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House Votes 232-196 To Formalize Impeachment Process; ISIS Announces New Leader And Warns Its Expanding; At Least 73 Killed In Pakistan Train Fire; Homes Burn & People Flee As Strong Winds Increase Danger. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired November 01, 2019 - 01:00   ET

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

[01:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello everyone and welcome. I'm Michael Holmes. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM coming to you live from Studio Seven at CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. And ahead this hour, a historic day in the U.S. Congress. Democrats pushing their Impeachment Inquiry into Donald Trump forward without a single Republican vote.

Plus ISIS wasting little time naming its new leader just days after Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed during a U.S. raid. And even as a number of fires raging across California grows, crews there finally getting some small relief.

And welcome everyone. The Chairman of the U.S. House Intelligence Committee says releasing transcripts of closed-door depositions could begin as early as next week. All of this of course, after the full House voted on Thursday to shift the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump into the public realm.

That vote was 232-196, pretty much along party lines, two Democrats joining the Republicans to vote against it. But Democrats was somber in victory. They called it a sad day for the country. More now from CNN's Lauren Fox.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A historic vote on the House floor, setting the stage for the next phase of the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): This is a solemn occasion. Nobody, I doubt anybody in this place or anybody that you know comes to Congress to take the oath of office, comes to Congress to impeach the president of the United States. And today the House takes the next step forward.

FOX: The House voting mostly along party lines.

PELOSI: The yeas are 232, the nays are 196. The resolution is adopted. FOX: With two Democrats Representative Jeff Van Drew and Collin

Peterson voting against the resolution. Those two Democrats from areas Trump handedly won in the 2016 election. Republicans sticking with Trump and blasting the process as unfair.

REP. STEVE SCALISE (R-LA): This is the United States of America. Don't run a sham process, a tainted process like this resolution ensures. It ought to be rejected.

FOX: Democrats pushing back.

REP. HANK JOHNSON (D-GA): Well, their insistence that the process is somehow flawed betrays their decision not to deal with the substance that makes this process necessary.

FOX: And vowing to move forward.

REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): We take no joy and having to move down this road and proceed with the impeachment inquiry. But neither do we shrink from it.

FOX: The resolution outlining the rules, including a measure allowing Republicans to subpoena their own witnesses, as long as the Democratic Committee Chairman agree. It also allows Trump and his lawyers to cross-examine witnesses and object to lines of questioning once the probe moves to the House Judiciary Committee.

REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): The President has had no rights inside these hearings. They cannot go back and fix what is a fundamentally tainted and unfair record.

FOX: Also in the capital, Tim Morrison, the President's top Russian advisor, appearing under subpoena were sources tell CNN Morrison told investigators he was concerned the details of Trump's July 25 phone call would leak and that he was involved in discussions about how to handle the call transcript.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's a critical player. He was in many of the critical meetings.

FOX: The testimony largely corroborating another key witness Bill Taylor, a career diplomat who confirmed the whistleblower's allegations that he was told Trump delayed nearly $400 million in U.S. military aid to Ukraine until that country launched an investigation into the Biden's.

Taylor also told lawmakers that Morrison talked to him after the call and told him "it could have been better." Taylor testified last week that Morrison relayed Trump had suggested Ukraine's president and his staff meet with Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and Attorney General William Barr. Morrison testified he was told to stay away from Giuliani's efforts in Ukraine.

CNN previously reporting Morrison believed the administration was legally within their rights in dealing with Ukraine. Of course, the key point there that Morrison believed that the President hadn't done anything illegal when it came to his relationship with Ukraine.

But the underlying facts here between the Morrison testimony and the testimony that Bill Taylor gave remains the same. For CNN, Lauren Fox, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[01:05:16]

HOLMES: And CNN Senior Political Analyst Ron Brownstein joining us now from Los Angeles. Always a pleasure, sir. Now, that that House vote, I think it's a big moment in American history. The votes as we said was on party lines. But why wouldn't Republicans want public hearings? The right to question right, White House involvement? Isn't that what they wanted?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: First, good to be with you, Michael. Yes, well, look, I think that despite the procedural implications of the vote, from the point of view of the President and the president supporters, voting for it would be voting to advance you know, what he is calling a witch hunt.

