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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees

Prince Harry and Family Plan to Move Back to Britain; Presidential Priorities; New Questions About Darline Graham's Candidacy After Debate Flop; New Questions About Darline Graham's Candidacy After Debate Flop; Trump Shows Off White House Projects; Trump Claims U.S. Has Complete Control of Strait of Hormuz; Harry & Meghan Set to Return to U.K.; Melanoma Vaccine Treatment Shows Promise in Large Trial. Aired 8-9p ET

Aired August 19, 2026 - 20:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): -- it will cost less than $20.00 to feed a family of four, just getting all of those ingredients into our kitchen costs a whopping $70.54.

FOREMAN (on camera): Yes, it certainly is tasty, and it appears healthy, but the problem remains. I do not see, having made this, how you can walk into a grocery store with $20.00 and come out with everything you need for this making that part of the claim for many consumers, I think very hard to swallow -- Erin.

ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: Tom Foreman, thank you very much. And thanks to all of you for joining us. Anderson starts now.

[20:00:39]

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER: 360": Good evening. Thanks for joining us.

We begin tonight with breaking news. A complete change of course for Britain's most famous Royal exiles, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan and their two young children ending six years of self-imposed exile from the U.K. and their Royal duties. They are returning to live in Britain.

A bit more than three years ago, I spoke to Prince Harry for "60 Minutes" and asked him about the possibility a moment like this might come?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Can you see a day when you would return as a full time member of the Royal family?

PRINCE HARRY, DUKE OF SUSSEX: No, I can't see that happening.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Well, there is no indication as of now he will be resuming any Royal duties, but the move back is happening shortly, according to British media, in time for their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet to start school.

CNN's Max Foster joins us now with the very latest.

So what more do we know about this move and what is behind it?

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they kept it very secret. No one knew anything about it until Sunday. That's when the King was told that this was the plan and the Prince and Princess of Wales as well.

They were here last month, the whole family, they did have a visit with the King and the Queen and you can assume that they were setting up the plans for this, because the schools that Archie and Lilibet will be attending will start in September. So the move over will be imminent.

He won't be returning to his Royal role even if he wanted to. The King has made it very clear, and I am sure that Prince William has made it even clearer that that isn't an option. It is not an option either, to stay in a Royal residence. So they are going to be staying in a private residence somewhere outside London, quite interesting to consider where that might be, because it would be a huge resource to get the kind of place they'd expect with the sort of security they expect, and also answering the question about how they have resolved the security issue.

Harry already said, and he has been to court over this, that he didn't feel safe bringing his family over to the U.K., so I don't know what has been resolved there.

The Home Office, he was in a dispute with about whether or not he would get, you know, armed protection. That hasn't changed as far as I am aware. So there are lots of outstanding questions here.

COOPER: Max, stay with this one. I want to also bring in Royal commentator, Trisha Goddard.

Trisha, were you surprised by this? Sort of help us put it in perspective. How big a deal is this do you think?

TRISHA GODDARD, ROYAL COMMENTATOR: It is a big deal, but I don't think it has come completely out of the blue because with the benefit of hindsight, when you look at when Prince Harry was over in the U.K., for instance, in 2025 and was talking with the singer, Joss Stone, who has also relocated her family back to Britain, he did talk about how brilliant the schools were in Britain.

He also talked about he thought that the sense of community was really important. And as Max said, he has been back twice. Now, the second time and Max, I don't know if you agree with this or Anderson, it is really interesting that this last visit, when the whole family came over, nobody knew about. There were no press releases. There were none of the usual announcements and pronouncements or what have you, very little came out of the actual fact that the meeting had taken place. There has not been anything spoken about it and I know I am pretty sure for King Charles, that would have bode very well.

I also think as I know, Anderson and we've talked about it before, you have to remember that the King is living with cancer. Queen Camilla only spoke about it today when she visited Maggie's Center, which is a center that gives a lot of all-round help for people going through cancer.

Now, I don't think it is entirely coincidental that Queen Camilla has finally sort of, you know, broken ranks, if you like, and talked about the difficulties and the wham-o of finding out one's partner has cancer.

When a child comes to see a parent and sees the reality and there are a lot of things that you or I or you know, any of us in the press don't pick up. As you know, you didn't know what I was going through for a long time and we all know a little makeup for the public eye is okay.

[20:05:10]

But when they were at Highgrove, face-to-face, close up, I firmly believe that Harry saw changes in his father, and that helped kind of move the dial.

COOPER: Well, that's interesting.

