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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson Faces Confidence Vote Today; Police Say, Gunman Who Killed Retired Judge Had Hit List; Climate Group Joining Forces to Boost Midterm Turnout. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired June 06, 2022 - 10:30   ET

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

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[10:30:00]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: In just a few hours, Boris Johnson will face a confidence vote, no-confidence vote, as it's known, that could end his time as Britain's prime minister. The critical vote triggered by discontented lawyers in his own conservative party over the party-gate scandal, as it's known.

CNN's Bianca Nobilo is on Downing Street covering this. Listen, he broke the rules that other citizens in the U.K. had to follow, including don't have parties during the COVID lockdown. This has been dragging on him for some time. Do we believe this time is different, that the folks who are not confident in his leadership have the votes to oust him?

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a moment of maximum political danger that I have ever seen Boris Johnson in, and that is saying something, Jim, because I know that you also follow British politics closely.

Now, why today and this time period is different, it's because M.P.s or lawmakers across his party, they all want him to go, the ones that have put in the letters of no-confidence.

And, fundamentally, we are talking about M.P.s from the right of his party and from the progressive wing of this party. So, these are lawmakers who ordinarily, basically don't agree on anything and yet today they agree on one thing and it's that they want a new leader.

So, today, there will be a new vote, and if Boris Johnson wins that vote, manages to stagger on, he will still be very drained of his political authority. But the prime minister, for his part, has made the statement through a spokesperson today.

He said, tonight is a chance to end months of speculation and allow the government to draw a line and move on delivering on the people's priorities. The prime minister welcomes the opportunity to make his case to M.P.s.

Now, Jim, of course, he has got to say that, he's got to come out fighting, otherwise he may as well well surrender now. Now, it's generally considered that the prime minister will be able to

win this vote tonight and that's because he only needs 180 votes and about 170 of his own members of parliament are on the payroll. So, they are employed in the government in some capacity.

And so it's quite difficult for him not to actually win. But precedent suggests that even if a prime minister manages to win on the night that they will stagger on only for a number of months, perhaps longer, drained of power and authority and pretty much a lame duck prime minister.

SCIUTTO: Yes. And remarkable to see this happen during the leadership he has tried to show on Ukraine, for instance. Bianca Nobilo, we know you're going to be following it closely. We'll look for an update.

Well, Russian President Vladimir Putin is threatening to escalate attacks if the west delivers long-range missiles and rockets to Ukraine.

He issued the threats, his latest in a string of them, as Russia launched its own missiles on the capital, Kyiv. British officials say the aim was to disrupt the supply of western weapons to the frontlines.

In the east, boy, those frontlines are getting bloody. Ukraine says it has regained parts of the key city of Severodonetsk but the situation, the loss is worsening and civilians fleeing the area in numbers.

CNN's Ben Wedeman joins us now live. Ben, you've been following this war for some time. What does it look like out there?

BEN WEDEMAN: It looks grim, Jim. Even though over the weekend, the Ukrainian officials said that they had regained ground in the city of Severodonetsk, it appears that as of today they're starting to lose ground again.

Officials are saying that the Russians are sparing none of their men and none of their equipment to try to gain control of that strategic city. And they have been pummeling it for weeks and weeks.

I was back there in mid-April and it was already coming under severe artillery bombardment and that seems to be continued. And despite all of this, there are still thousands of civilians trapped in that city.

But because of the intensity of the bombardment, many of them can't leave. But given the uncertainty about the situation, many people are leaving this area, in general.

In fact, as we were driving eastward, we saw long lines at checkpoints of cars of people fleeing to the west.

One person who did actually come to the east overnight was President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who actually came to the town of Lysychansk which overlooks Severodonetsk. So, he came very much to the frontline.

And his visit overnight really underscores the importance Ukraine is putting in this battle in Severodonetsk because that is key to control of the Luhansk region and the Donbas region in general. Jim?

SCIUTTO: Yes. I can't imagine being on a security detail for a trip like that. Ben Wedeman, you and your team, stay safe as well.

[10:35:00]

Still ahead, the retired Wisconsin judge gunned down inside his own home, the killer, a man who held a grudge against him and had a hit list that included as well Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, now there are renewed calls for congressional action to protect judges.

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SCIUTTO: Just days after a retired Wisconsin judge was shot and killed inside his own home, there are renewed calls to protect judges across the U.S.

