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P.M. Rishi Sunak Now Faces The Hard Part; Russian Missile Hit Gas Station in Ukraine; U.S. and Western Allies Watches Russia Closely; A Doctor Witnessed Vladimir Putin's Brutality; Brittney Griner Not Losing Hope; Protesters in Iran Calling for Regime Change; Another Bloodbath Between Israeli and Palestinian Forces. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired October 26, 2022 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNA COREN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Anna Coren, live from Hong Kong.
Just ahead on CNN Newsroom, Britain's new prime minister faces questions from lawmakers today in the first test of his premiership. The top issues at play, Tory Party unity and the U.K.'s economic crisis.
The images Putin doesn't want the world to see, evidence that Russia was unprepared to treat its wounded early on in its war on Ukraine. We'll have that exclusive report ahead.
And Adidas, Foot Locker, Gap brands are cutting ties with rapper Ye over his anti-Semitic comments. The fallout costing him his status as a billionaire.
We begin this hour in London where Rishi Sunak is beginning his first full day as the British government's new leader, and he will soon face a grilling from lawmakers during his first prime minister's questions in parliament.
Mr. Sunak was greeted by mostly cheers as he arrived at 10 Downing Street for the first time as prime minister on Tuesday. He is Britain's third leader in just seven weeks, and he's vowing to steer the country out of crisis and fix the mistakes of his predecessor Liz Truss, who stepped down after just 45 days in office.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RISHI SUNAK, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Some mistakes were made and I have been elected as leader of my party and your prime minister, in part, to fix them. And that work begins immediately. I will place economic stability and confidence at the heart of this government's agenda.
(END VIDEO CLIP) COREN: But he's also warning that difficult decisions lie ahead as he looks to tackle what he called a profound economic crisis in the country.
Well, Mr. Sunak is also focused on reaffirming relationships. He held a call with U.S. President Joe Biden, with both leaders looking forward to working closely together. And he spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and pledged continued solidarity, saying U.K.'s support for Ukraine remains as strong as ever.
One of Rishi Sunak's first tasks has been to form his new cabinet and it includes many familiar faces including Jeremy Hunt, who will remain as Britain's finance minister. Another notable appointment is Suella Braverman back as home secretary days after she resigned under Liz Truss.
We'll CNN's Bianca Nobilo joins us now live from London with more. And Bianca, can Rishi Sunak unite the conservatives and restore stability to a government in turmoil.
BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: That's the question. I mean, can anybody more -- more to the point, but in terms of the Conservative Party, the appointments he's made so far to his cabinet, the lawmakers I've been speaking to perceive it as somebody who's willing to back up, saying they want unity with action.
Because broadly speaking, this is involving lawmakers from different wings of the party with some unexpected appointments too. The conservatives seem en masse, fairly happy with how it's shaping up. We have figures from the right, figures from the left of the Conservative Party. He's kept the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt in place, which many were hoping he would do just to add another level of market stabilization, at least for a while.
However, it's been criticized by the opposition parties and in some quarters of the media as being A, return to Boris Johnson's cabinet looking very similar to the cabinets of the past, and therefore might be closely associated with the mistakes of past premierships. B, the fact that it is lacking in women compared to the previous cabinets.
And C, some appointments are raising eyebrows. Like for example, Suella Braverman returning as home secretary about a week after she was sacked as home secretary by the former Prime Minister Liz Truss. And supposedly that sacking, well, explicitly, at least in the letter was because of a security breach.
Braverman sending a confidential document from a personal Gmail account. Now, people I've been speaking to said there was a lot more behind that than simply that breach alone.
[03:04:52]
But obviously, the idea of returning a home secretary who is guilty and has admitted to a security breach is a curious step, especially as Braverman's support of Sunak over the weekend was considered to be one of the most instrumental events in making Boris Johnson decide that he wouldn't be able to continue and stand in this leadership contest and adding momentum to Sunak's campaign.
But today, the new prime minister is going to be tested heavily just 24 hours after walking into Number 10 Downing Street as prime minister for the first time. And that's because he'll be facing off against the leader of the opposition, Keir Starmer in the House of Commons for his first ever prime minister's questions.
Now this will be absolutely fascinating. Sunak is known as at times a slick performer, but also quite robotic, not particularly spontaneous. So it'll be interesting to see how these two politicians who are both known to be quite serious and not the most exciting performers interact with each other as they've rarely done that in the chamber before, Anna.
COREN: It might be fireworks, who knows? Bianca Nobilo, I know you'll be watching. Many thanks.
Ukraine reports at least two people have been killed, four others wounded in a Russian missile strike on the central city of Dnipro. Authorities say the missile landed near a gas station killing a car wash operator and a pregnant woman who was sitting in her car.
Air raid sirens sounded early today across most of the country. Ukraine's deputy prime minister is asking people who fled the country not to return home this winter. She warned of ongoing blackouts caused by Russian strikes on the country's power grid and said too many people could put stress on the system.
