraged me to work for others. god blessed me with the company of heroes and it has made all the difference in my life. and then he wraps it up here. be proud of your accomplishments and never stop believing in

yourself. and most importantly, you will find the most happiness in serving a cause greater than your own self-interests. and that's -- nothing that -- nothing that i could have said to my son as a dad could be better than what senator mccain said to my son. >> it's a beautiful letter. something you will cherish. your son will cherish. as all of our viewers now will cherish as well. we're going to continue our special coverage of a very special man right after this. hey allergy muddlers.

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cindy mccain now joined, you

see there, by her two sons jimmy and jack. among the entire family, all the family, the friends, the staffers, the colleagues, those who admire him paying their respects to john mccain only moments ago. senator mccain's legacy includes the younger lawmakers here in washington that he often mentioned whom he also considered -- they always considered him to be both a hero and a role model. among them, republican congressman adam kinsinger of illinois. he's joining us right now to share his thoughts about this remarkable u.s. senator. congressman, i know this is a sad moment for you. much, much younger than senator mccain, but you traveled with him, served with him on capitol hill. you served in the u.s. military, as he did. what did you admire most about senator mccain? >> well, we don't have enough time to go into all of that. i'll tell you as i'm sitting here pondering, we never wanted to lose him. it's amazing that we're celebrating his life at a time when this country probably needs

that celebration the most. you know, i was a delegate for him in 2000. when i got elected to congress, my most desperate mission was to meet john mccain. we became fast friends. i traveled all over the world with him. i have so many funny stories and so many deep stories. the guy cares for people. democrats, republicans loved him alike. he never met an enemy that was america. only enemies overseas. i remember in hungary, josh rogan mentioned this in his column. he introduced me as henry kissinger's grandson and they really all believed him. i was treated for different after that. i think about the people that admired him and the hero he was and nicknames he created for people. the thing that stands out the most is sitting at dinner and then i have a couple drinks and he opens up a little bit, but he shared the story of the

forest fire where many, many men died. and you can see john mccain running for safety. i have never seen the man emotional until that moment. and you just saw in him a guy super dedicated to the country, that transcended partisanships, really believed in what he believed and would fight tooth and nail for it. but he's going to be truly missed. as a guy that considers him a political hero and an icon, i'm just seeking to do 10% of what he did in his life. >> he was a mentor to you as he was to so many young lawmakers. he returned mutual respect, even among political rivals. how likely is that given the political climate given the climate in washington politics right now? >> i always say it is likely and then i'm let down a little bit. i think this is a good moment for america to pause and to have

the conversations. i'm not overly optimistic in the next few months it's going to happen, but it will be part of a process. and even with me, i have to re-evaluate myself every day because i always say, look, if there's somebody on the other side of the aisle, or somebody in your own party that you don't like, do you really need to hate them? or can you just disagree with them in politics and have a good political discussion? there's too much hate, there's too many thanksgiving dinners torn apart because uncle ron voted for trump and aunt linda voted for hillary and now the families can't talk to each other. and i hope that america in this moment says, john mccain would want us to be passionate about our beliefs and want us to have good debates, but this delving into hating someone for their beliefs is something we all have in our darkest moments. and we have to pull ourselves out of that as best we can. and we are going to fail some days and succeed others. i hope as a country we'll have more successful days than failed days. >> let's hope, indeed.

well said, congressman kinzinger, thank you for joining us. >> you bet, any time. very special day, dana bash, but it is only just beginning. tomorrow there will be another ceremony in arizona. you're heading out, talk a little bit about that. >> well, as you mentioned, joe biden is going to be the keynote speaker at the church in arizona tomorrow. and that says so much. they were incredibly close. got even closer as you were saying because john mccain was diagnosed and then died from the exact same disease that joe biden lost his son to, this brain cancer. but i just want to clickly mention one thing that the congress m congressman said, instead of learning of john mccain over the years, that was the moment he grew up. because he was a hot dog before that. he, and you know this from studying naval history as well, he just wanted to have fun, romanticize the idea of being in the military and having the life of a fighter pilot.

