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Isa Soares Tonight
New U.K. Prime Minister Warns Of "Profound Economic Crisis"; Russia Doubles Down On "Dirty Bomb" Allegations; Adidas Ends Kanye West Partnership; At Least 40 Journalists Arrested Amid Iran Crackdown; Rising Tensions In West Bank; Chinese Protesters Turn To Bathroom Graffiti To Vent; Road To COP27. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired October 25, 2022 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, the U.K.'s new Prime Minister, Rishi
Sunak sets up his cabinet and gets down to business to try to tackle what he calls, a profound economic crisis. Then Russia doubles down on its
baseless claim that Ukraine will deploy a dirty bomb. What that tells us about Vladimir Putin's strategy.
And then later, Adidas drops the artist formally known as Kanye West. The controversial rapper has finally gone too far. But first, tonight, Rishi
Sunak, Britain's new prime minister says he'll begin working immediately to provide economic stability for the British people.
Sunak was officially appointed earlier, as you can see there, on Tuesday by King Charles III, just after Liz Truss tended her resignation. Mr. Sunak is
the U.K.'s third prime minister in just seven weeks, and he faces a truly daunting task ahead, as well as criticism from opposition members, who say
the Conservative Party is in such disarray it's lost its mandate to lead. Max Foster tells us more about the man who is now in that hot seat.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RISHI SUNAK, PRIME MINISTER, UNITED KINGDOM: Right now, our country is facing a profound economic crisis.
MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Britain's new Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak. The first person of color and first Hindu to hold the position. Clear on
why he was chosen to lead.
SUNAK: This will mean difficult decisions to come.
FOSTER: The former hedge fund manager steered the United Kingdom through the pandemic as finance minister. With catchy spending initiatives, such as
eat out to help out. Now, the 42-year-old, Britain's youngest prime minister in more than 200 years, says he's ready to lead Britain into the
future. At Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, King Charles III gave him the go ahead to form a new government.
SUNAK: I pledge that I will serve you with integrity and humility, and I will work day in, day out, to deliver for the British people.
FOSTER: His pledge, perhaps a dig at the scandal-ridden Boris Johnson, who he famously served under as finance minister before helping topple his
premiership by resigning. But man of the people, Sunak, is not. Much has been made of his immense wealth and privileged background. He studied at
the exclusive, private Winchester College, Oxford, and then Stanford Universities.
SUNAK: My friends who are -- you know, working class, but I'm not working class, but --
FOSTER: This clip of a young Sunak in a 2001 "BBC" documentary, doing him no favors after it later went viral. Sunak is also being scrutinized over
the non-domicile tax arrangement of his wife, Akshata Murthy, the daughter of an Indian billionaire, attacks later she said was entirely legal, whilst
adding, she would renounce these advantages.
The couple this year appeared on the "Sunday Times" rich list, of the U.K.'s 250 wealthiest people with an estimated joint net worth of 730
million pounds, $826 million. Now, Sunak has the job of leading Britain, despite soaring inequality and a severe cost of living crisis. His
predecessor, Liz Truss, lasted just 45 days in office, Sunak can only hope for better. Max Foster, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Let's get more on the new prime minister and the task ahead. Scott McLean joins me now from outside 10 Downing Street. Scott, good to see you
this evening. So, what I have been looking in the last few hours is that despite the big changes, Scott, at the top with the new prime minister,
there is plenty of old faces who are making a comeback. Tell me about the cabinet right now.
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you're absolutely right, Isa, and perhaps, this is by design because Rishi Sunak is a guy who now has three
former prime minister on the back benches of his own party right now, in the House of Commons. Two of those have been prime minister just in the
last few months.
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He had plenty of conciliatory, kind words to say about Boris Johnson and also about Liz Truss, though he acknowledges that mistakes have been made.
Rishi Sunak in his very first speech as prime minister, promised to bring compassion to challenges, he promised to pay down debt and bring integrity,
accountability and professionalism to the job. He also promised to go back to the basics of the party's campaign pledges back in 2009.
Which is taking care of the NHS, controlling the borders, supporting the military, and taking care or taking advantage, in his words, of Brexit. He
also recognizes how difficult the challenge that he has in getting the financial -- getting the books back in order in this country will be. And
also getting the economy back on track with soaring inflation, but he says that he is not daunted.
As you mentioned, Isa, he also has to unite his very fractured party, and he seems to be putting his money where his mouth is thus far by my count,
more than half of his appointees thus far have been holdovers from Liz Truss' cabinet, some of them have been shuffled to new posts, but
nonetheless, they are there.
