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Isa Soares Tonight
U.K. Elects Keir Starmer As New Prime Minister; Voters in France Return to the Polls for a Second Round of Voting on Sunday; Voting Underway in Iran's Presidential Runoff; New U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer Promises "National Renewal"; Voters In Presidential Runoff Choosing Between Reformist And Conservative; Hurricane Beryl Weakens To Tropical Storm Over Mexico. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired July 05, 2024 - 14:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR: And a very warm welcome, I'm Richard Quest in for Isa Soares. Tonight, we're tracking four major political shakeups.
First, the resoundingly Labor victory in the United Kingdom. The new Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to steer the country to what he calls
calmer waters.
His win is an anomaly in Europe right now as France heads to the polls this weekend. Right-wing leader Marine Le Pen says she's confident in her party.
And in the Middle East, voting is wrapping up in Iran's presidential election. Voting will have to last a few hours more because of the number
of people at the polls, we'll have report on the country's starkly different -- two starkly different candidates.
Also, the Biden campaign is still trying to shake off last week's debate disaster. This time, a new campaign strategy. It's 7:00 in the evening in
the U.K., dreadful day for the weather, but it's first-ever new political era. The past 14 years of Tory rule is over. Now, it's Labor Party's turn,
with Britain's new Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer after a landslide win. He spoke today outside 10 Downing Street, promising to heal a deep lack of
public trust in government.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEIR STARMER, PRIME MINISTER, UNITED KINGDOM: Now, our country has voted decisively for change, for national renewal and a return of politics to
public service. When the gap between the sacrifices made by people and the service they receive from politicians grows this big, it leads to a
weariness in the heart of a nation.
With respect and humility, I invite you all to join this government of service in the mission of national renewal. Our work is urgent, and we
begin it today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: The Tory Party lost around two-thirds of its seats in parliament. It was brought down by cuts in public spending, cost of living crisis, and
the post-Brexit chaos. And it didn't help that a far-right rival, Nigel Farage's populist reform U.K. helped split the vote, and in doing so,
extraordinarily winning five seats in parliament.
For Mr. Starmer, he's been busy naming his new cabinet. Let's talk, Christiane is with me. Now, I do love good elections. And last night was a
-- was a --
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Well, it is --
QUEST: One for the books --
AMANPOUR: One for the books, yes --
QUEST: One for the books --
AMANPOUR: Since 1990 -- well, it's historic --
QUEST: Yes --
AMANPOUR: And obviously, they say the conservatives have never lost this big, this big.
QUEST: What do you make of it though, because it shifted in a sense center left, is slightly out of kilter with what we've seen elsewhere in Europe.
AMANPOUR: You know, some people were saying it's because Britain has been on the right and really moving quite far to the right with Brexit and all
the anti-immigration, and all those, you know, cold-button kind of issues. That finally, Britain is having a backlash, that, plus, I talked to the
Labor -- a mayor of this city elected three times, Sadiq Khan, who said, it's also about integrity.
As you know, the Boris Johnson party-gate scandals, even Rishi Sunak, who had to try to answer for all his officials, who would bet on the election
after he had, you know, called it, if you remember, there was investigation into that. Liz Truss with her crashing the economy, people were just fed up
after 14 years.
And what he's done is move it back into the center.
QUEST: Do you think though there's a difference between losing the election from exhaustion. I mean, we've seen that before. Governments just
run out of steam. But here, you had reform which came in as well and did tremendous damage to the Tory faction --
AMANPOUR: I think that is going to be the next chapter of the Tory Party story because if they're trying to rebuild, they're going to find it very
difficult. And in fact, a former Tory MP who got thrown out by --
QUEST: Right --
[14:05:00]
AMANPOUR: Boris Johnson said that, historically, the parties that have come in and led for more than just one term are those who bring the country
to the center. Tony Blair's Labor was new labor, David Cameron was more of a centrist Tory Party, and now Keir Starmer is more of a centrist party.
QUEST: OK, so, can -- he's got 100 and whatever it is majority. Many of those are on the left and rabble-rousers, and at the same time you've got
the Tory's having this complete bloodletting that's going to take place at the moment, doesn't it?
AMANPOUR: Yes, to me, it sounds like it could turn into a MAGA situation. Like the Republican Party in the United States is unrecognizable from
Reagan's Republican Party. They are completely taken over by Donald Trump and his MAGA wing. But the story today is not the Tory Party.
It is the Labor victory. That's the story because people want change, people want, you know, not only cost of living issues dealt with, but they
want, you know, just a different kind of a vision for the future. That's why they voted --
QUEST: I can't let you go without France.
AMANPOUR: Yes --
QUEST: Now, here we have the election of the second round on Sunday, tactical candidates dropping out mean that the RNs unlikely to get --
AMANPOUR: Well, basically, the problem here is that Emmanuel Macron, much like Sunak, who threw the dice with an early election, threw down the dice
--
QUEST: Yes --
AMANPOUR: Said, hey, you guys voted for the far-right in the European elections last month, here, I'm going to give you a challenge. You can -- I
dare you to elect them here in France because historically, they have not, because there's been this firewall.
