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British PM Clings To Power Amid Resignations, Calls To Quit; Ukraine: U.S. Rocket System Is Now Most Important Weapon; Prosecutor Says Gunman Admitted Firing Into Crowd; Teacher Who Survived Says Officers Failed To Save Victims; White House Responds to Griner's Plea from Jail; Mexico's Bat Man on Protecting Bats; The Lost Eichmann Tapes. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired July 07, 2022 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[01:00:51]
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone, I'm Lynda Kinkade. Ahead in CNN Newsroom, refusing to resign. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tries to hold on to power despite a growing party rebellion. Plus, a powerful gift from the United States that Ukraine hopes can reverse Russia's war momentum. And the man responsible for a July 4th massacre in the U.S. tells authorities he almost carried out a second deadly attack.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN Newsroom with Lynda Kinkade.
KINKADE: Defiant and determined. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is vowing to stay in power and fight on even as calls for him to step down grow louder and the list of resignations grows longer. Discontent over his leadership intensified over the last week is yet another scandal engulf the government. That led to bombshell of resignations from two key Cabinet members on Tuesday, the finance minister and the health secretary.
Since then, dozens of other lawmakers are following suit and stepping down. One of the latest, Secretary of State for Wales, Simon Hart. But Wednesday night, Mr. Johnson took matters into his own hands, firing close ally and senior Cabinet Minister Michael Gove. Sources say Gove had urged the Prime Minister earlier in the day to accept that his time was up.
We've also learned a delegation of Cabinet members went to Downing Street to ask Mr. Johnson to resign. That coming after he was battered by questions during an appearance before a parliamentary committee.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The last is country needs --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because we need --
JOHNSON: But I'm not going to step down. And the last thing this country needs, frankly, is election --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because this has --
JOHNSON: What this -- on the contrary, I think the risk is that people continue to focus on this type of thing. You know, I think that is a mistake.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And how we --
JOHNSON: What we need to do is get on with (INAUDIBLE).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, even the U.K. Attorney General is saying the time has come for the Prime Minister to step down. CNN's Bianca Nobilo has more from London.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHNSON: That I abhor bullying and abuse of power anywhere, in Parliament, in this party or in any other party.
BIANCA NOBILO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Boris Johnson seemingly unsinkable premiership once again on the rocks, but this time it is different.
SAJID JAVID, FORMER BRITISH HEALTH SECRETARY: Treading the tightrope between loyalty and integrity has become impossible in recent months.
NOBILO (voice-over): Trust, in Johnson's word, almost completely eroded, say more than two dozen members of parliament resigning from government within 24 hours, including two of his most prominent Cabinet ministers. Health Secretary Sajid Javid saying, "I can no longer in good conscience continue serving in this government." Chancellor Rishi Sunak reasons, "The public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously."
Johnson and his office now being held to account over the handling of allegations of sexual misconduct by a member of government after a former top civil servant broke ground to accuse them of lying about not knowing of a previous official complaint of alleged sexual misconduct before promoting the Member of Parliament involved. Johnson has since admitted he did know about the allegations.
KEIR STARMER, BRITISH OPPOSITION LEADER: For a week, he's had them defending his decision to promote a sexual predator. Every day, the lines he's forced them to take have been untrue. And now he wants them to go out and say that he simply forgot.
JOHNSON: I greatly regret that he continued in office.
NOBILO (voice-over): Just last month, the Prime Minister was booed in public before narrowly surviving a confidence vote by members of his own party, following the latest scandal partygate.
Now a source close to one of his most loyal supporters, Home Secretary Priti Patel tells CNN that she's told the Prime Minister the view of the party is that he has to go.
[01:05:04]
As more letters voicing no confidence in the Prime Minister are going in, a members of parliament suggest changes to the rules of the Conservative Backbench 1922 Committee so another vote can be held before some parliamentary recess.
The question for many now appears to be not a matter of if, but how soon his premiership will end. Bianca Nobilo, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Joining me now is Dominic Thomas, CNN European Affairs Commentator and Professor at UCLA. Good to have you with us.
DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Yes. Here we go again, Lynda.
KINKADE: Yes, here we go again. It is getting worse. 45 resignations from the government in the last 24 hours or so. The government is hemorrhaging. And Boris Johnson seems to be hanging on by a thread.
THOMAS: This is incredible situation. I mean, I guess I just cannot help but be reminded of the election in the United States where you had a president, in other words, former President Trump that refuse to recognize the outcome of an election. And here you have another elected leader of a so-called democratic country who is not certainly following precedent and refusing to walk away when it is absolutely clear that he's lost the confidence of the people.
