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U.K. Government In Chaos As RACE For Next PM Begins; Putin Tours Training Facility, Meets With New Recruits; U.S.: Iran Helping Russian Drone Operators In Ukraine; Russian Expert Admits Use Of Iranian Drones On Hot Mic; Iranians Risking Their Lives for Anti- Government Protests; U.K. Government in Chaos as Race for Next PM Begins; Chinese Man Risks Everything to Get to the United States. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired October 21, 2022 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[01:00:32]
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. Appreciate your company. I'm Michael Holmes.
Coming up on the program, hallowed halls of Number 10 or short-term Air B&B. Liz Truss makes history on her way out of Downing Street. And which leader is most likely to take her place? We'll have a look at the front runners for you.
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, there are new accusations about who's helping Russia on and off the battlefield.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN Newsroom with Michael Holmes.
HOLMES: And we begin in London where the race is on to replace Liz Truss as Prime Minister. She announced her resignation on Thursday, admitting she could not deliver on the mandate of the Conservative Party. Truss's resignation on her 45th-day in office makes her the shortest serving Prime Minister in British history, brought down by a series of economic mistakes and a lack of Tory support.
On Wednesday, she stood before Parliament and declared she was a fighter not a quitter. That outside Downing Street, she's struck a more somber tone as she quit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LIZ TRUSS, OUTGOING BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: There will be a leadership election to be completed within the next week. This will ensure that we remain on a path to deliver our fiscal plans and maintain our country's economic stability and national security. I will remain as Prime Minister until a successor has been chosen. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES: Now with Truss on her way out, Britain preparing of course for a fifth leader in a little over six years. A New Conservative Party leader expected to be chosen by next Friday at the latest. The candidates to replace Truss will need at least 100 nominations from Conservative MPs. If just one candidate emerges, then there will be a new party leader and Prime Minister as early as Monday. But the Labour Party leader is pushing back demanding that the people be allowed to vote for new leadership in an early general election.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEIR STARMER, U.K. OPPOSITION LABOUR PARTY LEADER: We can't have another experiment at the top of the Tory party, that is an alternative and that's a stable labour government. And the public are entitled to have their say and that's why there should be a general election.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: But with the Conservative Party and chaos, it is not clear how the leadership contest will play out. Among the likely contenders, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, he is getting support from a senior conservative lawmaker Mel Stride tweeting that Sunak will, quote, "bring us together by uniting talent from right across the party, heal our economy and bring us back into political contention."
Sunak had predicted some of the challenges Truss would face including unfunded tax cuts and the problems they would bring. Now, a man there on your screen, he resigned in disgrace just a few months ago. He might throw his hat in the ring. Multiple allies of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson say he could be what they call a unity candidate.
The leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt, she's also a possibility. She came in third in the last leadership election. And Kemi Badenoch came in fourth, one of the younger MPs running. She is considered a favorite by pollsters. And finally, there's Suella Braverman, the former Home Secretary who resigned and launched a blistering attack on Truss's leadership.
All right, more now on Truss's brief tenure and snap resignation from CNN's Bianca Nobilo.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BIANCA NOBILO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Devastating resignations and fierce criticism. On Thursday afternoon, British Prime Minister Liz Truss gave in to the reality.
TRUSS: I recognize though, given the situation, I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Liz Truss is elected as the leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party. NOBILO (voice-over): It was just her 45th day in office. There was no time for a honeymoon period. Queen Elizabeth died on her second day. She will have been the shortest serving Prime Minister in British history. Parliamentary rules mean the Conservatives are still in charge. Its MPs can choose the new prime minister.
[01:05:02]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The public must be looking at this thinking, what on earth is going on? This is the governing party.
GRAHAM BRADY, CHAIR, CONSERVATIVE PARTY 1922 COMMITTEE: Absolutely. And -- absolutely. And I think we are deeply conscious of the imperative and the national interest of resolving this clearly and quickly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To speak out last week, the Prime Minister --
NOBILO (voice-over): The opposition Labour Party says enough is enough.
STARMER: And the public are paying with higher prices, with higher mortgages. So we can't have a revolving door of chaos. We can't have another experiment at the top of the Tory party. There is an alternative and that's a stable Labour government.
NOBILO (voice-over): Economic Issues are at the heart of her downfall.
TRUSS: I have a bold plan to grow the economy through tax cuts and reform.
NOBILO (voice-over): When she took office last month, her government announced big energy subsidies but also massive tax cuts for the rich and lifting a cap on bankers' bonuses.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I wasn't the only one that thought it was a mistake.
