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Israeli Opposition Moves to Sideline Netanyahu; Australian Athletes Headed to Tokyo; "Unthinkable" Tragedy as Remains of 215 Children Uncovered; North Korea: Orphans "Volunteer" to Work at Mines & Farms; Brazilian Demonstrators Demand President's Impeachment; U.S. Marks Memorial Day Weekend as COVID Numbers Drop; U.S. Pushes Forward with Withdrawal from Afghanistan; Boxing Helps Women in Gaza. Aired 1- 2a ET
Aired May 31, 2021 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:23]
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
A move towards a new unity government in Israel, the most serious blow yet to Benjamin Netanyahu's effort to keep his grip on power.
On their way, Australian athletes headed to the Tokyo Olympics this hour, a country reeling from COVID.
And America's longest war now coming to an end. And with it, growing fears the Taliban will quickly gain ground in Afghanistan.
(MUSIC)
HOLMES: Welcome, everyone.
The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is fighting for his political future as efforts to build a diverse new governing coalition gained traction. His rivals from the center, left and right are working to form a unity government without him.
Right wing leader Naftali Bennett announcing the plan Sunday night, but Mr. Netanyahu quick to go on the attack and response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NAFTALI BENNETT, YAMINA PARTY LEADER: There is no right wing government. Four rounds of election in the past two months prove to us all that they're simply is not a right wing government led by Netanyahu. It's either a 5th election or the unity government.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: I heard Naftali Bennett. Unfortunately, he is again misleading the public. Same lies, same empty slogans on hate and division from someone who gets his hand of hatred and division. And also, someone who is perpetrating, I must say, with fraud of the century.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now, if a formal agreement is reached on the emerging coalition, it will still have to be approved by Israel's parliament.
Elliott Gotkine joins me now from Jerusalem to tell us a bit more.
A major shift in the political landscape, but it's never done until it's done in Israel. Tell us about the process, and Benjamin Netanyahu's options.
ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: So the process now, Michael, is that the negotiations are still going on between Yesh Atid led by Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett's Yamina Party and the other parties. A spokesman for Lapid told me a short while ago that there were up until 3:00 this morning local time, you know, discussing more on making progress to that end.
What happens next is that Yair Lapid who has the mandate to form a coalition government needs to go to President Reuven Rivlin by Wednesday in order to say yes I have managed to do it. It will then go to the Knesset or parliament, will have up to a week within which it needs to vote on whether to approve or not approve this coalition deal. Basically, you need more than half of the members of the Knesset to approve it in order for it to come into effect.
Now, of course, there's a lot that can happen between now and the actual kind of swearing in ceremony which would happen after that vote if indeed it approves the formation of this coalition government.
Inevitably, there will be more pressure brought to bear, particularly on Naftali Bennett's Yamina Party by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. As you heard, he has been riling against, he's been raging against this agreement, calling it a left wing government, and accusing Naftali Bennett of going back on his word did not sit on the government led by Yair Lapid.
Already, we are seeing every night in Tel Aviv, demonstrations outside the home, for example, of Ayelet Shaked. She's number two in Naftali Bennett's Yamina Party.
Inevitably, there will be more pressure brought to bear from the base as well. There could be some procedural shenanigans going on in the Knesset to try to hold up the proceedings. The speaker of the Knesset is an ally of Netanyahu and they could even be some attempts to get the courts involved, perhaps suggesting that since Yair Lapid received the mandate to form the coalition government, he can't then have Naftali Bennett go first as prime minister.
So, there is still a lot to play for. A week is a long time in politics sometime, and it is not over until it's over. As you say, Michael.
HOLMES: Absolutely. Elliott in Jerusalem, appreciate it. Thanks so much.
Now let's get some more insight into how this is all playing out. I'm joined now by Yaakov Katz, editor in chief of "The Jerusalem Post".
Thanks so much for being with us.
As we've been discussing, this is no certainty. And Bibi Netanyahu won't go quietly.
I mean, he really does have an ability to manipulate and maneuver in order to stay at the helm.
What to you are the odds of Bennett and Lapid's success here?
YAAKOV KATZ, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, THE JERUSALEM: I think, Michael, that the odds are high, right?
[01:05:00]
Bennett made a big decision yesterday with his announcement that he's joining what's known as the "change bloc" in this coalition that essentially is going to, if it succeeds in coalescing and coming together in the next few days in ousting Netanyahu after 12 years consecutively as prime minister.
That itself, that psychological decision to kind of crossover to that side from where he had been very concrete in the right-wing camp, to say I'm putting the nation first, we need to bring unity government to be formed, we need unity to move forward, because of the challenges that we face. That itself was the big obstacle.