Well over 70 percent are now saying in polls across the board that they believe he should step away. And he certainly lost the competence of lawmakers. When it comes to his immediate entourage and Cabinet, yes, some big names have stepped down. They've told him it's time to go but they themselves, in many cases, have not resigned. And so you see him here hanging on through the weekend. And we'll see where we end up Monday with this, Lynda.
KINKADE: Exactly. And Dominic, one of those telling the Prime Minister to resign was of course the Senior Minister Michael Gove. Johnson responded by sacking him. What should we read into that?
THOMAS: Well, I mean, it's once again, it's -- he is surrounded by this group of people who in many ways you could say this entourage have enabled him. They have defended him throughout. They're talking today about, you know, values and ethics. But it's been well known to many people that this administration under him has not been unfunctional. They have not been involved in law-making and legislating.
They've been involved in defending the Prime Minister repeatedly over a two plus year period. And so him coming up against Gove, who's a respected member, a reasonable member of that Cabinet, but with a long standing history of potential in conflict with Boris Johnson over Brexit, over his various campaigns, and so on and so forth. But essentially saying, you're either with me, or you're against me here.
And if you're not willing to back me and defend me in this, then it's time to step away, and you are replaceable. And thus far, he's been able to fill these high ranking positions, but then the situation has disintegrated and deteriorated over the day, so that you now have a whole range of members of this supporting group from junior ministers, and so on and so forth, that are now stepping away. And I think it's becoming untenable for him to remain in power.
KINKADE: And it seems likely, Dominic, that there will be another confidence vote. When do you think that could happen, if it does? And how do you see it playing out?
THOMAS: Yes. Well, this whole situation, the fact that we're on a, you know, a third Conservative Party Prime Minister, the fact that they have this majority, which means that they don't have to go back to the British people, that this is an internal issue just points to the sort of the level of dysfunctionality within that party. And yet it translated into this incredible majority, because I think voters was so tired of the whole process of Brexit.
So this 1922 committee, it just essentially a committee of high ranking Conservative Party members are meeting on Monday. There's some reforms that have to take place in there, because they're changing the leadership structure. They recently voted on him. And in theory, the Prime Minister could have stayed in office for another year, because he survived that last confidence vote. But that likelihood, they will change the regulations and they will be able to have a vote. And at that particular juncture, it will be impossible for him to stay on.
There is one caveat. What's interesting, though, is that Boris Johnson has essentially, in many ways, been playing this out in the public square, and threatening MPs with the possibility of a general election. And the last thing that Conservative Party wants to do is to go to the polls at this moment when they know that Boris Johnson wouldn't do well. And when they haven't had a chance to replace him, they'd rather wait it out for a two-year period and go into the 2024 general election. That he's been playing with that.
There are various mechanisms that might make that possible, or I think it's very unlikely, but he's certainly appealing to their fears, and essentially arguing that for the time being, give him another chance, let him recover. And let's do this in a different kind of -- following a different kind of timetable. I don't think they're going to follow him, though, Lynda.
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KINKADE: Yes, he is hoping that more time will help his case. And we are hearing that there are tax cuts that are expected to be announced next week. Will that help? Is the Prime Minister hoping that will be a welcome distraction?
THOMAS: Yes. Look, I mean, it's another question of distraction, right. It's like going off to Ukraine dealing with foreign policy. I think at this stage, things really, really went down the slippery slope in one direction today. And I think it would be really quite remarkable if he was to recover from this. And I think that the damage to the Conservative Party at this particular stage where they have an opportunity in a timely way to oust him, to pursue a leadership challenge on their term, to hold on to their majority, and to rebuild in their camps as they head into a general election down the road, which seemed like the most obvious way forward.
But as we've seen in the past, it's not over until it's over when it comes to Boris Johnson. But I don't think that any kind of appeal with policies and so on is going to change anything at this particular juncture.
KINKADE: Yes, I mean, he's certainly has survived many scandals in the past. I suspect we'll be speaking again in about 24 hours. Dominic Thomas, thanks so much.
THOMAS: Yes. Right. Thank you, Lynda.
KINKADE: Ukraine claims it is inflicting enormous losses on Russian troops in eastern Ukraine, but it's not enough to stop the Russian advance. Ukrainian officials believe the Russian's next objective is the city of Sloviansk. It's one of the few remaining Ukrainian strongholds in the Donbas.
And with much of Russia's firepower now aimed at Sloviansk in nearby towns, Ukrainian civilians still in the area of being urged to get out if they can. The Russian airstrikes are not limited to the Donbas. Ukraine's President says a teacher's college in Kharkiv was destroyed Wednesday by a Russian missile.