NOBILO (voice-over): Markets those traditional Tory allies also disapproved. The pound tanked. The Bank of England trying to prop up the economy. And it got worse. She fired her chancellor in charge of the economy. You turned on promise after promise.
On Wednesday, her Home Secretary left too, excoriating Truss, is pretending not to have made mistakes.
Wednesday night MPs were allegedly physically manhandled in parliament in an effort to win a government vote. One Tory MP called it an absolute disgrace.
CHARLES WALKER, BRITISH CONSERVATIVE MP: I've had enough. I've had enough of talentless people putting their tick in the right box, not because it's in the national interest, but because it's in their own personal interest.
NOBILO (voice-over): The coming days will determine this country's future for years to come. Tory MPs openly say Truss has destroyed their party's reputation for fiscal responsibility. Finding a consensus candidate will be no easy task for the Conservatives and with some MPs voicing support for a return of Boris Johnson, the rifts of wider than ever.
Bianca Nobilo, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And CNN Scott McLean is live outside 10 Downing Street in London. Thanks for getting up early for us. Liz Truss, I mean, I suppose the good thing is she might not have even had time to unpack. What a vote has been saying about what the opposition leader called a revolving door of chaos?
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Michael, the revolving door of chaos is undoubtedly entertaining. But it is also extremely unnerving because all of the decisions that take place here at Downing Street and down the road at Westminster as well have had some pretty direct impacts and pretty tangible impacts on people's bottom lines, their personal finances as of late, things that people are undoubtedly noticing.
Case in point, mortgage rates. And Liz Truss's economic plan which went over like a lead balloon, the economic plan to give tax breaks to corporations and some of the wealthiest among us that hadn't actually been accounted for, hadn't actually been costed or found the money anywhere to pay for them.
And so, people didn't exactly like that because their mortgage rates were going to go up, their groceries were going to get more expensive. And I was actually at a senior center in South London yesterday talking to people about the cost-of-living crisis. And people told us that these are people who are drawing pensions, and they said that, look, they used to be able to go to the grocery store and buy pretty much whatever they wanted within reason. And now they are having to budget down to the last pound. It is extremely tough for them.
Yesterday, or over the last 24 hours, I should say, this place, Downing Street, has attracted a lot of protesters and a lot of passers-by interested in what's going on. And we spoke to some of them last night. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now, I think a lot of people, the public, would want a general election. And I think that's very fair, since they've been think six, now seven Prime Ministers in four years. And they all conservative. So I think it's time for a big change.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think they need to look at the whole process, because this is, I don't know, how many, three or four PMs in the last three years or even less than that. So something is not right. And the people of England don't deserve that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It might be useful if we go to elections, because otherwise I think that is just the same thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCLEAN: And, you know, one of the things that one of the seniors, that the senior senator told me yesterday, Michael, is that she doesn't think that politicians of any stripes really live in the real world with ordinary people. She said that the decision making in Westminster or at Downing Street would be a lot different if they came and talked to ordinary people who are budgeting down to the last pound a little bit more often.
Of course, you've heard there are people calling for a general election. The opposition Labour Party is also calling for a general election saying that the government no longer has a mandate to govern but what matters at this point is not what labour things but what Conservative MPs think first and foremost and possibly what Conservative Party members think as well. And as we saw with Liz Truss, those things are not always the same. Michael?
[01:10:14]
HOLMES: Absolutely. Scott, appreciate it. Thanks so much. Scott McLean there at Number 10 for us.
All right, let's get more perspective now from Richard Johnson. He's a lecturer in politics at Queen Mary University of London. And thank you for getting up early too. It is striking to know that Liz Truss's leadership campaign was longer than her leadership of the party. How extraordinary is what we've seen unfold in British politics over the last 24 hours?
RICHARD JOHNSON, POLITICS LECTURER, QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON: We really haven't seen this kind of period of instability in British politics. And, you know, you think of all the different crises that British governments have faced, including war. And, you know, in a way, I was returning back to 1940 when Neville Chamberlain was pushed out, and Churchill was brought in to find some kind of analogous political situation.
Of course, the crisis facing the country was even greater in 1940 than now, but the sense that the leadership of the day just wasn't up to it. You know, it's fascinating what we're experiencing right now. And the Conservative Party, which was meant to have this reputation for stability, is now a party that is in seemingly endless turmoil.
HOLMES: It's interesting, some British MPs think that, you know, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be in the running. And that seems to be the case, as a unity candidate. I mean, even though when you think about it, he was thrown out for very specific reasons. Could he ever be called a unity candidate? And who else do you think got a good chance?
