Return to Transcripts main page

Isa Soares Tonight

World Leaders Launch COP27; Kyiv Braces For More Severe Outages; U.S. Gears Up To Vote In Midterms; CNN Speaks To Former Pakistani P.M. Imran Khan After Shooting; 19 Killed When Passenger Plane Crashes Into Lake Victoria; Report: Elon Musk Wants To Rehire Some Laid-Off Staff. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired November 07, 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]

LYNDA KINKADE, HOST: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Lynda Kinkade, in for Isa Soares. Tonight, world leaders launch COP27 where the

U.N. chief has told the world we're on the highway to climate hell. Then, Winter weather sets in with no power in parts of Ukraine. And Kyiv's mayor

tells citizens to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

And later, on the eve of the U.S. midterms, Donald Trump and Joe Biden are not on the ballot, but they've got clear messages for voters. We are on a

highway to climate hell. That is the dire warning from the United Nations Secretary-General, as the COP27 Climate Summit kicks off in Egypt. Take a

listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONIO GUTERRES, SECRETARY-GENERAL, UNITED NATIONS: And the clock is ticking. We are in the fight of our lives, and we're losing. Green house

gas emissions keep growing, global temperatures keep rising. And our planet is fast approaching tipping points that will make climate chaos

irreversible. We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot still on the accelerator.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, those warnings come as experts say the past eight years were the hottest on record. And that the world is still widely off track to

stop or slow down the impact of global warming. But one key question is already emerging front and center at the summit this year. Who should

finance this fight?

Poorer countries are pushing for compensation from high carbon emitting nations. They're demanding justice for devastating climate disasters, like

the deadly flooding we saw earlier this year in Pakistan. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told CNN a short time ago that

Europe is playing its part, but it could go further.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

URSULA VON DER LEYEN, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION: We have to do more. Europe is doing its fair share, $23 billion or euros, we said we're going

to pledge that last year, we did it. And we're going to give more than 23 billion euros this year too. But you're right, I mean, there's still a gap.

And this gap has to be filled.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, our CNN international correspondent David McKenzie is at that summit in Sharm El-Sheikh. He joins us now alongside our chief climate

correspondent Bill Weir. Good to have you both with us. I want to start with you first, David, because the U.N. Secretary-General issued very grim

assessments, saying to leaders that he's against collective suicide, and that essentially humanity has no choice, cooperate or perish. Just take us

through the pledges being discussed today to address this climate crisis.

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's two weeks of meetings, and certainly there will be tense negotiations

particularly behind the scenes, Lynda, and the real issue here is it's a key decade to get this right. We're already way behind the schedule in

terms of 1.5 degrees Celsius, and we are blowing way past that.

And you're already seeing the terrible impacts of this In Pakistan, in the eastern, the horn of Africa, in parts of the U.S. and Europe with those

heat waves. So, we're living in the climate crisis, whether enough can be done remains to be seen. So far, the emissions gap is massive, and

countries aren't being particularly transparent on how they're going to get there. Lynda?

KINKADE: And of course, David, these countries that are least responsible for climate change are suffering the most, with some of the worst climate

catastrophes. David, what do they want from rich countries?

MCKENZIE: Well, what they want is money and they want support. Both to try and adapt to the vagaries of climate change for those poorest countries.

But what you're hearing is an emerging theme here. Because we haven't solved the climate crisis, and it means that there will be people who

cannot adapt and will be hammered by these droughts, floods increasingly as the years go by.

They're calling it loss and damage in this kind of U.N. speak, but what it means is that these countries want money from rich countries, those

responsible for emissions, to try and help their populations. They're just not coping, and you could hear the frustration in the voice of the Kenyan

president.

[14:05:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM RUTO, PRESIDENT, KENYA: The lengthy discussions at COPs with its stalling, delaying tactics and procrastination that have hampered

implementation and delivery is simply cruel and unjust. We cannot afford to spend more time skirting around the real issues, and we must break out of

the open-ended-process-focused discussions we are trapped in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKENZIE: Action, that's what one climate activist told me they want to see concrete steps to get us out of this mess. Lynda?

KINKADE: Thanks to you, David McKenzie. I want to go to Bill because Bill, right now, here in Atlanta, over the weekend, it had felt like Summer.

Those high temperatures are continuing here, and I understand where you are in New York, record-high temperatures too. When you look at the natural

disasters over the year especially over the last few years, they are becoming more frequent and more intense.

