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Isa Soares Tonight
Liz Cheney Loses In Landslide To Trump-Backed Candidate; A Ukrainian Report Acknowledges Ukraine Was Behind Crimea Attacks; NATO Steps In Amid Growing Tensions In The Balkans; U.K. Inflation Rate Hits 10.1%, Highest Since 1982; EU & U.S. Studying Iran's Response To "Final" Proposal; Abbas Accuses Israel Of 50 Holocausts, Walks Back Comment; 30 Million Americans Under Heat Alerts As Temperatures Soar. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired August 17, 2022 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, the end of the road for one of Donald
Trump's fiercest Republican critic. What Liz Cheney's defeat means for her and the future of her party. Then, a Ukrainian report acknowledges Kyiv was
behind those three attacks in Russian-occupied Crimea.
We are live for you this hour in Kyiv. And rising tensions in the Balkans, NATO steps in to try and stave off a new conflict in Europe. But first, now
the real work begins. Those words from Donald Trump's fiercest Republican critic who is wasting no time turning the biggest defeat of her political
career into an opportunity.
House Representative Liz Cheney urging all Americans to join her fight to save the country's democracy, saying its survival is not guaranteed. She
gave a defiant concession speech that seem more like a call to action in fact, after losing a closely-watched primary election in Wyoming to a
Trump-endorsed candidate.
Cheney has taken a leading role on the January 6 Committee, and was one of only 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump last year. She says she will
decide in the coming months whether to run for president herself. But for now, she says she's focused on one primary mission. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): Freedom must not, cannot, and will not die here.
(APPLAUSE)
We must be very clear-eyed about the threat we face and about what is required to defeat it. I have said since January 6, that I will do whatever
it takes to ensure Donald Trump is never again anywhere near the Oval Office, and I mean it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, let's get more now from CNN's Gabby Orr in Washington. And Gabby, this was quite a landslide. So just explain why voters in Wyoming
who have endorsed, of course, endorsed two years ago have suddenly turned their back on Liz Cheney.
GABBY ORR, CNN REPORTER: Well, that's right. A landslide it was. Two years ago when Liz Cheney was up for re-election, she won her re-election by more
than 70 percentage points. Last night, she lost by 40 percentage points. So that is a huge swing away from Liz Cheney. And there's really one person
that Liz Cheney can blame for that, and that is former President Donald Trump.
He personally recruited and endorsed her challenger Harriet Hageman, a prominent businesswoman in Wyoming, who is now very well positioned to
become the congresswoman representing that state. Liz Cheney said in her speech last night that she will now shift her focus to preventing Donald
Trump from becoming president or ever seeking federal office again.
And that is going to be her primary mission moving forward. I'm told by a Cheney spokesperson that she is going to be launching a new political
organization that will really focus on driving that mission forward. She wants to do everything that she can to prevent Trump from holding office
again.
And she's going to be doing that by traveling across the country in the coming months, speaking with voters, meeting with donors, trying to find a
path forward and maybe even leading efforts to build a coalition that would oppose Donald Trump if he does seek the Republican presidential nod in
2024.
SOARES: But Gabby, you know, as we've just outlined, this wasn't a policy- driven election. So in terms of her future, how much appetite do you think is there within the Republican Party for Liz Cheney?
ORR: Well, that's a good question, because Liz Cheney has been very publicly facing over the past 18 months, she's been a primary voice on the
January 6 Committee, she has obviously been taking Donald Trump to task in every public appearance that she's made, calling him a threat to American
democracy.
So it's unclear just how much that has been resonating with voters, especially voters in her home state who sent her packing last night. But
that does not mean that she doesn't have future political ambitions or that she doesn't see a path forward for herself. I want us to take a listen to
what she told "NBC" this morning when she was asked specifically if she's considering a run for president in 2024.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You didn't say yes or no, and that's fine if you're thinking about it. But are you thinking about it? Are you thinking about
running for president?
CHENEY: That's a decision that I'm going to make in the coming months, and I'm not going to make any announcements here this morning. But it is
something that I am thinking about and I'll make a decision in the coming months.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[14:05:00]
ORR: So, Cheney is again not clear on a decision yet, whether she will run for president, but she is certainly laying the groundwork. Earlier this
morning, she converted her campaign committee which had about $7 million in cash at the end of July into a leadership PAC, that is not something that
she could use towards a future presidential campaign.
But it is something that she can use to cover her travel cost as she would likely be meeting with donors, meeting with voters, trying to see if
there's a path forward for her, either in this Republican Party as it is now or as an independent voice and conservative alternative to Trump.
SOARES: Very interesting indeed. Gabby Orr in Washington for us this hour, thanks very much, Gabby, appreciate it. Well, witnesses who testified
before Cheney's January 6 Committee say Donald Trump knew his vice president's life was in danger during the riots, and even knew a mob was
chanting "hang Mike Pence", but he still took no action, believing Pence deserved it.