Look, Netanyahu is going to try. It's going to pull out every card that he has. He's going to pull up every trick that he has, right?
He said about a year ago when he formed a government with Benny Gantz, no tricks, no sticks. Well, will see a lot of tricks now and a lot of sticks from Netanyahu over the next few days until this government is sworn in?
HOLMES: Right.
KATZ: Will he succeed in stopping it? I don't know, but I think that that decision yesterday by Bennett was a big step in the right direction.
HOLMES: The interesting thing, I mean, this proposed coalition as we know is right across the ideological spectrum. I mean, they all agreed they don't want Netanyahu, but it is such a melting pot of parties sustainable politically, if they do end up in power when it comes to making decisions on any number of issues it all sounds fairly paralyzing.
KATZ: It sounds paralyzing, Michael. On the one hand, I call it a kaleidoscope of a government. But on the other hand, it's a beautiful idea. It's bringing the right wing together with the left wing together with the center.
Let me just say, Naftali Bennett who is a high tech entrepreneur has had success in business, came into government, was pragmatic. He's an ideologue, but he's pragmatic. He's a known reformer. He's gotten reforms done when he was minister of the economy, minister of education, when he was minister of defense.
So, he knows how to work with people who are on the other side of the aisle. I think that the people on the other side of the aisle, for Meretz, from Labor Party, Yair Lapid, have also shown a maturity, an idea that they could put their egos aside for the better of the country. And that's what this is about.
Now, will it last? Will it have lasting power? Because like you said, there are major challenges, right? What you do with the Palestinians? What do you do when there is going to be another conflict, God forbid, in Gaza? How do you manage those situations?
What if there is pressure from the U.S. administration to free settlement construction? You got people on the right who want to build. You got people on the left who want to freeze. How do you manage that?
If they could keep their eye on the goal, which is how do we advance Israel out of these nearly three years of political instability, mudslinging, no state budget, this is what they need to focus on. I think that if they are mature and they understand that, and it seems that they do, they can move forward and potentially succeed.
HOLMES: As you point out, I mean, Naftali Bennett is more right wing than Benjamin Netanyahu in many, many ways and particularly when it comes to the Palestinians. He clearly has stated no two-state solution, for example, and he said a lot more than that.
What does it mean for that process, which is already sort of stalemated by even the Palestinian leadership as well, and perhaps the lack of U.S. engagement, distraction?
KATZ: Well, I think you're right. Naftali Bennett is definitely a true right-winger. Benjamin Netanyahu presented himself as a true right winger but never really took steps in the direction to implement with the right-wing vision is, at least for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, right, with terms of annexation, of territory or other larger construction projects in the West Bank settlements.
But I think that what -- if you listen to what Bennett said last night, right, he said we all come from different sides of this map. We all have dreams and aspirations. We're not going to be able to achieve all of that. What we can achieve as working together to advance the nation and to help stabilize the country right now.
That is what they can focus. They can work on the domestic issues. They can get us out of the COVID crisis. They can get us out of the economic standstill. They could pass the state budget.
They could do all these things that Israel hasn't had, because it has not had a functioning government for nearly three years because of Benjamin Netanyahu's refusal to let go of power while he is facing down his trial for severe corruption charges and bribery, fraud and breach of trust. So, if they focus on the -- you know, Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid,
back when they first came into government in 2013, they were in the same government together. And they coined this phrase, Michael, called the 70/30. They agreed on 70 percent of the issues, they disagreed on 30. But they can focus on the 70.
And I think that that's the idea behind this government once again. They agree on the 70, advance the 70, the 30 can wait for another day.
HOLMES: Kaleidoscope as you said. It's going to be fascinating to see it play out. I'm wondering what your take is -- with Israeli voters will be making of all of this. I mean, four elections in two and a half years. When one can imagine there just fed up and they will take anything rather than 5th election.
[01:10:00]
KATZ: Look, I think that Israelis are fed up. That's an understatement, right? We've gone to polls four times for national elections in the not in the last two and a half. The prospect of a fight election looming on the horizon if these governments don't mange to build themselves is something that Israelis do not want to be marching toward.
On the other hand, they also have difficulty imagining someone who's not Benjamin Netanyahu sitting in the prime minister, right? He's been there now for 12 years consecutively. Add those 3 years in the 1990s, back when you are here in Israel, right, covering the country at the time. That's 15 years in total, right?
So, he has been here as a mainstay, a pillar of Israel for so long, it's hard for people to imagine someone else can do what he's been doing. But I think that they can. Israel is a resilient, strong, tough country that's larger than any single individual.