Experts are saying that they predict that if we carry on with these current policies, it will lead to a rise of 2.8 degrees Celsius this century. In

real terms, what does that look like?

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's really unlivable planet across so many regions if we get to that far, 2.8 there. I mean, 2

degrees pretty much all coral reefs are gone, and vast Suez of low-lying communities in the global south will have to move hundreds of millions of

people, that's at 2 degrees. So that's -- you know, way off in the distance, and that's the tyranny of this crisis is that today, it is

gorgeous, it is freakishly gorgeous on a November day in New York City.

But when you back off and see the long-term trends, and if this is the -- not just the hottest eight years on record, the coolest eight years of the

rest of our lives. The freakish events, the water cycle whiplash we're seeing, the droughts on the Mississippi and the Colorado, the storms like

Hurricane Ian, they're still tallying up the damage of that. It's rocked the insurance markets, all of that really can only get worse.

KINKADE: Climate Change Summit as David was pointing out will go on for the next two weeks. What needs to happen to make this summit a success?

WEIR: You know, there has to be somebody standing up against the status quo. And what's interesting is since Glasgow that -- at Glasgow, the

countries said we're going to come back with more ambitious goals to get off of fuels that burn. Of the 193 countries that said we'll do that, 24

have delivered one right now. There seems to be a malaise, part of it has to do with the war in Ukraine, Putin's war that's created these energy

shocks around the world.

Part of it is, there are 76 degree days in November and are pleasant for some people around the world, the decision makers. So it's the human

psychology of this -- of this crisis. But the longer it goes, the more expensive the price-tag is going to be. Humanity will end up paying for all

of this, it's just -- you know, how dramatically, how painful that payment has to be, how suddenly.

And what's telling, I think is Costa Rica along with Denmark in Glasgow was one of the first countries to form the beyond oil and gas alliance. They

were going to say we'll be models to show life as we know it could be beyond fossil fuels. This year, they're moving away from that, saying

they're really backing away and saying we'd rather focus on deforestation in the Amazon.

Right now, even as they're getting record profits, the oil and gas multi- nationals, record-shattering profits, they're still getting billions in subsidies from countries around the world. So, we're locked in this

mindset. If we see a change in that by the end of the two weeks, that's some small victory. But this is the 27th COP, Lynda, and the emissions and

the pollution just keeps going up.

KINKADE: Yes, all right, Bill Weir, we will check in with you as this week progresses. Our thanks to you, Bill Weir in New York, our thanks also to

David McKenzie in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. Well, Ukraine's state energy company says more power cuts are on the way to prevent the country's

heavily-damaged power grid from overloading. Almost a month of Russian attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure has left millions of people

in Ukraine in the cold and dark.

And officials are working quickly to keep people from freezing. On Sunday, the mayor of Kyiv said the city is preparing for the worst-case scenario.

If more Russia attacks, leaves the capital totally without power or water. They're planning to set up emergency heating centers in every district in

the city. Well, CNN's Christiane Amanpour joins us now live from Kyiv. Good to have you with us, Christiane.

So, an estimated 4.5 million Ukrainians are in the dark due to these widespread blackouts. The colder weather is setting in, but there is a real

fear that these --

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Yes --

KINKADE: Blackouts will become more frequent and more widespread, right?

AMANPOUR: Well, if -- certainly, if Russia keeps up its attacks, there's been a break for the last several days. That obviously can only be good

news here. You mentioned 4.5 million around the country that is suffering from these rolling blackouts.

[14:10:00]

Over the weekend, the president, the governors here basically said that it was nearly half a million in Kyiv alone with these rolling blackouts. And

we've been to people's homes and businesses to see the effect. And you know, it's difficult, it's difficult. Luckily, we're not in the middle of

Winter right now, not yet.

And I went with my team to one of the suburbs really badly hit during the early days of the war, and we found not just rebuilding, but we found also

an enormous spirit that these attacks on the energy infrastructure and on infrastructure in general, they say are not going to affect them,

continuing to struggle and fight against this war that's being imposed on them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMANPOUR (voice-over): On the outskirts of Kyiv, the bridge into Irpin in the Bucha District was a life saver for those who managed to flee the early

Russian advance. In the seven months since these scenes, the horrors of what those troops left behind have been fully exposed, and residents have

been quietly rebuilding.

