Oh, whoa, because, oh, because we do not carry everything, everything, oh, everything take to jesus take it to the lord, oh, everything, yeah, everything oh, everything, oh, yes, take it to the jesus, take it to the lord oh, woo, come on, take it to jesus, weve got to take it to jesus, take, yeah, take take it to the lord, take it to jesus, yeah, to god, oh, yes, lord, yeah, that was faith hill performing at Aretha Franklins tribute. That was amazing. Thanks for watching this special edition of velshi ruhle. Time now for Andrea Mitchell reports. And today the world and detroit bidding a final farewell to the indisputable queen of soul. You heard faith hill. Aretha franklin being laid to rest today in her hometown, m moto motown, of course detroit. Franklin died at 76 following her battle with cancer. She was brought in the hearse that once carried rosa parks. The streets outside are lined with pink cadillacs in a nod to her hit song freeway of love. The service is about an hour behind schedule. It includes starstudded musical tributes honoring franklins life and legacy. And of course political tributes. Hillary and bill clinton are there. Bill clinton arriving to a standing ovation as they avoid at the service. The former president will be one of the ones we hear from at this hour. Joining us outside, ron mott who is outside the Greater Grace Temple, talking to people there. What a parade of political and civil rights legends and of course musical legends, ron. Reporter its an alist group of people here to mourn but mostly to celebrate the life of Aretha Franklin. I hope people brought comfortable shoes, because as you mentioned, andrea, the program is running an hour behind. If the spirit gets moving, we might be here all night. It is clearly a celebration of this life. Aretha franklin certainly would be proud of the alisters that she could attract to her homegoing service. These are average everyday detroiters who came last night to try to get into the church service. Initially the family was going to keep it fairly small, a private invitationonly event. But the turnout this week, the cards and notes people wrote to Aretha Franklin and to her family, the family is deciding to let about a thousand of these folks in. We hope they go in before the service gets too far along. You just heard that beautiful rendition by faith hill. There are all sorts of folks from all over the country in different industries, not just entertainment, but the world of politics and in the parlance of some of the younger people today, Aretha Franklin was more than an entertainer. She wasnt just a person who could sing songs. She was woke, as they say. She had a conscious about trying to help the everyman and everywoman find their opportunities here in the United States. She had her civil rights chops, if you will, back in the Civil Rights Movement she was right there with dr. Martin luther king and the rest of them to lend her credibility and her voice and her power to the movement. And so shes not just missed because she had one of those voices that youll never forget. But she was a part of this community, could have lived anywhere, but decided to make detroit home. These people love her for that, andrea. And of course her father, the minister, of course, was one of the big clergymen. She comes from a long line of civil rights leaders. She was really part of the movement. And its interesting to see the panoply of civil rights leaders, of course right there at the church we see reverend al, we see the reverend Jesse Jackson who has been diagnosed with parkinsons disease but was so close to Aretha Franklin and is part of that legacy. Bill clinton of course there, going to give one of the eulogy owegies. And of course the reverend farrakhan, the controversial leader of the nation of slaem, of islam. It shows what Aretha Franklin needs to the nation, not just detroit, the world of music, the world of civil rights, the world of politics. The fact that bill and Hillary Clinton were mobbed by want crowd, you mentioned the people waiting outside. You said they were average everyday detroiters. I think today there are no average detroiters, they are all very special as part of that larger Aretha Franklin family. But what about the weather, if i can ask you, ron, is it still pushing up there in the high 90s or is it cooling off at all . Reporter its very, i would say, perfect. Unlike earlier in the week, when it was sizzling hot here in detroit. Just great weather. This is a funeral, were saying goodbye to an american treasure. But this is a true celebration. Once those gospel songs get going, you cant help but move your feet. Thats the kind of spirit she carried for 76 years. And again, you know, she was one of my favorite singers and had that kind of voice where you heard one or two notes and you knew instantly who it was, you stopped what youre doing and cranked the volume up. That body of work she left us, we will of course get to enjoy for a very long time. And you mentioned those pink cadillacs, theyre just off our Camera Position