And I'm optimistic and no matter who is leading at the top, and I think -- not whoever, the people who are at the candidates right now, whether it's Bennett, whether it's Lapid, they can do the job that's needed to move Israel forward.
HOLMES: Always fascinating analysis. Yaakov Katz there in Dubai. Really appreciate it. Fascinating.
KATZ: Thank you.
HOLMES: Now the World Health Organization is investigating a possible new coronavirus variant in Vietnam. The WHO is working with the country's health ministry to find out more about it, after four people were confirmed infected.
Now, the suspected variant looks like it has some characteristics of variants first detected in India and the U.K. One top WHO official says they expect to see more variants emerge as the virus continues to circulate.
Now, these coronavirus concerns are growing just as we are, a little more than 53 days to the Olympics. Australian softball players are on their way to Japan among the first athletes to travel to the games. The team spoke to the meeting before they boarded their flight from Sydney to Tokyo. They are set to land in the coming hours, and when they do they will arrive as Japan is under extended state of emergency due to COVID-19. The country's prime minister calling the situation unpredictable.
CNN's Angus Watson is following these developments for us from Sydney.
Yeah, these athletes must have been nervous about going to the Olympics on its own. And now, they are going to a country which has a real problem with COVID. And in some ways, there are test case being among the first going.
ANGUS WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Michael. We just watched the Singapore Airlines plane take off here at Sydney airport, 23 young athletes on board among the first, as you say, to arrive ahead of the Olympic Games, which is still under a cloud of uncertainty.
We don't have that guarantee that we'll see them play it to be honest. Uncertainty is right as Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said here in Australia. The vice chairman of the Olympic Committee this morning said that the players were making sacrifices and they have had to go through extra protocols in order to get there to Japan in order to play the games.
And the eyes of the world are upon them now. Take a look at this flight overlay in Singapore. Once they get there, they will spend 6 hours proving to Japanese officials that they have had their two Pfizer shots that they say they had, that they've had all the right to testing. That is before they than drive to the city outside Tokyo where they will all and camp ahead of the day.
Here's what one senior softball player said about that this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JADE WALL, AUSTRALIA SOFTBALL OLYMPIAN: We're going to go through lots and lots of COVID testing, but look, we're all prepared for it. We want to do everything that we can to make sure that we are safe when we get there. Safe while we are in Japan as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: Now the reason that it had to go so early, Michael, and be one of the first teams on the ground is because of the preparation that coronavirus has denied them. The team has not actually played together since 2019, Michael.
HOLMES: That -- I mean that is remarkable. How you get the team cohesion together.
But meanwhile, talk more about how the Japan that they are arriving in is still very uncertain and concerning when it comes to COVID. WATSON: That's absolutely right. A state of emergency extended in
Tokyo and Osaka, as well as some other prefectures in Japan where cases are still stubbornly high. Hospitalizations are still stubbornly high. People in Japan are worried about the Olympics going ahead. There are still over 3,000 cases a day there.
And that is creating some nerves for all involved ahead of the games, particularly these athletes that set off this morning, guinea pigs, if you will, that the eyes of the world upon them, Michael.
HOLMES: Yeah, absolutely.
[01:15:01]
And there at Sydney airport is Angus Watson, appreciate it, Angus. Thank you.
The United Kingdom meanwhile seeing a rise in new COVID infections. The country surpassed 3,000 daily cases last week for the first time since early April. Experts blame the variant first identified in India for the increase.
Overall, though, the U.K.'s rate of infection remains low, thanks to its strong vaccine rollout. But still, some E.U. countries are taking notice of this latest rise. France will require British travelers to quarantine for a week upon arrival starting upon Monday. Germany, though, is requiring a two-week quarantine for anyone from the U.K., and Austria has a total a total ban on flights and tourist visits from Britain.
Meanwhile, the meanwhile, the debate is heating up about up whether the virus could have emerged from a lab in Wuhan, China. Top U.S. Republicans claim claims it's a product of, quote, worst cover-up in human history.
Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MICHAEL MCCAUL (R-TX): I do think it's more likely than not, it emerged out of the lab, most likely accidentally. For several reasons, this is the worst cover-up in human history that we've seen resulting in 3.5 million deaths, creating economic devastation around the globe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now, a former head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says we might never know for certain how the virus originated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT GOTTLIEB, FORMER COMMISSIONER, U.S. FOOD & DRUG ADMINISTRATION: Unless we get very lucky and we either find the intermediate host, we find the colony of civet cats or pangolins where this is epidemic and it could have first spilled over to humans, or we have a whistleblower in China, or regime change, which we're not going to have, I don't know that we're going to find out with certainty that this came out of a lab. I think we're going to ultimately come up with an assessment or probability on whether this came of a lab versus a zoonotic source.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, U.S. President Joe Biden has given government agencies until late August to reinvestigate.
