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Last U.S. Troops Set to Leave Afghanistan's Bagram Air Base; Hong Kong Police Officer Stabbed in "Lone Wolf' Attack; Xi: China Will "Smash" Taiwan Independence Attempts; W.H.O.: New Cases Up 10 Percent in Europe, First Increase Since April; Tourism Business Looks for Recovery from COVID; Turkey Exits Violence Against Women Treaty; Trump Org, CFO Charged in 15-Year Tax Fraud Scheme; OECD: 130 Nations Back Global Minimum Corporate Tax; Airlines Report Sharp Increase in Unruly Passengers. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired July 02, 2021 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:48]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. This is CNN NEWSROOM, I'm John Vause.
And coming up, in just a few hours, all U.S. troops scheduled to be out of Afghanistan, a quite low key withdrawal, an end to almost two decades of war.
For thousands of football fans, the thrill of the match could soon be followed by the symptoms of COVID. Health officials feeling Euro 2020 may be a super-spreader event.
And the E.U. unveils pandemic passport. But will it help the travel and tourism industry trying to recover from trillion dollar losses?
(MUSIC)
VAUSE: We are following breaking news out of Afghanistan. A senior defense official telling CNN that the last American troops are expected to leave Bagram airbase north of the capital Kabul within the coming hours. That brings to an end America's longest ever war.
What began on the night of October 7, 2001 is Operation During Freedom and the beginning of America's war on terror became an almost 2 decades long stalemate between U.S. and coalition forces and the Taliban.
CNN's Anna Coren is live in Kabul for us this hour with some very latest on this.
So, what more do we know at this point, Anna?
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, at the height of this war, there were over 100,000 U.S. troops in the country. By the end of today, there will be less than 1,000. Perhaps just 600 and their job will be to protect the U.S. embassy and to provide security for the international airport and the Turkish forces in place. As you say, this will end America's longest war, 20 years, $2 trillion
spent here, 2,400 lives lost. American lives lost, 1,200 coalition forces not to mention the hundreds of thousands of Afghans who have died.
This departure by the Americans, this withdrawal which has been executed by the U.S. general, Four-Star General Austin Scott Miller really has been shrouded in secrecy. The deadline was initially for September 11th. That's what was set by the U.S. President Joe Biden. That has been brought forward. We were thinking perhaps this weekend but now those troops will be home, John, by the 4th of July.
VAUSE: And you also sat down with Abdullah Abdullah, he was head of peace talks. He's also from the Northern Alliance. Not surprisingly, he doesn't have a lot of optimism right now.
COREN: No, John. He doesn't. We did sit down with him and his assessment is quite bleak. He said it would not be up to the Afghans for the Americans to leave. It's not what they wanted but this is the reality and we have to live with it.
The national security forces have to rise to the occasion despite the mass casualties that they are encountering on the battlefield. The withdrawal coming as the Taliban launches its mass offensive across the country. Take a listen to part of this interview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Dr. Abdullah, how can you guarantee Afghanistan will not be a safe haven for terrorists in the future?
ADBULLAH ABDULLAH, AFGHAN HIGH COUNCIL FOR NATIONAL RECONCILIATION: I don't think there is a guarantee. And a Taliban have failed their promise that they will de-link with al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. We don't have many signs of that. So, that's the danger, for us, as well as for the region and beyond.
COREN: A U.S. intelligence report said the Afghan government could form within six months once troops withdraw. Do you see the Taliban one day toppling the Afghan government?
ABDULLAH: No. That maybe there thinking, thinking in parts of Taliban movement. But this will not happen.
COREN: You are obviously in charge of the peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban. You said yourself they've made no progress. What is the latest?
ABDULLAH: Little progress, very slow pace.
[01:05:01]
And to look at the urgency of the situation look at what's going on in the country and the opportunities we must as a result of the continuation of the war.
COREN: What do you think the past 20 years America's longest war has achieved for Afghanistan?
ABDULLAH: Most part of Afghanistan was under the Taliban control. Al- Qaeda was freelancing. Osama bin Laden was planning Washington and New York from Afghanistan. That part, of course, some challenges remain. The situation of women in Afghanistan, so freedoms, freedom of speech, awareness of the people about their rights, it's a very different Afghanistan today.
COREN: We've been speaking to so many Afghans who now just want to leave the country with the deteriorating security situation. What is your message to these people, these people who were perhaps the future of this country?
ABDULLAH: Our country, our people are going through very, very difficult times. The world has supported us and they will continue to support, but it is only us who can save it. Those who believe in military takeover take responsibility for the continuation of the misery of the people, suffering of the people. And they will not have their ideas materialized.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
COREN: You know, John, America leaves Afghanistan not strong, prosperous or secure. As I mentioned before, the Taliban launching massive offenses across the country, particularly in the north. It's obviously coinciding with the U.S. withdrawal.