And there are only three Republicans in the House left in districts that did not vote for President Trump. In other words, virtually all of them are in districts that he carried in 2016 and almost all that he be probably still has majority support. There may be a few where he has kind of fallen back. And so I think there's very little incentive for them.

But this -- just real quick. This is the long term trend. I mean, if you go back to Watergate, one-third of the Republicans on the judiciary committee did vote to impeach President Nixon. And obviously, he left office in part because Senate Republicans told him his support was crumbling. But even by the time you get up to the Iran Contra investigation in the 80s, which did not result in impeachment, but a very critical congressional kind of analysis, it was much more along party lines. It was further polarized along party lines by Bill Clinton's time in 1998. And then here we are in 2019, with a virtually complete partisan split.

HOLMES: Yes, it's interesting when you mentioned it. I always come back to that saying that I hear so often, which is with Nixon, Republicans were with him until they weren't. Is there any indication that you know, anything is changing in terms of the impeachment conviction in the Senate where of course, Republicans have the number? What would that look like? What would cause that fraction?

BROWNSTEIN: Right. Well, the first thing I'd say is that, you know, I was in Washington this week. The most important thing that happened today is that the Democrats from the Trump districts in the House, almost all voted to advance this inquiry.

And you know, that -- as you know, that was not the case a few months ago. That those Democrats, the 31 House Democrats in districts that voted for Trump in 2016 we're very leery of moving down this road. And without them, Democrats don't have a majority to move forward on any kind of impeachment.

And so the fact that almost all of them felt comfortable for voting for this and given the nature of the evidence that has accumulated against the president, you have to assume that virtually all everyone if not literally everyone who voted to begin your inquiry today will vote to impeach him in the end.

Whether the Senate will -- can 20 Senate Republicans voting to convict I think is you know, it almost unimaginable hill at this point. But that doesn't mean there could not be a few votes, and which I think would change public perception of the whole process.

HOLMES: And I -- and I guess it depends what Nancy Pelosi is got up her sleeve too. I mean, it depends what evidence comes out of these public hearings and other things to come forward. I mean, it's going to be insane because, as I understand it, a lot of lawyers are going to be doing the questioning, which could do away with a lot of the usual grandstanding that you get for the cameras. How would that change things?

BROWNSTEIN: Enormously? I mean, you know, I think the Democrats were right, as Republicans have been on in previous investigations that it's really hard to actually develop information and to learn things and to conduct kind of an organized systematic questioning in these public hearings where time is broken up in five-minute increments. It goes back and forth between the parties like Ping Pong with one side, really just, you know, trying to defend the president at any given moment, depending, you know, who's in the White House.

So I think this is going to allow for a lot more information. The question is, how much will more information change the basic parameters of public opinion. I mean, you know, the evidence -- I think we now have three, you know, senior officials in President Trump's own government who are saying that their clear understanding was that his message to the Ukrainians was that they would not get the military aid unless they publicly committed to an investigation into the Biden's and this kind of debunk theory about the 2016 election.

That -- you know, when that is plastered across national T.V., will that move the numbers a little bit? Perhaps. But I think you know, what Republicans are already retreating to is that even if he did this, it is not an impeachable offense. It does not warrant impeachment. So I'm not sure how much more proving the case will move them off of that position.

HOLMES: And what do you think Nancy Pelosi is, you know, her strategy is going to be when it comes to the people to move the dial when it comes to it? Because a lot of it, a lot of the public positioning at the moment is pretty baked in.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes. Funny you should say that because I was in a small group of columnists that interviewed her earlier this week for an hour in her -- in her conference room. And you know, while she didn't like divulge all the specifics, she did make clear a few things. I think first that this is going to be -- this is going to move forward sooner rather than later. She talked a lot about kind of the law of diminishing returns and how much stomach the American people have for a lengthy process. Also that it was going to be narrower than broader. I mean, she made the point to us that just because things are left out of impeachment, doesn't mean that they endorse them. In other words, that they don't feel the need to throw in everything that they believe is improper about the way Trump has conducted the presidency.

