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UK Prime Minister Liz Truss Resigns; Ukraine Appeals for Help; Putin Tries to Show Off Marksman Skills; Dangerous Fight for Freedoms Continues in Iran; UK Government In Chaos As Race For Next PM Begins; Presidential Race In A Statistical Tie Ahead Of Run-Off; Loyal Former Trump Official Appears Before Grand Jury In Mar-A-Lago Documents Case. Aired 2-2:45a ET

Aired October 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]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all of you joining us around the world live from Atlanta. I'm Kim Brunhuber.

The nation is once again in political limbo after another prime minister resigns. We will have the fallout in London and the debate over whether it is time for a general election.

And we will have more details on all of our other top stories, including Russia's war on Ukraine. We will get a glimpse of how woefully, unequipped Russia's newly mobilized soldiers are, even as President Putin tries to convey a very different image.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: United Kingdom finds itself in all too familiar territory, one prime minister on the way out, no idea who will follow, and a growing call to let the electorate decide this time.

Less than 24 hours after she declared before the British Parliament that she was a fighter, not a quitter, Prime Minister Liz Truss has quit, throwing her conservative government into chaos. Truss announced her resignation after a badly botched economic plan that sent the pound plunging and financial markets into panic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIZ TRUSS, OUTGOING BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We set out a vision for a low tax, high growth economy that would take advantage of the freedoms of Brexit. I recognize, though, given the situation, I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party. I, therefore, spoken to his majesty, the king, to notify him that I am resigning as leader of the Conservative Party.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Truss will stay on as prime minister until her successor is named at the end of next week at the latest. And if only one candidate emerges, there could be a new party leader by Monday. Liz Truss was named prime minister on September 6th, just two days before Queen Elizabeth died. The resignation on her 45th day in office makes her the shortest-serving prime minister British history.

Truss began her political career speaking out against the British monarchy. Her rise to power included a shift from "Remainer" to "Brexiteer," then a stint as foreign secretary.

CNN's Max Foster has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAX FOSTER, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Liz Truss resigned after just 45 days as Britain's prime minister, the shortest tenure in history, in which markets have tanked (INAUDIBLE), and the poll numbers slumped for a governing party in utter disarray.

TRUSS: I want to be honest. This is difficult.

FOSTER (voice-over): Truss was made leader following Boris Johnson's departure, chosen by less than a tenth of 1% of the U.K. electorate, a sliver of the Conservative Party base, more right-wing, older and whiter than the average voter.

TRUSS: I have a bold plan to grow the economy through tax cuts and reform.

FOSTER (voice-over): Any prospect of a honeymoon period was short- lived. Queen Elizabeth died on Truss's second day in office. Alongside former finance minister, Kwasi Kwarteng, Truss championed right-wing economic policy, announcing tax cuts for the rich and no cap on bankers' bonuses.

Perceived unfairness, fueling public fury, as the U.K. began grappling with the cost of living crisis. The pound plummeted against the dollar and the Bank of England was forced to step in to shore up market confidence.

Thirty-eight days into office, Truss sacked Kwarteng. Without her friend and ideological ally, the prime minister appeared defeated, labeled a lame duck, unable to unite her party, let alone the country. Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt came in as the new chancellor.

JEREMY HUNT, BRITISH FINANCE MINISTER: Firstly, we will reverse almost all the tax measures announced in the growth plan three weeks ago.

FOSTER (voice-over): Truss had already U-turned on cutting the top- rated tax and cutting cooperation tax. Her credibility was now in tatters.

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH LABOUR PARTY LEADER: To your energy freeze, gone! Tax free shopping, gone! Economic credibility, gone!

TRUSS: Now, I recognize, we have made mistakes. I am sorry for those mistakes. [02:05:01]

LORD ROBERT HAYWARD, CONSERVATIVE PEER AND POLLING GURU: Probably one of the biggest errors that Liz Truss made was at the point she became prime minister. The only people she appointed were her supporters. It was a cabinet of extreme loyalists.