this way, there must be 115 of those cadillacs down there, were all joking about when those drivers come out from the service to get back in their cars, it may take them a while to figure out whose car is who, there are so many similarlooking cadillacs. It will be a scene, from the Greater Grace Temple to Woodlawn Cemetery where shell be buried alongside her dad and other family members. Its been a great day, a great week in detroit, and were looking forward to just listening to that voice resonate for a very long time, andrea. Weve been watching your coverage, ron, and some of the people in the line have been singing out, singing respect. There are some great voices there, they should do americas got talent or some contest out there right in the streets of detroit. Joining us is David Maranis, author of a detroit story, and the washington posts fashion critic, welcome both. And david, one of the things youve written about aretha which really caught my eye was, you wrote in todays post that aretha was not a manufactured image like many of todays performers but a sound, a supernaturally wondrous sound from this natural woman, a great reference there, who made us all feel so alive. If the human voice is the most glorious of instruments, Aretha Franklin was the proof. Speak to me about that. Well, she was of course an image in many respects. But what we remember most is that amazing voice, a voice unlike any other that we could all sing too even if none of us could sing like Aretha Franklin. It combined so many elements of her and of america. She was of detroit, wasnt part of motown but is as good or better than any of the motown singers. She came out of the church, the gospel choir of her father, the reverend c. L. Franklin. She could combine gospel with rock and soul. And even opera. She could do it all. Thats why shes so much more than an image. And i was so struck by learning something i have not known, she was first of all, she played the piano. Her mother was a pianist. She played the piano from childhood. One of her childhood friends saying when she was 5 years old she was on the keyboard. She went and enrolled in julliard in the late 90s because she wanted to refine her classical piano education, and in fact stood in at one of the grammys and jumped in when her great friend was im trying to remember which great singer it was bpavarotti. And ended up singing his arias. Youre talking about smoky robinson who was a great friend of arethas older brother, and came over to the big franklin house on oakland avenue in detroit and saw what he called a cutie pie playing the piano, she was 3 or 4 years old, and that was Aretha Franklin. She did have great musical talent in every respect. And of course her style. I will never forget the gray looked like felt hat, robin, at the inaugural the obama inaugural. It wasnt of course the first inaugural, because she was at the clinton inaugural as well. But also the three dress changes this week. I mean, starting with the red dress, and the red heels at the first viewing. Talk about that, because i dont know of any figure in American History who could have pulled off three fashion changes during the funeral week. Well, to say that it was a bit unorthodox, i think would be an understatement. I also think it was very much in keeping with the larger than life presence of Aretha Franklin. One of the things we so remember go her is her willingness, her love for just full on glamour. And she combined, you know, these lmtsd thment elements, th and glittering gowns. The idea that she would go to her final resting place after three or four costume changes seems to only reiterate this idea of her using fashion as a way of just sort of establishing her place in the universe. And even the fact that she always carried her purse, just like that other queen known as elizabeth ii, she was the queen, and even on the stage at the kennedy honors, carried her powers out, put it on the piano. That was part of the signature, and the full mink coat or sable or whatever it is. Some people have said that part of the reason for keeping her purse close was because she liked to be paid, just before she would go to perform, and she wanted to keep an eye on her paycheck. But there are many ways in which she could have done that. And i think the decision to, you know, use that handbag as that statement was sort of a combination of, one, her love for fashion. Also its a very sort of its a womans accessory that proudly announced her presence, not just as a singer but as a powerful woman who was in control. So i think it sort of added up to a lot of things, just that very simple gesture. And what were seeing in the lower right hand of the screen is, robin, is that incredible moment at the kennedy honors when she sang natural woman as a tribute to carole king who was the honoree, and she came out onstage, put down the purse, and started playing the bridge to natural woman. Carole king described turning to her daughter behind her and saying, oh, my god, shes playing natural woman for me, she described