And Macron now is trying to gather a coalition to stop Le Pen. She's super confident. She denies that she's far-right when I called her --
QUEST: Yes --
AMANPOUR: Far-right. She said no, if you were in America, we'd be, you know, between center-left and center-right, which is a fantasy, obviously,
right? And she has incredibly -- she's rebranded herself, but it's still an anti-immigrant party with undertones of racism --
QUEST: Whichever way it goes on Sunday, Macron is hobbled, the only real - - analyze --
AMANPOUR: Yes --
QUEST: Is hobbled, the only question is how badly?
AMANPOUR: Yes, well, the general analysis is that he's badly hobbled and it will -- he will be a lame duck. And as Marine Le Pen said to me, even if
they don't get an absolute majority and don't become Prime Minister, she will try to siphon off various people who didn't vote for her to try to get
her -- she's in this for the long game.
She's looking at 2027 and winning the presidential. This is a remarkable change of events. Don't forget, the far-right has not been in power in
France --
QUEST: She's --
AMANPOUR: Since World War II --
QUEST: She's remotely --
AMANPOUR: When it was occupied by the Vichy pro-Nazi --
QUEST: She's remarkably likable. When I've interviewed her once or twice - -
AMANPOUR: That's --
QUEST: Marine Le Pen, she's --
AMANPOUR: Well, maybe to you.
QUEST: She's -- no, but no, I mean, in the same way Nigel Farage could be very charming based on things --
AMANPOUR: Well, I think that, you know, the world is full of pied pipers who show a certain --
QUEST: That's right --
AMANPOUR: Face --
QUEST: Yes --
AMANPOUR: But even now, you can see the way the polls have turned against Brexit and what Nigel Farage brought to this country, hence, the defeat of
the Conservative Party.
QUEST: Well, listening -- we're going to hear your interview with her --
AMANPOUR: Yes --
QUEST: In just a moment or three --
AMANPOUR: Oh, good.
QUEST: So, thank you very much.
AMANPOUR: Good.
QUEST: What a miserable day for a new --
AMANPOUR: Yes --
QUEST: Era in politics.
AMANPOUR: Yes, but he said the clouds will lift if we're going to play with those metaphors.
(LAUGHTER)
QUEST: Thank you very much, good to see you. Now to Nic Robertson who takes a closer look at what led to the Conservative's sweeping defeat and
Labor's landslide victory.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Britain's new Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria, taking their long-
awaited steps to Number 10 Downing Street, 14 years since his Labor Party was last in power.
STARMER: Whether you voted Labor or not, in fact, especially if you did not, I say to you directly, my government will serve you. Politics can be a
force for good, we will show that.
ROBERTSON: His party securing a massive landslide majority in parliament. They needed 326, got 412.
STARMER: With respect and humility, I invite you all to join this government of service in the mission of national renewal.
(CHEERS)
(APPLAUSE)
ROBERTSON: A hard reality though, only around 35 percent of voters supported Labor and turnout was low, less than 60 percent, many in the U.K.
losing faith in their politicians.
(CHEERS)
(APPLAUSE)
ROBERTSON: Outgoing PM Rishi Sunak stepping down as PM and Conservative leader.
RISHI SUNAK, FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF UNITED KINGDOM: I have heard your anger, your disappointment, and I take responsibility for this loss.
[14:10:00]
ROBERTSON: Sunak's Conservatives handed a long anticipated, humiliating blow, 365 seats won at the last election, shredded to less than half that
this time. Significantly, Liz Truss, who served a disastrous 49 days as Prime Minister in 2022 became the first former British leader in nearly a
100 years to lose their seat.
This election, not so much an endorsement to the left as a rejection of incumbents.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am very sorry --
ROBERTSON: The pro-independence Scottish National Party cut from 48 seats to 9. Nigel Farage, a major Brexit advocate and friend of Donald Trump
winning a seat for the first time along with a record four additional seats for his anti-immigration party.
And the centrist liberal democrats, 71 seats, 63 seats up on the last elections.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a Labor landslide!
(CHEERS)
ROBERTSON: But nowhere were the celebrations bigger than among Labor supporters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir, Keir Starmer, your majesty.
STARMER: Your majesty.
ROBERTSON: Keir Starmer known by some as no drama Starmer, a lawyer and former director of public prosecutions came late to politics. Now, the
hard-work of governing begins. Ministers arriving to be handed their new portfolios. Rachel Reeves; the U.K.'s first female Finance Minister or
Chancellor of the Exchequer.
David Lammy, once very critical of Trump, the new Foreign Secretary.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: Newcomers have been reporting there. Now, Britain's newest Prime Minister will face tough challenges on the path to long-term growth. Ruchir
Sharma is with me, who is the Chair of the Rockefeller International, and his new book by the way, which is a jolly good read, "What Went Wrong with
Capitalism?"
And I'm guessing that to some extent, you're going to sell -- maybe you won't, that, you know, what went wrong with capitalism is what we're seeing
the results of last night.