Yes, Max, I want to ask you the relationship between Harry and his brother. What is the status of that? Because the last I heard, they had not spoken in quite some time.

FOSTER: Yes, there is no indication that they have spoken. I think it is rock bottom. I think William feels probably that harry can't be trusted because so many of those private conversations came out in the book and in the Netflix series and William is a very private person and he feels perhaps that Harry left, you know, they were meant to be a co-monarchy, really, at one point, they were so close.

And then Harry left and William is now, you know, very close to the monarchy with a very ill father. I know that he is very involved in all decisions. So, he certainly would have been involved in any sort of discussion about whether or not Harry would get his Royal role back.

And when we look at the four of them together, this was a -- you know, a tense moment. You'll remember it. They clearly weren't getting -- they were trying to get on, but they weren't getting along very well.

Meghan -- you know, one of the big issues, of course, Meghan had with the U.K. was the British tabloid media. They've been through all these court battles or Prince Harry has, maybe they feel that the British tabloids are more in control and they won't be attacking her in the same way.

But that's going to be a very big test for her, I think. I don't think William and Harry are anywhere near reconciling, but certainly, Harry and Charles are working that way. COOPER: I just want to play more of my conversation with Prince Harry for "60 Minutes" when his book "Spare" came out, which has caused part of this rift back in 2023. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Can you see a day when you would return as a full-time member of the Royal family?

PRINCE HARRY: No, I can't see that happening.

COOPER: In the book, you called this a full scale rupture. Can it be healed?

PRINCE HARRY: Yes. The ball is very much in their court. But, you know, Meghan and I have continued to say that we will openly apologize for anything that we did wrong. But every time we asked that question, no one is telling us the specifics or anything. That needs to be a constructive conversation, one that can happen in private, that doesn't get leaked.

COOPER: I assume they would say, well, how can we trust you? How do we know that you're not going to reveal whatever conversations we have in an interview somewhere?

PRINCE HARRY: This all started with them briefing daily against my wife with lies to the point of where my wife and I had to run away from our -- from my country.

COOPER: It is hard, I think, for anybody to imagine a family dynamic that is so "Game of Thrones" without dragons.

PRINCE HARRY: I don't watch "Game of Thrones" to this day, but there is definitely dragons. And that's again, the third party, which is the British press.

So ultimately, without the British press as part of this, we would probably still be a fairly dysfunctional family, like a lot are. But at the heart of it, there is a family, without question. And I really look forward to having that family element back. I look forward to having a relationship with my brother. I look forward to having a relationship with my father and other members of my family.

COOPER: You want that?

PRINCE HARRY: It is all I've ever asked for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: I want to bring in CNN Royal historian, Kate Williams to the conversation as well.

Kate, I mean, do you think the family dynamics have changed much since then?

KATE WILLIAMS, CNN ROYAL HISTORIAN: Well, that interview with you, Anderson, it really laid bare, it is that there are Harry said dragons. He feels very -- he talked openly there about the briefing against him. I don't feel as if there has been a great improvement in the Royal family relations between William and Harry.

Just as Max was saying there, the King, there has been a great rapprochement. There was the meeting in Highgrove, very significantly. We don't know where Harry and Meghan are going to live, but it may be that they have chosen a place near the King, near Highgrove in Gloucestershire. We just don't know.

But certainly between William and Harry, there is no love lost and I think there has been too much water under the bridge for really, for the rift to heal any time soon.

So this news that Harry is coming back, which really has surprised the whole world, let alone I am sure the Royal family is, I think, going to be very pleasing to Charles, but not so pleasing to William.

COOPER: And Max, there was this whole question of, you know, their model of kind of half in, half out -- half in the Royal family doing Royal duties and pursuing commercial interests, whether that would work or not, it clearly was not something the Royal family thought could work or should work. Do you see any chance of them resuming Royal duties?

[20:10:10]

FOSTER: I don't and I think it speaks to what Kate is saying there. William is now being referred to with all big decisions, it perhaps does speak to the King's health, but then he is next in line. So he be, and I just don't think he would allow that. There is too much bad blood there.

We have got, Diana's death -- the anniversary of her death, 30 years of her death next year, which would perhaps be an opportunity for them to come together. But I think even coming together around a memorial would be incredibly difficult at this time. I think in William's head, he is just now set on the idea that it is him and Kate and the three kids that are now the future of the monarchy, and Harry has no part in that.

And, you know, they are very different people, frankly. You know, you were showing those images of the four of them walking along. I mean, even at that time I was live on air giving commentary at that moment and both sides were giving me, you know there -- interpretations about what was happening there.