FOSTER (voice-over): Truss's premiership was brief and chaotic. Her former anti-monarchist turned "true blue" Tory, a Remainer to Brexiter. Her spell as prime minister plagued by inconsistency and instability. A victim and architect of deep political misfortune.

TRUSS: So, I am resigning as leader of the Conservative Party.

FOSTER (voice-over): Max Foster, CNN, Westminster, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: All right, with more on this now, here is Christina Macfarlane.

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Thanks very much, Kim. As I sit outside the Houses of Parliament this morning, the big question on everyone's lips after a day of chaos is, with Liz Truss on her way out, who might take her place?

Well, let's have a look at this. The former chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, is among the likely contenders. He has predicted some of the challenges that Liz Truss would face, of course, including that unfounded tax cuts. The man who resigned in disgrace a few months ago may throw his hat in the ring. Multiple allies of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson say he could be a unity candidate.

Other possibilities include House of Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt, Defense Minister Ben Wallace or even former Home secretary Suella Braverman and Mike Pence Kemi Badenoch.

CNN's Scott McLean is live for us this morning outside 10 Downing Street in London. And Scott, it was described as something of a dumpster fire in Downing Street yesterday. It's certainly been a revolving door of chaos in recent months. So, the biggest question, who is likely to yet come next? Do we have any indication, Scott, of which candidates are likely to reach that 100-vote threshold?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It depends on who you ask, Christina, but if you consult the Odds makers, the book he's (ph) in this country, the Odds' favor right now is Rishi Sunak and for good reason. When he put his name into the ring in the leadership race over a two-month period in the summer, he was the very first candidate to reach 100 MP supporting him in the second round of voting. In fact, in the first round, no one reached the 100 MP threshold.

It was not until four rounds later that he was joined at 100 by Liz Truss, and then by Penny Mordaunt. So, obviously, Rishi Sunak is heavily favored to eventually be able to win the leadership race. He was a former chancellor but he was also credited with the downfall of Boris Johnson, sort of labeled someone of a backstabber by Johnson's supporters. And so, there is still very much some bad blood there. So, he will have a challenge in winning over that wing of his party.

If you ask the papers in this country, there are really only three that they think are in contention: Boris Johnson, Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the House of Commons, as you mentioned, and Rishi Sunak. And I know your country, Christina, has an odd tradition of talking about newspapers on TV.

So, in the local tradition, I will show you what the newspapers are talking about today. This one says -- this is "The Sun." It says, Bojo: I'll be back. This is "The Daily Express." It says, he couldn't. Could he? Will Boris bounce back to number 10? But both of these candidates also have a problem and that is that, if you ask Labour and if you ask a lot of ordinary people in this country, well, they would very much like a general election now. Christina?

MACFARLANE: Yes, it is an Odds' tradition, Scott, but obviously one we enjoy, with the British tabloids here in the U.K. So, we now know this is going to be another internal conservative contest. That was, obviously, announced. The voting system (INAUDIBLE) yesterday.

So, Scott, just explain to us how this is going to work because it could be as many as three candidates or even just one. It is just one. There is a chance this could all be over by Monday.

MCLEAN: Yeah, it seems like a lot of this is going to be happening behind the scenes over the next few days because, obviously, 100 votes, 100 MPs out of only 300 somewhat conservative MPs. It is a pretty high bar to actually reach. As I said, nobody actually reached it in the first round.

So, a lot of them are more minor candidates, more of the lesser known, more of the outsider candidates, some of whom are very popular among certain wings of the party, people like Suella Braverman from the more right-wing end of the party, the home secretary who resigned just yesterday or the day before yesterday, I should say, they are all blurring together, or Kemi Badenoch, who is extremely popular with her actual party.

They may have a more difficult track to actually reaching 100 votes. And so, they may well throw their support behind other candidates.

[02:10:00]

MCLEAN: But a lot of this is going to be happening behind the scenes. Of course, there's a big possibility that only one person may reach the 100-vote threshold in which case we would have a new prime minister on Monday.

MACFARALANE: Scott McLean outside 10 Downing Street in London. Thank you very much for now, Scott.