Ukrainian troops are wasting no time putting into action long-range rocket systems recently provided by the United States. But keeping these prized weapons hidden from the Russians means they can't stay in one place for very long. CNN's Phil Black visited one such mobile unit near the frontlines.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A secret location, a precious weapon, the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, a powerful gift from the United States to Ukraine. So far, they've only received four of these launches. But the scorch marks on the earth show they've been busy. Their commander, Alexander, says the HIMARS is now Ukraine's most important weapon.
He says it's modern, precise, deadly, and the Russians should fear it.
ALEXANDER: (Speaking Foreign Language).
BLACK (voice-over): The operators say its accuracy and range about 44 miles allows them to hit important sites deep inside Russian controlled territory. Mostly command posts, weapons and ammunition storage. Officially, Ukraine confirms few of the HIMARS strikes, but the evidence is out there. The crew says after each launch, they mined Russian news sites and social media to see the impact of their work. Alexander says, 20 minutes after our job is done, all the information is public. There was no comment from Ukraine over the course of this huge explosion at a weapons depot close to the Russian border. The local pro-Russian forces were in no doubt. Only Ukraine's new HIMARS could have done this.
(on-camera): The system's job is to take out high value Russian targets but the Ukrainians know this is now a high priority target for the Russians. A lot of care is being taken to ensure it stays safe, protected from Russian eyes and weapons.
(voice-over): Somewhere in the woods and fields nearby, air defense systems and a special ground operation are guarding this site. And they're all moving constantly. Never staying longer than a day in one location. In another site, the HIMARS' ability to influence this war, Ukrainian leaders can't stop saying, thank you.
No other donated weapon has inspired so much public gratitude from the president, the defense minister and the military.
This commander wants to thank the American people and President Biden for providing a weapon that is helping Ukraine stay in the fight. But he and every other soldier here knows Russia still has the momentum in this war. And that's why their message to their allies is unchanged -- please send more weapons now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[01:15:15]
KINKADE: And the U.S. is expected to send four more of those units to Ukraine in the near future. Earlier Wednesday, Russia's military claimed they destroyed two of them in the Donetsk region. Ukraine denies that claim, accusing the Russians of spreading propaganda.
We have new details about the government who prosecutor say admitted to opening fire on a Fourth of July parade in Illinois. His plans for a second attack and his first appearance in court when we come back.
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KINKADE: Welcome back. Prosecutors say the government in the Fourth of July parade shooting has admitted firing into the crowd. And they say he's seriously considered carrying out a second attack about a couple of hours away in Wisconsin. CNN's Josh Campbell reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Highland Park gunman's first appearance in court Wednesday comes his new surveillance video shows people running for safety in a nearby store. One woman is seen crawling on the ground to protect a child from gunfire and another inspects her bleeding leg. The gunman is now being held without bond, charged with seven counts of first degree murder for shooting into a crowd of parade goers on July 4th.
The prosecutor naming each one of the seven victims as he read the counts and police saying the suspect admitted to the shootings.
ERIC RINEHART, LAKE COUNTY STATE'S ATTORNEY: He went into details about what he had done. He admitted to what he had done.
DEPUTY CHIEF CHRISTOPHER COVELLI, LAKE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: His motivation isn't necessarily clear. We had some type of affinity towards the number four and seven and inverse was seven-four.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): Saying his affinity for the numbers --
COVELLI: -- comes from music that he's interested in.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): During the rooftop attack, police say the gunman shot from three magazines, each containing 30 rounds.
RINEHART: The defendant fired, emptied one clip of I believe 30 rounds and reloaded a second clip.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): The prosecutor saying he looked down the sites aimed and opened fire. Investigators said they found 83 spent shell casings. Police say after he exited the rooftop, he dropped his rifle and fled. And he said he dressed in women's clothing and covered up his tattoos with makeup so we wouldn't be recognized.
On the run for almost eight hours that day, he still had approximately 60 rounds of ammunition in his car when he considered attacking a second gathering in Madison, Wisconsin, but decided not to. When asked if he was deterred --
COVELLI: Indications are that he hadn't put enough thought and research into it.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): Now there are new questions about whether the attack could have been stopped. Authorities say the suspect passed four background checks despite a previous threat in 2019 that was reported to the Illinois State Police.
COVELLI: It occurred in September of 2019, a family member reported that Crimo said he was going to kill everyone and Crimo had a collection of knives.
[01:20:07]
CAMPBELL (voice-over): Yet he still pass background checks for the firearms transaction inquiry program between June 2020 and September 2021. Authorities say the suspect illegally purchased the high powered rifle he used in the shooting, and today dodge questions about the gunman's father who apparently sponsored a gun license for his son.
