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U.K. Cools Down After Record-Breaking Hot Spell; Heat Wave Scorching A Third Of U.S. Population; China Navigating Weather Emergencies And COVID Outbreaks; U.N.: Global Emissions Must Peak Before 2025 To Hit Goals; Ukraine Steel Factory Near Front Lines Holding On Despite War; Final Candidates In Prime Minister Race: Rishi Sunak And Liz Truss. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired July 21, 2022 - 00:00   ET

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

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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello everyone. Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM. Firefighters from London to Athens battling deadly wildfires with forecasts Europe's heat emergency will continue in the next week.

Game changer, the high tech precision guided long range artillery system supplied by the U.S. for fighters in Ukraine, destroying targets deep inside Russian held territory and potentially turning the tide of the war for the Ukrainians.

And hasta la vista, baby. Quoting from the Terminator, Boris Johnson delivers his last speech to Parliament. But will he be back?

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.

VAUSE: With Europe's heat wave set to continue into next week, scientists say this marks the beginning of a new era of soaring temperatures, intense wildfires, prolonged droughts only made possible because of human caused global warming.

Heat warnings are active now for more than 20 European countries. In Greece, at least one person has died, dozens are in hospital after wildfires erupted north of Athens.

In southwest France, fires have scorched 20,000 hectares. The French president Emmanuel Macron traveled to the region Wednesday to see the devastation firsthand.

And after the U.K. sweltered through its hottest day on record, firefighters reported their busiest day since the Second World War, as fires broke out around London.

We begin our coverage now with CNN's Salma Abdelaziz.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER (voice over): It was a long night for firefighters in Greece as they battled to save this neighborhood on the outskirts of Athens, where hundreds were evacuated from their homes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): Our first priority remains the protection of human life, but also the protection of critical infrastructures of public property.

ABDELAZIZ: Europeans are grappling with a climate reality that brings new risks to this region. Spain's emergency unit worked through the night to contain this active wildfire, while some two dozen other fires force people out of their homes.

On a visit to the affected province, Spain's Prime Minister urged extreme caution in the days ahead.

PEDRO SANCHEZ, SPANISH PRIME MINISTER (through translation): During this heat wave, according to figures, data shows that more than 500 people have died due to the high temperatures, in addition to what we are facing as a consequence of the wildfires.

ABDELAZIZ: And after reaching record breaking temperatures, today Britain's woke up to cooler weather, but also the devastating aftermath of wildfires in suburbs and villages around London.

Tuesday, the London fire brigade was stretched to the limit facing with the mayor called their busiest day since World War II.

A 75-year-old resident shared this video of his burnt out horse stables.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've got really but more so got over the people whose last year's isn't all there. You know, I mean, they've lost their homes and things like that there, which is, you know, terrible.

ABDELAZIZ: Local officials are scrambling to prepare for further extreme weather.

RAY MORGON, COUNCILOR FOR HAVERING: Because we do know extreme weather is going to be hit in the U.K. more and more as years go by, down in this part of Havering, we've had quite a few occasions where flooding has been an issue when people have had their homes completely flooded. And we've had that kind of devastation yesterday with unprecedented.

ABDELAZIZ: Wildfires that ravaged through forest in a region near Bordeaux and France burned land more than twice the size of Paris.

But today, one small sign of relief. Those fires have now stalled, official figures show. Visiting the devastated region of Gironde, French President Emmanuel Macron thanked the firefighters for their bravery.

As record temperatures were set across the region this week, Germany is bracing for the possibility of even hotter weather. One thing is certain, the heat wave is far from over.

Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, Wennington.

(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: The brutal heat has now settled across the United States with heat warnings in effect for more than 100 million people, about a third of the population. Temperatures are expected to reach or exceed 40 degrees Celsius in some areas in the coming days. That's more than 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

Across the U.S., residents are being urged to stay indoors. Public cooling centers are now open in some cities to provide respite for those who have no place to go to avoid the extreme heat. And there'll be no relief from the sweltering conditions in the northeast and parts of the Midwest until early next week.