A major city in the Democratic Republic of Congo still that risk of another volcanic eruption, that experts are hopeful the worst may be over. We'll have those details coming up.
Also the orphans of North Korea, destined to labor in the coal mines and farm fields of the hermit kingdom. Their heartbreaking story after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Just look at those images from the air showing plumes of gray ash spewing from a volcano in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It erupted a little over a week ago, killing at least 31 people and forcing hundreds of thousands to evacuate a nearby city of Goma.
Local officials say there's nearly 100 small earthquakes and tremors were recorded around the volcano in the last 24 hours. And there are concerns another eruption is still possible.
[01:20:02]
It's estimated the damage done so far would cost more than a billion dollars to repair.
CNN's Larry Madowo is in Goma with the latest on the volcano.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: CNN has flown above the mountain for the first time and will capture what it looks like right now. This is just from hours ago.
And it shows gray plumes coming out of this mountain. This indicates to the volcanologist that there is collapse in the creator of this mountain. It shows that the lava lake is completely empty. But that doesn't mean that it's not safe, and people can think that the worst is behind them. It shows that after the eruption on Saturday the lava lake has cleared out and there's no imminent danger for the city.
It's kind of stunning to see these images at this height because we've been reporting on this for over a week, and it is something that the whole world is watching, because this is so close to the city of Goma of two million and it is always looming over them threatening disaster at any time.
We'll be speaking to a Italian volcanologist, Dario Tedesco, who has been studying this mountain since 1995. This is what he says about what we're seeing in the reduction in seismic activity. DARIO TEDESCO, VOLCANOLOGIST: The peak has been reached and now,
we're going down. We are going even very, very quickly down. But you know sometimes, there's another peak again. So, let's wait -- let's be patient.
MADOWO: There is concern about what is happening here both here in the east and DRC, but across the border in Rwanda because some of the people that were ordered to evacuate crossed the border at the neighboring country and they just want to come back home.
Larry Madowo, CNN, Goma.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Flags in Canada flying at half staff to honor the hundreds of people whose remains were found buried on the grounds of former school for indigenous children. The news is drawing strong reactions from across the country, as CNN's Paula Newton reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The discovery is astounding, and so, too, the anguish, leaving community members and much of Canada reeling. The remains of 215 children, some as young as 3, buried for decades on the grounds of the Kamloops Indian Residential School. Their deaths believed to be undocumented, graves unmarked.
The indigenous community in British Columbia calls it an unthinkable discovery and yet former students of the school like Harvey McLeod who was subjected to abuse there, tell us they've thought of nothing else for decades.
CHIEF HARVEY MCLEOD, UPPER NICOLA BAND: What I realized yesterday was how strong I was as a little boy, how strong I was as a little boy to be here today. Because I know that a lot of people didn't come home.
NEWTON: It was one of the largest residential schools of its kind in Canada, but there were well over 100 across the country. Many, like the one in Kamloops, was run by the Catholic Church and later by the government.
According to Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, indigenous children were forced to attend the schools, separated from families, and many neglected and worse, physically and sexually abused. And many disappeared.
Their families never knowing what became of them.
CHIEF ROSANNE CASIMIR, TK'EMPLUS TE SECWEPEMIC FIRST NATION: What they were told was that when children were missing, that they were told they ran away.
NEWTON: And yet the community here knew that couldn't be true. Survivors and families of the missing children were sure a mass grave would be found. But they were unprepared for the loss of 215 souls. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was devastating. It was actually quite mind
boggling.
NEWTON: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted that it's a painful reminder of that dark and shameful chapter of our country's history. The government's own commission says thousands of children likely died of abuse or neglect in these schools, the legacy now is one of intergenerational trauma for many of Canada's indigenous communities.
While the archbishop of Vancouver and other individual societies have acknowledged the abuse, the Catholic Church has never formally apologized.
In 2019, Trudeau agreed decades of abuse perpetrated on indigenous peoples amounted to cultural genocide.
Now, native leaders say it's time for the government to step you want. Two hundred and fifteen pair of shoes are laid on these Vancouver steps, finally their souls symbolically are at rest.
Paula Newton, CNN, Ottawa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: The U.S. Missile Defense Agency says a U.S. warship failed to intercept a ballistic missile during a test on Saturday.
