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Ex-Japanese PM Abe Shot, Hospitalized; Ex-Japanese PM Abe Shot, Hospitalized; Boris Johnson Resigns as British PM after Party Mutiny; Russia Steps Up Strikes Ahead of Donetsk Offensive; Griner Pleads Guilty to Russian Drug Charges. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired July 08, 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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[01:01:00]

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes coming to you live from the CNN Center in Atlanta. And breaking news out of Japan right now, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been rushed to hospital after being shot, according to reports from Japan's Public Broadcaster NHK. This happened as he was giving a speech in the city of Nara in western Japan. Blake Essig is live for us this hour in Tokyo. For those just catching up on things, let's start with what we know happened?

BLAKE ESSIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Michael, Japanese Public Broadcaster NHK is reporting that former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a has been shot twice in the chest while delivering a speech on 11:30 this morning, local time in the prefecture of Nara. NHK is reporting that Abe was rushed to hospital bleeding from his chest in a state of cardiac arrest. Although NHK says that Abe was conscious and responsive while being transported after the shooting.

Witnesses say Abe was shot from behind. He didn't collapse after the first shot but did collapse after the second shot at the time after being shot twice. People on scene conducted CPR. Witnesses say that the suspect did not attempt to run, was arrested on the spot. The suspect, a man believed to be in his 40s has been arrested in possession of a gun. And NHK is now reporting that gun is believed to be handmade. NHK reporters on the scene, again, heard two shots while Abe was delivering that stump speech. He was there in Japan's Western city ahead of the Upper House election set for this Sunday, speaking on behalf of LDP Liberal Democratic Party candidates.

Abe is Japan's longest serving Prime Minister, Michael, first elected in 2006 at the time the youngest Prime Minister ever elected here in Japan before stepping down in in 2020 because of health concerns relating to ulcerative colitis, a long-term debilitating disease.

Now, despite stepping down Abe remained a key player in Japanese politics. Speaking very candidly, even recently about Taiwan hinting at Japan's military role in Taiwan if China were to invade.

Now, that being said, some of his policies and remarks had been seen as controversial with critics saying that some of his policies operated outside of Japan's pacifist constitution, including revising the defense policy to allow for Japanese troops to fight overseas for the first time since the Second World War.

Abe also had intentions to revise the Constitution to legitimize the military. But again, Michael, at this point, you know, policies aside, Japan's former Prime Minister, the longest serving Prime Minister in Japan's history, shot twice. His condition at this moment in time is unknown.

HOLMES: I want it also to ask you too, and it's important to make this point, how rare gun crimes are in Japan, laws there are very strict. And we are actually just getting information that the suspect in this case used a handmade gun. We're trying to get a sense of what exactly that is. But getting your hands on a real gun is pretty difficult?

ESSIG: Yeah, incredibly difficult, Michael. Here in Japan, just to put things into perspective, gun violence is almost non-existent. The number of annual deaths resulting from firearms hasn't reached triple digits since the year 2000, with the number of homicides involving guns, often in the single digits annually. The reason according to gun control advocates, is that firearm regulations here are extremely restrictive under Japan's 1958 a firearm and sword law. Most guns are illegal in the country. Under the law possession is only allowed if special approval is obtained and before that can even happen, you must pass a background check, explain to police why you need a gun, receive formal instruction, and pass a collection of written mental and drug tests.

[01:05:14]

So while rare, when it does come to mass killings in Japan, those responsible often resort to using knives or arson instead of guns. But to your point, and again, with NHK's recent reporting of the homemade gun, it is interesting to learn more about that because getting a real gun here in Japan, is really difficult.

HOLMES: I also want to ask you, I mean, when we look at the video, and we're seeing the stream earlier from NHK, the level of security, the video from the scene seemed to show it was pretty minimal. There were people quite close to the former Prime Minister, the shooter himself, from what we could tell was pretty close as well.

ESSIG: Right. Yeah, Michael, here in Japan, it's different than it is in the United States where you have a security detail assigned to the President, the United States for the rest of their lives. I was just speaking with one of our local producers here asking, you know, those exact questions about the security detail that is assigned to, you know, a prime minister after they leave office, and from what I was told us, you know, that doesn't happen, that in all likelihood, there might have been one or two security personnel that might have been outside hires to provide protection for the former Prime Minister, you know, but again, when you're comparing, you know, what a security detail looks like, for a former president, that doesn't exist here. But again, even going back to, you know, the gun violence in the attempt on, you know, former Prime Minister's life these things are unfathomable here in Japan. And so, you know, perhaps at this point, you know, those policies are going to have to be looked at, you know, to potentially provide protection moving forward. Because what was in place clearly not enough.