Well, Pence may now decide to speak to committee himself, he's been mostly silent about that day, but at an event in New Hampshire on Wednesday, he
said he would consider testifying before lawmakers if formally invited, though he seems to express some reservations.
CNN's Athena Jones was there, and she joins us now live from New Hampshire. So Athena, you were at that event with the vice president, so how should we
interpret this, and have we heard from Jan 6th Eggs Committee here?
ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Isa, well, we have. After the former vice president delivered his remarks at this Politics and Eggs
Breakfast, he took a few questions from the organizers of the event and from some attendees.
He was asked if he thought the January 6th Committee was performing a public service, at how he would respond if asked to testify, he said he
would give any formal invitation, quote, "due consideration". But he also hinted at potential executive privilege issues. Here's more of what he had
to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE PENCE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You've heard me mention the constitution a few times this morning. Now, the constitution,
we have three co-equal branches of government. And any invitation that'd be directed to me, I would have to reflect on the unique role that I was
serving in as vice president.
It'd be unprecedented in history for a vice president to be summoned to testify on Capitol Hill. But as I said, I don't want to pre-judge. If there
were any formal invitation rendered to us, we'd give a due consideration.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: And so it's important to listen very closely to Pence's words there. A source with knowledge of Pence's thinking cautioned against
reading too much into what he was saying. This source telling my colleague Gloria Borger that the former vice president would have serious
constitutional concerns -- issues, about appearing and citing those comments you just heard him make about the co-equal branches of government.
Pence also believes according to this source, that much of the information about his experience of January 6 is stuff the committee already has.
Because his former Chief of Staff Marc Short, and his -- one of his lawyers Greg Jacob have also -- both testified before the committee in full.
So, they're saying no, listen closely to what he's saying. He's saying he's opened to it, but you know, he really have to think about it. As for the
January 6 Committee, they did not respond to our request for comment about Pence's remarks. Isa?
SOARES: Well, let's see where this goes. Athena Jones, appreciate it. Now, we are also keeping an eye on a courtroom, the state of Georgia this hour.
That's where Trump's former attorney Rudy Giuliani is appearing before a grand jury. It's investigating whether Trump and his allies broke the law
by attempting to overturn the 2020 election results.
Giuliani has been informed he's a target of this criminal probe. And we don't know if he's invoking his right to remain silent. But his attorney
did tell CNN earlier this week, that it's quote, "delusional to think that Giuliani would answer questions that involve his conversations with Trump."
Well, let's discuss what all these developments mean for Trump and the Republican Party, and breakdown really the former president's influence on
American politics. For that, we turn to CNN political commentator S.E. Cupp. S.E., great to have you on the show. Look, let me start with Liz
Cheney if I may. What do you think the message was, S.E., coming out of Wyoming?
SARAH ELIZABETH CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, look, there are some cynicism in Washington that was, Cheney must have done what she's done
for a reason because she wants something. I don't think that's the case. I think Liz Cheney was just that appalled by what Donald Trump has done and
continues to do that she knew she would risk her congressional career, maybe even her political future to do what she thought was right.
So Liz Cheney made a calculated decision, I think knowing that, you know, this is exactly what would happen. Now, what comes next for her is a bit of
a question mark.
[14:10:00]
There is no natural lane for Liz Cheney to run for higher office. You would -- you would never tell a member of Congress who was just ousted by their
own party in a state that votes overwhelmingly with that party, to then run for president and hope to get the nomination of that party.
It just doesn't seem plausible. But she can continue to have some influence for the voiceless Republicans and moderates who feel like the party has
left them and Trump is now running it kind of into the ground.
SOARES: Well, it does show, I think it's fair to say, and you correct me if I'm wrong, S.E., is that, you know, Trump's shadow is looming pretty
large still over the party. But what you're saying, you don't think there is a path for her and the Republican Party. Is there a path for a pure
anti-Trump candidate in the GOP?
CUPP: It's really -- it's really tough. I mean, you'd have to, I imagine, either run as an independent or on a third party ticket. And those just
don't seem to do very well. You know, if the goal is to play spoiler, someone like Adam Kinzinger or Liz Cheney could do that. But again, that's
really falling on the sword, knowing you're probably not going to win.
But there aren't natural Liz Cheney voters. You know, I constantly have to remind Democrats who admire her, rightly right now, that she is very
conservative, right? I'm conservative, she stood the right of me. So they would never vote for her to be -- to be president.
And then all of the Trump Republicans, which is most of the party, look at her as a traitor. So who is -- who is left? I don't think enough voters for
her to have a viable path.