You have this sense there is going to be no peace, that there could be impending civil war just around the corner. We know the Taliban has no interest in power sharing agreement with the government. The only group that sees today as a victory is the Taliban.
VAUSE: Anna, thank you. Anna Coren live for us in Kabul.
Hong Kong police officer has been stabbed in what the security chief is calling a lone wolf terrorist attack. And on-duty officer was stabbed in the back on Thursday night. The attacker then stabbed himself in the chest.
CNN senior international correspondent Ivan Watson live in Hong Kong with more details on this.
So, what more do we know about this terrorist attack?
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It appears this was effectively a suicide stabbing, John, according to the account described by the Hong Kong police, taking place at 10:00 last night in the heart of the commercial district here in Hong Kong's causeway bay area, where there were plenty of people out or would be on any evening.
And I have to warn viewers now because this attack was caught on video, and it may be disturbing. But you can see it appears the assailant described as 50 year old man just walked up to a police officer on duty. They're a lot of police out deployed throughout the city yesterday stabbed him in the back. That officer was rushed to emergency medical care. You can show that video, we have to warn viewers it is disturbing.
And then seconds afterwards, the attacker stabbed himself in the chest, and was seen by eyewitnesses with an awful lot of blood on the ground, died within an hour and a half of the initial attack.
It's not clear what the motive was but the Hong Kong authorities describe this as a lone wolf act of terrorism. Take a listen to it further they have to say about the investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS TANG, HONG KONG SECURITY CHIEF (through translator): At this point in time there is no evidence pointing to a state of organized crime. The attacker acted on his own. However, investigations at his home, we've picked up his laptop and believe that the motivation for his attack comes from the backing and an encouragement of others in doing violent behavior. He was radicalized.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: Authorities here are saying there are others who have blood on their hands for encouraging and romanticizing violence here in Hong Kong.
Now, this took place honorable anniversary we on every of the founding of the Communist Party 100 years ago. The anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong from British to Chinese rule. And a day when typically there was a peaceful pro democracy march through the city every year for more than a decade banned yesterday ostensibly due to COVID pandemic public health concerns.
So instead of a peaceful pro democracy protest march, you had this very disturbing act of violence.
[01:10:03]
And we don't know what exactly motivated it -- John.
VAUSE: Ivan, thank you. Ivan Watson there live for us in Hong Kong.
Chinese President Xi Jinping made a point of warning Taiwan any attempt at formal independence would be smashed. That's one comment from his speech on Thursday, marking the centenary of the Chinese Communist Party and those bellicose words are causing concerns across the Asia Pacific region and beyond.
The rise of China's military when it comes to space and missiles as well as the cyber domain as many on edge.
CNN's Will Ripley is taking a closer look at all this and is standing out live in Taipei -- Will.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, it was very clear when President Xi spoke yesterday that the one piece, perhaps the biggest piece of unfinished business for the CCP is reuniting the mainland with Taiwan, a self governing island for more than 70 years that has a democratic system, but is not recognized by Beijing. They say the not ruling out taking it back by force. But experts say force might not just the military intimidation. They say Beijing is engaging in cyber warfare, disinformation campaigns, and attempts to sow seeds of unrest and chaos and make people hear question their democratic system.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY (voice over): Prepare for war. The menacing message of mainland Chinese propaganda aimed at the islands of Taiwan. Military intimidation in real-time, 28 Chinese war planes entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone. Taiwan calls it the largest air incursion ever reported.
In this inclusive interview, Taiwan's Foreign Minister, Joseph Wu tells CNN China is engaging in psychological warfare.
JOSEPH WU, TAIWAN MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: They want to shape Taiwanese people's cognition. That Taiwan is very dangerous. Taiwan cannot do without China.
RIPLEY: More than 23 million people caught in the crossfire, a battle between Beijing and Taipei, a fight for their hearts and minds.
I'm flying to the front lines, across the Taiwan Strait to the small island of Kinmen more than 200 miles from the Taiwanese capital, just six miles from mainland China. Kinmen is the only place in Taiwan that saw actual combat during the China's civil war ending in 1949. Many buildings bear the scars, the fighting, ferocious. Nationalist forces fended off communist troops, effectively shielding Taiwan's main island, warding off a Chinese invasion.
ANDY YANG, MAGISTRATE OF KINMEN COUNTY (through translator): Kinmen people often say only those who experienced war can understand its horror. We have the right to say loudly we want peace.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This place we called Dandong (ph) --
RIPLEY: Longtime tour guide Robin Yang (ph) takes me underground to one of the island's massive military bunkers. Once top secret, now abandoned. He also shows me how China's relentless artillery barrage left the island with mountains of old shells.\
When the battle ended the shells kept flying. Local historians say half a million of these landed on Kinmen between 1958 and 1978, but this was not artillery. These shelves were full of communist propaganda. The beginning of what experts call a decade's long disinformation and war. A war super charged by social media.