JOHNSON: I don't think he's the unity candidate among the MPs. But I think that the way that the system has been set up next week, means in my view, he is probably the front runner. If he gets 100 MPs, I think that's his biggest hurdle. But if he gets 100 MPs to nominate him, then -- and Rishi Sunak very likely will as well, and I think it could come down to being Boris Johnson versus his former chancellor, Rishi Sunak. It will then go to a vote of Conservative members online, ended on Friday.
And Boris is much more popular with the Conservative members than Rishi Sunak is. In fact, Boris Johnson is probably the most popular candidate among conservative members. So, it just seems to me that the setup whether deliberately or not, empowers Boris Johnson. And if I were a betting man, he'd be the one I'd be putting my money behind the next week (ph).
HOLMES: It's the extraordinary machinations of politics. As I said, he was just thrown out for, you know, pretty solid reasons. And here, he could be coming back in the door. Now, of course, let's talk about these calls for a general election. I mean, it'll soon be a case of three prime ministers in a matter of months, two of them not elected by the public, four finance ministers. At what point does the British public deserve a national election, whether the Conservatives won or not?
JOHNSON: We haven't seen a prime minister change and then another prime minister change within a parliament. We have seen, you know, John Major came in and replace Margaret Thatcher within a parliament, stayed for a couple of years. Gordon Brown replaced Tony Blair, stayed for three years.
But to have two changes, is quite unheard of. I suppose this is the case of the Boris Johnson people be making as a senses. Look, you can just admit you made a mistake and go back to our original program. I don't think the Conservatives are going to be calling -- pushing for an election anytime soon, because their polling number is so bad.
The only way I could see an early election happening is, is the Conservatives struggle to get their agenda through Parliament if they have enough internal rebellions. And they struggle even to get say a budget through. Well, that's really a matter of confidence and whatever government takes shape, and that would have to precipitate early general election.
HOLMES: Yes. Good point. And, you know, it is interesting for those not in the know, and I suppose it's confusing for people in the U.K. as well. The conservative party system of electing its leader. When you think about it, a miniscule 1/10 of 1 percent of the U.K. electorate put Liz Truss in Number 10.
And when it comes to that process, in fact, you tweeted out earlier, quote, idiotic of them to leave this to party members voting online. What if members vote for another candidate who lacks support of most Conservative MPs? How flawed is the system itself in terms of being, you know, unrepresentative of the party, let alone, the country?
JOHNSON: You know, the thing is, it seems to me that one of the major reasons why we have this turmoil at the moment is because Liz Truss is not trusted by a majority of Conservative MPs. You know, Rishi Sunak was the clear choice among Conservative MPs last time between those two, between him and her really. [01:15:02]
But because the members chose Truss, she became leader. And it seems to me that they've just set up the same system again. You know, Boris Johnson could get supportive, just a third, less than a third of Conservative MPs at the nomination stage. That puts him on the ballot, and then he wins in support of the membership.
Yet, that doesn't change the fact that possibly more than half of Conservative MPs wouldn't want him to be their leader. But that's what he would end up being. So it's just this constant crisis of legitimacy for the Conservative leader, because it's really important that you have the faith and confidence of your own MPs, because those are the people that you're managing on a day to day basis.
HOLMES: Absolutely extraordinary times. Richard Johnson, fascinating conversation. I really appreciate you making the time.
JOHNSON: Thank you.
HOLMES: And we are getting our first look at how the British tabloids are covering the Truss resignation and what comes next. Let's have a look at the Independent first. The headline, voters demand general election to pick new prime minister, as we were just discussing there. Analyst say it's an unlikely scenario. The next vote doesn't have to take place until perhaps 2025. And that's up to the Conservatives.
From the Daily Mail, quote, "Boris versus Rishi: fight for the soul of the Tories." Yet another indication Boris Johnson wants his old job back. The Daily Telegraph, quote, "Boris Johnson tells the Tories: I can save the party from election wipeout". And finally, the National Daily I with the headline very simply put, gone in 44 days.
Still to come this hour, we'll find out what world leaders have to say about the resignation of the British Prime Minister. Plus, Russia's leader pays a personal visit to a training base for new Russian recruits and shows off his skills on the rifle range. We'll have those stories and much more when we come back.
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HOLMES: A rare site near Moscow on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin visiting a training ground for new recruits. Accompanied by Russia's Defense Minister Mr. Putin's presence at the facility was apparently meant to demonstrate his personal support for the new soldiers. The Kremlin said it's, quote, partial mobilization to draft 300,000 Russian civilians into the military is almost complete.
