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Hala Gorani Tonight
Protests As Boris Johnson Suspends Parliament; Dorian Upgraded To Hurricane; Interview With Member Of Parliament, Stephen Doughty; Queen Approves U.K. P.M.'s Request To Suspend Parliament; New Poll" Trump Trails All Major Democratic Contenders; Smuggling In Africa And Middle East Threatens Cheetahs; Japan Helps Kenya Tap Renewable Energy Potential. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired August 28, 2019 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:44] HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Hello, everyone. Live from London, I'm Hala Gorani.
Tonight, anger and outrage over a move to suspend Parliament here in Britain, as the deadline toward Brexit gets closer. There were even some
protests, out here on College Green. We'll tell you about those.
Plus, the storm known as Dorian becomes a hurricane, and it is headed toward Puerto Rico. Florida could be on its path as well.
And later, a CNN exclusive investigation: Owning a pet cheetah is illegal. But for some of the world's richest people, that is not an obstacle. How
can we stop cheetah smuggling before it's too late?
We're here on College Green, where there's a good deal of disdain for the prime minister's move to suspend Parliament. Queen Elizabeth approved
Boris Johnson's request for the suspension earlier today. It means Parliament will recess by mid-September, and not reconvene until mid-
October. That is dramatically shortening the time M.P.s will have to debate Brexit before the October 31st withdrawal deadline.
Here's what the prime minister, defending himself against his critics, had to say earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, PRIME MINISTER OF BRITAIN: We're not going to wait until October the 31st before getting on with our plans to take this country
forward. And that's why we are going to have a Queen's Speech and we're going to do it on October the 14th. And we've got to move ahead, now, with
a new legislative program.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, opposition parties are thinking the opposite. Their leaders are saying the move, this move to suspend Parliament, is in fact designed
to increase the chances of a no-deal Brexit, and stopping M.P.s from exercising their democratic right to mount a challenge to no-deal. A top
Labour Party official calls it "an affront to democracy."
Nic Robertson is here with me at College Green. Anna Stewart is standing by, outside 10 Downing Street. I'm going to start with Anna.
And there were protestors here, just a few minutes ago, headed to 10 Downing Street because there is so much anger directed at the Prime
Minister Boris Johnson, for this announcement that he would suspend Parliament for a month. What is the next step?
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: Yes, Hala. The protestors have arrived at Downing Street. There are about a thousand of them, according to the
police. And you can't see them because they are behind the barriers, but I can certainly hear them, saying, "Shame on you, Boris," and "Bring him
down," and "Shame on you." Anyways.
Yes, Boris Johnson is suspending this parliamentary session. He is proroguing Parliament with the permission of Her Majesty, the queen. Now,
this essentially means that the opposition has far less time in Parliament -- they already didn't have very much -- to try and frustrate the efforts,
potentially, of a no-deal Brexit, to try and hijack the parliamentary agenda.
That is why they see that the prime minister has done this. He say not. Boris Johnson says he's simply a new prime minister, he needs to put
forward his new agenda, his domestic policies. And to do that, it is entirely usual -- and it is -- to end one parliamentary session and start
another with a Queen's Speech.
What is unusual, of course, Hala, is the context. Because we are in the context of political crisis over Brexit. He knows full well, of course,
that his opponents are trying to work against him, trying to consult with each other, trying to frustrate any potential for a no-deal Brexit at the
end of October. And the head of that effort, of course, is Jeremy Corby, the leader of the Labour Party. Take us into what he had to say today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEREMY CORBYN, LEADER, BRITISH LABOUR PARTY: Yes, I've protested in the strongest possible terms on behalf of my party, and I believe (ph) all the
other opposition parties are going to join in with this ,in simply saying that suspending Parliament is not acceptable, it's not on. What the prime
minister's doing is a sort of smash-and-grab on our democracy, in order to force through a no-deal exit from the European Union.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEWART: And Parliament will return, of course, next week, although they won't be sitting for very long before they are suspended. But you can
expect them to try every which way, using legislative and legal means, to try and frustrate these efforts by the prime minister.
And they will be using the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, to do this. And he has said that he is outraged as well by what the prime
minister has done. He does not buy that the prime minister has not done this -- has done this and it has nothing to do with Brexit. He sees this
very much as a way of the prime minister, trying to take away some power from Parliament -- Hala.
GORANI: Thanks very much, Anna Stewart.
[14:05:00] Joining Nic Robertson and myself is Peter Goodman, European economics correspondent for "The New York Times." Peter, how is this being
received? All this drama and chaos here in London, abroad, throughout Europe?
PETER GOODMAN, EUROPEAN ECONOMICS CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORK TIMES: Well, there's a sense of real shock, that we're getting pretty close to the
deadline, the deadline being October 31st.
And whatever Boris Johnson is doing, whether this is a feint -- it's a pretty good bluff, designed to pressure Europe to reopen a negotiation they
say is truly closed -- or he's really decided -- and maybe these two things go together -- that his political fate is such that he had better aim for
the exits, as opposed to find -- looking for any sort of wiggle room.
GORANI: And the pro-hard Brexit politicians, and Boris Johnson himself and others, have said, "It's no big deal. It's -- you know, people are
exaggerating the possible negative effects of a no-deal Brexit on the U.K."