How dangerous is disinformation?
PUMA SHEN, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF CRIMINOLOGY, NATIONAL TAIPEI UNIVERSITY: The danger here is that the main goal of all this disinformation campaign is to create chaos and create distrust.
RIPLEY: Is China doing this exact same thing in the United States?
SHEN: Yes, definitely. And also, in Australia, Canada, also Europe.
RIPLEY: Beijing denies disinformation warfare. China's Taiwan affairs office has previously called Taipei's accusations imaginary.
Experts say the threat goes well beyond disinformation. the Taiwanese government says its hit by 20 million cyberattacks every month. Targets include defense computer systems, finance, communications, even critical infrastructure.
ALLEN OWN, CO-FOUNDER, DEVCORE (through translator): In information security we believe World War III will happen over the internet.
RIPLEY: Basically, every aspect of our life for which we rely on computers could immediately be turned off.
OWN: Yes.
RIPLEY: Taiwan's major gas company CPC was hit by a major malware attack. A ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline, which U.S. intel believes came from Russia, paralyzed the U.S. East Coast.
TSAI SUNG-TING, FOUNDER, TEAM T5: Just imagine what just happened in the United States. You could do nothing.
RIPLEY: Cyber is a bigger threat than --
SUNG-TING: Yes.
RIPLEY: -- nuclear weapons.
SUNG-TING: Yes, from my point of view, because it is happening every day.
RIPLEY: Taiwan's President, Tsai Ing-wen, named cyberattacks a matter of national security.
Back on Kinmen Island, this 30-foot loudspeaker spent decades blasting anti-communist propaganda to the mainland.
[01:15:03]
A super-sized reminder of how much things have changed.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY: Well, over a week ago, we reached out to the Taiwan affairs off, as the council, and mainland. We reached out to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment specifically on this story. I keep refreshing my inbox, still no response.
When we look through previous Chinese denials of cyber warfare, they like to point the finger at a country that not even having a larger cyber army, United States -- John.
VAUSE: Will Ripley, thank you. Keep checking. Will Ripley there live in Taipei. For 10 weeks, COVID infections had been falling in Europe and now the
World Health Organization reports a 10 percent spike in new COVID cases this week. Health experts a crucial factor is too many unvaccinated people and highly contagious delta variant. One WHO official says the Delta variant coupled with those of vaccinations and relaxed travel restrictions do not bode well for the future.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANS KLUGE, W.H.O. REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR EUROPE: By August, the W.H.O. region will be Delta dominant. But by August the region will not be fully vaccinated. Sixty-three percent of people are still waiting for their first jab. And in August, the W.H.O. region restriction free with increasing travels and gatherings.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And scenes like this in London have health experts worry they say football fans have gathered in large numbers for the year 23 championships and pushing of the infection rate. Finished officials say cases nearly doubled after fans returned from football matches that Russia.
Since it was first identified in India, the Delta variant has spread across the globe and appears to be on track to be our most prevalent strain on the planet. Strict COVID rules have been relaxed in parts of Australia, but 5 million people in Sydney will remain locked down until July 9th.
The Prime Minister Scott Morrison says it's time the country developed a new mindset about the pandemic. So it can be manageable like a seasonal flu. And 8 percent of Australia's population is fully vaccinated and the success the prime minister's plan will rest on vaccination goals.
In the meantime, the country will only allow up to 3,000 international visitors each week for the remainder of the year, half of what it had committed.
Bangladesh is showing it's serious when it comes to enforcing its COVID lockdown. Police arrested 250 people on Thursday for violating strict measures on the first day it wanted to effect. For seven days, no one is allowed to leave their homes except for emergencies. Officers, public transportation, malls, shut down.
Those charged could face six months in jail. Bangladesh saw nearly 9,000 new cases on Wednesday. That's a daily record.
Well, parts of Africa also experiencing a COVID surge. The World Health Organization says case numbers are doubling every three weeks on the continent, fueled in many countries by the spread of the Delta variant. The W.H.O. says hospitalizations are on the rise, the demand for oxygen is higher than it was during the first COVID peek a year ago.
And there are growing concerns in Chile that the Delta variant could upend the country successful COVID vaccine rollout. Well, cases have slightly declined since its second wave. Questions are now being asked over the efficacy of the Chinese made vaccine, which was used for much of the population.
We have details now from CNN's Rafael Romo.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It seemed like Chile had done everything right and its fight against COVID-19 at the beginning, acquiring vaccines, implementing lockdowns, and mobilizing its health system. More than 65 percent of people in Chile have been fully vaccinated by far the best right in all of Latin America. Yet infections and hospitalizations remain elevated.