Now the U.S. says some of the damage and casualties from recent Russian strikes in Ukraine are on Iran. For the first time, Washington says Iranian personnel have been on the ground in occupied Crimea, assisting Russia with its drone operations there. Russia has launched a barrage of drones on targets across Ukraine recently including this attack on Kyiv. Now earlier, the U.S. said Iran had supplied the so-called kamikaze drones like these to Russia which Tehran denies. But until now, U.S. officials have not said on the record that Iran is directly helping Russia on the ground.
[01:20:13]
The White House is concerned Moscow might go a step further, and by surface-to-surface missiles from Iran. A top U.S. official says Iran's role in Ukraine cannot be denied anymore.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KIRBY, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL SPOKESPERSON: The fact is this, Tehran is now directly engaged on the ground, and through the provision of weapons that are impacting civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, in fact, that are killing civilians and destroying civilian infrastructure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Those drones along with Russian cruise missiles have cut Ukraine's electrical production by 40 percent in recent weeks. A third of Ukraine's power stations have been damaged or destroyed. Ukraine again appealing to Western allies for more air defenses, as well as emergency generators.
The government warns that more emergency blackouts might be necessary to conserve electricity while repairs are made. Civilians have been asked to sharply curtail their own power consumption. One woman saying she's done what she can, but worries about how she'll stay warm this winter. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): We bought new duvets, pillows, we're preparing. I don't know what else to do. I don't think we can buy a generator. I have no idea how we will keep ourselves warm. They give tips on TV that once you get heaters but if there's no electricity, how will they work? We bought candles. We hope to buy fuel tablets. I hope everything will be fine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The top U.S. diplomat has one word to describe the new wave of Russian strikes, desperation. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also telling ABC News, Mr. Putin is aware of the consequences if he were to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. But Blinken said the U.S. is not seeing any reason to change its nuclear posture. Back when he was asked if Mr. Putin is acting rationally, Blinken did not give a yes or no answer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: It's hard to put yourself in someone else's mind. I think he's rational but the decisions he's making or maybe better put his objectives are not rational.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: A pro-Russian official is accusing Kyiv of targeting a river crossing in the city of Kherson. He claimed two people were killed in Thursday's missile strike, 10 others wounded. That's happening as Russia conducts a mass evacuation of civilians from the city.
Fred Pleitgen has the details
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): As Ukrainian forces press their counter offensive in the country south, Russia is resorting to what appear to be increasingly desperate measures in the areas they control in the Kherson region. Thousands of people waiting to be evacuated by boat.
The Puppet authorities installed by Moscow claiming they've already taken some 15,000 out of Kherson city.
Why did you decide to evacuate, the reporter asks, I have a small child to take care of, you see, the woman answers. Russia says it's fairing these people to safety. The Ukrainian say these are little more than deportations.
Russia has imposed martial law in this and other areas of Ukraine controlled by its forces. The Russian say they are increasing the intensity of their mobilization effort. Russian President Vladimir Putin visiting soldiers outside Moscow and himself even firing a sniper rifle.
And Putin's continued aerial assault on Ukraine's energy infrastructure is starting to take a toll. Ukraine's authorities announcing the need for partial blackouts in most of the country as intense strikes on power plants continue using cheap kamikaze drones which Kyiv says Iran has provided to the Russian army.
The spokeswoman for Russia's Foreign Ministry rejecting the allegations.
MARIA ZAKHAROVA, SPOKESPERSON, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY (through translation): This is nothing more than a collection of unsubstantiated inferences and farfetched assumptions that Britain and France are trying to build into a structure. And every time it all collapses in front of everyone.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): But on Russian TV, this military expert and Defense Ministry adviser seem to admit the origin of the drones, not realizing his mic was hot, he tells the host --
RUSLAN PUKHOV, RUSSIAN MILITARY ANALYST (through translation): Let's not shake the boat too much. We all know that they are Iranian. But the authorities did not admit that.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): But the Russians are now admitting things are not going well on the battlefield. The top commander acknowledging his forces position in Ukraine South is, quote, tense.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Kramatorsk, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Douglas London is a retired senior CIA Operations Officer and Adjunct Associate Professor at Georgetown University. He's also the author of, "The Recruiter: Spying and the Lost Art of American Intelligence." He joins me now from Virginia. It's good to see you again, Doug.
[01:25:11]
Now, let's talk about this piece you wrote on Just Security website. And you write about how Putin is, quote, "Ego, survival, greed and ambition direct his moral compass." And how much he believes his own propaganda. Tell us about how those things inform his decision making and, frankly, his state of mind.
DOUGLAS LONDON, RET. SENIOR CIA OPERATIONS OFFICER: Well, thanks, Michael, and thanks for having me back on the program. To understand, Putin is really to look at him what he is at his core, which is a Cold War era, KGB officer. That's how he grew up professionally and personally, his outlook on the world.
