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Blistering Heat Scorching Much Of Northern Hemisphere; Ukraine: U.S. Rocket Systems Slowing Russian Advance; Final Candidates In PM Race: Rishi Sunak & Liz Truss; Italy's Political Crisis; Despite Winning Confidence Vote, Draghi's Job Jeopardy; Crisis in Sri Lanka; New President Sworn in in Sri Lanka; Pearl Jam Cancels Vienna Concert; NASA Plans to Launch Artemis 1; Democrats Heavily Funding Candidates on the Far Right in Hopes to Defeat Them in General Election; Interview with Republican Strategist and Former RNC Communications Director Doug Heye; Boris Johnson: "Hasta La Vista, Baby"; January 6 Investigation; Two Trump Aides to Testify Publicly. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired July 21, 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]
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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all of you watching us from around the world, this is "CNN NEWSROOM," I'm Kim Brunhuber.
Just ahead, with unrelenting heat, raging wildfires, melting ice caps, the climate crisis on red alert, and political turmoil in two European countries, the British Prime Minister signs off while the Italian Prime Minister barely hangs on. And what could be a game changer on the battlefield? How U.S. supply rocket system has become key to Ukraine's defense against Russia?
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is "CNN NEWSROOM" with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: A searing heatwave is baking huge sections of the Northern Hemisphere and scientists warn that's because of climate change. These hot spells will only get intense and more frequent. Wildfires burning all over Europe with the Mediterranean countries battling the most dangerous blazes from Portugal all the way to Turkey. Fires in northeast Italy are threatening water and power supplies, and 14 urban areas are under Italy's highest heat alerts. Germany also marked its hottest day of the year on Wednesday on the record-breaking temperatures that appear to be moving east away from the UK. London's fire brigades this Tuesday was its busiest day since the Second World War.
Now, on the other side of the Atlantic, more than 100 million Americans are also sweating it out with highs hitting 44 degrees Celsius in Las Vegas and Phoenix. Authorities in Texas say energy usage hit an all-time high on Wednesday, but that's not yet official. And the Northeastern U.S. is heating up with advisories issued for New York, Philadelphia, and Boston.
So, in Europe, more than 20 countries remain under heat warnings. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER (voiceover): 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: Speaking in a foreign language.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 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: Speaking in a foreign language.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: During this heatwave, 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 what the mayor called their busiest day since World War II. A 75-year-old resident shared this video of his burnt-out horse stables.
BRIAN BRAZIER, STABLE OWNER: I've gutted really but more so gutted for the people who lost their houses and all their -- 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, COUNCILLOR: Because we do know extreme weather is going to be hitting the UK more and more as years go by. Down in this part of Hadrian (PH), 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 was unprecedented.
ABDELAZIZ: Wildfires that ravaged through forests in a region near Bordeaux in 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 thanks 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 heatwave is far from over. Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, Wennington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: And CNN Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri is tracking the temperatures. And, Pedram, some areas are as hot as they've ever been, others are getting a reprieve right now but maybe might not last for long, right?
[02:05:08]
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Shortly for a lot of folks. Yes, you know this -- there's potential that the heat restored across portions of Europe within the next four to five days and we'll touch on that momentarily. But as you noted, the historic heat here has been as impressive as it gets. Just since 2019 alone, the hottest temperatures ever observed in these countries Italy, Spain, France, Germany, and the UK, ever on record in recorded history have occurred since the Summer of 2019, of course, a couple of events in the summer of 2021 in most recently, in the past couple of days seeing the hottest temperature ever observed across the United Kingdom. Important to note. When you look at the household air conditioning units installed by percentage across the areas of Europe, the UK among the lowest, the businesses, of course, you get up to five to 7 percent. In London, it's slightly higher, but in the UK as a whole about 1 percent. France only 5 percent of residential households with air conditioning access, Germany about 3 percent, in Spain, 30 percent while around the southern portion of Spain, that number increases closer to 70 percent, and in Italy, 7 percent, compare that to Japan, to the United States, 85 almost 90 percent of households have access to air conditioning, so really speaks to how important of an event this is when you have this sort of heat year after year.