herself as this jewish woman from new york writing for Aretha Franklin. And of course that song is the anthem for so many women of any age and any color. David, what has this meant, do you think, to the city of detroit, to have this tribute, tendaylong, however long its been since arethas death, ive lost track, and had this great celebration . You know, i was thinking, andrea, that when Aretha Franklin was first coming into her own in late 1962, she sang at her Fathers Church at the Memorial Service for the great dinah washington. And there have been so many of these amazing Funeral Services in detroit because so many phenomenal people have come out of that city. She also sang at the Memorial Service for rosa parks, who also was the service was in the same Greater Grace Temple that shes being honored at today. So this, detroit is has had a lot of difficult times. Aretha moved away from detroit but always came back. A few years ago she established herself back in detroit in her final few years. I think this is all part of the glory of detroit and its attempt to come back as a great city. And of course we shouldnt forget that only this week we have had the water problem in detroit city schools and flint and all the rest of it. Yes. Its a very complex picture. We just saw a shot, by the way, david, of smoky robinson, so thanks for that reminder. Thanks to you. Well have much more on this, Ariana Grande and others will be singing, and the bill clinton tribute, well carry that all live. Its been a day of emotion, a day of memorials, again, on capitol hill, the final farewell of the senate today to john mccain. We will bring you those services, reminders of what is happening in washington today, coming up at 1 00 eastern, the public is going to be invited in where the leaders of the senate, the house, the Vice President , bipartisan tribute today to john mccain. Stay with us. Ive always looked forward to whats next. And im still going for my best even though i live with a higher risk of stroke due to afib not caused by a heart valve problem. 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At this hour, senator john mccain is lying in state on capitol hill, only the 31st person to be so honored in American History. We heard remarks earlier from Senate Majority leader Mitch Mcconnell, House Speaker paul ryan, and Vice President mike pence. Today our nation bows in grief. But here, under the work of ramidi, and in the gaze of the greats, where soldiers known and unknown have laid before, we have this beautiful thing, a chance to do for this man what he did for us, to stand up, to stand up and to embrace the cause of his life. Today he lies in the place where he served to the last, the congress of the United States. Soon he will go to rest on the grounds where he served first, the United States naval academy. The eyes of the American People will be upon him as he goes. And so too will their prayers. And we saw wreathlayings by leaders from both political parties, bipartisan, scripted of course by john mccain himself. Poignant farewells from his wife cindy, daughter meghan, and his 106yearold mother roberta mccain, resident of washington, d. C. The Capitol Rotunda filled with senators, with members of the house, with former staff members, and also including many who will be delivering eulogies at the National Cathedral tomorrow including former secretary of state, 95yearold henry kissinger, a very close friend and adviser to john mccain during his tenure on the Armed Services committee and during two runs for the presidency. Also pallbearers including Warren Beatty with his wife annette bening. They forged a very close bond with the mccains over a number of social justice issues at home and abroad. John mccain will lie in state throughout the day and into the evening ahead of tomorrows service at the National Cathedral with eulogies from president s george w. Bush and barack obama, again, a bipartisan touch. Joining me on capitol hill, nbcs kelly odonnell, back from arizona, and here with me in stud, historian Michael Beschloss and the weekly standards bill kristol. Kelly, youve covered the hill, youve covered john mccain, you just came back from arizona. I cant even imagine the emotions, seeing him lie in state in the rotunda, as the speaker said, under the frescos, in such an august place, in that gathering today. Reporter it is a poignant day, a personal day for the mccain family, colleagues and friends, and by extension, the many who not have met him in life but who will pass by to pay their respects today, the members of the public who will come through. I am told that senator Lindsey Graham escorted cindy mccain to the senate floor, typically reserved only for senators, but to allow her to see senator mccains desk, which has been draped in black, which is the tradition of the senate, with beautiful flowers placed on his desk, and then the mccain family, seven children, five grandchildren, his brother and sister joe and sandy, john mccain was a middle child, something he mentioned to me from time to time. And