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Amid the soaring temperatures, President Joe Biden promised action on climate change. He pledged billions of dollars would be available to help the offshore wind industry as well as for communities facing extreme heat. Biden stopped short though of declaring a national climate emergency.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: As a president, I have a responsibility to act with urgency and resolve when our nation faces clear and present danger, and that's what climate change is about, it is literally not figuratively a clear and present danger.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Well, for more on the clear and present danger, CNN's meteorologist Pedram Javaheri tracking the extreme hit across continent -- extreme heat, I should say, across both continents. So, Pedram what's the forecast?

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST (on camera): You know, John, some better news as far as seen at least a brief period of cooling down across parts of Europe and Western Europe in particular.

But notice the energy shifted off towards the east, so our friends in Germany, our friends in Poland dealing with incredible temperatures, the warmest weather ever observed across Germany that took place on Wednesday.

Of course, on Tuesday, we saw it across the U.K., just 11 months ago, we saw the hottest temperature ever across areas of France. And now, we play this out across portions of Germany where temps come in at 40.3 degrees. And notice, again, you're in a warm season, you typically expect the middle 20s across this region, and we climbed up into the 40s.

Now, high temperatures today into the upper 20s, across Frankfurt, Berlin, just shy of 30 degrees on into areas of Poland into even Hungary, temps there into the middle and upper 30s. And you'll notice back towards the west relief, certainly least in the immediate term has arrived in this region. But some heat alerts in place across eastern areas and southeastern

areas of France and certainly into Western and southwestern areas of Poland, where the highest levels of concern are in place here for excessive heat, so that energy shifts farther towards the east, more of a marine influence from the northwest here.

So, a brief break in the action. And notice the southern tier of Europe, not much changes here. And then finally, notice what happens, early next week, heat tries to be restored kind of across the central portion in western area of Europe yet again.

So, that's what we're watching as far as the forecast is concerned, this morning, a breath of fresh air, maybe you kind of leave the window open, enjoy a 16 degrees start to your morning in London after the last couple of days failed to fall below 20 degrees, Paris at 17. And then you'll notice where it stays warm in Berlin already at 24 degrees.

Now, here's the seven day forecast. Notice what happens, we dropped down to 27. Keep in mind, we started at 41 earlier in the week. Notice what happened Saturday and Sunday, the 30s return about seven, eight degrees above seasonal averages here and they do moderate a little bit back out again by sometime early next week.

But notice the trend again does bring another round of heat. John, keep in mind, we're exactly a month removed from when summer officially started in the northern hemisphere. So, there's lots more heat potentially left in store here before we're done with these heat waves.

VAUSE: And then they come back. Pedram, thank you, appreciate that.

Just weeks ago, emergency officials in China were dealing with record rainfall and severe flooding. Now, it's heat wave happening as COVID infections surge.

More now from CNN's Selina Wang.

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SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Scorching temperatures sweep over China turning mass COVID testing into a dangerous task. State media shows COVID workers collapsing on the job due to what the video say are heatstroke.

In eastern China, a COVID worker vomits on the ground as colleagues rush to tear off her hazmat suit. Unable to stand, she's carried away. It's a scene playing out across China: fainting, falling, crumpling on the ground, lying motionless, struggling to breathe. The COVID workers long hours in this suffocating heat made worse by their head to toe full body protective gear.

That is not water, according to state media, it's sweat gushing out of this worker's hazmat suit. The sweat pools inside the protective gear, lining the inside of the rubber gloves. The surging temperatures coinciding with surging COVID cases. Cities across China, including here in Beijing require a recent COVID test in order to enter any public area. That means everyone, young, old and sick, all have to wait in long lines like these in the brutal heat.

DAVID, BEIJING RESIDENT: It's really hot, frustrated and, you know, exhausting and you feel like -- and a lot of times you'll feel anxious because you have things to do.