(on-camera): Are you looking at any potential criminal charges with other family members, the parents perhaps?
RINEHART: I don't want to comment on that. I don't want to answer that question right now in terms of what our work continues to be to look at all of the information and evidence in this case.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CAMPBELL: Now I was inside this courthouse for the first hearing and the prosecution of this case. The suspect appearing via video link showing no emotion as prosecutors read the names of the seven victims deceased after that parade shooting. Prosecutors say that, thus far, they have filed first degree murder charges. They're expecting additional charges in the future.
Josh Campbell, CNN, Lake County, Illinois.
KINKADE: Jeff Lanza is a former Special Agent for the FBI. He joins us now from Kansas City, Missouri. Thanks so much for your time.
JEFF LANZA, FORMER SPECIAL AGENT, FBI: You're welcome.
KINKADE: So investigators speaking with the accused gunman say that he contemplated carrying out a second attack, another July 4th -- at another July 4th parade with an additional weapon that he had in his car. A quite chilling prospect that this 21-year-old was armed to the hilt. He had another 60 rounds left. And the fact that he could have just done it again.
LANZA: This is extremely chilling, Lynda. In fact, you know, we know we have a confession, the investigation is going to be gathering additional evidence to build a prosecutable case. But what came out in the confession was his anticipated actions after what happened in Highland Park, that he was planning another attack. And as you just mentioned, he had more rounds for that attack.
This is very scary that he had planned this. And what we don't know or investigators at least have not released to the public, is why he didn't go to Wisconsin and commit that attack. And that's important information to know as well. But it certainly is very scary to know that not only did he undertake this attack with all the weapons that he had, and the ammunition that he had, that he was planning to carry it out in another location. Very scary and chilling indeed.
KINKADE: Exactly. He has been charged over this massacre. But we now know from authorities that he had threatened to kill his own family in September 2019. Police were called at the time.
LANZA: Right.
KINKADE: Three months later, his father sponsored, sign an affidavit which helped his son buy weapons. Is it possible, Jeff, that his father could face charges for aiding and abetting?
LANZA: So that's up to individual prosecutors in the jurisdiction where that occurred. And so far, they haven't made any comments about that. And legally, it's still up in the air and whether his father could be charged. But Lynda, the focus from many perspectives now will be on his ability to obtain the weapons, given, as you mentioned, his previous encounters with law enforcement. And his issues with the comments he made about suicide and people's -- people reporting that to law enforcement and that knives were taken away from him, but somehow were given back -- given to his family and then he was able to within about a year according to reports, buy these assault weapons.
So this is something that we have to look at closely. Was this overlooked in this regard? Was the law overlooked in this regard? Or did the law fail us in this regard? That's going to be the focus of part of the investigation.
KINKADE: And we also heard from a couple who looked after two-year-old Aiden McCarthy, whose parents were both shot and killed during that July 4th massacre in Illinois. They spoke to my colleague Anderson Cooper. Let's just take a listen to what they had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GREG RING, HIGHLAND PARK SHOOTING SURVIVOR: There are damaged people walking around our society who need help. I feel empathy for them. We need to find a way to help them. I know that they should not have access to AR-15 machine gun. Our children of all communities are being shot at. It has to stop.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Jeff, what would work to reduce the number of massacres in the U.S. right now? If you were meeting with lawmakers, what would you propose?
LANZA: One of the focuses has to be on people that have psychological issues and keeping guns out of the hands of those people. There's been talk about that, there's been certain laws passed in various jurisdictions about that. But there hasn't been enough on a universal level in the United States to prevent these type of weapons and really any type of weapons getting in the hands of people that are -- have mental issues.
[01:25:16]
And that one thing alone has not been addressed fully in the United States, aside from all the constitutional issues and the right to bear arms, that issue alone has not been fully figured out. And I think that's a great starting point for not only the states but the country as a whole.
KINKADE: Exactly, it's crucial. Jeff Lanza, former Special Agent for the FBI, thanks so much for joining us.
LANZA: You're welcome.
KINKADE: Well, a new report details, missed opportunities and mistakes and the police response to the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. 19 students and two teachers were killed in a massacre back in May. The report says police officers had two possible chances to stop the gunman before he entered the school. First, an officer sped through the parking lot without seeing the gunman. Then a different officer spotted the government and got him in the sights of his rifle. Then the time it took him to ask his supervisor for permission to take the shot, the gunman had already entered the school. And once he's inside the school, it took over an hour for police to finally stop him. A teacher was wounded in the attack, managed to survive by playing dead. All 11 children in his classroom were killed.