So some of the actions that we might think as irrational or perhaps suggest, you know, why would anybody do that, it's got to be crazy, is actually from a rather rational and consistent calculus in his mind. His outlook on the west, you have to remember growing up in the days that he is, is still looking at the West is morally inferior, decadent, you know, the caricatures even were sometimes so ingrained in these people when they went out to prosecute their jobs as intelligence officers, that they really took it to heart.
When Putin looks at his decision making, it's not about so much history or right or wrong as we would have it, it's what's going to work for him. It's what's going to secure his ambitions and protect him from threats. And that's often counts on at least the appearance of unpredictability and perhaps, you know, invincibility in order to keep his enemies update.
HOLMES: Well, speaking of his decision making, as a former CIA man, how would you assess what it would take for him to seriously contemplate the use of some kind of tactical nuclear weapon and other people in the chain of command who might not obey such an order?
LONDON: I think Putin would do it if he felt it would accomplish his aims without a significant cost, which is why it's so important that we remain unified, and so to speak, not blink, but prepare for the possibility, but make sure as best we can to message through words and actions, that there would be these devastating consequences.
So Putin's goal is really to secure his place, to protect himself from threat internally, within Russia, or externally from any perceived external threat he might have. And he would certainly like to cower the west into backing off its support to Ukraine, which is clearly costing him on the battlefield, but at the same time, he has to protect his flanks. It's not the morality of using his weapons, the consequences.
HOLMES: Yes, exactly. And he knows the literal and figurative fallout of going the nuclear. Have you spent much of your career countering Putin era, Russian intelligence officers? You know how it works. What do you believe they're telling him? And do you think they have the courage to tell him the truth? Because that's always the risk if Putin has an echo chamber, and might not be hearing the truth.
LONDON: I don't think the process that led him to move on Ukraine into February suggests that people are willing to speak truth to power. And that's a systemic result of the creation of his own doing in terms of hosting loyalists, posting people who would tell him what he wanted to hear, back him up, give all the propaganda speech that we hear constantly from the likes of his Deputy National Security Adviser Medvedev and such like that.
So who's really going to go to him and tell him, hey, Boss, we've got a problem here and maybe we need to back off? Even reflections we see in the open press suggest that Russian military commanders want to pull back from the curse, but it's -- and Putin has been saying, hold the line. He's micromanaging the military campaign. And that's not really an effective place for a former Intel officer or politician to be.
HOLMES: We're almost out of time, but I wanted to ask you this, because you also write that in the face of things not going his way, Putin responds by charging ahead regardless of damage done. But you also say this provides opportunities for the West. Real quick how so?
LONDON: Well, Putin's not one to admire his problems. He's going to try to put his energy to overcorrect sometimes. That is the overcorrection, which sometimes gives us these opportunities, as well as the fact that as an Intel officer, he's always going to leave himself that escape route. We're just trained and conditioned to plan for the worst. So besides and beyond his bluster, there's going to be an escape route, which he's going to want to take if it's life and death for him.
HOLMES: Always fascinating to get your insights. Doug, it's always a pleasure. And that article on Just Security, people should go over read of it. Douglas London, thanks.
LONDON: Thanks, Michael.
Five weeks now into a brutal crackdown, people protesting on the streets of Iran not giving up their fight for civil rights. And in one surprising scene from Tehran, two women not wearing hijabs are seen offering hugs to passers-by with a sign that reads, "hugs for those who are sorrowful."
[01:29:45]
Our Jomana Karadsheh recently spoke to one woman about what she has seen and why she is risking her safety to take a stand. Some of the images in this piece are disturbing, but we feel it is important to show them to you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Every day for the past five weeks, a little bit of video trickles out of Iran, giving us a small window into the repressive republic, a snapshot of the bravery of protesters and the ruthlessness of regime forces.
The government's Internet restrictions have made it hard for us to speak to those on the front lines of this battle for change. But we got a rare opportunity to speak briefly with a 28-year-old protester. We are not identifying her for her safety.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I went to the protest location, I was really scared and I was like, what am I doing here? It's a war zone. And I was so scared. I realize, that if I want to make a change, I should start with myself.
KARADSHEH: That defiance was met with sheer brutality. Women have been beaten up with batons and shot at. This protester's body riddled with a shotgun pellets, according to rights group Hengaw (ph) -- many have been dragged by their uncovered hair.
And according to human rights groups Amnesty International, some sexually assaulted in plain sight by the very forces claiming to be the enforcers of morality.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Individuals (INAUDIBLE) forces that people have beat them and to scare people. I saw a lady who was coming back from class and the forces hit her. They beat her in her sensitive place. And she couldn't walk.