WANG: To survive, COVID workers are getting creative, hugging giant blocks of ice, placing them on their backs, laps and feet. Colleagues rub ice on each other and tape ice cold water bottles to themselves. Some authorities have now said COVID workers can wear PPE that does not cover their entire bodies.

Dozens of cities have been experiencing record high temperatures. Last week, more than 80 cities issued red alerts with some locking temperatures of more than 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

[00:10:06]

In central China, a museum closed after the roof melted. In Nanjing, the city opened underground air raid shelters for people to escape the heat.

Meanwhile, crops are withering and dying under the high temperatures. The soil parched and cracked. The damage to China's crop production threatens to push up inflation, putting more pressure on an economy already devastated by the pandemic.

But in zero-COVID China, even health care workers hospitalized from heat exhaustion get a positive spin from authorities. This propaganda video shows government officials visiting COVID workers in the intensive care unit. While showing the motionless patients in bed, the video rallies people to work together for victory against COVID.

Selina Wang, CNN, Beijing.

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VAUSE: Joining me now from State College, Pennsylvania is Michael Mann, Nobel Prize Laureate, director of the Earth System Science Center at Penn State University and author of The New Climate War. Michael, we're lucky to have you, thank you for being with us.

MICHAEL MANN, DIRECTOR OF THE EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE CENTER, PENN STATE UNIVERSITY: Oh, thanks. It's good to be with you.

VAUSE: OK, so according to the most recent report from the U.N., global temperatures will stabilize when we reach net zero emissions. And this assessment shows that limiting warming to around two degrees Celsius, 3.6 Fahrenheit, still requires global greenhouse gas emissions to peak before 2025 at the latest, and be reduced by a quarter by 2030.

On current trends, are we anywhere close to peaking before 2025? And if we don't get there, what does that mean in terms of what we're seeing now in the U.K. and in Europe, as well as the United States? Is that a baseline in terms of extreme weather?

MANN: Yes, I mean, what we're doing right now, we're sort of riding along the top of that peak. So, emissions aren't rising anymore, but they're not coming down either. And to stabilize warming below two degrees, they're going to need to start coming down.

There was a study just a couple months ago, that sort of looked at all of the commitments that had been made in Glasgow at COP26 and sort of total those up, and came to the conclusion that if every country were to meet its current commitments, its current promises under the Paris Accord and the modifications agreed to in Glasgow, that would keep warming below two degrees, two degrees Celsius.

But those are promises, what we need to see are those promises kept, those commitments kept. And that's going to require far more action than we're seeing it.

VAUSE: Yes. Speaking of action, U.S. President Joe Biden, on Wednesday, he talked about the threat from climate change as a clear and present danger. He described it as a national emergency, but did not declare a national emergency and said we got this.

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BIDEN: That's why today I'm making the largest investment ever, $2.3 billion to help communities across the country build infrastructure that's designed to withstand the full range of disasters we've been seeing to up to today, extreme heat, drought, flooding, hurricanes, tornadoes.

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VAUSE: $2.3 billion is a lot of money, something is better than nothing. But according to the Climate Policy Initiative, climate finance flows are nowhere near estimated needs, conservatively estimated at U.S. $4.5-5 trillion annually.

So, to meet climate goals, this is by 2030, and right now, government budgets are being squeezed, trillions have been spent by the pandemic, the war in Ukraine is driving up prices. You know, these seems things take priority right now. Climate change is always seen as some kind of low priority, something which should be put off and wait just a little bit longer. Why is that?

MANN: Yes, and you know, the administration is doing what it can, but you can only go so far with executive actions. And you know, that amount of funding, it's helpful, but it's a drop in the bucket as you note compared to what's really need -- what's really needed.

We need to fundamentally remake our energy economy in the United States and globally, and that's going to require far more substantial commitments, new infrastructure, subsidies for renewable energy, stopping the continued construction of fossil fuel, infrastructure, all of these things that a president can't do him or herself. It requires legislation. It requires codification by our Congress.

