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Ex-Japanese PM Shinzo Abe Shot, In Condition Critical; Boris Johnson Resigns As British PM After Party Mutiny; Russia's Blockade Pushing Somalia Toward Catastrophe. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired July 08, 2022 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

UNKNOWN (voice-over): This is CNN Breaking News.

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.

We are following breaking news out of Japan where former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been rushed to a hospital after being shot. This happened as he was giving a speech in Nara in Western Japan. Have a look here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHINZO ABE, FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN (voice-over): (SPEAKING IN JAPANESE).

(GUNSHOTS)

BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Japan's current prime minister says Abe is in critical condition and doctors are fighting to save his life. The Nara City Fire Department reports Abe was in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest.

Police were quick to arrest the gunman, described as a man in his 40s. NHK quotes police who say he used a homemade-gun.

Blake Essig is live this hour in Tokyo.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And Blake, what more are we learning about this?

BLAKE ESSIG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, Kim, very fluid situation here. Japanese public broadcaster NHK is reporting the former Japanese prime mister, Shinzo Abe, has been shot twice, once in the chest and once in the neck, while delivering a speech around 11:30 this morning local time in the western city of Nara.

And according to the current prime minister, Fumio Kishida, who just gave a press conference, as you had mentioned, Abe is in critical condition and is undergoing emergency treatment with doctors fighting at this moment to save his life.

Now, after the shooting earlier this morning, NHK says that Abe was conscious and responsive while being transported after the shooting. The former prime minister was bleeding from his chest and in a state of cardiac arrest.

Witnesses say that Abe was shot from behind. He did not collapse after the first shot but did collapse after the second shot, before receiving CPR.

The suspect is believed to be a man in his 40s. He has been arrested in possession with what NHK is describing as a homemade-gun. Witnesses say -- that were there on the scene say that the suspect did not attempt to run. He was arrested on the spot before being taken to a local police station for questioning.

You saw the video just moments ago. CNN was able to verify that video, the moment former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot while delivering a speech. In that video, you can hear the two shots ring out.

He was there in Japan's western city delivering a stump speech for liberal Democratic candidates ahead of the upper house election set for this Sunday. Abe is Japan's longest serving prime minister, first elected in 2006 before stepping down in 2020 because of health-related concerns.

Despite stepping down, Abe remained a key player in Japanese politics, speaking very candidly even recently about Taiwan, hinting at Japan's possible military role there.

That all being said, some of his policies and remarks have been seen as controversial. Critics, some of them say that his policies operated outside of Japan's pacifist constitution, including a revising of the defense policy to allow for Japanese troops to fight overseas for the first time since World War II. He also had intentions to revise the Constitution to legitimize the military.

[02:05:01]

ESSIG: But policies aside, Kim, the situation surrounding the shooting, as I said earlier, remains fluid while we do know that he was shot twice and is currently in critical condition. We don't yet know the motivation, you know, surrounding the suspect, you know, who is now in custody.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, absolutely. And Blake, so some of the shock here is down to the weapon used. A gun with -- gun crime is so rare in Japan.

ESSIG: Yeah, look, Kim, here in Japan, violence -- gun violence specifically is almost nonexistent. The number of annual deaths resulting from firearms hasn't reached the triple digits since the year 2000 with the number of homicides annually. Firm guns often falling within the single digits.

Now, the reason, according to gun control advocates, you know, firearm regulations here in Japan are extremely restrictive under Japan's 1958 firearm and sword law. Most guns are illegal in the country under that law.

Possession is only allowed if special approval is obtained. Before that can even happen, you must pass a background check, explain to police why you need a gun, receive formal instructions, and pass a collection of written mental and drug tests.

So, while rare when it comes to mass killings in Japan, those often responsible resort to using knives or arson instead of guns, which really, you know, puts into perspective, you know, just how -- what happened today, especially surrounding Japan's longest serving prime minister, is just unfathomable.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, exactly the word. Blake Essig, live in Tokyo, thanks so much for that.