There are familiar names like Penny Mordaunt, Michael Gove, Dominic Raab, Oliver Dowden, and then there are also some perhaps surprising choices.
People like Suella Braverman, the home secretary, who resigned less than one week ago from that same post is now back in it, and also, Jeremy Hunt
not so surprising there, the chancellor, the finance minister that Liz Truss had brought in to ride the ship financially, economically, for her
party after the now disastrous economic plan she rolled out in her first few days in office.
He will remain in the position, looking ahead to a fiscal update that he is due to deliver in just a few days from now, Isa.
SOARES: And we can tell we've got a new prime minister and a new cabinet because we can hear the helicopters circling above. Scott McLean, thanks
very much, great to see you, my friend.
MCLEAN: You bet.
SOARES: I want to bring in Mo Hussein who is the president of Edelman Global Advisory U.K., and was the former chief press officer for Prime
Minister David Cameron. He joins me here in London. Great to see you again, Mo. Let me get your thoughts --
MO HUSSEIN, PRESIDENT, EDELMAN GLOBAL ADVISORY: Hi --
SOARES: First of all on what we heard from the PM.
HUSSEIN: Well, it felt like a very genuine statement from him, where he was talking directly to the electorate and to the voters clearly who have
not had the chance to vote for him, but I think he wanted them to understand that he got the challenges they're facing, the huge economic
challenges, and he wanted to bring back stability and confidence, and he said that.
And crucially, he did something that Liz Truss never did, where he acknowledged that mistakes had been made over the last few weeks and the
disruption, the huge disruption that had caused for people and he was taking steps to address that, which I think will go quite a long way as
well.
And there are also a few snipes in there, I think as well. They sounded very positive and friendly, but I think he made his points when he spoke
about former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. He praised him, he said he achieved great things, but then he also spoke about governing with
integrity and talked about honesty, and I think this was an attempt to draw some clear water between the new Sunak administration and previous
administrations.
SOARES: Yes, it was a pretty -- from what I heard, you know, solemn tone, very professional, like you said, Mo, kind of underscores, does it not? The
challenges he faces. What do you make then, Mo, of the cabinet he's put forward? Some of them are very familiar faces to people here in the
country, but is it one that reflects unity in your view?
HUSSEIN: Well, I think the ethos here is keep your friends close and your enemies closer. He definitely had to play the unity card. There were a lot
of people who did support him, MPs, but there are factions who still are somewhat questioning of him. There are the people who are very loyal to
Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, who if they're on the back-benches can cause a lot of problems for him.
There's the right of the party who want stronger action on immigration, and other issues, and the appointment of or reappointment of someone like
Suella Braverman who is from that group, I think is quite telling as well. And I think there were some reappointment. Jeremy Hunt; the chancellor,
other familiar faces were experienced with the premier, people who have done this before in many departments.
And also not disrupting the system, we've had a lot of economic shocks in this quantum markets over the last few weeks. I think this looks very safe
cabinet, experienced, old wise hands, that will hopefully chart a different course
SOARES: Experienced, old wise hands. He also promised today as he addressed of course, the country, Mo, to deliver on the manifesto.
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That one of course of conservatives, that election in 2019, including, of course, a promise to level up the country. How is he going to do that with
this huge hole in public finances, Mo? Because that's going to be the real challenge, is it not?
HUSSEIN: This will be -- this will be the big challenge now facing him and his government. When he spoke, he'd ask people to look back at his record
in the pandemic, and how he had stopped in, and how he had shown compassion, that's how he will govern going forward. Which I think is very
worthy and noble, but it will be very difficult choices he has to make.
And there's a big difference between being a chancellor in the pandemic, where you have to rightly spend a lot of money and intervene to safeguard
jobs and businesses and what we see going forward, because of the dire economic situation in the U.K. were challenging decisions and unpopular
decisions will have to be made.
And I think part of the cabinet makeup reflects that, because you appoint your cabinet when you want to bind people into those decisions, not just
have them sniping and (INAUDIBLE) to you from the back benches. So, there will be collective decisions and he will have to walk a political
tightrope, because there will still be different parts of the party you are looking for different things, more investment in a certain sector of the
economy, more defense spending, less intervention all the way.
So, the issues haven't really changed just because the prime minister has changed, and the economic situation hasn't changed either. But we do have
somebody who, I think, understands it better. Difficult decisions, I'm afraid, are going to be part and parcel of what he has to deal with.