He spoke with our Shimon Prokupecz about the horrors of that day.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARNULFO REYES, TEACHER WHO SURVIVED MASSACRE: I started seeing like the sheet rock fly off the walls and stuff like that. That's when I had told my kids, I don't know what it is, but let's get under the table.
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Arnie Reyes was the only survivor from classroom 1-11 in Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas. After a month in the hospital, 10 surgeries from bullet wounds to his arm and back, he's finally back home and talking about the day that ripped so many lives apart.
REYES: I was getting the kids under the table. I turned around and when I turned around, I saw him but I just saw like the shadow. And that's when I saw the two -- like the fire. And then I ended up on the ground as well.
PROKUPECZ (on-camera): And so you get hit and you go down. And what's going on in your mind at that time?
REYES: I'm just thinking and waiting for somebody to come and save us. You always think, you know, something bad happening that the cops get there so fast. They rush in and they help you, you know. And I was just waiting for that. I was waiting for anybody, anybody to come save us.
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): We now know it would be a long and agonizing 74 minutes before police would enter Reyes' classroom to kill the gunman.
REYES: He did a lot of things to make me flinch or react in some way. And that was one of them where he like got my -- like, as I'm laying down, like either like this, or like this tapping it, but it was splashing on my face.
PROKUPECZ (on-camera): The blood.
REYES: Yes.
PROKUPECZ (on-camera): Was he trying to see if you were still alive?
REYES: I think so.
PROKUPECZ (on-camera): You're laying there for over an hour, right? And no one's coming to help. What do you think of that?
REYES: That they forgot us. I mean, they probably thought that we were all dead or something. But if they would have gotten in before, some of them probably would have made it. PROKUPECZ (voice-over): It's a question many are struggling with as precious seconds tick by could lives have been saved if officers acted sooner. Nineteen students and two teachers would lose their lives that day. The subject of multiple ongoing investigations, it's been called one of the biggest law enforcement failures in recent memory. Officers' feet away on the other side of the door.
REYES: A lot of the law enforcement failed because they take that oath to protect. I was in there to protect the kids but I had no bullet vest or bullet proof vest or any tactical gear that they use, and they had everything.
PROKUPECZ (on-camera): When did you realize that the children that were around you were dead, or not going to make it?
[01:29:49]
REYES: After they shot him and the border patrol said, "Everybody get up, let's go, let's go", you know, like try to get the kids up.
Nobody moved but me. And then somebody else said, there is children under here. The children were dead under the table. But there was nothing I could do about it.
PROKUPECZ: Your children --
REYES: Yes my children --
PROKUPECZ: Shimon Prokupecz, CNN -- Uvalde, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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KINKADE: You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Lynda Kinkade.
The British Prime Minister insists that he is not going anywhere but how much longer can he hold on? Boris Johnson's beleaguered government has suffered dozens of defections as top foreign ministers, past and present, try to convince them to step down.
He has survived scandal after scandal, but is now facing the most intense efforts yet to force him from office. Among those urging him to him to go, close allies and senior cabinet minister Michael Gove on the far right whom the prime minister then sacked, that's after two bombshell cabinet resignations on Tuesday. Add to that, the departure of Simon Hart, the secretary of state for Wales on Wednesday.
During a bruising committee hearing on Wednesday Mr. Johnson dismissed questions about whether an election was imminent.
[01:34:47]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: You're asking about something that is not going to happen. History teaches us that the best way to avoid pointless political disturbance is to allow the government that has a mandate, to get on and deliver its mandate. That is what we're going to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: It's already been a momentous week for the British prime minister and the coming hours could be critical as he clings to power.
Let's take a look back at how the growing mutiny evolved beginning with the breaking news Tuesday.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We start with breaking news. In the last hour, the U.K. prime minister has suffered not one, but two devastating blows. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid posted on Twitter within moments of each other saying they could no longer work for a government mired in scandal.
SAJID JAVID, FORMER BRITISH HEALTH MINISTER: We have the Sue Gray report, a new Downing Street team. I continue to give the benefit of the doubt. And now this week again we have reason to question the truth and integrity of what we've all been told. And at some point we have to conclude that is enough is enough. I believe that point is now.
MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We weren't the only ones to step down. The U.K. assistant general Alex Chalk says he was resigning with great sadness, but he cannot defend the indefensible. Several junior ranking government officials also questioned (ph) conservative party vice chair announced live on television that he too plans to leave his post.
BIM AFOLAMI, BRITISH CONSERVATIVE PARTY VICE CHAIR: I just don't think the prime minister no longer has, not just my support, but he doesn't have I don't think the support of the party or indeed the country anything anymore. And I think for that reason he should step down.