SOARES: Well, you're saying it's not about her policies. It's not because she's staunchly conservative. It's about really --
CUPP: Right --
SOARES: The fact that she's gone against Donald Trump. That's what you're saying, S.E.
CUPP: Yes, I mean, the Republican Party is completely disinterested in policies and ideas at the moment. Which is why folks like me have left it.
Because we used to be a party of ideas, and now it's animated really entirely by Trumpism and then sort of under that, owning the libs, right?
SOARES: Yes --
CUPP: Doing things to make Democrats and liberal voters angry. Turning Americans against each other. Regressive policies like book banning. I
mean, it's really absurd and disorienting, but that's the landscape Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger and others are operating in. So, this was not
about policies, this was not about ideas. This was entirely about Trump's cult of personality.
SOARES: I want to show our viewers a graphic that we have, S.E., that really shows some of the ten, I think the ten people that voted to kind of
impeach Trump as you're seeing there. Only two are left -- only two are left in fact within the Republican Party.
I mean, this -- this is, how do you interpret kind of the mood within the Republican Party? Because his critics have been shunned, and they're facing
kind of long odds. So, how divided is the party here, S.E.?
CUPP: It's not divided. I mean, it's very clear on where it wants to go, which is further in this direction, the direction of Trumpism, and even if
it's without him, people like Ron DeSantis and others who are flirting with a run, are running on Trumpism.
So, I don't think there's much of a -- you know, internal battle or existential crisis inside the party, 80 percent, as you're showing, 80
percent of the people who, you know, voted to impeach him have -- you know, similarly been shown the door essentially. And that's by members of their
own party.
So, clearly, the -- you know, the GOP has been co-opted completely by Trump and Trumpism and everything that it stands for. And there just isn't --
there isn't room in it for good conservatives, you know, with great voting records like Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger.
SOARES: So, S.E., finally, will any of these investigations, the FBI search, the Giuliani as well. Will any of that make a dent on this passion,
this backing for Trumpism within the party as you're saying?
CUPP: Yes, I know, and that's why I'm clear. It's Trumpism that's leading --
SOARES: Yes --
CUPP: It, right? So whatever happens to him, he could go to jail right now. And I still think that the party wants to go in the direction of
Trumpism. And you know, we can -- we can tell that's the case because people keep acting a lot like him. You know, people --
SOARES: Yes --
CUPP: Running for other offices and talking about running for offices, actually like he does and spread lies like he does about our election. So I
think Trumpism has won the day, and I'm not sure when if ever that will change for the Republican Party.
SOARES: But if there are so many -- there are so many Trumpism, there are so many candidates that back this Trumpism view, wouldn't it be a very
crowded field? Wouldn't it be a split in the vote?
[14:15:00]
CUPP: It is very -- yes, it could very well be. We'll see. Trump hasn't announced yet, and I think --
SOARES: Yes --
CUPP: That's why a lot of other folks haven't announced yet. So, it's possible that he effectively, keeps everyone else from running, except for
maybe these, you know, third party anti-Trump kind of candidates.
SOARES: Yes --
CUPP: But yes, it could be a very -- a very crowded field. That worked to his advantage the last time around in 2016. But if they're all running like
him, it might -- it might actually do some damage. We'll see.
SOARES: S.E., i have a feeling we'll be talking much more in the months ahead.
CUPP: OK --
SOARES: Appreciate it, S.E. Cupp, thank you.
CUPP: Sure.
SOARES: And still to come tonight, a huge traffic jam on the road out of Crimea, comes after a series of devastating explosions at Russian military
facilities, and now we have confirmation who carried them out. Plus, NATO and the EU are trying to prevent another crisis from brewing in Europe. How
Kosovo is becoming a potential flash-point politically, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: We have news just coming in to CNN, a spokesman for the chief of police in Kabul, Afghanistan, says there are casualties after an explosion
inside a Mosque during evening prayers. Now, he didn't give details on the number of casualties or a possible cause for the explosion, but security
forces are on the scene and they're investigating.
Of course, we'll bring you more details as soon as we get them. Now, an internal Ukrainian report is now confirming what most already suspected.
That Ukraine was behind three damaging explosions in Russian-occupied Crimea. The first happened, if you remember last week at a Russian airbase.
Satellite images indicate the blast destroyed at least seven aircrafts. The other two occurred this week at ammunition depot in a Russian airfield. And
Ukraine's president suggesting more explosions are on the way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT, UKRAINE (through translator): I'm asking now all our people in Crimea, in other areas, in the south of the country,
in the occupied areas of Donbas and Kharkiv region, to be very careful.
[14:20:00]
Please, do not go near the military facilities of the Russian army and all those places where they store ammunition and equipment, where they keep
their headquarters.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, that warning came even as Russian missiles slammed, as you can see there, into Odessa overnight, injuring at least four civilians and
igniting a massive fire. Our David McKenzie joins us now live from Kyiv.