And the third thing she said that I thought was interesting was that in this modern era, a preponderate consensus is no longer possible. She said this is no longer a 70 percent country. She said, we have enough to impeach the president both in terms of evidence and public opinion. And I think most people expect that as exactly where this is going sooner than later sometime this year.

[01:10:39]

HOLMES: Great insight, as always. Ron, good to see you. Ron Brownstein there in Los Angeles, I appreciate it.

BROWNSTEIN: Good to be with you.

HOLMES: To Iraq now. Mass protests have engulfed that country in recent weeks. They appear to have created some political change. Iraq's president saying the Prime Minister has agreed to step down when a replacement is found. The move is seen as an effort to appease demonstrators who have been calling for reform.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARHAM SALIH, PRESIDENT, IRAQ (through translator): Our brother, the Prime Minister, has announced that he would resign, asking the political blocks to find an acceptable alternative. This is in light of the commitment in the constitutional and legal context to prevent a constitutional vacuum.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: At least 200 people have been killed in weeks of protests against unemployment, corruption, and a lack of basic services. Meanwhile, ISIS says it has a new leader after its former leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in a raid on Saturday. The terror group named Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi to the top job.

Now, the U.S. led operation that killed al-Baghdadi, of course, ended a year's long hunt to find one of the most wanted terrorists in the world. But ISIS warning the United States not to celebrate claiming it has militants on the doorstep of Europe and in the center of Africa with more cells expanding it says.

Let's bring in a CNN Intelligence and Security Analyst Robert Baer. He is a former CIA operative and he joins us now from Los Angeles. Bob, always good to see you. Let's talk about al-Qurashi. Well, the thing about him is nobody knows much about him. Is that a problem for ISIS that he's not well known, not well respected yet, and so is he going to have to prove himself and what might that look like? ROBERT BAER, CNN INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY ANALYST (via Skype): Well, for a start, I don't think we know who he is. That's not a real name. I mean, in the sense that Abu Ibrahim is the name of the Prophet, Hashemi is the name of the prophets clan, and Qurashi is the name of the tribe. So I think that's a -- that's a nom de guerre, an alias.

So I don't think anybody knows who he is, at this point. It's just -- it's just symbolic, that this is the line of the Prophet, the next Caleb and the rest of it. So it's going to take a while for the CIA and everybody else to figure out who this guy is if in fact, he really exists.

I mean, clearly, these guys have gone underground. They've gone to back to being a gorilla group. They don't own any territory. And I think they've learned their lessons. So they've gone underground, and we don't really know who this person is.

HOLMES: And I guess that's the thing, though. I mean, because nobody knows much about him, I mean, a calif needs to be a figure that adherence will follow. You know, does that mean that he's got to prove himself? What -- I don't know -- what difference will it make do you think given the group is quite fluid when it comes to the leadership?

BAER: Well, they're going to have to make some sort of attack whether it's in Iraq or Europe, the United States to put themselves back on the map. They've as much said this, the U.S. military has said it, everybody expects it. Now, whether they can or not, is something different but that's clearly their intention now, is, you know, this is going to be sort of like for them, it's the second coming of the Islamic State.

HOLMES: Well, that's the thing. I mean, the ISIS, of course, as we just said, they've said we've got people in Europe, we've got people in Central Africa, they probably do. I mean, even the U.S. is warning ISIS is likely to strike back. How effective of a threat do you think they remain outside of you know, Syria and parts of Iraq?

BAER: I think there's still a threat. I mean, it's so easy to carry out an attack. As we know, you steal a truck, you run it into a crowded area, the person gets killed, he's a martyr, and they're back on the map. It's that easy. They don't need guns, they don't need explosives. They don't need large teams.

They understand at this point that they have to stay off the internet if there's any sort of command and control from Syria, or they're just hoping for a lone wolf, somebody who's inspired by the murder of Baghdadi, and by this new -- this new fictional leader or symbolic leader of the Islamic State, saying look, this is the line the Prophet, the caliphate is still there, and we are coming back.