I mean, Harry is right with all the briefing, but it wasn't -- you know, there are briefing on all sides and it was equally aggressive on all sides. The whole relationship really broke down and the way they see the future of the monarchy, I think is probably different. But it is going to be an interesting test. You know, there is one thing having Harry not exiled, but, you know, on the other side of America going through this experience of trying to make money and be a Royal and trying to do it here in the U.K. where he will be in a situation where he is seen as part of the monarchy but isn't a part of the monarchy.

I think it is going to cause lots of tensions, frankly, between William and Harry yet again.

COOPER: Yes. Max Foster, Kate Williams, Trisha Goddard, I really appreciate it. Thank you.

Coming up next, with all that's happening in the world, including war with Iran, how did the President of the United States find the time to spend 32 minutes showing off his White House construction projects? If you like "House Hunters," you'll love this.

We will show it to you.

And later, breaking news on the war in what the President is calling an economic D-Day against Iran.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:16:38]

COOPER: Keeping them honest tonight, with the President of the United States, publicly at least, devoted a lot of time and attention to today. Now, keep in mind, there is certainly a lot on his plate: The national debt today hit $40 trillion. There it is, spiraling up live there on your screen. Gas prices are high. His job approval is low.

And with midterms just ahead, his political endorsements no longer seem to carry the weight it once did in some places. Ten of his candidates have been rejected by primary voters so far, including three just last night.

Then there is the war with Iran, which is obviously not gone to plan. Theres a carrier fleet stretched thin to meet defense commitments around the world and concerns about stockpiles of munitions, which makes what the President spent 32 minutes doing today all the more remarkable.

He took reporters on a tour of The White House grounds to show off his ongoing renovations. Now, this is not the first time he has done such a thing. You may recall he posted photos of the renovation of the Lincoln Bedroom back in 2025, but today was an actual show and tell in person.

From the driveways to the helipad to the ballroom to the grass, 32 minutes in all, we've condensed it for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Like I am fixing the country, we are fixing The White House, too. Home Depot tiles that were very broken and very inappropriate in areas where you see the white marble.

We got rid of the asphalt here, and this is granite and if you notice its radial. Radial meaning its cut about two degrees. It is called a flawless granite. We get the best stuff.

It is a very strong stone, it will never break. It will never leak. It is rated a million-year-plus. That means it has a million-year life. Can you imagine that? From a quarry in California and it is a very special stone. It is a slope for the rain, but I felt it was too much slope. That's really powerful stone.

I will go on the line. So in 10 years, if you see a crack, you'll say, well, Trump just said you'll never see a crack. You'll never see a crack on this granite.

You know, grass has a life like humans have a life. We put topsoil, brand new earth on top of. Your grass here, they are very happy. And they said to me, sir, we'd like to replace the grass at The White House with the highest quality grass and do a real job. So, Scotts, I want to thank Scotts Miracle Grow. They can have events on it. They can have people go there for cocktails and then walk to the ballroom after that's finished.

All of these letters are hand carved and put into the black stone, which is also about 35,000 pounds per square inch.

And that's going to be one of the greatest structures. They were saying there is more rebar in that building than in the stadium that I think you guys are already building.

This building was falling apart. It is falling apart. Like buying a building in New York City that's in bad shape and putting it back together.

You see the Palm Court that was done by Jackie O. She put a better floor, but it broke.

The White House didn't really have an appropriate American flag and this is a great pole. This is the top of the line. It is tapered. This isn't a straight up and down job, which looks terrible, frankly. That's a tapered pole. Great -- I am very good at flagpoles.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Well, it is not just The White House the President wants to redecorate. He is also reportedly asking the Navy to redesign its new aircraft carrier so that the Command Center, the object sticking up there from the flight deck there is further forward. "The Washington Post" citing seven current and former officials reporting that the President had concerns about the, "look" of the new ships.

Not only would this potentially cost billions to change, defense analysts say it would delay the ships entry into service.

[20:20:10]

The President has not stopped at naval redecorating. He has also tried his hand at reengineering recently, signing an executive order telling the Navy to switch the system for launching aircraft from the carriers from a modern electric system to steam, something he has been saying he wants for years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: And I love the sight of that beautiful steam pouring off the deck; with the electric, you don't have that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: CNN's Alayna Treene is at The White House for us tonight.

