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Few Spectators for Opening Ceremony; FBI Warns of Cyberattacks Ahead of Olympics; U.S. Conducts Airstrikes against Taliban; Biden Sanctions Cuban Regime. Aired 9:30-10a ET.

Aired July 23, 2021 - 09:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[09:31:44]

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Let the games begin, officially. After a year-long delay because of the pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics are officially getting started with the opening ceremony, but much different than what we're used to seeing due to the COVID restrictions.

Coy Wire is in Tokyo with more on the very different games.

Beautiful scene behind you. Very jealous you get to be in Tokyo, Coy. What's it like?

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, konnichiwa. It is -- it's very hot here. And it's, you know, there's a lot of uncertainty about these games, right? And to see this opening ceremony that is now, as you mentioned, underway in that beautiful brand new $1.4 billion venue built for this enormous moment nearly empty, it's just another harsh reminder of the times, right, Poppy. But the games, as you mention, are now officially underway.

And in addition to the many who oppose the games taking place, I've talked to Japanese people and we've heard from many Olympic athletes who believe that these games can do what Olympics are supposed to do, unite, uplift and inspire. These games, no doubt, also putting a spotlight on vaccinations. I attended a press conference earlier today where Team USA's chief medical officer said that there's an 83 percent vaccination rate of the U.S. athletes who have revealed their status. Dr. Jon Finnoff said that nearly 600 of their 613 athletes have revealed that info.

He said their vaccinated athletes, Poppy, get no special privileges. Everyone treated the same as if they're all highly susceptible. It's something that Team USA's Ryan Crouser can appreciate. He's the current world record holder in the shot put. And he told us, Poppy, that he has been vaccinated and he's not taking any chances here in Tokyo.

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RYAN CROUSER, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: I'm doing everything I can to minimize risk. I'm wearing a mask whenever possible. And so the thought that potentially getting COVID is there is slightly stressful, but I'm treating it as if I do everything I can to minimize my exposure, I -- and I do get COVID, that's extremely unfortunate. But I go in with the mindset that it's beyond my control if I do get it because I'm doing everything within my control to prevent myself from getting COVID.

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WIRE: Now, tennis star Naomi Osaka will wait an extra day to make her Olympic debut representing host nation Japan. Her opening match pushed from Saturday to Sunday following a request from organizers. No explanation was given. The 23-year-old four-time Grand Slam champ has not played a competitive match since withdrawing from the French Open in May, remember citing mental health issues. There's some speculation, Poppy, that organizers asked that the match be pushed back because of some sort of role she may play in the opening ceremony. We shall see.

HARLOW: Ah.

WIRE: Team USA has not yet made their appearance here in Tokyo on that floor of the opening ceremony. But the games, as you mentioned, officially underway. And I think some of the focus now will go to those stories of inspiration, of perseverance, and achievement that we so look forward to each and every Olympics.

HARLOW: That's for sure. That's great. We'll watch out for that and we'll see you next hour, Coy. Thanks a lot.

The FBI is warning of potential cyberattacks targeting the summer games, urging all companies involved with the Olympics to take steps to shore up security gaps and prevent any disruptions.

Alex Marquardt is with me now from Washington.

[09:35:01]

I mean let's hope not. What is telling them this could be a big problem?

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, hope for the best, plan for the worst, Poppy. There are always security concerns around every Olympics, but they really are changing with the times. As one analyst told me, in the past we might have been worried about terror attacks at the games, which have, of course, happened. Now it is cyberattacks.

And those concerns really are warranted. Cyberattacks, as you know, are on the rise, both from criminals and from countries to either spy or cause disruption. And when it comes to targeting the Olympics, there is no bigger suspect than Russia, which carried out attacks during the last two Olympics and, because of a doping scandal, will not be allowed to fly their flag this year.

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MARQUARDT (voice over): It's a global spectacle unlike any other. For a few weeks, every two years, billions around the world tune in to watch their countries compete for medals and national glory. That's what makes it such a ripe target for hackers.

SETH JONES, SENIOR VP, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: I am very confident that there will be some kind of cyberattack against these games. It may not be publicly visible, but you can bet that it's going to happen. That's the world we live in today.

MARQUARDT: The FBI warned this week that malicious activity could disrupt multiple functions, including media broadcasting environments, hospitality, transit, ticketing or security. There's currently no known threat, but with no fans in the stands because of COVID, the most obvious target is how we watch.

BENJAMIN READ, SENIOR MANAGER FOR CYBER ESPIONAGE ANALYSIS, FIREEYE: With everything being remote and there being so few people in person, the place where a disruption would be most noticed would be in the broadcast.