For more on this, I'm joined now by Noah Sneider who is the Tokyo bureau chief for "The Economist." He joins us now live. So, just building on what our reporter there said, I mean, obviously, this is just a huge shock not just for what happened but how as well.

NOAH SNEIDER, TOKYO BUREAU CHIEF, THE ECONOMIST: Yes, absolutely. Unfathomable is the right word. This is -- this is shocking not only in Japan's political culture where violence is rare. I mean, Mr. Abe's policies were controversial to some.

There were big protests in 2015 when he passed some of the security laws to change Japan security policies that Blake mentioned earlier. But they were peaceful. And even at the time, it would have been virtually impossible to imagine something like this happening.

What's more shocking, in japan on a large, where as we have discussed already, gun violence and violent crime in general is relatively rare.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. I mean, this is all coming at a point obviously if you are following news in which yet again, in the U.S., we are having debates about gun culture here. Such a contrast with the culture in Japan. I mean, Japan has really held up as a model society in which guns are basically all but nonexistent from a public safety standpoint.

So, will this change people's feelings on safety and security, do you think?

SNEIDER: I think so. I mean, we've already seen some of it in the reactions to the shooting online. You know, I was just going through Twitter earlier today. One tweet that stuck out to me, a user saying, I can't stop shaking, Japan is no longer safe and peaceful.

So I think it really has, you know, penetrated or at the very least shaken that sense of security that many people in Japan feel both great pride for but also have come to take for granted.

And I think, you know, you see that reflected in the way that politicians interact with voters, interact with the public. You know, if you look at the footage of this terrible incident today, you can see that former Prime Minister Abe is pretty close to the crowd with pretty minimal security around him. Everyone basically assumes a level of safety that, you know, certainly is not the case in the U.S. and that will undoubtedly change going forward.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, exactly. I mean, here in the U.S., former presidents get Secret Service protection for the rest of their lives. Obviously, that doesn't seem to be the case there in Japan. Do you think those protocols will change going forward?

SNEIDER: Well, Abe, as a former prime minister, does have a security detail, but clearly, they were not as on guard as perhaps they should have been. I think, you know, one set of changes will be around the protocols around candidates. But I think that is in some ways a more technical matter. The more enduring and hard to predict changes will have to do with people's mindset.

[02:10:00]

SNEIDER: And again, that sense of safety, that sense of peace and security that even as the world around Japan became more turbulent, even as some of Japan's allies, America in particular, have been through turbulent periods, this sense that Japan was an oasis, an island of stability amidst this turbulent world, I think that is the piece to watch, and it's again been severely threatened or severely shattered in today's events.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, really hard to contemplate, but I really appreciate your insights on this terrible attack here. Noah Sneider in Tokyo, thank you so much.

Our breaking news coverage continues after a break. Please do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: And updating our breaking news out of Japan. The former prime minister, Shinzo Abe, has been rushed to a hospital after being shot twice while giving a speech in Western Japan. That has been confirmed by Japan's chief cabinet secretary.

[02:15:00]

BRUNHUBER: So, have a look here. This was the moment Abe was attacked. Moments later, the alleged gunman was tackled by security personnel. Local fire officials tell CNN that Abe was in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest.

Current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said a few moments ago that Abe is in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.

Reaction to the attack on Abe is pouring in. The U.S. ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, writes, 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. The U.S. government and American people are praying for his well-being.

And former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull tweets he is horrified by this terrible news. Abe is one of the great leaders of our time. Right now, we must hope and pray that he pulls through.

The top U.S. diplomat attending the G24 minister summit in Bali spoke out a short while ago. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I do have to say before we meet how deeply saddened and deeply concerned we are about 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 he has shot. Our thoughts and prayers are with him, his family, with the people of Japan. This is a very, very sad moment. We are awaiting news from Japan. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And the Mexican foreign minister also shared his condolences, calling Abe a friend of Mexico and a highly respected global figure. He tweets, we hope that he can overcome the serious medical situation in which he finds himself. Our solidarity is with his family, friends, and the people of Japan.