So, is there a sense of why the President is so fixated on all of these side projects that he would devote so much time to it today?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: I will put it this way, Anderson. Republican advisers, White House officials, Republicans who are running for reelection, many of them have for months now been begging them not to spend so much time talking about this, doing exactly what he did today. They want him to be talking about not even the war with Iran, despite him being a wartime president in this moment, they want him talking about issues that voters care about, things like affordability, particularly with his popularity.

You know, those approval ratings being so low right now and some of the issues that he is facing. But to your exact question, one part of this is, of course, he is a builder. You can see that this is what he loves doing. He is very passionate about it in ways that he isn't about other subjects.

The other, of course, is he believes that this is going to be a core part of his legacy and this is something the president has actually fixated on a lot since coming into office for his second term. He thinks that leaving his mark on this White House is going to be something that he is remembered for, so that's part of this.

Another is, and one adviser put it to me this way is they believe it is something that he feels is actually in his control. When there is a lot going on around him, particularly with the ongoing war dragging into, you know, more than a six-month period now, this is something he feels like he has a tangible grasp on. So that's part of the reason.

But it is also not something that his advisors are actually telling him to do. If anything, Anderson, they are actually telling him to do the opposite when it comes to messaging.

COOPER: After last night's elections, Republican primary voters said they've rejected 10 candidates endorsed by the President for statewide office or Congress.

Have you heard concern inside The White House that there has been a loss in political capital here?

TREENE: I think one, yes. I mean, and this is a touchy subject for the President because he is very choosy about his endorsements. He doesn't want to endorse anyone that he believes will lose. So this is a hit to him in that sense. But part of this is to your exact question, there is a concern about November, particularly because you actually hear the President himself say this in an interview a couple of weeks ago. It is going to be so important for them to turn out the base, unlike how the President's political operation.

I spent the past couple of days talking to them at length about this. Unlike in 2024, when they wanted to drive out Independents and moderates and even flip some first time voters, this time they believe that the election is going to be all about driving out Trump's base and energizing his core supporters.

But it is unclear if they're actually going to listen, particularly at a time when, again, the President's approval ratings are low and you're seeing some movement within his base itself. So there is a concern there.

And I will say for the President, there has been some question about whether his heart is even in, you know, trying to come out and stomp for a lot of these Republican candidates. But he is very concerned, I should say, about what would happen if Republicans lose control of Congress. He does not want the Oversight that he saw back during his first term to take over the rest of his presidency.

So there is a lot going on behind-the-scenes to try and prevent that.

COOPER: Alayna Treene appreciate it from The White House. Thank you.

While three Trump-backed candidates were losing primaries last night, another candidate he has endorsed, the late Senator Lindsey Graham's sister, Darline Graham, was struggling somewhat on the debate stage.

Graham was appointed to fill her late brother's seat and is facing off against Congressman Ralph Norman in a special primary runoff next Tuesday to serve a full term.

Perhaps the most notable moment in the debate occurred when she was asked whether Taiwan and the South China Sea are national security issues for the United States, which, by the way, is not exactly a gotcha question.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. DARLINE GRAHAM NORDONE (R-SC): I am just going to be honest here. I am not on national security. I am not that informed on National Security. So --

But I do support the military. My brother was in the Air Force for 33 years. So I will do everything I can to support the military. My dad was in the Army. I am not a polished politician up here. National security is not my thing, not my area of expertise. But I do support the military.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: The answer -- that answer stands in stark contrast to her late brother, who carved out an extensive foreign policy portfolio and regularly lobbied the President on the wars in Iran and Ukraine.

For more, I am joined by CNN chief national affairs correspondent, Jeff Zeleny.

Jeff, I mean, how is Darline Graham's debate performance playing out in the race so far today?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, Anderson, it just simply fed into this question of is she up for this job? Is she prepared for this job?

[20:25:10]

But just a short time ago in Florence, South Carolina, she actually was answering some questions from voters. You're seeing that on screen right there and she said this. Let me read this to you.

She said, "Absolutely. Can I learn? I am smart. Yes, I'll learn. I will become informed." Of course, this is a day after saying that National Security is not my thing and that really reverberated around the campaign trail right on the stage there with her a runoff primary opponent to Ralph Norman, who is a member of Congress. He responded.

But several other of his supporters responded even sharply. We noticed this comment from Nikki Haley. Of course, the former governor of South Carolina. She is a big supporter of Ralph Norman.

She said this: "Lindsey Graham was well-informed on National Security. Darline Graham admits she is not. This is not something you inherit, and it is critical in the U.S. Senate." So clearly going right after this.