GOODMAN: Yes.
GORANI: What would happen to the U.K. if it exits with no deal?
GOODMAN: Well, look, the best barometer we've got is the pound, right? So you've got international traders with currency around the globe who are
completely unsentimental, they don't care much about politics --
GORANI: Yes.
GOODMAN: -- except insofar as it helps them make money. And they're looking at the prospect -- a growing prospect of Britain crashing out of
the European Union without a deal. And they're saying there's less reason to hold British pounds because the size of this economy will be smaller,
there will be fewer trading opportunities, there will be less investment, fewer reasons to hire people here.
And there's also a sense that, you know, there will certainly be inflation, as the pound falls, for British consumers --
GORANI: Yes.
GOODMAN: -- and for the whole continent, especially countries that are especially exposed to trade, like Germany, the Netherlands. There could be
real chaos --
GORANI: Yes.
GOODMAN: -- and certainly, nobody's going to get richer in a place that's exposed to the global economy.
GORANI: You know, I was speaking to a hedge fund manager a few weeks ago. And he said, "I'm leaving the U.K. not even because of Brexit, but because
parliamentary business is so paralyzed that legislation that we need to see passed" -- you know, in the financial sector -- "is just sitting there."
And the fact that Parliament is being suspended for several weeks is adding to that uncertainty and paralysis. And so he basically told me, "I can't
do business here," not even because Brexit is the issue, but because no -- they're not getting business done.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It's the worst of all scenarios. It's --
GORANI: Yes.
ROBERTSON: -- what everyone said wouldn't happen, that Brexit was -- well, those Brexiteers in the beginning said it was all going to be easy, and we
could easily make this agreement happen. And the business community said, "We need to know a year in advance, we need to know six months in advance,
we need to know three months in advance."
And then the goalposts of when it's actually going to be, comes up to a couple of weeks away and then slips to a few months.
I think many of us now know people who -- in the business community, who are either moving out of this country or taking -- moving parts of their
business out of this country, because they are dissatisfied for the reasons that you say.
And that's the business community. There are others -- and we saw them --
GORANI: Yes.
ROBERTSON: -- protesting here before -- who feel dissatisfied because they've been let down by what they've been told. And so there are layer
upon layer of frustrations here in this country at the moment.
GORANI: So the U.S. president, Donald Trump --
GOODMAN: Right.
GORANI: -- tweeted, "Would be very hard for Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Britain's Labour Party, to seek a no-confidence vote against Johnson,
especially in light of the fact that Boris is exactly what the U.K. has been looking for and will prove to be a great one. Love U.K."
This is Donald Trump. Obviously, Boris Johnson at the G7 in Biarritz was, you know, understandably cozying up to the U.S. president, the U.K.
desperately will need a very favorable trade deal with the U.S. But these things take a very long time to negotiate.
GOODMAN: Right. There's no scenario where they do a meaningful deal in a short period of time. Most trade between the United States and Britain
that's really meaningful, is either liberalized already or it's very sensitive.
So you're not going to open up the American insurance industry -- which, by the way, is regulated by states, not the federal government -- you're not
going to open up agriculture in a meaningful way. The two financial sectors are pitted against one another --
GORANI: Yes.
GOODMAN: -- and they're both under some significant threat now. This has always been a talking point for the pro-Brexit crowd, to argue that, you
know, "If we get out from under this stagnant bureaucracy, the European Union, and we can forge our own path, it's going to be back to the glory
days."
GORANI: Yes.
GOODMAN: And that's mythology and marketing more (ph) than (ph) reality (ph) --
(CROSSTALK)
GORANI: And it's mythology for another reason, too, is that the time period they're referring to was in fact a time period where the economy was
doing poorly in the U.K. And it's after having joined the E.U. that the U.K. economy did better, right?
ROBERTSON: Another lesson of Brexit. I mean, if you just look at the conversation that President Trump was having with the prime minister of
Japan, Shinzo Abe, "We're getting very close to making a deal, we're getting very close to making a deal. We may sign it at the UNGA in a
month's time," and then he had Shinzo Abe explain why he was going to buy this cut (ph) price wheat from the United States because President Trump is
not able to sell it to China any more.
[14:10:00] He puts whoever he's making a trade deal with in a difficult position, wants all the advantage for him. And none of that is lost on
those people in Britain who are opposed to Brexit, opposed to the relationship that Boris Johnson has with President Trump, and that's being
used politically against him. We heard it again today, from the leader of the opposition, Jeremy Corbyn, again saying it's becoming more like
President Trump.
So it is a double-edged sword, and I think the measure that's being taken at the moment is, it's not -- that relationship is not a positive. So I'm
not sure that President Trump has helped him with that tweet today.
GORANI: Right. Because President Trump is not popular here in the U.K., by and large.
So if you were a betting man, would you say the E.U. will be open to renegotiating aspects of this withdrawal agreement, just to avoid a no-
deal?
GOODMAN: I'd be shocked. I mean, first of all, back to your point about business --
GORANI: Because this hurts the E.U. as well. This isn't --
GOODMAN: Yes --
GORANI: -- this isn't just --
GOODMAN: I mean, the one benefit to the E.U. from all of --
GORANI: Yes.