And summer 2021, when it was all said and done, was recorded as the hottest summer on record across Europe as a whole. In the past 24 hours, portions of Germany climbing up to 40 degrees as that heat begins to shift a little farther towards the east. The energy, shifting down into Warsaw, portions of Poland into Hungary upper 30s in the forecast for this afternoon. I notice again some reprieve here. Paris at 28 degrees into the afternoon hours versus the 41 we saw on Tuesday, London climbed up to 40 degrees, and will aim for about 26 but areas of eastern France still underneath these heat alerts, areas of southwestern Poland underneath the highest level of heat concerned as well as that energy with the contours here indicated in orange.
Shift a little farther towards the east. Notice we get a break here. We can kind of shift into the greens and yellows which are indicative of cooler here. And then once again, early next week, the orange returns across this area with heat restored for some into the central Europe and that's what we're watching. We had a few showers, a few thunderstorms scattered about this region into the morning hours, and nice comfortable start, for now, London at 16 degrees, Paris only at 19 degrees into the morning hours a few days ago. We were already well into the middle 20s across these areas, but it's important to note summer is only about 30 days old. So potentially a lot more heat waves in store here before we get our way into September and October and get a break across these areas. BRUNHUBER: All right, Thanks so much, Pedram Javaheri, really appreciate it.
U.S.-supplied HIMARS rocket systems have only been in eastern Ukraine a short time, and the country's defense chief says they've already slowed the Russian advance significantly. On Wednesday, the U.S. military announced it would soon send four more of the precision weapons to Ukraine bringing the total number to 12. So far, Ukraine says it's hit about 30 ammunition depots and command centers deep inside Russian-held territory seriously disrupting the Russian offensive. Russia's foreign minister said the introduction of long- range rockets means Moscow will now have to extend its new border farther west with those weapons out of range. Ukraine's military quickly dismissed the threat.
Meanwhile, Ukraine says three people were killed, a man, a woman, and a 13-year-old boy by Russian shelling early on Wednesday in the northern city of Kharkiv. Ukrainian's first lady addressed the U.S. Congress on Wednesday. Olena Zelenska told lawmakers she came to Washington not as a president's wife but as a daughter and a mother concerned about her nation's future. Behind her were images of ordinary Ukrainians impacted by the war. She said that Ukraine needs more military aid, especially air defenses to protect against Russian missiles. Here she is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OLENA ZELENSKA, UKRAINIAN FIRST LADY: Speaking in a foreign language.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 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)
BRUNHUBER: Nic Robertson joins us live from Kyiv. So, Nic, the Ukrainians have certainly been very grateful to get those new HIMARS rocket systems. What effects are they having on the battlefield, and might they be enough to turn the tide of the war?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMAT EDITOR: (AUDIO GAP) the war and this is why the Ukrainians want more of them. And I think when we think about turning the tide of the war, there's that sort of there would be an understanding in that language that you can therefore push Russian forces back. I think what the Ukrainians are doing at the moment is looking for those areas to use this limited, but important HIMARS resource that they now have to try to influence the battlefield where Russia is trying to take the most gains and they're doing that by hitting the ammo dumps behind those frontline positions.
[02:10:09]
But the Ukrainian officials are still saying look, we can hit these weapons stores further back from the frontlines, but the Russians still have a lot of weapons and ammunition at those frontlines than other key positions. And they're also trying to take out as we've seen over the past couple of days, strategic supply routes for the Russians to those frontline positions. There was a bridge, in particular, that was targeted by the HIMARS system. It didn't take the -- this key bridge down that the Russians can use to get closer to the frontline, it didn't take that down, but it did damage it. So that shows you how the Ukrainians are trying to tactically use this weapon. And it is to slow that advance.
I think it's going to be a different thing, and we're yet to see that if they -- if the Ukrainians can stop the Russian tide coming in, if you will, taking territory, turning it around, that's going to look different on the battlefield. And using these weapon systems that can reach really with high precision accuracy over those frontlines to slow what the Russians are doing behind the frontlines. When perhaps the Ukrainians get more of these systems, then they can use them to target those key frontline positions to potentially break through the Russian lines. But I think they're going to need it because the front line is so, so long, hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of kilometers. It's going to take a lot more than the limited number of HIMARS they have at the moment.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, absolutely right. And then turning to Russia's reaction, Russians -- Russia's Foreign Minister, certainly raising eyebrows with his recent comments suggesting the country's objectives are changing. So take us through his comments and the reaction.