[01:15:02]

HOLMES: It's a good point about the low tech impact that an attack can have and they don't even have to be a member. They can just be inspired. I think one other thing I want to ask you about. It's a sad irony that a lot of the intel that led to the death of Baghdadi came from Kurdish sources, you know, and as much of a victory as, you know, Baghdadi's death might be, you know, you've got the U.S. seeding influence and deterrence ability in the region a lot including abandoning those Kurds who provided that Baghdadi intel.

BAER: I can't think of a stupid mistake abandoning the Kurds. Frankly, they did most of the fighting against the Islamic State. They are the ones that took it down. They are the ones that deprived it of a territory Deir ez-Zor, for instance. So, to abandon them at this point, the one proxy that the United States has in the Middle East and just for no good reason, give them up is going to be catastrophic. Whether this administration pays for it or once down the line, you can bet on it that we're going to be paying, the United States, going to be a big price for this for a very long time.

HOLMES: Yes, long term damage. I can only imagine. Bob, I want to also ask you, now meanwhile we've seen Bradley Fighting Vehicles and troops heading into, you mentioned, Deir ez-Zor. They've headed in there to defend those oilfields. And you know, you have mechanized assets now, which we hadn't seen much in Syria. Tell me about the risks that the U.S. could find itself firing shots to defend Syrian oil.

BAER: Well, first of all, it could be framed as a war crime. I mean, we're taking economic assets from a country which we're not officially at war with. There is no -- I mean, it's illegal under international law. And it looks like the United States is some sort of predatory power. And that's not to mention that Syrian oil is not worth having. There's so little of it, and those fields are so destroyed and the equipment. And for the President, it comes down to a sound bite for his base. Oh, we got their oil. You know this addresses the political interests of this President, and that is all.

HOLMES: Yes, yes. Yes, to say that we will decide what to do with it later when it's not your oil. I mean, that would be plunder, you're right. Bob Baer, good to see you. Appreciate you coming on.

All right, we're going to take a short break. When we come back, a tragedy on a train in Pakistan. Dozens of people are dead or injured. The death toll could climb higher, we'll tell you what happened when we come back. And also, another major fire has erupted in California. Firefighters praying for the winds to die down as they struggled to get a grip on the destruction. We'll have an update.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN WEATHER ANCHOR: This image behind me shows the ferocity of the fires raging out of control across Southern California. This fire is known as the Easy Fire. It's actually hopping over the 23 freeway in Los Angeles County. Incredible imagery coming out of that area as spot fires have been forming well in advance of the main fire breaks.

The main threats here going forward for the day on Friday, we still have strong gusty winds across Ventura, Los Angeles County stretching southward towards San Diego. Dry fuels and relative humidity value is under 10 percent. We don't have the extreme critical -- extreme fire danger threat across this area but it remains at an elevated stance here at least through the next 24 hours. So, we'll continue with the mention of our ongoing wildfires over the southwestern U.S.

We do have a bit of light snow across the northern plains, a cold front that's whipped across the eastern half of the U.S. as we bring in the first parts of November. A lot of wind associated with the system as well. You can see some of the precipitation over the next 36 hours, bringing in a chance of snowfall across the state of Michigan.

[01:20:09]

Look at the high wind alerts that are in place for New England. We have warnings and advisories in place from New York northward into Boston and then a heart freeze warning expected across the eastern portions of U.S. Five degrees for Chicago today, one lone degree for Denver.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Welcome back, everyone. The deaths toll from the fire that tore through a train in Pakistan is expected to rise. At least 73 people killed when three railway cars were consumed by flames. Lynda Kinkade with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Tragedy on a Pakistan train, dozens of people killed after a gas canister explodes, engulfing the train in fire. Intense flames spreading through three cars of the train. Terrified passengers jumped off the burning train while it's still moving.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): A cylinder explode and I don't know how fire erupted everywhere. I jumped out of the train to save my life. There was a whole line of people behind me and they pushed.

KINKADE: Firefighters struggled to control the blaze while army troops paramedics and an army aviation helicopter raced to help the victims. The train was running on the Tezgam line, a daily service from Karachi to the northern city of Rawalpindi. The explosion happening about halfway into the trip. The journey takes more than 25 hours, covering a distance of 1500 kilometers. The use in transportation of gas cylinders on trains is banned in Pakistan. The passengers say people onboard were using gas-powered cookers to make breakfast inside the train carriage when the explosion occurred.