RUCHIR SHARMA, CHAIR, ROCKERFELLER INTERNATIONAL: Absolutely. So, I think this is a trend we're seeing across the western world now. It's a term I
grew up using in India called anti-incumbency. But I think it's gone global now, Richard, that across the world, the incumbents are in trouble.
And what I see in the book is that there's a pervasive feeling amongst people that the economic system is not working for them. And so, they're
turning against the establishment in country after country.
QUEST: Right, there's two aspects to what you've just said there. One is that the incumbents are losing, and the second is that the system isn't
working for the people.
SHARMA: Right --
QUEST: Now, Sunak -- sorry, Starmer talked about that in his speech --
SHARMA: Yes --
QUEST: That there are people who feel they've not been heard.
SHARMA: Yes.
QUEST: But why do you blame the economic system of capitalism in that sense?
SHARMA: No, I don't. What I say in the book as my tagline is that capitalism did not fail, it was ruined. And it's been ruined by the ever-
expanding role of government that we have seen in our society for the last century, but particularly in the last two or three decades, and U.K. is a
case exhibit of what went wrong with capitalism.
QUEST: You know, whenever people start sort of saying big government is what's wrong, obviously, we think of Ronald Reagan --
SHARMA: Right --
QUEST: And we think of Newt Gingrich --
SHARMA: Yes --
QUEST: And we think of those on the -- on the right of capitalism, and we think of trickle-down economics.
SHARMA: All that's not right because as I argue in the book, the myths that we had small government and the Reagan attach here, that's a myth,
right? And why is it a myth? If you look at government spending as a share of the economy under them, it never went now, it kept on going up.
And it's not just government spending, it's the culture of habits, which is the bailouts, the regulations. It's a suite of government habits that's
undermining productivity growth, and how economic growth has been falling across the western world, Richard.
QUEST: So, you would suggest to Keir Starmer, start cutting back.
SHARMA: No, I would -- in terms of -- it's very hard, but he's been quite pragmatic by the way. He's not going out there and spend a lot more, but
without spending, there's a lot more you can do. You could draw the line in bailing out private sector companies. You can draw the line in a number of
new regulations that you introduce out there, because this is undermining the creative destructive fiber of capitalism.
You can't have it both ways. You can't say, I want high economic growth with high productivity, and I also want to keep spending --
QUEST: So, how do --
(CROSSTALK)
QUEST: So, in terms of bailing out, how do you avoid the cancer of picking and choosing winners?
SHARMA: Absolutely, because did you know that even in places like America, until the 1980s, there was no culture of bailing out private sector
companies. It's a very recent phenomenon. And that every single crisis now, the bailout has gotten bigger, and the last crisis we had with these
Silicon Valley Bank, it was almost a preventive bailout.
So, now, as he keep --
QUEST: Yes --
SHARMA: Doing that -- now, you, see how the average person feels about this. The average person feels these rich guys getting bailed out, and I
hear and not getting more help from the government in terms of my daily life. There's a real resentment about this bailout apart from the fact that
if eroding capitalism --
[14:15:00]
QUEST: So, you're sounding very hard-line and very hard.
SHARMA: No, this is not being harsh. This is --
QUEST: Well, because if you're right --
SHARMA: Yes --
QUEST: And measures have to be put in place --
SHARMA: Yes --
QUEST: To reverse this ever-creeping government, then there's going to be a moment where somebody is going to suffer. We're going to have to cut
back.
SHARMA: But people already suffering. We've had --
QUEST: And the long term, in the medium term, people got --
SHARMA: Even a short term, look at the poll results, Richard, like across the western world --
QUEST: Right --
SHARMA: Look at it today, that only 35 percent of people in places like U.K. and U.S. say that they're going to be better off than their parents.
This is not how it was supposed to be 50 years ago, 70 to 80 percent of people across the Atlantic said that they will be better off than their
parents.
So, people already suffering. To say people are not suffering, and if you change the way that if you're currently doing business or currently running
--
QUEST: Right --
SHARMA: Government, people will suffer more. Is a myth because then if that was the case, then all these politicians should be winning elections.
QUEST: Twenty seconds to tell me the first thing that Starmer should do.
SHARMA: Well, I think he's been quite pragmatic, but cut back on regulation, and for -- and in terms of also draw the line on bailouts. I
think that those are two important things that he needs to do. And I think the third thing he's already doing, which is the fact that step back --
QUEST: Yes --
SHARMA: On just saying that the solution to every problem is to spend. Check that impulse, and I think he's doing that to start with.
QUEST: Good to see you, sir.
SHARMA: Thanks, Richard --
QUEST: Thank you very much, it's an excellent book. It is "What Went Wrong with Capitalism?" I'm grateful to you sir, thank you.
SHARMA: Thank you, Richard.
QUEST: In the U.S., Joe Biden remains confident in the midst of the storm surrounding his campaign on a crucial day for his re-election bid. He told
reporters he can still beat Donald Trump. Within the hour, the President will hold a rally in Wisconsin and it will kick off his campaigns new so-
called aggressive travel strategy to try to combat continued fallout from last week's appalling debate performance.