So, David, we're hearing now from Ukrainian sources that they were behind - - the Ukrainians were behind the attacks in Crimea. What does this tell you, in your opinion, David, about that direction that this war is going,
or the strategy by Ukraine in Crimea?
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, Isa, what it tells us is that Ukraine is able, according to that source, to strike sites
far behind their front lines with the Russians, and that's very significant, both in terms of trying to slow the war effort of the Russians
and take out their supply lines and military assets like airplanes.
And also a psychological benefit. You know, they've been streaming cars out in traffic jams out of Crimea of Russians who for several years have felt
it was a place they could go on vacation, evacuating that area. Whether we'll have a significant impact on the ongoing war remains to be seen.
What we do know is that there's been a grinding conflict, particularly in the eastern part of this country. Many soldiers have had life-changing
injuries, and we met some of them who are trying to heal.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCKENZIE (voice-over): A coffee and a cigarette. That's all Andrii asked for after field surgeons amputated both of his legs. "OK, you're a fighter,
you'll be OK", they told him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I try to stay positive, and that helps me to survive.
MCKENZIE: A veteran of Ukraine's war, just nine days into this conflict, Andrii was clearing cast ammunitions when they exploded. It left him bowed,
but not broken. "it's hard, but this is my task. To stay upright", he says. And I'm doing it. Maybe I'll even return to duty.
(on camera): At a rehabilitation center in Vinnytsia, the soldiers often choose camou prosthetics, the artisans have been doing this for nine
decades, putting soldiers back together. And the prosthetics, the physical rehabilitation isn't enough. How is the attitude or the hope for a patient
important in this process?
VOLODYMYR DANILYUK, ORTHOPEDIST, VINNYTSIA REHABILITATION CENTER (through translator): It's 50/50, 50 percent depends on our doctors, and 50 percent
depends on the soldier and his mental health. If he doesn't want it, doctors can help him.
MCKENZIE: How do you feel about this war, now? It's been many months.
(voice-over): "I am very sorry for the younger men who are dying in this war", says Andrii. "For permanent soldiers who have been going to the front
since 2014, I understand. But for the younger guys, I feel sorry for them." Russia's invasion sent 23-year-old Sergei(ph) far from home, to the
northeastern front. He felt proud to defend his homeland.
"Our orders were to push the enemy from the frontline", he says. "We were too close to the enemy." Russians attacked their position with overwhelming
force with tanks and mortars. "Yes, I'm very angry", says Sergei(ph). "But first of all, I'm angry because they attacked Ukraine. And I'm angry about
my leg."
"Of course, it's much better when you have your own legs", says Andrii. "But now I understand that the wheel chair and the prosthetics are part of
my body. It's physically very hard. It's very hard."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCKENZIE: Well, Isa, as extraordinary as it is, some of those soldiers get a prosthetic leg and then asked to return to the front. And I asked Andrii
whether his son, who is now of age to be in the military would join the fight. His son wants to fight, but he said, there is no way he would allow
him. He needs to both help him recover, and as he puts it, he wants to see his grandchildren one day. Isa?
SOARES: Powerful report there, David McKenzie for us in Kyiv, Ukraine, thanks very much, David, appreciate it.
[14:25:00]
Well, as war rages in Ukraine, NATO leaders are trying to head off a potential new conflict in Europe, specifically in Serbia and Kosovo. Now,
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg held crisis meetings earlier with those countries' leaders, urging them to commit to peaceful dialogue as
well as to remain calm while tensions have been simmering along the border in the past few weeks over Kosovo's new rules for travel documents and
license plates, which has enraged Belgrade and ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo.
Scott McLean joins me now with more. So, Scott, let's start off with those meetings. What actually came out of them?
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there were two separate meetings that happened --
SOARES: Yes --
MCLEAN: Today, one with the Kosovo prime minister, one with the Serb president. But look, this is not about license plates. I mean, on the
surface, this is about license plates, this is about entry permits for ethnic Serbs who are coming into Kosovo, a place that they've lived their
entire lives. But really, this is about ethnicity and this idea that ethnic Serbs who still live in Kosovo are somehow being discriminated against.
Because you'll remember, back in 2008 when Kosovo declared its independence, Serbia didn't recognize that.
SOARES: Yes --
MCLEAN: Many countries didn't recognize it, more than a 100 countries did. But the result is that, you had this ethnic minority, Serb population
remaining in the northern part of Kosovo that was carrying on their daily lives as if the Serbian government was still in control, not recognizing
the Kosovo authorities. And so now, they are trying to sort of institute their power, and one of those --
SOARES: Yes --
MCLEAN: Things is a relatively simple thing, which is license plates. And so, in 2013, there was this mediation offer by the EU, didn't really go
anywhere, and so now, you have a situation like last Summer where they first tried to implement this change to the license plate rules. That led
to border blockades and protests.