And at this point, we are at an impasse where Republicans and one or two Democrats have basically stopped any climate legislation from moving forward. That's the bad news.

The good news is that we have an upcoming midterm election here this fall. And there is an opportunity to increase the, you know, the number of Democrats in the Senate to the point where we might actually be able to pass climate legislation because that's what's needed.

If the United States is going to meet its obligations to reduce carbon emissions by 50 percent within the next decade, we're going to need legislation that codifies that and the only way that's going to happen is if voters turnout in these elections and vote for candidates who support climate action.

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Today, that really means Democrats, one of the two parties, Republicans appear completely opposed to any meaningful action on climate.

VAUSE: And what we've seen over the last couple of days, especially in the United Kingdom, is not only these all-time high temperatures, but maximum temperatures which have smashed previous records, you buy one or two degrees. And for context, normally, records are broken by fractions of degree. So, what does it say to you about what is yet to come?

MANN: Yes, I mean, what is telling us is that, look, the climate crisis is here, this isn't, you know, 2030, 2040, 2050 it's here now, we're seeing devastating consequences.

In Europe, here in North America, unprecedented heat, heat waves, wildfires, floods, droughts. This is the face of climate change.

The good news is that we can prevent it from getting worse if we bring those carbon emissions down rapidly. Bring them down to zero within the next couple of decades. Bring them down 50 percent within the next decade.

We can prevent further warming of the planet and a further worsening of these impacts. That's the good news.

The bad news is, this is what we're now basically committed to, it's now about making sure that it doesn't get worse.

VAUSE: Yes, and let's hope that it doesn't get worse because right now it's pretty awful. Michael, thank you for being with us.

MANN: Thank you.

VAUSE: The grinding Russian events in eastern Ukraine has been slowed, mostly because of the new high tech rocket system. The U.S. only recently shipped HIMARS to Ukraine, but they've proved so effective.

On Wednesday, the Pentagon announced another four HIMARS are on their way, bringing the total number to 12.

So far, Ukrainian fighters have destroyed about 30 Russian military command centers and ammunition depots deep inside Russian held territory.

Russia's foreign minister responded to the impact of long range weapons, saying Moscow's military goals will now be extended beyond the Donbas. Ukraine's military dismissed that threat.

Meantime, Ukraine says three people were killed, a man, woman, 13- year-old boy by Russian shelling early Wednesday in the northern city of Kharkiv.

In South Central Ukraine, not far from the front lines, a massive steel plant is holding on as the wall rages nearby.

CNN's Ivan Watson has our report.

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IVAN WATSON, CNN, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): This is the Arsenal metal mining and steel works. The heat being generated from this blast furnace, we can feel it here, it's more than 2,100 degrees Celsius. This is an enormous industrial plant that employs more than 26,000 people. And before the war, produced more than six million tons of steel a year. But the Ukrainian government accuses Russia of waging a hybrid, military and economic war on this country and it's put this entire plant in jeopardy.

This cavernous facility is now largely inactive. In fact, since the Russian invasion, the company has turned off three of the factories' blast furnaces. And turning these things off isn't like flipping a light switch. It is a long procedure. It takes about a week as one employee here puts it, it's like trying to extinguish the hearts of an active volcano.

This steelworks is only operating at about 30 percent capacity right now. Some 2,000 of its employees are now serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, at least 14 of them are believed to have been killed in the fighting. The war has made a mess of the company's supply chain. And the front lines? They're only about 50 kilometers, some 30 miles away from this facility.

And despite all of these risks and threats, the management of this company vows to try to remain operational.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine.

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VAUSE: Ukrainian's First Lady Olena Zelenska addressed the U.S. Congress on Wednesday, telling lawmakers she came to Washington not as the president's wife, but as a daughter and a mother concerned about the nation's future.

Behind her were images of ordinary Ukrainians impacted by war. She said Ukraine needs more military aid, especially air defenses to protect against Russian missiles.