Later today, the President will then sit down for a critical interview with "ABC News" George Stephanopoulos. The President has acknowledged privately
the next few days are vital as he decides whether to stay in the race. Our Arlette Saenz is following the President and joins us from Madison,
Wisconsin.
Every time I see the President giving a speech or walking, I sort of -- I'm now on tenterhooks as to what might or might not happen as he gets to from
or gives a speech. This can't continue like this, can it?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Richard, the spotlight is certainly shining a lot brighter on President Biden right now with many
watching every misstep and stumble that he is making in this campaign, as they're trying to assess whether he will remain in this 2024 race.
You know, President Biden so far has really resisted the calls for him to step aside, as there are serious doubts amongst some top Democrats and
donors about keeping Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket. A bit earlier today, as he was traveling here to Wisconsin, the President told
reporters that he does still believe that he can beat Donald Trump in November after that halting debate performance last week.
But the President's mission right now is really trying to convince the American voters that he is up for a second term. The President has
privately acknowledged to allies that he knows how critical this coming stretch of days will be to the future of his candidacy. Here in Wisconsin,
he is set to rally voters.
As you can see, there's already a big group assembled here, who are waiting for the President, and he will also sit down for that high-stakes interview
with "ABC News". This is an interview that is far different than anything Biden's ever held before. As past interviews, you know, really focus on
preparing for possible domestic policy, foreign policy questions.
But this interview will really be trying to judge the President's viability as a candidate going forward. Now, while we've been waiting for the
President to arrive, I took the temperature of some voters who are here in attendance. And this really been a mixed reaction.
There are some fervent supporters who believe that the president should remain in this race. They think that he has the accomplishments, the record
to sell, and presents a very viable alternative to Donald Trump. But then, there are others who do have concerns following that debate performance and
wants to see how the President will perform, not just here at this event, but also in that interview.
Take a listen to what one of those voters told me a bit earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHANA VERSTEGEN, WISCONSIN VOTER: My thought process after the debate, it was -- it was hard to watch just as everybody -- as everybody went
through. And I think I made a lot of the same excuses everybody else did. He's had a busy schedule. There's a lot on his mind, but my immediate
response is he's done such a good job, but we also need a Democrat in power for the next -- for next four years.
And if the American people are feeling nervous, then that makes me a little bit nervous too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAENZ: So, that's a little sampling of the anxiety among some voters here at this event. Of course, President Biden has insisted he's staying in the
race, his campaign is charging ahead with a July scheduling.
[14:20:00]
That will include battleground travel for the President, Vice President, first lady, Vice President Harris and second gentleman also launching a $50
million paid media blitz of it all, comes as he continues to face that pressure from within his own party about whether he should stay at the top
of the ticket, and many waiting to see what that answer might be in the coming days and weeks.
QUEST: All right, Arlette, thank you. Still to come from Christiane Amanpour's sit-down for an exclusive interview with France's Marine Le Pen
ahead of the country's elections on Sunday, the second round, you'll hear in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
QUEST: The second round of France's snap parliamentary election takes place this Sunday. There's a lot of security that's been added after some
attacks on candidates. And there's a bigger focus on the national Marine -- National Rally Marine Le Pen. She was one of the biggest winners in the
first round.
In an exclusive interview, Christiane Amanpour sat down with the controversial leader.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMANPOUR: Can I ask you because you have spent a long time trying to re- brand your party to the extent that, here you are on the verge of potentially taking power in government. But there's still a lot of
troubling statements from members of your actual current party, including people who are currently, you know, candidates for this election like North
Africans came to power in 2016.
These people have no place in high places, in high positions. Ministerial positions must be held by Franco French people (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN
LANGUAGE). I mean, and then there was a very unfortunate image of a mixed- race child in Brittany carrying a Breton flag, and then there was racist insults and then this candidates put a white face and he labeled it true
Brittany, false Brittany.
MARINE LE PEN, NATIONAL RALLY PARTY (through translator): Madam, there are --
AMANPOUR: Right, I just want to ask you, is this acceptable --
LE PEN: Let me --
AMANPOUR: Now in the today's --
LE PEN: We had to put forward -- we had come up with a thousand candidates in 48 hours, a thousand candidates. A thousand candidates in 48 hours.
Let's be very clear. Jordan Bardella said very clearly that people who have made unacceptable comments will be brought before the movement's conflicts
commission, and will most certainly be excluded from the movement.
[14:25:00]
As others have been in the past. See, I mean, I think that in any political movement, there can be what we call black sheep.
AMANPOUR: These people are still -- OK, I'm telling you, and this is not me telling you. This is in the French press, will they be expelled?
LE PEN: I'm not contesting the existence of these comments. I want to explain that in response to these comments, our party immediately initiated
disciplinary proceedings against the candidate. And as a general rule, they are excluded because of these remarks.