Well, joining me now is Robin Niblett, the distinguished fellow and former director of the Chatham House, International Affairs Think Tank. Robin, thank you for joining us this morning. We have been hearing about the runners and riders, potentials who are, you know, going to be throwing their names into the hat later today. But whoever is elected is going to have to have enough popularity to unite an entirely fractured party, who are right now virtually ungovernable. Is there any candidate who has the possibility of providing that stability?

ROBIN NIBLETT, DISTINGUISHED FELLOW AND FORMER DIRECTOR, CHATHAM HOUSE: Frankly, in my opinion, no is the simple answer. The Conservative Party is deeply riven right now. It was riven already after the Brexit vote, which, obviously, the party (INAUDIBLE) base supported even more strongly.

And if you think what has been riven about recently, it has been riven about the character of Boris Johnson and whether to follow him or not, which led to his own dismissal. That's just before the summer. It seems like a year (ph) ago.

So, the idea that somehow, he could become the unity candidate and put himself in that position, I think, is implausible. There are three problems on the Boris Johnson's side. You have the sort of character side, and there is a privileges committee investigation that will be starting into whether he lied to Parliament. This would be starting in a week or two time.

So, if he were chosen, we will be back in the theater around his character yet again. That brings us to the issue of chaos. Could he actually unite the party if he were to be the leader? Would they all row in behind him? I am not so sure.

That brings us to the crisis. Would the markets trust Boris Johnson? Let's remember that Rishi Sunak broke with him partly over the character issue, the party gate, as it's been called, as you know, over here. But he broke with him also because he felt he was a spendthrift, a person who wanted to spend too much and not focus on disciplining the markets.

The idea that Boris could suddenly turn himself into the person to keep the markets calm with Jeremy Hunt strikes me as implausible. I'm afraid I don't see him being a unity candidate.

MACFARLANE: But is it possible that he is a genuine prospect, as you say, because he does command support. Obviously, you know, as you mentioned, he resigned in disgrace a little over, what, a couple of months ago? And he is still being investigated as to whether he lied to Parliament.

But I guess the crucial question is, can he secure 100 votes? And especially, if this were to go through to the membership, that would essentially give him a lifeline, wouldn't it?

NIBLETT: Precisely. He has at least three very strong things. One, you mentioned there, which is if he can get himself into the last two with more than 100 votes of MPs, he could definitely then go to the runoff with the membership, and by all accounts, he is a strong person likely to win. The recent polling had him ahead of Rishi Sunak, sort of 33% to 23%. Whether those polls are reliable or not is another matter.

He also has another advantage, of course, which is that he was elected as prime minister in 2019, and we have not had an election since then. So, he would be the candidate who could say, hey, we don't need another election. There's no pressure. I am just going to take up the baton again and run this government through to 2024 by which time the next election needs to be held, where as anyone else could be tarred with the brush, you've got to give the chance people a chance to vote.

And then, of course, he is somebody who is such a character in a way that he could potentially unite parts of the party. In other words, he could bring together the kind of Eurosceptic wing around, Suella Braverman, as you mentioned, and his own loyalists. So, he could unite part of the party around him. But I'm afraid that there would likely be some resignations if he would to be selected.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, not to mention the general public from whether or not they would countenance that given the turmoil we saw under Boris Johnson. Robin Niblett, unfortunately, we are going to have to leave it there. I appreciate you coming on and giving us your perspective this morning. Thank you.

NIBLETT: Thank you.

MACFARLANE: Well, leaders around the world have been reacting to the 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 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.

[02:15:00]

MICHAEL MARTIN, IRISH PRIME MINISTER: I think what's important, as Britain's nearest neighbor, we have a significant economic relationship and many other relationships with the United Kingdom. I think stability is very important.

ROBERTA METSOLA, EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT PRESIDENT: When economic decisions are taken, sometimes they cause democratic instability or governmental instability. That is perhaps a lesson to all governments.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: I'm Christina Macfarlane live in London, outside the Houses of Parliament, as you can see here this morning. We have got much more ahead to bring you on Prime Minister Liz Truss''s resignation, but for now, let's go back to you Kim in Atlanta with some of the other top stories today. Kim?