ROBERTSON: Sergey Lavrov is saying we've got into Ukraine on a special military operation, their language that masks the fact they've actually gone to war in Ukraine. They say that they went in for DeNaziffication and to make sure that the country wasn't a threat to Russia. They're saying -- Sergey Lavrov is saying, if Ukraine has these longer-range precision weapons, that means our special military operation needs to go further forward, take more territory because we need to be able to defend ourselves from these longer-range weapons. These longer-range and more accurate weapons cannot be allowed to threaten over the borders into Russia.
Now, the United States and the UK, because they're planning to supply similar weapons, are getting understanding from the Ukrainians that the Ukrainians won't use these HIMARS weapon systems to target into Russia. So I think that sort of in a little bit unpicks the logic of what Sergey Lavrov is saying, but I -- but Ukraine's foreign minister has said very clearly that this is Russia rejecting the language of diplomacy and really making a case to make bigger land grabs. But I think what really underpins what Sergey Lavrov is saying is this is a message the United States and the -- and the UK and Ukraine's Western allies as well.
The United States is considering right now, giving the Ukrainians even longer-range HIMARS weapon systems. That would really give them an even bigger advantage. And similar systems, the UK would supply again, have a longer range than the -- than the HIMARS that Ukraine has already received. So what Sergey Lavrov here I think he's saying is don't supply these even longer range weapons because we'll push deeper. But the reality of the situation is whatever Lavrov is saying, Russia at the moment isn't able to push as it would like deeper into Ukrainian territory. Clearly, they're trying.
But this is all around. This is a language of war. And it's not the language of diplomacy. But it does seem to take these HIMARS systems to stop Russia's war machine. And if Sergey Lavrov is implicitly implying that they are disrupting Russia's ability to fight and Russia's concerns, then this -- then this tips the balance, you know, and diplomatic conversations.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, absolutely. Listen, I always appreciate the analysis. Nic Robertson in Kyiv, thanks so very much.
In South Central Ukraine, not far from the front lines, a massive Ukrainian steel plant is still producing despite the raging war nearby. CNN's Ivan Watson reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is the ArcelorMittal mining and steel works, the heat being generated from this blast furnace. We can feel it here. It's more than 2100 degrees Celsius. This is an enormous industrial plant that employs more than 26,000 people, and before the war, produced more than 6 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.
[02:15:09]
This cavernous facility is now largely inactive. In fact, since the Russian invasion, the company has turned off three of the factory's 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 2000 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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BRUNHUBER: Russia has restarted the flow of gas from his Nord Stream 1 pipeline easing fears for now of further gas supply cuts to Europe. Nord Stream is the biggest pipeline carrying Russian gas to Germany, supplying energy for many European countries. The pipeline was shut down 10 days ago for planned maintenance and many feared Russia will use the stoppage as leverage to get European leaders to ease sanctions imposed against the Kremlin for its war against Ukraine.
All right, still to come. Only two candidates remain in the race to become Britain's next prime minister. We'll look at what's next in the process before the final vote. And Italy's Prime Minister is on thin ice even though he received a thumbs up in the Senate. We'll look at why he may have to call it quits even though he won a confidence vote. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Back to one of our top stories, a searing heatwave is baking huge sections of the northern hemisphere, and scientists warn that because of climate change, these hot spells will only get worse and more frequent. Joining me now is Bob Ward, Director of Policy and Communications at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment. Thanks so much for being here with us. So, you know climate scientists, such as yourselves, have been waving their arms in the air about this for years. Are you surprised by how many people seem to be surprised by what they're experiencing now?
BOB WARD, DIRECTOR, GRANTHAM RESEARCH INSTITUTE ON CLIMATE CHANGE & THE ENVIRONMENT: I mean, there's a very clear pattern, these periods of the heatwave are becoming more intense and more frequent all around the world. We saw a terrible heatwave in Northwest North America last year, we're seeing a repeat of that in Northern Europe.
[02:20:02]
And as I said, these are not one-offs. This is part of a pattern. And they're going to continue to get longer, more frequent, and more intense until the world reduces its greenhouse gas emissions effectively to zero. And that looks like that's at least 30 years away.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. So, many of those consequences, as you say, for -- will happen for the next 30 years, even if we do sort of hit that net zero. So how likely is it that we achieve those goals given the relative inaction and given how-- even though people are literally living through the consequences -- the consequences right now, still, so many people, voters, politicians still refuse to make the connection?