KARADSHEH: She recounts in terrifying detail, what she and others have witnessed firsthand. Security forces, roaming the streets on motorbikes, attacking people. Opening fire on peaceful protesters, and chasing them into buildings.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When we were attacked, we went into a store and the salesman closed and locked the door, so the forces could not see inside. My heart was pounding and I was shaking.
My friend said, do you want to go home? I said, no, home, I didn't come to run away. Nothing has happened to me yet. I was able to escape but it is possible, at any moment, we are now in the worst time of our lives.
We do everything we can. This part of the stress even if it costs our lives.
KARADSHEH: Too many lives already lost in a battle, they say, for women, life, liberty.
But that's not stopping a fearless generation, rising up to reclaim freedoms they've never known.
Jomana Karadsheh, CNN -- Istanbul. (END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: British Prime Minister Liz Truss took many by surprise when she announced her resignation just 45 days after taking office.
Ahead, a look back at how things got to this point, and the role Truss-onomics played in her downfall.
And then later, the chaos over Truss' tenure is only the tip of the iceberg. The lettuce remain (INAUDIBLE) longer -- remained longer than she did. The tabloid stunt that went viral. Actually funny. Stick around for that.
We'll be back.
[01:33:39]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: And welcome back to our viewers all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes, you are watching CNN newsroom.
And let's get you up to date on our top story this hour. British conservatives have to make some decisions after party leader and prime minister Liz Truss resigned. The announcement came on her 45th day in office, making her the shortest serving prime minister in British history. Replacing her could be a relatively quick process. Potential candidates will need at least 100 nominations from conservative MPs. A new leader could be chosen as soon as Monday but by next Friday at the latest. Former finance minister Rishi Sunak and the previous prime minister Boris Johnson are considered to be the front runners to replace Truss. Truss announcing her resignation Thursday afternoon in front of Number 10 Downing Street.
Here are her full remarks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LIZ TRUSS, OUTGOING BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I came into office at a time of great economic and international instability. Families and businesses were worried about how to pay their bills. Putin's illegal war in Ukraine threatens the security of our whole continent. And our country has been held back for too long by low economic growth.
I was elected by the conservative party with a mandate to change this. We delivered on energy bills, and on cutting national insurance. And we have set out a vision for a low tax, high growth economy that would take advantage of the freedoms of Brexit.
I recognize, though, that given the situation, I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the conservative party. I have therefore spoken to His Majesty the King to notify him that I am resigning as leader of the conservative party.
This morning, I met the chairman of the 1922 committee, Sir Graham Brady. We've agreed that there will be a leadership election to be completed within the next week. This will ensure that we remain on a path to deliver our fiscal plans and maintain our country's economic stability and national security. I will remain as prime minister until a successor has been chosen.
Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Leaders around the world have been reacting to the prime minister's resignation. Here is what some of them had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Look, she was a good partner on Russia and on Ukraine. And the British are going to solve their problems. She was a good partner.
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): I won't get involved in the political life of the U.K. What I would like to say is that I had the opportunity to meet Liz Truss on a number of occasions.
We were in touch again this week and we were building a working relationship. I hope, in any case, that the U.K. can again find stability. That is good for us and good for Europe.
MARK RUTTE, PRIME MINISTER OF DENMARK (through translator): I had good relations with her by phone. But we also talked to each other for longer in Prague.
So of course, I find it annoying for her personally. I'm already looking forward to working with who will be my next colleague. THAT will be number five then, I believe.
ROBERTA METSOLA, PRESIDENT, EUROPENA UNIONS: When economic decisions are taken, sometimes they cause democratic instability or governmental instability. That is perhaps a lesson to all governments. And it is one that I look forward to seeing resolved in the united kingdom as quickly as possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now, economics was Liz Truss' biggest downfall in her very short career as PM. Let's have a look at the timeline now.
[01:39:47]
HENRY: On September the 23rd, Truss' finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng proposes a mini-budget that included the biggest tax cut since 1972, but funded by huge amounts of borrowing.
And then on October 3rd, facing a wave of outrage, Truss and Kwarteng reversed a planned cut to the highest planned rate of income tax. And then 11 days later, Truss sacks Kwarteng and appoints Jeremy Hunt as chancellor.
But Hunt dismantled almost all of the platform Truss' leadership victory had been based on, including most of those tax cuts.
Ok, let's have a look at how the past 45 days went by the numbers. The pound, of course, has been on a rollercoaster ride since Truss took office, slumping to a 37 year low last month.
The London Stock Exchange has had a similarly rough ride, as inflation returned to a staggering 40 year high.