BRUNHUBER: All right. Thanks so much, Christina. Russia's president puts on a P.R. show during a visit to troops near Moscow and tries to show off his skills as a marksman in front of the cameras. That's ahead.

Plus, some protesters in Iran are risking their lives to demand freedoms they have never known amid a government crackdown far more brutal than the images we have seen would suggest. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: The Russian military convoy became easy prey for Ukrainian missiles. Have a look here. Ukraine posted this video on Thursday, saying it shows a missile strike in the Luhansk region. The footage also shows secondary explosions, suggesting the Russian vehicles carried ammunition that blew up.

A short time ago, pro-Russian officials accused Ukraine of missile attacks elsewhere in the region, claiming six people were killed and 10 others injured.

In the south, there are similar accusations about an alleged Ukrainian attack on a river crossing in the city of Kherson. Two people were reportedly killed and 10 others wounded in the missile strike. Russia is conducting a mass evacuation of civilians there as Ukrainian troops advance in the region.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is asking allies for help with its power infrastructure after Russian strikes knocked out up to 40% of it in recent days. On Thursday, President Zelenskyy told the European Council that those attacks are also aimed at Europe. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): Russia is also provoking a new wave of migration of Ukrainians to E.U. countries. Russian terror against our energy facilities is aimed at creating as many electricity and heat problems as possible for Ukraine this fall and winter, and for as many Ukrainians as possible to go to your countries.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: In the U.S., the White House and the Pentagon now say that Iranian personnel have been in Crimea helping Russia's drone operations in Ukraine.

Earlier, Washington had accused Iran of supplying Russia with military drones like these ones, which Tehran denies. But until now, U.S. officials have not said on the record that Iranians are helping Russia on the ground.

[02:19:56]

BRUNHUBER: Riding a horse, playing ice hockey, taking a dive in a submarine, all P.R. moments designed to show Russian President Vladimir Putin as a man in charge. But now, Putin has put on another show to bolster that image. As Brian Todd reports, that P.R. exercise is custom-made for the war in Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A made for TV moment, Putin style. The Russian president makes a personal, hands on show of force, firing a sniper rifle while at a Russian military base.

This video just released by the Russian defense ministry visiting a training ground for newly-mobilized soldiers. Vladimir Putin gets a briefing, enters the firing range to observe target practice, then strides out on the range himself, dons his eye and ear protection, hits the dirt alongside the others, and takes aim. He dusts off his coat, hugs a soldier, then continues his inspection of newly-mobilized troops.

SUSAN GLASSER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: What is really remarkable is, given how Russia is suffering battlefield reverses, that Putin is willing to not only take ownership of the war but appears to double down on it by picking up a gun himself and sort of saying, I am here fighting with you.

TODD (voice-over): Here is an exchange where Putin asks a soldier if he has got everything he needs in training. The soldier responds, no issue, sir, and Putin wrapped his knuckle on the table in approval.

But one clip from near the frontlines recently played by CNN portrays the opposite: Newly-mobilized Russian soldiers in the Luhansk region complaining.

UNKNOWN: We've got this (bleep) for training, 11 days from when we were deployed. We left Moscow 11 days ago. How many times did you shoot already? Once. Three bullet cartridges.

TODD (voice-over): Analysts say Putin's recent order to mobilize 300,000 more troops is beset with problems.

GLASSER: It appears that more Russian men have fled the country than have agreed to go along with Putin's conscription. So, this is at a very delicate moment with the war.

ANDREW WEISS, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE: What we are seeing instead is an airbrushed Kremlin depiction of Russia's mighty army, and we know quite vividly what has happened to that army on the battlefield inside Ukraine. It is being shredded.

TODD (voice-over): But for Putin, displays like this are going to move to galvanize support. In the past, the Kremlin has put out propaganda images of him riding a horse shirtless on a bare-chested fishing expedition, descending in a small submarine, hiking on a hillside, thoughtfully pondering nature on a fallen tree. We have seen him in organized hockey games, magically scoring multiple goals.

But one analyst says Putin's strongman act at this point in a grinding war has gotten stale.