Now, just a couple of weeks ago, you had a very similar situation, but the situation didn't really get resolved, it just got kicked down the road --
SOARES: Yes --
MCLEAN: Until September. So, now you have the Kosovo prime minister who said earlier today that he blames the destructive approach of Serbia, you
have the Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic saying Kosovo was exaggerating the threat for political gain.
SOARES: The tit-for-tat very much still continuing.
MCLEAN: Yes, I mean, both sides say that they want peace, but I just want to play for you a piece of tape that sort of illustrates what kind of
entrenched views that we're really up against. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEKSANDAR VUCIC, PRESIDENT, SERBIA (through translator): Please do not expect Serbs to enjoy and say how they're having a really nice time. There
is a new generation of kids, of young men in the north of Kosovo, and the entire Kosovo, they will not put up with this anymore.
And it has no longer anything to do with me, with Jens, with -- where we grew old. This is new generation, they do not put up with the terror, they
do not see Kosovo as an independent state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCLEAN: So there is mediated talks tomorrow --
SOARES: Yes --
MCLEAN: With the EU. Vucic said that they'd be difficult, surely that's an understatement.
SOARES: Is there -- are there any incentives, is there a carrot that you can just -- can present to them to try and ease tensions here?
MCLEAN: That is sort of the good news here because you have both sides with a very clear incentives to get along, and to actually play ball. You
have Serbia as a candidate to join the European Union. And you have Kosovo who would very much like to join NATO.
SOARES: Yes --
MCLEAN: Neither of those things is likely to happen though, unless they play along and they play nice and actually resolve their issues. But
they've been working on it since 2013, nothing's happened since then.
Now, you have Jens Stoltenberg; the Secretary-General of NATO saying that the 3,700 peacekeeping troops on the ground, they're prepared to do more
than they have so far, intervened more than they have so far in order to maintain the peace here.
So, while it may suit either side to kind of keep this tension going internally, externally, they have a lot to lose if things --
SOARES: Yes --
MCLEAN: Actually do boil over.
SOARES: I know, you'll keep an eye on the meetings tomorrow. Keep us posted, thanks very much.
MCLEAN: You bet.
SOARES: Well, still to come tonight, record inflation, soaring energy prices and Winter looming, we'll look at the U.K.'s worsening cost of
living crisis. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:31:55]
SOARES: Welcome back. The UK's cost of living crises just got worse. Inflation is now the highest it's been in more than 40 years, rising to
10.1% in July. That is the highest inflation rate in the whole of the G7. And it comes amid skyrocketing energy as well as fuel prices. Gas prices
alone, rose by a whopping 95% in the last year, and the cost of milk and bread continues to soar. All of this, of course, hitting ordinary bricks
very hard.
CNN's Anna Stewart and Bianca Nobilo are here with me to discuss. Anna, let me start with you. I mean, what's -- why is the U.K. have such high
inflation compared to the rest of the G7? I want to ask, is Brexit got anything to do with this?
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: It's an interesting one. It's certainly not a title the U.K. would like and it's where it's at now for months, the
highest inflation in the G7. And there are a couple of reasons why. First of all, energy, if we're looking at how vulnerable the U.K. is to the
European energy crisis, the war in Ukraine sanctions, and Russia is more vulnerable than the U.S. and Canada.
We then compare it to European big economies, France and Germany, it kind of comes down to a labor situation as well as imported goods like food. On
the labor front, all of Europe really is facing labor shortages, both to the U.K., it's not just pandemic related, it's also has to do with Brexit.
So certainly Brexit is playing --
(CROSSTALK)
SOARES: -- factors, really. So what does that mean, Bianca? I mean, this is going to be the big topic for whoever takes over as prime minister in
September, you'd be looking at the candidates, how do they stack up in terms of policy on this?
BIANCA NOBILO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they've now been repeating fairly rehearse lines at this point. So as things started, Liz Truss was the one
who said that she wanted to keep taxes low, appealing to the conservative base,
Rishi Sunak was opting to be more honest with the country and say, we are facing extremely challenging times, I'm not going to promise that, because
we have all this debt from the pandemic. He has changed his tune slightly. But before we even get to who's coming next. What the British media and
public have been putting pressure on at the moment is the fact that we still have a Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, who's now on his settlement --
SOARES: Do we, I mean, we've --
NOBILO: We do.
(CROSSTALK)
SOARES: -- a power vacuum at the moment.
NOBILO: Great news. Yeah, so being on the second foreign holiday in less than a month. It's not a working holiday, the country is facing an economic
crisis. And there is a huge amount of pressure on him and the Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi, asking what are you doing to mitigate this?
