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Delta Posing Bigger COVID Threat; Israel to Offer Third Vaccine Dose to People Over 60; China Trying to Stop Spread of Delta Variant; Tokyo Sets Record with Nearly 4,000 Daily Infections; Multiple Serious Crashes in BMX Racing at Olympics; Taliban Leaders Visit China to Discuss Afghanistan's Future; Afghan Translators Make Urgent Pleas to Get Out of Country; Greenland Experiences Biggest Melting Event of 2021; Extreme Heat and Drought Deepen North Korea's Food Crisis; Summit Raises $4B for Education in Developing Countries. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired July 30, 2021 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
[00:00:35]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm John Vause at the CNN Center in Atlanta with breaking news.
The global battle to end the coronavirus pandemic just took a turn for the worse, with new data, set to be released later Friday, and confirmed by CNN, revealing the Delta variant is not only highly transmissible, but is as contagious as the measles and chicken pox. It can cause more severe illness. It can also be spread as easily by an infected vaccinated person, as someone who is not vaccinated.
Here's CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: I think people are starting to get it. That Delta, you don't screw around with this virus. This variant can kill you. So, if you're not vaccinated, it's not too late. You can do it tomorrow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: "The Washington Post" was the first to report this story, and the headline is a quote from the CDC internal documents. "The war has changed."
And that is the case. Then the CDC sudden reversal on mask guidance earlier this week appears to be a strategic retreat, brought on by the Delta variant.
CDC director Rochelle Walensky was -- has confirmed she was part of a small group briefed on Thursday and told CNN, quote, "I think people need to understand that we're not crying wolf here. This is serious. It's one of the most transmissible viruses we know about. Measles, chicken pox, they're all up there." But Dr. Eric Topol, a cardiologist and professor of molecular medicine
at Scripps Research. He joins us this hour from La Jolla in California.
On this day, I'm glad we have you with us, sir.
DR. ERIC TOPOL, CARDIOLOGIST: Good to be with you, John. A lot going on here.
VAUSE: There's so much here that there is a lot to get through with all this. It's no secret the Delta variant is highly contagious, but within these internal CDC documents, there is a recommendation for public health officials to "emphasize vaccination as the best defense against a variant so contagious that it acts almost like a different novel virus, leaping from target to target more swiftly then Ebola or the common cold."
And there's a higher risk among older age groups of hospitalization and death, relative to younger people, regardless of vaccination status. And then there is the issue of the vaccinated getting infected, what's called breakthrough infections and transmission. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REINER: It looks like people who have breakthrough infections, vaccinated people who have breakthrough infections, maybe as infectious, or maybe able to transmit the virus, as well as unvaccinated people, who are infected with Delta.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: On top of that the Delta variant appears to cause more severe diseases. It's a lot of bad news all at once, but what's your initial take here when it comes to the risks and the dangers we are all now facing because of the Delta variant?
REINER: Well, there's no question. This is the most formidable strain of the virus we've seen since the beginning of the pandemic. And, what we've known about this job, I mean, we've known that it's highly transmissible, you know, very, very contagious.
And we already -- it's been studied to know that it's in the same ballpark as some of our most communicable diseases. So, most of this is not a surprise.
I think the one thing that's noted is that if you're vaccinated, you could carry and transmit Delta. And that's the thing that, I think is, of course, very disturbing. Because all along, we've been thinking, well, if you're fully vaccinated, you're fully protected, and you won't spread. But, you're now, potentially, part of the chain.
It's important to emphasize, though, John, that still, these breakthrough infections are not going to be common. There're going to be more common than they were in prior versions of the virus, because there's such a large viral load that people harbor in their nose and upper airway. And that's why it can override the vaccines in certain people.
But these breakthrough infections are not going to be widespread and common. And the biggest problem we have is the unvaccinated issues that we have in the United States, for example. You know, half the population hasn't been vaccinated. That's what's making this an even more urgent problem.
VAUSE: We also have this new information, and it's the reason why the CDC suddenly reversed guidance on masks earlier this week, advising to mask up inside at public venues in areas with low vaccination rates. But yet, within these documents, this is what they say.
"Given high transmissibility, and current vaccine coverage, universal masking is essential to reduce transmission of the Delta variant."
So, what could explain why that recommendation was watered down? Why not just go with the whole universal recommendation?
[00:05:05]
TOPOL: Yes. Well, you know, what's amazing here, John, is that we were warned about this. They were warned. First India, than the U.K.. We knew this virus was highly transmissible, and it was doubling, every 10 days.
From May, it is now well over 94 percent of the infections. So, there was no reason, in May, to let go of the mask. All we're doing now is what we should have been doing back in May, as we knew this virus was spreading and growing in this country.