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OLENA ZELENSKA, UKRAINIAN FIRST LADY (through translation): And I appeal to all of you on behalf of those who were killed, on behalf of those people who lost their arms and legs, on behalf of those who are still alive and well and those who wait for their families to come back from the front. I'm asking for something now I would never want to ask, I am asking for weapons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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VAUSE: Still to come here on CNN, the race to become the next British prime minister as remaining two candidates get ready to be in campaigning before the final round of voting by members of the Conservative Party across the U.K.

And later, they've torched his house, stormed his offices, now, protesters in Sri Lanka say they're not done trying to get the country's new president ousted as quickly as possible from office.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Mission largely accomplished. For now, I want to thank you and Mr. Speaker. I want to thank all the wonderful stuff that's going on. All my friends and colleagues, opposite Mr. Speaker, I want to thank everybody here and Hasta la vista, baby.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Going out in true BoJo style. Boris Johnson making his final appearance before Parliament as prime minister. His time in Number 10 cut short by a series of scandals and now the race to replace him is down to just two candidates former finance minister Rishi Sunak and foreign secretary Liz Truss. They'll spend the next few weeks campaigning before a vote by card carrying members of the Conservative Party.

It'd be a knock them down, drag him out brawl ever since the candidates threw their hats into the ring, what's also known as British politics.

Details now from CNN's Bianca Nobilo.

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BIANCA NOBILO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Knives out and bitter rivalries. The battle for Britain's Prime Minister is now in the knockout round.

First up, the establishment candidate Rishi Sunak, slick, some say too slick former chancellor, worked in investment banking, Oxford and Stanford educated, fiscal conservative, calling tax cut promises --

RISHI SUNAK, U.K. PM CANDIDATE: A fairy tale.

NOBILO: In the other corner, hawkish Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who says that she'll call Putin out directly. Remainer turned Brexiteer, libertarian, pro-tax cuts, sometimes gaffe-prone.

LIZ TRUSS, BRITISH CONSERVATIVE MP: In December, I'll be in Beijing, opening up new pork markets.

NOBILO: Held several high profile government positions and claims --

TRUSS: I am ready to be prime minister from day one.

NOBILO: It's been a dizzying fortnight in British politics. First, the resignation of Boris Johnson.

JOHNSON: But them's the breaks.

NOBILO: Triggering a leadership contest in which candidates pounded each other.

10 days of knockouts and dropouts, as conservative members of parliament voted in five rounds, shrinking a field of 11 potential prime ministers to two, choosing not just a leader of their party, but a prime minister too. The public punch up within the Tory party has been nothing but damaging.

TRUSS: Rishi, you have raised taxes to the highest level in 70 years.

SUNAK: OK, this tax, that tax and another tax and it will all be OK. But you know what? It won't.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's why we have done at the right (INAUDIBLE).

SUNAK: I've been on the front line in Afghanistan and Iraq.

[00:25:03]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not in government.

SUNAK: It's not just wrong. It's dangerous.

FREDDY GRAY, DEPUTY EDITOR, THE SPECTATOR: It is a fight to the death. It's a political death match. And we're now into the final two. And given how nasty it's been so far, I think we can only expect it to get nastier.

NOBILO: Who wins the last round will be up to less than 200,000 Conservative Party members.

Rishi Sunak is the clear favorite. He's had M.P.s in his corner from the start, but having served as Boris Johnson's Chancellor for two years, he is most closely associated with them.

Liz Truss is often compared to Margaret Thatcher, the Iron Lady. She has been emphasizing traditional conservatism to mop up votes on the right.

Sunak and Truss pull neck and neck with party membership, so this will be a close one.

The countdown is on until the 5th of September when the next prime minister will be announced. The head to head contest likely to become an even bloodier brawl.

Bianca Nobilo, CNN, London.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: CNN European Affairs commentator, Dominic Thomas joins us now from Berlin. Dom, thanks for getting up early for being with us.

DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Thank you. Good morning, John.