of course his mother, spending his time with the Mccain Senate staff. One of the things that has really struck me over these days, remembering john mccain, and the reason there is such a resonance for his life, his service, some of the things hes represented, is he has been a contemporary figure. Often we say to president s long after they have left the public stage. John mccain was very much in the arena, even through his year of convalescence, because he was, through his staff, with Weekly Conference calls, trying to still be in the game, andrea. Kelly odonnell. And we see the pictures there, of course, of cindy mccain as she earlier today was paying tribute to her husband. We are going to pause for a moment on this day, a split screen day of memories, and go back to detroit, where Ariana Grande is about to sing natural woman. Feel so tired, before the day you make me feel like a natural woman when my soul was in the lost and found you came along to claim it i didnt know just what was wrong with me til your kiss helped me name it now im no longer doubtful of what im living for and if i make you happy i dont need to do more you make me feel, you make me feel you make me feel like a natural woman oh, baby, what youve done to me ooh, you make me feel so good inside and i just want to be close to you you make me feel so alive you make me feel, you make me feel you make me feel like a natural woman you make me feel, you make me feel you make me feel like a natural woman you make me feel, you make me feel you make me feel like a natural woman mmm, mmm and it doesnt get much better than that. Look at the crowd. That tribute to Aretha Franklin, Ariana Grande. David maranis, this is everything she might have expected or hoped for. An interesting thing is that even Ariana Grande, no one can sing like Aretha Franklin, so as wonderful as these tributes are, the best would be if aretha were singing herself. Absolutely. But youre right, everything about this service is what aretha would want, from the pink cadillacs to the people giving these speeches to the burial at Woodlawn Cemetery where her father and sisters are buried. All of it is of a piece. And the family had such deep roots there, in the church, in music, and in civil rights, david. Yes, very much so. Her father, the reverend clarence levon franklin, came up to detroit and in the 1950s developed probably the most powerful ministry in detroit, the first Bethel Baptist church, located in what was then the black bottom of detroit, and was so popular that hundreds of people would line up to listen to her sermons on the loudspeaker. He also was very active in civil rights and was the driving force that brought Martin Luther king to detroit in the summer of 1963, where he delivered his i have a dream speech a few months before it became famous in washington. And aretha herself continued that message over the years, singing and supporting civil rights at every possible opportunity. And david, right now reverend al sharpton, our colleague and friend, is speaking, and i want to listen to his message. It is easy to celebrate the gifts that god gives. It is more difficult when someone uses those gifts in ways that enhances humanity. Aretha franklin was given special gifts but she used it in a special way. And she would not want us to celebrate her without talking about, she stood for something. She never shamed us. She never disgraced us. She never made us make excuses for her. She represented the best in our community and she fought for our community until the end. [ applause ] i first met miss franklin when i was a teenager. I had become youth director of new york operation bread basket. She would come to the strategy meetings with reverend Jesse Jackson. I would hear the stories about how when dr. Martin luther king couldnt make payroll, Aretha Franklin went on an 11city tour to raise money for Martin Luther king. A lot of artists hang up dr. Kings photo. But aretha went and raised money and gave it, and worked free. Her daddy marched with dr. King and she never stopped supporting. As the years went by, and i developed the National Action network and she would call my radio show and have me come to her affairs, she called me one day, she said, reverend al, i want to send you something. I said, yes, maam. She said, whats your home address . Sharehold and she sent it. Three days later i got a check made out to the National Action network, signed by Aretha Franklin. I saw her about a month later, i said, you know, i was so blown away, i grew up looking up to you, that i framed that check. She said, boy, dont you have a copying machine . [ laughter ] she said, you dont know how i am with my bank accounts, you better cash that check in. But all of her life she supported the causes. She was a feminist before feminism was popular. She was a civil rights activist when it wasnt popular. She gave us pride and she gave us a regal bar to reach. And thats why were all here. We dont all agree on everything. But we agree on aretha. And she fought, she fought for everybody. I