Evidently those patients who haven't been vaccinated are admitted in a massive way to intensive care units, especially those 50 and younger, the Chilean health minister said. He adds that younger people feel there are immune to the virus which leads on to take unnecessary risks.
And last, week the health minister announced the first case of the Delta variant that the country, a 43 year old woman who had traveled to the United States.
According to Chile's health ministry, less than 3,000 people are currently in intensive care units due to COVID-19. As of the end of May, 63 percent of those in ICUs had not received any vaccination at all.
There's a debate in Chile whether the country relied too much on a single vaccine, nearly 90 percent of those who had been inoculated have received Chinese made Coronavac shots. According to the Chilean health ministry, it's 85 percent effective in preventing serious illness from COVID-19. But a study conducted by the University of Chile shows it's only 54 percent effective in preventing infection.
[01:20:06]
Gao Fu, the director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told a conference in southwestern China in April that the protection rates of existing vaccines are not high. A rare public admission from the country's top health official.
And the president of Chile's main medical association says vaccination by itself as a single strategy is not enough to reduce infections. She adds that it takes time to achieve results and that Chile as a country even with quarantines was not effective in stopping people from moving around and that contact tracing of the virus needs to improve.
Some Chileans are comparing themselves with countries like Israel where most people received the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, which is more than 90 percent effective at preventing infection.
Other experts say Chile is different because of the spread of variants.
The variants that are circulating in our country like gamma can explain a higher rate of infection in patients with more serious symptoms, this ICU medical director says. He adds that unlike Israel, in Chile, the vaccination campaign was not implemented together with strict lockdowns as was the case in Israel.
Testing has been properly in our country, but contact tracing without a doubt is still deficient, he says. So far, Chile has had more than 1.5 million confirmed cases since the pandemic was declared. More than 30,000 people have died. Some fear the situation may get even worse given that winter in the southern hemisphere has already begun.
Rafael Romo, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Still to come here, Joe Biden consoler in chief, the U.S. president with families and first responders at that building collapse in South Florida. Efforts to get humanitarian aid into the Tigray and Ethiopia facing a news back. Ahead, keep details on that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Joe Biden has met with families of those missing in the south Florida condo collapse and told him never give up hope. The U.S. president met with first responders and rescue workers, and praised the families' resilience.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The whole nation is born with these families. They see it every day on television. We've gone through hell. And those who survived the collapse as well as those who are missing loved ones.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Search and rescue efforts are underway again after being suspended briefly over safety concerns. The Miami-Dade fire chief reports dangers shifting in the structure, and a large column hanging from the building which is standing in danger of falling. Authorities say the remaining tower likely be demolished although a final decision could take weeks.
[01:25:01]
In the coming hours, U.N. Security Council scheduled to hold an open meeting on the conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray region. This comes after 8 months of brutal fighting and war atrocities. A full-blown humanitarian crisis is underway with hundreds of thousands of people facing famine. And now, a key bridge used deliver aid to Tigray has been destroyed and unclear why.
CNN's Nima Elbagir is tracking the latest developments.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIMA ELBAGIR, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Many of those advocating on behalf of civilians stuck in the middle of the violence in Ethiopia's Tigray Region have been wondering for months now, where is the international community, and specifically the very highest levels of the international community, the United Nations Security Council. They have yet to hold a single public meeting on the situation in Tigray. And for many within the Council itself, like the United States' Ambassador to the United Nations, this has been caused for some pretty clear frustration.
LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD, US AMBASSADOR TO UN: The Security Council's failure is unacceptable. We have addressed other emerging crisis with public meetings, but not with this one. So I asked those who refuse to address this issue publicly, do African lives not matter?
ELBAGIR: But now Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, in conjunction with the United Kingdom and Ireland, are pushing for a meeting, an emergency meeting on the situation in Tigray by the end of day, Friday. This comes after sources tell us that Russia, China, some African nations, and others among them, have been blocking public meetings on the situation in Ethiopia, preferring to view it as an internal Ethiopian issue, in spite of the growing evidence of war crimes, atrocities and sanctions being levied unilaterally by the United States, among others.
The European Union Commission has also sought to withdraw all but the most critical of aid, and yet, the highest international body, the body that is meant to facilitate and join up international cooperation, to face these kinds of challenges has been silent. Both the United States, Ireland and the United Kingdom have said that they hope that that will change by the end of day Friday, and that finally, there will be some kind of international position of censure to bring the escalating conflict in Ethiopia to a close.
Nima Elbagir, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: We'll take a short break. When we come back, how to recover from a $4 trillion hit. That's the challenge for the global travel and tourism industry which is being ravaged by the pandemic. It's a challenge more crucial to some countries than others.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:30:14]
VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone.
You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause.