FOSTER: Now, his office is moving quickly to fill those breaking posts. Nadhim Zahawi, previously the secretary of state for education has been appointed Chancellor. And Downing Street chief of staff Steve Barclay is the new Health Secretary.
KAY BURLEY, SKY NEWS HOST: Do you think that the prime minister has been (INAUDIBLE)
NADHIM ZAHAWI, BRITISH CHANCELLOR OF EXCHEQUER: I do. I think we --
BURLEY: But we need to know?
ZAHAWI: Well, because he's determined to deliver for this country.
KEIR STARMER, BRITISH LABOUR PARTY LEADER: The only thing he's delivering is chaos. Any one quitting now, after defending all of that, hasn't got a shred of integrity. IAN BLACKFORD, WESTMINSTER LEADER, SCOTTISH NATIONAL PARTY: Mr.
Speaker, isn't this the first recorded case of the sinking ship fleeing the rats. Whether he's (INAUDIBLE) or now, he's now the next prime minister.
He will leave behind damaging legacies. I hope that (INAUDIBLE) failed his leadership follows them off of the Downing Street door.
JOHNSON: Frankly, Mr. Speaker, the job of a prime minister in difficult circumstances when he's been handed a colossal mandate is to keep going. And that's what I'm going to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Joining us from Washington, D.C., is Nile Gardiner. He's the director of the Heritage Foundation's Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom. Good to have you with us on the program.
NILE GARDINER, DIRECTOR, HERITAGE FOUNDATION'S MARGARET THATCHER CENTER FOR FREEDOM: It's great to be here, Lynda. Thanks very much.
KINKADE: So British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is in the fight of his life right now. To hold on to power as many around him resign or call on him to step down. Can he survive?
GARDINER: Well, without a doubt it's been an incredibly difficult 24 hours for the prime minister. A whole wave of resignations including two very senior cabinet ministers and about a quarter I think of junior ministers who stepped down. So this can only be described as, you know, perhaps 24 hours of unrelenting, sort of bad news actually for the prime minister. His survival certainly hangs in the balance at the moment.
And much depends, I think, on whether or not, you know, the remaining principal figures of the cabinet, especially the home secretary, the foreign secretary -- the chancellor, much depends on their continuing support actually for the prime minister.
So it remains to be seen, of course, whether the prime minister can survive this. But he is vowing to continue, he remains very defiant. And the prime minister has said that under no circumstances is going to step down.
So we have to see what happens in the next few days. But without a doubt, they're a precarious moments for Boris Johnson.
KINKADE: Yes, he's certainly is defiant.
Nile, how would you describe the infighting amongst the British Conservative Party right now?
GARDNIER: You know, I think it's very unfortunate and you know, of course clearly there are many things that, you know, Boris Johnson and his government could be doing a lot better. And in my view this government needs to return to Thatcher-like principles of, you know, limited government, tax cuts, deregulation. And there's been far too much sort of, you know, big government style, you know, policies actually within this administration.
[01:39:51]
GARDINER: But having said that, I do think that the process that we're seeing unfolding right now, this large scale rebellion within the conservative party. A number of potential candidates already vying for the leadership of the party while the prime minister remains in power.
I do think this approach is quite dangerous for the conservatives. It certainly gives the initiative, I think, for the opposition, to the Labour Party. And will very likely, I think, If Boris Johnson is forced out lead to an early general election.
Most projections show at the moment that the conservatives would lose that election. And a very likely scenario I think is a Labour-Liberal SNP -- nationalist coalition, left wing government that would include, many individuals, who would seek to reverse Brexit.
Even some, of course who would seek to unravel the United Kingdom altogether. So I think the stakes are incredibly high here. And what the Conservative Party is doing, in terms of this large scale rebellion is you know, leading to, I think, a period of tremendous uncertainty.
It's a game of Russian roulette in many ways for the conservative party with the stakes that are, I think, incredibly dangerous for the future of Britain.
KINKADE: So it's clear, that you believe, he should stay in power. That it would be better for the party should he remain prime minister. And that the risks are too high if he is forced to resign.
With that in mind, what lessons can he learn from Margaret Thatcher? You were a former aide to Margaret Thatcher. What lessons can you take from former Prime Minister Thatcher that could help him move forward?
GARDINER: Well I think, if Boris Johnson is to survive, and if he is to remain as prime minister we need to see a significantly different policy agenda in place. And I think he needs to, you know, learn the key lesson from Margaret Thatcher that, you know, winning elections, electoral success, being a long term prime minister, depends upon standing upon, you know, key principles, ideals, and a clear vision for the country. And I think that Boris Johnson's government has been lacking in some respects in various areas, especially in the economic front.
