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Isa Soares Tonight

House Republicans Fail To Elect Speaker On First Ballot; Thousands Attend Brazilian Soccer Legend Pele's Wake As Funeral Procession Carries Pele To His Final Resting Place; Buffalo Bills Player In Critical Condition After Cardiac Arrest; Israeli Minister Sparks Anger After Visit To Al-Aqsa Compound; Number Of Deaths In Ukraine's Makiivka Is "Being Clarified"; McCarthy Appears Defeated On Second Ballot; FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried Pleads Not Guilty. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired January 03, 2023 - 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, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, we take you straight to Washington D.C.

for our top story. That's where there is political chaos on Capitol Hill. Republicans taking control of the House of Representatives just moments ago

failed to elect a speaker on the first vote.

Now, that hasn't happened in 100 years. Just to put it into perspective for you. Well, the leading candidate, California Republican Congressman, Kevin

McCarthy is seen there, was easily defeated, stymied by more than a dozen hard-line conservative members of his own party, 19, from what I saw. After

an intense meeting earlier, he accused them of just looking out for themselves. Have a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA): Last night, I was presented the only way to have 218 votes, if I provided certain members with certain positions,

certain gavels, to take all -- committees, to have certain budgets. And they even came to the position where one, Matt Gaetz said, I don't care if

we go to plurality and we elect Hakeem Jeffries and it hurts the new frontline members not to get re-elected.

Well, that's not about America, and I will always fight to put the American people first, not a few individuals that want something for themselves.

REP. MATT GAETZ (R-FL): McCarthy today, take no joy in this discomfort that this moment has brought. But if you want to drain the swamp, you cannot put

the biggest alligator in charge of the exercise.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Well, CNN senior political reporter, Stephen Collinson is in Washington for us. Stephen, good to see you. Well, this is quite something,

wasn't it? I mean, normally just for our viewers to understand here, this is normally a rubber-stamp, a straightforward part of the agenda. What we

are seeing, what we have seen in the last hour is a whopping defeat for Kevin McCarthy, a humiliation of sorts. So help us make sense of this,

Stephen.

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Right, well, Isa, it took basically one day of Republicans returning to power in part of Washington

for absolute chaos to erupt. I think we're seeing the return of the kind of chaotic governance that we saw in the Trump administration.

This, as you say, is a huge humiliation for Kevin McCarthy, and I think it tells us a lot about what this Republican majority is going to be. McCarthy

says, he's going to keep having ballots until he gets to the number, to become speaker. But you have to ask yourself, if he gets out of it, how

strong is he going to be?

He's going to be a speaker who is in office, but effectively has very little power over his own caucus. That has big implications not just in the

United States, but internationally. This Congress is going to have to take very serious steps, including financing the U.S. government, raising the

U.S. borrowing limit later this year.

If it fails to do that, it could throw U.S. credit into default and the global economy into chaos. So, this is not just an inside fight in

Washington about the future of the Republican Party. It has massive national and international implications.

SOARES: Very serious implications. And what we have seen for the last several days, and in particular, the last hours, several congressmen being

very critical of him, as we showed you 19 voting against him. What, in their view, Stephen, just explain to our international viewers, is there a

problem with him? Because from what I understand, McCarthy has already made concessions. So, what else can he give them?

COLLINSON: Right, McCarthy is not some liberal, he traveled down to Mar-a- Lago two weeks after the Capitol insurrection to rehabilitate Donald Trump in the interests of using his base voters to win this Republican majority

in the house and the speakership himself, he's covered up for Trump repeatedly over the last few years.

But these relegate congressmen are even more to the right, even more radical than he is. They are, in many ways, in the spirit of Trump, is that

they don't want to govern, they want to tear the whole governing system in the United States up. So, with that in mind, it's very difficult to see

what McCarthy can give these members that would actually satisfy him.

And that's why you get to the point of, well, you know, is this a sustainable governing majority that Republicans actually have? McCarthy's

big problem, of course, is that the red wave, the Republican massive victory everyone expected in the midterm elections, didn't materialize,

partly because a lot of American voters were fed up with the kind of mess and chaos and instability, that was represented by Trump and his

interventions in the midterm elections with these chaos candidates.