Now, if you wanted to be charitable, you could say, well, whoever comes next is likely to change course from whatever might be decided now. But we
simply don't have the time for inertia, if the winter crisis is going to be averted or mitigated.
SOARES: And the reality is, as you know, as we've been discussing for now for weeks is that this will affect the poorest the most. So the action
needs to be now especially I mean, we heard from the Bank of England, but now we actually need policy here.
STEWART: Yes, it's not just up to the Bank of England, this stage they raised rates six times I think we're going to see more aggressive action
ahead. But what about policy? What about helping the poorest in the U.K.? And I think when we look at inflation, it's very easy just to see it as a
low numbers but for the poorest in this country food prices for instance going up astronomically 40% increase for a pint of milk over the last year
on top of energy prices, which between October of last year and next January, the average bill for energy will go up over $3,000 more.
[14:35:21]
How are some households go into for this? The answer is they won't. They need help. There is some help out there and various policies but they're
going to need more. And we are in summer, you know, heating isn't on. People want to know what is going to happen come September, October when
inflation may peak. What is the government going to do?
SOARES: OK, come September, if it's Liz Truss, what does she have up our sleeves to try and combat this cost of living crisis?
NOBILO: Well, the policies are being quite vague so far. And she keeps repeating her line about wanting to keep taxes low, as I said, because she
is appealing to a sliver of conservative voters less than 1% of the British electorate on mass. And a lot of economists have criticized her plans, the
majority of siding with Rishi Sunak saying he has the more sensible ideas, even though he has been pressured into changing and softening some of his
lines and saying that he would actually offer help to people to get through this winter and put emphasis away from other departments.
That's why there is a sense of apprehension and why labor had been pushing very hard as well coming up with their own plans, which, again, we were
discussing before, don't seem to actually tackle the key issue here, which is rising energy costs for British and for British people. But they aren't
arguing that whether it's Boris Johnson or whoever comes next, it doesn't really matter who's in government for the conservatives, or whether or not
Boris Johnson is on holiday or not, that it's all a big party for them. And they're not taking the plight of the British public seriously enough.
SOARES: Yeah. And I know a lot of people are on holiday at the moment, those who can afford to be on holiday to be completely honest. But come
like you said under come September, that's when the reality starts to bite. And I think that's when the pressure is really on whoever takes over at
Number 10. Bianca and Anna, thank you very much.
Well, Tehran has formally replied to European Union's final proposal to say the crucial nuclear deal from 2015. And now the E.U. and the U.S. are
discussing Iran's response. Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal if you remember, when he was serving as U.S. president back in 2018. He then
re-impose sanctions on Iran, which has enriched uranium at much higher levels, ever since indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran have been going
on for 16 months now, to try to revive the deal. With E.U. acting as a mediator. Russia is also playing a key role in the negotiations.
Our Frederik Pleitgen is in Moscow with the latest?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Isa. Well, the diplomatic waiting game to try and revive the Iran nuclear
agreement continues with the U.S. and the European Union now saying that they're looking through and studying demands that the Iranians have made
about changes to the text that was put forward by the European Union to try and revive the agreement.
Of course, the Europeans have said that that would be the final text, the Iranians study that and then came back and they wanted changes which the
Iranians say are minor. But of course, all parties that are going to be part of the Iran Nuclear Agreement, if all this happens, need to sign off
on all of it first. Now, the U.S. has essentially been accusing the Iranians of dragging their feet on the issue. And certainly the State
Department spokesman Ned Price, he said almost exactly the same thing when commenting and when asked whether or not the U.S. was OK with the changes
that the Iranians are demanding.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NED PRICE, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: We started this process in the spring of 2021. It is now nearly late summer of 2022. If all sides, if
the Iranians had show -- had demonstrated a seriousness of purpose, from the earliest days of this, we would have been able to achieve a mutual
return to compliance with the JCPOA in relatively short order.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: Now, of course, the Iranians see all of that very differently. They have been saying that, look, the Biden administration could have gone
back into the Iran Nuclear Agreement when it came into office and just dropped all the sanctions against Iran. But now, of course, things are a
lot more complicated.
And one of the things that the Iranians have been demanding is they want what some have called compensation, and what the Iranians themselves have
called a price to pay if a future administration decides to leave the Iran Nuclear Agreement once again. And it really seems as though that's twofold.
On the one hand, they seem to want some sort of financial compensation, which essentially would mean that they want guarantees and protection for
companies that invest and do business with Iran, but also sort of winding down period as well.