WARD: Well, I hope that politicians all around the world are seeing these consequences unveiling up before their very eyes. Climate change is here and happening now. It's disrupting and damaging and destroying lives and livelihoods around the world. So it's not a theoretical future risk, it's a risk here and now, and those disasters are going to continue to happen unless we get to that -- until we get to that net-zero targets. And we have to speed up our efforts because it's not cheaper to wait and delay and think of excuses. It's more expensive because the price we pay is terrible for these impacts of climate change. You don't have a successful economy if you're constantly spending your time battling against these kinds of extreme weather events.
BRUNHUBER: And now, with the fuel and energy crisis brought on by the war in Ukraine, how demoralizing is it to see countries sort of turning back to fossil fuels, especially so soon after the last Global Climate Summit in Glasgow? WARD: Well, I hope that conclusion that politicians are drawing from this is that the solutions to the present economic crisis that's happening particularly in Europe, and tackling climate change is the same answer. We have to start generating clean domestic energy, that means renewable energy and nuclear power in some countries, that then would make us less dependent on these imports of fossil fuels, these expensive imports of fossil fuel, which are causing the economic crisis and are causing the problem with climate change. So countries might temporarily return to coal, but I think in Germany and other countries in Europe, they can see that the solution is not to carry on burning coal but to carry on or speed up the transition to renewables and, perhaps nuclear power. That's the solution.
BRUNHUBER: So, I mean, you've written how what we're experiencing now is a harbinger of things to come. And you've explained that even though -- even if we get to net zero within the next 30 years, it's still going to get worse and worse. So, you know, we have to do these long-term changes to get there. But in the meantime, what changes do we need to make -- to cope with the situation, sort of, not just in the long term but rather in the short term?
WARD: Yes. We're going to have to adapt because these things are going to continue. So particularly, cities are particularly exposed to heat because they're full of manmade dark surfaces that tend to absorb the sun's energy, turn it into heat. So often, city areas are much warmer than the surrounding countryside. And that means we need to start, particularly in countries like the UK, which traditionally think of themselves as being cold countries, they need to start thinking of themselves as a warm country, redesign their houses, educate people so that they keep their windows shut, and their blinds down and shutters closed during the middle of the day. But we're also going to have to start replacing a lot of our infrastructure, which just kind of can't cope with the heat at the moment.
So we need -- what happens is materials expanding the heat and what we've seen train lines buckling, we're seeing electrical devices fail. So all of that's going to need to be replaced with materials that can withstand the heat. It's not going to be cheap, but that's the price we pay for not having acted earlier on climate change. The cost of adaptation we're going to have to meet because the alternative to adapting is just suffering. And we're already seeing far too much suffering.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, that's exactly where I hopefully the discomfort will jar people into action, maybe. Bob Ward, thank you so much, really appreciate it.
WARD: Thank you.
BRUNHUBER: The race to replace Boris Johnson as Britain's next prime minister and Conservative Party leader is now down to two candidates, former finance minister, Rishi Sunak, and foreign secretary Liz Truss. Sunak won 137 votes and Truss got 113 in the final round, and they'll spend the next few weeks campaigning before a vote by card-carrying members of the Conservative Party. And the final results will be announced on September 5. For more on this, joining me now is Richard Johnson, who's a lecturer in U.S. politics at the Queen Mary University of London. Thanks so much for being here with us. So this has been called the most unpredictable leadership race in years. Are you surprised by the way it's gone and by the two candidates who are left in the race now?
[02:25:11]
RICHARD JOHNSON, U.S. POLITICS LECTURER, QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON: I'm not terribly surprised by the two final candidates. But I think what's notable is that both of them got around just about a third of Conservative MPs' support. So in other words, two-thirds of Conservative MPs didn't want either final two candidates. It's very different from Boris Johnson who got two-thirds of the support from Conservative MPs. Liz Truss is leading among Conservative Party members in the country, according to polling, but I think that her support could be fairly soft. I think that this is a campaign where the campaign will matter and the candidates need to prove themselves and you could see some significant swinging in the polls over the next few weeks, I think.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. So tell me about that, then what happens now concretely, what will the candidates be busy doing to sort of get themselves over the line here?
JOHNSON: So we don't know how many Conservative Party members there are that's kept secret by the Conservative Party. They don't release a lot of information about their supporters, but we estimate this probably about 150 to 200,000, as you said card-carrying members of the Conservative Party. These are now the Selectric who will choose their party leader and therefore the prime minister of this country. And so Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss will spend the summer going to different conservative associations up and down the country sending out MPs who support them to speak on their behalf in all the different constituencies of the United Kingdom.