VAUSE: OK, so Sunak may have the support of his fellow Conservative M.P.s. But Truss is more popular with the rank and file members, the so-called selectorate (PH). They're mostly men around 60 years old living in the South of England, a group which bears little resemblance to the demographic makeup of the country. So, why did they get to choose who's the next prime minister is?

THOMAS: Yes, well, that's the -- that's the system John and they -- and they certainly do get to -- get to choose. So, there's been this sort of pre-selection process going on, all handled by the Conservative Party.

And what's been so interesting, you know, watching this as of course, this isn't an internal process, and was a real opportunity for the Conservative Party to sort of showcase its policies and to move away from the distractions of the -- of what we might call the Boris Johnson era. And yet, the whole process has revealed deep divisions in the party and even resentment.

So, yes, Rishi Sunak is there now in the in the final stages but having said that, it is really very much, you know, being held up as the individual who walked away from his position and precipitated the downfall of Boris Johnson. And so, there's a lot of anger and resentment around that.

And yet, when it comes to Liz Truss, we see the continuing importance in the Conservative Party, the shadow of Brexit. And we see that in some of the endorsements she's received from the -- from the far right wing of the party, and that is very much likely to play out among this membership, which you described as far more homogenous and monolithic. And that ultimately now gets to -- gets to vote on these final two characters, John.

VAUSE: Simon Jenkins, a columnist for The Guardian, had an assessment with Liz Truss which is a little harsh, but similar in tune to what others have written, here's part of it.

Her limited experience of high office and the conduct of her leadership campaign are unedifying. This is just a vain, cliched, pseudo-rightwing Tory, with no spark of charisma or originality. Her attempt to mimic Margaret Thatcher had been childishly embarrassing.

She's also been described as an ideologue without ideas, who promised in a now deleted tweet, I'm ready to hit the ground from day one.

Notably, (INAUDIBLE) she's got the word running. In many ways, at least in a style over substance way, is she called the appropriate heir to Boris Johnson?

THOMAS: Yes, well, the question John is at this stage, you know, who really wants to take over given all the challenges facing on this post-Brexit U.K.?

I think on the question of experience is a little bit unfair, she has been an M.P. and a minister much longer than Rishi Sunak.

However, having said that, I think the real issue around her has to do with convictions, this is someone who initially was a Remainer. Now, she's an arch defender of Brexit and all that entails.

And I think that therefore opens her up to manipulations and I think that ultimately, that's what much of the membership is looking for is this sort of post-Johnson security, make sure the Brexit train kind of keeps moving.

And that ultimately, that sort of lack of conviction is something that can be instrumentalized by the -- by the party as they move forward. And that may ironically be what gets into the position, rather than a kind of long track record. And really sort of a genuine move away from everything that Boris Johnson represented to a kind of new era for this party, John.

VAUSE: As for Boris Johnson, this seems to be almost a sense of joy, a relief, perhaps even satisfaction that he's now leaving Parliament. Here he was just last week, listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNSON: I'm also proud of the leadership that I have given and I will be leaving, Mr. Speaker, I will be leaving soon with my head held high.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: He is a man who fills a room to say the least he does have a charisma. He does have a following. He is already working behind the scenes against Sunak.

Is he likely to go quietly into the night? Or could he make a return at some point to Number 10? Yet, he doesn't seem to have the demeanor of the man who is at the end of his political career.

[00:30:08]

THOMAS: No, I think you're absolutely right there, John. I mean, this will be the fourth Conservative Party prime minister in a six-year period.

As we just mentioned, the country faces a whole range of challenges, like much of Europe. Energy crisis, inflation, and so on. And one cannot help but think that with the general election potentially a good two years away, that one in many ways would be foolish to bet that this new party leader, who will on September 5th become the new prime minister, will be standing in two years' time.

And I think to that extent, nothing is impossible in politics. And Boris Johnson was there reminding people in his interpretation of his prime ministership that he was the one that delivered that great majority. And I think that there's a lot of uncertainty as this party goes down the road and will now ultimately be accountable for the way in which it deals with these real issues, rather than just simply the emotions that surrounded Brexit. That that level of accountability will be a scrutinized, and nothing is impossible in politics, John.