Other political movements who also have candidates who make unacceptable remarks, rather than excluding them, they actually protect them. They cover
them up. And I think that's what we need to look at.
AMANPOUR: Yes, but I just want to know, will these people be excluded, will they be expelled?
LE PEN: They are already facing --
AMANPOUR: You know, they're running right now. They're now candidates. These names --
LE PEN: Madam, forgive me, we have certain procedures.
AMANPOUR: No, but you've got an election in three days --
LE PEN: Madam, forgive me, but that's not my vision of justice. We have statutes whereby people in this situation must be called before the
conflicts committee, and they will be. There's a 21-day delay, but believe me, the jurisprudence of our commission is extremely tough and we do not
let this kind of language slide.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: That's Marine Le Pen talking to Christiane, and we have special coverage of the French elections, that's at 8 O'clock in Paris, 2:00 p.m.
on the U.S. east coast. As you and I continue this Friday, your weekend is upon us. President Biden is facing a fight to save his re-election
campaign and the fight comes from members of his own party.
Is it time for the President to undergo cognitive testing? Dr. Sanjay Gupta weighs in.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR: President Biden -- that's the picture of the president. He's just landed in Madison, Wisconsin. He's going to be
speaking in just a few moments from now.
When the president speaks, you will hear it right here on CNN. People are shouting questions, but he's not answering or he's listening but not
answering. You're going to hear him in a moment.
National renewal, the words of the U.K. Prime Minister -- the new Prime Minister Keir Starmer after his landslide victory for Labour. The -- Keir
Starmer was formally appointed by King Charles III earlier on Friday. He's greeted by cheers as he arrived in Downing Street. Labour delivered the
worst election defeat to the Tories in modern history. They took more than 400 seats.
Anna Stewart is with me. You do get some sleep since I saw your mass a nap.
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I did go about the same --
(CROSSTALK)
QUEST: Yes.
STEWART: Let's say.
QUEST: A nap. That's right. So, the morning after the night before, the hunger was coming away. How does it all look?
STEWART: Well, it's interesting if we look at where we are in terms of Parliament. There's one seat still left to be redacted.
QUEST: Yes.
STEWART: That'll be Saturday. We're not going to get it anytime soon. Labour pretty much did what the exit poll said slightly better, ever since
they're better. Majority of 174 which means they can push through whatever policy they frankly want.
QUEST: But -- and then the Tories what, 120 --
STEWART: 120 once then they've lost 251 seats.
QUEST: An extraordinary.
STEWART: And I just want to run you through just some of those moments through the night. Some of the ones we miss once we finish our own
broadcast.
QUEST: Right.
STEWART: Liz Truss, the former prime minister of all of 49 days, lost her seat.
QUEST: Yes.
STEWART: And actually, looked pretty shell-shocked when she was up there with the returning officers.
QUEST: This lost Liz Truss, Grant Shapps --
STEWART: And future leaders. Penny Mordaunt was potentially the future leader of the Conservative Party.
QUEST: Yes, if she won it. Not anymore.
STEWART: She's out.
QUEST: Yes.
STEWART: And maybe quite extraordinary if you think about all the former prime ministers we've had in quite a short succession of time and where
their seats have gone. Boris Johnson of course stepped down from -- as an MP but his seat has gone to Labour. Theresa May's seat has gone to the
Liberal Democrats. And Liz Truss's seat has gone to Labour. Margaret Thatcher's seat has gone to Labour. We're talking about some of these
really important seats.
QUEST: But what was fascinating was watching the prime minister in Downing Street. I mean, look, the man is a king's Council. He's a very senior
barrister. He knows how to give a good speech. But those are gravitas.
STEWART: There wasn't as much celebration --
QUEST: None.
STEWART: As perhaps Tony Blair in 1997. It wasn't --
QUEST: Things got to get better.
STEWART: But it was a new day. And we've got work to do. And also, there was a recognition that they hadn't won the popular vote in the U.K..
QUEST: Yes.
STEWART: There was a message to the -- to the public that he realizes he has to win over the Great British problem.
QUEST: Sure. So he's got about 35, 36 --
STEWART: 34 percent.
QUEST: 34 percent of the vote with a massive majority, which means that it's a mile-wide and an inch thick.
STEWART: Yes.
QUEST: That sort of support. And it's an anti-Tory vote.
STEWART: Well, exactly. How long does that last? Because we saw what happened in 2019 when it was an anti-Labour vote with a big majority for
the Conservatives. It didn't last very long.
QUEST: So, what do -- we were seeing at the start of the cabinet being formed?
STEWART: Yes. We're seeing all the usual characters. David Lammy, as Foreign Secretary. We're seeing Rachel Reeves is going to be the
chancellor.
QUEST: First woman Chancellor.
STEWART: That is an exciting moment, I think. She's got a long to-do list.
QUEST: For what --
STEWART: And the manifesto was a bit light on detail, Richard.
QUEST: The former economist of the Bank of England, she knows her way around. She knows her way around the economics of it all.
STEWART: Which is to be busy.
