dame karen pierce. it's so good to have you here at such a key moment. and i wonder as king charles iii, we start to see him in this role on the throne, what will change about the contours of the kingdom? i ask that because, as i'm sure you've seen, there's been a lot written in recent days. in the "new york times" there was a columnist, who is a british historian, writes about the empire. she said that the commonwealth really kind of glosses over some of the more bloody forms of british colonialism. she said in her role as queen, elizabeth helped obscure a bloody history of decolonization whose proportions and legacies have yet to be acknowledged. it kicked off a debate here. i wonder how you think king charles will deal with that. is he mindful of things like this? >> he's very politically aware and astute and very much aware

of the world around him. i think his first task will be to go around the constituent parts of the uk, promoting a message of unity, one of respect for the late queen, but also one of renewal. he'll want to show stability and unity and continuity, but he has made no secret of the fact there are things he would like to modernize. we'll wait and see what those are. he's a huge supporter of the commonwealth. he becomes head of the commonwealth. and that was decided a few years ago. he has gone on record as saying it doesn't matter what sort of government you have in the commonwealth, whether you have monarchy, whether you have a republic, whether you have some other form, you are very welcome in the commonwealth. he wants to do what he can to strengthen that partnership of equal nations. and i want to stress the equal. we can't pretend we have a different history. there are good things and bad.

and we need to talk about them. but i think that assessment is too negative. i would say that one of the overwhelmingly positive things that came out of the queen's 70 years was the transition from empire to commonwealth. was the transition to having a fellowship of sovereign equal nations who all come together every two years, head of government and head of state level, and who do an awful lot on trade in between. so, i think that's a positive legacy. and i think most countries in the commonwealth would feel that. >> the uk's had such tremendous change. four prime ministers in the past six years. a new prime minister just in recent days as well, liz truss. i want to ask you about the u.s./uk relationship. president biden has made clear when it comes to relations for him protecting the peace in

northern ireland is of utmost importance. this looks like it could be a point of difference. because the u.s. has warned the uk nold vot on this legislation that could affect the creation or not of a hard border between north and south ireland. do you believe that vote will happen? and what happens to u.s. relations if that goes ahead? >> so, i think the first thing to say is that the president had a very warm discussion with the prime minister when she was first appointed. they talked about the special relationship. they talked about what britain and the u.s. can do together, promoting democracy and open societies around the world and the need to push back on authoritarianism. so, as the queen herself has said, what brings us together is far stronger than any individual issue that may divide us. we, too, in britain, the prime minister wants to preserve the peace agreement in northern ireland. she and the president and the irish government absolutely share that aim. >> but she's also talked about scpping partsf that

agreement with the eu. that specifically -- >> that's a particular agreement about trade so that northern ireland can trade with ireland, which remains in the european union. and the mainland of great britain can also trade with northern ireland as part of the united kingdom. and the difficulty arises precisely because we are determined to avoid a hard border between northern ireland and ireland. we accept enormous gain of the agreement. it is hard to introduce trading arrangements that protect the integrity of the eu single market and the united kingdom single market when you haven't got a border, but we don't want to introduce a border. the legislation going through parliament is not about a border. it's about contingency gerz the government could take if it needed to if we cannot reach a negotiated settlement with the eu to make the passage of goods between northern ireland and

ireland smoother than it is now. there's lots of disruption to communities. they can't get the goods and medicine in northern ireland they need. the government needs to sort this out. >> there are a lot of challenges the prime minister faces, including economic ones, in large part, because of russia's war on ukraine. do you see political risk to the alliance in the months ahead? >> no, i think the alliance -- the nato alliance has shown it is stronger than ever. there has been a remarkably united response to president putin's invasion. the same is true of the transatlantic relationship between europe as a whole and the united states more broadly. leaders will be able to get together in the forthcoming u.n. general assembly, where i think you'll see more outpourings of support for ukraine. there's no doubt there is a cost of living crisis. that's not unique to britain. we have introduced measures around energy bills and energy prices to try and help ordinary households.

and the chance of -- our treasury secretary was here recently talking to secretary yellen. we're looking together at how we can share best practice in what to do to help households. >> we'll continue to follow closely in the coming days and weeks. thank you so much, ambassador. we'll be right back. are you feeling sluggish or weighed down? metamucil's new fiber plus collagen can help. when taken daily, it supports your health, starting with your digestive system. metamucil's plant-based fiber forms a gel to trap and remove the waste that weighs you down, helps lower cholesterol and promotes healthy blood sugar levels. while its collagen peptides help support your joint structures. so, start feeling lighter and more energetic by taking metamucil every day. try metamucil fiber gummies made with a prebiotic, plant-based fiber blend that helps promote digestive health.