HOLMES: Exactly. Good to have you there on the spot. Blake Essig in Tokyo, appreciate that.

I want to get more now on this attack on the former Japanese Prime Minister, we're joined now by CNN's Senior International Correspondent, Will Ripley speaking with us from Taipei in Taiwan. You were, however, our correspondent in Japan, as well, for some time. Let's start with Taiwan. Mr. Abe was actually talking about Taiwan fairly recently, speaking about Japan's role in the region when it comes to where you are.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He's been very vocal, Michael, when talking about the issue of defending this island of Taiwan, this self-governing democracy that sits so close to Japan's outlying islands. And he has been a driving force behind the heightened public signaling on the part of Japanese officials that if China were to try to make a move on this island, which they claim the communist rulers in Beijing claim as their own territory, and they've claimed that for more than 70 years despite having never controlled this island, from the Japanese perspective. Taiwan maintaining its status as a self-governing democracy allied with the United States, allied with Japan, which of course, you know, Japan is the United States most important ally in this region. But they do understand very clearly that their security, meaning Japan's security is contingent upon Taiwan staying exactly as it is, a self-governing democracy with its own military and alliances with the Western world.

And so, Shinzo Abe, especially after leaving his office, as Prime Minister has said publicly in a number of occasions that it's time for the United States to end its policy of strategic ambiguity, leaving it an open question, if you will, whether the United States would send in troops and military equipment to defend Taiwan, aside from what the United States does contractually provided Taiwan, which is defensive weapons for the island to defend itself, Japan has gone further saying that they would very likely step in and in fact, they're even deploying missile launchers and other military equipment to some of their outlying islands, a clear signal that they're ramping up militarization near Taiwan, just as China continues it's, some might say assertive, others might say aggressive movements into the South China Sea and even conducting flyovers on a regular basis in the Taiwan strait.

So Shinzo Abe certainly has a lot of people here in Taiwan, who appreciate his efforts on behalf of this island. The Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen posted a short time ago on her Facebook page that she is sending her very best and wishing that he can recover from this. It obviously is extraordinarily startling and troubling to have something like this happen in this part of the world. Here in Asia, I would say that we're often lulled into a false sense of security, a false sense of safety, perhaps because of the fact that there aren't guns on the streets. You don't see mass shootings. You don't see a gun crime hardly at all, frankly, because of the way that the laws are structured here in Asia and particularly in Japan where it is extraordinarily difficult to get a gun through legal means anyway.

[01:10:08]

And so it is a time that I think everybody here in the region is taking a step back, you know, trying to catch their breath. And certainly, many, many people are rooting for Shinzo Abe's recovery and hoping that the news, which sounds grim at the moment will turn out to be good, and that he's able to pull through, Michael.

HOLMES: Yeah, absolutely. Are you going back to your time there in in Japan, I mean, Shinzo Abe was seen as a nationalist politician, I mean, how did that play out politically, policy wise and how people viewed him?

RIPLEY: Well, he -- you know, he, he certainly was somebody who believed in the national dignity of Japan, as you said, in a Japanese nationalist, who wanted to see Japan play a more assertive role in the region when it comes to certainly its military involvement. After Japan's defeat, you know, without an unconditional surrender, at the end of World War II, the United States helped the Japanese write this pacifist constitution, which essentially calls the Japanese military a Self Defense Force. And it really limits their ability to do much of anything, you know, other than defend Japan from some sort of attack or an invasion. But that under Abe was -- they were trying to change that, trying to give the Self Defense Forces and more assertive role, and in fact that that they were making, you know, progress in that regard. But there was a lot of pushback domestically.

I remember these massive protests in Tokyo at that time that they were debating these revisions to the Japanese Constitution. You had hundreds of 1000s of people protesting outside of the Diet, which is the Japanese parliament. And so his policies were certainly controversial, both at home, and perhaps as well, internationally, especially when talking about contentious issues, like the defense of Taiwan and Japan's involvement in military conflicts around the globe.

Japan have even been talking about the possibility of installing missiles that had a first strike capability, meaning that they could actually launch missiles to hit enemy targets before Japan was actually under attack. This was in response to North Korea's increasingly provocative and powerful weapons tests.