QUEST: Get some sleep tonight. Thanks very much.
Any minute now, President Biden is due to speak from the campaign trail in Wisconsin as he tries to quell a growing chorus of Democrats calling on him
to drop out of the race. It's been more than a week since the president's halting debate performance sent shockwaves and panic for the Democratic
Party. A number of top Democrats privately expressing doubt about whether the president is mentally fit. It didn't help when President Biden told
Democratic governors this week, he needed more sleep.
CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta believes it's time for the president to undergo cognitive testing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Some of the signs that - - we saw that you know, people observed during the debate, the slowness of speech, the halting of speech, sometimes the confused ramblings. Again,
these are types of things that can be explained by lots of different things and you cannot make a diagnosis simply by observation. But that's why it
may warrant more testing.
If you were my patient -- frankly, if you were my father, I would advocate for this sort of testing. Again, in large part, because there might be
something you can do about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[14:35:12]
QUEST: Now, joining me is CNN political commentator Shermichael Singleton, who's also a Republican strategist. And Meghan Hays, former Special
Assistant to President Biden. She's currently a consultant to the DNC Convention.
Shermichael, Sanjay Gupta, who has no skin in the game, per se, says that the president -- and look, Sanjay doesn't write these things lightly. This
call for him -- for the president to be cognitively tested is reasonable and fair, is it not?
SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: No. I think it is reasonable and fair, Richard. And -- I mean, I follow Dr. Gupta has worked
for quite some time. And I have never seen him write anything like this about any politician in the United States or maybe even anywhere else in
the world.
Now, in his column, he cites a documentary-style, a piece that came out, I want to say a couple of weeks, maybe a month ago, on CNN.
QUEST: Yes.
SINGLETON: I actually watched that piece with great intrigue. And it talked about aging. We all age. And it talked about the advancements in science
and medicine, that hopefully over time will delay this dementia process. And hopefully, at some point, we'll get to the point of reversing it with
some of the researchers and scientists said that that was their ultimate goal.
With those things set aside, if the president were to undergo such an exhaustive test, as Dr. Gupta did in that Docu series, that will put to
rest, Richard, all questions about the president's cognitive abilities.
QUEST: Right.
SINGLETON: He wouldn't have to do multiple interviews. He wouldn't have to stand before reporters for 30, 40, or 50-plus minutes to showcase to the
American people that he still has all of his faculties. Most of us would just say, OK, the test came back fine. It must have just been a really bad
night.
QUEST: Reasonable to ask the president to take -- bearing in mind his performance and his own admissions, reasonable to ask the president to take
these tests?
SINGLETON: Absolutely. I think, absolutely. I just don't -- I don't see, Richard, for anyone who saw that debate performance Thursday night --
QUEST: Hang on. Sorry, I -- is Meghan -- Meghan Hays, are you with me?
MEGHAN HAYS, CONSULTANT, U.S. DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE CONVENTION: Yes. I think it is -- you know, it's -- I don't necessarily agree that
Sanjay needs to be calling for this, or Dr. Gupta needs to be calling for his story. But I do think, you know, it's interesting that they're not
calling for Donald Trump to also take these tests, who also has shown a lot of the same symptoms that they're accusing President Biden of having, as
well.
QUEST: Sure.
HAYS: So, I do think that -- you know, that's fair for doctors to point out these different things than -- and want more tests and want the results to
be made public. But it should be for both candidates. They're not that far apart in age.
QUEST: But --
HAYS: They're three years apart in age. So, this aging process is in everybody. But it should be --- if we're going to do it for one, we should
be doing it for both. And, you know, that's just -- it's just seems very critical just to President Biden.
QUEST: You see, Meghan, one of the problems is, the argument that constantly is being put forward by the Democrat side is look at that
Biden's record, look at what he's done over the last three years, look at what he did his vice president, etcetera, etcetera. But the problem here
is, it's not what have you done for me lately. It's what are you going to do in the next four and a half five years -- four years? And so, this
argument of his record doesn't hold water surely when we are talking about potential cognitive issues going forward.
HAYS: No, I agree with you. And I've actually made that same argument on this air many times. And I do think that he needs to go show the voters
that he is capable of doing this job for the next four years. These things are job interviews, and he needs to go do that.
He can stand on his record as something and show people what he has done for them. But he also does need to lay out a plan for the future and show
people why he should be reelected and why -- and how he is capable of doing the job.
QUEST: Right.
HAYS: And that he is mostly capable of doing it.
QUEST: And, Shermichael Singleton, you're not -- you're not going to get away lightly here. And at what point -- at what point are the Republicans
going to start saying Donald Trump, you've got to stop lying. You just -- I mean, the debate had 30 or 40.
And I'm not talking about little, you know felicitations with facts. Nine little tribulations. We're talking about things that are just simply wrong.
At what point are the Republicans going to say we can't have this?
SINGLETON: Well, look, Richard. I think in terms of a debate, it's up to the opponent that you're debating when given an opportunity to rebut to
check the veracity of your claims. You're in the United Kingdom. You guys invented Western debate as we know it.