And we are getting strong reaction in Taiwan where the nation's president has condemned the attack on Abe. So, for more on that, we are joined by CNN's senior international correspondent Will Ripley from Taipei. And Will, Abe was just talking about Taiwan recently. He has been very supportive of protecting Taiwan.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He has. He has been one of the -- one of the leading voices in this part of the world, Kim, when talking about the importance of the western allied nations, which includes Japan and, of course, the United States, which is, you know, Japan's most important global ally in protecting this self-governing democracy of Taiwan, which China has long claimed, Chinese communist rulers have long claimed as their own territory even though they have never actually controlled this island.

It has its own government, it has its own military, and it is an ally with U.S., with Japan. And it is crucial for Japanese security, as Prime Minister Abe has stated, which he has been one of the driving forces behind Japanese officials, including the defense minister publicly signaling that Japan would come to Taiwan's defense if China were to make a move on Taiwan.

Japan is also in the process of installing missile launches and other military equipment in the outlying islands, which some of which sit, you know, around 100 miles or so from the island of Taiwan.

And so, this is clearly an issue that is appreciated by the leadership here in Taipei, and that is why you have the president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, quickly posting on her Facebook page that she and everyone in Taiwan are hoping that Prime Minister Abe will come through this and will recover because he certainly has been a strong -- a strong leader for Japan and a strong ally for Taiwan and for United States, frankly.

I mean, not to forget, Kim, that it was President Trump who basically got his first congratulatory phone call from Shinzo Abe, and Shinzo Abe really rolled out the carpet. I remember covering in Tokyo when I was based there, President Trump's visit.

And, you know, Shinzo Abe knew exactly what he needed to do to work with former President Trump because he knew that the U.S. and Japan alliance was crucial to the security of Japan. Of course, the United States has more than 50,000 troops based in Japan.

And so, instead of, you know, kind of putting President Trump through the official, you know, traditional Japanese, you know, banquet and whatnot, no, he knew exactly what to do, he took President Trump for a hamburger in Tokyo and they played golf together.

And as a result, President Trump always answered the phone for Shinzo Abe and most of the time did what Shinzo Abe kind coached him to do in a very subtle way. Some even call him, Kim, the Trump whisperer.

So, it just goes again to show, certainly on the global stage, how much of a figure, how much of a presence Shinzo Abe was, and the fact that he was able to do what many world leaders were not, which was to have a very productive and beneficial working relationship with former President Trump. It sure speaks a lot to the abilities of Shinzo Abe to deal with whoever may have been in office in the United States at the time.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. All right, thanks so much, Will Ripley, appreciate it.

I want to go now to CNN's Selina Wang in Beijing. So, Selina, as we heard, Abe is not afraid to stir the pot when it comes to China, maybe drawing a contrast with the current prime minister.

[02:20:00]

SELINA WANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, his legacy, one of them is going to be really paving the way for this more hawkish view on China. And experts tell me that even after he was stepping down, with this current prime minister, he was sort behind of behind the scenes, pushing for Kishida to have a more aggressive security stance when it came to China.

And when Abe assumed his leadership, the relationship between China and Japan, Kim, was already very frosty over escalating tensions with (INAUDIBLE) islands. And many would say despite his many, many years in office, well, the relationship did not get any better. One of his lasting legacies is increasing that relationship, those ties with the United States, the cozy relationship with Trump as a way to cope with a rising, more aggressive China.

He strengthened security alliances across the Asia region. He was a proponent of the quad alliance and that legacy has stayed today as that U.S. and Japanese ties continue to be bolstered.

He really played a role as well in trying to convince the Japanese people that the country could not afford pacifism anymore, that as the neighborhood became more dangerous, more risky, they needed to increase the military strength. But he was divisive for that reason. He wanted to revise the Constitution. He wanted to restore Japan's military economic nationalism. He wanted to restore that kind of prowess which have a lot of public opposition.

And Kim, I was based in Japan before this and it is hard to overstate just how important Abe was even after he stepped down. He is seen as a political giant. And so, telling that, when he was wounded, he was actually giving a speech to support the ruling LDP candidates. He was there campaigning. I mean, this is such political giant.