But it wasn't only on national security, Anderson. She also seemed to be unclear of how many actual people live in South Carolina. When she was talking about affordability, she said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NORDONE: There are 50 million people in South Carolina. Half of them live paycheck to paycheck.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: And of course, there are about 5.6 million people in South Carolina. Her opponent again, pointed this out online today as well, saying that not knowing a basic fact like that simply raises questions about her ability to be ready for this job. Of course, she has been campaigning aggressively, obviously getting up to speed.

And again, at that event this evening, she said, look, President Trump, he was not a politician. He learned on the job. She said, I will learn on the job as well.

But Ralph Norman said, this is not the kind of job you learn on the job. So really going after her experience ahead of that runoff on Tuesday. COOPER: Well, I mean, the question obviously, it was also such a broad question. I mean, it makes you wonder if she knows what Taiwan is or where it is or what it is in relation to China or even what the U.S. policy is toward China or toward Taiwan. I mean, it was really kind of breathtaking.

The President is scheduled to campaign with Graham in South Carolina later this week. What's at stake for him if she ultimately loses the runoff?

ZELENY: Well, look, I mean, the President has been very sensitive to these endorsements. He lost a few last evening. Of course, he has won many endorsements as well, many of his endorsed candidates have won their races. But all is on the line here.

So the President is traveling to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Friday for a rally. He does support her, but he has also said he is supporting her because of his friendship with her brother. So, we will see if he actually puts any daylight here in this or not. But it was interesting tonight, Anderson, as she talked to voters, she said, I will be informed. But she did not answer the question about what the U.S. Military relationship is with Taiwan -- Anderson.

COOPER: Jeff Zeleny, appreciate it. Thanks.

Joining me now, former Trump White House Communications Director Alyssa Griffin; conservative radio host, Erick Erickson; and former Democratic South Carolina State Representative Bakari Sellers.

Alyssa, should Darline Graham receive any credit for being honest with voters, at least about having no interest or no foreign policy experience? I mean, she has been open about wanting to focus more on domestic issues.

ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, it is a tough question, I guess, to wing.

Listen, I was supportive of the idea of her being appointed in a caretaker role. There is a lot of history for that. Spouses, widowed spouses of members of the House and the Senate in the past; children have gone on to serve. And for her to serve out his term makes perfect sense to me.

But I think the thinness of her resume is starting to show when you're thinking about a six-year term in the United States Senate, when, of course, issues like Taiwan, issues of National Security matters and foreign affairs are part of the job description.

That said, listen, she benefits from the President's endorsement, high name I.D. through her brother, and she is neck and neck with Ralph Norman, so she could still pull this off. But, I mean, that's going to end up in an ad and that's going to hurt her down the road.

COOPER: Erick, I mean, to Alyssa's point, how everyone feels about appointing Graham's sister to serve out the remainder of her term. Do you think it was a bridge too far for the president to endorse her in the general election?

ERICK ERICKSON, CONSERVATIVE RADIO HOST: Yes. You know, the original argument was Lindsey Graham tragically died unexpectedly, put his sister in there as a caretaker. And then the argument became, well, she is qualified to run because she is Lindsey Graham's sister. So certainly some of that knowledge rubbed off on her over time in their conversations. And then for her to not have an answer. I mean, I've got an answer to the question on Taiwan and China, and I am not a foreign policy expert, but Taiwan good, China bad there. It is not hard if you're Lindsey Graham's sister to know that was his position.

So I was a little bit flummoxed. I feel bad for her being forced into this position due to the tragic death of her brother, but then she chose to do it. So kudos for her honesty and also the history of primaries and runoffs is typically the person in second place wins the runoff and that would be Ralph Norman.

COOPER: Bakari, you know South Carolina well.

How do you think that moment on the debate stage is playing with voters in South Carolina?

BAKARI SELLERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It reinforces a narrative, and the narrative is that she has a thin resume. The narrative is her only qualification is being related to Lindsey Graham. And so on that stage, during that moment, standing next to Ralph Norman, just did not display strength. And I think Erick probably knows this better than most people kind of watching the politics of the South.

But Lindsey Graham wasn't a beloved right-wing conservative figure. Every election, he always had some opposition that somehow ended up getting 30, 40 percent of the vote. He had name ID, and he had a unique relationship with Donald Trump. That's first.

Second, Donald Trump has lost his last two big battles in South Carolina, most recently being when he endorsed Pamela Evette to be governor. And the second was trying to get redistricting done for an extra seat. He lost both of those battles and was rejected not by Democrats, but by Republicans in the state.