Mykhailyna, the deputy mayor of the Bucha region is taking us to meet residents who are rebuilding. But throughout this heavily-destroyed

residential area, it's a race against Winter, as temperatures start to plunge and blackouts continue. Money is tight, but spirits are high. At the

very least, they need to replace glass and the windows and patch up holes the size of tank and artillery rounds.

Tatyana(ph) shows us pictures of her apartment's small bedroom, destroyed in March, rebuilt now. Her story is hair-raising and miraculous. Hunkering

down in the basement for ten days under Russian occupation, this is the picture of the Russian tanks arriving just 15 minutes after she fled.

"When we left, they were shooting at us from behind", she tells me. "Now, I realize what kind of a second birthday I got, what kind of a gift. Because

those people who left right after us were shot." As this city tries to put the pieces back together again, there's another more sensitive, perhaps

even more difficult kind of rebuilding underway.

The U.N. Children's Fund, UNICEF, has placed pop-up tents, full of warmth, light and care. All these children have been traumatized, and some have

been forced to witness unspeakable horrors. This is Bucha District after all, ground zero for Russia's war crimes. Eugene Lopatin is the regional

manager for this program.

EUGENE LOPATIN, REGIONAL MANAGER, UNICEF: They started to tell some really cruel things, I cannot even describe how cruel they were. Some people --

some children saw invaders raping their mother or beating their father. Kasanya(ph) volunteers as a psychologist here, seeing parents whose

children have had to hide with them in silence, or spend long periods with no bathroom breaks.

"And the body remembers this, and even after reaching safety, the child cannot go to the toilet", she says. It's the same with speech. The parents

have told them to keep quiet, so the child closes its mouth and does not know when they can talk again. And so, they turn to these kinds of games,

and Catarina(ph), the volunteer art therapist says, she sees them gradually come out of their shells and start to smile and connect again.

"They seem to forget about their inner stress when they're making something like this", says Catarina(ph). Back in the construction zone, Mykhailyna

has her own harrowing story of loss and recovery. She says her first husband was killed in Donbas during the first Russian invasion in 2014.

MYKHAILYNA SKORYK, DEPUTY MAYOR, BUCHA CITY COUNCIL: Like one, you lost your beloved, you have to find a new motivation how to live, how to go on,

how to feel alive again. So, when I thought, what would motivate me to live? I decided that, look, I'd like to have a boy. A boy called

Philippe(ph), as my first husband wanted. And I've met another man and realized that plan, you know --

AMANPOUR: That is fantastic.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AMANPOUR: So you can't get much more high-spirited than that. Literal rebirth in the midst of all this disaster. Of course, on the battlefield as

well, we are waiting to see what transpires around Kherson, the strategic and vital city to the south, which is the only major city the Russians have

seized and occupied and are still there.

And we also know that these civilians who we talked to believe that everything they suffer and sacrifice on the home front is really just a

little bit of their own war effort for those who are sacrificing so much more in the damp, in the dark, and the muddy trenches on the frontlines.

Lynda?

[14:15:00]

KINKADE: Our chief international anchor Christiane Amanpour, a really great piece there. Our thanks to you and your team. Well, Sweden's prime

minister is pledging support to Ukraine, politically, economically and militarily. Sweden and Finland have applied for NATO membership after

Russia invaded Ukraine. And right now, they're waiting for approval from Hungary and Turkey.

Well, Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson joins me now. And firstly, congratulations on your appointment to Defense Minister, and thanks so much

for your time.

PAL JONSON, DEFENSE MINISTER, SWEDEN: Thank you very much. Thank you for inviting me.

KINKADE: So, as part of your new defense policy, Sweden will deliver more advanced weaponry to Ukraine. And I understand, one of your first bilateral

meetings was with your Ukrainian counterpart. What sort of weapons are you sending, and how soon will they get there?

JONSON: Well, we are right now in the process of deliberation. We received a report from the Swedish Armed Forces a few days ago, and right now, we're

looking into what kind of advanced systems that might be. I had a meeting with the Minister, Reznikov, of course, and they alluded to the need for

example, for air defense systems, it could be ground systems and other varied systems.

But we will come back as soon as we make the final decision on this. Well, I think the key thing here is that Russia is stepping up the conflict, and

then we have to step up support for Ukraine.

KINKADE: And your country, Sweden, along with Finland has been in the process of joining the defense alliance, NATO. Right now, 28 of the 30-

state members have ratified that treaty. The paperwork has been sent to Washington D.C. But the two countries are still holding out, Turkey and

Hungary. Why the hold-up?