SOARES: Yes, and he hinted that. And finally, if -- Mo, if you were advising the prime minister -- the new prime minister, given everything
we've gone through, three prime ministers in seven weeks, what would you advise? What would you recommend at this juncture?
HUSSEIN: I think showing competence and experience is going to be really crucial here. Everybody goes into Downing Street wanting to do big things,
the radical things --
SOARES: Yes --
HUSSEIN: But actually, I think now, we just need a period of calm and a period of certainty. And overtime, you probably can make the bigger
changes, but at the moment, I think there are immediate challenges, not least, you know, you've got a big in-tray. What's going to happen with
energy bills? How is he going to turn the economy around? How is he going to unite the party?
So I think he has to be a bit -- steadying the ship and taking things more day by day, rather than coming in with a big vision, and you know, big
desire for change, which is what we saw from the last prime minister, and it didn't really --
SOARES: Yes --
HUSSEIN: Work out.
SOARES: A colossal task, no doubt. Mo Hussein, always great to get your insight. Thanks Mo, appreciate it.
HUSSEIN: Thank you.
SOARES: Now, the U.N. Security Council just wrapped up a closed-door meeting to discuss an ominous Russian claim that Ukraine calls a pure lie.
Moscow accuses Ukraine of planning to attack its own territory with a dirty bomb, and blame it on Russia. Ukraine and western countries are sounding
the alarm, warning that Russia may be planning a false flag operation to escalate the war.
Ukraine's foreign minister says U.N. nuclear experts will arrive soon to investigate this baseless -- the baseless allegation. And Russia says, it
will regard any such attack as, quote, "nuclear terrorism". Nic Robertson is following developments tonight for us from Kyiv, and he joins me now.
So, Nic, do we know when the team from the IAEA arrive, where exactly they will go? How long this investigation will take?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: We know that the IAEA team will be here in the next few days. We don't know precisely. We know
where they're going because they're going to go to the two places that Russia specified. Russia specified a scientific academy here in Kyiv and a
mine facility in the center of Ukraine.
So, those are the two locations. As for how long, well, the Russians appeared to want to make it for as long as possible or a long time, at
least. The Russian ambassador to the IAEA in Vienna said that normally, these investigations take months and maybe there could be preliminary
results in a couple of weeks.
I think the Ukrainians and their western partners because they perceive what Russia is saying is a flat lie, that there is no truth to it, that
they would expect and would hope the IAEA to be able to clear this up quite quickly. That would appear to be the Ukrainians' intent. But I think
there's a couple of clues we've had really out of the U.N., this closed- door meeting at the Security Council in New York, where the Russians presented their letter.
We don't know what happened behind the closed doors, but we have seen Russia's letter. There is no evidence in Russia's letter that Ukraine is
actually planning to make a dirty nuclear bomb. There is merely the hypothesis that Ukraine has people who are trained scientifically, and
Ukraine, because it has nuclear power stations has some spent fuel rods.
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But almost in a rather odd twist, the letter goes on to say, if they're not planning to make a dirty bomb in that way, maybe they're going to sabotage
their own nuclear power plants, or even maybe they're going to attack the nuclear power plants in Zaporizhzhia, that Russia has illegally annexed
and illegally controls at the moment.
So, Russia is not just sort of throwing one accusation out there about a dirty bomb, but it's also saying, there's another couple of things they
might be doing too. It doesn't wash in the majority of the international community, however this must be, it appears, potentially serving President
Putin's aims in some way.
SOARES: On that point, so you're saying in that letter, there is no evidence. At least it presented no evidence of this, so how should we try
and read these allegations, then, of a dirty bomb? I mean, is this Kremlin trying to use engage in scare tactics, trying to change the narrative? How
do you -- how should we interpret these -- this strategy here, then, by Putin, Nic?
ROBERTSON: It's always hard to know, getting President Putin's strategy. But there are a couple of pointers here. One is, we know that he's used the
nuclear rhetoric before, and that gets the world's attention. And this is certainly getting everyone's attention now. We know that Putin is also,
internally in Russia, telling officials that they're not working fast enough to produce enough military equipment.
And essentially, they're not working hard and fast enough to fight this war. He is losing this war currently, and it's interesting that this past
weekend, his defense chief, the Ministry of Defense and the Military Chiefs of Staff had a number of phone calls for the first time in months with
their opposite numbers in Washington and London and Paris, and also in Ankara.
This tells you that Putin wants his officials to engage in a way that they haven't engaged before. Putin is presenting many things in the way that
he's annexed the territories illegally here in Ukraine, he wants them -- now he wants to get a negotiated peace on his terms. It is escalating to
try to achieve that. His officials are phishing with other international officials to see if there are any takers on this.