Let's have a look at the numbers. That shocking number came after food prices in the U.K. made their biggest jump since 1980. A new blow for households already struggling with the cost of living prices and facing skyrocketing energy costs to come in the winter.
Now in the hours after Liz Truss's startling resignation, there was a great deal of talk about how things went so wrong in Britain. Here are just some of the thoughts shared on CNN after the news broke.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: She and the chancellor brought this upon themselves. Two and a half, three weeks ago, they introduced this mini-budget, as if it was a bit of light housekeeping, a bit of an accounting, don't look here, nothing to see.
It was a major shift in U.K. fiscal policy. And they did it without discussing it with the cabinet, without proper discussion in treasury, without the Bank of England and without the OBR.
So, the mess that has been created is entirely one of the prime minister's own making.
CATHERINE RAMPELL, CNN ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: The objectives, I think, were laudable, getting the economy growing -- the economy in the U.K. has been sluggish for a while.
It took a big hit as a result of Brexit. And then in the post pandemic era has been struggling. So, growing the economy is a good thing. The problem was the strategy for doing that, which was a lot of unfunded tax cuts as well as, on top of that, essentially, subsidies so that people could continue buying energy at relatively lower prices than the market would otherwise fare which, again, a laudable goal -- people are struggling.
But it's not so helpful if you want to discourage energy consumption, which normally, markets would do.
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: I remember when we first got the mini- budget, that some investors were tweeting about their reaction. And it was bleak.
And a lot of people said that, perhaps the credibility of the U.K. had been permanently damaged in terms of whether or not people wanted to hold U.K. assets, like U.K. government bonds. And whether or not we will see a complete reversal of some of the losses we've seen in terms of the U.K. asset, I mean the result of all of this. PHILIP SHAW, CHIEF ECONOMIST, INVESTECH: Markets actually want to see
what is going to be on the buzz it budget on the 31st of October to be convinced that the U.K. has a sustainable fiscal position. And I think, in short, that is what it is going to take.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Coming up after the break, actor Kevin Spacey celebrating a win in court, but his troubles are not over. We will explain after the break.
Also, how one man fled China's zero COVID policy and authoritarian rule in hopes of living the American dream. We will have that too after the break.
[01:43:36]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: A legal win for actor Kevin Spacey. A New York jury found the Oscar winner not liable in a sexual misconduct lawsuit against him. He was accused of touching fellow actor Anthony Rapp inappropriately in 1986, when Rapp we 14 years old. The jury ultimately decided that Rapp did not prove the allegations.
Spacey still faces several misconduct claims in the U.K., including four charges of sexual assault. He has pled not guilty.
China's seemingly endless cycle of COVID lockdowns has taken its toll on both the people and the economy. The United Nations says the number of Chinese nationals seeking asylum has been on the rise.
Selina Wang has the story of one Chinese man determined to achieve his American dream.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This wall separates Wang Qun from his American dream. He's prepared to risk everything to climb over, illegally crossing into the U.S. from Mexico.
But unlike most of the thousands of illegals crossing the day on the southern border, he's not fleeing poverty or violence south of the wall.
His journey started on the other side of the world. We've been following him for months, during his perilous escape out of China by plane, boat, bus, motorcycle and on foot.
He ran a bubble tea shop back in China. When COVID hit, business tanked from constant lockdowns. He left his son and daughter behind with his parents, hoping to bring them to America one day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I couldn't make ends meet. And I have two kids to raise. I have to get out. WANG: China's unrelenting zero-COVID policy, growing authoritarianism under Xi Jinping and stifling nationalist education thought of his children schools, pushed Wang over the edge.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the past seven or eight years, everything is going backwards. And Xi Jinping is going to get his third term.
I see no hope. And he's just another version of Mao Zedong. There's no difference.
WANG: At a key political meeting this fall, Xi Jinping is set to secure an unprecedented third term as supreme leader of the Communist Party. He is the strongman, atop a surveillance state. One that during the pandemic can control and track the movements of virtually all 1.4 billion people.
Since the start of the pandemic, China has kept its borders sealed, a policy the government says is needed to fight COVID-19. And earlier this year for baited citizens from going overseas for non essential reasons.
With China turning increasingly inward, Wang became desperate to get out. But he was set on one destination -- America.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My impression of America is that it's a free, democratic, open and vibrant country. You can accumulate wealth through your own hard work.
WANG: Through online chat groups, he discovered a network of people in China planning to illegally immigrate to America through Quito, Ecuador. He applied for language school in Quito and made it out of China in April with the school's admission letter as proof.