So, you know, certainly he was not without his critics. He was Japan's longest serving Prime Minister. And really what, you know, he resigned, citing health issues of the second time, by the way, he did that, but it was really public anger over his handling -- the early handling of the Coronavirus pandemic, that likely was the reason that he decided to step aside in terms of being the face of Japanese nationalism. But he certainly had been working very hard, you know, not behind the scenes, because he's never going to be a behind the scenes figure when you're talking about Shinzo Abe, but just am doing things like what we saw him doing just today, you know, hitting the ground, giving interviews, giving stump speeches, and he did not have a large security detail traveling with him.

In Japan, the way it works is you might have a couple of security officers or even local police who assist you. If you're a politician, and you're giving a speech like this, but you certainly wouldn't have a secret service detail or the level of security and the security perimeter that politicians really need in the United States, given the amount of weapons that are flowing. You just don't have -- you don't have that concern in Japan or at least you didn't, up until about 10:30 local time, when this shooting may really have changed a lot of people's perspectives about safety and security in this part of the world.

HOLMES: I wanted to ask you something else too, and in fact, it pertains to this. Donald Trump is literally just tweeted in the last few minutes saying that it's absolutely devastating news. He describes Shinzo Abe a as a truly great man and leader and praying for Shinzo Abe. And it sort of raises the point that, you know, Donald Trump and Shinzo Abe a at least from Donald Trump's point of view, it was, you know, was a bit of a love affair. And they saw themselves getting on very well. How did Shinzo Abe handle it, that relationship? He was, some call him the Trump whisperer.

RIPLEY: Yeah, Shinzo Abe understood probably before any other world leader, exactly what needed to be done to coax and cajole Donald Trump to do things that were in the best interest of Japan and in his belief, you know, the United States as well. It was Shinzo Abe who first called to congratulate then President-elect Trump. And as a result, President Trump, you know, who've to him signs of respect were so important. He always had, he always had time for Shinzo Abe. And would often do what Shinzo Abe asked him do, when President Trump visited Japan. Shinzo Abe didn't try to take him out for, you know, traditional Japanese dinner. No, he brought him to Tokyo's best hamburger place and they had their meal and they played golf and they did all the things that President Trump likes to do.

It's not that Shinzo Abe necessarily was such a huge fan, you know, of President Trump before he became the president. We don't know if he was or if he wasn't, but what we do know is that Shinzo Abe believed very strongly that Japan security was reliant on a strong and stable relationship with the United States no matter who was elected and so he did what needed to be done to really work with Donald Trump. And as a result, during all of, you know, Abe's term, which was ended while President Trump was still in office, they had a very productive and successful relationship and a warm relationship.

[01:15:24]

Donald Trump would always answer the phone for Shinzo Abe. And you can say that about a lot of other world leaders, especially traditional U,S. allies, that kind of bristled at Trump and didn't take him seriously, didn't give him with the respect, didn't treat them with the respect that he felt he deserved.

HOLMES: That's great analysis. Will, good to see my friend, thanks for that. Will Ripley there in Taipei for us.

We're going to take a quick break here. Our breaking news coverage will continue after we come back.

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HOLMES: Welcome back, updating our breaking news out of Japan for you, the former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the longest serving Prime Minister in Japan's history has been rushed to hospital after twice being shot while giving a speech in western Japan. That's now been confirmed by Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary.

[01:20:15]

You're looking there at the moment that he was attacked. And what you're seeing right there is the gunman, the alleged gunman being tackled to the ground by security agents. In a moment, you'll see the weapon allegedly used in this attack as well. There it is right there. And it's being said that this was a homemade weapon, made by this gunman himself. It looks like it has two rudimentary barrels on it. And officials in Japan are saying that this was homemade by the gunman.

And you can see the Prime Minister there that's the moment the gunfire rang out. A different angle showed a puff of smoke from the first shot too, which sort of speaks to the homemade nature, perhaps of the weapon very quickly tackled to the ground, but as we were discussing earlier, with Blake Essig, the level of security is -- there is security there, but that gunman was very close to the former Prime Minister.

We are told that local fire officials are saying that that the former Prime Minister is being treated at the moment. We're getting some new reaction meanwhile to the attack, as well. The U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, he wrote writes this, "We are all saddened and shocked by the shooting. Abe-san has been an outstanding leader of Japan, and unwavering ally of the U.S. And the U.S. government and American people are praying for his well-being."