SOARES: Nic Robertson for us there this evening in Ukraine, in Kyiv, thanks very much, Nic, appreciate it. Now a Russian court has upheld the
drug smuggling conviction of Brittney Griner, the decision effectively ends the legal process in the U.S. basketball star's case. Griner was accused of
smuggling less than one gram of cannabis oil in her luggage.
Her nine-year prison sentence will be reduced slightly for time spent in custody. Although, it isn't clear of -- by how much really at this stage.
CNN's Kylie Atwood joins me now from the U.S. State Department with U.S. reaction. And Kylie, I mean, this is it, isn't? In terms of the judicial
process.
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. As far as we know, this is the end of the road, because there aren't any
further court dates as far as we know, her team isn't appealing. Once again, what the court has delivered here in their verdict and as you said,
what that means is that Brittney Griner has still been found guilty of smuggling drugs into Russia, facing a nine-year prison sentence.
Reduced just slightly because they are considering the time spent pretrial for Brittney Griner here, but it is still an incredibly long prison
sentence. And she spoke at that court hearing today, but not from the courtroom itself. From behind bars, from the Russian prison cell that she
is in. And one of the things she said, we've heard her say this in the past, is that she does admit fault.
She does say that she brought this cannabis into the country, though, she says it was a mistake. She does say that she's guilty here, and she asked
them for some leniency because she's saying that she's guilty, and she didn't mean to effectively do this. But there was no leniency to be found.
What we are now turning to, of course, is the diplomacy.
What the Biden administration can do with U.S. and Russian officials to try and secure some sort of deal, perhaps, of course, a prisoner swap to get
Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, who is another American wrongfully detained in Russia, back home. And what we know is that, there has been a
pretty regular, fairly consistent back and forth between U.S. and Russian officials on this topic.
But the problem has been, when you talk to U.S. officials, it's not that Russia isn't responding, it's that when they do respond, they are demanding
something that the United States just can't provide. And so, that is dead- ending these efforts at this point to try and secure a diplomatic deal to get her home.
SOARES: On that point then, Kylie, Jake Sullivan, the National Security adviser, he said, "the president has demonstrated that he's willing to go
to extraordinary lengths and make tough decisions to bring Americans home." Do we know what those extraordinary lengths and tough decisions are? Do we
-- do we have any insight on this?
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ATWOOD: Well, we do know that the Biden administration, as part of a proposed deal earlier this year, did put on the table that they were
willing to swap Viktor Bout, he's a convicted Russian arms trafficker, serving upwards of 20-year prison sentence here in the United States.
They're willing to trade him, as part of a deal to get Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan home.
U.S. officials privately said, that was a huge deal because when you talk to folks at the Department of Justice, they didn't even want to put Viktor
Bout on the table. So, the fact that they're willing to do that is significant. What else they're willing to do, we're still waiting to hear.
SOARES: Kylie Atwood there for us, thank you very much, Kylie, appreciate it. Now, some of the biggest finance names in the world are sounding the
alarm. Not just about the likelihood of a recession, but about the current state of geopolitics. The CEO of JPMorgan Chase, Jamie Dimon, says what's
happening politically around the world is an even bigger concern than slowing economic growth in the United States. Have a listen to what he
said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMIE DIMON, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, JPMORGAN CHASE: It's very good news right now in the United States, people see it, consumers, businesses still
spending still lots of money, a lot of fiscal stimulus. But there's a lot of stuff on the horizon which is bad, and could, doesn't necessarily, but
could put the United States in a recession.
That's not the most important thing for what we think about. We'll manage right through that. I would worry much more about the geopolitics of the
world today.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE: You're worried about geo -- what side of the geopolitics particularly?
DIMON: I think the most important thing is the geopolitics of what's going on in Russia, Ukraine, America, China. You know, the relationships of the
western world, and that would have to be far more concerning than whether there's a mild or slightly severe recession.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, Dimon was among those speaking at a major investment conference in Saudi Arabia on a panel moderated, as you saw right there, by
our very own business editor-at-large, Richard Quest. So let's get more on this from Richard, who is joining me now from Riyadh. And Richard, great to
see you.
You and I for weeks now have been talking about recession, cost of living crisis, rising inflation. Did any of this -- is any of this rattling these
big voices in the finance world? What's keeping them up at night?
QUEST: Well, that's exactly the good point, Isa, because on the one hand, you've got -- what do they consider the ultimate risks and problems? Which
is, as Jamie Dimon says, the geopolitical stuff. But then you've got, what do they have to deal with now? And that's the recession, the economic
slowdown, the embedded inflation and the rising interest rates.