[14:05:00]

So, ironically, voters voted against what they're getting today in the house. And it's going to be very interesting to see how the Republicans

manage this going forward.

SOARES: Yes, and speaking of renegade Congress, we're just seeing Matt Gaetz, one of them, of course, we played a clip, I mean, how much of this

is a problem of McCarthy's own making, do you think here? Because he placated for so long to this small group, didn't he?

COLLINSON: He did placate them, but you also have to remember that the majority of this house voted not to certify President Joe Biden's victory.

So --

SOARES: Yes --

COLLINSON: In 2020. So, this is a very radical, extreme house majority to start with. And then, of course, he's kind of placated some of the other

people. Some of the Congress members that he placated, for example, like Marjorie Taylor Greene; the radical Georgia representative who was a big

Trump supporter, actually supporting McCarthy because he pledged to restore her committee assignments, which were taken away by Democrats.

So, there's a big split. What we're seeing as a civil war inside the Republican Party, this is a combination not just of what's happened over

the last year or so, but stretching back even two decades, where this far right, radical faction that is against government has become more and more

powerful. Now, with that tiny majority, they have the circumstances in which they can make themselves real trouble for the rest of the Republican

Party.

SOARES: Indeed, well, speaking of Republican Party, I want to play a little clip from a Republican Congressman Armstrong. Let's have a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. KELLY ARMSTRONG (R-ND): There is a small group of members in our conference who have a unique and, quite frankly, enviable political

position. They win when they lose. They lose to the Democrats, they can blame the left. If they lose to the Senate, they'll blame the swamp. If

they lose to Republicans, they'll blame the establishment.

And they'll continue down that path without ever actually having the responsibility of having to govern. We're going to test that theory today

and we might test it tomorrow and we might test it the day after that. Because the vast majority of our conference believe that Kevin McCarthy is

the right person to deliver on our agenda, to push back on the Biden administration, and to help us gain and retain, and grow our majority.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: From what I heard there, what he's saying from this small group is, it is not about governing, it is not about policies, it's about personal

ambitions, personal political ambitions. So, if you're Kevin McCarthy then, Stephen, how long can this keep going? At what point do you say, well, I'm

never -- I'm not going to be able to turn these votes around?

COLLINSON: Well, he is saying that he's going to keep going until he gets the votes. At some point, say after three or four ballots, does the party

begin to coalesce around someone else? One of the big problems --

SOARES: Yes --

COLLINSON: Here, is there isn't really an alternative candidate that could win support, not just from these radicals on the right, but the rest of the

party. One thing to remember is that the route to this tiny majority for Republicans didn't actually go through the reddest of Trump country, which

is where most of the people are from.

It came through about 15 or 16 seats in California and New York, which the Republicans won for the Democrats. Those more moderate Republicans are

going to be at great risk of losing their seats in the next election in 2024, especially if this caucus goes off the rails and becomes more and

more extreme in the house.

So, how do you find somebody that can appeal to those crucial Republican voters and these radicals on the right who don't seem to be -- who don't

seem to want anything from the leadership.

SOARES: Yes --

COLLINSON: Their power comes from going on conservative-talk TV. They don't want to be chairman of committees, they don't want to wield great power in

Congress. When you have that massive split, and when you have people that don't want to get to yes, it gets very hard to see how it can happen.

SOARES: And that basically leaves Democrats rubbing their hands with lead, looking at this show, at this political drama on the first day.

COLLINSON: That's right, their basic message is, the Republicans, two years after Trump left the White House in disgrace, are still unfit to govern. In

many ways --

SOARES: Yes --

COLLINSON: This Republican majority represents the return of Trumpism ideologically to one part of Washington, and is likely to absolutely seize

up Congress because there's no way that any law that's going to get passed by this majority is going to get through the Senate and get signed by

Democratic President Joe Biden.

But their message to voters was that Republicans bring chaos and instability. Exactly what voters didn't want in the midterm elections. And

for them, the next election started right today.