GOODMAN: -- this, is, you know, three years ago, there was this fear that, "Well, if Britain leaves, that's going to embolden the Dutch to
leave, maybe the Italians will try to leave." Hey, anybody who's been watched events here for the last three years, what's happened to investment
and the currency and, you know, just the sense of British competence in the global economy, has to be, you know, losing their appetite for that option.
Brexit, for most multinational companies, has already happened.
GORANI: Yes.
GOODMAN: I mean, you've already made your plans, we've already had a couple of brushes with deadlines that are coming up fast. If you've been
running a global banking operation and clearings trades through (ph) --
GORANI: Yes.
GOODMAN: -- the city of London, in euros or dollars, you've already made your -- you've already moved your people, if you had to --
GORANI: Yes, yes.
GOODMAN: -- to make sure that you're legal no matter what happens. We've seen large auto manufacturers, especially the Japanese, shift investments
from Britain. You know, that's not coming back, whatever happens, because that sense that this is a reliable hub, a place where you can park billions
of dollars or pounds of investment to then serve the continent, that's been seriously damaged.
GORANI: And in fact, the U.K. economy shrank last quarter, first time in a while. Though to be fair, European economies are also suffering from some
of these trade tensions, Germany is not doing great. France, surprisingly, doing potentially better than expected. But overall, these European
economies are not doing great, so.
ROBERTSON: But I think also, the points that you're making, these are stand (ph) stark-out (ph) -- these jump out at you, these issues jump out
at you. But they don't jump out here because they're not getting full debate in the British media. There is a lot of this that is toxic
politically to the Brexit narrative, and it doesn't seem to be something that's really cutting through at the moment.
GORANI: Yes, yes.
GOODMAN: And by the way, part of why Europe is not doing well is because of a global trade war.
GORANI: Yes.
GOODMAN: And this is a global trade war that's being pursued by Donald Trump, who is --
GORANI: Germany, especially, has suffered, yes.
GOODMAN: -- these (ph) are (ph) tech (ph) -- Germany's probably in recession or headed that way, in large part because China's slowing,
because it's confronting tariffs.
Donald Trump is a man who's -- he's a tariff man, trade wars can be won. There's a sense that these tariffs may last as long as the Trump
presidency. So this is the thing that Britain is supposed to be tethering its glorious future to, if it can get out from under Europe? That's
increasingly a hard sell, and growth is hard to find for everyone.
ROBERTSON: And -- and the the thing is, the decision to have a Brexit vote and the vote itself --
GORANI: Yes.
ROBERTSON: -- was taken before President Trump became president, and before we saw the way that the United States would behave in this way. And
this is, again, an issue that people get frustrated with, that the rules of the game, in terms of global trade and international relations, have
changed since the decision to have a Brexit vote --
GORANI: Yes.
ROBERTSON: -- and the vote itself were taken. And the idea, for a lot of people, that they can't re-evaluate their decision in that light, again, is
one that's going to become even --
GORANI: But I wonder --
ROBERTSON: -- more hotly debated in the next few months.
GORANI: -- is there, in your mind, Nic -- you're a keen observer of U.K. politics -- does the possibility exist, that there will be a reversal of
this process? Because since June 2016, the road to Brexit has been pretty unobstructed. I mean, even parliamentary votes against the idea of a no-
deal have not prevented us from getting to this point. So what could?
ROBERTSON: I don't think we know. I think the answer is, we really don't know. We don't know the mechanism that may make it happen.
I think if there is a general election, either before the 31st of October, certainly, that would be a -- that would be essentially, a referendum on
Brexit, on no Brexit. And that is still a possibility. That may be the mechanism.
GORANI: What I think is, big street protests. For instance --
GOODMAN (?): Yes.
GORANI: I think that could be one of the things that would, you know, scare the government into maybe retreating a bit.
GOODMAN: Well, it's a pretty civil group of protestors, so far --
GORANI: These ones? You spoke to them.
GOODMAN: -- considering people are chanting that this is a coup --
[14:15:01] GORANI: Yes.
GOODMAN: -- that this is an extraordinary constitutional crisis, that we're back to monarchy. You know, we'll see. I mean, certainly, there's a
lot of anger in this country over what's just happened. I mean, consider the optics of this. I mean, this began with the sense amongst many, that -
- you know, that Britain has had its sovereignty violated by this unelected bureaucracy --
GORANI: Yes.
GOODMAN: -- it's undemocratic, to be part of the European Union. And now, today, the prime minister, who himself is not elected, who is there by dint
of the fact that a small percentage of British voters, who happen to be members of the Conservative Party --
GORANI: Yes.
GOODMAN: -- were in a position to elect him. Basically said, "Let's take Parliament out of the equation so we can, you know, get on with this thing"
that there's --
GORANI: Yes.
GOODMAN: -- really no mandate for.
ROBERTSON: A point that was noted by Guy Verhofstadt in the European Parliament. He said, you know, "Take back control," which was a slogan of
the Brexiteers before. "Take back control from the European Union." He said today, "That now has much more sinister connotations."
GORANI: Nic Robertson, Peter Goodman of "The New York Times," thanks very much for joining us.