Thailand, a most popular island is open again but only for vaccinated tourists. On Thursday morning, more than two dozen people arrived on a flight from Abu Dhabi. One of four flights scheduled for Thursday as part of the new Phuket Sandbox program. Thailand's tourism minister says this reopening is necessary to restart the pandemic-battered economy. There is a list of conditions if you want to visit.
Still the minister says he's expecting about 100,000 people to travel to Phuket in the next three months.
As Thailand reopens, the European Union is introducing a new travel passport. The green pass, a digital certificate got up and running on Thursday, allowing people who've been fully-vaccinated to travel within the block.
It also includes people who's had COVID in the past and those who recently tested negative. But the pass only recognizes vaccines approved by E.U. regulators. That's four of them and it excludes India's Covishield vaccine which is the backbone of the inoculations in many countries. The E.U. says Covishield's makers never applied for authorization.
Countries across the world are moving to reopen for travelers and hopefully give the tourism business a badly-needed jump-start. What lies ahead for the industry after that brutal beating from the pandemic.
For that, Tom Jenkins joins us via Skype from London. He's CEO of the European Tourism Association, getting up very early there to join us what -- 6 30 there in London. Thank you Tom, for being with us. It's appreciated.
TOM JENKINS, CEO, EUROPEAN TOURISM ASSOCIATION: Not at all.
VAUSE: So tell me, what's your assessment of these E.U. travel permits? One of the big complaints I hear is this lack of consistency because each member states sets their own rules which means different requirements on very basic questions like when you should be tested for COVID-19? Should it be two weeks before you go or two days?
JENKINS: Well, I mean we witnessed an extraordinary breaking out of national self-interest throughout the European Union, indeed throughout the world. And you'll find that individual nations have suddenly taken it unto themselves to do things like close borders, which is what we were seeing last year.
So within that context, the European Union passport is really rather welcome. I mean it's a sign that the European Commission and the powers in Brussels are trying to take back the agenda and get people moving again.
VAUSE: It's still a bit confusing though, isn't it? There's no sort of consistency here when it comes to, you know, the rules which vary from country to country.
JENKINS: Well, it's half full or half empty. The good news is we are starting to see some consistency.
VAUSE: Fair enough. JENKINS: Up until now we have seen anarchy. So, you know, I think this is a good step. It's a step in the right direction.
VAUSE: Fair point.
You know, the travel industry needs all the help it can get right now. Last year was pretty much an economic disaster. International travel was down 73 percent compared to pre-pandemic 2019 costing the global tourism industry, $2.4 trillion.
The expectations are almost as bad for this year as well if you look at those numbers there. Somewhere between $1.7 trillion and $2.4 trillion of losses.
You know, this could potentially cost the global economy $5 trillion over two years. Even the rebound not expected until 2023. So what does tourism look like in the coming years? What will emerge from this carnage?
JENKINS: Well, you're asking us a Donald Rumsfeld memorial question there. I think it's an unknown unknown. I think that the -- I think certain things we can say is that I think, looking at what my members are reporting, and my members sell Europe throughout the world, we are seeing unprecedented levels of interest in traveling again.
Everyone is sick to death of being where they were. So I think the prospects for a reasonably rapid bounce back in leisure travel to be quite good. And I think, you know, you are going to see towards the end of this year and next year, a real recovery in confidence and activity on the leisure tourism side.
What happens to business travel, what happens to company's incentives is an open question.
VAUSE: Well, the situation right now -- here's Zoritza Urosevic from the U.N. World Tourism Organization for a bit of context as to what it's like right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZORITSA UROSEVIC, U.N. WORLD TOURISM ORGANIZATION: We are currently in international tourism at levels of 30 years ago. So basically we are in the year of 80s, so not much crowd.
The problem that we are mainly facing is that many livelihoods have really at a threat (ph).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: You know, depending on the country, this is a problem or it is a desperate crisis. You know, for the Maldives which is, you know, a $3 billion industry, I think it's 75 percent of their GDP.
[01:34:58]
VAUSE: Clearly it's a much bigger issue for them, especially when you look at other places like Vanuatu, you know, Antigua and Barbados who, you know, rely on tourism for more than half of their GDP and you know, thousands and hundreds of thousands of jobs.
But then getting vaccinations down in the dust (ph) as well is also crucial. And then we also have the inequities of the vaccination rollout.
So this is a question of the end result, if you'd like, of the vaccines not being distributed equally around the world. And these countries, their economies will actually depend and their jobs will depend on whether or not they can get those vaccines.
So how do you marry these two problems together? How do you get to a point where there's equitable vaccine and the countries that need tourism can get those vaccine so they can continue on?
JENKINS: Well, you've broadened the issue out to the point where I admit I can't answer it. I think the point you are making there are some countries where tourism is vital is well made and well put.
The thing I would stress is nearly every country, tourism is vital in some areas, even in advanced countries. I mean you can take London for example 50 percent of the spend -- 50 percent of the spend is in Oxford Street and is made by foreign visitors.