JONSON: Well, we are eager to resolve any issues in order to join NATO as soon as possible. Right now, we have an invitee status, and we got

important reassurances from international partners such as the United States, the U.K., Germany and also France and the other Nordics that they

will support us. But of course, we want to join NATO as soon as possible, as a full-fledge member of the alliance.

We are eager, also, to engage in a dialogue with Turkey and resolving any remaining issue on that -- in regards to that. As you might know, Sweden,

Finland and Turkey has some trilateral memorandum that -- with Turkey in order to resolve any outstanding issue on this. We're also very glad of

this very strong support that we have received for our application into NATO. It's been a record pace to get the approval of 28 out of 30 allies so

far.

KINKADE: So those negotiations are continuing. What's it going to take to get those two countries across the line?

JONSON: Well, as far as I'm informed now, Hungary is planning to ratify our application within the next two months, and also then of course, we

have bilateral and trilateral dialogue with Turkey on this matter. My prime minister is going down to Ankara, tomorrow, in order to continue the

dialogue with Turkey on this matter as well.

And we think that we have much to contribute to NATO, and that we can be security providers for the alliance together with Finland. I think it would

be good for the stability of northern Europe, and of course, we know Finland, but also for the alliance as such.

KINKADE: Finland and Sweden do want to join NATO hand-in-hand, simultaneously. Why is that important?

JONSON: Well, we share history together, and we share a future together. We started this application process together, Sweden and Finland last

Spring, and I think it's very natural that we do this hand-in-hand, and with my dialogue with my Finnish counterpart, they also said that they're

committed for us to starting this journey together and finishing it together. And we're part of the same geography as well. And it makes

eminent sense that we both join at the same time.

KINKADE: And of course, Sweden and Finland have worked with NATO over many years. How will joining NATO change matters? In terms of what it would cost

Sweden, and what sort of security guarantees will you get in return?

JONSON: Well, we're fully committed to NATO's 360 approach that we're cognizant of threats and where the build(ph) is both from the north and the

south. But I think that the major difference will be that it would stabilize the whole northern Europe. We both bring important assets and

capabilities to NATO.

Sweden has a quite strong air defense, we have patriot systems, we have strong air defense, we have around-water capabilities. We have strong

intelligence community on Russia and a rather vibrant defense industrial base.

[14:20:00]

Nothing that will strengthen NATO as such. And of course, Finland has a very strong civil defense, a total defense concept, it's very impressive.

And they also have a very strong army. So, I think we complement each other, and that we both will make the alliance stronger as such. Also, our

geographic location will be that the whole Nordic Baltic area will be unified now with NATO members. So that I think that we provide NATO with

strategic depth and it's helpful also for the defendability of the Baltic states and Finland.

KINKADE: New Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson. Thanks so much for your time.

JONSON: Thank you.

KINKADE: Well, still, ahead, an incredibly high stakes election just hours away in the United States. We'll take you to some swing states that will

help determine the balance of power in Washington.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Welcome back. It is election eve here in the United States and nothing less than control of the Congress is at stake when polls open

nationwide. And 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for grabs as well as 35 seats in the Senate. And although Tuesday is officially

election day, more than 41 million Americans have already cast their ballots in early voting.

Republicans expect to take back the House, but control of the Senate will come down to several knife-edge races. As CNN's KarIn Caifa reports, both

parties are relying on their heavy hitters to rally some last-minute votes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARIN CAIFA, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): President Joe Biden isn't on the ballot, but for most Americans, it's their first chance to weigh in on his

party and policies.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This election isn't a referendum, it's a choice. It's a choice between two fundamentally

different visions of America.

CAIFA: Among states taking center stage in the battle for the U.S. Senate, tight races in four that President Biden flipped in the 2020 presidential

election, Arizona, Wisconsin, Georgia and Pennsylvania where Biden and former President Barack Obama stumped Saturday.

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The mark will see itself is on the ballot. The stakes are high!

CAIFA: And former President Donald Trump also rallied.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This election is your chance to make your voice heard.

CAIFA: Underscoring how 2022 may foreshadow the 2024 presidential contest. Polls indicate most voters are looking at the economy right now as they

cast ballots.

[14:25:00]

Democrats touted Friday's October jobs report and unemployment still nearly half century low, as a sign their economic policies are working. While

Republicans point to the highest inflation in 40 years.