Police say many of the people onboard the train were heading to protest in the Pakistani Capital of Islamabad. Others were heading to a religious conference. Pakistan has a history of deadly railway accidents due to poor infrastructure and disrepair. Hundreds of people have been killed in train derailments and collisions in recent years, but it's still a common method of transportation for Pakistanis. Some 70 million people traveled by train in the last year. Lynda Kinkade, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: And some 250 firefighters battling a new wildfire that is broken out in Southern California. It's called the Maria Fire, it's overtaken 16 square kilometers in just the last few hours. At least 11 fires in all are now tearing across the state, fueled by hot dry weather and strong winds. Britt Conway reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It sucks, it hurts, but this could get replaced. You can't replace a life.

BRITT CONWAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Hillside Fire erupted Wednesday night, quickly destroying homes in the San Bernardino area.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's devastating, man. It's devastating. A fireplace where we had our first Christmas and our Thanksgiving, and just it sucks, man. It's -- it really -- it really -- it hits, it's crazy.

CONWAY: The fast-moving fire consumed several homes and businesses in San Bernardino County. According to officials, the speed of the fire underscoring the importance of staying alert. It's just one of the many fires crews are battling in California. All across the state, crews are making headway as the winds died down slightly today. And they're hoping the red flag warnings that are scheduled to end tonight, actually will.

TRACEY MARTINEZ, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT: You don't see the wind blowing real hard right now, at least where we're at, but you go up on the side of the hill or up in the foothill areas, the winds are very erratic.

CONWAY: California Governor Gavin Newsom says the federal government is assisting and urges all residents to remain alert. I'm Britt Conway reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[01:25:09]

HOLMES: All right, meteorologist Derik Van Dam joining us now with more. This Maria Fire, what do you -- what do you know.

VAN DAM: Coming out of Ventura County just to the north and west of Los Angeles, and New to CNN, we have 1800 structures and 7500 residents being evacuated at this hour because of this rapidly expanding and spreading fire. We're going to bring you some of the visuals first here on CNN, so you can see the efforts taking place. And just incredible, I want the cameraman to see this. That's some of the fire personnel trying to bring in bulldozers, bring in the equipment to try and battle the fire, get ahead of the fire. These are extremely brave men and women. I mean really putting their life on the line to do some of this incredible, incredible work. And you know, they have proven to be so successful in other fires. Let's hope that they get a handle of this fire, because we do know and from all accounts that we're seeing on the ground, that this fire is spreading very quickly.

So, let's get to the details. Graphics will show you exactly where this fire is located. Here's Los Angeles. Here's Ventura County. This is the Maria Fire, zero percent containment as of now, 304 hectares have been burned so far. Residents evacuated talked about that 7500 people. That's a lot of people to be evacuated from your home. Can you imagine getting that knock on your door, telling you, you have just minutes to evacuate before a fire encroaches on your house?

Well, let's talk about why these fires spread so rapidly in southern and central California. It's all because of the Santa Ana winds. They pick up any embers, and in fact, some of these embers, these pictures tell 1000 words, they can be picked up from a fire and transported one to two kilometers away starting additional what is known as spot fires well in advance of the actual fire that the firefighters are currently battling. So, you can just see how sporadic and how difficult it is for these firefighters to do their job.

We still have extremely critical fire dangers for the overnight. Keep in mind for our international viewers, this is early Friday morning across Southern California. Winds gusting to 80 kilometers per hour. There's some good news, some silver lining in this forecast, even though all the dry conditions are still in place, the winds are relaxing somewhat. And that means throughout the course of the day on Friday and then Saturday, we'll only have elevated fire conditions instead of extremely critical. Nonetheless, 2019 has been a very busy year, over 80,000 hectares burned so far. And you can see the relative humidity values here between four and 10 percent. Some improvement though as we head into the weekend, you can see that onshore push from the Pacific Ocean, that will help mediate some of the fires across that area.

The other thing I want to bring to the attention of our viewers is that we haven't seen much rain this month and unfortunately, the extended outlook from Climate Prediction Center here in the U.S., calls for below average precipitation going forward.