So well, one hearts bleed for -- one's heart bleeds for people in Vanuatu. And I appreciate they really, you know, this is an international aid effort that needs to take place. The crisis in tourism is universal.
VAUSE: Yes, it's a good point, Tom. I'm glad you sort of managed to (INAUDIBLE) my question for me. That was good of you. I appreciate that.
And it's a good point to finish on. Yes. It is a crucial question for so many countries and so many people's jobs and livelihoods are at stake right now. Tom Jenkins, CEO of the European Tourism Association, thanks for getting up early.
JENKINS. Not at all. Thanks for staying up late.
Take care.
VAUSE: Always a pleasure.
Well, Turkey turns its back on a treaty seen as the gold standard when it comes to protecting women from violence and femicide and people are furious there. We will hear from the family of a young woman murdered by her husband.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Well, Turkey has now officially withdrawn from Europe's Violence Against Women Treaty. It was seen as a huge blow to women's rights.
Thousands have been protesting the decision including this group of lawyers chanting "We are not giving up".
Turkey first announced it was leaving the convention back in March saying it had been, quote, "hijacked by people trying to normalize homosexuality". The E.U. and U.S. are urging Turkey to reverse course.
More now from Arwa Damon and a warning, her reporting includes descriptions of violence that is disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Serdar Unlu can't come to terms with what happened to his daughter.
(on camera): Their last photograph together?
[01:40:00]
DAMON (voice over): "Surely, he says, something more could have been done, should have been done to save Sezen (ph) and his unborn grandchild.
SERDAR UNLU, FATHER OF SEZEN: I see her in front of me. I can see her next to you. I can see her face.
DAMON (on camera): Does she say anything to you?
UNLU: No. She's just standing in front of me.
DAMON (voice over): It's almost as if he had a premonition of what would come in a society that he says doesn't value women. He took on multiple jobs to educate her so she could work, survive on her own, and never have to rely on a man.
Serdar had begged his daughter not to get married but she didn't listen. She was just 16 and in what she thought was love. Then Serdar says the beatings and abuse began.
The family filed two complaints that resulted in a restraining order. Sezen moved back in with her father.
"If he had just been detained for three months, six months, my daughter would be alive," Serdar mourns. Sezen's husband lured her into meeting up with him, Serdar says, stabbing her 17 times. Killing her and their unborn baby boy.
If only this tragic story was a rare occurrence in Turkey. Women's rights groups that track femicide rates here say that on average one woman a day is killed by someone she knows -- a family member, husband, boyfriend, lover.
Three years ago, Gulsum Postaci, a domestic abuse survivor herself, initiated free self-defense classes. Some of those who attend want to protect themselves from harassment on public transportation or in the streets. Others are in more threatening situations.
"We are born into a society that villainizes women due to its patriarchal system as soon as we are born," Gulsum explains. "Our rage grows by the day."
And so too does their fear. A fear that no woman should have to feel and yet all too many do.
Turkey's withdrawal from the Istanbul convention, a European human rights treaty that aims to end gender-based violence is an attack on women's lives, Gulsum says. The irony, is that Turkey was actually the first country to ratify it.
Sezen's father says his daughters organs were so butchered by the repeated stabbings that none were viable to be donated. Just her eyes.
"Our only hope is the eyes of our daughter that remained in the world," he says. "God willing, she will see the world with those eyes."
Sezen's aunt Saniye (ph) feels like she is going insane. She says she wants to smash in her head, beat herself just to end the pain, just for it to stop.
She had raised Sezen as own after Sezen's mother left. She grabs my hands, the same way she grabbed Sezen's when she begged Sezen for the truth about her relationship with her abusive husband.
Sezen's husband has been detained, and is awaiting trial according to authorities. His plea is not yet public. The real crux is not with justice once the crime has been committed. It's with the systems, social and judicial that allow it to get this far.
"I want my child back. I want my child back," Saniye wails. "I can't forget. I can't forget."
Arwa Damon, CNN, Izmir.
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VAUSE: More than two years of investigations have now led to the first criminal charges against the Trump Organization, Donald Trump's real estate company. New York prosecutors accuse the Trump Organization and its financial chief officer of helping executives keep income off the books for 15 years and evade taxes.
Paula Reid has details.
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PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: The namesake company of former president, Trump now charged with tax crimes along with one of its top executives, Allen Weisselberg, the chief financial officer for the Trump Organization led into court in handcuffs.
To the judge, prosecutors described a 15-year tax scheme charging Weisselberg, Trump's payroll corporation and the Trump Organization, 15 pounds against the CFO and 10 against the former presidents namesake company.
Prosecutors allege Weisselberg evaded taxes on $1.7 million in compensation, all three defendants pleaded not guilty.