He started documenting his whole journey. From Ecuador he rode buses over a thousand miles to Columbia, then took a boat to Panama, sharing the ride with other desperate but hopeful migrants.
On the other side, a five day hike through Panama's rainforest, an endless walk through mud, rivers and mountains, a journey that Wang said almost broke him from exhaustion.
A brief respite at a refugee camp, then seven days of buses from Panama to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, then Guatemala. From there, a boat to Mexico's border, where police detained him for five days.
[01:49:56]
WANG: When he was released, he paid an illegal smuggler thousands of dollars to get to Mexico City. Dozens of people squeezed into the back of a truck, and packed into a (INAUDIBLE) more than 104 degrees Fahrenheit inside.
In Mexico City, Wang rode a motorcycle 1,600 miles to the U.S. Border, where we met up with him, determined to make it to the other side.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The rest of my life will mainly be in the U.S. So it's a home for me.
WANG: He's just one of droves of Chinese trying to flee the country. According to the U.N. Refugee Agency the number of Chinese nationals seeking asylum has been steadily increasing, until it reached a record in 2021. And most of them, 70 percent were trying to get to America.
On Chinese Internet, searches for emigration started skyrocketing in March, as many struggle to get basic necessities and food during lockdowns across the country. Discussion forms with detailed tips on how to leave China have gone viral on social media.
Immigration lawyers say increase from Chinese wanting to leave have surged since the pandemic.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The volume in inquiries are many hundreds of times than over what it previously was.
WANG: But for others, like Wang, he says the only path into America is the illegal way. He ultimately made it to the other side, walked hours in the American desert, over mountains. His sneakers fell apart.
More than a month later, we met Wang in Los Angeles. In this new world, he's found a familiar, temporarily settling into a community of Chinese immigrants. He has even made a friend who crossed into America at the same way he did.
While he waits for a hearing on his immigration case, he is getting a driver's license, training to be a masseuse, and studying English every day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In America, I can see the sunshine. I can see the sea. I can do whatever I want. I can work hard for any job I like.
WANG: But he's also anxious. In the best-case, it will be years before he sees his family again.
My favorite food is my moms' cooking. And I may never taste her cooking again.
WANG: How do you feel when you think about your children?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My heart hurts.
WANG: He's applying for political asylum. But if his application is rejected, he said he might ask his kids, when they are older, to take the same dangerous path to America that he did.
Have you told your family where you are?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My parents don't know but my son knows. I told him that there's no way out for me in China. So I came to America to make a fortune for you and fight for a bright future for you.
WANG: That future is uncertain. But with China in his past, he has hope of living out his American dream. Selina Wang, CNN -- Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, Liz Truss breaking the record for the fastest stint as British Prime Minister. But she's not the only short timer. We will have a look at other British leaders who didn't last long either.
[01:53:25]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's an absolutely disgrace. You know, it makes you wonder whether to vote conservative again. But I'm delighted to hear that she is finally gone.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've got mixed feelings really. I think she's been handed out. And she's not the first one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The fact is Liz Truss, I think she's made so many mistakes and so many U-turns. I think we need somebody who is strong in politics, who can take this country by the scruff of the neck and get it sorted out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, while Liz Truss holds the record now for the shortest tenure in the job, others have had brief stints as well, just not as brief as her. Tory pm George Canning spent a mere 118 days in office back in 1827. Frederick John Robinson, 144 days as prime minister. The conservative Andrew Bonar Law, just over 200. And William Cavendish served as prime minister for 225 days back in the mid 1700s.
And in the end, Liz Truss lost to a head of lettuce. The vegetables (INAUDIBLE) took longer than Truss' troubled tenure as British prime minister. A tabloid put it as a test.
Here's Anna Stewart.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEWART: Utter chaos broken, as Liz Truss's days as prime minister became numbered, one British tabloid posed s question that captured a nation. Could she last longer than this lettuce.
You may be wondering how it all began. Well, let us explain.
An Economist article compared the total days Truss had been in control to, roughly, the shelf life of a lettuce, which inspired this gem in the "Daily Star". Who would perish first? Day or night, the campaign continued. And despite some tough talk from Truss.
TRUSS: I am a fighter. I am not a quitter.
STEWART: It was a resounding victory for the greens.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is just the tip of the iceberg.
STEWART: Officially, the lettuce cannot be tossed into the upcoming leadership race, but remains the Caesar of salad.
Anna Stewart, CNN -- London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, that's terrible. Brits will now be seeing saying "Lettuce see some stability."
Enough puns though, remain calm and carry on.
Thanks for spending your day with me. I'm Michael Holmes. You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram, @HolmesCNN.
Stick around, more of our special coverage live from London in just a moment.
[01:57:44]
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