[10:40:04]

Judge John Roemer was killed Friday in what authorities are calling a targeted attack by a suspect who was once sentenced by the judge. Officials say the man had a hit list that included Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, and Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, also a Democrat.

Juliette Kayyem, CNN National Security Analyst, joining me now. I wonder what this tells you about the state of the threat from extremist groups like this.

Do you see this as part of a broader pattern here, right? I mean, the FBI and DOJ for years now has been talking about particularly right- wing groups in this country and the danger they pose.

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Yes. So, this is a complicated cases, most of them are, they each have their unique features so there is not a straightforward narrative we can say at this stage.

We do know he targeted a judge that we -- that at least the early reporting suggests there was a particular case, not just a generic judge here, but then he has this hit list and this is what is relevant.

The hit list includes Democrats -- mostly Democrats, but also Mitch McConnell. So, you can't get a simple statement there, but I think what you can -- what does confirm the FBI's previous statements is this idea of assassination or targeted killing as part of a political agenda, which is -- which we're seeing across the board.

And it is terrifying because it targets soft targets, people who may not be well-known and people who are clearly unarmed. So, we are not talking about Nancy Pelosi or the president or a Supreme Court justice.

Assassination as a political tool we tend to think of in terms of Abe Lincoln or JFK or the anniversary of Robert Kennedy's assassination but, actually, assassination has been more prevalent in times in the United States' history of social unrest and dramatic changes to culture.

And so I think we're starting to see that now, those social divisions getting played out. We are not at a war but these are similar to civil war tactics.

SCIUTTO: Yes. Listen, I mean, people may forget in the '70s there was a rash of bombs planted under people's cars, that sort of thing, follow the '60s.

If we were talking about Islamist terrorism and domestic leaders or members of the media were also themselves attacking state and federal officials, echoing the rhetoric of extremists, you would think that there would be consequences, if we were talking about Islamist terrorism.

We have domestic terrorism, as identified, as you know, by the Justice Department and identifying these groups and yet you have public figures echoing the rhetoric there.

KAYYEM: Yes.

SCIUTTO: Are they inflaming the dangers?

KAYYEM: Oh, yes. I mean, I think it's undeniable at this stage. We don't have to be shy about it. I mean, part of what radicalization is, is it's listening to political rhetoric that increases or adds to acute tension.

So, we see that in the political space now and certainly with those who would sort of as we're heading into this week, sort of excuse or defend the violence.

Remember, police officers died on January 6. So, forget the Congress members. I mean, the violence related to January 6 is key here.

And so what we need to focus on is that language that, as I've been saying, adds comfort, aids, nurtures, is sort of a come hither to the radicalization.

And so as we learn details about the specific case, which may be early reports suggesting he was part of a militia and a right-wing militia. Who was he listening to? Who did he get comfort from?

And that is why tactics like de-platforming Donald Trump, who was key in a lot of this rhetoric was so important by Twitter and I think it sort of underestimated aspect to at least lowering the temperature to some extent.

But we are going to have quite a couple weeks ahead in terms of those wanting to excuse the violence out there and they just need to remember people -- people hear what they're saying even if they want to pretend that they are not saying it.

And so when you say things like fight or it was no big deal or an insurrection happens, you know, every other day, which it doesn't, those are things that follow fear.

SCIUTTO: Well, perhaps to that point, Juliette Kayyem, I should note, is author of a new book, The Devil Never Sleeps, Learning to Live in the Age of Disasters, there it is right there. Juliette Kayyem, great to have you on, thank you.

KAYYEM: Thank you, Jim. See you soon.

SCIUTTO: Coming up next, gas prices keep climbing. It is politically a big problem for Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections. We are going to break down who voters are holding responsible for all of this.

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SCIUTTO: This first on CNN, six different climate action groups are banding together now to make $100 million push toward the midterm elections. The newly formed Climate Votes Project will fund ad campaigns, and on the ground, they will organize in battleground states such as Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania.

[10:50:00]

The groups are worried that a lack of action so far on climate policies could be a drag on Democratic voter turnout, especially among one people.

The more immediate issue, however, for Democrats in the midterms, bread and butter issues, particularly sky high gas prices. AAA says the national average is $4.87 a gallon, up nearly 60 cents in the last month, almost $20 in the last year from those pandemic lows.