And it was that, that David Solomon, the Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs, chose to address at the conference about how he saw the cost of borrowing
going up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID SOLOMON, CHAIRMAN & CEO, GOLDMAN SACHS: And economic conditions are going to tighten meaningfully from here. I think in the United States,
particularly in the last week or two, there's been a clear message from the Fed that they're going to get to the current path target of 4.5, 1.75, and
then pause, because there's a lag effect to all of this.
But if they don't see real changes, labor is still very tight. They're obviously just playing with the demand side by tightening, but if they
don't see real changes in behavior, my guess is they'll go further. And I think generally, when you find yourself in an economic scenario like this
where inflation is embedded, it's very hard to get out of it without a real economic slowdown.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Now, when inflation is embedded. They are the dreaded words, entrenched, embedded. They're the words that central bankers used. That's
what they've been hoping to avoid. But all the numbers seem to start to show that inflation has dug in for the long haul, and when that happens,
Isa, only these high and sometimes very high interest rates in short order will do the work.
SOARES: But what we've been hearing from your interviews there, Richard, I mean, they quite sound pretty stark for our viewers. How do you assess what
you've heard today, the state of the global economy? The geopolitical tensions? Give me your take on what --
QUEST: Oh --
SOARES: You've heard. .
QUEST: Let me quote the new British Prime Minister, "profound economic crisis". Now, he was talking about the U.K. as he went --
SOARES: Yes --
QUEST: Into Number 10. But I can talk about that in terms of the food crisis that will hit the emerging markets, the debt crisis in the developed
world that haven't already gone to the IMF for help as those rates go up in wealthier countries, so money flows out of emerging markets, and they
borrowed money in dollars.
The dollar sky -- look, what I'm trying to show you is a tapestry that has been knitted -- if you need tapestries, but a tapestry that has been
knitted together of these various interlocking economic forces that are now going to really start to pull apart. It's worrying, it's not cataclysmic.
[14:25:00]
It's not 2008 again --
SOARES: Yes --
QUEST: Because the banks are solid. But the poorest are going to suffer most. That is an awful truism of what's going to happen.
SOARES: Richard Quest there for us in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, great to see, Richard, thanks very much. And still to come here tonight, how students
have taken the lead in organizing a popular uprising against the Iranian government. That story, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Well, let's go now to Washington where U.S. President Joe Biden has just received his updated COVID-19 booster vaccine, as you can see
there. It has been more than three months since the president contracted COVID-19, which is the amount of time the CDC says people may consider
waiting before getting boosted there.
Now, switching gears slightly. Students in Iran are back on the streets again, defying a deadly crackdown to protest against the regime. Their
movement appears more determined than ever, nearly 40 days since a young woman's death in police custody sparked that popular uprising. Our Nada
Bashir has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): From the streets to the classroom, at least a dozen universities in Iran now gripped by anti-regime
demonstrations. Students at the forefront of a protest movement which is posing the biggest threat to the Iranian regime in years. In Tehran,
government spokesperson, Ali Bahadorouja(ph) Rabii was met with crowds chanting against the regime.
The familiar rallying cry of women, life, freedom, followed by some calling for the spokesperson to, quote, "get lost", forcing him to abandon his talk
ahead of schedule. And in the holy city of Korom, another forced(ph) -- the reception for the government official. Their message, we do not want a
murderous guest at our university.
But the movement has also spread to the countries high schools. Young girls seen here, bravely defying the regime's strict dress code. Some even
joining the call for a regime change. But just as protests continue to gain momentum, so does the regime's brutal crackdown.
College students in Hamedan seen here mourning the death of their classmate, Naki Abdul Maliki(ph). According to human rights group Hengaw,
the 21-year old was killed by Iran's security forces during a protest.
Hengaw alleges she was beaten by a baton, sustaining injuries to her head and skull. Though Iran's semi official Fars news agency denies those
reports. Another name, another life added to the growing list of those who've been hailed as martyrs, each death only galvanizing the country's
youth in their growing fight for change -- Nada Bashir, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Still to come tonight --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES (voice-over): -- a deadly raid by Israel followed by Palestinian protests. Tensions are soaring after new violence in the West Bank. We will
have a live report from the region just ahead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone.