Weisselberg's attorney announcing in a statement he will fight the charges. His indictment and charges against the Trump Organization come after more than two-year probe by the Manhattan DA Cy Vance.
[01:44:58]
REID: An investigation which ultimately led to obtaining Trump's tax records in a Supreme Court battle. Investigators have been focusing on perks awarded to employees like free apartments, cars, and even school tuition. Benefits that would amount to tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars, and were allegedly not properly reported for tax purposes.
(on camera): Allen, how are you feeling?
(voice over): The Trump Organization fired back today claiming prosecutors are using Weisselberg, quote, as a pawn in a scorched earth attempt to harm the former president. Saying in a statement "The district attorney is bringing a criminal prosecution involving employee benefits that neither the IRS nor any other district attorney would ever think of bringing. is not justice. This is politics."
Lawyers for the Trump Organization spoke after court.
ALAN FUTERFAS, TRUMP ORGANIZATION ATTORNEY: If the name of the company was something else I don't think these charges would have been brought.
REID (on camera): No indication that the former president or any member of his family will be charged anytime soon. But these charges certainly increase the pressure on a long time CFO, who so far has been resistant to pressure to cooperate against the former president.
Prosecutors will likely need a cooperating witness or two to successfully pursue former President Trump.
Paula Reid, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Well, a global minimum corporate tax rate is closer to reality with the Organization for Economic Corporation Development saying 130 nations, including China and India have now endorsed the plan.
CNN's Clare Sebastian explains what this could mean for some big multinational companies.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: To have 130 countries agree to this is a massive step forward in a protest that's taken the best part of the decade.
Now, this deal aims to solve several problems. One is that big international companies have been able to avoid taxes by shifting their headquarters or locations to lower tax countries.
This deal aims to solve that by allowing the profits of the biggest companies in the world to be taxed not only where they have a physical presence, but where they make their sales.
Now, the other problem it aims to solve is that countries have been lowering their corporate tax rates to attract these companies. The deal would avoid that by setting a global minimum corporate tax rate of 15 percent.
Now, the deal targets primarily, though not exclusively the big U.S. tech giants like Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft and Google.
And it was made possible by a compromise this year from the Biden administration, allowing the profits of these big companies to be taxed around the world in exchange for that global minimum tax, which is something the administration has been pushing for.
In a statement today the U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the race to the bottom is one step closer to coming to an end.
Her French counterpart Bruno Le Maire called this the most important international tax agreement in a century. Now, there is still some way to go. Not least because this is not a unanimous agreement, there were nine countries who did not sign up to the deal today. And Ireland, perhaps not surprisingly, was one of them.
It has a 12.5 percent corporate tax rate, which has attracted some of these big tech companies, like Facebook and Apple have their European headquarters in the Ireland.
The financial minister saying he couldn't sign to the global minimum tax as yet but he continues to work towards consensus.
And there is another concern that this does not do enough to help the poorest countries in the world, Oxfam today in a statement called this no more than a G7 money grab, saying that only 3 percent of the proceeds from the global minimum tax would go to the poorest countries in the world.
Now, the OECD says that it had several months to iron out the final technical issues around this deal and it hopes for a final agreement in October.
Clare Sebastian, CNN -- New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Well, if you've taken a flight these days, you may have noticed the skies are not so friendly of late.
Unruly passenger behavior is way up especially in the U.S. And It's not just on airlines. It's sporting events, freak out outlets almost everywhere.
What is going on? We'll have more of that in a moment.
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VAUSE: Well, summer air travel in the northern hemisphere is picking up and so too, it seems, bad behavior from some very unruly passengers.
Like this mid-air fistfight between two women, or this man dragged off a Delta Airline flight seem becoming very common these days. One major reason is some passengers refusing to abide by federal rules that they must wear a mask.
One expert tells CNN masks have become a symbol for something else, that no matter what you do, wear one, don't wear one, in the eyes of someone else, you are wrong.
Now, these reports have been increasing since the year it began. And up to 3,200 cases of passengers becoming disorderly in the air.
Southwest Airlines says it had several operations during flights that involved passengers insulting flight attendants.
One confrontation with a flight attendant who had two teeth knocked out. Both in Southwest and American Airlines, stopped offering alcohol on board.
This behavior just isn't happening on planes, it's happening at sporting events, parks, restaurants, the list goes on.
Joining me now from Los Angeles is Judy Ho, a clinical and forensic neuropsychologist. And it's good to see you. It's been a while.
JUDY HO, CLINICAL AND FORENSIC NEUROPSYCHOLOST: Yes, it's been a while, John. How are you?
VAUSE: I'm good. I'm good. I'm glad you're with us.
Let's start with the unfriendly skies, ok. According to the FAA, 2021, they've seen more than 3,000 reports of unruly passenger behavior, almost 500 investigations compared to last year for a total of 183 investigations and compared to 2019 which is probably a better benchmark, 146.