And the former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull tweeting that he's horrified by the news. He said Abe is one of the great leaders of our time and goes on, right now we must hope and pray that he pulls through.

And the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is attending the G20 Foreign Ministers summit in Bali in Indonesia. Here's what he had to say just a few minutes ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I do have to say before we meet how deeply sad and deeply concerned, we are by the news coming from Japan, about the attempt on the life of former Prime Minister Abe. We don't know his condition. We do know that, apparently, he's been shot. Our thoughts, our prayers are with him with his family, with the people of Japan. This is a very, very sad. We're waiting news from Japan. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And I'm joined now live by CNN, Selina Wang, who is in Beijing. And I was talking earlier to Will Ripley, there was a sometimes fraught relationship between Japan and Beijing when it -- especially when it comes to Taiwan, speak to that and Mr. Abe's positions and relationship with the Chinese leadership?

SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Michael, well, during his time there, this relationship with China was one of the toughest issues for Shinzo Abe. He was ultimately a supreme realist when it came to the relationship with China. He understood this was such a critical economic relationship. So many Japanese businesses rely on the Chinese market. But he also was a big proponent of boosting economic alliances, boosting defense alliances, supporting things like the Quad. So this created a contentious relationship.

And of course, as we saw China become more aggressive in areas around Japan. This also helped to boost the positioning of something that he was a strong proponent of which was to create a fully-fledged military for Japan. And so his legacy is one that is divisive and important. He wanted to restore Japan's economic and it's nationalistic, its military. He wanted to restore this glory. Of course, there was a lot of public opposition to that. And even though Shinzo Abe stepped down, it is impossible to overstate just how important he was to Japanese politics.

I was based in Japan before this. Shinzo Abe is always mentioned in any discussion about Japanese politics. And just to point to that, the fact that he was wounded when he was giving a speech in our prefecture to support the ruling LDP candidates just showing how influential he still was in the really Liberal Democratic Party. And you can see this legacy that he has left and even with Fumio Kishida, the current Prime Minister when he was campaigning, he was also talking about this stronger posture he had said more forward statements on Taiwan. And we have, of course, heard from Taiwan's president, that she hopes that Shinzo Abe recovers. She called him a good friend, a strong proponent of Taiwan-Japanese relations. Michael.

[01:25:08]

HOLMES: All right, great to have you there too, and having covered Tokyo for us as well, there in Beijing. Selina Wang, thanks so much.

And our breaking news coverage will continue after a break.

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[01:29:37]

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome back to our viewers all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

And updating you on the breaking news out of Japan. Former prime minister Shinzo Abe rushed to the hospital after being shot during a campaign speech. A local fire official told CNN Abe was later in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest, which means basically he had a sudden loss of heart function and breathing.

But Japan's chief cabinet secretary says his current condition is still unclear. Public broadcaster NHK says the suspect you are seeing there on your screen has been arrested. Apparently he had a homemade weapon.

Now, the downfall of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, as inevitable as it may seem, still sending shockwaves through Britain and feeling a lot of uncertainty about its immediate future. The British economy is struggling with soaring inflation and ongoing troubles linked to Brexit.

The pound has been tumbling, a recession is looming. Johnson lamenting his early exit saying, it is painful to not be able to finish so many of his ideas and projects.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS JOHNSON, FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: To you, the British public I know that there will be many people who are relieved, and perhaps quite a few will also be disappointed. And I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world.

But them is the breaks. As we've seen at Westminster, the herd instinct is powerful. When the herd moves, it moves. And my friends, in politics no one is remotely indispensable. And our brilliant Darwinian system will produce another leader equally committed to taking this country forward through tough times.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now among those considered possible successors: the foreign secretary Liz Truss and two former top ministers from Johnson's cabinet Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid whose exits on Tuesday marked the beginning of the end for the prime minister's dramatic tenure. Another possible contender, the newly appointed finance minister Nadhim Zahawi.

Well, for now Johnson remains in a caretaker position of sorts while the Conservative Party works on appointing the next prime minister.

The British business and energy secretary tweeting quote, "We need a new leader as soon as is practicable. Someone who can rebuild trust, heal the country and set out a new sensible and consistent economic approach to help families.

All right. Let's go now to CNN's Clare Sebastian, who's joining me now live from Downing Street early in the morning there. A day of high drama so I guess what now?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Michael That is the question. This is a resignation, almost as dramatic as the not quite three-year tenure of Prime Minister -- of Boris Johnson. But as you laid out there, there are several key questions.