VAUSE: Very quickly, and with this state with the Delta variant, if this keeps mutating, how much more worse can it get?
TOPOL: Great question. And no one knows the answer to that one. The hope is that we've hit the peak challenge.
But we don't know that for sure. And if we don't contain this virus, through the different means we have, and we're not using them all, but if we don't contain it, it's possible there will be another Greek letter that's potentially worse than Delta, but I sure hope not. And I tend to be quite optimistic. So --
VAUSE: We'll see.
One of the ways to contain this is through vaccinations, and then we get the issue a booster shots, which now seems to have some kind of more urgency about it, at least.
France and Israel, they've authorized a booster for those with compromised immune systems. On Sunday, Israelis over 60 years of age will be eligible, but in the U.S., here's President Biden.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No American needs a booster, now. But, if the science tells us there's a need for boosters, then that's something we'll do. And we have purchased the supply, all the supply we need to be ready, if that was called for.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So, just clear this up, because when I read all of this data which is coming out, it seems to me that the science is saying precisely that. That we -- you know, a booster is needed. Are we not at that point yet?
TOPOL: Well, if you believe what's going on in Israel right now, where they say there's been a decline in protection for people over age 60, who were fully vaccinated, then -- and they're starting the boosters, as you said, then you have to say, well, if that data holds up, we haven't seen it yet. But if it holds up, the boosters are going to become more imminent for people. Like you said, immunocompromised, or of advanced age. That's where we're likely headed.
But the problem, John, is these boosters are the same vaccines we've already had. They're directed against the original strain. They're not Delta specific. And, we're not going after the universal pan- coronavirus vaccine, which would be -- so we wouldn't have to do a variant by variant approach. So, hopefully, we'll put the pedal on the gas to get there.
VAUSE: Yes. Well, if anyone thought this pandemic was coming to an end, they should guess again. That's where we're at right now.
Dr. Eric Topol, thank you so much for being with us.
TOPOL: OK.
VAUSE: Well, we're following several COVID developments from China. Authorities are scrambling to contain an outbreak in the city of Nanjing as Beijing reports its second new cases in nearly six months and put some 40,000 people under lockdown.
CNN's Kristie Lu Stout tracking all these developments, live for us this hour in Hong Kong. The news just keeps getting worse.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John. And given the zero-tolerance approach that China has had for the virus, this is very, very concerning developments here.
The highly contagious Delta variant is spreading across China. It was earlier this week on Wednesday when the Chinese capital, Beijing, reported its first COVID-19 case in six months. And today, over 40,000 people, residents in Beijing, are under lockdown.
This, as authorities in China are scrambling to control an outbreak linked to an international airport in Nanjing.
And we just learned within the last hour, according to Nanjing CDC, they say that the origin of this outbreak, it goes back to an Air China flight from Russia, flights CA910.
China, on Thursday, reported 64 new cases of the virus, 21 local cases. That number may seem low, but what's very worrying is the fact that the Delta variant in these cases have now been detected in eight provinces across China.
Now, this new wave of infection, it first emerged last week, linked to infected cleaning workers at the international airport in Nanjing. Infected travelers from Nanjing then flew on, bringing the virus with them to a number of provinces across China, including Guangdong province in the south, including Liaoning province in the northeast, as well as Citroen in the southwest.
There are also reports of a secondary cluster in China's Hunan province. The Beijing cases are believed to be linked to that one.
This is a huge test for China, and it's a test of its zero tolerance policy towards the virus and its very well-known, massive testing campaigns, and tracing campaigns.
It is also a test of the efficacy of China's vaccine rollout. So far, 1.5 billion doses having been administered in China -- John.
VAUSE: Well, serious -- Kristie, we're out of time, so we'll leave it there. Thank you.
STOUT: OK.
VAUSE: Kristie Lu Stout there for us, live --
STOUT: OK.
VAUSE: -- in Hong Kong.
[00:10:08]
And the Tokyo Olympics continue, day 7, with athletes competing for gold in 29 sports. Outside the bubble, Japan's largest doctors' association warning the medical system will collapse if the spread of COVID-19 continues at its current rate.
Tokyo reports today 20,000 new infections, the third day in a row of record numbers. Japan, as a whole, topping 10,000 infections for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.
Two hundred and twenty-five COVID cases are linked to the games, but the IOC insists they're not affecting hospital care for the general public.
Meantime, protests continue, with the call for the Olympics to be canceled.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KOJI SUGIHARA, ANTI-OLYMPICS PROTEST ORGANIZER (through translator): It is wrong for the government to send messages, then put the responsibility of preventing infection on the individual. I think the right thing for the government to do is to cancel the Olympics and allocate all energy and budget to control COVID-19.