Now tensions are reaching a critical point in the West Bank. That, according to Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas, as a wave of
violence reached a new level on Tuesday. Israel launched deadly raids, sparking huge protests. Hadas Gold shows us how it unfolded.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HADAS GOLD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Gunshots echo through the narrow streets of the old city of Nablus. As near nightly
Israeli military raids targeting militants in the West Bank, reached new heights in the early hours of Tuesday.
It became the deadliest day for Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank this year, five killed and about 20 injured in this raid,
according to Palestinian officials and another dead in a clash north of Ramallah.
[14:35:00]
The Israel Defense Force says they raided Nablus to target the Lions Den, a new militant group -- that has claimed responsibility for deadly attacks
against Israeli security forces and who Israel says is planning to target civilians in Israel.
According to Israeli officials, soldiers raided an explosives manufacturing site for the group and killed one of their leaders. Palestinians claiming
this man was killed in a targeted drone strike, suggesting the Israelis are using new lethal escalations in this latest fight that so far had been
focused on ground incursions.
This new armed Palestinian militant group does not belong to any of the traditional Palestinian factions. They're mostly young male members,
bounded by the lost faith in their own Palestinian leadership to stand up against the occupation and Israeli settlers.
A red ribbon around their weapons is a symbol the blood of their martyrs won't go to waste.
Their popularity is skyrocketing among Palestinians, already with more than 200,000 followers on Telegram, supporters heeding the call to flood the
streets, chanting "Den" in the streets of Nablus after the raid, as 2022 now remains the deadliest year for Palestinians and Israelis since 2015
with no end in sight.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And Hadas joins me now from Jerusalem.
Hadas, give us the reaction from the Israeli side.
GOLD: Well, the Israeli leadership, from the prime minister, to the defense minister, to the Israel Defense Forces, have been hailing the
overnight raid as a success. Especially because, they say it took down one of the leaders.
They called him of the leader but he's one of the leaders of this new Lions Den militant organization, describing it as a precise and deadly blow and
saying that this group, which has mostly been targeting so far security forces and settlers in the West Bank, that they were starting to plan an
attack in Tel Aviv, in Israel proper.
Prime minister, Israeli prime minister, Yair Lapid, today vowing to inflict severe and lasting damage on terrorism and its agents in Jenin and Nablus,
which has been the militant hot spot.
And he says anywhere else where terrorists' nests grow. Keep in mind, Isa, that we are just days away from the fifth Israeli elections in less than
four years, where Jair Lapid would like to remain on as prime minister.
SOARES: So Hadas, when Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, says it could reach a very critical point, what does this mean?
How do you interpret those words?
GOLD: Yes, Mahmoud Abbas was also calling on the United States to step in. Look, I mean, we've been feeling for weeks now, we've been talking about
these daily raids, how it's been the deadliest year since at least 2015.
I mean this raid was the deadliest day in the West Bank for Palestinians so far this year. And I think the question is, right now, it feels as though
all of this region is just a bunch of dry, really dry kindling.
It's just going to take one match that will completely set this entire place ablaze to the point where we are hearing more and more people talk
about sort of a Third Intifada
The question is, what will be that match?
You know, people have backed the Second Intifada. They say it was Ariel Sharon going to the Temple Mount, to the Al Aqsa mosque compound, that was
the spark. You know, it's always hindsight is 2020. So right now it feels as though everyone's very jumpy, trying to see, what will be the spark?
Will it be an attack?
Will it be a raid, like this?
Will it be a political stunt like what we saw before, that will be the spark that will set this off?
What's really concerning about all of this, Isa, is that it really doesn't feel like there is the political will or motivation anywhere on the Israeli
side. They've got elections coming.
On the Palestinian side, they have an aging and increasingly unpopular leadership in the Palestinian Authority or even on the international front.
The Americans and anywhere else, everyone seems to be so focused elsewhere that nobody seems to be focusing on the very, very dry kindling here that
needs to have some water to tamp it down, so it doesn't set ablaze when that match is struck.
SOARES: Very important context there from Hadas Gold, thanks very much, Hadas. Appreciate it.
And still to come tonight, another company is pulling the plug on rapper Kanye West over his anti-Semitic remarks. That story, just ahead.
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[14:40:00]
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SOARES: Qatar's ruling emir says his country has faced an unprecedented campaign of criticism since winning the bid to host this year's FIFA World
Cup.
In a televised address, he said that Qatar had been subject to what no other host country has faced. He also said that some of it amounted to
slander.
The emir's comments come as Qatar's police stopped a prominent British activist on Tuesday. Peter Thatcher was protesting the country's
criminalization of the LGBTQ+ community. The Gulf nation has faced constant scrutiny over its treatment of migrant workers and the gay community.