Well, meanwhile, Germany's president visited Kyiv for the first time since the Russian invasion. He promised President Zelenskyy Germany's continued military, political and financial support.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): We have discussed the whole range of threats, there are many of them, created by the Russian Federation at this stage of full-scale war. This includes the continuation of missile terror, Russia's involvement of Iran as an ally, and the further demonstration of Russian nuclear blackmail.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: Well, U.S. President Joe Biden is warning Russia it would be a serious mistake to use tactical nuclear weapons on the battlefield in Ukraine. American officials say they've seen no evidence Moscow is planning such a move. Well, Russia, meanwhile, claims Ukraine is working on a dirty bomb, but western leaders say it's a false flag operation which Moscow could use to escalate the war. Russia's deputy U.N. ambassador repeated the dirty bomb allegation Tuesday without presenting any evidence.
CNN Clare Sebastian is standing by this hour in London, but we begin with Nic Robertson live in Kyiv. And Nic, I believe you have an update for us on the latest from Ukraine. NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: A relatively
quiet night. Those two people killed, four others injured in Dnipro when a shell landed, or missile, rather, landed on a gas station. The sirens, the air raid sirens did sound across the whole country almost the total -- a totality of the country except in the very west this morning, just an hour or so ago. They didn't last long.
It is unpredictable how and when and how frequent Russian airstrikes will come. So far today, relatively quiet, but the news from the front lines is different in Kherson there. The reports are that the Russian authorities there in the illegally annexed city of Kherson are putting increasing amounts of pressure on the civilians there to leave.
Indeed, operating as they did when they forced people out of other areas of Ukraine like Mariupol in the summer. They're forcing those residents who leave to go through filtration systems, if you will, to check their backgrounds and take away the people who they feel are anti-Russian.
There is a track record of Russia doing that, and the reports are that is happening again in Kherson. Along the frontline tense in some areas, but in the cities of the country today at least the wave of strikes that we've seen on electricity supplies is not in action this morning. But this all changes in any moment, Anna.
COREN: OK. Nic Robertson joining us from Kyiv in Ukraine. Thank you. Clare, if we can now go to you regarding these dirty bomb accusations that the Russians made on the weekend without providing any evidence. Is this Russia bluffing or are they searching for a pretext to unleash such an attack? Do we know?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We don't know, Anna, but the big fear of course, certainly among western leaders and Ukraine is that Russia is in accusing Ukraine of doing what it calls a false flag operation and launching a dirty bomb on its own territory in order to frame Russia.
[03:10:06]
Russia is essentially going to do the opposite that this is Russia's pretext for launching its own false flag operation, if you can follow that. And that is also part of what's going on here. I think that Russia is ramping up the psychological pressure on the west, creating this confusion and fear, bringing up the nuclear specter, again, which of course, tests the resolve of the west and its support of Ukraine.
That resolve does not seem to be weakening. Russia was not met with any changes in opinion at this closed-door meeting at the U.N. Security Council that it had called on Tuesday to discuss its allegations of a dirty bomb being launched by Ukraine. Western officials saying that this is transparently false, that it is disinformation. Continuing to express support for Ukraine.
As you noted, it is worth noting that there is no evidence as of yet, western officials are saying no evidence reiterated on Tuesday by the Pentagon that Russia is in any way preparing to use any kind of nuclear weapon or dirty bomb itself. But this is something they are closely monitoring and especially in light of this evermore elaborate accusation against Ukraine.
COREN: Clare, we understand that at the request of the Ukrainians the U.N. nuclear watchdog IAEA will revisit Ukrainian sites in the coming days. What more can you tell us.
SEBASTIAN: Yes, so Ukraine is clearly trying to debunk, well actively debunk the Russian accusation that they are making a dirty bomb. They have invited IAEA inspectors specifically to the two sites that Russia has named as being involved in preparing this dirty bomb.
They say that the work is in its final stages. Ukraine's foreign minister saying they have nothing to hide. And of course, IAEA inspectors have been active in Ukraine thus far. They have people at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant monitoring situation there. That has been in Russian hands since the beginning of the war. And so far, they have not noted, anything untoward from the Ukrainian side. But clearly Ukraine wants to put this whole thing to bed and is trying to get independent verification.
COREN: Clare Sebastian joining us from London, Nic Robertson in Kyiv, many thanks to you both.
Well, eight months after the war began, we're now learning of the chaos, trauma, and lack of preparation among the Russian military. Many wounded Russian troops ended up in a hospital just across the border in Belarus, where one doctor later fled with evidence of what Russian President Vladimir Putin's war has cost his own people.
Melissa Bell has more in this CNN exclusive.
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MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For Andrei, it was the hardest of goodbyes. "I love you," he tells his daughters as he prepares to swim for his life. "Is daddy leaving? Asks one. "Yes, he replies."