Still to come, we will update you on what's going on in Puerto Rico. An official there says another hurricane is the island's biggest fear.
Tonight, that fear might be realized. We are live in Puerto Rico, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: A storm crashing through the Caribbean has officially strengthened into a hurricane. Dorian is lashing the U.S. Virgin Islands right now, and
it's taking aim at Puerto Rico. Obviously, the island is vulnerable, still, because of what happened two years ago with Maria. The power
infrastructure is still fragile two years after Maria, and many people still don't have adequate shelter.
Tom Sater is tracking the storm. We'll get to him in a moment. Let's start with CNN's Omar Jimenez. He's on Puerto Rico's east coast. What is
the situation where you are, Omar?
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hala, we are starting to feel the outer bands of Dorian, now Hurricane Dorian, as it churns its way through the
Atlantic. As opposed to earlier in the morning, we felt rain coming in and out. Now is the first time we have seen the rain stay at a very steady
pace.
Now, in regards to Hurricane Maria and how much it is on the minds of many people here on this island. It was only less than two years ago. But
again, it was the first thought that comes to many people's minds, when they hear that a system like Dorian is coming through the Atlantic.
Now, the good news is that officials here say this will not be a Maria-type wind event. But their main concern now is flooding, the potential of
flooding that will come from the downpour of rain. It is why they have been trying to make as many rounds as possible, going to places with
infrastructure that maybe isn't the best, trying to get those people into shelters, especially those with tarps as roofs, again, still dealing with
the damage from Maria, when it came through a little less than two years ago.
And specifically, one of the biggest fears is, one disaster recovery official here says that there are still many places that do not have
permanent fixes, still, from the aftermath of Maria. And so if another system like that, of that size, were to come through here, it would cause
so much devastation, likely much like what we saw, again, less than two years ago. So that is why they are monitoring Dorian very closely.
As far as what they will do after this storm passes, well, the governor's office, here, says there are around 500 FEMA workers, Federal Emergency
Management Officials, here, ready to help out as things move forward. We are already under a disaster declaration for the island, so those resources
would be allowed to be deployed very quickly.
And I think it's safe to say, at this point, people here have not taken any chances, no matter how Dorian ended up affecting this island. And right
now, we are in wait-and-see mode -- Hala.
GORANI: All right. Omar Jimenez, thanks very much.
Tom Sater, talk to us about where the storm is and how powerful it will be when it hits Puerto Rico.
TOM SATER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, I think it's looking better and better for Puerto Rico, believe it or not. I mean, two days ago, we were like,
"Dorian, eh, it's not a big deal. The air's too dry." Then yesterday it was like, "OK, we see you, Dorian." Today, now, it means business. The
center of the storm is directly over St. Thomas. Lights are flickering, power, most likely going out. We heard about that in St. Croix as well.
The hurricane-force winds extend outward, Hala, extend outward to the north. The tropical storm-force winds are out probably, you know, 150
kilometers or so, extend out to the north and east, away from Puerto Rico.
So, really, as we watch what could be a better scenario for Puerto Rico -- not so much for the British and U.S. Virgin Islands and the Bahamas --
we'll have to wait several days, and we'll have more on that in a minute.
You'll see the storm, winds at 120 kilometers per hour, it is now a hurricane. But again, Puerto Rico and mainly San Juan, is on the better
edge of this. They're not on the side where the winds are the strongest or the rains are the heaviest.
Let's get in closer, and you get an idea of where San Juan is. Yes, they are in the bands of rain. Over 30,000 homes still have blue tarps. They
only have five working generators right now, power plants, out of 16. So they could falter, even with a normal thunderstorm that moves through.
But let's talk about what happens now. The major steering currents that will move the system in the next several days for the U.S., are still in
California. So it's got to move across the entire 48 states before we really get a good idea.
But if we look at the modeling right now, it takes it toward Florida. Going back to 1950, if you take all of the storms within 80 kilometers of
where Dorian is, only one made landfall in the Florida peninsula. That was Irma, two years ago.
Not one -- since 1950 -- where Dorian is, ever made landfall on the east coast of Florida. We had one in South Carolina, two in North Carolina.
Most went out into the ocean. So there is still hope for them with that.
The good news is, let's hope those winds stay to the north, to the east, away from San Juan, away from Puerto Rico. And so far, the winds, just
brushing that coastline right now. This may be a near-miss for them, which we can all hope for. And then we'll see what happens with the U.S., days
later -- Hala.
GORANI: All right. Tom, thanks very much.
Stephen Doughty is a member of Parliament with the Labour Party. He joins me now, on the phone, with his reaction to Boris Johnson's announcement
that he would suspend Parliament for a month. I'm guessing you're not happy about it?
STEPHEN DOUGHTY, MEMBER OF U.K. PARLIAMENT (via telephone): Absolutely not. This is undemocratic, it's unconstitutional and it risks plunging our
country into even greater crisis, at a time when Parliament should be sitting and should be holding Boris Johnson and his team to account, not
just on Brexit but on so many other issues.
GORANI: So what options are open to you? What's your strategy to stop this?