Barbara Starr with what happened.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: The whole idea was that there is a navy ship out there and it's equipped with something called the standard missile, an advanced version, not a fancy name, but very advanced, very high tech.
[01:25:06]
They were testing to see if they could fire a salvo of those missiles against what would have been a stimulated ballistic missile target. Not a real ballistic missile. But in a test course you want something as a target and you try to shoot the down and that tells you if your missile defenses work. This time, it didn't work and they don't know why yet. So, an investigation underway on the field test.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HOLMES: The U.S. is working to fine-tune its missile defenses to get the red from countries like North Korea.
Speaking of North Korea, state media there is claiming that hundreds of orphans are voluntarily working in coal mines, and on farms, after just graduating from middle schools. The regime calls it a patriotic service for the nation.
But as Will Ripley reports, it's actually state-sanctioned abuse on a mass scale.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Answering the call of duty from their supreme leader, Kim Jong Un, Korea's orphaned children in pressed uniforms, flowery wreaths, racing to work at coal mines and farms.
COLIN ZWIRKO, SENIOR ANALYTIC CORRESPONDENT, NK NEWS: You can't determine their age but they look quite young, and they look like middle students is accurate.
RIPLEY: Have we ever seen students that young doing this kind of work in North Korea.
ZWIRKO: This one is a little bit different because of just how young they appear on camera. We can see with our own eyes how young these children are.
RIPLEY: North Korean propaganda praises these so-called child volunteers.
How widespread is this and how young are the children there that are volunteering to work?
LINA YOON, SENIOR RESEARCHER, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: It happens to almost all children who don't come from privileged backgrounds or have money to pay instead of working. Child labor is very serious problem, but the sad reality for North Korea is that it's quite common.
RIPLEY: North Korea denies allegations of forced child labor. Just last week, it's foreign ministry accused developed countries of exploiting children.
State media says these orphans are eager to show their loyalty, to fulfill their oath to repay the ruling Workers Party, and the leader they call father.
ZWIRKO: That's how they repaid the love of the priority is to go to the coal mines and repay that debt.
YOON: The mines have horrible conditions, and, you know, there's constant accidents.
RIPLEY: On my trips to North Korea, orphans told me heartbreaking stories. Some lost their parents to industrial accidents. Others to starvation during the North Korean famine of the late 1990s.
My parents died a long time ago. I was so young, Jang Jong Hwa told me in 2015. At the time, she was barely out of school, working full-time, caring for seven other orphans. Jang said she hoped they would grow up strong to serve the nation.
Our country is one big family she said.
In North Korea, country always comes first, even if it means a childhood of hard labor.
Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: The streets of Brazil were packed with protesters over the weekend.
Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, why tens of thousands of Brazilians say the country's president must go.
Also, COVID numbers dropping in the U.S., and Americans came out in and droves to mock the occasion this Memorial Day weekend. We'll have that and more after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:31:21]
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome back to our viewers all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes. You're watching CNN Newsroom.
Protesters in Brazil calling for the ouster of President Jair Bolsonaro.
Tens of thousands you see there marching across the country over the weekend unhappy with the president's handling of the pandemic and they want better access to vaccines as well.
The coronavirus has been raging out of control there, Brazil reporting more than 43,000 new cases on Sunday alone. And the death toll is now above 460,000.
CNN's Rafael Romo with more on the protest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Screaming at the top of their lungs, people on the streets say the leader of their country must go.
It was just one of the massive multi-city protests held across Brazil this weekend against President Jair Bolsonaro.
"It's our duty to fight for democracy," this protester says. "This government is no use to us. It doesn't serve the people. And its political project is to kill us."
The demonstrations against Bolsonaro in cities like Rio De Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Brasilia are some of the largest since the beginning of the pandemic. Demonstrators had two main demands: calling for the presidents impeachment and getting a better access to COVID-19 vaccines.
"Impeachment now, Bolsonaro must go," this protester said. Adding that "More people will die if he stays in power." Early in the pandemic the controversial right-wing former military officer downplayed COVID-19 as a "glipe zinnia" (ph), a little flu.
The president also questioned the effectiveness of vaccines and was often seen greeting crowds of supporters without a mask before contracting the virus himself.
(on camera): Brazil has been one of the hardest hit countries in the world and is now facing a possible third wave of COVID-19. Vaccination has been slow. Less than 10 percent of its total population of 210 million is fully inoculated and the South American country currently has the 3rd highest number of infections after the United States and India.
(voice over): Some protesters say Bolsonaro's lack of action is tantamount to genocide, "cemeteries are full, refrigerators empty" this banner reads.