The young doctor from southern Belarus had just driven his family across the country from their home near the Ukrainian border. Andre (Ph) then swam into the safety of neighboring Lithuania running from a war that wasn't his.
Fleeing with X-rays of some of the Russian soldiers he treated as the war began. The ghosts of Vladimir Putin's war machine.
UNKNOWN (through translator): I wanted to tell their stories. I just took some evidence to confirm it. But what I took with me could make me liable. They can charge me with espionage.
BELL: With a state of the Russian army, its defeats and its casualties, a closely guarded secret. These images are a rare window onto Russia's catastrophic invasion.
On February 24th, the first day of the war, Russian forces landed at this airport on the outskirts of Kyiv. The fight that ensued was brutal. Ukrainian counter offensives inflicted devastating casualties on the Russian paratroopers. Many wound up in Mazyr City Hospital in southern Belarus.
UNKNOWN (through translator): Most had blast injuries, injured hips, face, lacerations to the torso area, head, brain injuries. Several had damage to their jaws.
BELL: Andrei says that many of the injuries he treated were consistent with soldiers coming under unexpected and chaotic fire power.
UNKNOWN (through translator): They saw a lot of explosions and couldn't even see who was firing on them. Some of them told us they'd gone through hell. They didn't expect what was waiting for them in Ukraine. They thought they were going in for military exercises. They were mainly angry at the commander who had deceived them, most already were resigned to their new reality. Losing a finger or a leg.
BELL: The trucks used to transport the wounded shared at the time on social media. Andrei says they arrived at night bringing 30 soldiers on the second day of the war, 90 on the third.
[03:15:00]
UNKNOWN (through translator): They came from Borodyanka, some from Hostomel and others from Bucha. A number was written on the forehead of each to direct them to the right department, at least the ones who were admitted had a good chance of surviving. There was one guy who was missing his entire lower jaw and he was only complaining that he hadn't eaten or drank anything for three days.
BELL: But the soldiers kept arriving. Andrei says about 40 a day on average. The wounds easier for him to remember than the names, although one, in particular, does stand out.
One of the early narratives of the start of the war was the number of commanders that were being lost on the Russian side. Several wound up in Mazyr District Hospital, including General Sergei Nirkov.
UNKNOWN (through translator): He suffered abdominal trauma from a mine explosion in Chernobyl, so we treated him, and then after he was stabilized, he was taken away with the other officers. I felt disgust towards these officers. Mainly the feeling was that they were war criminals.
BELL: Mostly, Andrei says, the men were ordinary soldiers, very young and inexperienced 18, 19, 20-year-olds who would spend a couple of days in his hospital before being sent back to Russia. Their lives saved but changed forever.
UNKNOWN (through translator): I had the impression that only a small portion of the soldiers sent actually made it out alive into our hospital. I had a feeling that some of the living envies those who had died.
BELL: Andrei is now rebuilding his own life with his family in a European city with what little they could bring. Mainly the X-rays hidden in one of his daughter's toys to be brought to safety and now to light.
Melissa Bell, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Well, CNN reached out to the Russian ministry of defense and the chief physician at Mazyr City Hospital for a response to this report, but no response as of yet.
A Russian court has largely upheld the nine-year prison sentence of American basketball star, Brittney Griner. Griner's lawyer tells CNN her client is still hoping to get out as part of a prisoner exchange. The U.S. says it's working to free the Olympic gold medalist, but if nothing changes, Griner could be on her way to a penal colony.
Kylie Atwood has our report from the State Department.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRITTNEY GRINER, AMERICAN BASKETBALL PLAYER: I've been here almost eight months.
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: From behind bars in a Russian prison, Brittney Griner made her final plea in court today.
GRINER: People with some more severe crimes have gotten less than what I was given.
ATWOOD: The American basketball star also apologized once again for what she called a mistake, accidentally bringing cannabis oil into Russia.
GRINER: I did not intend to do this, but I understand the charges brought against me, and I just hope that that is also taken into account, too, as well, that I -- that I did plead guilty.
ATWOOD: But the Moscow court upheld her conviction, leaving her guilty of smuggling drugs into the country, only slightly reducing her nine-year prison sentence by only a few months. U.S. officials responded swiftly calling the Russian judicial system a sham.
ELIZABETH ROOD, U.S. CHARGE D'AFFAIRES, MOSCOW: Nothing in the result of today's appeal changes the fact that the United States government considers Ms. Griner to be wrongfully detained.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We're in constant contact with Russian authorities to get Brittney and others out, and so far, we have not been meeting with much positive response.
ATWOOD: White House national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, said that Biden administration officials are working, quote, "through every available channel to get Griner and Paul Whelan, another American wrongfully detained in Russia for nearly four years back home."
PAUL WHELAN, U.S. MARINE IMPRISONED in RUSSIA: I'm a victim of political kidnapping ransom.