SOARES: And what we're hearing from sources, Stephen, as you and I are talking, I was looking at live images there from the Capitol, is that

they're going to go straight away to a second round of voting. Like you said, we don't know how many -- how many votes this is going to get, how

many rounds we're going to see.

But what you were telling -- what you've just said and what we've heard from our correspondents on Capitol Hill is that McCarthy is not giving in.

[14:10:00]

He is a political animal and he knew this was going to be tough, but nothing like this, Stephen.

COLLINSON: Right, I mean, if he loses here, this is the end of his political career. This is something he's been working towards, the

potential speakership for years and decades. I think what we're going to see now is Republican Congressman, Jim Jordan, who is -- has very good

relations with all sectors of the party.

He's a close ally of former President, Donald Trump. A number of these renegades voted for him last time around in the last ballot. If he can

persuade some of them to vote for McCarthy, it wouldn't get him to the number he needs, but it would show some sense of momentum and give a

rationale to keep voting.

SOARES: Yes --

COLLINSON: So, you could see this grind on through the afternoon, and I think the question then becomes whether some of these five most hard-line

renegade Republicans decide, you know, it's time to fold their tent. But if McCarthy gets through, how much power is he really going to have?

SOARES: Indeed, and of course, the number he needs and the number to be looking out for is 218. Stephen Collinson, really appreciating the time --

COLLINSON: Thank you --

SOARES: To speak to us. Thank you, Stephen. So, just, what is the history of these speaker elections in the U.S.? How often has it gone to a second

ballot? Our John King takes a quick look for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: Since 1789, all the way back to the beginning, 14 times, 14 of 127 speaker elections, have had two plus ballots, 14 of the

127 in history have gone to more than two ballots. The last time though, it went to more than two ballots, was 1923. It was settled after nine.

The record, Kevin McCarthy says he's happy to be the new record keeper. He says he'll stay in. It took 133 ballots, over two months, back in the mid

1850s.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: And let's hope it doesn't go to 133 ballots or more. And a reminder that the U.S. House, of course, is expected, Elijah said, to go straight

into a second vote for speaker. That is according to a source. We will continue to monitor events on Capitol Hill, as you're seeing there, live

pictures, and bring you the very latest as soon as we get it.

Now to Brazil and the world is saying a final farewell to a sporting icon. Thousands of people lined the streets of Santos to watch late football,

Pele, make his final journey through his hometown. The funeral procession is being followed by private funeral services.

In just 24 hours, more than 230,000 fans attended Pele's wake, as his coffin laid at the heart of the stadium where, of course, he shot to fame

decades ago. Thousands more were turned away, a testament to the profound, as well as lasting impact he had on his fans. CNN's Stefano Pozzebon saw

the emotional scenes firsthand.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST (on camera): Isa, this is the moment where Pele's casket has arrived in front of the house. You can see the casket is

being carried by a fire truck just behind my back and on to my right is the old house where Pele's mom, a 100-year-old Dona Celeste still lives here.

All around us is Pele's people.

Thousands of people have jammed the street, we've been here since early in the morning, and to show their affection, to show their support. Of course,

it's football fans from the Santos Football Club, but also people from all over Brazil who just wanted to see this moment. And as I conclude here, you

see the family is there with their hands in pray, ready to say just one farewell to a brother, to a son, to a father, but this is a historic moment

just for us in front of our eyes. Isa?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Stefano Pozzebon there. Well, later on in the show, we'll bring you a closer look at Pele's life and work, and how his passions went beyond

sport.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SINGING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Well, he may be synonymous with football, but he was also admired as a singer, songwriter, love that led to a friendship between him and

Brazilian musician, Sergio Mendes, we'll speak to him about creating music together. That is just ahead.

Now, there has been an outpouring of support for the American football player Damar Hamlin, the 24-year-old is in critical condition in a hospital

after suffering a cardiac arrest during a primetime NFL game. CNN's Adrienne Broaddus reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The first Monday night football game of 2023 between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals ends

abruptly after Buffalo Bills safety, Damar Hamlin's tackle on Bengals' wide receiver, Tee Higgins.

[14:15:00]

You see Hamlin standing briefly, and then collapsing on the field.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And now another Bills player is down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I saw that young man fall to the ground the way he did, it felt like my soul had left my body.