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i've been telling everyone... the secret to great teeth is having healthy gums. crest advanced gum restore. detoxifies below the gumline... and restores by helping heal gums in as little as 7 days. crest. the #1 toothpaste brand in america. a stunning retreat by russia overnight as ukrainian forces claw back parts of the south and east of their country. and as the war enters its 200th day, there is another significant development. this morning engineers at europe's largest nuclear power plant are shutting down the last operational reactor in an attempt to lessen the chance of. cbs news foreign correspondent debora reports from kyiv. >> reporter: it's happening with lightning speed. advancing ukrainian troops in the northeast kharkiv region are taking back lost territories.

despite casualties along the way, the gains have been rapid and dramatic. and it's taken everyone by surprise. ukraine kept the operation a tightly guarded secret. for now, journalists have been banned from reporting from the front line. but across the region, the blue and yellow flag has been raised in towns and villages occupied for more than half a year. victory in a crucial logistics hub for russia as ukraine rips down all traces of the invading forces. liberated by jubilation and tears. and the words these residents have waited so long to hear, everything's going to be okay. says this soldier. for six months we prayed you would save us, sobs this woman.

it's a humiliating defeat for vladimir putin's men who have been forced to beat a hasty retreat. and comes the attempt to save face from moscow, who says it's withdrawing to reinforce troops in donetsk. ukraine has been emboldened by the steady supply of western military aid, but it needs more to keep the momentum going, says the mayor of the now occupied fedrov. >> how quickly our partners will give us weapons, how quickly our partners will give us heavy equipment military. >> reporter: right now, russia still holds around a fifth of this country. nobody expects this to be over quickly, but ukrainians are daring to hope today that the war could be starting to swing their way. these are the most significant battlefield successes since they crushed crushed russia's attempt to seize kyiv at the beginning of

this seven-month long war. >> debora patta in kyiv, thank you. we're joined by ukraine's ambassador to united states, oksana markarova. good morning to you. an incredible past few days for your country. i wonder, as you have this progress, if concern is growing that russia will resort to more brutality to respond to the success ukraine has had. >> well, 200 days fall on september 11th. and we know this pain and we feel this pain in ukraine. we know how it is when terrorists attack you at home. so, we always have to keep in mind that russia still can do a lot of damage. but we don't have any other choice. we will advance, as we said before, we will not surrender, and we will liberate all ukraine because this is what we have to do. not only to restore our territory integrity, but to save all of our people who are under occupation. and we see from the footage from

more than 1,200 square miles which have been liberated during the past, literally, eight days, the most fast counteroffense since world war ii. we see how they are meeting and greeting our armed forces. and we also, unfortunately, see already the signs of the brutal war crimes that have been committed there. no different from what we saw after beliberated kyiv. we have to win. and this counteroffensive shows that we can win. and we are repeating the success we had in the kyiv. >> retired general ben hodges told ben martin that ukraine could push russia back to the borders pre-invasion. that could happen before the end of the year. do you agree with that timeline? >> again, this operation was possible because of the resolve

of the armed forces, because our commanders from the every commander in the battlefield, so devoted to the victory, but also because 14 million ukrainians are supporting this effort and f fighting for our country. more importantly, because our partners have increased all the support and we're getting more and more of the weapons and equipment so needed for that. of course, we would like to liberate all ukraine as soon as possible to stop the suffering of the people and restore our sovereignty. will it be possible before the end of the year? we are ready to do it before the end of the year. hopefully we will have everything we need to do so. >> the biden administration made some announcements of further support. 2$2.2 billion for ukraine and is neighbors. $665 million package of heavy

