Biden to nominate Rahm Emanuel as ambassador to Japan

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Rahm Emanuel, formerly a White House chief of staff and Chicago’s mayor, is President Joe Biden’s pick to serve as the U.S. ambassador to Japan, the White House announced Friday.

The president announced his intent to nominate two other ambassadors, as well. R. Nicholas Burns, a former member of the Foreign Service, is Biden’s choice for ambassador to China, and Michael Battle, who formerly served as the U.S. ambassador to the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, will be the president’s nominee as ambassador to Tanzania.

The Biden administration has previously stated its intention to keep the ratio of career appointees to political appointees near 70 to 30 percent. Earlier in the year, the president received criticism for not moving more quickly with ambassador nominations, as key positions remained unfilled. Previous ambassador nominations from Biden have included notable names like former Sen. Tom Udall and Cindy McCain.

Meghan McCain exits ‘The View’: Best moments in last episode

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A month after she announced her departure from “The View,” Meghan McCain officially took her final bow Friday on the daytime talk show.

A couple of McCain’s loved ones appeared on the latest installment of “The View” to help bid farewell to the provocative conservative panelist, who has helmed the series opposite Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin and Ana Navarro for nearly four years.

In July, McCain declared her resignation from the ABC program, citing a desire to stay with her family in Washington, D.C., where she spent the majority of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The View” is taped in New York City.

“I have this really wonderful life here that I ultimately feel like I didn’t want to leave,” said McCain, who is married to conservative writer Ben Domenech, with whom she shares a baby girl, Liberty.

The 36-year-old daughter of late Republican Sen. John McCain and Cindy McCain has been a cohost of “The View” since 2017, when she took up the mantle of the series’ sole conservative pundit.

Since then, she has frequently sparred with her costars — especially longtime panelists Goldberg and Behar — over a wide range of hot-button topics. She has also drawn sharp public criticism for her many controversial stances, such as her support of former President Donald Trump’s widely condemned use of the term “China Virus” when referring to COVID-19.

(McCain later walked back and apologized for that particular position, acknowledging the degree to which Trump’s “racist rhetoric fueled” a surge in attacks on the Asian American community.)

In the spirit of heartfelt goodbyes, McCain’s last episode of “The View” was considerably less contentious than the rest of her tenure. Here’s a sampling of what transpired.

A sweet mother-daughter moment

Special guest Cindy McCain made her “View” debut Friday to pay tribute to her daughter and gush over her new granddaughter, who was born last fall .

“I’m so proud of Meghan,” Cindy McCain said. “What I look forward to … is to be able to see more of her — and certainly see more of my granddaughter, Liberty.

“She’s done a wonderful job. I love her independence. Her dad would be so proud of her. I wish her the best in whatever endeavor she chooses to do, but I’m glad she chose a little bit of family over too much work right now. It’s important.”

The cohosts also discussed longtime Republican Cindy McCain’s move to cross party lines and endorse President Joe Biden over former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election. Her husband, John McCain, was also a key Republican detractor of Trump’s before his death in 2018.

Biden recently nominated Cindy McCain as an ambassador to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization.

“I’m deeply honored the president … thinks so highly of me to put me in this position,” she said when asked by Meghan McCain about the nomination.

Their conversation ended on a touching note, with Cindy McCain praising her daughter’s approach to motherhood as she transitions into her next chapter.

“When your dad passed away, Meghan, we all thought … that was the end of the world,” she said. “And life goes on, and having grandchildren is part of life going on.

“I know your dad’s looking down on you and on Liberty and knows what a great mother you are. … I think of him every day, and I’m just sorry he never got to meet Liberty, because he would just adore her.”

Paul Ryan makes a cameo

Former House Speaker Ryan chimed in remotely to salute his fellow Republican, who fan-girled and blushed upon seeing her “boyfriend” appear on screen.

“The show will not be as lively without you,” Ryan said. “You have stood up for your principles. You’ve spoken your mind, and you’ve passionately defended what you believe in.

“I have no doubt that your family is so proud of you. And I know, firsthand experience, that a lot of conservatives around the country are proud of you too. Congratulations on a great run.”