remember when we were used to Charles Williams and all of us jumping on the record industry, she said, yall leave clive davis alone, hes one of the good ones. She loved clive. She said, we have to remember what happened to the irish and what happened to jews and what happened to blacks. And that is why we remember her legacy, because she sang a song for all of us. She was the soundtrack of the Civil Rights Movement. If you track where we are, you can follow where aretha had us. Thats why, when i look at her, and james brown, whose daughter is here, and others, who paid a price, that opened the door, but never forgot where they came from. She was rooted in the black church. She was made in the black church. And she took the black Church Downtown and made folks that didnt know what the holy ghost was shout in the middle of a concert. You never saw her perform without her doing gospel, because she never was one to forget where she came from. And thats why we give her this great homegoing. We thank her for what she did with dr. King. She thank her for what she had done with reverend jackson. We thank her for what shes done with all of us. That is why, on sunday on my show i misspelled respect and a lot of yall, a lot of yall corrected me. Now i want yall to help me correct president trump, to teach him what it means. [ audience reacts ] [ applause ] and i say that because when word had went out that ms. Franklin passed, trump said she used to work for me. No, she used to perform for you. She worked for us. [ cheers and applause ] aretha never took orders from nobody but god. So, aretha, as you get your rest, my mother passed about six years ago, president clinton, my mother and i had a deal, she said, ill meet you on the other side, you live the way youre supposed to and ill see you in heaven. I said, well, ma, they tell me there is no bodies in heaven, just spirits. How am i going to know you . She said, ill tell you, you meet me at the Exchange Counter. I said, Exchange Counter . What kind of Exchange Counter . She said, well, right after you get through the golden gates, theres an Exchange Counter. Thats where you hand in your cross to pick up your crown. We watched aretha bear her cross down here. She had to sing with a broken heart. She had to work when she didnt get paid. She was a black woman in a white mans world. She bore her cross. She fought the good fight. Now its time to crown the queen. Ill see you at the Exchange Counter where you can now hand in your cross. Aint no accounts over there, aretha, hand in your cross and pick up your crown. As i take my seat, ive been asked to read this. Dont do that. Because i only have five minutes and yall are making me go into something else. Dear friends and family of aretha, michelle and i extend our Heartfelt Sympathies to all of those who gathered in detroit. And we join you in remembering and celebrating the life of the queen of soul. From a young age, Aretha Franklin rocked the world of anyone who had the pleasure of hearing her voice. Weather bringing people together through thrilling intersexsecti of genres or advancing important causes through the power of song, arethas work reflected the very best of the american story, in all of its hope and heart, its boldness and its unmistakable beauty. In the example she set both as an artist and a citizen, aretha embodied those most revered virtues of forgiveness and reconciliation. While the music she made captured some of our deepest human desires, namely affection and respect, and through her voice, her own voice, aretha lifted those of millions empowering and inspiring the vulnerable, the downtrodden, and everyone who may have just needed a little love. Aretha was truly one of a kind. And as you pay tribute, know well be saying a little prayer for you and well be thinking of all of arethas loved ones in the days and weeks to come. Sincerely, barack obama, 44th president of the United States. [ cheers and applause ] please receive motown great if anybody can follow that, its going to be Smokey Robinson coming up, and then well hear from bill clinton a little later. David maranis, you are in a unique position because you not only write about detroit. Its listen to smokey for a second. I looked and saw walkers and gray hair and no hair. And i kept looking at them and looking at smokey. And i said, i want what youre drinking. Give Smokey Robinson a hand. Hell be followed by the clark sisters. [ applause ] i didnt know where you were going to go with that. Im about 8 years old and im outside and playing with my neighborhood friends, phoebe and ollie, were shooting marbles, it was at a time when kids were able to play outside, you know. So i dont even know if boys know what that is anymore. Richard ross, another one of our friends, came round, and there was a new guy with him, he introduced him, he said this is cecil. So we all, like boys do, we started playing. After a while we went around to see cecils new house because they had just moved to detroit from buffalo. And we go in, and were Walking Around the