ATWOOD: The Biden administration has worked on this effort at a persistent pace in recent months, following an initial proposal from the United States for a prisoner swap that included Viktor Bout, a convicted arms trafficker serving a 25-year prison sentence in the United States.
But so far, U.S. officials say that Russia has repeatedly responded with a demand that is not feasible for the United States to deliver on.
BIDEN: But we're not stopping.
ATWOOD: And today, Griner's lawyers had a somber outlook for the two- time Olympic gold medalist future in Russia.
MARIA BLAGOVOLINA, BRITTNEY GRINER'S LAWYER: She had some hopes, and this hopes vanished today. So, I think that's why she is doomed.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ATWOOD: Now Britney Griner's agent, Lindsay Colas said that what happened today was disappointing, yet unsurprising. Said it further validated the fact that Brittney Griner is being held as a political pawn in Russia.
And she really sought to rally support for the need to get Brittney Griner out of Russia quickly pointing to what has happened to other Americans who have been wrongfully detained abroad and saying that something might happen at any time.
Kylie Atwood, CNN, the State Department.
[03:20:04]
COREN: Well still to come, protestors across Iran are chanting women, life, and freedom. Why they're calling for regime change. That is next.
Also ahead, the deadliest day of the year for Palestinians clashing with Israeli forces in the West Bank. Details on the new militant group that's raising fears among Israelis and Palestinians.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COREN: Cries of anger and frustration are getting louder across Iran as anti-government protesters call for regime change after a young woman, Mahsa Amini died in police custody 40 days ago.
Videos provided by pro-reform activist outlet, IranWire, show students of a Tehran University chanting freedom in a yard that appears to be on campus. And a Kurdish rights group has released this video showing what appears to be security forces in Mahsa Amini's hometown Tuesday night.
A Norway based rights group says more than 200 people have been killed since the government cracked down began last month.
Nahid Siamdoust is an assistant professor of Middle East and media studies at the University of Texas. She joins us now from Austin, Texas.
Nahid, he great to have you with us.
One of the key slogans we are hearing from these brave and courageous activists is woman, life, liberty. Please tell us the meaning and significance of that.
NAHID SIAMDOUST, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF MIDDLE EAST AND MEDIA STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS: As you know, these recent protests started with the killing of Mahsa Zhina Amini in the custody of the morality police. She was on a visit from Kurdistan, she's Kurdish.
And at her burial people started chanting the Kurdish chant jin, jian, azadi (Ph). The chant comes from the slogan comes from the Kurdish context of the women's liberation movement there. And it was instantly adopted by Persian speakers in the country as Zan, Zendegi, Azadi, really to encapsulate that, you know, unless there's liberty for women, there won't be liberty for anyone.
And this is, you know, a meaning that it's taken sort of a couple of, you know, more than four decades for Iranians to really come around. It's the sentiment has been there. The women's movement in Iran has been strong for at least 100 years.
But you know, people have reached this point where they've understood that unless there's liberty for women, everybody else in the country can also be infantilized and patronized.
COREN: Yes. As you say, this was prompted by the death of Mahsa Amini back in mid-September. It has grown from a protest about the hijab, obviously about her death, but about women's rights to, as you say, universal rights of all Iranians. I mean, these protests have become all encompassing.
SIAMDOUST: That's right. you know, this was the lightning rod, you know, the killing of Mahsa Amini. I mean, it was really the lightning rod for bringing all these different strands of grievances that have been brewing for many, many years together.
[03:25:04]
And for Iranians really to have gotten to this point where they've realized that no other paths have worked. The paths of, you know, reforms, the paths of dialogue that no matter what happens and how they protest the state is unwilling to really compromise and negotiate with the people.
And so, what we see now are these very defined protests that are no longer asking for negotiations with the state but for the downfall of the -- of the entire system.
COREN: Which is quite extraordinary because as you say, I mean, these protests come from decades of repression Iranians that I speak to, and obviously you are very much in touch with people back in Iran say the time for talk is over.
But you know, human rights groups is saying that thousands of people are arrested, and that's probably a very conservative number. Hundreds have been killed. I mean, what are you envisaging in the weeks, if not months ahead?
SIAMDOUST: More of the protests to go on and more of these very stark and violent crackdowns. And where this ultimately leads is not exactly foreseeable at the moment, but what we do see is that the nature of the protest has changed. The nature of the discourse has changed.
And these are simply different protests. Nobody on the streets, none of the slogans are people asking for, you know, for things to change from within. These are very drastic and defined chants. And it's hard to foresee really at this point, to be honest, where they will be going.
What we've seen is that the state has been clamping down very hard and yet, you know, the people on the streets, students, many of them very young ones, school, you know, school children as well as university students are not backing down.
COREN: Do you think this is the beginning of the end for the regime.
SIAMDOUST: I mean, that's certainly what the chants are calling for. And, you know, some of the graffiti that we see on the walls and the kinds of performative acts that we see, the dances, the, you know, the unprecedented, you know, act on the streets. That's what they're calling for.