A sizzle reel of Meghan McCain’s hottest takes

Of course, the farewell episode wouldn’t have been complete without a backward-looking montage of some of Meghan McCain’s most controversial moments — including her explosive interviews with prominent critics of former President Donald Trump, as well as opinionated statements on abortion, gun control and other polarizing issues.

“I come here every day trying to show a different perspective,” Meghan McCain said in a series of throwback clips.

“Five women are hosting the most politically relevant show on TV. … It shows that women are politically engaged in a way they have never been before.”

A flashback to John McCain’s ‘View’ visit

A more tender segment of the highlight reel revisited John McCain’s 2017 appearance on “The View,” made in honor of his daughter’s 33rd birthday.

During his visit, the former Arizona senator — who had recently been diagnosed with brain cancer — brought his daughter to tears with a framed photo of them on a hiking trail in Sedona.

Earlier in Friday’s show, Cindy McCain revealed that her husband was the one who urged their daughter to represent their family and the conservative perspective on “The View.”

“He was adamant because he thought it would be a good format for her,” Cindy McCain said. “We used to call her ‘John McCain in a dress’ when she was little, so we knew she could do it and we knew she had the ability to make waves or deal with controversy.

“He also wanted her to have an opportunity to really express herself and spread her wings.”

A final farewell

Before departing the Hot Topics table for good, Meghan McCain delivered a parting message to her cohosts and viewers:

“You women have been so incredible to work with,” she said. “This has been a really wild ride. … It’s been honestly the best of times and the worst of times in all ways, on and off the show, and it’s been a really incredible, liberating experience.

“I will always cherish the time I spent with all of you, so thank you all from the bottom of my heart. And I hope that our executive producer … can forgive me for making his blood pressure rise for the past four years as much as I probably have.”

Meghan McCain says farewell to ‘The View’: ‘This has been a really wild ride’

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“I will always cherish the time I spent with all of you,” McCain said.

On her last day co-hosting “The View,” Meghan McCain shared some final words before departing the daytime talk show.

The Emmy award-winning talk show wrapped its 24th season on Friday and brought on special guests, her mother Cindy McCain and Kyrsten Sinema, the Democratic senator from Arizona.

Before chatting with guests, she weighed in on her last Hot Topic.

McCain tackled the topic of Jennifer Aniston’s revelation to InStyle that she has cut ties with “a few people” who refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine. McCain said she wouldn’t end a friendship over not getting vaccinated.

“My circle of friends is so tight and close that it would be too hard to give up a friendship,” McCain said. “I might not socialize with them in close quarters inside for a long time, but I wouldn’t end a friendship.”

“Life is too short to start ending friendships and ruining families over politics, at least for me,” she added.

Sinema spoke on the special friendship she’s shared with McCain through the years.

“Meghan and I have a lot in common. We’re both from Arizona, we love cacti. I think we’re both tough as nails, and we’re both fiercely independent,” Sinema said of the two of them. “Those similarities brought us together over the years.”

“I will admit, sometimes we just are texting in the middle of the night,” she continued. “Probably because Meghan was having trouble sleeping when she was pregnant, and me because – I won’t really have a good reason.”

Sinema said “it’s a delight” to be friends with McCain and wished her well in her next endeavor.

McCain thanked Sinema for her friendship and said she’s “proud” to have her representing her home state of Arizona “even though you’re a Democrat and I’m a Republican.”

Cindy McCain, who is President Joe Biden’s pick for ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture, also shared her thoughts on her daughter’s time on “The View” over the last four years and how she’s looking forward to seeing more of her and her granddaughter.

“She’s done a wonderful job. I love her independence. Her dad would be so proud,” Cindy McCain said. “I wish her the best in whatever endeavors she chooses to do, but I’m glad she chose a little bit of family over too much work right now. That’s important.”

Meghan McCain’s father, the late Sen. John McCain, played a vital role in pushing his daughter to take the position as co-host on “The View.” Cindy McCain explained the reasoning behind his insistence on Meghan joining the daytime talk show.

“He was adamant because he thought it would be a good format for her,” Cindy McCain said. “We used to call [Meghan] ‘John McCain in a dress’ when she was little, so we knew she could do it and we knew she had the ability to make waves or deal with controversy.”

“It was really his suggestion and his idea that she do this when offered the job,” Cindy McCain continued. “I know he’s very proud of her right now. I know he is.”