Now, he is still in Number 10, he has not left yet, he says he will remain as caretaker prime minister until the Conservative Party elects a new leader who will take over from him. That could take months so the question in the interim is how will he lead as caretaker. What will he do? We got some sense of that yesterday. He told cabinet members that he won't try to push through any kind of new fiscal or policy changes as caretaker.

But of course, there are worries about the turbulent times that we live in. The situation in Ukraine, the cost of living crisis, and there are many who want this process of electing a new conservative leader to be expedited.

We should find out more next week when the influential back bench 1972 committee sets out the rules for the next contest.

And of course the other big question is, who will replace him, and what changes could they bring? I think, you know, the sense that we are getting, is that many people who put their hat in the ring will try to set a different tone from Boris Johnson, try to sort of put forward a calmer face on the leadership.

We've got Tom Tugendhat, he's an MP, never served in cabinet or served a cabinet, throwing his hat in the ring on Thursday, saying -- you know, calling for a cleanup, he said; calling for renewal.

I think you know, quite often the way in politics that a remedy to the previous leader is elected and I think you will see many people trying to put themselves forward as a calmer and more sober leader than Boris Johnson, Michael.

HOLMES: Yes. Yes indeed. Great to have you there, Clare Sebastian, 6:30 in the morning where you are at Number 10.

And let's turn now to CNN's European affairs commentator Dominic Thomas, who is with me from Los Angeles. Good to see you, Dominic. You know, it was in 2010 Boris Johnson memorably described former prime minister Gordon Brown who was clinging to office as quote, lashing himself to the radiator in Number 10 and suggested the nice policeman at the door of Number 10 tell him the game is up.

What eventually convinced Boris Johnson the game is up?

[01:34:51]

DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Well, I think there are just so many things here, Michael that we could talk about. I mean I think that this time around it was absolutely clear that was yet another scandal sort of you know, embroiling 10 Downing Street, that behavior modification with Boris Johnson is just simply not an option.

And as his -- form his immediate entourage, high-ranking cabinet members started to resign followed by a whole range of other historic levels of resignation, it became unambiguously clear that he was going to have to be -- he was going to have to be.

What is so unusual about the situation is that prime ministers are removed from office because people disagree within the party with their policies. In this particular case, it is not about policies, it's about the individual. It's the party has finally one could argue, that there's an awful of hypocrisy here in terms of just how long they tolerated him. But it's finally come to the conclusion that the individual Boris Johnson is unfit to serve as party leader and therefore as prime minister.

And that is why there is this urgency now to remove him from office, to find a replacement, or to find an interim prime minister so that they can turn the page on this individual that is doing so much damage to the party and to MPs who are hearing from their constituents at a time when over 70 percent of the people have said that they believe it is time for Boris Johnson to move on, Michael.

HOLMES: I'm curious, what you made of his public comments out the front of Number 10. I mean it just struck me, there was a -- there was a remarkable lack of self-awareness and a lot of deflection and I guess that is kind of Boris Johnson, isn't it? That's part of the problem there.

THOMAS: It is part of the problem, but it is also I think the broader problem in politics today. We certainly saw the way that former President Trump behaved when he lost the election to Joe Biden so there's that.

I think that there's also tremendous hypocrisy. He's talking about the herd in Westminster, but let's not forget he was basically the shepherd in Westminster who drove that herd on Theresa May, ousted her to pave the way for him to that prime-ministership.

But I think when it comes to Boris Johnson this is something I've said repeatedly. This is an individual whose life has been a life of privilege who profoundly believes, his sense of entitlement leads him to believe that he deserves the kind of privileged and treatment that he gets.

And what he demonstrated rather than decency, rather than respect for the precedent and institutions, he's chosen to ignore those. And I think that that will be one of the most damning aspects of the legacy of this prime minister when he finally leaves 10 Downing Street in the weeks to come.

HOLMES: Yes, yes. I wish we had more time, the breaking news of Shinzo Abe has eaten into our allotted time. But always good to get your analysis, Dominic. Thanks so much, Dominic Thomas there.

THOMAS: Thank you, Michael.

HOLMES: And CNN NEWSROOM continues after the break.