But then also, it's about the way that they would dismantle their nuclear program, because one of the things that made the Iranians extremely angry,
especially the hardliners is that when the Trump administration left the Iran Nuclear Agreement, they say that they were obviously being hit by
massive sanctions, but they had already destroyed large parts of their nuclear program as well. They don't want that to happen in the future. The
Iranians for their part are saying the reason why they're making all of these demands and strong demands and looking at everything very carefully,
is obviously they have felt burned in the past but also because they want to make sure the U.S. actually stays in the deal this time, Isa.
[14:40:01]
SOARES: Thanks very much Frederik Pleitgen there.
And still to come tonight, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is facing widespread condemnation for comments he's made about the Holocaust,
how he's trying to walk them back. That is next.
Also ahead, we'll be looking at the impact of the soaring temperatures and droughts in America's west. I'll get the latest from our Chief Climate
Correspondent Bill Weir.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Well, world leaders are responding in outrage to comments made by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. On Wednesday, Abbas said
Israel had committed, "50 holocausts against Palestinians," his staff has to try to walk back his common saying his answer did not, "intend to deny
the specificity of the Holocaust, but was meant to condemn Israeli military actions in Palestinian territory." Our Hadas Gold has a story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now this is far from the first time that the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has made or written
statements about the Holocaust that have drawn condemnation in the past. He said things before, like Jews brought the Holocaust upon themselves. But he
made these comments in Germany standing alongside the German chancellor, of course, Germany is so sensitive about its role in the Holocaust and about
its relationship with Israel, that it sort of brought this whole situation to a new level.
Now, what happened was Abbas was asked whether he will apologize to Israel and Germany ahead of the 50th Anniversary of the 1972 Munich Olympic
Attacks where Palestinian militants killed 11 Israeli athletes and coaches and a West German police officer. But instead this is what he had to say in
response.
MAHMOUD ABBAS, PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY PRESIDENT (through translator): From 1947 to the present day, Israel has committed 50 massacres in Palestinian
villages and cities, in Deir Yassin, Tantura, Kafr Qasim and many others, 50 massacres, 50 Holocausts, and until today, and everyday casualties
covered by the Israeli military, our request to say, enough, come towards peace.
GOLD: Now, according to reporters who are at the press conference, the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz grimaced when Abbas said the word Holocaust
but made no remarks in response, but he did tweet a few hours later saying I am disgusted by the outrageous remarks made by Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas. For us Germans in particular, any relativization of the singularity of the Holocaust is intolerable and unacceptable. I condemn any
attempts to deny the crimes of the Holocaust.
[14:45:02]
Abbas' statements also drew some harsh criticism from Israeli leaders. The Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid issuing his own statement in a tweet,
calling the statements a moral disgrace and also a monstrous lie, saying 6 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust, including one and a half
million Jewish children. History, he says, will never forgive him, referring to Abbas.
Now, earlier on Wednesday, Abbas' office issued a clarification statement, saying that President Abbas reaffirms that the Holocaust is the most
heinous crime that has occurred in modern human history. And trying to clarify that what President Abbas meant is when he's talking about
massacres committed against the Palestinian people, he wants people to recognize that these massacres were committed against the Palestinian
people and that he says they continue until this day. Hadas Gold CNN Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: North Korea has testified to cruise missiles off its western coast. That is according to their neighbors in the South. There's been a recent
flurry of missile tests this one was Pyongyang's 18th launch this year. It comes just days before the U.S. and South Korea are set to resume live
field military drills. They have been suspended since 2018.
And still to come on the show tonight, the U.S. is battling soaring temperatures with 13 million Americans under heat alerts today alone. We'll
look at the drought is impacting one key light.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Now, soaring temperatures are hitting large swathes of the U.S. especially the West in some parts of the south of the country, with 30
million people under heat alerts today alone. In California red flag warnings for heat cover most of the north of the state. There are fears
that lightning today could ignite new fires.
Let's bring in our Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir for more on this. And Bill, what a stunning backdrop where you are. But I believe this slake
where you are is facing dangerously low water levels. So just explain what this all means for us.
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Isa, what you're looking at, what is left of Lake Mead, the biggest reservoir in the United States,
one of two big ones on the Colorado system that keep 40 million people and their animals and crops alive in seven states and 30 tribal nations and
Mexico. And yesterday, we got another really stark warning about the fate of this water in the near future. This is the 23rd year of this mega
drought as well as a result, unprecedented tier two restrictions were kicked down and this is just the beginning of a political fight.
[14:50:03]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WEIR: Whiskey is for drinking. Water is for fighting. That's supposed Mark Twain quote, has been a Western slogan since the first settlers, but now
the worst drought in 1200 years as water managers and seven states, 30 tribal nations and Mexico fighting over every precious drop.
CAMILE TOUTON, BUREAU OF RECLAMATION COMMISSIONER: But to date, the states collectively have not identified and adopted specific actions of sufficient
magnitude that would stabilize the system.