After looking back at McCain’s most memorable moments on “The View,” she shared her final words as a co-host in the show’s last episode of the season.

“Thank you all so much again for the privilege and honor it has been for the last four years to work on this show. It really has been incredible,” McCain said on Friday. “It will be referenced in everything I do for the rest of my life.”

“You women have been so incredible to work with,” she continued. “The crew, the producers, everyone worked so hard, and honestly the audience giving me four years to give my opinion and show my perspective. This has been a really wild ride the past four years of my life. It’s been honestly the best of times and the worst of times in all ways, on and off this show,” she said. “It’s been a really incredible, liberating experience and I will always cherish the time I spent with all of you.”

She went on, “Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. And I hope that our executive producer, Brian [Teta], can forgive me for making his blood pressure rise for the past four years as much as I probably have.”

On Thursday evening, McCain tweeted her thoughts about finishing out her time as co-host of “The View” alongside a GIF of an American flag waving in the wind.

“Tomorrow is my last show as a cohost @TheView - as they say, it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Thank you for allowing me the privilege of sharing my opinion with you every day,” she tweeted." I wish my cohosts and the show the best of luck and good will going into season 25!

After four seasons on “The View,” McCain announced on July 1 that she would leave her co-host position at the end of the season. “This was not an easy decision. It took a lot of thought and counsel and prayer and talking to my family and my close friends,” she said when announcing her departure.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic on March 22, 2020, McCain shared the news on the show that she was pregnant with her first child, Liberty Sage McCain Domenech.

“COVID has changed the world for all of us, and it changed the way – at least for me – the way I am looking at life, the way I’m living my life, the way I want my life to look like,” she continued.

“My final note to the world watching: This show will continue; this show will probably be on … when we are long gone,” McCain said in her July announcement. “The media needs to do a better job of covering the women on this show in general. … I implore the media to do better as they to cover the rest of you going forward.”

On the announcement of her departure in July, co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg, Sara Haines, Joy Behar and Sunny Hostin reacted to her leave on the show.

“It has been quite wonderful to sit across from you. Your dad was very smart. He wanted you to be here with us because I think he thought we could help toughen you up for what was coming,” Goldberg said.

“When you leave here, you can take on anything. Everything possible has been fired at you,” she continued. “When you leave here, you’re a better person, better woman, better mother, better friend.”

Hostin reflected on some words that John McCain told her when his daughter first joined the show. “He told me to take it easy on Meghan, that I would learn to love her and understand her, and that she would be a pain in the ass, and he was right about all of those things,” she said.

“Meghan and I probably talk every day. After the show, we text during the show and I’ll miss those conversations,” she continued. “You have a really important point of view, and it’s just been wonderful. Wonderful getting to know you.”

Haines called McCain’s departure a “full circle moment.”

“To know so much of your dad’s words brought you here, and yet you’re calling for your daughter and your family is what takes you away. I think it’s beautiful,” Haines said. “It speaks to the paradigm shift that is the world now on the heels of 2020, and it has been an honor to sit here with you.”

“You are tough – that’s all I can say on daytime TV,” Haines joked.

Behar looked back on her times with McCain on and off the show.

“You and I have had our disagreements,” Behar started. “We’ve had our fights. We’ve also had some drinking moments, which were rather fun and interesting.”

“You and I have in common – as do all of us here – that we’re on a show where we stick our necks out,” she said. “We take the blowbacks. We take a lot of hits on this show, and we stick by our points of view. You have done that brilliantly for four years. I really, really appreciated the fact that you were a formidable opponent in many ways and that you spoke your mind. You’re no snowflake, missy. That’s the truth.”

On July 1, ABC News gave the following statement on McCain’s departure from “The View”:

“For the past four years, Meghan McCain has brought her fierce determination and vast political knowledge and experience to ‘The View.’ She recently came to us with her decision to depart the show at the end of this season, a difficult choice that she made for her and her family that we respect and understand. We wish the best for Meghan as she plans her next chapter, and thank her for the passion and unique voice that she shared with us and our viewers each day.”

Every episode of ABC’s award-winning talk show “The View” is now available as a podcast! Listen and subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Spotify, Stitcher or the ABC News app.