DOUGHTY (via telephone): Well, we're keeping our strategy pretty close to our chests, for obvious reasons. But I am absolutely convinced that there
is a strong and growing parliamentary opposition across the parties, including from the governing Conservatives, to the prime minister's plan
and to this undemocratic attempt to gag parliament.
I mean, important (ph) for your viewers and listeners to be aware, you know, this is quite an extraordinary situation, to drag the queen, Her
Majesty, the queen, Elizabeth, into the party politics, and to attempt to shut down Parliament, and for such a length of time that we cannot do our
job, representing our district on behalf of all of those who have elected us.
GORANI: So you won't tell me what the strategy is exactly, but could it involve a no-confidence vote in the government?
DOUGHTY (via telephone): Well, the no-confidence vote is certainly one of the options that is on the table. And there are also legislative means by
which we can stop this drive towards a no-deal Brexit.
And quite frankly, as well, after the comments of President Trump, Boris Johnson over the weekend, very clear what the agenda is. This is a
joining-up, here, of two individuals who are quite happy to dispense with democracy, dispense with the normal way of doing things and, you know,
British and American values, for the pursuit of their own egotistical aims.
[14:25:14] And the British people will not stand for that, and I'm glad to see very many legislators, including Conservatives, coming out tonight to
make that clear.
GORANI: You say you have a strategy, but even if you have the world's best strategy, do you have the time?
DOUGHTY (via telephone): We certainly do have the time. In fact, the announcement, while it's deeply, deeply disturbing, actually does not
affect the ability of us to carry out our plan. And we are going to take every step necessary.
Just yesterday, M.P.s from across the House of Commons met together, in the historic Church House in London, which is where Churchill took Parliament
during the Second World War, to defend our democracy at a very dark hour. And we've made clear, if necessary, we will continue sitting in that
building.
GORANI: All right. Thank you, Stephen Doughty, a Labour member of Parliament, joining us to talk about the breaking news out of the U.K.
today.
Still to come, is Donald Trump in trouble? We'll have a look at how the president might fare against the top Democratic contenders in the United
States, stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Let's return to our top story. Boris Johnson's request to suspend Parliament next month has been approved by the queen. As you can see,
we're at the Houses of Parliament in London.
People had been gathering behind us, to voice their anger at the latest move by the prime minister. Those protestors have now moved on to 10
Downing Street, the residence of the prime minister.
Well, he's also unleashed political chaos. M.P.s will now have less time to debate Brexit. And with the country barreling toward a no-deal exit,
this latest move means Parliament will return with just over two weeks to go until that October 31st deadline. Now, critics are saying that the
suspension is an affront to democracy and a constitutional outrage.
Now, let us go to Hadas Gold. Let us head outside the political Westminster bubble now. Hadas is speaking to people in Romford, England,
an historic market town that overwhelmingly voted to leave the E.U. in 2016. What have people been telling you there, Hadas?
HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Hala, Romford is just east of London. And though it's technically actually part of sort of the greater London
area, it's very different from, as you noted, the sort of bubble of London that so overwhelmingly voted to remain.
Romford, this area, voted 70 percent in favor of leaving the European Union in 2016. And we've spent some time, speaking to locals here. A lot of
pro-Brexiteers. Some Remainers as well. But the pro-Brexiteers, they're overwhelmingly in favor of the move to suspend Parliament because in their
minds, it's just whatever it takes to make Brexit happen.
And they see it as a risky move if they even -- some of them even don't quite understand exactly what suspending Parliament is, but they do
understand that it could help get Brexit through, even if it's in a no-deal situation. Take a listen to what some of them have to say.
[14:30:05] (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GOLD (voice-over): What is your opinion on the news today that Boris Johnson has convinced the Queen to suspend parliament?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As long as he get to fix Brexit for what I know.
GOLD: Whatever -- son in your opinion --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whatever gets Brexit through, which is what the people voted for, including myself.
GOLD: Would you be OK with a no-deal, as Boris said do or die on October 31st?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Because I think what we voted for was (INAUDIBLE) -- and it was a simple vote, and we vote to come out. So I'm not really
too worried whether we get a deal or not.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had a referendum. We voted and we voted to leave. And we just need to carry on with the people's wishes.
GOLD: So you're OK with the idea that the suspension of parliament will prevent people from trying to block --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would say it's so many twist and turns, isn't it? So, I mean -- and so -- and so the outcome we want not really. Now, we
were not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLD: And what's most notable to me, Hala, is actually when you talk to people that some certain politicians will say the 2016 referendum was not a
referendum on leaving without a deal. And that's what people actually voted for.
And I actually I speak to people here, the people who voted in favor of leaving. They say they're totally OK with the no-deal. They understand
they might be -- there might be some short-term pain or even long-term pain for the U.K. economy.
But they think that the country will be better, on the other side, it will be stronger on another side, and they just want to get it over with, Hala.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: OK. Hadas Gold. Thanks very much.
Carole Walker is here, former political correspondent for the BBC. And I wonder -- because we are in this Westminster bubble by virtue of where we,
geographically, are located, we fail to sometimes take the polls truly of Britain that a majority -- if a referendum were held today, they would
still vote to Brexit. What do you think?