After one incident in May, the union representing the Southwest Airlines flight attendants urging the company to take stronger steps to protect its members from an epidemic of aggression and assault.
It's so bad the FAA is warning that $35,000 fines or prison time for bad behavior (INAUDIBLE). You know, there are examples of aggressive, rude behavior everywhere, but why is it so much worse it seems on commercial airlines?
HO: Well, you know, the pandemic really is a community level trauma, something that everyone in the world has experienced at some level. And when people experience trauma they are more likely to be hypervigilant and to have their fight or flight reflexes provoked more easily.
And this can cause people to have outbursts and act out emotionally rather than letting cooler heads prevail especially when they're feeling like they're disrespected.
Now, most people during the pandemic, they've been told that there are so many rules. They feel out of control. They have no idea when these different types of guidelines are going to end.
And it seems like there's a different opinion no matter who you speak to. You know, you might run into a colleague or a friend who might have a different opinion as you.
So people are used to having their guard up and adding to that, the fact that this last year and change, people have been masked. You know, it's been harder to read social cues. It's like we're having to learn social etiquette all over again.
VAUSE: Ok. So that's the situation I guess in general (INAUDIBLE) -- but look at the NBA. 5 venues have issued bans for disrespectful behavior by fans, that was during the playoffs. And the league actually had to issue a new guideline, a standard of behavior for fans.
And here's part of that guideline, that statement which came out from the NBA. It says, "It's critical that we all show respect for players, officials and our fellow fans. And enhanced fan code of conduct will be vigorously enforced in order to ensure a safe and respectful environment for all involved."
You know, that just seems like the kind of stuff that we were taught at kindergarten or maybe elementary school. Be nice to one each other. We have to teach this again?
HO: Yes, you know, it is so crazy, because most people have been somewhat isolated over this last year and a half. And when humans are isolated, this causes a significant level of stress not only mentally, but also physically.
We are not really meant to be alone. And honestly I think that in some ways we are having to relearn all of our social relationships again. What it is to be kind to each other, especially because this increased isolation causes people more so to essentially provoke this idea of us versus them.
It's like we are in it for ourselves. We have to protect ourselves. And there's a lot of fear and suspicion that comes to that when you see somebody that you don't know. You have no idea what their intentions are.
And instead of assuming maybe the best in people, or even neutral intentions, people are just assuming automatically the worst.
[01:55:01] VAUSE: And then there was the case in the U.K. This video emerged this week of England's chief medical officer Chris Whitty being harassed by two young men in a park, one of whom has now apologized.
Not the first time Whitty has been confronted like this. In May, he was accused of lying to the public. He's also accosted outside parliament I think back in February.
Now, before the pandemic, no one would consider it acceptable to maybe attack the head of the weather bureau, the National Weather Office because it was raining.
Why did some people believe this behavior is acceptable now?
HO: Well you know, there's definitely a theme of entitlement that we see through all of these different incidents. And I think that again, you know, the level of mistrust and fear that is out there right now, people are thinking we have to roll up our sleeves and take care of business ourselves.
Now, obviously that does not mean that every single person is going to go to violence, but if a person already has a predisposition towards violence or having anger problems, or maybe believing on some level that this is the way to solve problems, or actually watching people do this in social media and seeing that this is how other people are solving problems, it's almost like we are roll modeling with them.
And we're saying oh, maybe this is the way that we are going to finally get some kind of resolution. And it's really, really concerning.
VAUSE: Do you have any tips, quickly on how we can all act like grown- ups again?
HO: Yes. Take a deep breath. As I mentioned, when we've been through some level of trauma, you know, there is that sense of fight or flight that is always provoked. You have to take a deep breath and try to convince yourself, you know what, there's nothing to fear here.
So before you act and before you get into trouble, pay a fine or go to jail or worse, take a deep breath. The deep breath actually really helps to reset you into that perisympathetic (ph) nervous system. The opposite of the fight or flight.
And from there it's really important to communicate, people often just assume things without actually checking it out. Ask a question. Asked them what happened. Ask them why this is a guideline that I have to follow.
But have dialogue. I feel like we have not been used to communicating as much, especially with the masks on. That's been very exhausting for people to talk. So let's get back to the basics. Start communicating again with your words.
VAUSE: With that our communication time is over. But it was good to talk to you, Judy. Thank you so much. Good to see you. HO: You too, John, thank you.
VAUSE: Take care.
Well, we're following breaking news this hour, Defense officials telling CNN that the last American and NATO troops have left big -- Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan complete as America's withdrawal nears completion.
The sprawling compound has become the center of military power in Afghanistan. We'll have a live report from Kabul in just a few minutes please. Stay with us here on CNN.
And thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm John Vause.
After the break Paula Newton takes over. You're watching CNN.
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