The Brazilian senate has opened an investigation into the president's handling of the pandemic. The protest happened only a week after a mask-less Bolsonaro led a motorcycle rally where he once again questioned the usefulness of measures to prevent the spread of COVID- 19.
Rafael Romo, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: In the U.S. on the other hand, things are looking up. People flocking to parks and beaches for the long Memorial Day Weekend. The holidays the unofficial start of summer for many Americans after more than one year of COVID-19 and fueling a bigger holiday this year, more than 40 percent of the U.S. now fully vaccinated although of course, experts warn the number needs to reach 70 to 85 percent for herd immunity.
Still, as CNN's Paul Vercammen reports, many are ready to play in the sun after a year of being closed in.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Memorial Day Weekend, Los Angeles the return of the swan boats that Eco Park Lake. It has reopened after $600,000 worth of renovations.
[01:34:57]
VERCAMMEN: An upbeat mood in Los Angeles and that's because the COVID- 19 numbers are extremely good, very low positivity rate.
The only sort of dark cloud we ran into was people getting gas. It's painful. A little over $4.20 a gallon average in L.A. County. One man in a Chevy Silverado truck telling us it's a big tank. It's costing him about $100 to fill up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's costing me about almost $100. It's hard. Especially right now that there's not many jobs. And you know, we are in a bad situation economy wise. So I feel it's overpriced.
VERCAMMEN: So back on this lake, looking forward to the coming weeks when we're going to have a further easing of restrictions in Los Angeles. But for now the people taking in Eco Park Lake, just enjoying a picture postcard Memorial Day Weekend in Los Angeles.
I'm Paul Vercammen, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Now, the U.S. is also honoring its fallen troops this Memorial Day as it moves forward with ending America's longest war in Afghanistan. We'll have more on that after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Every day since I was vice president I've carried with me a card with the exact number of troops killed in our operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Today it's 7,036 military members, fallen angels have given their last full measure of devotion.
And we're the guardians of their legacy, the inheritors of their mission and the living testament of their sacrifice that is not going to be in vain.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The U.S. President Joe Biden there paying tribute to fallen U.S. service members ahead of Memorial Day.
Now, in the coming hours, he is set to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. That will be at Arlington National Cemetery.
In Afghanistan alone, thousands of U.S. troops have died in what has become the country's longest war fighting al-Qaeda and of course, the Taliban.
But September 11th of this year, Mr. Biden has pledged a full U.S. withdrawal on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
And over the course of two decades, the U.S. has paid a high price fighting the war in Afghanistan. Since the beginning the total cost has added up to about $825 billion. more than 2,200 troops have died in support of Afghan operations, and more than 20,000 have been wounded.
But now there is concern over what comes next for Afghanistan. Already there is word of Afghan surrenders to the Taliban and signs al-Qaeda will remain a worldwide threat.
[01:39:57]
HOLMES: A CNN investigation found the terror group is still thriving in Afghanistan and is linked to global cells.
Carter Malkasian was a senior adviser to the former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff U.S. General Joseph Dunford. He's also the author of the "American War in Afghanistan, a history".
And it's great to have you here to talk about this.
The U.S. pull-out underway. We've already seen military outposts surrendering, al-Qaeda and ISIS attacks and Taliban too, of course. What do you see happening when that pull-out is complete?
CARTER MALKASIAN, AUTHOR: Well, I think what we are seeing right now it's kind of the expected escalation of Taliban attacks. In some ways it's not terribly different from what we've seen in previous years.
I think what I worry about is it can get worse once our pull-out is complete. I think that as the Taliban start to attack in more places, we will likely see more posts surrendering and more places being conceded to the Taliban.
And that will happen probably for two big reasons. The first reason is that the Afghan forces have, for a long time had difficulty fighting when they don't have the advantage of U.S. air strikes and U.S. advisers. So those will be gone.
The other big thing that's going to have an effect here is the kind of fear that they're going to have knowing that we are going to be gone. The fear that they won't be able to fight as well as they did before.
And so you might be able to think about a little bit like a stock market crash that when you know that the prices of things are going to go down, you might start selling things off.
So it's the same kind of thing here. When they know that support is less they might be more inclined to surrender earlier even at times when they might be able to fight well and survive.
HOLMES: Yes. Great analogy there. I mean there is this growing evidence of cooperation, if we can call it that, between the Taliban and al-Qaeda, which of course, was item one on the U.S. list of demands at the Doha talks with the Taliban that that cooperation not happen.
Do you see an alliance of some sort continuing, and what are the risks of that on any level?