house. Im seeing stuff i had never seen, because it wasnt like my house. If somebody broke into my house, they better be bringing something. [ laughter ] anyway, were Walking Around the house, and i hear music, the piano being played. And this voice that sounds like a little girl singing. And i go and look in that room and i see you, and youre there. And youre singing. That was my first meeting and my first sight of you. And from that moment on, we have been so close and so tight. I didnt know, especially this soon, that i was going to be having to say goodbye to you or farewell or whatever. Weve seen everybody, all the people i mentioned earlier, pass on and go. And we talked about it many times, we were the two who were left out of all our neighborhood friends, we were the longest ones. We werent the only two left, but we were the longest ones. So now my longest friend has gone home. And you went to be with our father like we all have to do one of these days. I know youre up there and celebrating with your family, and with all of our neighborhood friends who have gone. And youre going to be one of the featured voices in the choir of angels, because, you know, you would have to be. [ applause ] i also know, ive been on the road, and ive been watching the celebration of your life from everywhere. And ive been doing interviews from everywhere, from all over the world. The last one i did was from brazil. And the station that i was talking on covers all of south america. So the world is celebrating you. And the world is mourning you. And the world is going to miss you. And i know that im going to miss you so much because i miss our talks. And we would talk for hours sometimes, just talking about really anything you wanted to talk about, or nothing. And the last conversation we had, you were telling me that you were going to do your movie and you wanted to know who i wanted to play me. So i told you i was going to leave that up to you. You were so special. And a while back, we did a mini series on the temptations life. And for that movie, i did the score for the movie, and i had to write a song for melvin franklin, who was another one of our close, close people. And im sure he wont mind if i sing a little bit of it for you, because it fits you so perfectly in my life. Were going to miss you, its really going to be different without you for the rest of my life, gonna be thinking about you ill miss you, my buddy, ill miss you, my friend i know that my love for you will never end, will never e end and im going to love you forever. [ applause ] the great Smokey Robinson, Aretha Franklins oldest childhood friend, he was 8, she was 5 when they met. As David Maranis was just saying, he was a great friend of her older brother, so they grew up in the neighborhood together, david. Yes, sweet Smokey Robinson. There are so many wonderful musicians who came out of that same neighborhood. Some of the four tops, the miracles. Just an Incredible Group of singers and performers. And aretha was the best of them all. And ron mott, outside the church, are people still coming in, or are all the seats filled . Because this service is going to go on for hours. Reporter well, its going to go on for hours, and i was just peeking back there, there are still people in line. They were given wrist bands. Some people stood all night to go inside. I think what theyre trying to do, the ushers are between speakers allowing a few people to come in so as not to disturb the service. But these folks still seem to be in pretty good humor. They did not want to miss this. Of course last night there was a great tribute concert downtown at the shane park amphitheater. Mayor duggan in detroit announced this morning that that park is going to be renamed in Aretha Franklins honor, because we had all been talking about, there arent a whole lot of monuments to her, given her extraordinary tie to the city. So that looks like that may be the first of many honors to come, to honor the late queen. Andrea . And of course the music is the great legacy. Robin, the fact that the obamas were so close to her, that was a really close relationship. She did the pbs recording, that show in the east room of the white house. Of course they were in the box for the kennedy honors where she performed for carole king and others. Tell me about the obama relationship that was reflected in that very warm and loving letter that was read by the reverend al. Well, i think a lot of what comes through, and so much of what the obamas have said since the passing of Aretha Franklin, has been this sense of what she meant not just personally but being able to connect that personal relationship to something much broader to history, to the broader culture, and to the way in which so many Diverse Voices shaped the culture. And also, i think it connects her to sort of spirituality, not a specific religion, but this idea of song and just your personal presence can be a source of uplift and inspiration. Thank you, robin, thanks to ron mott, David Maranis. Well keep track of this. In washington