WEISS: Putin himself just celebrated his 70th birthday. I don't think most Russians are taken in by the image of their leader. I think they are scared of the horribleness of the war in Ukraine. They are worried about their family members being sucked into it.

TODD (on camera): Part of the irony of Vladimir Putin managing his image and his messaging on the war so carefully, observer say, is that there have been complaints from Russian families that the Russian government has not always been very good about giving information to the relatives of Russian soldiers that their sons have been killed or wounded in the war. Some families are complaining that they've had to get that information from social media, word of mouth or other means.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Russian shelling and missile strikes in the Zaporizhzhia region have become so intense lately that many Ukrainians who remain there are finally deciding it is time to leave. Volunteers have organized buses to carry those who want to get out. The expectation is that some will eventually seek refuge in Poland or other E.U. countries, but others are saying they have nowhere else to go or the money to get there. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN (through translator): Where can we go? All of Ukraine is in the state. Like us, all of Ukraine could be attacked by missiles or other weapons. I don't see much point in going anywhere else.

UNKNOWN (through translator): Who knows where we could go? It will take a lot of money to get out of here. And where we can go depends on how much we have. Maybe to Kyiv, maybe to Western Ukraine, we don't know. Everything is so expensive. Accommodation is also expensive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Five weeks into a brutal crackdown, Iranian protesters are not given up their fight for civil rights. Demonstrations began last month after the death of a young woman in the custody of Iran's so- called morality police.

Since then, protesters have braved the wrath of Iranian authorities to take to the streets, demanding new freedoms. It's not clear just how many people have been injured or killed in the protests so far, but there is no doubt the danger is real.

Nasa Bashir is following the story live from London. So, Nada, what is the latest?

NADA BASHIR, CNN JOURNALIST AND PRODUCER: Kim, we have been tracking these protests now for five weeks since the beginning in September. We are still continuing to see people taking to the streets in a remarkable show of defiance against the Iranian regime, despite a brutal and deadly brutal crackdown that we have seen by the Iranian security forces.

[02:25:06]

BASHIR: And, of course, at the forefront of this movement have been women and young girls taking a stand against severe restrictions on women's rights, and in particular, those restrictions on the dress code in Iran, women mandated to wear the compulsory hijab, the head scarf.

We have now seen over the last few days more women on social media video circulating online, removing their hijabs, walking through the streets of Iran, in shopping malls, in restaurants, walking around without the heads scarf.

This is something that could cause them to be detained, to be beaten by Iran's notorious morality police. This is a very risky move really by women and young girls and yet we are still seeing those images, those videos online of women bravely removing their hijabs in defiance of those regulations.

And, of course, there still continues to be that brutal crackdown by the security forces. We heard from members of the international community condemning that crackdown. There have been sanctions by the U.S., by the United Kingdom, even the European Union now laying sanctions on both entities and organizations as well as individuals in Iran.

But we heard yesterday from the Iranian deputy representative to the United Nations saying that the women of Iran do not need foreign actors to act as their guardians. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHRA ERSHADI, IRANIAN DEPUTY REPRESENTATIVE TO U.N.: Iranian women are smart, well-educated, dedicated, patriotic and are aware of their rights. They also understand how to engage with the government in a peaceful and constructive manner in order to advance their rights. Therefore, we advise those western states that they are not required to act as guardians or caretakers of Iranian women or speak on their behalf.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASHIR: And we heard from the Iranian foreign ministry yesterday issuing a statement. I can just read you a bit of that, saying, some foreign parties are shutting crocodile tears with claims of championing human rights for the Iranian nation with the aim of fomenting riots in Iran.

Look, we've heard that from the Iranian authorities, accusing foreign actors of trying to instigate unrest, trying to instigate so-called riots across the country. But really, the evidence that we are seeing from human rights organizations, from speaking to protesters on the ground, is that this is a movement which is picking up speed, gaining momentum. It began, really, in response to the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini and response to the restrictions on women's rights. But this is growing to become so much more and many now calling for fundamental reforms, their human rights to be upheld and respected, some now, of course, even calling for regime change. Kim?