MALKASIAN: It's really hard to tell right now. It's really -- it's really fuzzy as to how the Taliban has gotten close to al-Qaeda right now or are they -- have they stepped away?
I mean there is some decent evidence that their relationship is less than it was in the past. But to get to your question, overall I think it's pretty hard for the Taliban to completely break with al-Qaeda. They face -- there is also family ties between them. They have a long history together. Both sides value the cooperative relationship that they have. And if the Taliban were to leave them they face the problem that some of their more militant supporters could call the leadership into question. And they don't want to see that.
HOLMES: Right.
MALKASIAN: But I think above all the important thing for the west to think about, and the United States and its allies to ask, is even if there is a relationship with the Taliban and al-Qaeda, how much of a threat is that to our people? If there are some attacks, how much of a threat is that to our livelihoods? Or is this something we can endure? Can we be resilient?
HOLMES: You touched on this. And it's interesting. I spent time in Afghanistan in the early 2000s -- mid 2000s and saw the U.S. training Afghan soldiers. The mantra, we kept getting told, was as Afghan forces stand up, U.S. Forces will stand down.
But isn't the reality that with a few notable exceptions, the bulk of the Afghan military never stood up, wasn't good enough, didn't have the morale.
And what will that mean without U.S. support on the ground in terms of the future of the country?
MALKASIAN: I think what you have said overall, I mean it's painfully true. And I don't want to belittle the real efforts that many Afghans have made. Fighting hard, tremendous sacrifices. It's not that they don't fight hard in many places and at many times. It's that when push comes to shove, the Taliban tend to have an edge.
And so looking toward the future, I think over the immediate time, months after we depart, the concern is that the Taliban could gain a lot of ground. Some of it will be through direct attacks. Some of it could be because the Afghan forces are surrendering and there are various negotiations that go on behind the scenes.
And so I think it's reasonable to expect that's going to happen. How far it goes is a little bit unknown. I think the fact that I think some big cities could fall, will Kabul itself fall is much harder to predict and there are some factors there like the old northern alliance, will they stand up and fight really hard? Or will the commandoes that we have trained well and have repeatedly fought well, will they be able to hold the Kabul effectively?
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MALKASIAN: I mean they're not - so most of the questions about the region, is the region really going to let the Taliban take over Kabul again and take over the country again? So those are the unknowns in this.
HOLMES: Yes, the Taliban actions and statements on the ground give every indication that they are still committed to Sharia Law, rule by force. Why should we have any faith that they will respect the changes made to civil society since their overthrow in 9/11 or embrace the notion or entertain the notion of power sharing rather than just go back and take over and go back to that pre-9/11 society?
MALKASIAN: Well, I mean the reason to doubt it is that they can make a lot of gains on the battlefield. And that's for any side in a war or a civil war. If they could make ground on the battlefield and they don't have to negotiate, that can be very incentivizing and compelling. So that is a big reason for doubt.
What are some reasons for hope? Well, one reason for hope is the Taliban in negotiation with the United States and other members of the western community and allies and such have tried to say repeatedly that we don't want a monopoly. That we want to have a peaceful government in Afghanistan.
You know, I have grown very skeptical that that is true, but there is some chance that it is still true there.
Now in terms of women's rights, media freedoms, how they treat the people in general, the various interviews with the Taliban have suggested that they have more concern over this than in the past.
They have kept some schools open. They've got even some girl schools open. They've kept clinics open. So maybe they will be better than they were in the past.
But there is also strong indications that they do want to adhere to the great wide threat of the Sharia and Islamic law and interpret it moreover in a way that would still be oppressive to women, would still be oppressive towards the press. Would still not treat the Afghan people in the best way possible.
HOLMES: And you know, some tricky times ahead. A lot unknown.
Carter Malkasian, thank you so much. Appreciate that.
MALKASIAN: Thank you, Michael. Have a great evening.
HOLMES: Quick break now. When we come back we will introduce you to a group of women breaking down barriers and challenging stereotypes in Gaza.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I did not really watch boxing before I started playing, because I did not know about women can box.
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HOLMES: More on why this extraordinary young woman decided to put on the boxing gloves when we come back.
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HOLMES: Life in Gaza was difficult of course, even before the latest round of violence. Residents find common goods hard to come by. And it's almost impossible for anyone to leave even if they wanted to. But if you know where to look there are signs of courage and hope.
Within the last year, Gaza's first all-female boxing team was formed. A challenge to the established norms in a strict conservative society. CNN's Don Riddell spoke with a 22-year-old university graduate who is instrumental in forming the team. This is her story.