And people -- when I speak to people in Japan right now, they are speechless. They see this as unfathomable not just because of how critical Abe was is today to Japanese politics but also because, as you've been discussing in the program, gun violence is virtually nonexistent in Japan, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, absolutely. All right, thank you so much, Selina Wang, really appreciate it.

And we'll be back with more news after this short break. Please do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Updating our breaking news now. We have some graphic video to show you right now, the moment that former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot and wounded. Have a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABE (voice-over): (SPEAKING IN JAPANESE).

(GUNSHOTS)

BRUNHUBER (voice-over): This happened in Nara, in Western Japan. The current prime minister says Abe is in critical condition and doctors are fighting to save his life. State broadcaster NHK cites police who say he was shot in the neck and chest.

Police arrested the gunman described as a man in his 40s. NHK reports he did not try to run away, and according to police, he used a homemade-gun.

Let's go back to CNN's Blake Essig live in Tokyo. Blake, what more do we know?

ESSIG: Well, Kim, Japanese public broadcaster NHK is reporting that former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been shot two times, once in the chest and once in the neck. That was confirmed by the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. He was shot while delivering a speech around 11:30 this morning local time in the western city of Nara. And according to the current prime minister, Fumio Kishida, who recently gave a press conference, Abe is currently in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment as doctors fight to save his life. Kishida also called today's shooting an unforgivable act.

Now, immediately after the shooting, NHK says that Abe was conscious and responsive while being transported after the shooting but was bleeding from his chest and in a state of cardiac arrest.

Witnesses say that Abe was shot from behind. He did not collapse after the first shot rang out but did collapse after the second shot before receiving CPR.

The suspect, as you mentioned, the man believed to be in his 40s, has been arrested in possession of what NHK is describing as a handmade- gun. Witnesses say that the suspect did not attempt to run after firing his weapon and was arrested on the spot before being taken to a local police station for questioning.

Abe was there in Japan's western city to deliver a stump speech for liberal democratic candidates ahead of the upper house election se to take place this Sunday. Abe, of course, is Japan's longest serving prime minister, first elected in 2006 before stepping down in 2020 because of health concerns.

Now, despite that fact that he stepped down, Abe remained a key player in Japanese politics, speaking candidly about Taiwan, hitting at Japan's possible military role in Taiwan.

He also had a lot of controversial remarks, policies that weren't overly popular here in Japan with critics saying 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 World War II. He also had intentions to revise the Constitution to legitimize the military.

But, policies aside, at this point, the situation surrounding the shooting remains fluid. We are learning more information seemingly by the minute. And while we do know that Abe was shot twice and is currently in critical condition, we still do not know the motivation of the suspect currently in custody. Kim?

[02:30:00]

BRUNHUBER: Yes, Blake, it's hard to understate the shock at this. Can you give us a sense of the reaction there in Japan?

ESSIG: I think -- I think the shock is an excellent way to describe what has happened, you know, unfathomable, shocking. You know, the simple fact that you have gun violence here in Japan, you know, which is essentially non-existent. You know, the number of annual deaths resulting from firearms hasn't reached triple digits since the year 2000, with a number of homicides involving guns, often in the single digits. And the reason, according to gun rights advocates is because of the regulations here in Japan which are extremely restrictive.

That all being said, you know, the fact that you know, in a country like Japan, you know, you kind of looking at how the President of the United States, you know, former presidents have a security detail, you know, in speaking with our local producers here, you know, that's just not the case in Japan. So the idea that somebody was able to get as close as this gentleman was to be able to shoot the former prime minister again, it's hard to imagine but again, given the difficulty of obtaining a weapon and the lack of gun violence, you know, perhaps something that was overlooked as the former Prime Minister made the rounds trying to stump for other candidates from the LDP with a selection here in just two days.

BRUNHUBER: All right, thanks so much Blake Essig in Tokyo. And we'll be back with more news after the short break. Please do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:36:11]

BRUNHUBER: And updating our breaking news out of Japan. The former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is listed in critical condition after being shot twice while giving a speech in western Japan. Now, this was the moment Abe was attacked. Seconds later, the alleged gunman was tackled by security personnel. Local fire officials tell CNN that Abe was in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest. Current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says Abe is undergoing emergency treatment.