But it's too soon to really call it that because, you know, the, regime is very strong and but that's certainly what the protestors are projecting.
COREN: Now here from the people that you are speaking to back in Iran, what are they telling you? What are they telling you about their determination to continue protesting, but also, the fear that they must be feeling on a daily basis?
SIAMDOUST: It's a very dynamic situation at the moment. So, there's both excitement and joy over the possibilities that could be, but there's also a lot of fear. And people have seen that, you know, the security forces are not holding back shooting at very young people and at everybody, you know, they're not really discriminating.
And so, it's a very dynamic moment in which no one's able to foresee what's going on. And I also have to tell you, you know, for some of the people in Iran, I mean, they're really asking us what's going on. Because the internet has shut down unless they're venturing out on the streets, and unless they happen to be, you know, in places and in moments where certain acts are taking place, whether it's protests or you know, smaller acts of defiance or graffiti spring.
If they're not sort of encountering those as they go through their lives during the day, then they know a whole lot less than we do. Because from our vantage point we're able to collect all these sort of, you know, social media streams of the different videos that people are taking and collect them and see sort of, the spread of a whole day.
Iranians in Iran at the moment, have maybe an hour or two at most three hours of internet. It's random. They don't know when they -- when the internet is actually on. And so, they're quite cut off.
COREN: We know the Iranian diaspora is very strong and no doubt inspiring those back in Iran.
Nahid Siamdoust, we thank you for your time and your insight.
SIAMDOUST: Thank you.
COREN: A new armed militant group is raising concerns among both Israelis and Palestinians. With Tuesday marked a new level of violence for the West Bank with the highest number of Palestinians killed so far this year.
CNN's Hadas Gold reports from Jerusalem.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Gunshots echo through the narrow streets of the old city of Nablus. As near nightly Israeli military raids targeting militants in the West Bank reached a new height in the early hours of Tuesday.
It became the deadliest day for Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank this year. Five killed and about 20 injured in this raid, according to Palestinian officials and another dead in a clash north of Ramallah.
Israel Defense Force says they raid Nablus to target the Lion's Den, a new militant group that has claimed responsibility for deadly attacks against Israeli security forces, and who Israel says is planning to target civilians in Israel.
[03:30:03]
According to Israeli officials, soldiers raided an explosives manufacturing site for the group and killed one of their leaders.
Palestinians claiming this man was killed on a targeted drone strike. Suggesting the Israelis are using new lethal escalations in this latest fight that so far had been focused on ground incursions.
This new armed Palestinian militant group does not belong to any of the traditional Palestinian factions. They're mostly young male members bounded by the lost faith in their own Palestinian leadership to stand up against the occupation and Israeli settlers
A red ribbon around their weapons as a symbol that the blood of their martyrs won't go to waste. Their popularity skyrocketing among Palestinians already with more than 200,000 followers on Telegram. Supporters heating the call to flood the streets. Chanting den in the streets of Nablus after the raid.
As 2022 now remains the deadliest year for Palestinians and Israelis since 2015 with no end in sight.
Hadas Gold, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Up next, Britain's new prime minister says he's ready to take on the country's economic crisis. We'll hear from him just ahead.
And some of the top Wall Street bankers say a U.S. recession may be inevitable, but there's something that's worrying them even more.
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COREN: Welcome back. In just hours, Rishi Sunak will face lawmakers for his first prime minister's questions in the British parliament. This, coming on his first full day on the job is already pledging to bring stability to a nation rattled by months of political and economic turmoil, and fix the mistakes of his predecessor.
CNN's Max Foster takes a closer look and Mr. Sunak's rise to the top and what he's promising to do next.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RISHI SUNAK, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Right now, our country is facing a profound economic crisis.
MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Britain's new Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, the first person of color and first Hindu to hold the position, clear on why he was chosen to lead.
SUNAK: This will mean difficult decisions to come.
FOSTER: The former hedge fund manager steered the United Kingdom through the pandemic as finance minister with catchy spending initiatives such as Eat Out to Help Out. Now, the 42-year-old Britain's youngest Prime Minister in more than 200 years, says he's ready to lead Britain into the future.
[03:35:05]
At Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, King Charles III gave him the go ahead to form a new government.
SUNAK: I pledge that I will serve you with integrity and humility, and I will work day in day out to deliver for the British people.
FOSTER: His pledge, perhaps a dig at the scandal ridden Boris Johnson who he famously served under as finance minister before helping topple his premiership by resigning. But man of the people, Sunak is not, much has been made of his immense wealth and privileged background. He studied at the exclusive private Winchester College, Oxford, and
then Stanford Universities.
SUNAK: I have friends who are in a working class, but I'm not working class.