SEN. RON JOHNSON (R-WI): The inflation crushing our pocketbooks, cancel up our -- cancel our grocery card.

(CROWD CHANTING)

CAIFA: Democrats hope the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in June will motivate voters, especially women, while Republicans have

accused Democrats of being weak on crime especially in major cities. Both parties eager to drive turnout in their favor. On Capitol Hill, I'm Karin

Caifa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, consequential races are happening right across the country, including in Arizona, Pennsylvania, and here in Georgia. And we begin with

Eva McKend in Atlanta.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER: It is closing time here in Georgia, just a day left until the votes are counted. Incumbent Democrat,

Senator Raphael Warnock, central to his closing argument, is that he is willing to work across the aisle ultimately if it benefits Georgians. He

has also argued that Herschel Walker is not fit to serve in the United States Senate.

Warnock over the weekend playing up those bipartisan policy credentials, saying in his hometown of Savannah, that he wants to be known like the late

Senator, Republican Johnny Isakson, a real bridge builder. Meanwhile, Herschel Walker has long argued that Warnock is a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Caring more about extending President Biden's economic agenda than every day Georgians. Both of these candidates will make their final arguments,

Walker in Kennesaw, Senator Warnock in Macon and Columbus. Eva McKend, CNN, Atlanta.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Jessica Dean in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where the Pennsylvania Senate race is hotly contested,

running very tight in the polls, and the most expensive Senate race in all of the country. Why? This is an open Senate seat, a Republican is retiring,

Democrats hoping this could be a big pick up for them, Republicans certainly hoping to hang on.

Democratic nominee John Fetterman is the state's lieutenant governor, he's been selling himself as a man of the people. Somebody that will stand up

for the people of Pennsylvania. He suffered a stroke back in May, that has been very apparent on the campaign trail. He talks about it, he has

sometimes a hard time talking, he'll mush words together.

But he has continued to press on, and has made the case to voters that, that means he gets knocked down, but he gets back up. For his part, Dr.

Mehmet Oz; the celebrity TV doctor who has been endorsed by former President Trump is now trying to cast himself as an independent voice, as a

moderate, somebody that will fight extremism in Washington.

Those are the two closing arguments from the two candidates. And again, this is a sprint to the finish line here in Pennsylvania where the winner

of this race could very likely determine the outcome of who holds the power in the U.S. Senate, and that means a lot for both the Republican Party, but

also for President Joe Biden and what he may be able to accomplish in his final two years of his first term.

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lynda, this is one of a half dozen states that could decide whether or not the Democrats keep control of the Senate.

There is a Senate race here that is being watched closely, and there is a secretary of state race here as well as the gubernatorial race. All of

those races being watched very closely.

In part, because the Republicans who are running in those races are actually election deniers. They do not believe that Joe Biden won the 2020

election, they have been very vocal about that. The secretary of state, by the way, is the person who ultimately approves or certifies the vote

nationally. So that person's role is very important.

Here at the polling stations, there have also been some issues in the lead up to this particular election this midterm. One of the things that has

happened is, there have been people who have complained, feeling like they were under threat as they were just trying to drop off their ballot. A

judge has ruled on that, and basically said, look, there are some rules now in place where if you are armed, which you can be here legally in public,

you have to stand very far away, about 200 feet from any place where people are dropping off their ballots in this election.

You also cannot be right up on the electorate as they're trying to just do their civic duty. And you can't be wearing camo as well if you're going to

be a poll watcher. So those are some of the things that have been put in place recently because of some of the complaints that have come forward.

But so far, things have been fairly calm here.

This is just one of 223 places that you can vote in this county alone, Maricopa County. We should mention that Maricopa County is very important

for Arizona, because it is where most of the population in this state lives, about 40 percent. They have outsized number of people living here.

So the votes here are really important, and about 85 percent of those votes cast have already been cast.

Typically, people mail them in, they walk them in, but they vote early in this state. And so, we should start seeing some of the count about an hour

after the polls close. Lynda.