Nearly a day after the British prime minister resigns, there are pressing questions about the next government and how to operate without Boris Johnson at the helm. He'd defiantly vowed not to go down without a fight but the Conservatives' mutiny proved to be too powerful to withstand after a series of damaging scandals. Johnson reluctantly announced he'd stepped down without actually saying the words out loud calling the decision "painful." He'll stay on as a caretaker Prime Minister while the party works on appointing a successor. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH CARETAKER PRIME MINISTER: It is clearly not the will of the parliamentary Conservative Party, that there should be a new leader of that party and therefore a new prime minister. And I've agreed with Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of our backbench MPs that the process of choosing that new leader should begin now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Boris Johnson's possible replacements include the most former top ministers whose resignations set off the fatal wave of defections, another likely contender was a former top ally, Michael Gove, who was sacked on Wednesday after advising the prime minister to resign. Conservative Party officials say they'll reveal a timetable for a leadership election by Monday and there will not be a general election. CNN's Clare Sebastian is tracking all this live from Downing Street. So, Clare, as I said, there is still plenty of confusion and chaos in the wake of the "resignation," so what's the latest on Boris and the race to succeed him?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kim. I think this resignation removed a major layer of uncertainty and added several more. The questions now, in particular regarding the interim period, as you know, he said he'll stay on as caretaker Prime Minister, but for how long? We're not going to find out until early next week when the influential backbench 1922 committee is set to sort of define the rules around a leadership contest. And that is the mood really here in the UK this morning.

I'm going to show you some of the front pages that we've got. It's all around the uncertainty of this interim period. This is the Daily Telegraph, which is a pro-conservative newspaper, it says. The PM's long goodbye leaves the UK in a state of paralysis. And interestingly, from the other side of the political spectrum, we have the Guardian here, which says it's an N in small letters almost over talking about a route that he sparks now over when he will actually depart.

There are questions, of course, over how he will govern in the interim period given that his resignation was precipitated by the resignation of almost 60 members of government. There are questions about how he will fill those positions. How they will govern. He did say in a meeting with the cabinet yesterday that he isn't going to make any major decisions, no big policy or fiscal changes, but there is still a lot of uncertainty and a lot of calls for him to perhaps go sooner. And, of course, the second big question is over who will succeed him? What will they do? What changes will be made? But that process, of course, could take months, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right, we'll see what happens. Clare Sebastian, live in London. Thanks so much. So for more on this, I'm joined now by Richard Johnson, who's a lecturer at the Queen Mary University of London. Thanks so much for joining us here. So just building on what we heard there, you know, Boris Johnson's resignation is the biggest surprise here that it took so long.

RICHARD JOHNSON, LECTURER, QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON: Yes, I think pretty much any other prime minister would have gone earlier on the level of resignations that Boris Johnson faced, for example, was higher than Theresa May.

[02:40:07]

JOHNSON: And Theresa May lacks the governing majority. I think what we're going to see from Boris Johnson is -- in the coming months and probably years an effort to refashion the narrative that he was pushed out unjustly, that he was someone who won this historic election, the biggest majority since 1987 and that he used the word the herd, stampeded it panicked, the word herd panics and moves in mass without thinking. And that's sort of the impression that he wants to leave is that his MPs got spooked in his view unnecessarily and pushed him out.

Margaret Thatcher did something similar when she was pushed out in 1998. She spent the following few years not being very helpful to her successor, John Major, and read fashioning a narrative that she had been betrayed. And it -- and it took hold among a segment of the Conservative Party.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. But you know, true to form, I guess, here Boris Johnson didn't express much or any contrition here blaming, as you say, everyone, but himself. Is that just his own personal style, he seems -- he seems to do that all the time, or is that, as you say, sort of setting himself up for return later on?

JOHNSON: What I think is so extraordinary about this particular resignation is it was the resignation over violation of norms. And that hasn't happened very much in British political history. If you look back at the reasons why short-lived prime ministers resigned in the past, it's often due to dramatic events like World War Two, or Brexit or the Suez War, or perhaps due to ill health. But in this instance, Boris Johnson was pushed out because there have been a series of episodes where he has broken various rules.