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REEMA ABURAHMA, PALESTINIAN AMATEUR BOXER: I'm Reema. I'm 22 years old from Gaza. I have graduated English and French Literature last year but still no job.
My generation does not have any job opportunities but if we ran away who is going to solve these problems?
One day I was walking. A man followed me. I was really scared. So I had to call my father.
When he saw me picking up the phone he ran away. I felt bad. I do not call my father. I want to stand and tell him to go away. I don't want to be afraid.
I have always wanted to learn some kind of self defense sport. One day I was going through my Facebook account. I saw this man training girls in the streets of Gaza. I was surprised and I called him.
I told him I want to box. He said ok. You can bring one or two girls and we'll start. I found 10 girls who joined me at first then more people started coming when they saw us on social media. So we made a boxing team.
I did not really watch boxing before I started playing, because I did not know that women can box. I didn't think about it before that this sport was suitable for women.
I like the sound the glove makes on the punching bag. I feel more brave. I feel powerful.
I love it.
I've always felt the need to protect myself. And I thought this is because of the boy who followed me in the street or because of the society. The harassment because of being a woman. But war might have been a part of this feeling.
I was 10 years old when I realized there are bigger things than us. My parents were terrified. There were many shots in our house and in our building. The glass was broken. My bed was damaged. If I was sleeping there I would have died.
That made me cry a lot. It was really hard. The idea that my father cannot protect me from anything started to end. One day we're going to have to protect ourselves or we will have to die. Sports change lives. If it changes lives step by step, it can make a huge change in the world. I've experienced girls come from conservative families, they had a hard time convincing their parents that it's ok if they played.
When they came they saw these other girls who do not dress like them. Do not think like them, have different backgrounds or different families. Step by step, we all became friends. We go out together. We visit each other at home.
Their parents starting liking us. They started liking the sport.
I wish girls in my society would be able to make decisions for themselves.
This is kind of our duty to spread this image about us. There are strong women in Gaza, women who dance, who play music, who box, who play football. Very successful and very powerful women.
We are not only victims of wars and we do not only exist and live in this miserable life. No, we fight.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: An extraordinary report, isn't it? Since the filming of that piece, some of the girls have returned to the gym this past week. They are safe and healthy.
And this just in. The surging coronavirus cases in Argentina are forcing organizers to suspend the COPA America football tournament. Organizers say they will consider offers from other countries to host the tournament which was scheduled to kick off 13 days from now.
Argentina reported more than 39,000 COVID cases on Sunday.
[01:54:57]
HOLMES: Helio Castroneves won the Indy 500 on Sunday, but the race was about so much more than his record tying victory. The event was billed as a sporting event with the largest crowd in the U.S. Since the beginning of the pandemic. And although capacity was still limited, every ticket sold out almost immediately.
CNN's Coy Wire reports from Indianapolis.
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COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORT CORRESPONDENT: 135,000 strong at the Indy 500, still only 40 percent capacity at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The tracks sold all available tickets making this the biggest single day sporting event in the U.S. since the start of the pandemic.
It was loud. It was very crowded in high traffic areas, but this is a massive venue, capacity of about 350,000, there's still plenty of space if you want to have it. Fans were excited to be back in an event of this magnitude. You could feel it, it was emotional at times as well, especially before the race with a flyover. They honored 105 health care workers and first responders.
This was the fastest Indy 500 ever. And 46-year-old Brazilian Helio Castroneves takes the checkered flag, Second place finish, Alex Palou was just four years old when he won his first Indy 500 back in 2001.
It's the former "Dancing with the Stars" champs 4th Indy 500 win, tying him with three other drivers for the most ever.
Spider-Man climbing the fence once again after an emotional win in front of returning fans. And of course he drank the traditional jug of milk as well. 2 percent strawberry was his choice. What a career. A 20-year span between his first and latest Indy 500 wins.
HELIA CASTRONEVES, Indy 500 winner: It means a lot. It means a lot of people want to see this happen. I just want to hug everyone. I just want to like -- I draw this positive attitude from them. And I guess it paid off today. So, incredible. I was very touched by it.
WIRE: The year of I am still here in sports, Tom Brady won another Super Bowl at 43. Phil Mickelson, became the oldest man to win a gulf major at 50. Now Helio Castroneves, winning the gulf spectacle in racing at 46. And with 135,000 fans returning to the Indy 500. This felt like a celebration. A special milestone in the quest to return to normalcy. Back to you.
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HOLMES: Our thanks to Coy Wire.
Thank you for watching. I'm Michael Holmes. You can follow me on Instagram and Twitter @HolmesCNN.
Do stick around though, the news continues after a quick break.
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