On top of that, there will be some debates, televised debates. And this is where I think Liz Truss could run into some trouble. She didn't do very well at all in the previous two televised debates. When the MPs were voting she came last and second to last in the polls about who won that -- those debates. And even though she's the front runner right now, I think if she tanks in the upcoming televised debates, that could spell real trouble for her.
BRUNHUBER: You spoke about the high proportion of party members who didn't vote for either candidate. I mean, this leadership contest seems to have exposed very deep divisions in the party. Explain why that is. And do you think that will change once the leader is chosen?
JOHNSON: I think one of the reasons why Boris Johnson stayed Prime Minister as long as he did was because there was an absence of a clear alternative. There was no real heir apparent waiting in the wings. But sometimes there is at various junctures in British politics. And it's clear that although Conservative MPs had concluded Boris Johnson needed to go, they haven't decided who should replace him. And I think that's going to be interesting because the signals then the party members are not so clear.
There's a lot of discussion about how unrepresentative Conservative Party members are, and they are indeed unrepresentative of the wider electorate. However, they do show a tendency to want -- to win elections. The Conservatives are a very successful political party. And they'll often take signals from their own MPs about who they think is most you know viable, one who can win elections.
And this time, those clear signals are not as apparent. And that's why I think that the support that the candidates currently have among members is pretty soft. They need to prove themselves that they're good campaigners and that they can go out into the country and win support.
BRUNHUBER: Well, turning to Boris Johnson now, I mean, his shadow looms large over all of this. What parts, if any, do you think he will play sort of within the party throughout this and more broadly in British politics going forward?
JOHNSON: In the -- in the immediate term, I suspect he will probably refrain from making any public statements about either candidate such as so it's not to be overly divisive in that. I think one of the things that's so interesting is, of course, that these two candidates are not really major change candidates. They were both the most senior members of Boris Johnson's own cabinet. So it's not like you've got a really clear anti-Boris and a pro-Boris candidate. Both of them ultimately were happy to serve in his government until very recently, at least.
In terms of Boris's longer future, I would be surprised if he stayed an MP for the rest of the parliament. I could see him resigning his seat, and perhaps going on the speaking circuit, maybe selling some books. He's a -- he's a -- he's a celebrity as well as a politician. And I think that he will probably try to milk what he can from that as other former prime ministers have to be fair.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, certainly. Don't expect him to disappear from the public eye. Richard Johnson in London, thank you so much, really appreciate your time.
JOHNSON: Thank you.
BRUNHUBER: Italy's government is on the skids even though its prime minister has won the confidence vote in the Senate. On Wednesday, Senators voted for a second time in a week to keep Prime Minister Mario Draghi on the job.
But despite that win, he still seems to be out of good political options. So, for more on this, Barbie Nadeau joins us from Rome.
So, Barbie, just so much chaos in Italy. What are we expecting today?
BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, you know. There was just a bloodbath. We haven't seen this kind of political battle for a long time here in this country, despite the fact that their stability's never been part of the Italian political seat. Today, we're expecting Mario Draghi to tender his resignation to the president. I think everyone is on the same page with that. This -- you know, he won the confidence vote last night, but he won it after three parties -- major parties boycotted the vote.
And that boycott is very different than those parties had they gone in and voted against him. They're doing it in a strategic way looking ahead, not looking at the present, but looking ahead. This country was supposed to go to elections in May of 2023, but I think it's very clear that the country will go into elections, probably, in October of this year. Kim.
BRUNHUBER: I mean, the politics around all of this, some are accusing the parties that boycotted the vote of putting politics above the good of the country, is that fair?
NADEAU: That's right. You know, in many ways, Mario Draghi was, sort of, the adult in the room when it comes to these political parties. He was a Eurocrat, head of the -- former head of the European central bank. He was the man that was going to save Italy. He was the man that was going to pull -- use a recovery fund money by the European Union to sort of restart the economy here after the long pandemic.
But what's interesting, I think, about the parties that did bow out of the vote. You've got the center-right coalition, you've got the Lega Party by -- ran by Mateo. So, really, you've got Forza Italia run by Silvio Berlusconi, a name a lot of people we'll remember. Those parties are pulling really high right now in addition to Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy's Party.
If Italy goes to a vote right now, it's very likely those parties would win. They want to go to a vote. Now, the Five Star Movement, which is very much the anti-establishment movement that won the most votes in the last election in 2018, which is the cycle we're closing right now, their reason for boycotting was very different because they're having internal fighting within them. Their party is imploded in many ways. I think anti-establishment parties by nature have a hard time, you know, working together in the political spectrum.