Also, I think the environmental agenda as well-- a hugely costly agenda, is far too big a burden for the British people to take on. And it's not a pro free market agenda.
So I think, you know, Boris Johnson needs to lead a conservative government that has conservative policies. That's not always been the case with his government. And he has to be a leader of tremendous, you know, principle, courage and conviction. And we have not always seen that from Boris Johnson. So there needs to be a significant shift in overall approach.
KINKADE: We will follow this closely over the coming days and weeks. Nile Gardiner, thanks so much for joining us.
GARDINER: It's my pleasure. Thank you very much.
KINKADE: Well, the White House is responding to a plea from a U.S. basketball star, detained in Russia. Brittney Griner sent a letter from jail, saying she's afraid Russia may never let her out.
Now President Joe Biden has written her back that Griner's wife got reassurance from the White House, that the Biden administration is not giving up.
Brian Todd reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: New urgency from the White House. In the case of Brittney Griner, the American basketball star detained in Russia.
Her wife Cherelle Griner gets a call from President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris who assure her, according to administration officials, that they're working to secure Brittney Griner's release as soon as possible.
AMBASSADOR WILLIAM COURTNEY, FORMER SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO U.S. PRESIDENT: The president and vice president are under pressure to do more. But this is understandable, given the high profile of Brittney Griner's situation.
TODD: The White House also says the president has written a letter to Brittney Griner in response to her letter to him delivered this week in which she wrote, "I am terrified I might be here forever. Please don't forget about me and the other American detainees."
And it all comes just a few days after Cherelle Griner, in an exclusive interview with CNN, implied not enough was being done by the White House.
CHERELLE GRINER, WIFE OF BRITTNEY GRINER: I do have to, you know -- unfortunately, also push people to make sure that things that they are telling me is also matching their actions. And so it has been the hardest thing to balance because I can't let up.
TODD: One analyst says the Russians could seek to capitalize on the recent publicity over the Griner case.
STEVE HALL, FORMER CIA HEAD OF RUSSIA OPERATIONS: It is in the Russians interest to have this be as high-profile as possible because they can drive a harder bargain when they want to try to get a hostage released because that is what really this is. It is a hostage situation.
TODD: Griner's being tried in Russia on drug smuggling charges. At her trial, Russian prosecutors said she is carrying less than a gram of cannabis oil when she was apprehended in February.
Griner's WNBA coach, Vanessa Nygaard had in recent days accused the Biden administration of a double standard, saying that if NBA star Lebron James was being held by the Russians, he would be out by now, saying that women, black people and gay people are given lesser value.
[01:44:54]
TODD: After hearing of the president's call with Griner on Wednesday, (INAUDIBLE) said this to MSNBC.
VANESSA NYGAARD, WNBCA COACH: To get that call from President Biden and Vice President Harris and to know that they read the letter, and that they're going to react and respond, this is great, great news and we hope to have more progress continue.
TODD: But not everyone is pleased. Paul Whelan is an American who has been detained in Russia since 2018 on espionage charges which he has denied. Whelan's sister, Elizabeth, told CNN she is furious, not that Biden called Griner's wife, but that he hasn't spoken with the Whelan family.
Quote, "Why are the Whelans not getting a call," she said. "I am really angry."
COURTNEY: Any American citizen who has a family member held in a place like Russia certainly is justified in being angry. But let's remember, the U.S. has been giving sustained attention to the Paul Whelan case for months now.
TODD: Contacted by CNN about Elizabeth Whelan's complaint, a spokespersons for the National Security Council at the White House said President Biden has been cleared about the need to secure Paul Whelan's release. And that the White House and State Department have been in regular contact with Whelan's family.
Brittney Griner's wife Cherelle is still pressing for an in-person meeting with President Biden.
Brian Todd, CNN -- Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Still to come, why a bat is essential to the tequila industry. Stay with us for that story.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Today on "Call To Earth", they pollinate and protect our crops, providing huge benefits to agriculture. The bats just maybe the most unfairly treated animal on worth. According to Rolex award laureates Rodrigo Medellin, known as the bat man of Mexico, Medellin has spent 40 years teaching the world to love these misunderstood animals.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RODRIGO MEWDELLIN, BAT MAN OF MEXICO: Bat caves are one of the most spectacular places on earth. When you see bats coming out of a cave, it is really an incredible show of nature.
My name is Rodrigo Medellin and I am a professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Why am I called the Bat Man of Mexico? I work on bats and other mammals. I've been working on those for 40 years.