BROADDUS: Within minutes after Hamlin's collapse, medical staff started CPR on him right on the field.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Usually, you see players gather around a player, and that happened tonight. But when they saw them start doing chest

compressions, you saw the reaction of those players walking away and being distraught, being very emotional. The kind of thing we don't see on a

football field.

BROADDUS: The 24-year-old NFL star suffered a cardiac arrest, according to the Bills. His heartbeat was restored on the field, and an ambulance was

driven onto the field to transport him to a local hospital.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've never seen anyone have CPR administered to them on the practice field or the game field. So, that's when I became concerned.

BROADDUS: Players huddled on the field, visibly emotional. The NFL then postponed the game.

RYAN CLARK, FORMER NFL PLAYER: We were not ready for this. We were not prepared for this. These are all men that spent time together, growing

together, making sure that one another is all right, doing whatever you have to do for your brother. And you are now put in the hopeless position

of being absolutely helpless.

BROADDUS: Hamlin is receiving care at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where fans could be seen holding vigil. NFL Executive Vice

President of Football Operations, Troy Vincent, says, some of Hamlin's teammates decided to stay behind. Hamlin's teammate, Stefon Diggs, was

captured in this video arriving at the hospital to visit his friend and teammate.

This, as well wishes are pouring in from the sports world.

LEBRON JAMES, BASKETBALL PLAYER: Thoughts and super prayers goes up to the skies above for that kid's family, for him, and the safety of our -- of

players in all sports is always the most important. So, you know, it's a -- it was a terrible thing to see.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: And that was Adrienne Broaddus reporting. CNN's Ryan Young is outside the hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio and joins us now. Ryan, what is

the latest on his condition and what are you hearing?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're waiting for more updates from the hospital. But right now, he still remains in critical condition. I can

tell you, as someone who was watching that game, it was obvious at how impactful this was for the stadium. Everyone fell silent. We've been

talking to fans throughout the day, and they say, it's a very eerie place to be.

You could see the players crowding around Damar, make sure that he was shielded from cameras as well. This is one of those things that will stand

out to so many people. This is a big game. There were a lot of people watching Monday night football. And for this to happen in the middle of the

field was something that so many people will never forget.

We've also learned from NFL, the game will not be played this week. So that's a new update from NFL. And his family, Damar Hamlin's family, has

actually put out a statement that says, "on behalf of our family, we want to express our sincere gratitude for the love and support that has been

shown during this time.

This is a challenging time and we are deeply moved by the prayers and the words and donations from fans around the country. As you can understand,

even outside this hospital now, there are a small memorial here, but their focus here was just on, will this young man be able to survive and those

scary moments that played out, this happened in 8:55, wasn't until 9:25 that, that ambulance left that stadium.

And it remained silent for quite some time, as fans were just trying to figure out exactly what the next move was. And listening to sports radio

throughout the day, you can understand how the sports world has reacted to this. People just remain in shock, trying to figure out exactly what

happened, whether or not they can keep these players safe.

SOARES: Yes, Ryan, we're all thinking of him, of course, and his family. Thanks very much, Ryan Young for us there in Cincinnati, Ohio. Well, let's

get more on the medical issues that could be involved, and bring in Dr. Owais Durrani, who is an emergency medicine physician. Doctor, thank you

very much for taking the time to speak to us.

I mean, as we looked at the images, you know, of him falling that way, that was just so jarring, so scary. But what can you glean from what you saw?

OWAIS DURRANI, EMERGENCY MEDICINE PHYSICIAN: Yes, you know, even in a hospital setting, when someone has CPR, it is a jarring and kind of

traumatic event for staff members, for those around. And so, the fact that this was something that, you know, thousands of people were seeing in a

stadium and on their televisions is a traumatic event.

What we saw was the athlete having a certain type of impact, getting up, and then falling down. In medical terminology, we call that syncope. So he

passed out, then obviously the medical personnel rushed to him and noticed that his heart rate was not there, right? He was pulseless, and so that's

when CPR was initiated.