[01:37:43]

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HOLMES: And we are continuing to follow the breaking news out of Japan where former prime minister Shinzo Abe has been rushed to a hospital after being shot. This all happened when he was giving a speech in Nara, western Japan. The city's fire department reporting that Abe was in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest. State broadcaster NHK says he was conscious and responsive though as he was being taken to the hospital.

Police quick to arrest the gunman. You saw that happening right there, who was described as a man in his 40s. And NHK quoting police saying he used a homemade gun.

Abe is the country's longest serving prime minister. He served from 2006 to 2007. And then again from 2012 to 2020, winning two elections in that time. He stepped down in September 2020, citing health problems.

The Ukrainian flag flying again on an island once held by Russia. Ukraine says its troops raised the flag on Snake Island on Thursday after Russian forces pulled out last week.

They attacked the island on the first day of the war. You will remember a small group of defenders became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance after they, let's call it, cast off at Russian warships.

In Moscow, President Vladimir Putin says Russia is ready to fight the war to the bitter end. But he says that is because the west wants it that way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT: We have continuously heard that the west is ready to fight with us until the last Ukrainian is left standing. This is a tragedy for the Ukrainian people. However, it seems like everything is going towards this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Meanwhile, Ukraine says Russia is now stepping up artillery strikes in the Donetsk region ahead of an expected offensive there. Ukraine says the next major target is Sloviansk where Russia is testing Ukrainian defenses north and northeast of the city. About 45 percent of the Luhansk region is still in Ukrainian hands.

Scott McLean joins me now live from Kyiv to talk more about what is going on in the battlefield.

But before we get there, Boris Johnson, of course, saying he is stepping down as prime minister. He's been heavily involved in what's been going on in Ukraine, what has been the reaction of the government there?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey Michael. Look, the Ukrainians have obviously taken plenty of blows on the battlefield, but this resignation of Boris Johnson's seems like an equally important blow to the country. And President Volodymyr Zelenskyy seemed genuinely disappointed when reacting to the news yesterday.

A readout of a call between him and Johnson yesterday from Downing Street said that Zelenskyy described Johnson as a hero and said that everybody in Ukraine loved him.

Zelenskyy will be relieved though, for two reasons. Number one that, of course, they have already secured a lot of military support from the United Kingdom and of course, Boris Johnson at least for the time being says that he will be sticking around until a new leader is chosen in the fall.

[01:44:53]

MCLEAN: And even then, the Ukrainians are fairly optimistic that the next leader of the Conservative Party will be equally supportive of the efforts in Ukraine. It is so important though for the Ukrainians to have the support of countries like the United Kingdom in the west, not only to lobby other countries to provide military support, but also to provide it themselves because barely a day goes by when Zelenskyy does not plead and beg with the west for more military support.

In the Donbas for instance, they are quite open about the fact that they are simply outgunned and outmanned. And it seems like a good day for the Ukrainians, Michael, when they at least hold the line.

And look, even in places like the north and the southern parts of the country where the Ukrainians are holding the line, even taking back territory, of course the Russians are content to lob missiles on to the other side. Yesterday a missile strike in the city of Kramatorsk hit in the city center. And the Ukrainians say that in Kharkiv in the northern part of the country, there was shelling there that killed at least three people.

HOLMES: All right. Scott McLean, appreciate your reporting there in the capital Kyiv for us. Our thanks to you.

And now our breaking news coverage continues after the break. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:49:58]

HOLMES: And our breaking news this hour. The former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe rushed to hospital after being shot during a campaign speech. It happened in Nara, in western Japan. Have a listen.

(VIDEO CLIP OF SHINZO ABE SHOOTING)

HOLMES: You hear there are two distinct booms from what is a homemade weapon. It appeared to be some sort of homemade shotgun. You can see the former prime minister being wheeled from an emergency helicopter into the hospital.

The current prime minister has just told the nation that Mr. Abe's condition is critical. He is undergoing emergency surgery. And the doctors are, in the words of the current prime minister, fighting to save his life.

State broadcaster NHK did say that Mr. Abe was conscious and responsive as he was being taken to the hospital.

Now, police did arrest the gunman. You can see them approaching him there. He is still holding the weapon at that time. They described him as a man in his 40s. NHK reports he did not try to run away. And as we were saying, according to police, his weapon was some sort of homemade firearm.

The women's basketball star Brittney Griner meanwhile has pleaded guilty to drug smuggling in Russia. Griner appeared in a Moscow courtroom on Thursday, admitting to bringing cannabis oil into the country back in February. But Griner said that she had packed her bags in a hurry and had not intended to break the law. She could face up to ten years in a Russian prison.