BRUNHUBER: All right, appreciate it. Nada Bashir live in London for us. When we come back, we will have the latest on Britain's political turmoil as Prime Minister Liz Truss steps down, including a look at the frontrunners for the job. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to our viewers all around the world. I'm Christina Macfarlane live from just outside the UK Houses of Parliament.

Our top story this hour, Britain's political turmoil has only intensified after Prime Minister Liz Truss resigned Thursday. The announcement came on her 45th day in office making her the shortest- serving Prime Minister in British history. The Outgoing prime minister says she will stay in Downing Street until a successor is chosen which 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. Now former finance minister Rishi Sunak and the previous Prime Minister Boris Johnson are considered the front runners to replace Truss. The disastrous Truss economic plan led to a loss of confidence in her leader with members of her own conservative party saying they could no longer support her. And now other political leaders are demanding that people be allowed to vote for new leadership in an early general election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEIR STARMER, UK OPPOSITION LABOUR PARTY LEADER: We can't have another experiment at the top of the Tory party but 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. What we need is for Liz Truss or whoever conservative members choose to be the next leader to give the British public the opportunity of voting for a fresh start.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Well, earlier my colleague John Vause spoke with Dominic Thomas, CNN's European Affairs commentator about the Conservative Party choosing the new PM. Who will not have a popular mandate or political capital and the likelihood that Britain's political turmoil will continue? Here's some of that conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: As now the situation stands right now if the general election was called anytime soon, the Conservative Party would not only lose but likely be decimated. And so what they're doing right now is exercising their prerogative to pick a new leader. And I think that most likely that leadership appointment will come with an announcement of a general election at some time in the future, but we don't know exactly when that will be which will give them time to try and rebuild, mitigate some of the damage I think that's been done, and also go on the attack here on the Labour Party and their proposed policy.

What we're underestimating here is how the approximately 50 million registered voters will respond to this and whether or not there will be a call for a general election that will -- that will escalate and force them to make that kind of decision. And I think even more importantly, whether this new government will be able to study the shape which looks increasingly unlikely, which will therefore cause even greater problems for the British people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Our thanks to Dominic Thomas. Well, what began as a joke has become not only an internet sensation but seems almost symbolic of the crisis feedings -- facing British politics right now. Anna Stewart has more on the lettuce versus Liz Truss.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER (voiceover): As chaos broken as Liz Truss's days as Prime Minister became numbered, one British tabloid posed a 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 from the Daily Star. Who would perish first? Day or night, the campaign continued. And despite some tough talk from Truss.

LIZ TRUSS, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I am a fighter and not a quitter.

STEWART: It was a resounding victory for the greens. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Officially that lettuce cannot be tossed into the upcoming leadership race but remains the seizure of salads.

Anna Stewart, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Yes, anything bringing a bit of a smile of British faces in recent days. Well, I'm Christina MacFarlane in London live outside the Houses of Parliament. We've got much more throughout the morning on British Prime Minister Liz Truss's resignation but for now, let's go back to Kim in Atlanta with some of our other stories this hour. Kim?

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Thanks so much, Christina.

[02:35:01]

Brazil's presidential race is effectively a statistical tie with voters set to head back to the polls in just over a week. Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is looking to win evangelical voters by pledging support for religious freedom as current president Jair Bolsonaro seeks to hold on to power. Stefano Pozzebon has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST: With less than 10 days to go before the second round of the Brazilian presidential election, the race is as open as ever.

(voiceover) According to a recent pollster, current President Jair Bolsonaro has narrowed the lead of his rival, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. While Lula still remains the front-runner. According to all major polls, the two candidates are separated by less than five percentage points as off for Thursday night. And with a race tightening, both candidates are making last-minute appeals to attract undecided voters.

On Wednesday, Lula published a letter directed at evangelical leaders to deny the claims that he would close down evangelical churches if elected into office. In his lecture, Lula also clarified his position against abortion, abortion, being one of the central issues in this year's campaign. With these targets towards evangelicals, Lula targets one of the most pro-Bolsonaro groups of the Brazilian electorate. According to the pollster, Datafolha, the president can boast the supporter of almost two-thirds of evangelicals.