CAROLE WALKER, POLITICAL ANALYST: The polls are very finally poised on that. Certainly, you're right. I mean, famously, of course, David Cameron
who was prime minister at the time was, absolutely, convinced he was going to win that referendum that the people of the United Kingdom would vote to
stay in the E.U. when it came to it. The vote was to leave.
It's worth remembering that on the eve of that poll back in 2016, it was a narrow majority in favor of staying in the E.U. when it actually came to
the referendum results. Of course, as we all know, it was 48-52 in favor of leaving the European Union. And I think that there is certainly a sense
that many people in towns and cities who felt that they've been left behind by the Westminster politicians. Well, voting for Brexit as a way of
seeking a change, a way of breaking free of political power that was being exercised far beyond their immediate circumstances.
GORANI: But it was still -- the whole thing was stoked by fears that were being, you know, stirred of immigration, of being under the control of
Brussels. Lie is about how much money the U.K. was sending to Brussels, so all of this was in 2016. Today, as any -- has the fact that some of these
inaccuracies been cleared up change any minds?
WALKER: There has not been a significant shift in terms of the overall vote from between leave and remain. What there has been is there is
probably a slightly higher number in favor of remaining now, that is partly because of more younger people who tend to be in favor of remaining part of
the E.U. are now -- would now be eligible to vote. Some of those who voted to leave have now, frankly, passed on and no longer --
But for all those who voted to leave and now regretted, there are other voters who voted to remain and think that now the decision has been made,
that we should carry on and leave. So it is very finely poised. And I think what you have to remember, of course, now is that you have had a huge
barrage for months and years about the dangers of a no-deal Brexit.
It's only really since Boris Johnson came to power, since he has appointed a team around him that are committed to leaving with or without a deal that
you're getting a really coherent attempt to say to people, well, look, we do want to get a deal but that if three is a no-deal Brexit. This can be
mitigated that we're putting in place the plans that can make sure that the disruption which they're inevitably will be is contained and affect as
fewer people as possible.
GORANI: Donald Trump is tweeting his support for Boris Johnson. Donald Trump is unpopular in the U.K. Politically, I wonder if Boris Johnson
wants Donald Trump to tweet in support of him during this very tense time.
WALKER: Well, I think it certainly plays into the rhetoric that you're getting from the leader of the opposition, Jeremy Corbyn, who says that
Boris Johnson is Britain Trump, as Donald Trump himself said, that he wants to get a close trade deal with the United States, but it's going to be very
dangerous for the U.K. that you're going to get privatized healthcare, that you're going to get the U.S. undercutting many of the principles of the
NHS, for example.
[14:35:19] But you're right. Donald Trump is not particularly popular in the U.K. And this support that he keeps giving of Boris Johnson, is in
some ways, helpful. It's good for Boris Johnson to have a strong Trans- Atlantic relationship. It's good for him to have international allies that goes into this.
This will necessarily help him domestically if people feel that he is adopting a similar approach to this huge international disruptor that you
have as president of the United States.
So we just spoke to a Labour M.P., Stephen Doughty and he said, he believes they absolutely have time in Parliament. He wouldn't tell me what the
strategy was. They said, "We're keeping it close to our chest." But that they absolutely have time to block a no-deal. Do they?
WALKER: It's going to be very tight indeed. Look, we had this meeting yesterday of many of those who want to stop a no-deal Brexit. That
included many people from the opposition parties that were no conservative M.P.s there. Until now, the problem for Boris Johnson's opponents, the
advantage from the point of view of Downing Street is that there's been no coherent plan from those who want to stop Brexit.
I think the danger from this announcement today is that it will galvanize, perhaps, many conservative M.P.s who were wavering to think that they have
got to act and they've got to act sooner than they might have done if they're going to find a way to stopping Brexit.
The timetable is very, very tight indeed. It was always going to be tight. Parliament now is going to be suspended for some four and a half, five
weeks. When we come back, there's going to be a clean speech that would normally take up five days of the parliamentary timetable. That leaves
almost no time left. So I think those who do want to prevent Boris Johnson leaving without a deal are going to have to move very, very swiftly when
Parliament returns next week.
GORANI: All right. Thanks very much, Carole Walker.
Well, speaking of politics, let's head over to the United States. Today was an important day for the Democrats running for president. We got what
is expected to be the last poll that would allow some of the low polling contenders to qualify for the next debate.
The Quinnipiac University poll is largely similar to what most other polls have shown. Joe Biden sports a double digit lead over his closest rivals.
The poll change nothing about who will make the debate. There will only be 10 Democrats would qualify. Half as many as in the previous debate.
The poll also has voters who they would support in a hypothetical matchup against President Trump, and the results showed the current president
getting trounced by every one of the democratic contenders. In a one-on-one nationally, of course, that's now how U.S. presidential elections are held.
Let's talk more about all this with CNN White House Reporter, Stephen Collinson.
So let's talk about the 10 who made it, Stephen.
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Right, Hala. And the most important thing about this poll coming out is that we're guaranteed, it
looks like one single debate, so far, in the race. There have been two debates because there have been so many candidates.
What that means the most important thing to remember now is that Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren, the two candidates with the most momentum in this
race, so far, are going to clash on stage for the first time in this debate in September.