[14:40:00]
I was a collegiate debater. You guys have had some of the most vociferous and most pronounced debates in Western history, right? And particularly as
it pertains to philosophy and the way we govern it.
QUEST: But -- yes.
SINGLETON: So, with that in mind, I don't think it's the responsibility, I would say, of other politicians to check Donald Trump.
QUEST: No --
SINGLETON: I think is the responsibility of the individual that the former president is running against to check him.
HAYS: But also, on --
QUEST: Well, with respect -- Well, hang on. With respect, isn't it the responsibility of Donald Trump --
SINGLETON: Sure.
QUEST: The candidate not to make those falsehoods in the first place?
SINGLETON: I'm not going to disagree with you there, Richard. That's a whole separate question. Of course, you would hopefully hope that any
candidate running for public office would bear and owed saying that my grandparents once said ---
QUEST: Yes.
SINGLETON: That in the Southern United States, the truth bears no lie. And so, I would think of someone who is looking to seek the vote --
QUEST: Right.
SINGLETON: Of millions of American people, you expect that that person to live up to the truth. Even if the truth, Richard, may not be in their
favor. I think it certainly comes with a level of respect from the voters.
QUEST: OK. And the -- I want to just finish on -- since we've had an election in the U.K., obviously, and I believe me compared to the way you
do it, it's brutal overnight. You're out the next morning, you know. The removal of -- the removal run arrives, whilst you're still having breakfast
from defeat.
And so -- and we've got France ahead. How worried are either of you? Put your own party aside. How -- Meghan, starting with you. How worried are you
about the populist move to the right?
HAYS: Look, I think that these elections are really interesting because in the U.K., and then France is going to move to the right. I just think this
is a referendum on what the status quo is. And that makes me nervous as a Democrat for what we're going through in the U.S. as for the reelection of
Joe Biden.
But I also -- the one thing that was notable to me last night with the U.K. election is when the former prime minister said that he was going to
participate in a peaceful transfer of power. And if that's not a shot to the United States of how things should be done in a democracy, I don't know
what else is.
QUEST: Shermichael, what do you think?
SINGLETON: Well, we could look --
QUEST: Would you be in -- would you be in favor on November the sixth of kicking one out of the front door, while the other comes out the back door
and the other comes in the front?
SINGLETON: I mean, look, Richard/ I wish it were a lot quicker in the United States. This process is too long, but I love the process and I
respect it.
To answer your question, I think of two individuals that come to mind as you think about the rise of populism and nationalism. I think a French
sociologist, Emile Durkheim. I'm sure our international audience will appreciate that. And his theory of Anomie, which he came up with this
phrase in his book about suicide in the late 1800s.
I also think about a great British sociologist and former politician back in, I want to say the late 1950s, Michael Young who wrote the book The Rise
of Meritocracy.
QUEST: Yes.
SINGLETON: And in his book, Michael Young actually argued by 2030, you will see an uprising in Britain. Well, I believe, Richard, we're seeing
uprisings all across the globe.
QUEST: Yes.
SINGLETON: Because of economics, because of immigration. I think a lot of people are remembering a moment in time where --
QUEST: Right.
SINGLETON: Their parents or their grandparents felt more secure in society. They don't see that reality for themselves. And unfortunately, as a result
of that, you're seeing people adapt I would argue ideological beliefs that tend to lean more to the right and of the French.
QUEST: All right.
SINGLETON: (INAUDIBLE) of the right, but not of the French right. I think you're seeing more of that. And I expect, Richard, that's going to only
continue.
QUEST: All right. I'm grateful to you both for raising the level of debate. Excellent. Thank you very much for joining us. Have a good week. Have a
good long weekend. It is --
HAYS: Thank you.
QUEST: It's as far as tonight. It is as far as tonight without Isa Soares. But you get what I mean.
Any moment. We're going to turn our attention to the Middle East. The families of those hostages still held in Gaza demanding the Israeli
government to move forward with a ceasefire proposal. A framework has been reached with Hamas or so it's reported.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:46:14]
QUEST: Voting hours have been extended in Iran's runoff presidential election. The voters are choosing between the reformist Masoud Pezeshkian
and the ultra-conservative Saeed Jalili. The -- Pezeshkian won the first round with 42 and a half percent first vote. So, the lowest turnout for a
presidential election since the founding of the Republic in 79.
CNN's Fred Pleitgen reports extensively from Iran. And now bring us up to date on the developments on the second round of the election.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Millions of Iranians have a pretty clear-cut choice in the presidential runoff election
in Iran. You have the moderate Masoud Pezeshkian wants better relations with Western nations. Also wants better relations with nations in the
greater Middle Eastern region.
And Saeed Jalili, a conservative, now he says that he wants a policy and policies in line with what Ebrahim Raisi would have done. He was, of
course, the president who was killed in that helicopter crash on May 19. As far as Saeed Jalili is concerned, that would no doubt mean a very tough
stance towards Israel. And of course, also a very tough stance towards the United States as well.