So, you know, if there's an election in October, it's very clear that, you know, the way that polls stand right now and they probably won't change until after the summer, is it would benefit the center-right. And that's probably what motivated them. And it will not benefit the Five Star, which was so powerful five years ago, which has certainly lost that going forward, too.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, we will be following the developments throughout the day. Barbie Nadeau in Rome, thank you so much.
All right. Still to come, Sri Lanka has just sworn in its new president amid protesters -- many of them never wanted to begin with. We'll have the latest on the country's political crisis in a live report coming up. Stay with us.
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[02:35:00] BRUNHUBER: Sri Lanka has a new president. Six-time former prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, was just sworn in a short time ago. Now, he faces the monumental task of turning around an economy in shambles, not to mention winning over a skeptical public, many of whom wanted him out of office before he was offered the job. CNN's Will Ripley is standing by for us in Colombo.
So, Will, we saw, you know, a video of the new president's supporters dancing in the streets at the news. But fair to say, not everyone is thrilled with this.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, let me put it this way for the sake of balance. There were, you know, there were some people dancing in the streets and there were some people protesting, and both of the groups were pretty small.
So, if we were to, kind of say, this is what's happening across the nation, I'll tell you what was happening across most of the nation. People are still waiting in line for gasoline, you know, for over a week. They're still waiting in line for food and medicine. And frankly, as I was walking around, kind of, asking, hey, why not any protests after this election results? Several people told me they are tired and they're ready to just, kind of, get on with life.
They suspected he might be the guy. He is the guy. And he does have a lot of experience, six-term prime minister turning around the, you know, economy back about 20 years ago. You know, that's not necessarily, you know, a resume credential that makes headlines, that's very sexy. But, you know, in our interview, we cut out a lot of the really, kind of, wonky economic talk that the president was giving us because most people wouldn't understand but he does.
And if you have an economy that is in shambles and you want somebody that understands the ins and outs of how to, like, turn that situation around, maybe he's the guy. We don't know. Because that's only -- we're only hours into his two and a half year term. He doesn't have a whole lot of time to prove himself because normally, they have a five- year term here in Sri Lanka. But because the disgraced ex-president left the country in self-exile halfway through, basically, Ranil Wickremesinghe, who becomes the eighth president of Sri Lanka will just take over for the remaining two and a half years.
We'll see if he can get the economy back up and running or at least head it towards a happier future by 2024, which is what he told us. It's a pretty tall order considering the deep debt that Sri Lanka's in. And in fact, they still can't pay off their creditors. They don't have an IMF bailout negotiated yet. They're talking to try them. But it's a tough situation and there's lots of fires that he has to put out now as president. So, the hard work begins soon.
BRUNHUBER: Exactly right. So many challenges ahead. Will Ripley in Colombo. Great to have you there. Thanks so much.
All right. Still to come, some cities in New York are finding ways to help the most vulnerable cope with the extreme heat. We'll have the details after the break. Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
EDLIRA DIBRANI, FINNISH SCHOOL OF KOSOVO: Our mission is to see this young generation of leaders growing up, make change in the world. My name is Edlira Dibrani and I'm the communications officer of the Finnish School of Kosovo here in Kosovo, Europe.
We created the Wall of Freedom, which is still in our halls. We organized a bake sale where we collected over 500 euros which are going to be donated to an organization against domestic violence. I would say the one that we are most proud of is the set in stone garden.
For over a month, each student gathered rocks. We took these rocks. We wrote down our vows and pledges to end modern-day slavery. And then, we took all those rocks outside in the middle of our school yard and we spelled out, My Freedom Day. So, we had this really cool shot where everybody was shouting out, My Freedom Day. Sort of, like a symbolic way to say that our pledges are actually set in stone and they will remain there forever.
This, I believe, has made a very long-lasting, impact on them. And it's something that they have vowed to actually take on in the following months. You'll see them around the school still doing the things for My Freedom Day.
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[02:40:00]
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BRUNHUBER: The heat wave baking much of Europe has forced the rock band Pearl Jam to cancel their show in Vienna. The band told fans on Instagram that lead singer Eddie Vedder's throat was damaged at their show outside of Paris by the heat, dust, and smoke from nearby fires. The band apologized and promised fans a full refund.