Now, that's something that could be an early defining point for the race. Joe Biden is the front runner, the consistent front runner and he's making
the argument that he's the best person to take on Trump. Elizabeth Warren is the candidate who seems to have the most momentum, who many people
believe is running the best campaign, and really represents the, sort of, liberal heart of the democratic political base, whereas Biden is much more
of a moderate establishment contender. So everybody is going to be looking forward to seeing that matchup.
GORANI: And there were some polls that suggested, perhaps, that Biden was slipping, but those were outliers, I understand?
COLLINSON: Well, there was a poll earlier this week at Monmouth University poll that show that Biden had slumped by about 13 points, and was behind
Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. Even Monmouth University, which put out that poll, of course, a real stir for 24 hours in a democratic races
now said that that poll is an outlier.
The evidence of most of the polls that we've got is that Biden is about nine, 10, 11 points ahead of Warren. You've got Bernie Sanders, behind
them, and then you have Kamala Harris, the California senator who are about seven percent. The rest of the candidates are two percent or below.
[14:40:00] GORANI: What should we look out for in this debate? This will be one night, so you'll have the main contenders debating each other which
wasn't the case on -- for the two-part debate and some people were unhappy about that.
STEPHENSON: Yes. And I think this is going to be an intensification of the democratic race. Traditionally, after Labor Day, the holiday that
falls next Monday, the race really gets a lot more serious.
What we've seen is candidates laying a foundation, raising money, creating organizations in the early states. Weathering of some of the more minor
candidates who are starting now to begin to drop off. So for -- from Monday and Wednesday, and for the next three or four months, as we head to
the end of the year, this is going to get a lot more intense. And I think the clash between Warren and Biden is a symptom of that.
Now, one interesting thing that you also mentioned in that poll was how all the candidates tend, at this early stage, according to the polling to be
beating Donald Trump by a considerable margin. That does tend to undercut a little Biden's central argument that only he with his experience and his
more moderate positioning is able to beat Donald Trump in a general election.
Now, of course, you know, a head to head polling at this point doesn't mean that much. But I think we could see that manifested in the arguments
between Biden and Warren and the other candidates in this next debate in September.
GORANI: All right. Thanks very much, Stephen Collinson, with the very latest on U.S. politics and some of these polls. Most of the polls, I
should say, is suggesting that Joe Biden still very much holds a comfortable lead over his rivals with Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren
and pleading the top three.
Still to come tonight, the world's fastest land mammal is facing possible extinction. We'll have an exclusive report on why cheetahs may be too
popular for their own good and how activists are trying to save them.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: This is just in from Italy. The Italian president has summoned Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to a meeting Thursday. The Five Star
Movement has been negotiating with the Centre Left Democratic Party to form a new government.
Five Star's previous coalition with the far-right lead party collapsed earlier this month.
[14:45:58] I want to take you to Africa now where the world's fastest land mammal faces a grave threat. Cheetahs have exceptionally keen eyesight.
They can run as fast as a car or a truck and they can make quick and nimble turns. But none of that has protected them from smugglers hunting them to
the edge of extinction on behalf of wealthy owners, who think of them as a status symbol.
Jomana Karadsheh has our exclusive report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Barely a couple of weeks old, Goalless is clearly in desperate need of his mother.
But this orphan cheetah is one of the lucky ones, rescued from the illegal wildlife trade.
Across the Horn of Africa, if the mothers aren't killed, the cubs are snatched from them, smuggled in cramped crates and cardboard boxes. By the
time they get to the shelter, they're barely alive.
According to the Cheetah Conservation Fund, some 300 cubs are smuggled out of this region every year. And for everyone that makes it into captivity,
another three die on the way. That valley down there is becoming known as the cheetah supermarket. That's because many of the trafficked cheetahs
are being smuggled across this porous border with Ethiopia into Somaliland.
This breakaway state from Somalia is the main transit route for the trafficked cats out of the Horn of Africa. Smuggled across the Gulf of
Aden to the Arabian Peninsula. The survivors of the rough journey become an exotic accessory like designer bling. As rich Gulf Arabs compete for
social media clicks.
At least 1,000 cheetahs are estimated to be in private hands and Gulf States. According to experts, most die within a year or two in captivity.
Although private ownership and trading of wildlife is banned in most Gulf States, enforcement is lax. Illegal online sales are starting to be
policed. But if you really want a Cheetah, they're not hard to find.
KARADSHEH (on-camera): This is an online Saudi market place, and when we search for cheetahs, several listings came up, some advertising two to
three old Cheetahs, other selling young cubs.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): This man in Saudi Arabia is eager to sell.
TEXT: Whatever cheetah you want. You want male, you want female, it's not an issue.
From Africa. We import through a website with a guy, and we have another Saudi trader. I got more than 80 from them.
KARADSHEH: $6,600 U.S. seems to be the starting online price in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi government did not respond to CNN's repeated request for
comment.
There are only 7,500 cheetahs left worldwide, half the number from just a decade ago.
LAURIE MARKER, FOUNDER, CHEETAH CONSERVATION FUND: People who have a cheetah as a pet are causing the species to go extinct. It's leading the
way towards extinction. Mr. Bottle is one of the favorite toys that we found.
