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The Global Brief with Bianca Nobilo
Cheney Loses; Ukraine Claims Crimea Strikes; 10.1 Percent UK Inflation. Aired 5-5:30p ET
Aired August 17, 2022 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[17:00:31]
BIANCA NOBILO, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome. I'm Bianca Nobilo in London and this is THE GLOBAL BRIEF.
Donald Trump's Republican nemesis, Liz Cheney, is voted out, losing to a Trump backed candidate. But she is committed to her mission to keeping the
former president out of the Oval Office.
And Ukraine acknowledges strikes inside Crimea and says we should expect more offenses.
And we'll debrief on the UK economy that's just entered double digit inflation.
Now, she may be losing her seat in Congress, but she's more focused than ever on a mission to keep the former U.S. president, Donald Trump, away
from the halls of power for good. Republican representative, Liz Cheney, gave a defiant concession speech after losing a primary election in Wyoming
to a Trump-backed candidate. It wasn't even close, underscoring Trump's grip on his party.
He lobbied for Cheney's defeat, angered by her prominent role on the January 6th committee and her vote to impeach him last year. Cheney says
that she knew the political consequences of standing up to Trump, but says that it was more important to protect American democracy then to hold on to
her job.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. LIZ CHENEY, U.S. HOUSE REPUBLICAN: Our nation is barreling once again towards crisis, lawlessness, and violence. No American should support
election deniers for any position of genuine responsibility, where their refusal to follow the rule of law will corrupt our future.
(APPLAUSE)
Our nation is young in the history of mankind and yet, we are the oldest democracy in the world. Our survival is not guaranteed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBILO: As for Cheney's next move, she says she will decide in the coming months weather to run for president herself.
We are joined now by CNN's politics senior reporter, Stephen Collinson.
Steven, always great to chat with you. How can we interpret this in terms of Trump's popularity and his future political fortunes?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: It shows that for all the new legal challenges swirling around the former president, his assault on
democracy, he is what the majority of the Republican Party wants in their 2024 presidential candidate.
There's been a lot of talk, Bianca, about some Republicans perhaps thinking it's time to move on from the former president. But if you look at the list
of candidates in the Republican primaries that have's he supported this year, and you look at his control over the Republican Party grassroots,
it's in arguable that people who stand up to him, like Liz Cheney, who tell the truth about what happened on January the 6th, who point out that the
2020 election was not stolen, simply do not have the future in the higher echelons of Republican Party politics.
And to stand up for him, people like Cheney end up sacrificing their careers.
NOBILO: And now I just mentioned how Cheney indicated that she's mulling over whether or not she will run for president. But given the former
president's grip on the Republican Party and everything you just said, you know, she can't present a direct threat to him, in terms of the Republican
nomination. But what can she do that's meaningful to stand in his way, if she does want to remain committed to making sure that he doesn't get back
into the oval office?
COLLINSON: There were to real paths she could take. She can mount a Republican primary campaign for president herself, which she hinted today
she was thinking very seriously about. She wouldn't really have any chance to win, given the conditions you've just talked about.
There is a scenario where she could stand up onstage and Republican debates, and directly challenge the former president once he's launched his
campaign, or that you have to think that many of the Republican Party would try and keep her out, so she couldn't create that spectacle.
Some people are talking about the possibility of a third party independent campaign by Liz Cheney. Such campaigns are never really effective in
winning U.S. elections, but they can siphon support away from one of the two major candidates. Cheney's attempt would be to get perhaps moderate
Republicans, those Republicans who don't want to vote Trump and abhor his anti-democratic standings to vote for her and perhaps keep him from the
oval office that way.
The danger, of course, would be that she would actually split the anti Trump vote, and risk putting him in office, you know, and taking away votes
from the Democratic candidate, whether that's President Joe Biden or someone else in 2024.
[17:05:02]
NOBILO: Yeah, that is fraught with unpredictable political difficulty. We will definitely be watching this space. Stephen Collinson, thank you so
much.
COLLINSON: Of course.
NOBILO: Now, it's not a public admission, but it is a confirmation. Ukraine was responsible for explosions at three Russian military facilities
inside Crimea. That's according to an internal Ukrainian report that CNN has obtained. These blasts last week at a Russian airbase destroyed at
least seven military aircraft and after two other explosions on Tuesday, the bridge out of Crimea to Russia was jammed with traffic.
Separately, Ukraine is suggesting its long awaited offensive to take back capture territory, particularly in the south will get underway soon. And
spokesman wouldn't set a date, but pointed out Ukraine's upcoming press independence day.