FOSTER: But with this clip of a young Sunak in a 2001 BBC documentary doing him no favors after it later went viral. Sunak has also been scrutinized over the non-domicile tax arrangement of his wife Akshata Murthy, the daughter of an Indian billionaire, a tax stater, she said was entirely legal whilst adding, she would renounce advantages.
The couple this year appeared on the Sunday Times rich list of the U.K.'s 250 wealthiest people with an estimated joint net worth of 730 million pounds, $826 million.
Now, Sunak has the job of leading Britain despite soaring inequality and a severe cost of living crisis. His predecessor, Liz Truss, lasted just 45 days in. Sunak can only hope for better.
Max Foster, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Well, now to the U.S. midterm elections, voters have until November 8th to cast ballots and early turnout has been strong. According to election officials and research companies, more than 9.2 million Americans have taken advantage of early and absentee voting. That's on pace with the midterms of 2018, which had the highest voter turnout in recent history for a midterm election.
California, Florida, and Georgia have each received and registered more than a million ballots already.
Well, the CEO of banking giant, J.P. Morgan Chase says he's more worried about geopolitics than a U.S. recession. Jamie Dimon's report, remarks, I should say, came during the future investment initiative in the Saudi capital. It was part of a panel moderated by CNN's Richard Quest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE DIMON, CEO, J.P. MORGAN CHASE: It's very good news right now in the United States. People see it, consumers, businesses, still spending, still lots of money, lot of fiscal stimulus, but there's a lot of stuff on the horizon, which is bad and could, not -- doesn't necessarily, but could put the United States in a recession.
But that's not the most important thing for what we think about. We'll manage right through that. I would worry much more about the geopolitics of the world today.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR AT LARGE: You're worried about the geopolitics? Which side of the geopolitics particularly?
DIMON: I think the most important thing is the -- is the geopolitics what's going in Russia, Ukraine, America, China, you know, the relationships of the -- of the western world, and that that would have to be far more concerned than whether it's a mild or slightly severe recession.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Well, during that same discussion, the CEO of Goldman Sachs warned that a U.S. recession is likely, but said the country can work through a slowdown.
CNN's Richard Quest has this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: The bankers who had gathered here in Riyadh in Saudi knew that the economic outlook was poor, but getting them to admit that it was going to be a recession is always proving more difficult.
What they know and believe and what they'll say can often be two different things. So it was somewhat unusual. But welcome nonetheless that both David Solomon of Goldman Sachs and Jamie Dimon of J.P. Morgan Chase both agreed that a recession was now more than likely.
DAVID SOLOMON, CEO, GOLDMAN SACHS: So, I, too, am in the camp that we likely, likely have a recession in the U.S. going to have, I think most likely a recession. We might be in a recession in Europe.
QUEST: Jamie?
DIMON: I agree.
QUEST: How severe, they won't say. When it'll hit, another member of the panel said probably in about six to nine months, which takes us into the middle of 2023. That seems to be the consensus. They all agree that it won't be 2008 all over again. There'll be no systemic risk to the banking system. There'll be no large scale.
Instead, there will be the slow drudge of higher interest rates leading to restrictive policy, slow down and recession. And the good news, perhaps if you look at it this way, as one said to me, it will be over when the rat has gone through the snake.
[03:40:06]
In other words, once we're through this temporary, short-lived time, interest rates can start coming down again, but they won't come back to anything like we've seen for the last 10 years.
Richard Quest, CNN, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Well, China's leadership is among the factors weighing on the global economy. The yuan briefly fell to an all-time low on international markets Tuesday. Investors dumped Chinese assets amid fears about Xi Jinping's tightening grip on power. He secured a, unprecedented third term as China's leader on Sunday,
extending his authoritarian rule over the world's second largest economy.
Well, the broad economic downturn has delta a blow to Microsoft. It posted a 14 percent decline in third quarter profits on Tuesday versus a year ago. Demand for personal computers is down, and Xbox revenues have also dipped, but Microsoft's net income of more than $17 billion for the quarter was still better than analysts expected.
Recession fears are also weighing down Google's core business. Its parent company, Alphabet is reporting earnings for the third quarter. And Google's advertising revenues fell short of Wall Street expectations growing just two and a half percent year over year. Compare that to 43 percent growth a year ago.
Weeks of devastating flooding are taking a heavy toll on Nigeria, killing hundreds, and displacing more than a million people. Now some worry the worst is yet to come. And many Nigerians say the government isn't doing nearly enough to help. That report coming up.
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COREN: Well, the worst flooding Nigeria has seen in a decade is putting many people at grave risk of cholera and other serious health dangers. And the International Rescue Committee warns more than a million children in the country's north could suffer from acute food insecurity this year.
Our Larry Madowo joins us now from southern Nigeria.
And Larry, you are there standing in floodwaters in Yenagoa, tell us about the devastating scenes that you are witnessing.
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's almost unspeakable, Anna. When you think the fact that 33 out of Nigeria's 36 states have seen flooding this year. It's the worst in a decade. And this is where I'm standing in the capital of Bayelsa State in southern Nigeria. This is one of the main streets in this capital of the state, and this is what it looks like, and it's been like this for weeks.