[14:20:00]

That's about all we know for a fact. Everything beyond that is, you know, stuff that comes to mind as physicians, in terms of, you know, a few

different possibilities. But those are the facts that we know. The good news is that, in that type of situation, if your heart stops, the best

place to be is in a hospital. The second base -- second best place is probably right where he was where there was numerous medical personnel, and

he was able to be, you know, resuscitated and got into a hospital very quickly.

SOARES: Yes, and the medical team, from what I understand, was very quick to respond. I mean, how critical, doctor, are those several minutes after a

collapse like this?

DURRANI: Very critical. Out of hospital CPR, when you look at studies over the decades, the number one chance that you get at a close to full recovery

is getting CPR initiated as fast as possible. Every minute you don't have CPR, that decreases your chance of likelihood. So, he had CPR immediately,

they hooked him up to an AED, now, we don't know if he was shot or not, if he had a heart rhythm that was shock up or not, but that was another good

step.

And the fact that they got his heart rate back, and that his heart was beating again before they transported him to the hospital, is a very

positive sign.

SOARES: And doctor, I mean, in Europe, and in many parts of the world, you know, we've seen football players, soccer players collapse. But I can't

remember hearing of this happening before. I mean, how common is this type of injury? Is this a one in a million chance here?

DURRANI: Yes, so as I mentioned, there's -- you know, right now, everything is conjecture. So the kind of theory --

SOARES: Yes --

DURRANI: That a lot of physicians kind of -- that comes to our mind is something called commotio cordis, right? So, it's this high impact to the

chest that leads to the heart going into a lethal arrhythmia -- what's called ventricle fibrillation. They're very rare, almost as rare as a

lightning strike. The good news is, the treatment for that is CPR getting hooked up to an AED, and a lot of times the AED will recommend shock and

getting shocked out of that rhythm.

Now, we don't know if that's exactly what happened here, but that's kind of the leading kind of guess for most physicians who saw this. Now, it could

also be a brain injury or vascular injury, a variety of other things, but what happened here, obviously, was very rare and obviously, he's in the

best care in ICU to figure out what happened and give him the best chances at a recovery.

SOARES: Indeed, and he's young and in good health. What would you say is the prognosis for something like this?

DURRANI: Yes, so he is still in a very critical state. What I can say is he had the best chance at a recovery that anyone could get, which you know,

I'll kind of harp on again, is, you know, having that immediate CPR. And I think it goes to show that we should all know how to perform CPR. This

could happen to a loved one, at an airport, at home.

And so, the fact that he got CPR immediately and then the fact that they got his heart rate back, because that's no guarantee, right? You could --

SOARES: Yes --

DURRANI: Perform CPR, perform shocks, and getting your heart beating again is no guarantee. So, those two things are good, positive signs, but right

now, anything in terms of putting a number or percentage would be inappropriate.

SOARES: Dr. Owais Durrani, really appreciate you taking your time to speak to us. Thank you, doctor. And still to come tonight --

DURRANI: Thanks for having me --

SOARES: Israel's new far-right national security minister takes a highly provocative step that Hamas had called a red line. We are live for you in

Jerusalem next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:25:00]

SOARES: Well, countries across the Arab as well as the Muslim world are outraged by a controversial visit today to one of the most sensitive holy

sites in the world. Just days into his new job, Israel's far-right national security minister visited the compound the Jews call the Temple Mount and

Muslims call the Noble Sanctuary, only Muslims are allowed to pray at the complex in Jerusalem under long-standing international agreement.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, who's been convicted of supporting terrorist says, the site should be open to everyone. Palestinian leaders call his visit, a

dangerous provocation. Journalist Elliott Gotkine is in Jerusalem for us this hour with more. And so, Elliott, really visit, drawing international

condemnation from the region. But just tell us first what is being said in Israel.

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: Isa, I mean in Israel, we had even before this visit, Yair Lapid, who just until last week was prime minister, warning

that this was something that would endanger lives. As you say, we also heard from Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza, also issuing

warnings and saying that such a visit by Ben-Gvir to Temple Mount as it's known to Jews or Haram Sharif as it's known to Muslims could set the region

on fire.