weapons. your foreign minister tweeted this morning now it's about schedule, schedule and schedule. so, you're getting these pledges. is there a complaint it's not arriving fast enough? >> we don't have any complaints. if you look at august and september, we see that the announcements are very regular and we're getting a lot of announcements on a weekly basis. we also see, and this is very important, and has been a highlight of secretary blinken's visit to kyiv, that we're not only talking about what is necessary right now. for us to win today. but we are increasingly discussing the long-term support. and everything we need in order to build what we call the endu endurance. so the package announced on independence day and $2.2 billion, out of which $1 billion will go to ukraine in foreign financing is not only what we need now but also what we will

need in the coming months and defend ourselves. >> how much longer does this w . and we definitely would like it to be shorter because the russians are not only attacking us, they're attacking europe, the energy crisis, the food crisis, everything they're trying to create to not only attack ukraine but every democracy that is together with us fighting for the democracy now. so, the faster we do it, the faster we will return to rebuilding and renovating our country, but also to some kind of normal life in europe and globally. >> how should people understand what is happening now with the nuclear reactor in ukraine? >> the situation is totally unacceptable from any type of international standpoint. the russian armed forces, that shouldn't be in ukraine in the first place, and definitely

shouldn't be at the nuclear plant, which is the largest nuclear plant in europe, are putting in danger the lives not only of ukrainians but also the whole region by being there and doing -- >> but shutting down the reactor, does that avert catastrophe? >> well, we're trying everything forcible. ukrainians who are there at the station, despite the fact they're there under gun all the time, trying to do everything possible to minimize the risk. so, we are forced to do it, we are forced to shut it down. it's not a complete resolution. the complete resolution is for russians to get out, to implement recommendations of the iaea and demilitarize the plant that will bring their safety. in the meantime, ukrainian personnel are doing everything possible in order to avert any type of catastrophe. >> the last time you were here in april, you told us that there were roughly 91,000 ukrainian

children who had been taken from their families and brought into russia. has there been any progress in bringing them home? you asked for the u.s. to help with this. >> we are asking everyone. unfortunately, with this -- fortunately with the counteroffensive, but we see already that during the counteroffensive, russians are trying to move more kids from the territories, which we liberate prior to the liberations to russia. this issue of identifying and finding every children that russian stolen from us and return them back safely is still one of the top priorities. and hopefully, after we win, we will be able to get them all back. >> very quickly, should we expect your president to come to the united nations in the coming days? in person? can he leave? >> it all depends on the situation on the ground. we cannot say anything right now, but hopefully we'll be able to have more good news from ukraine and more territories to

return home. >> that would be significant. thank you, madame ambassador. we'll be right back in a moment.

we turn to the continued efforts to restore clean water to the roughly 150,000 residents of jackson, mississippi. the city's mayor, chokwe lumumba, joins us now live from jackson. mr. mayor, we welcome you to the program. you don't get more basic governance than running water. when can your residents turn on the faucet and not have to worry? >> well, first and foremost, margaret, thank you for having me. thank you for lifting this circumstance up. fortunately, we have some level of good news to report, this all residents have had water pressure restored to them. they have yet to have the boil water notice lifted, and so there are still concerns around the consumption of that water. right now, as many repairs and adjustments are taking place in the triage period of where we are at the water treatment facility, there's also

investigatory sampling taking place. so, we believe that it's a matter of days, not weeks before that boil water notice can be lifted. but i would note this, that we have been here before, where we've been ail to restore pressure. we've been able to lift boil water notices. but without the significant capital improvements to take place, it still is a matter of if, not when, these things will happen again. >> i want to talk to you about that -- >> when, not if. i apologize. >> i want to talk about that capital in a moment. we have also learned there's a federal probe of the drinking water crisis. the spokesperson for the epa's inspector general told our avery miller that the investigators are already on the ground in your city to speak to local officials. do you know the scope of this? are your actions, as mayor, being investigated? >> well, first and foremost, i think that any time you have an event of this severity take place, then you should expect more questions and more