VAUSE: Absolutely. Especially British politics these days. Incredibly unpredictable.

Dominic, as always, thank you for being with us. We appreciate it.

THOMAS: Thank you.

VAUSE: Next up here on CNN NEWSROOM, we're waiting in Sri Lanka for the swearing in of a new president. These are live images of what we're about to see, hopefully, at 10 a.m. in the morning there.

This new president will face a herculean task of fixing an economy in shambles, as well as winning over a deeply skeptical public, many of whom do not want him from the get-go. We're live in a moment. Back in a sec.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone.

It's just after 10 a.m. in the morning local time in Colombo, Sri Lanka. We can see the man who was the acting president of the country, Ranil Wickremesinghe, now actually being sworn in as the new president of Sri Lanka. He will serve out the term of the previous president, who fled the country and resigned. That will be about a two-and-a- half-year term.

He now takes over this office in a country which is in the midst of an economic crisis, a political crisis. There is great disunity. There are many within this country who do not want this man to be president.

He served as prime minister six times before, notably, never completing a full term. He does have some economic credentials, but he is seen as some many as being too closely linked to the old guard.

CNN's Will Ripley standing by live for us in Colombo. He's been following the story from the very beginning. So Will, this is a man who takes office, is sworn in with many wanting him to be a former president from the get-go. WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, and you

know, they also look back at history, and every time that he was the prime minister, the Rajapaksa family got stronger on the back end of his -- of his term as prime minister.

[00:35:10]

And so people are wondering if that's going to happen again, if somehow they're going to have this dynasty that's been disgraced, is going to make some sort of a comeback, now that you have as president, in a matter of minutes, a six-time prime minister who's worked under the Gotabaya Rajapaksa family. Even though he's not a member of their party of necessarily that closely aligned.

And we saw in our interview with him a few days ago, you know, he accused them of -- of misleading the public, covering up facts about the bankruptcy. Sri Lanka is so deeply in debt that they can't even pay the interest on their loans.

You know, he basically said they're the reason why people have to wait 6 to 8 days for fuel and equally long lines for things like medicine at the hospital and food.

But he did point out that things are getting better on his watch. He was prime minister for two months, before he became acting president. He says power cuts have been reduced from five hours a day to three hours a day.

And actually, as of today, John, they're going to be distributing petrol, and hopefully, that will ease up some of the congestion, although they still probably need to crack down on the black market; because they basically -- there's a black market now for petrol, because you have to -- either you wait in a long line or you pay five times the price for it. So capitalism and democracy right here.

VAUSE: Absolutely.

We just -- while we've been speaking, we're looking at these live images coming from Sri Lanka. And what we're seeing is Ranil Wickremesinghe. He's reading from a double folded piece of paper. There is a member of judiciary, I imagine, who is a supreme court judge or the equivalent of that. There's also somebody else administering the oath of office.

Just exactly what is happening in terms of this ceremony and then what comes next?

RIPLEY: So it's going to be pretty quick. And that's the chief justice that you were mentioning. And then you have the -- he walks into the room as the president-elect and, in a matter of less than 30 minutes, he walks out as the president.

So by the time your program is over, he will be the president, the eighth president of Sri Lanka.

But he doesn't serve a five-year term like most presidents would normally do, because he's picking up kind of halfway through the term of his predecessor, who resigned. So he has two and a half years.

And then, presumably, he can run again, if he wants to. You mentioned how interesting it is that he's never served a full term as prime minister. I wonder if that will hold true for the presidency.

I guess it all depends on how things go with the IMF, talks about the bail out.

And in terms of the protests, the protesters, the reason why I haven't mentioned them yet, John, is because they're really not existent. Yesterday, we had protests that numbered in the dozens. And the crowds pretty much dispersed after the election results were in. So there was a lot of loud noise from about three or four dozen people, but you didn't see the massive crowds and the anger.