(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: Let's go to Tokyo now. CNN's Will Ripley standing by.
So Will, the issue with the spread of COVID in the Olympics, yes, there are no fans there. The -- the venues are empty. But there are still people gathering outside the venues. And that has many doctors concerned about the spread of COVID.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That is the biggest concern right now, is these people who were outside the Olympic stadium, or outside of the venues, then watching the livestream on their phone, sitting very close to each other.
And just this overall kind of jovial mood that Japan is in right now. Because they're really killing it when it comes to gold medals. I mean, it's -- Japan is having a great run here at the games, in terms of the sport.
But in terms of COVID-19, it is definitely not a medal-winning performance in keeping the virus under control.
To put it in context, John, the numbers for Tokyo, the daily numbers right now, are much higher than the nationwide COVID numbers were just two weeks ago. And they've been going up and setting new records every single day. So to have Tokyo topping 4,000, to have Japan topping 10,000 cases, that's why you have these doctors warning that the medical system, really, could be on the brink of collapse here.
And, they are already running into situations where ambulances are not able to find beds for patients. Because here in Japan, an ambulance can't just go straight to the hospital. They have to call on a cell phone, call around through the phone book, to different hospitals to find out who has a bed available.
Sometimes, you have patients who need oxygen, sitting in these ambulances for hours, waiting to get care. And the concern is that that type of scenario is going to get worse, and worse, and worse, as these case numbers continue to really explode at an unprecedented level.
VAUSE: Yes. That is one of the big concerns right now. Some hospitals have maxed out of capacity. Some are close to it.
Will, thanks for being there. We appreciate it. Will Ripley, live in Tokyo.
Well, for more on the competition, let's bring in CNN WORLD SPORT anchor, Patrick Snell. So Patrick, some troubling images from the BMX track.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: Yes. This is something we're following pretty closely, John, at this hour. Let's check in on the very latest.
This is a story concerning the defending gold medalist from that field of the competition at these games. The United States' Connor Fields involved in a crash a little earlier this Friday, failing to finish during the third round. This was the men's semifinal. Fields actually taken away in an ambulance, not able to race in the final, for which he had, for the record, qualified.
No word, at this hour, on the 28-year-old's condition. We'll keep you updated on that.
The final itself, for the record, wone by Niek Kimmann of Holland, despite the fact he may have actually suffered a fractured knee there, during official training. So that was one crash.
And then, disturbing report about another crash in BMX racing. This in the 3rd run of the first women's semifinal. The Australian, Saya Sakakibar, stretchered off after being involved in the crash. She was leading at the time but didn't finish the run.
For the record, again, Great Britain's Bethany Shriever holding off the two-time Olympic gold medalist, Mariana Pajon of Colombia to win gold by the finest of margins.
I will stay across those developments for you.
Want to get to the aquatic center now and tell you about how South Africa's Tatjana Schoenmaker has had a day to remember, not only winning gold, this in the women's 200-meter breaststroke, but also breaking the world record. A time of 2:18:95.
The 24-year-old from Johannesburg overcome with emotion, as well, upon realizing just what she'd actually accomplished.
The USA's Lilly King led until the 150-meter turn, but that's when the South Africa just surged forward, powering away to her famous victory. King was silver.
And, the Russian Olympic Committee's Evgeny Rylov, his fine Summer Games, continuing this Friday. The 24-year-old now the first swimmer not representing the United States to win a gold medal in the men's 200-meter backstroke at the Olympics since 1992, John.
His winning time, for the record, 1:53:27. A new Olympic mark set this day. Been a great week for him overall. He won the 100-meter backstroke gold medal. America's Ryan Murphy settling for a silver place finish there on another busy Friday.
[00:15:08]
VAUSE: 1992?
SNELL: Yes.
VAUSE: That's a long time. It's a long record.
SNELL: Yes. A substantial period of time.
VAUSE: Absolutely.
SNELL: And the storylines just keep on coming. VAUSE: There's some great stories, appreciate it. Thanks for being
with us, Patrick.
SNELL: Can I tease ahead to WORLD SPORT?
VAUSE: Please do. When is it? What are you talking about?
SNELL: It's in 30 minutes.
VAUSE: I'll be watching.
SNELL: Set that watch.
VAUSE: Absolutely. Thank you very much.
We'll take a short break. When we come back, Afghan interpreters, the evacuations to safety begins, but thousands remain living in fear.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If I don't go out of Afghanistan, I'm counting down my end of life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Up next, we'll hear from Afghan nationals who are pleading to leave their country as threats from the Taliban intensify.