And the last thing is, Ralph Norman is as conservative as conservatives can be. I mean, Ralph Norman is going to be Jim DeMint, if you all remember that name, in Washington, D.C. I mean, that's going to be the type of United States Senator he is. People know his resume. And so it's going to be extremely close.

But Darline Graham really does not have the resume to be in the United States Senate.

COOPER: Alyssa, with the president's tour of the renovations going on in the driveway and the helipad today, do you think that made sense? I mean, I heard Maggie Haberman, you know, who's talked about, I think it was on Ezra Klein's podcast, that how much the president's headspace is taken up with focusing on things like the renovations. Were you surprised that he spent 32 minutes doing that today? ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I'm not surprised because we do have the reporting of just how much time he has spent on these renovations and these upgrades. But like, when you look at everything that is going on in the world right now, I can tell you with certainty there's no chance he got his schedule in the morning and that the chief of staff approved that he was going to spend this amount of time talking about resumes and -- talking about renovations and the helipad.

Heading into the midterms, you've got a war in Iran, you've got high gas prices, you've got the cost of living not coming down. This is exactly what Republicans don't want him focusing on. It makes him look out of touch. It makes him look detached from the reality of struggling Americans. And I'm certain that staff around him is trying to get him focused right now.

And sometimes I know from first-hand experience with Donald Trump, he is going to talk about what he wants to talk about, no matter how hard you try to redirect him.

COOPER: Erick, do you think the president's efforts to leave his mark on Washington is distracting for other issues?

ERICKSON: God Almighty, I just wish he would keep doing it and stay off social media and stay out of the cameras. I would rather him focus on the renovations than, I mean, we're at $40 trillion in national debt and every time he touches it, it gets worse. So just letting him focus on the renovations, he's surrounded by some smart people who can deal with these other issues. Stay off social media.

But for the love of God, Mr. President, if you're listening, stop letting people barf gold leaf all over the White House. It looks gaudy at this point. I just -- I don't -- I don't get the obsession with it, but he's 80 and wants to leave his mark. And at this point, I'd rather him do that than be on Truth Social ranting about things that distract the country and drive down the stock market.

COOPER: Well, Erick, if you read "Regime Change," I think there's a scene where it's actually the president who's putting on some of that gold leaf in the Oval Office.

ERICKSON: Oh, yeah. That is true.

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: I think there was a scene.

ERICKSON: I did read. Yes.

(LAUGH)

ERICKSON: Please stop. It's starting to look like (inaudible) house.

(LAUGH)

COOPER: It's like (inaudible) on other people. Yeah. (LAUGH)

COOPER: Bakari, as a Democrat, what do you make of the way the president is choosing to spend his time on the morning after primary elections?

SELLERS: I think today was the best day for this White House in a very long period of time. The president just needs to keep staying on message, keep going out there touting the gold leaf, watching his hair just flow in the wind. He looked great today. I would hope that he does this every day for at least 30 minutes between now and election day. I think that that's where the American public is focused on, unicorns and bridges and those type of things that he wants to implement at the White House.

So bravo, Mr. President, bravo.

COOPER: Alyssa, the president did attempt to distance himself from Congressman Cory Mills this morning, only after Mills lost the primary. The president endorsed him in February, didn't rescind his support despite Mills facing some pretty serious allegations of assault, campaign finance violations, which obviously Mills denies.

Does it surprise you that he's stuck with that?

FARAH GRIFFIN: Well, listen, the president has nearly his most losing record this midterm season alone. So he's already -- 10 of his candidates that he's endorsed have ended up losing. That is more than he lost in 2018, 2020, and 2024 combined. The only time that he had a worse endorsement record was in 2022. And it's pretty significant.

[20:35:00]

He's not reading the room. He's not in touch with where the voters are and what they're looking for. I mean, despite actually having some pretty capable political advisers around him, he just keeps making wrong decisions.

I could see a scenario too, even in South Carolina, going back to what we were talking about with Darline Graham, he may even do the end of doing the double endorsement when it becomes abundantly clear that Ralph Norman is probably going to win there.

So he really hates that he has this losing record in midterms. He's historically not helpful to Republicans in midterms, and it's looking worse than it should be at this primary juncture.

COOPER: Yeah. Alyssa Farah Griffin, Erick Erickson, Bakari Sellers, thanks guys. Appreciate it.