Well, heat wave is dangerous for everyone, but especially for people living on the streets. Now, some homeless people in Paris, Berlin and elsewhere are getting some relief as Paula Newton reports.
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PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): In a deadly heat wave, the most exposed become the most vulnerable. Across Europe, hundreds have died in record-breaking temperatures. Those without homes are among the most at risk, facing extreme heat without anywhere to go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The heat wave knocks you out, you get knocked out and you need a refuge somewhere cool, where you can shower, where you can quench your thirst or maybe have a snack. Because it's difficult to live, you know, for us. It's quite difficult.
NEWTON (voiceover): Now, some cities are making efforts to help those experiencing homelessness to cope. In the French capital, Paris city hall workers are distributing water bottles to the needy. And another mission offers rest pit from the sun.
LOTFI OUANEZAR, DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL, EMMAUS SOLIDARITY (through translator): During the heat wave, we are extra vigilant, because people living on the streets suffer the most. So, people can find an air-conditioned place to cool off here. Drink from the fountain, take showers, and meet with social workers who can help.
NEWTON (voiceover): In Germany, a pilot project in Berlin offers cool spaces to shelter while the heat wave continues.
JANETTE WERNER, COORDINATOR, INITIATIVE FOR THE HOMELESS (through translator): All people are invited to come to us. They can shower. They're given hygiene products. They can rest. They can eat and have something to drink. They can put on sunscreen. They can get some clothes to shield their head from the sun.
NEWTON (voiceover): With support from Berlin's Senate, the Initiative aims to provide rest pit for those without homes from the unprecedented heat. Extreme temperatures, that experts say, will only become more common.
WERNER (through translator): In times of climate change, it's getting hotter and hotter, especially in cities. A cool place to rest and take shelter is very important.
NEWTON (voiceover): As temperatures rise right across Europe and the globe, so too does the need of those most affected in an increasingly warming world. Paula Newton, CNN.
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BRUNHUBER: The U.S. Space Agency, NASA, has announced possible dates for the first test flight to the moon of its Artemis 1 mission in its Orion spacecraft. It could launch at the end of next month, or in early September, depending on weather and the spacecraft's readiness. Orion will have no crew for the test flight. It's expected to travel about 65,000 kilometers past the moon, further than any spacecraft built for humans has gone before and then return. NASA hopes future missions will take astronauts to the lunar surface and eventually to Mars.
All right. Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Kim Brunhuber. World Sport is up next. And I'll be back with more news in about 15 minutes. You're watching CNN.
[02:45:00]
BROWNSTEIN: You know, he noted the cutoff number of Obama approval of 46 percent in 2010 being kind of the, you know, the waterline for whether they thought Democrats could survive in that area. The difference is, Don, and we talked about this before. We see it again in the CNN poll this week and other surveys, a higher percentage of people who disapprove of Biden, and they are going to go Democratic for Congress and in some of this Senate races than we have seen over the last 20 years, including in 2010.
In 2010, about 85 percent of people who disapproved of Obama voted Republican. Right now, Republicans are only winning about 70 to 72 percent who disapprove Biden --
LEMON: Wait. So, what are you saying here? Your audio cut out a little bit. So, what are you saying here?
BROWNSTEIN: I'm saying that Democrats are winning a higher percentage of people who disapprove of Biden then has typically been the case for the last 20 years. And that's largely because of a perception that the Republican party is too extreme.
And so, in that sense, nominating candidates who reinforced that perception to the extent Democrats can make that happen, makes sense for them, even understanding the risk that some of them might win in this environment.
LEMON: OK. But listen, you know, you're talking about 2010 and 2012. I mean, guys, look, those -- as we look back, right? We thought that those were the good old days. You didn't have people who were, you know, trying to steal an election. You didn't have election deniers who are running. You didn't have people around the country trying to put people in place who will be election deniers, who will, you know, make -- may or probably will put their thumbs on the scale.
Can you -- is it fair to compare what happened in 2010 and 2012 to what's happening now in 2022, especially considering what happened on January 6th? Either of you, I mean, I just don't know if it's that guarantee.
BROWNSTEIN: Well, look --
HEYE: I think Ron and I are both making political points. Where you're talking about a real substance on where these candidates are and I think that's valid. So much of the conversation, Don, that we've had over, you know, the past year and a half and, frankly, the past five or six years has been the stakes are different now. Things are more serious now.