But I spoke from Ben-Gvir's perspective, it's really a case of starting as you mean to go on. As you say, he's only been in office for, what? Five

days, and this is an issue that has always been quite close to his heart. He has certainly in the past advocating -- advocated for a change to the

status quo on Temple Mount, to enable Jews to pray there.

But certainly, the government, before the government was sworn in, and Prime Minister Netanyahu's office in a statement today reiterating, that

there is no change to the status quo, and that there will be no change to the status quo. But that hasn't stopped the U.S. Embassy issuing a

statement, reminding the -- reminding everyone that it supports the status quo as is, and to avoid measures that would suggest a change to that.

We've heard concerns expressed from the U.K. and Germany, and condemnation from, as you say, across the region, from the Egyptians, from the

Jordanians, from the Emiratis as well. And I spoke to -- what this also shows, Isa, is that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is either unwilling

or unable to control Ben-Gvir.

And as I say, this really could just be a sign of what more is in store for this government, which is the most right-wing and religiously conservative

government that Israel has ever had in its near 75 years of existence as a modern state, Isa.

SOARES: So Elliott, I mean, Netanyahu saying there is no change to the status quo. How much is this him potentially testing the waters with

Netanyahu?

GOTKINE: Look, we knew that Ben-Gvir was probably going to visit, he has visited many times before. This is his first time as a minister. But as

we've seen in the past, you know, this can be seen to be a spark or be an actual spark in -- or one of many sparks to ignite further conflict. We

only have to go back to the year 2000, you'll recall when then opposition leader Ariel Sharon made a very high profile visit to Temple Mount.

And there were actual clashes as he was there, and that was considered to be one of the sparks that led to the second intifada or uprising. Now,

there is no sign of anything like that happening right now. But there certainly are concerns, and not just with Ben-Gvir, but other members of

this right-wing government.

That we could see other things happening, whether it's in terms of a dilution of the judiciary's powers, for checks and balances on the

government, changes perhaps to certainly perhaps the potential for discrimination against minority groups or the LGBTQ community.

That there are concerns in Israel and abroad and among its allies, that perhaps this is just the start, and that there could be other things

happening in this government that could draw condemnation. But I think it's very important to say that Jews are not allowed, the status quo prevents

Jews from praying on Temple Mount.

Ben-Gvir didn't pray on Temple Mount, so no laws were broken in that regard, but there are -- the main concern is the kind of suggestion or the

hint that, that is -- because that's what he's advocated in the past, that, that is something that the Israeli government is perhaps pushing towards.

[14:30:13]

Isa?

SOARES: Important clarification there. And context from Elliott Gotkine, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

Still to come tonight, in Russia, there are growing calls for answers, as well as accountability from leaders after the deadliest single day for

Russian soldiers in Ukraine. We will bring you that next.

And we will get you the very latest on what's happening in Washington this hour. You are looking at live pictures. What is turning out to be a

humiliating defeat for the man who was thought to become the top Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives. A second vote is now underway. The

latest for you, next.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

SOARES: Welcome back to the show, everyone. An update on our top story.

The U.S. House of Representatives is moving to a second vote for House Speaker after Republicans taking control failed to elect a speaker on the

first vote. You are looking at live images this hour.

Now that has not happened in 100 years, that it will go to a second vote. The leading Republican candidate, Kevin McCarthy of California, suffered a

pretty humiliating defeat in the first round, blocked by hardline members of his own party, 19 votes against him.

Just moments ago, those members nominated Jim Jordan of Ohio. Right after Jordan, himself, nominated McCarthy. Keeping an eye on the votes as soon as

we get a readout, a tally of the numbers and, of course, we shall bring that to you.

The critical time today for Kevin McCarthy. Not clear on how many rounds he will go to try and get, of course, Speaker of the House. But he seems to be

pretty motivated. We will keep an eye on that for you. Now to Ukraine.

[14:35:00]

SOARES: Russian military analysts and lawmakers are questioning Kremlin officials over the one of the deadliest episodes for Russian forces since

the start of the war in Ukraine.

Russia's defense ministry says, 63 serviceman died early Monday in an apparent Ukrainian strike in the Russian occupied Donetsk region. Ukraine

had said hundreds of Russian soldiers were killed. They now say the exact number is being clarified.

Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the strike. A top Russian military blogger says the death toll is likely much higher than what Moscow

claims. Scott McLean joins me now from Kyiv.

So Scott, why so much confusion about the number of casualties?

What are you hearing from the Ukrainian side?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so, Isa, I suppose I should start by couching all of this by stating the obvious, which is that Ukraine, of

course, has every incentive to make sure those numbers look as big as they possibly can, to motivate their own side to keep going.

And to show the Ukrainian people that they are, in fact, making serious progress in actually moving that front line forward. The Russians, of

course, have the opposite incentive, to make it seem like those numbers are as low as possible.

Considering they're trying to recruit young Russians to join the military and go to the front lines, rather than having to conscript them in these

kind of mass mobilizations.

But the other reality on the ground is that, as many Russian officials or pro Russian officials and pro Russian bloggers have now pointed out, that

is that at the scene today, it's a pile of rubble. And so, they're still going through, presumably pulling bodies out.

So not everyone has been accounted for, there are still missing. Not everyone has been added to that official death toll. If you look at the

satellite imagery as well, you can see just how badly that vocational school in this town was actually hit.

It was absolutely obliterated. One or two walls were left behind. And this, according to some critics inside of Russia, is evidence that, look, there

is incompetence inside the ranks of the Russian military because, more than 10 months into the war, they ought to have known better than to have

concentrated that many troops in one area.

So as you pointed out, not only one pro-Russian blogger but also one former pro Russian official in the breakaway Donetsk People's Republic, suggesting

that the death toll could be into the hundreds. Isa.

SOARES: Yes and so many Russian troops next to ammunition depot, which is the criticism, I think, that I've been hearing from analysts.

What do you know, Scott, about these Ukrainian claims that Russian ammunition warehouse was destroyed in eastern Luhansk, I believe?

MCLEAN: Yes, that's right. So this is new. We don't know precisely when this strike took place. But we have just gotten, within the last hour, new

video of this strike of the Ukrainians dropping a bomb on what they say was an ammunition depot in a pretty nondescript building in a town called

Svatove, which is in eastern Luhansk region.

This is coming from the local Luhansk governor, who says that the Ukrainians have been watching this area, using drones for about two weeks,

watching trucks come and go before they were finally able to realize that this was, in their belief, a buildup of weapons. And they were able to

strike it.

Again, this is, the Ukrainians saying that this is evidence that they are making progress in this war.

But on the flip side, Isa, also in the last two days, we have seen plenty of evidence that the Russians, despite the fact that they lost some number

of troops, they have been able to strike back in a big way as well, with strikes, again, in that eastern Donbas region around Kramatorsk there.

Really a barrage of strikes that we saw there in a couple of days. In one case, damaging a local ice rink that was the biggest hockey and figure

skating training academy in the country, Isa.

SOARES: Scott McLean for us in Kyiv this hour, thanks very much. Scott. Appreciate it.

And still to come tonight, accused American embezzler, Sam Bankman-Fried, appeared in federal court today. He will be facing, if convicted, of

stealing billions from his customers.

And yet more updates from Washington on the U.S. House of Representatives' surprisingly difficult effort to vote in a leader. Republicans are at odds

with each other. The outcome of the second speaker vote, right after this.

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SOARES: If you are just joining us, let me bring you up to date on our top story and it appears U.S. Republican Kevin McCarthy has suffered defeat for

a second time as the House of Representatives vote in the second ballot for House Speaker.

Let me show you the pictures coming to us. Republicans are taking control of the House but are divided on who should lead it. A small number of

hardliners are blocking McCarthy from winning ahead of the second ballot. They nominated Jim Jordan. He needs 118.

So far from what I saw, seven voted against him, he only needed four really so it doesn't look good for second round against Kevin McCarthy. We will

tell you more about that as soon as we have more details.

The founder of crypto exchange FTX has pleaded not guilty in a federal court. Sam Bankman-Fried is accused of stealing billions of dollars from

FTX customers to cover losses at its sister hedge fund, Alameda Research.