A Human Rights Watch reports just this week allege that LGBTQ people in Qatar are subjected to arrests as well as mistreatment. But Qatar says,
everyone is welcome and will be treated well at the World Cup.
We will stay on top, of course, that story for you.
In China, speaking out publicly against the government and its zero strict, very strict, zero COVID policies is rare so protesters are turning to a
more private venue to vent their anger. Selina Wang shows us from Hong Kong.
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SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Graffiti with angry messages scribbled all over bathroom stalls might be a common sight in much of the
world but not in China.
The Chinese character scrawled in this Beijing bathroom reads, "anti dictatorship, anti COVID tests." Messages like this are spreading in
bathrooms in several Chinese cities. It is because public restrooms are one of the only places in tightly surveiled China with out security cameras.
This graffiti says, "Remove dictator and national traitor Xi Jinping."
Some of them are even written in English. "No to COVID test, yes to food, no to lockdown, yes to freedom, no to great leader, yes to vote. Don't be a
slave, be a citizen."
Their messages copy the slogans written on two banners hung on a busy overpass in Beijing. A rare protest in the capital just days before the
start of the Communist Party Congress.
The banners cleaned up and quickly censored from Chinese social media. But it did not stop people from replicating the act around the world. The same
slogans are hung on London's Westminster Bridge and draped over the Chinese embassy in London.
But inside China, public displays of dissent toward Xi are extremely rare. It can lead to long prison sentences or even worse. We spoke to one man who
graffitied in a bathroom. We are shielding his identity because of fears of retribution.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I had to wear a mask. And when I was writing, I was worried someone might catch me. We can only write
slogans in places like bathrooms to express our political views. It is so pathetic. We've been suppressed to this degree.
WANG (voice-over): In another Chinese city, a person wrote the same slogans with a picture of Winnie-the-Pooh in a crown, canceled. China has
censored any images of the cartoon character being compared to Xi.
The author texted CNN, "I hope people who see my slogan can start changing their minds, realizing that they have been brainwashed."
We have no way of independently verifying all of the graffiti. And it is unclear how widely held these views are in the police state.
[14:45:00]
But frustrations in China over the country's zero COVID measures are growing.
Harsh lockdowns over a handful of COVID cases, constant COVID testing, mask quarantine facilities, anti Xi slogans are rapidly spreading from China to
campuses in America and around the world.
And in Paris, an outdoor play to parody Xi Jinping's rule, Xi dressed up in the emperor's clothes, then being dragged down by COVID enforcers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): If we don't do anything it means that we are willing to be ruled by the CCP. When I saw the graffiti in that
bathroom, I started crying. It shows that some of the Chinese people want democracy and freedom of speech. And they're willing to pay a price for it.
WANG (voice-over): Yet Xi's power is ironclad. The public's anger reduced to scribbles in bathroom stalls. And even those will be quickly painted
over -- Selina Wang, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Well, continued fallout for rapper Kanye West, also known as Ye, after he was accused of making anti-Semitic remarks. Sportswear company
Adidas and prominent teller agency Creative Artists are the latest to cut ties with the rapper.
Fashion designer Balenciaga and Vogue publicly cut ties, if you remember, last week. Not only has West refused to apologize for the comments, he's
also doubled down on them in recent interviews. CNN's Chloe Melas joins us now from New York.
Chloe, great to have you on the show.
Really the question is, Chloe, why did it take Adidas so long in the first place?
CHLOE MELAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I mean, look, we can focus on why it took them so long and I'm sure it's because this has been a very lucrative
multiyear deal. I believe that Adidas had a partnership with Kanye for the past seven years.
And they just said that this is going to cost them over $2 million in lost -- $200 million in lost revenue alone, just in the interim right now, not
to mention how much money is going to cost them in the long term.
Now you might say, well, why does it matter that they're looking at their bottom line?
They're a massive company, so obviously it took them a moment to probably look through. They have a very complicated contract with Kanye. The bottom
line is that they did cut ties with him and they are following suit with a long list of companies that are, including CAA, Creative Arts Agency, which
are his Hollywood heavyweight agents.
Gap, saying that they are going to remove all of their clothing, all of their collaboration that's currently out on shelves in stores now. They are
removing it.
And then Balenciaga. And he's deplatformed on Instagram, Twitter, social media, so all of this that he's built for, you know, decades, crumbling
apart. And yet silence from Kanye. We've heard nothing, no type of, you know, regret, no statement, no apology yet.
What could he really say?
The damage has been done.
SOARES: Damage has been done. You've laid out the financial damage, at least.