In his view, these rules are trivial or they don't rise to the level of resignation, for example, being fined for having a birthday cake in violation of the COVID rules, but clearly, his MPs and the public crucially didn't agree. And he was sanctioned for that. And I think that's quite a -- quite an important thing that's happened right now, actually, is that someone who broke the rules has had to face a penalty for doing so even though he doesn't think that they rise to the level of resignation.

BRUNHUBER: You've called Boris Johnson, a showman but the Boris Johnson show obviously still isn't over. He's sort of gone but not gone, his plan to stay on as a caretaker Prime Minister until a new leader is chosen. But there are still demands that he go now. Are there options there to get rid of him sooner or at least to speed up the transition?

JOHNSON: I think it'd be messy to try to get him out immediately if he's not going to go. I think you do need to go through the process of appointing a new conservative leader. That process could happen very quickly. It could happen within a week if it was left just to the members of parliament. So that the MPs next week could nominate, they'll have a series of ballots whittling down to the -- to the final two candidates. And then the process normally says the final two candidates then go to the party members in the country. And that's what takes so long because you have to have a campaign and send out ballots and that could take about five or six weeks.

But if somehow it was orchestrated that say the person who came second to last in the ballot dropped out, maybe that's a pre-agreed arrangement, that such not just one person is left after the MPs have voted, then you could -- you could see him replaced within a week. I think some Conservative MPs would like to see that because they want to see him go quickly. My guess is that's probably not going to happen. I think we'll probably we'll have a leadership contest that goes into the membership in the country. And probably by the time we come back from the summer recess in early September, we'll have a new prime minister. That would -- that would be my guess, right now. But we'll find out next week when the rules of this particular contest are released. BRUNHUBER: Yes. Just quickly, before we go, I want to look ahead and see what all this means for the -- for the party and for Johnson's signature policy, Brexit.

JOHNSON: Well, I think -- you know but part of Boris Johnson's case for staying was that he was a unique figure who was able to win an appeal to historical Labour Voters, particularly in northern and Midland areas in England, which have historically been a Labour heartland. And in 2019, he proved able to win seats that people never imagined going conservative.

The question is without Boris Johnson, can a Conservative Party continue to do that? And there'll be some candidates who might try to make the case that they can.

[02:45:02]

JOHNSON: There'll be other candidates who will say, look, that was a one-off, we have to return to our more affluent, middle-class southern base in the country -- the south of England being a more affluent part of the country. And so actually, I think that will be the big divide in his leadership contest is do we continue with this kind of new conservatism from Boris Johnson and try and hold those ex-Labour areas where do we double down on the way that the party used to be about lower taxes, for example, versus, you know, public investment in spending in the north. So that -- I think that will be a major part of this conservative leadership contest.

BRUNHUBER: All right, we will see. Richard Johnson, thanks so much for your insights into this ever-evolving story. Thanks so much for joining us.

JOHNSON: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: And we'll be back with more news after this short break, please just stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:50:04]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FUMIO KISHIDA, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER: Speaking in a foreign language.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First of all, in the morning today in Nara Prefecture, I've received the news that the former Prime Minister Abe was shot and he's now in critical condition. An emergency operation is taking place to save his life. I pray that he pulls through.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And we're returning to our breaking story out of Japan. We have a new video of the moment when former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot and wounded. Have a look here. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHINZO ABE, FORMER JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER: Speaking in a foreign language.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The suspect in the shooting was quickly arrested which was also caught on camera. Public broadcaster NHK says he apparently used a homemade gun. Abe was hospitalized after the attack. The current Prime Minister says Abe is now in critical condition and doctors are fighting to save his life.