Griner's wife spoke to the U.S. President joe Biden on Wednesday who reassured her he is working to bring Griner home.

Christine Brennan is a CNN sports analyst and sports columnist for "USA Today" and joins me now. And I appreciate it Christine. Always good to see you.

Now, the last American freed by Moscow, he sort of fiercely maintained his innocence, but eventually was freed after a guilty plea. Not that any trial would have been fair, but do you think that Griner's guilty plea could perhaps follow that path? That it was necessary?

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: I think so Michael. I think there is a playbook here. It is sad but true and a strategy to this. And no doubt from the sources that I have talked to that Brittney Griner is following that.

It is certainly doing what is being suggested by those in the State Department who are following this very closely. And, you know, whatever as you alluded to, whatever the truth is, we may never find out. Certainly not until she gets back to the United States and then can speak honestly whether this was a trumped up charge in the beginning, whether she had these cartridges with her, whether she thought they always had them and could get away with it. You know, who knows.

But the fact remains, that almost seems to be in the distant past. And now the issue is squarely on the fact that she has, of course, now had a guilty plea. And it seems as if now the chess match will move on to negotiations.

Hostage negotiations that would get her eventually back home. That looks like what this is all about. That is what the strategy seems to be.

HOLMES: Yes. And the Russians seem to want the arms dealer Viktor Bout back as well. So that could be where this is headed. There has been criticism that because of her high-profile WNBA star, Olympic gold medalist, that she is being given attention not given to others being held in Russia. That she has gotten sort of special treatment by the Biden administration. Do you think that is fair criticism? BRENNAN: I am not sure if it is fair criticism. It is ironic Michael,

because as of about a week ago, the conversation was the complete opposite, 180 -- 180 degrees in the sense that women athletes don't get the attention. Of course she is in Russia because of the pay disparity between male and female professional basketball players. It is extraordinary. The difference which is why WNBA players then go overseas to supplement their earnings in the off-season of the U.S. league.

And the whole conversation was, if she were Lebron James, would she be back already, or Tom Brady? And because women do not get the same attention, the same focus, the same money that she was being treated differently.

And then came the public relations campaign. Understandable completely in this very heartbreaking situation. From Brittney Griner's family, from her wife, from her teammates, her coaches.

The WNBA players have been trying to keep her name in the news. But it really has exploded over the last week. So the fact that now there is conversation, rightly so, as you have described that people are saying that this is happening -- not necessarily rightly so or not. But it is happening.

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BRENNAN: It is really the ultimate irony because the complaint was it was not happening a week or so ago. And I do think that that campaign is working well now for Griner and her family.

HOLMES: Yes. and that is a really good point. You raise something I think is really interesting. And the head coach of the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury said Griner as you have said, she was only in Russia because as a woman basketballer, she unlike men needed to supplement her income by playing abroad.

How important is that aspect and do you think other U.S. athletes, be they male or female, will think twice about playing in Russia anytime soon?

BRENNAN: I certainly think so. That they will think twice and say maybe not this year. And of course, this is all set against the backdrop of Putin's horrors that he has unleashed in Ukraine with the war. And so it is hard to imagine any athlete going over there now as they thought they are going to go in play forward and make more money that's just almost unfathomable at this point.

But I do think that yes, the fact is that Brittney Griner was going to play in Russia, and she is a hero over there. And she's paid lots and lots of money to do that.

So this was her livelihood. This is how she has been living her life the last few years. And how many of the WNBA players do whether they go to Russia, Italy, Spain, what have you. And I dare say that certainly that Russia piece of it is going to stop for a while. I mean no one could risk anything like this moving forward. HOLMES: Yes, of course a lot of college kids in that who don't make

the NBA draft, they end up playing overseas as well.

We are out of time, we've got to run. But real quick in ten seconds, people don't know, what is the difference in average pay between WNBA and NBA?

BRENNAN: WNBA the high salary is about $250,000 --

HOLMES: Wow.

BRENNAN: -- and in the NBA it can be well north of $40 million. So it is an unbelievable difference between the two.

HOLMES: Yes. I just wanted to get that out there.

Always good to see you Christine Brennan. Thanks so much.

BRENNAN: Michael, thank you.

HOLMES: I'm Michael Holmes, our breaking news coverage continues with Kim Brunhuber.

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