WEIR: That was the commissioner in charge of dams and reservoirs, admitting that upper and lower basin states have failed to agree on ways to cut their
water use by up to 25%.
PAT MULROY, FORMER COMMISSIONER, SOUTHERN NEVADA WATER AUTHORITY: I think ultimately, the states are going to realize they're playing Russian
roulette, and they're going to have to come to their senses.
WEIR: For almost 30 years, Pat Mulroy was in charge of Southern Nevada's water, and led an aggressive conservation campaign to tear up lawns, reuse
wastewater and scold water wasters.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can't water in the middle of the day, ma'am, you'll be fine. If you don't change your water and clock.
WEIR: All measures she'd like to see happen downstream.
MULROY: I think they're kind of kicking the can down the road past the election, if you want to -- want me to be very frank about it. I don't
think anybody wants to make great public announcements about measures they may have to take prior to the election.
WEIR: Rather than the force new action, the feds will let the states keep talking while the next round of automatic cuts will lower water delivery by
7% to Mexico, 8% in Nevada, and 21% to Arizona.
MULROY: You can hear this crunching, it's just starting to dry up.
WEIR: Here alfalfa farmers are already being paid to let their fields go fallow. While some are switching to crops, like Guayule a rubber plant that
grows in the desert.
KEVIN MORAN, ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND: Crop switching, looking at lower water use crops like Guayule is one of the solutions we need to be looking
at, in a drier future to allow communities to sustain themselves.
WEIR: Thanks to some creative water accounting, California will not face mandatory cuts next year. But their governor is already warming of a future
with a lot more people and a lot less water.
GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM, (D) CALIFORNIA: Science and the data leads us to now understand that we will lose 10% of our water supply by 2040. If all things
are equal, we will lose an additional 10% of our supply by 2040.
MULROY: We have the very real possibility this coming year if we have another lousy winter, all things being equal, that we will drive this lake
down to Elevation 1000. That is 100 feet above dead pool, and you're at the bottom of the martini glass. So it doesn't take much to tip that over and
get to the point where nothing can go downstream. And if you don't take it seriously now, if you think that you're going to avoid this, do a rain
dance, go pray, do whatever that we have a great winter, you're insane.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WEIR: And our vantage point here really drives home that point. This marina, this boat launch was maybe a quarter mile up the hill side not that
long ago, as well. This was the site of the fifth set of human remains that have been discovered since the drought in recent years here as well. And
that is just another of a flashing red light of warning for the future that unless enough water is cut and just for perspective, the federal government
is asking for up to 4 million acre feet of water that's about what California gets in a year. And it might take 10 years of heavy snow years
to recharge this place, Lake Mead, to that level.
SOARES: It's just staggering, really. But like you, you know, as you and I have discussed before Bill, this is not just a U.S. problem. This is a
global issue. We've seen it in Europe, we've seen it in Asia.
WEIR: Exactly. The Rhine River, you're seeing things come up there from the muck as that river retreats and barges can't move coal and oil. It's going
to affect industry, the Yangtze River and China, they're seeding clouds by firing these certain chemicals into the sky to try to create rain there as
well. This is a sadly the new normal and as a result, it's up to leaders to talk about conservation and how to make do with a lot less especially in
the western United States.
SOARES: Maybe not just talking maybe actually some action may help. Bill Weir, appreciate it. Thanks very much.
Well, as Bill just mentioned, China's battling as long as well as hottest heat wave in more than 60 years. The Yangtze River as Bill said there, the
longest river in Asia has dried up in parts, as the drought really hits the country. Authorities say that's threatening drinking water security for
people and livestock in rural areas as well as water for crop growth. China issued a red alert -- heat alert to 138 cities on Wednesday. That is the
highest as possible warning.
[14:55:03]
Now to Tasmania were in a move that sounds eerily like the plot of Jurassic Park. Scientists have come up with a plan to resurrect the Tasmanian tiger
almost 100 years after is extinction. The project hopes to harness advances in genetics, ancient DNA retrieval and artificial reproduction to bring the
animal back. There are several complicated steps ahead of the team. Behind this, we may once again see this tiger roam the Australian bush.
And finally, an update for you on a story we brought you earlier, casualties are reported after explosion at the mosque in Afghanistan's
capital. We want to bring you that up to date. One hospital alone in Kabul city has received 27 people including children following the blasts, which
happened during evening prayers.
Now, spokesman for the city's Chief of Police said security forces are on the scene and their own investigating. Of course, we'll bring you more
details as soon as we have them. But so far we're hearing that one hospital alone 27 people, including children really been affected. That's how many
people they have received blasts happening during evening prayers.
Of course, we'll stay on top of this developing news as soon as we have more details for you. We will of course bring it to you right here on CNN.
And that does it for me. Thanks very much for your company. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" with Richard Quest is next. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye-bye.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