I agree with Democrats, you say, that I was horrified on January 6th. And didn't, a week later, say, well, maybe we can just move past this? There are very real questions of what's going to happen to our -- the very democracy, to the threads of those things that hold our nation together. And that's why I say Democrats are playing with matches like this. It's not just mere political jiu-jitsu and let's try and get best person that we can, there are very real consequences if one of these or more than one of these candidates win. By the way, that's also, potentially, Eric Greitens in Missouri, as well.
LEMON: Yes. Go ahead, Ron. BROWNSTEIN: Yes, and Kari Lake -- and look, there's a trifecta in Arizona coming up shortly in the primary there for governor, secretary of state, and Senate. All election deniers, all extreme candidates. Look, Democrats are not the tipping point in these nominations. I mean, these candidates could not win if there was not a substantial portion of the Republican base that was OK with these ideas. And it is a risky strategy for Democrats to get involved.
But again, in an environment where the best asset, I think, Democrats have at the moment when Biden's approval is so low, is the perception in many voters that Republicans are too extreme, especially post-Hobbs (ph), post the Uvalde massacre, post the January 6th hearings. Candidates who embody that maybe, you know, kind of turbo charge that argument. And so --
LEMON: OK. Ron. Ron, that is true.
BROWNSTEIN: -- it's understandable --
LEMON: But they're still winning.
BROWNSTEIN: -- I think it's understandable why they're heading in this direction.
LEMON: They're still winning or they're still within the margin of error. Look at what happening with Herschel Walker down in Georgia. Look at what's happening in Pennsylvania. I mean, they're still within the manager of error even though you say --
BROWNSTEIN: Right. Don, if there was a generic, nondescript Republican in Georgia, they almost certainly would be ahead at this point.
LEMON: Right. All right.
BROWNSTEIN: Pennsylvania's a point in case. So, again, I agree with Doug. It's -- I'd agree with you. It -- there is risk in this strategy. But it -- but -- and I think you can overstate the impact of Democrats and who wins and who doesn't.
LEMON: OK.
BROWNSTEIN: But it -- probably be the best chance Democrats have to avoid a very bad outcome in November.
LEMON: Play us off, Doug, quick.
HEYE: Yes, I'll just say very quickly, the last political campaign I was involved in was 2014, where we had a very big upset against my candidate, which is Eric Cantor, the house majority leader.
LEMON: I remember.
HEYE: Because if a candidate who was cash dropped and had no means to get his message out, got outside help, and that's what happened in Maryland just last night. LEMON: But someone who looked like him, it was very odd. I remember that campaign. I mean, guys -- you guys brought me back. You're talking about, you know, 2010 and 2012, where it was about --
BROWNSTEIN: Legitimate race.
HEYE: The glory days.
LEMON: Oh, my gosh, I forgot about that. We're talking about the Palin (ph) days and John McCain and -- listen, it was Mitt Romney. We were with --
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
LEMON: -- over sanity, at least, in part back then. Thank you, guys.
HEYE: Thank you.
BROWNSTEIN: In a galaxy far, far away, Don.
LEMON: Thank you, guys. See you soon.
Up next, I bet you've never seen an Aussie (ph) politician say this.
[02:50:00]
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BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Hasta la vista, baby. Thank you.
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LEMON: Britain's outgoing prime minister Boris Johnson with a unique farewell. During his final session with the House of Commons today boasting about his accomplishments and then quoting Arnold Schwarzenegger's famous movie line as he said goodbye to parliament.
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JOHNSON: Mission largely accomplished. For now, I want to thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank all the wonderful staff (INAUDIBLE). I want to thank all my friends and colleagues. I want to thank my rival friend opposite, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank everybody here and hasta la vista, baby. Thank you.
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LEMON: Can you imagine that ever happening here with you know who?
[02:55:00]
Johnson will be replaced by one of two members of the Conservative Party who will now battle it out to see who wins the most votes among the party's rank and file. Rishi Sunak on the left is the former finance minister who was considered the front runner, but he's close ties to Johnson could hurt him. Liz Truss, the foreign secretary also wants the top job. She's often compared to the Former Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, who was known as the iron lady. The new prime minister will be announced in September.
Up next, Trump staffers testifying to the January 6th Committee on prime time T.V. tomorrow night. We're going to tell you what we know about them after this.
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LEMON: We are less than 24 hours away from the January 6th Committee's eagerly anticipated primetime hearing, focusing squarely on 187 minutes when the then president did nothing as the Capitol riot raged.
[03:00:00]