KARADSHEH: American biologist Laurie Marker and her Cheetah Conservation Fund are racing to save the species from extinction.
MARKER: This is not how a baby cheetah should be living. They need to be living out in the wild.
KARADSHEH: They've set up this safe house in Somaliland for the rescues. It's bursting at the seams.
MARKER: Seeing them in here, it breaks my heart.
KARADSHEH: You can see why people call them cats that cry.
MARKER: It's our responsibility to give them the very best care that they can have, and to try to save every single one of them.
KARADSHEH: 10-month-old Kitty is in intensive care. The last survivor of three sisters.
MARKER: She is not one of our healthiest cats. And it probably does have a lot to do with the way she started in life.
KARADSHEH: Despite the team's efforts, Kitty didn't make it.
MARKER: These animals are a smaller population, very rare population. And from that, each one of them do carry a different genetic code.
This one is a male.
KARADSHEH: Every club gets microchipped. Their DNA is recorded. Without a mother, they have to be taught how to hunt and survive in the wild.
MARKER: It takes sometimes months to try to get one cheetah to get on its feet.
KARADSHEH: Neju Jimi is soon to be vet is their main caregiver.
NEJU JIMI, CHEETAH CONSERVATION FUND: I love them so much that I don't even see my mom once a week. She lives over there.
KARADSHEH: According to Marker, there are only about 300 adults in unprotected areas in the Horn of Africa.
MARKER: If you do your math, the math kind of shows that it's only going to be a matter of a couple years that we're not going to have any cheetahs
in this region left.
[14:50:01] KARADSHEH: Many have already been lost to conflict with humans.
Somaliland wildlife authorities are busting traffickers. It's illegal here along with private ownership. But in the capital, Hargeisa, a popular
restaurant advertises burgers and captive lions pacing in the background for selfies.
For three years, this cheetah on a short rope has been the star attraction for paying clients to pet, poke, and pose with. The owner insists it's
legal.
ABDIRASHIQ ALI MOHAMED, OWNER, LION RESTAURANT: We have a license to keep this animal. And plus, this guy, he's -- there's only one cheetah here,
and he has lot of space to run around.
KARADSHEH: Why it was tolerated in plain sight went unanswered by the authorities.
More are hidden behind walls.
KARADSHEH (on-camera): Even as we're leaving Somaliland, two more cheetahs have been confiscated from a house here in Hargeisa.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Three more were seized just a few days later.
As long as there's a demand by the rich, creating a lucrative trade for the poor, the cheetah's future hangs in the balance. Time is not on their
side.
Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Hargeisa, Somaliland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: We will be right back with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: All this week, CNN is exploring the different ways that Africa is looking east of the continent, is one, of course, of great potential.
Eleni Giokos looks at how Japan is helping Kenya change all of that when it comes to renewable energy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN BUSINESS AFRICA CORRESPONDENT: Nearly 50 percent of the total energy powering Kenya's national electric grid is produced here at
the Olkaria Geothermal field, 100 kilometers north of Nairobi.
The Kenya Electricity Generating Company or KenGen operates this facility.
KATSUTOSHI KOMORI, JAPAN INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AGENCY: Japan has cooperated and developing geothermal energy for almost 1970 (ph) years.
GIOKOS: The Japan International Cooperation Agency has provided funding for three geothermal projects in Kenya. KenGen completed testing the third
project at the end of July. This additional output bumped Kenya into eight place in the rankings of geothermal producing nations worldwide.
JOSEPH NJOROGE, KENYA MINISTRY OF ENERGY: We are going to now put an additional 83 megawatts, which means now, we will get our geothermal
getting to about 830 megawatts capacity.
GIOKOS: While Japan ranks 10th globally, in terms of geothermal energy production, it leads the world in geothermal technology.
PETER OUMA, GEOTHERMAL DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, KENGEN: They've been able to develop very good technology for producing geothermal generating turbines.
We have Mitsubishi, Fuji, and Toshiba as main geothermal turbine producers in the world.
TOYOAKI FUJITA, TOSHIBA ENERGY SYSTEMS AND SOLUTIONS CORPORATION: We are looking at Kenyan market, and not only Kenya, but East African side.
GIOKOS: So far, Kenya has only developed less than 10 percent of its estimated 10,000 megawatt geothermal potential, but they're using what
they've learned running geothermal plants to develop renewable energy production across the continent.
[14:55:06] NJOROGE: We want to ensure that we get into the global market of one of the main users of geothermal, because we have had very good human
capital development.
GIOKOS: Despite this expansion, the Kenyan energy ministry aimed for universal access to electric by 2022, with the current 70 percent
electrification rates, geothermal developments and the Olkaria power facility will play a crucial role in closing this gap.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Finally, some truly remarkable video of Italy's, Stromboli volcano. It's a fairly active one. But the volume of today's eruption was
a bit of a surprise.
One family was on a boat nearby when it happened. Have a look at what they saw as they fled.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SHOUTING)
GORANI: It was like something out of a disaster movie. Though the video cuts off, the boat and the family made it away unharmed. So far, there are
no reports of injuries from the Stromboli eruption. Scary.
Thanks for watching tonight. I'm Hala Gorani. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is live outside the Houses of Parliament, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