KINKADE: Thanks to Sara Sidner there in Arizona. Well, still to come tonight, Pakistan's former prime minister is out of the hospital after

surviving an apparent assassination attempt. His interview with CNN next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Hello, I'm Lynda Kinkade. Welcome back. Well, Pakistan's former Prime Minister, Imran Khan, is now out of hospital after getting shot. He

was hit in the leg Thursday while touring the country in a push for earlier elections. Khan is now calling for an independent inquiry into the apparent

assassination attempt. He claims without providing evidence that Pakistan's current prime minister was one of several officials behind the attack. One

person was killed, eleven others were wounded. Imran Khan spoke to our Becky Anderson just a few hours ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IMRAN KHAN, FORMER PAKISTANI PRIME MINISTER: About two months ago, this plot was conceived. I went on in public. I -- on 24th of September, I

actually announced about this plot. And let me just give you the background. How do I know that what I'm saying and what evidence I have. It

started off when the -- when I was deposed from government. From then onwards, what was expected was that our party would just fall apart.

In fact, what has happened is that those two families, being again imposed on us who've been ruling for 30 years, there was a big public backlash. And

so rather than my movement or party going down, it has brought the party with such public support.

[14:35:02]

We won 75 percent of the by-elections since we're out of power. And so all efforts were then to somehow make me run out of the race, to disqualify me.

The rest, I was accused of terrorism and so on.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Imran, can I -- that back from we know, I did, with respect, ask you for the evidence behind these

allegations.

KHAN: I am --

ANDERSON: If you will.

KHAN: Becky, and with respect, if people don't know the background, how would they know why this attempt took place? The reason why that they tried

everything to somehow get me out of the way, when that didn't happen, this was planned. And two months ago, an agency produces this video, which

accuses me of blasphemy. Then this journalist, Waqar Satti, who -- who's linked with these agencies comes up with this -- another video saying how I

had offended the religious sentiments of the people.

Then the ruling party information minister, along with the daughter of the former Prime Minister, Maryam Safdar, they then go on television and saying

how I have upset the sentiments of the people. It's then that I went on air and said this is a planned thing, because if they assassinated me, the

evidence would go on the government. So, they made it out that it was a religious fanatic, who's going to -- who would kill me and then put it --

ANDERSON: Right. Let me put this to you.

KHAN: Put my assassination that -- what?

ANDERSON: Imran Khan, you -- your allegations have been aggressively refuted. I have to put this to you. Pakistan's Prime Minister, Shehbaz

Sharif, has condemned the attack on your life, wishing you a speedy recovery on his Twitter. The interior minister has rejected your accusation

saying, and I quote, "Imran Khan has blamed me, the prime minister and a senior officer. This is such a grievous statement. It happened in the

province where Imran Khan's party is in government."

And the military has also issued a statement saying in part, "The baseless and irresponsible allegations by Chairman PTI against the institution and

particularly a senior Army officer are absolutely unacceptable and uncalled for. Pakistan's army prides itself for being an extremely professional and

well-disciplined organization with a robust and highly-effective internal accountability system applicable across the board for unlawful acts, if

any, committed by uniformed personnel."

Pakistan's Ministry of Information released a video, Imran Khan. CNN cannot verify the confession from an unnamed man who it claims carried out the

attack. And in that video, the man said he wanted to kill you, because you were misleading the people. Is it not conceivable that the perpetrator was

acting alone against you and your party's policies?

KHAN: First of all, there were two shooters. Definitely maybe another one. There was this guy who fired the first volley and we -- I fell, and other

people fell because it's our legs. We were saved because one of the people in the crowd put his gun down. Otherwise, we would have been dead. Then

there was another volley came, and because we were falling, this volley came over our heads.

Look, it was a planned assassination attempt. And we knew about it. I went on air beforehand. I warned them that this is what would happen. They would

blame it on some religious fanatic. And why after the attack, the things that have happened, the cover-up that is going on, so that's why I have

called for an independent investigation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, Tanzania's Prime Minister is telling the public it is safe to fly in his country. He's spoken the day funerals were held for some of

the 19 people killed Sunday when a commercial plane crashed into Lake Victoria. The plane's operator has opened an investigation. CNN's Larry

Madowo reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rescuers desperately search for survivors among the wreckage of an aircraft submerged in Africa's largest freshwater

lake. Videos posted to social media show the plane almost entirely underwater, with only the tail visible. Nearby onlookers and fishermen join

in on the search and rescue operations. Officials say 19 of the 43 people who were on board have died, including the captain and first officer after

the passenger plane crashed in Tanzania.

The Precision Air operated flight had taken off from Tanzania's commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, and was destined for the northwestern city of

Bukoba. But heavy rainfall and strong winds led the flight to plunge into Lake Victoria, officials reported. The CEO of Precision Air fought back

tears as he updated reporters in Dar es Salaam.