Both these candidates, by the way, have been campaigning over the past week. In fact, we saw Saeed Jalili campaigning this past Sunday in the
Grand Bazaar of Tehran. And then also meeting with voters there. So, a pretty-clear cut choice for Iranian voters.
The other thing that people are going to be looking at, and certainly the leadership in Iran is also going to be looking at as well, is going to be
voter turnout. It was quite low in the first round of voting around 40 percent. And Iran's supreme leader who's also traditionally the first
person to cast his vote in elections and once again, did so as well this morning.
He says that high voter turnout is something that strengthens the political system in Iran, whereas low voter turnout is something that weakens Iran's
political system. And also emboldened as he put it, Iran enemies. So, an important election that is coming up in Iran, not only from the perspective
is how many people are actually going to be going to the polling stations and casting their ballots. But then also, of course, the political
direction of Iran over which the president has a very high degree of influence.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: The Palestinian Red Crescent Society says seven Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli raid in the West Bank today. Israel says it
carried out an operation in Jenin against militants behind an attack on Israeli soldiers earlier this week. The soldiers backed by drones encircled
a building where fighters had barricaded themselves and a gun battle followed. Hamas and Islamic Jihad have claimed several of the dead as their
fighters.
And Israeli delegations headed by the director of Mossad has now left Qatar after a new round of detailed negotiations on a ceasefire deal for Gaza.
The Israeli government says there are still gaps between the positions of Israel and Hamas. And indirect talks will continue next week.
The mothers of hostages still held in Gaza are demanding the Israeli government move forward with the deal on the table. They've marched with
thousands of other people -- Israelis today in Tel Aviv. Jeremy Diamond is live for us in Jerusalem.
And the deal is on the table. We don't really know the full widened scope. And we're not really even sure where it's at in terms of who accepts it and
pushes it forward further. So, what happens next?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, Richard, certainly there is a sense that there is at least a framework agreement that Israel and
Hamas both seem to be satisfied with. And we know that because that's what a senior administration official at the White House is saying. But also,
because what where we are now is that these two sides are now entering into detailed negotiations.
[14:50:10]
And that simply hasn't happened over the course of the last several months of negotiations, which has -- had been focused on trying to reach that
framework agreement in the first place. But now, what they're doing is they're moving into the details of this negotiation. The implementation of
it, the sequencing of the releases of hostages, as well as the release of Palestinian prisoners. The identities of the Palestinian prisoners, who
would be released in exchange for those hostages. So many of these details that still need to be worked out.
But the fact that they have now arrived at this point, does give a sense of cautious optimism about the possibility of these two sides actually
reaching a deal. Of course, the key caveats always apply here, which is to say that until they reach an agreement on everything here, they simply do
not have an agreement in place. And these negotiations over the details of this deal are set to stretch for about two to three weeks, according to a
source of familiar with the negotiations who I spoke with.
But it should be emphasized again, that the final outcome of those negotiations over these next few weeks is far from assured. And the devil
in this case will indeed be in the details. Richard?
QUEST: Jeremy Diamond, I'm grateful. So, thank you. And we'll be back, ISA SOARES TONIGHT, after a short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
QUEST: Hurricane Beryl may be down but it's most certainly not out and it's churning over Mexico. It's a tropical storm after it slammed through the
Yucatan Peninsula as a category two. The populous destinations like Tulum and Playa Del Carmen are getting heavy rain and storm surges.
And Beryl is now shifting Northwest. It's nine people have died in the Caribbean and it may gain power. The problem is it's now over the Gulf of
Mexico. And with the warm air, then it could have a collision course with the U.S. and state of Texas, and northern Mexico in the next few days.
Well, let's going to take takes on France in the Euros in just a few moments. It'll be hard to live up to the thrilling quarterfinal match
between Spain and Germany. In the 51st minute, Spain took the lead. Thanks to a setup from Lamine Yamal to Dani Olmo for the goal. Spain mounting a
tough defense against Germany's constant attacks.
[14:55:00]
The game was on the line when Germany's Florian Wirtz finally scored the equalizer which meant an extra 30 minutes to play. And if that wasn't
enough, the excitement, Spain eventually scored the go-ahead in the 119th minute. A perfectly executed header by Mikel Merino put Spain on top. And
Spain will now play the winner of Portugal versus France, which is tonight.
Breaking news to bring you. Donald Trump's legal team is asking the judge in his classified documents case to consider the Supreme Court's recent
ruling on immunity. According to Trump's attorney, the decision guts the special counsel's position that President Trump has no immunity and
demonstrates what they say is the politically motivated nature of the case.
We are waiting for President Biden to speak. It's an important rally in Wisconsin. You will certainly hear that and see it when it happens. You can
see the scene is set.
The rain is pouring in London tonight. Thank you for joining me on ISA SOARES TONIGHT. Isa will be back. Sanity is restored on Monday.
I'm Richard Quest. I will be with the "NEWSROOM" for you in just a moment. You know what I always say. Around the world. Around the clock. This is
CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