Senior international correspondent, David McKenzie, is in Kyiv for us. And, David, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Ministry of Defense has hinted at the
beginning of a counteroffensive to retake territory which has been lost to Russia.
What can you tell us about the latest on the battlefield and the front lines?
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they've been telegraphing this possible counteroffensive for several weeks now. And
saying, it will happen soon. We haven't seen any direct evidence of that happening yet, but it is significant that the keep on saying, this will
happen. They called it a cute advance, as you say, across the front line.
And it's significant that this Ukrainian official told us that they were responsible for those strikes or blasts in Russian occupied Crimea. What it
means is that they are able, Ukrainians, are able to strike deep into Russian territory and strike fear into those who thought that Crimea was a
safe haven, even for tourists going from Russia while this war raged on.
On the eastern front, though, is where the very intense fighting is happening. Ukrainian officials are admitting they are losing some ground to
the Russians, with multiple, multiple strikes. Artillery strikes every single day on those Ukrainian positions. They are holding fast, but they
are losing some ground there.
This is a war of attrition that has not seen massive movements either way on the front line. If that counteroffensive happens, the belief and the
word from the Ukrainians for some time was, it's going to be in the southern part of this conflict.
But it is a huge arc of conflict all the way from the south to the east, to the northeast that is really dragging on now for many, many months, and
having a huge impact, of course, on the citizens of Ukraine.
NOBILO: And speaking of that impact, David, you've been meeting some of the people who've been on the frontlines and who've been most impacted by
this conflict. What was that experience like?
COLLINSON: It was very harrowing and you often don't see the private pain and the struggle of soldiers that have been out of the front, and have
been, their lives turned upside down. We met a number of them who tried to get hope and try to find a way to survive with a new reality.
NOBILO: A coffee and a cigarette, that's all Andriy ask for. After field surgeons arbitrated both of his legs.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCKENZIE (voice-over): A coffee and a cigarette, that is all Andrii asked for after field surgeons amputated both of his legs.
Okay, you are a fighter, you will be okay, they told him.
I try to stay positive. It helps me to survive.
A veteran of Ukraine's war, just nine days into this conflict, Andrii was clearing cluster munitions when they exploded. It left him bowed but not
broken.
It's hard but this is my task, to stay upright, he says. And I'm doing it. Maybe I'll even return to duty.
At this rehabilitation center in Vinnytsia, soldiers often choose camo- prosthetics. The artisans have been doing this for decades, putting soldiers back together and the prosthetics, the physical rehabilitation
isn't enough.
How is the attitude or the hope for a patient important in this process?
VOLODYMYR DANILYUK, ORTHOPEDIST, VINNYTSIA REHABILITATION CENTER (through translator): It's 50/50; 50 percent depends on our doctors and 50 percent
depends on the soldier and his mental health. If he doesn't want it, doctors can't help him.
MCKENZIE: How do you feel about this war now being many months?
I'm very sorry for the younger man who are dying in the war, says Andre.
[17:10:03]
For permanent soldiers who have been going to the front since 2014, I understand. But for the younger guys, I feel sorry for them.
Russia's invasion sent this 23-year-old Serhii far from home, to the northeastern front. He felt proud to defend his homeland.
Our orders were to push the enemy from the frontline, he says. We were too close to the enemy.
Russians attacked their position with overwhelming force with tanks and mortars.
Yes, I'm very angry, says Serhii. But first of all, I'm angry because they attacked Ukraine and I'm angry about my leg.
Of course, it is much better when you have your own leg, says Andrii. But now, I understand that the wheelchair and prosthetics are part of my body.
It is physically very, very hard. It's very hard.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCKENZIE (on camera): You can see the pain in Andrii's face, Bianca. He has a son who is trying to get out of the front and fight, and he said,
there is no way he will let his son go there because eventually, Andrii wants to have grandchildren.
And it's quite extraordinary, but there are soldiers who go to that facility and they get prosthetic legs, arms, and then they go back out to
the front and defend Ukraine. You can see the commitment, but still, it's certainly both a physical and psychological struggle for those who have
been wounded in this way -- Bianca.
NOBILO: Yeah, quite torturous to watch, David, and to think that in this conflict, some of them would be considered some of the lucky ones. Thank
you so much for that harrowing report.
David McKenzie for us in Kyiv.
Now, a health care NGO operating in Afghanistan says that at least three people have died and dozens have been injured by an explosion in Kabul. It
happened inside a mosque during evening prayers on Wednesday. The NGO says that some of the injured were children. A spokesman for the Taliban said on
Twitter that murderous of civilians will soon be caught and punished.