MARQUARDT: And when it comes to potential attackers, right at the top of the list is the country that has been banned, Russia, after a doping scandal got them barred from flying their flag and singing their anthem for the next two Olympics.

JONES: Russian leaders, including Vladimir Putin, are still extremely angry about the way they've been treated. They've called it unfair.

MARQUARDT: Russia has taken out their anger on the games before. Three years ago, Russian military hackers carried out an attack before the opening ceremony, targeting athletes, officials and citizens in the host country, South Korea. They took down the game's website and deleted data from thousands of computers. They also tried to pretend they were North Koreans.

JOHN DEMERS, ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL, NATIONAL SECURITY DIVISION: Their cyber attacked combined the emotional maturity of a petulant child with the resources of a nation state.

MARQUARDT: In 2016, after Russia was accused of a systematic doping program, Russian hackers breached the World Anti-Doping Agency. The medical records of Serena Williams and Simone Biles were hacked and released, along with those of around 250 other athletes from almost 30 countries.

After the Tokyo games were postponed last year, the U.K. accused Russia of spying on Tokyo Olympic officials and organizations. Experts say there's no reason they won't do something again.

MARQUARDT (on camera): What have you seen in the way of indications that something may happen? READ: We've seen sort of Russian espionage groups be interested in

Japan over the last few years. They definitely still have the people that work for them. And if they have made the decision that this is something they want to do, they're able to do it.

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MARQUARDT: Tokyo's organizing committee isn't alone in trying to fend off potential cyberattacks. The International Olympics Committee, the IOC, tells us they're working with Tokyo to prepare. Here in the U.S., the cyber agency has worked CISA, tells me that they've worked well with Japan's cyber security center in the past and they stand ready to help as well.

Poppy, in situations like this, where the whole world is watching, it really is all hands on deck.

HARLOW: It is, for sure. And, you're right, hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

Alex, thanks very much for that reporting.

HARLOW: The U.S. military is conducting new air strikes against the Taliban in support of Afghan forces. What does this signal about the Taliban clearly gaining ground in Afghanistan as the U.S. pulls out, next.

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[09:43:22]

HARLOW: The U.S. military has carried out several overnight air strikes against the Taliban in Afghanistan. Sources tell CNN the strikes were conducted in support of Afghan forces on the ground and targeted military equipment. They say the Taliban had stolen -- this insurgent group has taken over large swaths of territory in Afghanistan ahead of U.S. forces withdrawing fully by next month.

Anna Coren joins us now after extensive reporting across Afghanistan.

And you brought us the real pictures of just what the Taliban are doing in the ground in Afghanistan.

Can you talk about the significance of these airstrikes overnight? And also, Anna, is this the new sort of path forward for Afghanistan, U.S. troops off the ground but in the air?

ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I am sure there are a lot of Afghans that are hoping that the U.S. continues to provide this desperately needed air support, Poppy. Obviously, President Biden has said, as of the 31st of August, Afghanistan, you are on your own. Troops, air force, you have to defend your own people.

But these airstrikes overnight in Kandahar, which we know is under siege from the Taliban, is quite interesting. I mean they would have been conducted by drones. They were targeting captured equipment, U.S. equipment, that are being handed over from the Americans to the Afghans, and then, you know, taken by the Taliban.

And we're also getting word, Poppy, from one of our sources on the ground that says that there will be more airstrikes possibly tonight, that there are people in certain districts outside of Kandahar City, on the outskirts, being told to get out of their homes because of airstrikes that are due to be conducted overnight.

[09:45:04]

So this is perhaps a trend that we could see moving forward. We know there have been about six or seven American airstrikes, assisted airstrikes, over the past month. But, you know, for the Afghans who are there, who are watching the Taliban claim more and more territory, watching their national forces, you know, either be defeated, slaughtered, or surrender, they are wondering, you know, what else is it going to take for the Americans to at least provide that air power.

We heard from the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, General Mark Milley, you know, a few days ago saying the Taliban has now taken 214 of the 419 districts.

HARLOW: Wow.

COREN: I mean that is a huge amount of territory that they have claimed really in the last few months.

But, you know, we know that, as he said, a Taliban takeover is very possible. But what they need is that air power from the Americans to continue, Poppy.

HARLOW: Anna Coren, thank you for your reporting this morning and for all you and your team did in Afghanistan over the last month.

Well, the Biden administration has handed down fresh sanctions following alleged human rights abuses across Cuba. The U.S. is imposing penalties on individual members of the Cuban regime, and a special unit of the Cuban government for their roles in cracking down, remember, on these anti-government protests, the largest Cuba has seen in decades.