he admitted that. then this horrible tragedy where so many people died, 100 people died, of his comrades, and he got serious and woke up. and unfortunately, one of the next missions that he flew was the one that he was shot down and captured. >> and he did a wonderful one-hour documentary for our viewers here at cnn, thank you for doing that, dana. and i know we'll be speaking tomorrow, you'll in arizona. i'll be here. elaine, talk a little bit, give us a final thought. >> sure. john mccain always said that he served in the company of heroes, that he wasn't a hero himself. and i saw him use his humor and his serious side that you talked about to describe that one shootdown that was the seminole moment of his life. he would always joke about it and say, i'm not a great pilot, i intercepted a soviet to air missile with my own airplane. and then i said, what was it like? you bailed out of airplanes before, how did that feel?

and suddenly he got serious, and suddenly he said, that was different. it's completely different when someone is shooting at your airplane. and you need to ditch it. and he talked about blasting through that canopy, landing in the lake unconscious and being captured at that moment. >> good point. john? >> i want to go back to something that he actually wrote about his grandfather. there was a book written in 2006 called "a leader born" about slu mccain. john mccain, the senator, who the prologue. and this is the last couple of lines in his prologue, which i think is really telling. he thanks the author for offering an honest portrait of a man whose contributions to our country have not always been accorded the attention they deserve. with revealing insights into the character of the man who's honorable and richly enjoyed life will, i'm confident, prove

as inspiring to the reader as those of us who are fortunate to know him as he lived. he might as well have written that for himself. >> such beautiful words. charlie? >> i was just going to say, look, john mccain was a friend, ally and mentor to me. and having seen admiral kirby's letter, he could be a very generous person. and i never talked about this publicly, but the highest political compliment i ever received in my life was from john mccain at the philadelphia republican retreat a couple years ago. cocktail reception, he pulled me aside, i want to talk to you. i said, what's up? he said, i want to thank you for speaking up and leading and saying things that need to be said. i was like, wow, i was totally humbled. i only ever told my wife and a couple staff, i was so blown away he would say that to me. he always epitomized the definition of courage, guts and heroism. and i'm just going to miss the man. because he really lament the fact that congress really wasn't performing well. and that's something that we as

members or former members of congress need to think about. and how we can all be better and act more like he did for the benefit of the nation. >> dana, one thing you and i and all the journalistic colleagues will always remember about senate mccain, he appreciated the value of the news media, the role that a free press plays in democracy, and he was always there available to comment. >> he was. and look, his conservative critics said that the only political base that he has for were the press. i think at times that might have been true, that people who he enjoyed talking to, maybe the most, because everybody else was on the outs with him, were reporters in the back of his bus. but i know as a member of the press, there were times he was not happy with us, but always understood, not just the benefit but the necessity of a free press in this democracy. >> he was very critical of me, why are you asking me these questions? these are stupid questions, but then he would always come back

and say to me in a phone call or whatever, it was a tough affair and interview. keep it up. he appreciated the value of a free press. john sidney mccain served our country for more than 60 years. his service began in the u.s. navy as a pilot. he was shot down over vietnam where he was taken as a prisoner of war but later returned home as a war hero. he went on to becoming the united states representative before moving on to the u.s. senate where he was still serving when he passed. he was chairman of the armed services committee. senator mccain is survived by his wife cindy, his seven children. today would have been his 82nd birthday. today, the arizona republic put together dozens of photos of senator mccain through the years to honor his life, legacy and service. these are just a few of those many photos. ♪

hi there, brooke baldwin. you're watching cnn. the president is looking for a new lawyer, not for himself personally, in the russian probe, but for the white house officially in the office of white house counsel. trump just announced don mcgahn's departure, where else? on twitter, saying mcgahn who got the job weeks after the 2016 election, quote, will be leaving his position in the fall shortly after the confirmation, hopefully, of judge