HOLMES: Not a good fire season.

VAN DAM: It's been difficult.

HOLMES: It has, hasn't it? Derek, thank you.

VAN DAM: All right.

HOLMES: Derek Van Dam. All right, we'll take a short break. When we come back on CNN NEWSROOM, Donald Trump has his own campaign to worry about, but that hasn't stopped him weighing in on the upcoming U.K. election. We'll have that and much more when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [01:30:00]

HOLMES: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Michael Holmes. Welcome back, everyone.

The headlines for you this hour, the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump now shifting to a public phase after the U.S. House on Thursday passed the resolution detailing how the investigation will go forward. The vote of 232 to 196 largely along party lines -- two Democrats joining Republicans in opposition. The White House condemning the resolution, they call it unconstitutional.

ISIS says it has a new leader. Just days after the U.S. military killed the terror group's founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, almost nothing known about his successor Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi. ISIS also claiming it is expanding, and it is already on Europe's doorstep and Central Africa.

Weeks of violent protests across Iraq may soon be costing the prime minister his job. Iraq's president says the prime minister has agreed to step down if political leaders can agree on a replacement for him. At least 200 people have died since protests over unemployment and corruption broke out last month.

A fire ripping through several train carriages in Pakistan killing at least 73 people. A gas can was -- canister apparently exploded as the train was traveling. Despite a ban on such cylinders, some passengers were using a gas-powered stove. Officials say that death toll could rise.

Well, the United Kingdom was supposed to leave the European Union on Thursday, should be out by now. But instead, Britons now face a December election with Brexit, of course, at the center.

Opposition Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn, out campaigning, did not hesitate reminding supporters that the prime minister failed to meet their deadline.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEREMY CORBYN, LEADER, BRITISH LABOUR PARTY: Friends, today is the 31st of October.

(LAUGHER)

It's all right, I'm just passing on information to you at this stage. The day that Boris Johnson promised we would leave the E.U. He also said he would rather be dead in a ditch than delay beyond today. But, he has failed -- and that failure is his alone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Opinion polls show that it is Boris Johnson's election to lose. The prime minister calling the December 12 vote in the hopes of breaking a Parliamentary gridlock over Brexit. He says he has, quote, "an oven-ready deal," that just needs lawmakers who will approve it. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: If you vote for us, and we get our program through -- which we will, because as I say it's over- ready, it's there to go. Then we can be out at the absolute latest, by January next year.

And I hope very much that there will be a Parliament that understands that this is now something that is kind of hanging over our country, it's a piece of business we need to dispatch, get it done. It was the mandate of the people, they voted by pretty substantial majority to do this and Parliament has simply stood in their way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[01:35:00]

HOLMES: And the U.S. President Donald Trump, not silent on the U.K. election -- he's already gone on London Radio to announce who he's backing, Anna Stewart with that.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: The U.S. President once again waded in to British politics on the day that the U.K. was supposed to leave the E.U. before another extension was requested and the day that the queen gave her assent to a general election before Christmas.

In an interview with Nigel Farage, an LBC radio presenter, as well as the leader of the Brexit Party. The U.S. President said Prime Minister Boris Johnson is his friend, and the best man for the job. He also said that he thinks the prime minister should work together with Nigel Farage in the upcoming general election.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VOICE OF DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: And I'd like to see you and Boris get together because you would really have some numbers, because you did fantastically on the election -- the last election --

NIGEL FARAGE: Absolutely.

TRUMP: And he respects you a lot, I can tell you that. He respects you a lot -- I don't know if you know that or not, but -- because I don't -- I have no idea, you know, I have enough to do over here without having to worry about the psychology --

FARAGE: Oh, you do -- you do, you do.

TRUMP: Of two -- two brilliant people over there, frankly.

FARAGE: Well, if he -- if he drops the deal --

TRUMP: But he -- he has a lot of respect and like for you. I just -- I wish you two guys could get together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEWART: He had a different opinion of the leader of the main opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Corbyn would be so bad for your country -- he'd be so bad. He'd take you in such a bad way. He'd take you in to such bad places. But, your country has tremendous potential. It's a great country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEWART: He also said Corbyn's claims at the British National Health Service would be included in a future trade deal with the United States, were incorrect. His comments drew immediate ire from the Labour Leader himself.