I mean, what is the impact?
Do we know at this stage, Chloe, on his personal finances?
I imagine that they're pretty large, given the companies we just saw on our screen.
MELAS: Well, according to "Forbes," they've come out and they said, you know, Kanye, whose this self proclaimed billionaire and at least with the
Adidas deal, I guess he was technically on paper a billionaire. Now without that, Forbes is saying he's worth $400 million, right?
So that alone, that's a big knock to his ego because being able to say you are a billionaire in Hollywood, his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian is. And that
was a big stamp for him that he used to talk about all the time.
So now being worth $400 million, still a lot of money. A lot of people are asking about his music.
Should you listen to his music?
Should platforms like Spotify remove his music?
And that's turning out to be very controversial because some people are saying, well, there are murders, there are convicts, there are people who
have been accused and some convicted, where we listen to their music.
R. Kelly, you know; Michael Jackson, you know, people who are controversial in the music industry. So it'll be interesting to see if Spotify, if these
extreme mainstream platforms do anything, say anything.
But as far as I'm aware, when it comes to Spotify, unless the music itself is inciting violence and hate but not really the individual themselves,
potentially they would just do nothing. We will see.
SOARES: I know you will stay on top of it. Chloe, it's very good to see you.
We will be back after this short break. Do stay right with me.
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SOARES: Welcome back, everyone.
Well, leaders are set to meet in Egypt next week for COP27, as countries struggle to address the threat of climate change. In this special series of
"Road to COP27," we explore some of the themes of this year's event, including the importance of improving climate finance. Salma Abdelaziz has
the story for you.
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SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is a difficult time for this Kenyan farmer, who lost more than half her crops earlier this
year. The reason: heavy rain.
EUNICE WAMBUI NGUU, KENYAN FARMER (voice-over): The climate this year has been cold and raining, so the crops didn't do well.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Eunice Wambui Nguu has been a farmer for 30 years, growing crops from maize to avocados and macadamia nuts. These harvests on
her farm, which is less than one acre, are what she relies on to make a living.
NGUU (voice-over): There are many types of avocado varieties.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Nguu's farm is one of the many that has been hit hard by extreme weather conditions over the past two years. But one
organization is hoping to change that.
KOOME MCCOURT, ONE ACRE FUND (voice-over): The work that One Acre Fund does in Kenya is helping farmers by improving their yields, also their
livelihoods and their access to quality inputs.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Located in the heart of Nairobi, One Acre Fund is giving farmers the opportunity to borrow farming materials from equipment
to seeds. While this helps them grow their crops efficiently and sell them for a higher profit, McCourt says their mandate spans beyond just the local
community.
MCCOURT (voice-over): One Acre Fund aims to provide over $1 billion worth of impact by 2030 to small holder farmers all across Africa.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): An ambitious target that will be discussed at this year's COP27, which will take place at the Egyptian beach resort of Sharm
El Sheikh. While One Acre Fund aims to achieve a billion dollar impact by 2030, to help small hold farmers in Africa, at COP27, world leaders will
build on a wider pledge that was promised at last year's COP26: $100 billion that was dedicated to developing countries, like those in Africa
but were never met.
WAEL ABOULMAGD, SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE, COP27 (voice-over): One hundred billion dollars doesn't solve me the problem but it shows commitment from
developed countries and it builds trust and gives assurance to developing countries that there is seriousness in providing them with the necessary
financial resources to make their fair contributions to the global effort to combat climate change.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): While this global effort will take many to participate, it will be One Acre Fund's first time to take part, giving a
voice to the voiceless.
[14:55:00]
MCCOURT (voice-over): I'm very hopeful that we will see a lot more implementation following the COP27 this year, because for the first time,
the small holder farmer has been recognized.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Recognizing the ones hit hardest by climate change, in creating funds to help small hold farmers like Magoo -- Salma
Abdelaziz, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And finally tonight, we return to one of our top stories, the war in Ukraine and the threat of nuclear bombs, even talk of dirty bombs.
It was these words from Pope Francis which made us pause for thought. We bring it up for you.
"Peace has been gravely violated, assaulted and trampled upon."
He said right now, we are in the middle of World War III. That is today's pause for thought.
Again, you can catch up with interviews and analysis from the show online, on my Instagram at Isa Soares CNN, on my Twitter feed, too. Details are
right now on your screen.
Thank you very much for your company. Do stay right here, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" with Richard Quest from Saudi Arabia is next. Have a wonderful
day, I shall see you tomorrow, bye-bye.
END