In Ukraine, Russia is laying the groundwork for the next stage of its offensive in the east but Ukrainian forces are fighting back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: So this is video of Ukrainian troops firing at Russian positions Thursday. Ukraine says Russia is now stepping up artillery strikes in the Donetsk region after consolidating its recent gains in the neighboring Luhansk. Ukraine says the next major target is Sloviansk where Russia's testing Ukrainian defenses north and northeast of the city, but 45 percent of the Donetsk region is still in Ukrainian hands. And down south, Ukraine has raised its flag over the Snake Island after Russian troops pulled out last week. President Vladimir Putin now says Russia will fight the war to the bitter end. He's blaming the West for it.

And Russia's war is taking a devastating toll on the people of Ukraine and now it's affecting the people of Somalia as well. Russia's blockade of Ukrainian wheat exports combined with years of drought is pushing Somalia toward a humanitarian catastrophe. CNN's Clarissa Ward has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): On the edge of the Na'im Camp just outside Somalia's capital, Zamzam Muhammad shows us the fresh graves of those who have died here.

ZAMZAM MUHAMMAD, NA'IM CAMP DIRECTOR: 1, 2, 3.

WARD: There are 30, she says, in total victims of this country's record drought. As the camp administrator, Mohamed is tasked with burying the dead.

MUHAMMAD: Speaking a foreign language.

WARD: From that corner to this one, she says, this line of graves is all children. It must weigh on your heart to have to bury these little children.

MUHAMMAD: Speaking a foreign language. WARD: You feel such sadness when you bury a baby, she tells us. I'm a mother and I can feel their pain as a parent. Some 500 yards away, Nourta Ali Homey has yet to visit the graves of her three children. Severely malnourished, they died after contracting measles.

NOURTA ALI HOMEY, MOTHER: Speaking in a foreign language.

WARD: I cannot bear to go she says, the grief, I would feel. Aid agencies warned that Somalia is marching towards another famine. Nearly half the country is hungry. Some 800,000 people have been forced from their homes this year alone.

WARD (on camera): So, two months ago, this camp didn't even exist. Now, there are more than 870 families living here.

WARD: Conditions are dire and the world's attention is elsewhere. Thousands of miles from the front lines of the war in Ukraine, the impact of Russia's invasion is being felt here. Food and fuel prices have skyrocketed as Russia's blockade of Ukrainian wheat threatens global supplies.

MOHAMUD MUHAMED HASSAN, SAVE THE CHILDREN COUNTRY DIRECTOR: The wheat that is consumed in Somalia, 92 percent of it comes from Russia and Ukraine when you put together. So the price of wheat has doubled, in some areas, you know, 150 percent increase.

WARD (on camera): So you had climate change, COVID, but the war in Ukraine is really threatening to push Somalia over the edge.

HASSAN: Yes, definitely. Yes.

WARD: And what about if the war continues in Ukraine, if that blockade remains in place, what impact will that have here?

HASSAN: I cannot imagine what will be the impact.

WARD (voiceover): The stabilization ward at the Banadir hospital offers a glimpse of what may be to come. There are no empty beds and many desperately sick children.

HAFSA MOHAMMED HASSAN, DOCTOR: He's unconscious.

WARD: Doctor Hafsa Mohammed Hassan works around the clock to keep her youngest patients alive. How many years have you been working in this hospital?

HASSAN: Eight years.

WARD: Eight years?

HASSAN: Yes.

WARD: Have you ever seen so many children being brought in with malnutrition?

[02:55:01] HASSAN: No, this is the worst situation I'm seeing. And the number of the cases are increasing day by day, the hospital is very occupied with these cases.

WARD: Are you overwhelmed?

HASSAN: Yes. It's overwhelming. The situation is overwhelming, yes.

WARD: In one bed, we meet her Hareda Abdi and her four-year-old son Mohammed.

HAREDA ABDI: Speaking in a foreign language.

WARD: I already lost three children in this drought. She says softly. So you came here to save your son? How do you cope with that kind of loss to lose three children? How do you get through the day?

ABDI: Speaking in a foreign language.

WARD: I can't cope with the situation, she says. I just pray my remaining children will survive. It's a prayer shared by so many women here, one that the world has yet to hear.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: That was CNN's Clarissa Ward reporting from Somalia. Well, thanks so much for watching. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more of our breaking news in just a moment. You're watching CNN.

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