[14:40:02]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICK WANRI, CEO, PRECISION AIR (through translator): Our team and the authorities are heading to Bukoba to investigate what caused this accident

so I'd like to give my condolences to all Tanzanians and the Precision Air families. Let's be united in this tragedy, and may God help us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MADOWO: Tanzania's Prime Minister, Kassim Majaliwa, said officials believe all bodies have been recovered. Names of the 18 dead were released, apart

from one woman who remains unidentified. The airline has also opened a crisis management center to communicate with families as they continue to

investigate what went so wrong. Larry Madowo, CNN, Johannesburg.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, still to come tonight. We'll take a look at where Beijing stands on its COVID-19 policy after last week's rumors saying that it could

be easing soon.

And, after breaking up with some of Twitter stuff, Elon Musk seems to be trying to make up with dozens of them.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Welcome back. China isn't backing away from it zero COVID policy despite growing frustration from the very people the measures are meant to

protect. Rumors of an upcoming policy change had sent Chinese stock at soaring last week. Health officials say they are carrying on with the

country's hardline approach.

And that zero COVID policy taking a bite out of Apple, the company says production of the latest iPhones will be temporarily affected as its

supplier's factory in China, run by Foxconn, remains under lockdown.

Well, imagine being fired only to be told days later that you'll be rehired by the same company. Twitter reportedly hopes to lure back some of the

thousands of workers who were shown the door last week, including those who may have been mistakenly let go. All of this as their CEO, Elon Musk, hits

pause on Twitter's new verification feature.

Want to bring in CNN's Oliver Darcy who joins us now. Good to see you. So, 50 percent of Twitter workers sacked last week. And now some are getting

the call saying, oops, we made a mistake. Do you want your job back?

OLIVER DARCY, CNN SENIOR MEDIA REPORTER: Yes, really remarkable. I guess this is what happens when you execute mass layoffs just days after taking

over a company. Bloomberg is reporting that dozens of employees are being basically called back to service at the company after being told on Friday

that their jobs were being eliminated.

[14:45:01]

And this is because I guess, according to the reporting, that managers are seeing that perhaps they actually need these employees because they were

working on things that are necessary for the company to function and because of projects that Musk actually wants implemented, that they're

going to need their services. And so apparently, dozens of employees are being asked to come back and return to their jobs after just being fired a

few days ago.

KINKADE: Yes. You wonder how many will actually return, how much trust there is right now. But certainly, in terms of trust, misinformation,

disinformation, a huge issue on that platform, and many of those let go were responsible for that oversight. How much concern is there right now,

given the midterm elections this week?

DARCY: I think there's a lot of concern. And you're seeing this actually with advertisers. There -- major advertisers have paused their advertising

campaigns on Twitter because they are concerned that, with these layoffs, and just Musk in general, though, his erratic approach to running this

company, that misinformation, hate speech, that those things are not going to be policed as much on the platform. And so you're seeing them pause

their advertisements.

But yet we know in the past that during elections, foreign governments often try to manipulate the conversation using Twitter and U.S. political

candidates often push disinformation and misinformation on the platform. Now that you've had some of the teams that police this impacted, and just

more broadly speaking, you know, the company has been totally disrupted, there is concern that this could affect the conversation during the midterm

elections and in the important days afterwards.

KINKADE: Yes, yes, indeed. All right, Oliver Darcy, we'll leave it there for now. Good to have you with us from New York.

With some sad news in the music world, Duran Duran's original guitarist Andy Taylor has revealed he has stage IV prostate cancer. The band read a

letter from Taylor while being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Los Angeles on Saturday. Taylor had to miss the ceremony due to ongoing

treatment. Taylor says although his current condition is not life- threatening, there is no cure.

Well, still to come tonight, what voters are saying about some of the closest races in the battle for control of the U.S. Senate. Midterm

election update when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:50:03]

KINKADE: Welcome back. Well, with one day until the U.S. midterm elections, there are concerns about how some voters will react if their preferred

candidate loses the race. It was little more than a week ago that the husband of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was attacked in his home by a

man with a hammer, who appeared to have been politically motivated.