(on camera) Also on Thursday, Brazilian electoral authorities published the new guidelines concerning false information. According to these guidelines, publishers have up to two hours to remove false information related to the electoral race. It's a central issue because both candidates have accused each other of fake news in this particularly polarized campaign.

For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Bogota.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: All right, coming up, Donald Trump's legal troubles continued to mount. We'll have the latest on several investigations that could spell trouble for the former president. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: A legal win for actor Kevin Spacey, a New York jury found the Oscar winner not liable in the sexual misconduct lawsuit against him. He was accused of touching fellow actor Anthony Rapp inappropriately in 1986 when Rapp was 14 years old. The jury ultimately decided that Rapp didn't prove the allegations. Spacey still faces several misconduct claims in the UK, including four charges of sexual assault he has pleaded not guilty.

Well, we're learning that former Trump National Security Official Kash Patel appeared for several hours before the grand jury in the Mar-a- Lago classified documents case.

[02:40:03]

Patel is a Trump loyalist who has publicly defended the former president. Now, this comes as Trump waits for the January 6 committee's subpoena to drop and considers inviting federal investigators back to Mar-a-Lago. CNN's Sara Murray has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Weighed down by legal woes.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They broke into my house.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President.

MURRAY: Former President Donald Trump's lawyer is now considering whether to allow federal investigators to return to Mar-a-Lago for a supervised search. Despite Trump's adversarial approach towards the Justice Department.

TRUMP: It's not a crime. And they should give me immediately back everything that they've taken from me because it's mine. Yes, it's mine.

MURRAY: My sources say Trump's team is considering a more accommodating approach with investigators looking into the handling of sensitive government documents stored at Mar-a-Lago. Trump's team aiming to reduce his legal risk as DOJ insists it still believes Trump has sensitive government documents in his possession that he must return. Nothing though is finalized and plenty are skeptical of the idea with one person close to Trump telling CNN it's a risk to invite a DOJ lawyer to lunch, let alone back to Mar-a-Lago. Trump also still awaiting a subpoena from the House committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

REP. LIZ CHENEY, (R-WY): We all felt that our obligation is to seek his testimony that the American people deserve to hear directly from him that it has to be under oath.

MURRAY: And then another blow to the former president, a judge ruling former Trump election Attorney John Eastman.

JOHN EASTMAN, FORMER TRUMP ELECTION ATTORNEY: Hello America.

MURRAY: Must turn over more of his e-mails to the January 6 committee. The judge is saying Trump likely committed a crime when he tried to upend the 2020 election.

TRUMP: We fight. We fight like hell. And if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore.

MURRAY: The judge writing some of the Eastman e-mails are sufficiently related to and in furtherance of a conspiracy to defraud the United States. In one particular set of e-mails, the judge noting Trump signed a court filing with numbers about alleged voter fraud in Georgia that Trump knew were false. The e-mails show that President Trump knew that the specific numbers of voter fraud were wrong but continued to tout those numbers both in court and to the public, according to the judge. Trump is slamming the judge on social media today saying he shouldn't be making statements about me until he understands the facts, which he doesn't.

(on camera) And we're still waiting of course on the January 6 committee to actually issue their subpoena to former President Trump but we are learning that he's tapped two lawyers, Harmeet Dhillon and Jim Trusty to be the point people for when that subpoena actually arrives. Of course, the former president has been very critical of the committee's work, but this is an indication that he knows he needs attorneys to actually engage with the committee, engage in some negotiations and respond in some way to the subpoena.

Sara Murray, CNN, Washington.

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BRUNHUBER: In football, Manchester United will face Chelsea on Saturday without star striker Cristiano Ronaldo. He's been dropped from the game as punishment for this, walking off the field before the end of the match against Tottenham on Wednesday after not being played. Well, Ronaldo posted a statement to Instagram saying "the heat of the moment got the best of him." I want a closer look at this situation just moments away in "WORLD SPORT."

In the meantime, thanks so much for joining us. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back after "WORLD SPORT" in 15 minutes with more "CNN NEWSROOM." Please do stay with us.

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