CNN's Senior Data Reporter Harry Enten joins us now with analysis. So, I wonder, have we in the past seen that gas prices have driven voting patterns?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: To some degree. It's not a perfect connection. But we can take a look at the yearly growth in gas prices compared to past midterms at this point in the cycle. And what do we see?

We see, first of, that this year, is off the charts, right? It's ridiculously high, the growth rate right now, I've done this a few times on air, and each time the now number goes up and up and up, 59 percent growth from where we were last year at this point.

That's by far the highest since 1994. You can see 2006 was a bad year for the incumbent party, that's second on the list, 2018, a bad year for the incumbent party, that's third, 2010, another bad year for the incumbent party.

The two lowest years where we actually saw dropping prices, 1998 and 2002, were actually good years for the incumbent party. So, there is some correlation there but it's not perfect. But here is the thing that I think is so important. It's part of a larger economic context, right? It's not just about gas prices, it's about inflation as well. And right, now how are economic conditions? 85 percent of Americans say that the current economy they rate is only as fair or poor.

That's the worst since 2012. And looking forward the economic outlook getting worse, 77 percent say it's getting worse, that's the worst since 2009. So, the high gas prices are part of a larger economic picture where Americans are really not happy at this point.

SCIUTTO: Yes. And remarkable given where the job market is. Okay, the economy always a big deal in elections. It's the economy, stupid, as they've said. How does it rank on the priority list for voters this fall?

ENTE: Yes. And you can be stupid and still understand the economic state with jobs being up but also gas prices being and inflation being high. Look, the economy is the number one issue. That's the deal.

If you add up inflation, gas prices and the economy as a whole, it's 48 percent, it far outruns anything else. Gun violence is second on the list at 17 percent, abortion 12 percent, 6 percent, immigration. But the economy is going to dictate voting patterns this fall unless something drastically changes.

And that's really good news for Republicans. Why is it good news for republicans? Because in our last CNN poll, we asked views on the economy who are you closer to? Among registered voters, 51 percent said Republicans, just 31 percent said Democrats. So, Republicans really liking this at this point because they're blaming the incumbent party.

SCIUTTO: Yes. Amazing how far immigration has fallen down on that list. Harry Enten, always good to have you.

ENTEN: Thanks, Jim. Go Mets.

SCIUTTO: Go Mets, indeed.

This week, new shipments of baby formula are expected to arrive here in the U.S. from overseas, the U.K., Australia, Germany. Over the weekend, Abbott did announce that it has restarted production here of specialty baby formula, this as its Michigan facility.

That does not help most parents who are struggling right now, some mothers forced to reconsider going back to breast-feeding perhaps among other options.

CNN's Elizabeth Cohen has been speaking with some of those moms. I wonder what they say to you.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Jim, I think that this infant formula shortage has really had ripple effects that people wouldn't have anticipated. These are moms who are going back to work, who already did or were

about to wean their babies. But now, they really feel the need to either start breastfeeding again or continue breastfeeding.

They are not complainers, I want to be clear about that. They are great moms, they are not complainers, but this is difficult to fit all of this in with work and not something they were planning on doing.

I want to introduce you to Amy Gauff. She is in the Jackson, Mississippi area, she is mom to ten-month-old Ava. Now, Ava was weaned before the shortage started.

They found a formula that worked great for Ava, and now they are having trouble getting it. So, Amy, after six months of not breastfeeding, is trying to re-lactate because that's kind of the only dependable thing that she can do right now is her own body.

I also want to introduce you to Stratton Brown who lives not far from Amy in Mississippi. She is month to four-month-old Zoe. Now, Amy is -- I'm sorry, Stratton is going back to work and she was planning on weaning Zoe but she says she can't.

She is going to have to fit in nursing and pumping something she was not intending on doing. It's really, really hard once you go back to work. I speak from some experience, but let's take a listen to what Stratton had to tell us.

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STRATTON BROWN, MOTHER: I have no complaints about nursing, it's the extra on top of it, it's the pumping, it's the schedule, it's rigorous, it's not getting the sleep through the night. It's kind of frustrating in that sense to not have control over like what I'm doing with my life at this point, surrounding feeding her.

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[10:55:05]

COHEN: So, these moms with help of the Leche League are trying to make this work. They know the shortage is not ending anytime very soon. Jim?

SCIUTTO: Yes. Elizabeth Cohen, thanks so much for following it.

And thanks so much to all of you for joining us today. I'm Jim Sciutto.

At This Hour with Kate Bolduan starts right after a short break.

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