Now, for the first time since that attack, Nancy Pelosi sat down with CNN's Anderson Cooper to talk about what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NANCY PELOSI, U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: I was sleeping in Washington, DC I had just gotten in the night before from San Francisco, and the I hear the

doorbell rang and I think it's 5:00 something. I look up, I see it's 5:00. It must be the wrong apartment. No, it rings again. And then bang, bang,

bang, bang, bang on the door. So, I run to the door and I was very scared - - I see this Capitol Police and they said we have to come in to talk to and I'm thinking my children, my grandchildren. I never thought it would be

Paul because, you know, I knew we wouldn't be out and about, shall we say. And so, I came in at that time. We didn't even know where he was.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, you can hear Anderson's full interview with Speaker Pelosi coming up on AC360 and that's in a few hours from now at 8:00 p.m. Eastern,

right here on CNN.

Well, ahead of Tuesday's elections in the U.S., CNN's Capitol Hill Reporter, Melanie Zanona, sat down with House Republican Leader Kevin

McCarthy. And in this exclusive interview, she asked him if there's a limit to U.S. support for Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEVIN MCCARTHY, U.S. HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: I'm very supportive of Ukraine. No, it means no blank checks for anything. It means no blank checks for any

other policy. I think there has to be accountability brought forth. We have a $31 trillion debt. I think the American people deserve that. You know, in

2015, I had gone to Ukraine after Russia had invaded it.

And I then went to the White House with a bipartisan group and I met with then Vice President Joe Biden, trying to get them to sell the javelins, a

defensive weapon to protect the Ukrainian people. And unfortunately, President Joe Biden at the time said Germany wouldn't want that. And I

asked him, well, let's keep them in Poland so they could defend themselves. I just think the actions have been too slow, too late. I rather have taken

actions where Russia would have never invaded.

MELANIE ZANONA, CNN CAPITOL HILL REPORTER: On the border, if you're speaker, what will you specifically do to secure the border?

MCCARTHY: Well, there's a number of things. I think, stay in Mexico, you have to right off the bat, you've got to stop the cartels' control of the

border. You've got to stop fentanyl from coming across. Fentanyl, when you think about it, is a chemical of mass destruction. It is killing our next

generation. It's the number one killer of Americans between the ages of 18 and 45.

And anytime you think about that, those are the ages of individuals who are enlist to defend our nation. That is the age that is most productive in the

workforce. It is destroying this nation. It's coming through this border, the poison from Mexico on in through the cartels and 300 Americans are

going to be poisoned and died today. Three hundred tomorrow. And then this will --

ZANONA: So how do you stop that?

MCCARTHY: Well, this White House has done nothing. Well, you do it from a number of different ways. You first do a very frontal attack on China to

stop the poison from coming. You control your borders and take control of it down here. You don't keep it wide open. You provide the resources that

the border agents need. But you also provide to make sure the cartels aren't controlling the border in the backdrop.

ZANONA: Republicans made investigations a huge priority. I know you said not going to predetermine the outcome. But is impeachment on the table?

MCCARTHY: You want to know what's on the table? Accountability. Shouldn't we know where the origins of COVID actually started? They didn't have one

hearing on it. Shouldn't we know what happened in the last 60 days of Afghanistan so we would never repeat that again? We wouldn't have 13 new

Gold Star Families that should've never happened? Shouldn't we know why the DOJ would take it upon themselves to go after parents that would go to

school board meetings? And shouldn't we know where the taxpayers money is being spent? I call that accountability. And that's a responsibility for

Congress, regardless of what -- who's ever party is in the White House.

ZANONA: Some of your members are already calling for impeachment. What do you say to those members?

MCCARTHY: I'd say the one thing I've always known about the land of America, it's the rule of law. And we will hold the rule of law. And we

won't play politics with this. We'll never use impeachment for political purposes. That doesn't mean if something rises to the occasion, it would

not be used at any other time. It wouldn't matter if it's a Republican or a Democrat. But the idea of what the Democrats have done, what Adam Schiff

did to this nation is treacherous.

To lie to the nation and put us through this time and again when he knew where this origin's created from, we're better than all that.

[14:55:03]

We need to make sure we get our nation back on track and that's what the commitment to America does. It is a plan for a new direction, an economy

that's strong, a nation that is safe, a future that's built on freedom, and a government that's accountable. That is our focus.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, the programming notes on this important story, come join us Tuesday for in-depth special coverage of the U.S. midterm elections. The

vote will determine control of Congress and how much progress President Biden will be able to make on his agenda in the next two years. It starts

at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, that is 9:00 in the evening in London.

Well, thanks so much for watching tonight. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Good to have you with us. Stay with CNN. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is up next.

END