The Taliban's control of Afghanistan's government now and violence against civilians has eased, but not stopped.
CNN's Clarissa Ward is in Kabul and tells us why.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You talk to the U.N. and they would say the number of civilian casualties have decreased three-
fold in the seven months since the Taliban took over as compared to the ten months in the run-up to the Taliban taking over.
So, it is definitely safer here, but there is this insurgency roiling on in the background. And there have been a number of attacks since we have been
here, one targeted a prominent cleric who was very supportive of the Taliban, another targeting Shia Muslims in a different part of the city.
This appears to be the largest since we arrived and again the concern is that you are going to see those casualty figures get higher and higher. The
Taliban has been really trying to keep a tight lid, though, on first of all, letting journalists near the scene and get any kind of information.
They haven't been releasing figures very quickly, and that's partly because they are keenly aware that the one thing that they have been able to do is
provide a modicum of security in this country.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NOBILO: Words from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas are causing international outrage. He said that Israel has committed, quote, 50
holocausts against Palestinians. Abbas' staff is trying to walk the comment back, saying his words were meant to condemn Israeli military action.
Our Hadas Gold has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now, this is far from the first time that the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has made or written
statements about the Holocaust that have drowned condemnation. In past, he said things before like Jews brought the Holocaust upon themselves. But he
made these comments in Germany standing alongside the German chancellor.
Of course, Germany is so sensitive about its role in the Holocaust and about its relationship to Israel, that sort of brought this whole situation
to a new level. Now, what happened was Abbas was asked whether he would apologize to Israel and Germany ahead of the 50th anniversary of the 1972
Munich Olympic attacks, where Palestinian militants killed 11 Israeli athletes and coaches in a west German police officer.
But instead, this is what he had to say in response.
MAHMOUD ABBAS, PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY PRESIDENT (through translator): From 1947 to the present day, Israel has committed 50 massacres in Palestinian
villages and cities - in Deir Yassin, Tantura, Kafr Qasim and many others - - 50 massacres, 50 Holocausts.
[17:15:02]
And until today, and every day, there are casualties killed by the Israeli military. Our request to say enough, come towards peace.
GOLD: Now, according to reporters who were at the press conference, the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, grimaced when Abbas said the word
Holocaust, but made no remarks in response. He did tweet a few hours later, saying, I'm disgusted by the outrageous remarks made by Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas. For us humans in particular, any relativization of the similarity of the Holocaust is intolerable and unacceptable. I condemn
any attempts to deny the crimes of the Holocaust.
Abbas's statements also drew some harsh criticism from Israeli leaders. The Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid issuing his own statement in a tweet
calling the statements a moral disgrace and also a monstrous lie, saying, 6 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust, including one and a half
million Jewish children. History, he says, will never forgive him, referring to Abbas.
Now earlier on Wednesday, Abbas's office issued a clarification statement, saying that President Abbas reaffirmed that the holocaust is the most
heinous crime that has occurred in modern human history, trying to clarify that what president abasement is when he's talking about massacres
committed against the Palestinian people, he wants people to recognize that these massacres were committed against the Palestinian people, and that he
says they continued until this day.
Hadas Gold, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NOBILO: After several years of tension, Israel and Turkey have restored full diplomatic relations. Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid announced that
development on Wednesday, calling Turkey an important asset to regional stability.
The two countries cut ties in 2018 after the Israeli military killed Palestinians over the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem.
NATO is urging Kosovo and Serbia to show restraint and maintain calm before tensions along the border turn into violence. NATO secretary general hosted
meetings with the leaders of both countries on Wednesday, saying that the military alliance is prepared to take action to keep peace.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: If needed, we will move forces. We will deploy were needed and increase our presence. We have increased
presence in the north. We are doing more, but we will act when needed and in a proportionate way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBILO: For weeks, the potential crisis has been brewing in northern Kosovo over license plates and national identity, starting when Kosovo
began issuing new documents to ethnic Serbians living in the region. Many did not recognize Kosovo as a nation and used documents from Serbia. Ethnic
Serbs protested and block roads until Kosovo postponed its decision.
On Thursday, the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia will meet, and the world hopes to avoid another conflict.
Now, Britain's inflation rate is now in the double digits, and many think that the worst is yet to come. We will look at why that is.
And also ahead, NASA is one step closer to the moon again with its mega moon rocket ready for launch in Florida.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:11:15]
NOBILO: Let's take a look at the other key stories making international impact today.
South Korean officials say the North has test fired two cruise missiles off its western coast. This marks Pyongyang's 18th launch this year and its
first since June. It comes just days before the U.S. and South Korea are set to retain live field military drills that have been suspended since
2018.