investigation. and i think we should be open to that. no, no one has talked to me. i do not know the scope nor the timeline in which they're investigating, but i can share that to the extent that they will be speaking to city employees, i will direct them to cooperate with any investigation. we look forward to more information so that we can get beyond this. >> well, there was a similar investigation in flint, michigan, as you know, years ago that ultimately led to nine indictments. do you expect similar action in your city? >> well, i can't speak to the analogous nature of the flint, michigan, circumstance in jackson. i can share with you that i am unaware of any criminal activity on behalf of individuals here in the city of jackson. however, what we do is -- what we do want is a greater understanding of where failures have been taking place. we know our administration, in fact, administrations past have been pushing for corrective action to take place for a long

time. >> yeah. you mentioned the need for capital. in march 2021 federal government sent $42 million directly to the city as part of the american rescue plan. in august 2021, president biden said this when he signed off on the bipartisan infrastructure bill. >> never again can we allow what happened in flint, michigan, in jackson, mississippi, can never let it happen again. >> it's happening again. in fact, it's getting worse. where's the money? why isn't it -- >> well -- >> go ahead. >> first and foremost, i've had very extensive discussions with the president and vice president concerning the federal government's desire to help. we look forward to that. we have committed the grand majority of our arpa funds towards our infrastructure. not only at the water treatment facility but distribution lines. we've spent $8 million on one pipe alone in south jackson, which isdy proportionately effected. it is critical for people to

know the city of jackson did not get $42 million at one time. merely a little over a month ago we got our second tranche of the funds. we have made a commitment to spend all that -- the remaining dollars. there was some choice to spend some towards public safety issues. so, we are committing the lion's share, the over whwhelming majoy of our funds to this challenge. however, it's insufficient to meet the great need of 30 years of deferred maintenance and accumulated challenges, so it will take a coordinated effort on not only the local/state but federal, too. >> federal taxpayer dollars have been allocated here. why can't the white house get that to you faster? >> i believe there is a full intent to do so. i think there is a process by which you identify the different pockets in which the money lies and creativity needing to take place. i can share you with that there has been full cooperation and

communication at the highest levels. whether it's the administrator of the epa, michael regan, who speaks to me consistently, about their effort and desire to help. whether we're talking about the czar of the infrastructure bill himself, mitch landrieu, we've all been in communication. and about the timeline in which certain portals open, i think a major portal that is necessary to fund jackson opens in october. >> do you believe that, as you've said in the past, state lawmakers have been racist in their treatment of your city? >> yeah. well, i'll say this, i'm not backing down from any, you know, characterizations i have made. i think they were made in honesty. however, i think this is the time to focus on solutions for our residents. when people go long -- prolonged periods of time without water pressure and even longer periods of time without an ability to consume it, they really aren't trying to be bogged down in the political disputes that ensue.

> understood. >> they just want solutions. that's where we're focused. >> understood. we will continue to track what is happening in jackson. good luck to you, mr. mayor. we'll be right back. are you feeling sluggish or weighed down? metamucil's new fiber plus collagen can help. when taken daily, it supports your health, starting with your digestive system. metamucil's plant-based fiber forms a gel to trap and remove the waste that weighs you down, helps lower cholesterol and promotes healthy blood sugar levels. while its collagen peptides help support your joint structures. so, start feeling lighter and more energetic

by taking metamucil every day. try metamucil fiber gummies made with a prebiotic, plant-based fiber blend that helps promote digestive health. (male) there are many voices in today's world. everyone is voicing their opinions about everything, and jesus is no exception to that. what if there was a clear voice telling you exactly who jesus is? (male announcer) join dr. david jeremiah as he teaches who jesus is and what that means for your life. tune in to dr. jeremiah's new series, "christ above all", on the next "turning point", right here on this station.

that's it for today. thank you for watching. i'm margaret brennan.

>> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." reporting tonight from london. tonight queen elizabeth ii's final journey begins after her coffin was driven through the scottish countryside from her summer home at balmoral castle to holyroodhouse palace in edinburgh. tens of thousands of mourners lined the roads to pay their respects to their beloved queen, the longest-serving monarch in british history. the queen's state funeral will take place next monday and will be the first in the united kingdom in more than half a century, when winston churchill was given the honor in 1965. as proat