People are trying to make the best of it. They are angry at the government's response. They feel like the government didn't prepare adequately for the flood, even though there was a forecast. And then when the flooding hits more than three weeks ago, they haven't felt like they've been responded to in the proper way. So, they manage. But this is the reality of the devastation.
[03:44:59]
For instance, look at this here. This is a filling station that's completely submerged, would probably never be safe again to sell fuel. And you see this all across the city, all across the states, and all across much of Nigeria.
So, imagine waiting through a major city, and this is, people just trying to make sure they go by their businesses because they don't feel like the cover is coming. And I've been here in the past few days speaking to people across the states and the neighboring states, and they are livid, but they have to make due.
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MADOWO: Our communities still submerged nearly a month after the flooding began with no end in sight. Boats have become the only way to get around much of Bayelsa States in southern Nigeria. The streets have turned to rivers, driving entire communities away from their homes.
Mama Obi (Ph) takes us to what is left over her home. The water is still waist high.
(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
MADOWO: "We have really suffered," she says, "tell the government to help us."
(APPLAUSE)
MADOWO: Everything you own is here under the water and this your house.
UNKNOWN: Yes, lots. So, everything.
MADOWO: Some are living rough on the streets, washing with this water, cooking with it and bathing in it. Even though people's homes and businesses and livelihoods are already submerged, it's still raining and there's more expected. The Nigerian government is warning this could go on through November. So even more of this.
This is Nigeria's worst flooding in a decade. Aniso Handy has remained in his house through it all.
ANISO HANDY, FLOOD VICTIM: Nigerians are used to manage, if not would've all died. We have not seen a situation where people are not cared for. But Nigerians care for themselves. We are just like infants that have no father, no mother.
MADOWO: The feeling of abandonment runs deep here. Victims are disappointed with the Nigerian government's response which hasn't declared the flood and national emergency.
UNKNOWN: We're not comfortable and now they fear for (Inaudible) sick.
MADOWO: We're next to the local cemetery, and residents have reported seeing bodies floating here in this water. This flood has displaced not just the living, also the dead. The floods have affected 33 of Nigeria's 36 states, partly due to well above average rainfall.
Bayelsa is among those cut off from the nation with major highways underwater. The situation has been exacerbated by poor drainage infrastructure and an overflowing dam in neighboring Cameroon, but with a warmer climate causing more intense rainfall authorities have also blamed it on climate change. Angering some Nigerians.
In this community though, there are more short-term consequences. So, you are worried about the children mostly.
NDIA OKAZI, FLOOD VICTIM: Yes. My children they're not going to school again. Now when (Inaudible) me.
MADOWO: It's a tough life to navigate for humans and animals alike. But life must go on.
(END VIDEOTAPE
MADOWO: The way life goes on is that you reopen your business and try and make the best of it. Even though your city is standing to a lake and you need a boat or a canoe just to get around navigating streets that were previously, you could walk on them. Now you need a boat. But that's how people are making the best of this situation.
Anna, but you look across the streets, you see so many businesses that have had to shut because that water, the flood water gets all the way to the steps. So, the ground floor is no longer a place where people can live, but they are just trying to get by because the warning is that there still could be more rainfall to come in the next couple of weeks.
And the five worst affected states the water levels could dries again, and they don't know what will happen if that happens, if they have to move even further away from this part of the country. Anna?
COREN: Larry, such devastating scenes that you're showing us and hard to believe that the government has yet to name this a national emergency that is just truly appalling.
Excellent reporting, Larry. We thank you and your team for bringing us that report. Larry Madowo joining us from Yenagoa in Nigeria.
Well, it's now been a year since the military coup in Sudan, which has led to pro-democracy protests almost every week, and dozens of demonstrates killed. An internet watchdog reported nationwide disruptions Tuesday and apparent effort to limit the free flow of information online. But still, tens of thousands were back on the streets to make their voices heard.
CNN's Zain Asher has more on the unrest.
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ZAIN ASHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A Sudanese flag waves in the streets of Khartoum, which is once again filled with protestors. It's a scene that's been on repeat in Sudan since the military coup a year ago, and one that has often spiraled into violent crackdowns by security forces.
Human rights groups say that more than a hundred protestors have died over the past year.
(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
[03:49:59]
UNKNOWN (through translator): We're not here to discuss the coup. We want to overthrow it, and for that we are ready to pay the price even with our lives.
ASHER: Last October, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan led the takeover that plunged the country further into chaos by dissolving the civilian led government, put in place after the removal of longtime leader Omar al- Bashir three years ago in a citizen led uprising.
The coup cut short. The country's transition to democracy and ended a power sharing agreement between the army and civilian leaders. It was also met with widespread condemnation, sparking pro-democracy protests inside the country and cutting off hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Sudan from international donors.