Coming up next to Erick's point earlier about the president posting on social media, there's Breaking News from him on Iran. He's threatening, quote, "The most crushing economic operation ever taken against any country." The question is, what does that actually mean and what would it look like? Fareed Zakaria joins us ahead. And later, what to make of what appears to be some of the most promising news in a long time, the war on cancer, a new vaccine that can be tailor-made to fight an especially aggressive and deadly form of skin cancer. Details on that ahead.

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[20:40:15]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We have possession, complete control of the Strait, I mean outside of nuisance value, and there is nuisance value when they shoot a drone every once in a while, but -- and not everybody's going to go through, but they come through.

And over the last couple of weeks, we've had a lot of oil coming in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: That's the president saying today that the United States controls the Strait of Hormuz, despite the fact that just a handful of ships are going through it a day, according to ship tracking company, MarineTraffic, compared to the 100 plus that passed through it before the war.

This evening, the president gave more insight into, although not many details on, his new strategy to economically "strangle Iran." Posting on social media in part, quote, "TODAY, I'M ANNOUNCING THE MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRY." This will be economic warfare and isolation on an unprecedented scale.

He goes on to say, "Today, I'm also announcing that any country that allows its financial institutions, businesses, airports, or government entities to provide any type of lifeline to Iran will itself face tremendous economic consequences. Oil smuggling, swap lines, cash transfers, exchange houses, ship registries, front companies, it all needs to stop now. You know who you are. This will be an economic D- Day."

When asked today about the potential for reopening negotiations, the president had this to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Maybe at some point, but right now, I think the situation is so good, but maybe at some point.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Fareed Zakaria joins us now, the Host of "Fareed Zakaria GPS," right here on CNN. So you hear the president talking about an economic D-Day. What do you think that actually means in practice and what impact would it have? FAREED ZAKARIA, HOST OF "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS": It's difficult to tell what it would mean in practice because Iran has been under economic sanctions, crippling economic sanctions for 47 years from the United States. Presumably, what this means is that other countries that have been doing business with Iran would be threatened by the United States.

But again, the United States has done that repeatedly, especially under the Trump administration. Iran's largest trading partner is China. Its second largest trading partner, I believe, is Russia. It also trades with North Korea, a little bit with India. These are not countries that the Trump administration has that much influence over.

Are we really to believe that the United States would cut off all its trade with China on this issue? We've already seen how that would work, because the Chinese would cut off their exports of rare earth and all kinds of crucial things that the United States depends on. So it seems unlikely that you're actually going to get at the core problem.

Remember, the Iranians have developed an economy that is fundamentally resilient to these sanctions, and ratcheting them up a little bit more, a little bit less, doesn't seem to me to make that much difference. And it's important to understand, Anderson, that the people running Iran do not pay the price for these sanctions.

In fact, the Revolutionary Guard, the kind of outfit that is now really in control, are the chief beneficiaries of all these sanctions because they run all the smuggling operations. They are the ones --

COOPER: Yeah.

ZAKARIA: -- who, in a sense, become the gatekeepers. So in a very weird way, you're hurting ordinary Iranians, you're kind of empowering the regime, and you're hoping that just ratcheting up economic pressure will work now, when it kind of hasn't worked for 47 years.

There's always the possibility that there will be some change. You know, you can't be sure. But so far, you know, we've had Cuba under economic sanctions since 1959. Economic sanctions don't have that strong a track record of working unless they are truly global. And it's very unlikely that Russia and China will join in.

COOPER: GOP Senator, Rick Scott of Florida suggested in an interview that the president would have to return to full war with Iran, saying, at some point, we will have -- excuse me, he said, quote, "At some point, he will not have a choice but to do more to destroy their ability to produce weapons," and suggesting the Pentagon could act within the next 30 days or so. Does it seem to you, though, that this is essentially the president kind of walking away -- trying to walk away from this mess that -- or this situation that we are in right now?

ZAKARIA: Well, it certainly seems to suggest that he understands that Rick Scott's suggestion doesn't make any sense either because, you know, it's important to remember, this is a war of choice in a situation where it is absolutely unclear why we went to war.

[20:45:00]

One year ago, in June, the president launched a massive bombing campaign with the Israeli government that went on for many, many days. At the end of which, the Israeli government, the American government both said that Iran's nuclear program had been obliterated. That word is Donald Trump's.

So we now have gone to war against a country whose nuclear program was obliterated. We have been waging war for four months against this country and its nuclear facilities. And Senator Scott believes we still have something to do. So either they have the world's most extensive nuclear facilities, or this is a case where we went into the war with a complete lack of clarity as to why we were going in.