Patrick Oppmann is with us this morning from Havana.

Good morning to you, Patrick.

What does this mean to the Cuban government and, most importantly, what do sanctions like this actually mean on the ground for the majority of the Cuban people?

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Of course. And the Cuban government is shrugging this off. They have had 60 years of sanctions and it's not like the officials were sanctioned, the defense minister and this elite special forces unit that we have seen in the streets ever since the protests, it's not like they have assets that can be seized in the U.S. or really anywhere else.

So it seems mostly symbolic for the moment. But the Biden administration did say yesterday when these sanctions were announced that this is, quote, just the beginning. The United States will continue to sanction individuals responsible for oppression of the Cuban people.

And, you know, it really is remarkable that when Joe Biden was running for president, he was talking about lifting some sanctions, following in the footsteps of President Obama, of course, reestablished diplomatic relations with Cuba. And now he's taken a full 180 following these protests and the crackdown on protesters. Now we're seeing trials of the Obama -- the Biden administration is calling sham trials. People just being convicted sometimes for walking in these protests, for filming the protests.

So what will this really change? Probably not much. The Cuban government says the pressure won't affect them and they are continuing forward with the prosecutions of the Cubans that I've talked to. They're not supporters of the government say these sanctions do have an impact on them. And certainly if more sanctions are coming, they are concerned what that means if remittances will not come into this island, you know, that's how a lot of people eat. And right now the Biden administration is saying they won't send remittances here if they go through the Cuban government.

HARLOW: Yes, a significant impact potentially on the ground.

Patrick, thank you for your reporting in Cuba this morning.

In Oregon, we're going to show you next, the firefighters on the ground trying to contain the Bootleg Fire, which is now the third largest fire in the state since 1900.

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[09:53:13]

HARLOW: Listen to these numbers for a moment. Seventy-nine large wildfires have destroyed nearly 1.5 million acres of the United States. More than 21,000 firefighters and emergency personnel have responded to these blazes. Right now there are 17 fires burning in Montana, 16 in Idaho but the biggest one is the Bootleg Fire in Oregon. That is where my colleague Lucy Kafanov joins us from this morning.

And, Lucy, you were on the scene with some of the firefighters as they have been trying to battle this blaze. What are they up against?

LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Poppy, good morning.

Nearly 400,000 acres the fire crews here in Oregon have their work cut out for them. Right now there is some optimism about those efforts, largely thanks to reduced wind speeds, as well as higher humidity. That's allowed crews to make significant progress in containing the fire in the last few days.

Now, we were taken up to one of the front lines yesterday to get a firsthand look at those efforts. And this is a challenge, Poppy. This area has seen extreme drought conditions. And what that means is the forest brush, even the trees are drier than ever before.

That's perfect fuel for the fire. It's a danger because embers from the Bootleg Fire could get taken up by the wind, they jump those containment lines and spring smaller spot fires. So crews have been busy using heavy machinery to remove trees. Because of the size of the fire, they have to cut massive containment lines bigger than before to prevent it from having fuel to burn.

Now, this fire is so large that it is actually generating its own weather system. The fire's heat, smoke and water vapor, they rise to create its own atmosphere, in some cases generating rain, high winds, tornados. And you can see it in a form of something called a pyrocumulus cloud. Just as the summer sun heats up the air causing storms, the fire's heat, smoke and water vapor rise up to create its own atmosphere, in some cases generating winds and even tornados.

[09:55:03]

Take a listen to how these firefighters described it.

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JOE TONE, INCIDENT MANAGER, BOOTLEG FIRE: It falls apart, but it falls apart much more violently than a typical rainstorm. And winds come down right back toward the ground. The winds go every direction and they could be 30, 40, 50 miles an hour. And that's happened several times on this fire.

WESLEY JONES, WILDLAND FIREFIGHTER: You could hear it. It sounds like a train almost. It sounds just -- it sounds like something crashing through the forest.

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KAFANOV: Now, the Bootleg Fire destroyed an area half the size of Rhode Island. It is roughly 40 percent contained. It burned 70 homes. An upper eastern edge is still advancing towards thousands of homes but authorities do say that the pace is slower than last week when the fire exploded. Poppy.

HARLOW: Well, at least there's that. But, still unreal.

Lucy, thank you for the reporting on the ground.

Ahead, this has really become a pandemic of the unvaccinated. One Republican governor issuing an urgent warning in the face of this rising crisis and rise in cases and low number of vaccinations in a number of states. You'll hear from her next.

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