tomorrow. They are coming the to the gathering of john mccain. Theyll be in the key chandra and barack obama will be doing the eulogy and as well as george w. Bush. With me here is Michael Beschloss and bill crystal both knew and covered john mccain. This commemoration here in washington, Aretha Franklin is the queen of soul. John mccain is getting a send off which is president ial. This is president ial level, you know . Since reagan and 2004 which was about a week as you remember, both of the ceremonies, this is something we used to do with president s and this is the president ial level. Mccain is the 13th senator to lie in state of the u. S. Capitol of rotundrotunda. This is a large sendoff. You have the scene of john mcca mccain planning each one of the ceremony and intending every moment of them to send a message to americans beyond life. Bill crystal. You have seen all of the weeks within the fraction of the republican party, it was so worthy to see united republican party, mike pence and Mitch Mcconnell and paul ryan leaving washington at the end of his term. All there to honor john mccain whom they some of them did not honor in life because he was always scold and calling upon them in his last great speech last july 27th, a year in some weeks ago, calling on them to start doing their job and getting things done and not being the senate of today in sharp contrast of what i covered in the 80s and 90s. I am struck watching the split screen as you put the coverage of Aretha Franklins coverage and mccain at the same time. It is a fantastic service, a hero, a man, becoming a senator and a daughter of a preacher becomes this amazing singer and. With Frank Sinatra singing my way. There is something that you want to feel america is a great country honestly. John mccain is great in his way and Aretha Franklin and her, we can write a wonderful book about these two. Such different backgrounds and achievements. It is very few nations in the world that could have these two things going on. John mccain having scripted and issue the invitations themselves personally for joe biden who flew out to sedona to have a long twohour chat they talked about the eulogy they delivered yesterday. John mccain having done this with bipartisanship in mind. In past recent years, there is been more Difficult Communications but despite all the partisanship, they do at moments like today coming together. We are told by our colleague whos our senate producer that Mitch Mcconnell, at the request of cindy mccain cleared the floor of the senate. Former members of congress can go on the floor. Clear the floor for a private moment with Lindsey Graham on the floor of the senate. The two went to the desk of john mccains desk and draped in black as our colleague, kelly odonell, says, it is covered with flowers. As cindy sat at his desk and graham took two white roses out of the vase and handed them to cindy and she was seen walking out of the chamber with him. A beautiful moment there. We see the roses that have been on his desk all week in commemoration. And, bill crystal, in a final moment here talk to me about vladimir and whos going to be this russian dperson is poisoned by the creme line. I sawed vladimir a couple of months ago here in d. C. And he was talking about senator mccain. The first thing he asked me about was how was senator mccain doing and he talked to us on the phone several times in the spring this year and he had a high regards of john mccain. President s have meant so much and president obama to all the people around the world and not much senator really reach that level. John mccain is really a symbol of and spokesperson for human liberty everywhere. We have a few seconds of your final thought. Mccain was deeply troubled that donald trump was too close to the russians in a way that we may not know. Hes not going to be here. There is no other senators thats going to stand up to trump the way mccain did. We are living in a different world now. Mike and bill, thank you well be right back. You well be right bac k. The smoother the skin, the more comfortable you are in it. And now theres a new way to smooth. Introducing new venus platinum. A premium metal handle boosts control. To reveal up to 100 smooth skin. Venus they wont hike your ratest foover one mistake. See, Liberty Mutual doesnt hold grudges. For drivers with accident forgiveness Liberty Mutual wont raise their rates because of their first accident. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty thanks for being with us, that does it for this edition of Andrea Mitchell reports, tomorrow, join us for the special coverage of the national Memorial Service honoring john mccain at the washington National Cathedral. Chris matthew will anchor our coverage. Craig melvin is next. Good afternoon to you, andrea, as this nation pause to remember two bona fide icon members, john mccain. The u. S. Capitol is scheduled to open at this moment to pay their respects and saying goodbye and the other, the queen of soul, Aretha Franklin whose voice helped heal some of our natios