And certainly, you didn't see the violence. Partially, perhaps, because the government has warned -- has warned them that. if they do -- if they do try to enter a government building, they have heavily armed, you know, military and police who have been told to do whatever it takes to protect that property.

VAUSE: I'm just curious -- just curious if there's sort of now an acceptance that, you know, the protests -- the time the protests is over. There is now a need for stability; a need for the IMF to come in to secure the loans to try and get the economy stabilized and get the country, you know, moving in the right direction again, because it essentially spiraled out of control for such a long period of time.

RIPLEY: I don't know if, you know, the man on the street thought process is quite as highbrow and educated as that, John, because that is -- you're absolutely right.

But what I will say, because I walked around yesterday, people said they're tired. He's in, OK. They're not happy about it, but let's see how he does. That was kind of the overwhelming sentiment, from when I was just -- really just walking around, running errands and trying to talk to people randomly, which is something that I do when it come to new cities, because you can learn a lot.

People are angry. They're not thrilled that he's their new president, but they're going to see what happens.

VAUSE: There's nothing quite like being on the streets of a story and knowing what people are saying and actually finding stuff out for yourself. It actually makes a big difference.

RIPLEY: Yes, go figure.

VAUSE: How about that? Will Ripley, on the streets of Colombo, doing actual, real reporting. Thank you.

And we'll be right back. You're watching CNN. Stay with us, please.

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[00:41:22] VAUSE: A memorable moment for an American family with a loved one considered wrongfully detained in Venezuela. Matthew Heath spoke on the phone Wednesday with his family after almost two years behind bars.

CNN's Kylie Atwood reports a new mural in Washington, D.C., is trying to raise awareness of his case and many others.

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KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wide smiles, bright eyes. The cap of a Marine. A carefully kept mustache. These are the faces of 18 Americans detained abroad. Their faces now larger than life on a mural unveiled in Washington, D.C.

ALEXANDRA ZAMBRANO FORSETH, DAUGHTER OF AMERICAN DETAINED IN VENEZUELA: I hope that this mural helps people see that my dad is a living, breathing human being with feelings. And that he's not just a policy issue.

ATWOOD (voice-over): Their families are pushing the U.S. government to do everything in their power to bring them home.

GABRIELA ZAMBRANO-HILL, DAUGHTER OF AMERICAN DETAINED IN VENEZUELA: My dad is losing his vision bit by bit. Because he doesn't have medical treatment. Is he going to be blind by the time I'm able to get him home?

ATWOOD (voice-over): One moment of joy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They saw us all running for the back of the alley.

ATWOOD (voice-over): One family got an unexpected phone call.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Matthew called just now. We were able to tell him what we're doing for him, for the other families. How hard we're working to try to get him home.

ATWOOD (voice-over): Matthew Heath is a American detained in Venezuela who attempted suicide last month. His mother says her son will not survive if he doesn't get home soon.

CONNIE HAYES, MOTHER OF AMERICAN DETAINED IN VENEZUELA: He was subject to suffocation. They put plastic bags over his face and two occasions, put plastic bags on his face multiple times. He was then electrocuted multiple times.

ATWOOD (voice-over): The mural's artist, Isaac Campbell, has one artistic vision for this emotional display.

ISAAC CAMPBELL, ARTIST: It's meant, I think it's hope that some of these people can stand in front of their picture and say, "I'm home."

ATWOOD: Now, most of the images in that mural are the final photo that these family members took up their loved one before they were detained abroad. So they have a very emotional connection to the images that they saw up up on that wall today.

And the artist told us that he's thinking about putting up similar murals in cities across the country. And of course, he is hoping that President Biden visits this mural that is in Georgetown just blocks from the White House.

Kylie Atwood, CNN, the State Department.

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VAUSE: Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. Please stay with us. I'll be back at the top of the hour with a lot more news. In the meantime, after a very short break, WORLD SPORT is up next. See you soon.

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