Kenya's President-elect William Ruto says he is ready to engage in court processes over the results of this month's presidential election. His rival
Raila Odinga is preparing a legal challenge in hopes of overturning his loss and has until Monday to file a challenge with Kenya's Supreme Court.
Wildfires burning in eastern Spain have led to hundreds of evacuations and more than a dozen injuries. Crews are working to contain the flames which
burned more than 16,000 hectares. Spain is experiencing a record number of wildfires this year field by the extreme heat and drought that we have been
talking about.
NASA has rolled out its mega moon rocket ahead of the scheduled launch on August 29th.
CNN's Kristin Fisher has all the details for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bianca, for the first time in half a century, a NASA-built rocket bound for the moon is now
sitting on the launch pad ready for lunch. Not another test but an actual launch. If all goes according to plan, we are now just 12 days away from
NASA's SLS or space launch system rocket lifting off on a 42-day journey around the moon before the Orion capsule splashed down into the ocean.
We have seen over the last 24 hours or so is one of the final steps before this rocket can take off. It is what is called the rollout to the path. It
is a slow process because this is a massive rocket, the biggest most powerful rocket ever built.
It is essentially a skyscraper standing as tall as a 30-foot building would. To get it from the vehicle assembly building to the launch pad, it
is about a four mile journey, and NASA has the use a vehicle called the crawler. It's a massive vehicle. The rocket sits on top, this vehicle
literally cross to the launch pad at a pace of about 0.8 miles per hour, less than one mile per hour. That is how slow it has to go.
The journey took about ten hours. What is so fascinating, Bianca, is that this is the same vehicle, this crawler that was used to take the Saturn V
rocket to the launch pad back in the 60s and 70s during the Apollo program. This is an incredibly sturdy and durable peace of machine. So is the rocket
that was sitting on top of it. It has been in development for over a decade.
NASA's first big human made rocket since the return of the space shuttle fleet. A lot of people have asked and wondered, why are we going back to
the moon now? Didn't we do that in the `60s and `70s? The answer is, yes, but this time, it is different, because NASA wants to leave more than flags
and footprints. They want to actually build a lunar base.
This time, the United States is not in a race with Russia. This time, they are in a race with the Chinese. NASA and the U.S. government believe that
if they don't return American astronauts to the moon, then Chinese taikonauts could get their first and build their own lunar base there.
Bianca?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NOBILO: Thanks, Christine.
Inflation in the U.K. is now the highest it has been in for decades. It jumped to 10.1 percent in July, the high simply should rate in G7.
[17:25:01]
Energy and fuel prices are some of the biggest drivers here. Gas prices rose more than 95 percent in the last 12 months while food prices continue
to soar.
I spoke to Richard Quest, the anchor of "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS", of course, and I asked him why inflation in the U.K. is higher compared to other G7
countries, especially one other economies in the group are starting to cool down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD QUEST, ANCHOR, QUEST MEANS BUSINESS: I think the UK has unique properties, if you will, not only in the nature of its retailing, in the
nature of its energy consumption, but it is much more vulnerable to energy shocks.
And you add in a bit of Brexit along with the fact that the stimulus has been around for a long time I also to levels, and you end up with the an
economy that is traditionally more volatile then the eurozone economy. That is what you get. It goes down to the rental market, the housing market, the
energy market, the food production, the import and export, the island nature of the economy -- all these things, the UK has always had higher
inflation. It's always had an inflation bump.
NOBILO: And does anyone, whether Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak, Boris Johnson, have an idea which could meaningfully mitigate this and the crisis that
people in the UK are being plunged into?
QUEST: Well, I think we know how to get rid of inflation. You tighten the money supply to the point where people stop spending. That is the sad but
truth about dealing with inflation.
Now, the risk here is Liz Truss's plan because Liz Truss with her tax cuts -- let's put it another way. Whilst targeted assistance for the vulnerable
and those most affected is most definitely welcome, you have to ask yourself, what is the sense of the Bank of England putting out the fire as
fast as it can with higher interest rates, if Liz Truss is going to be pouring petrol on the flames with tax cuts? The two are inconsistent.
The sad reality that no one ever wants to say, which is Rishi Sunak has perhaps sort of hinted at this, is going to take pain to get rid of
inflation. And you alleviate the pain to the most vulnerable, if you have those most in need, but you cannot get a hold of rising interest rates.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBILO: Richard Quest there for us.
Thanks for watching. That was THE GLOBAL BRIEF. I will see you tomorrow.
"WORLD SPORT" is up next.
END