So the first time I had a bat in my hands when I was 13 years old. That really sealed my fate and I never looked back even today.
[01:49:52]
MEDELLIN: Bats face a lot of threats. Most of the threats are driven by the lack of knowledge in people and because we fear them we end up killing them whenever we see them.
Oh there is a cave full of bats. Fumigate it. Dynamite it. Destroy the roost. Unfortunately, that has affected many species of bats around the world.
I don't think I have ever worked harder than in the last two years defending bats and perfecting bats. And if you were, unfortunately, going to get COVID. It's going to be from another human being. Not from a bat at all.
What benefits do we get from bats? There is many. For example, each million bats destroy ten tons of insects every night. Just imagine what would happen if we lose those bats overnight? The insects would take over our crops and would completely obliterate all of our food.
Many plants that are ecologically or economically important for humans or for ecosystems are pollinated by bats. One of the species that have captured my attention for four decades is the lesser long-nose bat.
In the early 80s, we found that that species has declined very severely. We started working with the local communities, they became bat defenders. Long story short, 25 years later, that species is the first mammal to be delisted in the Mexican federal list of endangered species.
But they are also the ones responsible for the pollination of agaves6 (ph), columnar cacti, and many other plants. And you know what comes from agave -- tequila, mezcal. So we started working with the tequila industry and educating them about the incredible importance to protect the bats.
So they decided to start allowing a certain percentage of agaves to flower so that the bats can feed on them and pollinate them, and they know that they need these bats.
There is nothing more amazing than when I go to the field for the first time with a group of students and I give them a bat for the first time, and I see the glow in their eyes.
It is time to start passing the baton to the next generation. I am very hopeful in a positive future for bats and for the world. And what I see is that people like bats now. People defend bats. And this is not going to go away.
Give bats the benefit of the doubt. Let them steal your heart.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Let us know what you are doing to answer the call with the hashtag, "Call To Earth".
We're going to take a short break. We're back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Welcome back.
China is apparently learning lessons in the war in Ukraine about how to protect its economy from western sanctions. That's according to top leaders at the FBI and MI5 who spoke in London on Wednesday.
[01:54:48]
KINKADE: They say China is already taking the steps to insulate its economy if it evades Taiwan. The two leaders also said Beijing is trying to influence the political process in the west. And they warned western businesses that China is after their intellectual property.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTOPHER WRAY, FBI DIRECTOR: The Chinese government is set on stealing your technology, whatever it is that makes your industry tick and using it to undercut your business and dominate your market.
KEN MCCALLUM, MI5 DIRECTOR GENERAL: But the Chinese Communist Party is interested in the democratic media and legal systems. Not to emulate them, sadly, but to use them for its gain.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: But the director of MI5 also said that the organization is running seven times more investigations into China's activities back in 2018.
Well new recordings of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann are being heard for the first time. They're part of a documentary by Israeli filmmakers about the man who was put to death in 1962. While alive, Eichmann downplayed his role in the Holocaust but the tapes tell a different story.
CNN's Hadas Gold reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When Adolf Eichmann stood trial in 1961 in Jerusalem, he claims he didn't know the extent of the Holocaust and was just following orders.
But a few years earlier in 1957 while hiding in Argentina, Eichmann spent hours boasting about his role -- all recorded on tapes meant for memoirs. Now after decades under wraps, the Israeli documentary "The Devil's Confession: the Lost Eichmann Tapes" is allowing the world to hear Eichmann in his own voice as actors reenact the recording sessions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It would defy my innermost beliefs to admit that we did something wrong.
No. I have to tell you honestly, had we killed 10.3 million Jews, I would say with satisfaction, "Good, we have destroyed an enemy." Then we would have fulfilled our mission.
GOLD: In 1960, Eichmann was apprehended by Israeli agents in a covert operation bringing him to Israel to stand trial after which he was ultimately executed.
Prosecutors knew the tapes existed, they had transcripts. But Eichmann claimed his words were distorted. Director Yariv Mozer (ph) spent months convincing the anonymous donor who had placed the tapes at the German archives, to give him access.
YARIV MOZER, DIRECTOR: They are very afraid, and very to this day, are very about what would be the use of the real voice of Adolf Eichmann. And eventually they asked permission because they knew that it was going to be handled in a good direction.
GOLD: With so few survivors still alive to tell their stories, the filmmakers hope these tapes will make sure we never forget.
Hadas Gold, CNN -- Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: I'm Lynda Kinkade. Thanks so much for joining me.
The news continues with my colleagues Rosemary Church and Max Foster right after this.
Stay with us. You're watching CNN.
[01:58:11]
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