A year later, Sudan's future is still in limbo. The country still has no prime minister. The last one, Abdalla Hamdok was put under house arrest during the coup. Reinstated a few weeks later only to resign in January amid more protests.
There has been little progress in mediation efforts by the United Nations and the African Union, though in July General Burhan said the military would step back from talks so that civilian factions could plan a new government. Sudan's main civilian alliance called the move a ruse. And encourage people to continue protesting.
The political unrest has been made worse by a growing food crisis. In June, the United Nations said a third of Sudan's population, that's 15 million people, is facing acute food insecurity. The war in Ukraine making conditions worse. About half of the country's wheat imports comes from the Black Sea region so prices of goods have skyrocketed.
Aid agencies are also monitoring extreme flooding in parts of the country. The floods impacting nearly 350,000 people by destroying homes and fields and increasing the risk of waterborne diseases like cholera. Tribal clashes are once again on the rise despite a nationwide peace deal that was signed two years ago.
The violence, hunger, and poverty just adding to the suffering in Sudan, and with no political solution in sight, it's likely the streets of Khartoum won't soon be silent.
Zain Asher, CNN, New York.
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COREN: Well, still to come, companies cut ties with Kanye West. How his anti-Semitic comments ended millions of dollars into business deals. That's next.
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COREN: Well, it's a bad day to be Ye. Brands have cut ties with the rapper who formally went by Kanye West after he doubled down on anti- Semitic comments made online. Forbes has dropped him from their billionaire's list, saying the botch deals now make him worth a mere $400 million.
CNN's Brian Todd has more on the controversy from Washington.
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KANYE WEST, RAPPER: I could say --
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In recent days, Kanye West said this on a podcast.
WEST: The thing about me and Adidas is like, I could literally say anti-Semitic (muted) and they can't drop me.
TODD: Now the German sportswear giant has indeed dropped West, who now goes by the name Ye. Adidas has partnered with him for nine years. His line of sneakers with them was hugely successful, and Adidas says it will take a hit of more than $240 million to its fourth quarter sales by cutting ties.
JONATHAN GREENBLATT, CEO, ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: I wish it had happened sooner, but this does send a strong statement that there are consequences when you express anti-Semitism in any form of hate.
[03:54:58]
TODD: On October 8th, West tweeted, he was, quote, "going DEFCON three on Jewish people." His Twitter and Instagram accounts were locked. He since been abandoned by the Gap, Vogue, the fashion house Balenciaga, and his powerful agents CAA. For a man who's won 24 Grammy awards and has been a trendsetting fashion mogul, how big a fall from grace is this?
DAN BAUM, STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER: From zero to 10, this is 11. It's as extreme as it gets. And the real problem is, is that he's crossed over a moral line through hate speech and anti-Semitism.
TODD: Observers say one danger with West's public remarks is that his audience is young and impressionable. Another is the current political and social climate in America.
L.Z. GRANDERSON, OP-ED COLUMNIST, THE LOS ANGELES TIMES: Or excuse me, this platform in the context of a post 2020 America with everything that we know that's going on in terms of hate crimes, in terms of anti-Semitism, in terms of racism. So, we're in a climate right now that's very, very tensed.
TODD: In recent days, a group of demonstrators appeared to show support for West's anti-Semitic remarks by hanging banners from a freeway overpass near L.A.
GREENBLATT: It was a dangerous thing for Kanye to do at a time when the danger facing Jewish people is all too real. TODD: This post by Jerry Seinfeld's wife Jessica getting hundreds of thousands of likes and shares online, but West actions go beyond upsetting the Jewish community. He recently wore a White Lives Matter t-shirt at a Paris runway shows. He suggested that George Floyd died from a fentanyl overdose rather than police brutality.
Can West reverse any of this and make a comeback? The apology tour hasn't been convincing. He recently told an interviewer he was sorry for the hurt that the DEFCON tweet caused but wasn't sorry he said it. His ex-wife, Kim Kardashian just issued a statement criticizing hate speech, but only after she was called out for not addressing West's behavior earlier.
One damage control expert says this.
BAUM: These are his real thoughts. There's really no coming back from this. If these thoughts are the result of a mental health condition, I think that is a mitigating fact.
TODD: There is speculation that West's behavior could be related to mental illness. He himself has previously acknowledged a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, but he's also cast some doubt on that.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Well, let's finish on an inspiring story. A blind skateboarder in the U.S. isn't letting his sight difference lower his vision. Dan Mancina has amassed hundreds of thousands of followers online by sharing videos of himself using a cane while he attempts to pull off impressive tricks.
The 35-year-old lost his sight due to an eye disease, but he's pushed through the challenges. He's now working to open a skate park with adaptive obstacles, making it accessible to all skaters.
Well, good for him. And thanks so much for your company. I'm Anna Coren. CNN Newsroom continues with Max Foster, next. Stay tuned.
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