Prosecutors say he orchestrated one of the biggest financial frauds in American history. CNN's Kara Scannell joining us, following along in the

court.

And I believe his car was just behind you, he just drove off.

What can we expect next?

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This court hearing just finished up. And when he entered the courtroom, he was looking around. The press was sitting

in the jury box, taking a particular interest.

And his attorney said he would plead not guilty on all counts, wire fraud and conspiracy, which prosecutors say is one of the biggest frauds in

American history.

Waiting for him to exit the courtroom now. That's his car sitting outside, the press is lined up to get a photo of him. Also during this hearing, the

judge set a trial date for October 2nd of this year. The prosecutor said their trial would take about four weeks.

They have several cooperating witnesses, including FTX executives and at sister hedge fund Alameda Research. Those have pleaded guilty, they have

cooperation deals with the government.

The defense attorney says he expects his defense to last as long as 2-3 weeks, if it does indeed go to trial in October.

The prosecutors also say that they were concerned that he may have had access to certain FTX accounts and to have transferred assets out of them,

something that came up in a tweet in recent days.

So prosecutors wanted to add another bail condition -- he is out on a 250 million dollar bail. But the judge said he'd agree to that. Now Bankman-

Fried's attorney says he absolutely did not transfer any assets.

[14:45:00]

SCANNELL: But the judge said he imposed the additional condition anyway. So that would prevent SBF from accessing any accounts at FTX or Alameda and

transferring any assets, including any cryptocurrency that he might have from those businesses. So waiting for his departure from the courthouse.

SOARES: Kara Scannell there for us in New York, thank you so much, I appreciate it.

I want to return now to the emotional scenes on the streets of Santos in Brazil, Brazilian footballer Pele, legend, had made his final journey.

Thousands of fans paying respect. Joining us now, Pele's close friend, Brazilian musician Sergio Mendes.

Really good to see you. We have been seeing some truly emotional scenes.

Your reaction to what you've seen today?

SERGIO MENDES, MUSICIAN AND PELE'S FRIEND: It's unbelievable. Pele was loved by everyone all over the world. This is a very rare thing when I

think about it. Children, men, women, everybody adored him.

Despite being a genius as a football player, he was a wonderful human being. And I had the privilege to spend a lot of time with him, in Brazil

here and in Los Angeles. He was a dear friend and I saw today on TV the funeral.

It was amazing and I'm sure the rest of the world is following that and crying about that. But I want to talk about the great moments I had with

him.

SOARES: Tell me about the memories.

MENDES: I met him in 1970 at the World Cup in Mexico and Brazil won the World Cup. Then in 1975, he came to the Cosmos. And the interesting thing,

the man that brought him to the Cosmos was a dear friend of mine. He was my boss at Atlantic Records. He loved football.

He came to the Cosmos in New York and it was a huge success. And I think America discovered football through Pele and from then to now, so many

people here that love football, I think he was responsible for that.

In 1975, he invited me to write the musical, the soundtrack, because we had a documentary on him. And during all that time with him, it was great, I

didn't even know he was a singer.

He sang pretty well. He wrote a song and we had a great time in the studio with him. The same time, by coincidence, I had this great jazz musician,

Jerry Mulligan, staying in my house.

Anyway, around Pele, it was always joy. So we sang the song and we spent a few months doing the album. And we had a great time. And after that he came

here to L.A. many times. And I used to take him around the park here to watch the kids play football. He was an incredible human being.

SOARES: So much joy. He is so kind. He is well known him for being a football icon but he was also a singer-songwriter. I remember in an

interview, he said, in football my talent is a gift from God. Music was just for fun.

In particular he liked bossa nova.

Were you surprised about his love for music?

MENDES: No. He was very musical. And when he was playing, you saw him on the field, the way he dribbled, there was a musicality about that. And he

could sing well and it was a wonderful time, he's a very special human being.

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SOARES: Sergio Mendes, really appreciate you taking the time to speak to us, remembering your old friend. Thank you.

MENDES: A pleasure, my pleasure. Thank you.

SOARES: And we will be right back.

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SOARES: Do stay right here. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" with Richard Quest is coming up next. We will see you tomorrow. Goodbye.

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