We found that we were not able to achieve our real objective which, remember, was regime change in Iran. So now, we're claiming we're going in there to destroy a nuclear weapons program that the president assured us many, many times has been obliterated. So I'm not sure what it is that it could do more other than bomb places that have now been bombed four, five, six times.

COOPER: Yeah. Fareed Zakaria. Appreciate it, Fareed.

Coming up, a new experimental vaccine against melanoma, why its makers are calling it a new chapter in cancer care.

And later, an update on our top story, Prince Harry, Meghan, and their two young children ending six years of self-imposed exile, returning home to the United Kingdom. We'll be right back.

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[20:50:42]

COOPER: Some promising news to report on the fight against skin cancer. A new experimental mRNA vaccine has shown to reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 49 percent after five years. The melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer and results were announced today by Moderna and Merck, who developed the treatment.

The regimen combines a personalized mRNA vaccine with immunotherapy. While the study is ongoing, the interim results are being hailed as a new chapter in cancer care by Moderna's CEO, who also called this as big a day for humanity as November 16, 2020, which is when Moderna released results showing its COVID-19 vaccine worked.

Joining me now, former Obama White House Health Policy Adviser, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel. He's the author of "Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life." Dr. Emanuel, appreciate you being with us.

What makes these results so compelling and how does the treatment work? DR. EZEKIEL EMANUEL, FORMER OBAMA WHITE HOUSE HEALTH POLICY ADVISER: Well, melanoma is one of those diseases when I was training as an oncologist, you know, especially if you had metastatic melanoma stage 4, which those patients were included in this, that it was just a death sentence. We had nothing really to treat them. Then we had some immunotherapies that extended life by months.

But this really, you've got five-year results that are remarkable. No recurrence, no deaths from -- in the patients. That is pretty shockingly good. And, you know, the vaccine is pretty tolerable. The side effects are not like the side effects of some intensive chemotherapy. And so, that is a very good combination, a very tolerable regimen and very effective.

And it also indicates that you're probably going to be able to use mRNA vaccines against other cancers. And there's already research into lung cancer and bladder cancer and renal cell cancers. So it's a very, very exciting moment.

COOPER: So the mRNA vaccines, which this utilizes, Health and Human Services Secretary, RFK Jr. canceled $500 million in federal funding last year for the development of mRNA vaccine technology. He's falsely claimed they don't work against respiratory viruses. Do you have concerns that Kennedy's views on mRNA technology could have negative impacts here?

EMANUEL: No, I don't think so. I think if you show the American public that mRNA vaccines are safe and that they can help either prevent death from cancer or prolong life by months and years, I think the American public is going to be very, very accepting of it. That's what the American public wants.

They want science that really works. And this is science and hard data that is irrefutable. The FDA is not going to be able to prevent this from being approved. And I know that Moderna is rushing to get this on the market by 2027, which would be remarkable.

COOPER: Yeah, I mean, that was going to be my next question. How quickly might something like this actually, because we always hear these reports about something and then the fine print is, oh, it's going to be 10 years before this actually comes to market.

EMANUEL: No, no, no. So -- so actually, this is a study, which is a Phase III study, the last study, randomized trial where you're comparing the new treatment with the new vaccine to the standard treatment with Keytruda, one of the drugs used with the vaccine. And it's -- so this is the ultimate test.

And this is so statistically significant, the change in effectiveness is so obvious to everyone, it's going to be approved. And I think it's going to -- unless there's something in the data that I don't know about, they're going to rush it out.

COOPER: Yeah. Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, I really appreciate it. Thanks so much. Coming up, we'll have the latest on the Breaking News this hour, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their plan to move back to Britain later this month. We'll be right back.

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[20:29:29]

COOPER: Harry leaves U.S., Megxit bombshell -- those are some of the headlines that millions of Britons will be waking up to shortly. Prince Harry, Meghan and their two young children returning home to the United Kingdom. They're expected to relocate shortly from their home near Santa Barbara, California to a private residence outside London.

They'll be back in time for their two young children, ages seven and five, to start school. As CNN's Max Foster told us, King Charles was first made aware of this on Sunday, suggesting this did not come up during Harry and Meghan's family visit to the U.K. last month.

[21:00:00]

His trip back to England last September included his first in-person meeting with the king, his father, in more than a year and a half. Neither he nor the Duchess of Sussex are expected to resume any royal duties when they get back. We'll learn more about this in the days ahead.

The news continues. That's it for us. I'll see you tomorrow. "The Source" starts now.