Jeremy Corbyn tweeted, saying, "Donald Trump is trying to interfere in Britain's election to get his friend Boris Johnson elected. It was Trump, who said in June that NHS is on the table. And he knows if Labour wins U.S. corporations won't get their hands on it. Our NHS is not for sale."

A busy first day of election campaigning in the U.K., and it's unlikely to be the last time that President Trump is mentioned in this campaign. Not least as the U.S. President will soon be visiting London for the NATO summit the week before the general election.

Anna Stewart, CNN, London.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

HOLMES: It is the end of an era in British politics, the House of Commons Speaker John Bercow officially bellowing order for the last time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN BERCOW: Order! Order! Order!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Bercow was speaker for a tumultuous decade of British politics and was known for keeping a firm grip on the Chamber. Tributes poured in on his last day, one lawmaker thanking him for being a champion for freedom of speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACOB REES-MOGG, LEADER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS: The ultimate, the most important -- the highest duty of the speaker of the House of Commons is to be the champion of our House and its members, and to defend our right to freedom of speech, and defense of our constituents. And Mr. Speaker, you have done that.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES: Bercow was a speaker known for his cleverness and wit, though some recently criticized him for favoring the leave side of the Brexit debate. A new speaker is to be chosen next week.

Well forget the kibble, the combat dog that helped human comrades take down the leader of ISIS is going to get a big thank you in Washington, we'll have the details coming up.

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HOLMES: McDonalds is apologizing after it ran an ad saying "Sundae," A-E, "Bloody Sundae," to promote a Halloween dessert.

The term "bloody Sunday," also of course refers to the day in 1972 when British soldiers shot and killed 14 unarmed protesters in Northern Ireland, one of the bloodiest days of what were known as "the troubles." The fast-food chain pulled the controversial ad after it was spotted in Portugal and posted Twitter.

Well, he shares his name with a comedian but his act of heroism was deadly serious by all accounts. The dog that helped the U.S. military take down the leader of ISIS will, we're told, have his day at the White House. And now, we know the pooch's name, it's not classified anymore. Jeanne Moos with that.

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JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We no longer have to say a generic "good boy," the good boy's name is Conan, like the comedian who tweeted, 'that dog is clearly the better Conan." It's enough to make a studio audience say --

JAMES CORDEN, CBS HOST: I know, I like this.

MOOS: "Very cute recreation," is how the president described the photoshopped image he shared, "but the live version of 'Conan' will be leaving the Middle East for the White House sometime next week."

The photoshop is based on an actual Metal of Honor recipient, James McCloughan was a medic in Vietnam. His head was replaced by the dog's, leaving some to wonder how James McCloughan feels about this?

JAMES MCCLOUGHAN, MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT: The first time I looked at it I thought, well they're paying tribute to a dog that did something very brave, and very heroic.

MOOS: And when the dog visits the White House --

MCCLOUGHAN: Maybe the president will invite me in too, to say hi to the dog.

MOOS: The dog is fully recovering after touching electrical cables while hunting down the leader of ISIS. Apparently one good photoshop begets another. From Putin putting a medal on President Trump, to the dog giving the President a medal labeled "zero." Even son Eric tweeted out a version. The Trump campaign is doggedly raising funds off Conan the canine,

selling USA camo dog bandanas for $15. Conan was a hit on late night.

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JAMES CORDEN, LATE NIGHT SHOW HOST: If you look closely enough you can practically hear Donald Trump whispering to the dog -- you know, a doctor can get you out of military service, right?

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MOOS: Given the president's pension for magnificent fast food buffets, can't wait to see what Conan gets fed at the White House. Some were already imagining, like other heroes Conan is likely to get patted, and even hugged. As for pet owners who wonder, do you think my dog could be trained for such greatness? Oh sure, that dog will take orders for a latte. Jeanne Moos, CNN.

TRUMP: A beautiful dog -- a talented dog --

MOOS: New York.

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HOLMES: (Inaudible). Thanks for watching CNN NEWSROOM, everyone, I'm Michael Holmes.

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