Also, a major meltdown in Greenland. Find out how much ice has liquefied this week.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: The gangland style murder of a prominent journalist in Malta in 2017 ultimately led to political upheaval and the resignation of the then-prime minister.
Now, almost four years on, a long-awaited independent inquiry has found the state bears a large part of responsibility for the car bombing that killed the journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
At the same time, the report exonerates the government of any actual involvement. The current prime minister, however, said the government's shortcomings should not be overlooked.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT ABELA, MALTESE PRIME MINISTER: The board of inquiry unequivocally confirms that the state was not directly involved in the assassination.
However, it also states that the state must shoulder responsibility for serious shortcomings, especially related to governance and the protection of journalists.
(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: Caruana Galizia's son says she feared she might be targeted
driving her own car, so she switched to rentals.
On October 16, 2017, she was driving a rented car on a country lane near her Malta home when she was killed by a remote-controlled bomb.
Three suspects stand accused of her murder. One of them pleaded guilty earlier this year.
Well, there seems to be warming relations between China and the Taliban after both sides met to discuss the future of Afghanistan. This meeting was held in northern China on Wednesday, the latest move by Beijing to strengthen ties with the fundamentalist Islamic group.
The Taliban now control huge swathes of Afghanistan as the U.S. pulls out its remaining troops. CNN's Nic Robertson has the very latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: So this meeting, it's not just significant because Chinese officials are meeting with Taliban officials. This is the Taliban's top negotiator meeting with China's top diplomats. This is the foreign minister and the deputy foreign minister.
And I think, significantly, for the Taliban, what they heard from the Chinese officials was that, you know, the future of Afghanistan is in the hands of the Afghan people. That is a recognition there, that the Taliban do have a voice, and do have a place, in the future political makeup of Afghanistan. That's one takeaway from the meeting.
[00:25:14]
But I think the other significant takeaway, and this is one that the Chinese will have been looking for. The Taliban saying that they talked the economy, politics, the situation -- the current situation in the country.
But also, they say, they gave Chinese officials a guarantee that Afghanistan would not be used as a base to launch attacks against China or Chinese interests.
It's the same promise that the Taliban gave to the United States. It's a similar promise to what they've given Iranian officials. It's what they've given to officials in Moscow, in Russia, and other regional countries.
The Taliban are trying to send a message that they are not a threat to other regional players.
What China is concerned about is that there are groups that have their bases inside Afghanistan that not only threaten China's interests but have attacked them in -- in Pakistan, for example. Baluch nationalist groups based in Afghanistan have attacked Chinese interests in Pakistan. And, also, there are groups that -- jihadi groups, if you will, inside
Afghanistan that have said that they will attack China and Chinese interests for their role in cracking down on Uyghur Muslims.
That's a threat that China wants to see nipped in the bud. So they will be looking to the Taliban to control and manage those groups inside Afghanistan. But this is just the first meeting that we are aware of. But it is significant.
Nic Robertson, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Meanwhile, a new report on civilian casualties in Afghanistan shows an increase in the violence by the Taliban since America began withdrawing all troops.
According to the Ministry for Peace Affairs, the insurgent group has conducted 22,000 attacks in the past four months. More than 2,500 civilians have been killed and 3,000 wounded during that time.
Afghans who worked as interpreters alongside U.S. troops in the early days after 9/11 are set to arrive in Virginia in the coming hours. It's part of President Joe Biden's vow to not abandon those who helped in America's longest war.
But thousands of Afghan nationals are still waiting their turn, and they fear deadly retribution from the Taliban.
CNN's Kylie Atwood has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If I don't go out of Afghanistan, I'm counting down my end of life.
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Every day the Taliban control surges in Afghanistan, the situation grows more deadly for Afghan interpreters who are trying to flee the country after working alongside U.S. troops and diplomats.
Three interpreters who have applied for special immigrant visas to the United States, or SIVs, spoke to CNN and described just how urgently they must get out of the country. Because after years of putting their lives on the line next to U.S. soldiers, the Taliban are hunting them down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We really need to get out of the country. They are looking after us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our future will be dark. They're going to cut our heads, too.
ATWOOD: He's referring to a recent report of the Taliban beheading Afghans who worked alongside U.S. troops. These Afghans fear for their families, as well as themselves. CNN is concealing their identities to keep them safe. One of them,
Nayab (ph), is particularly concerned about what will happen to his daughters if the Taliban take over.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They will destroy the schools, and they'll prevent my girls to go to school.
ATWOOD: All three men we spoke with have faced terrifying threats. One of them, Ramish explained what happened to him earlier this month when the Taliban knocked on his door.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My family hide me and told them Ramish was gone somewhere. Then, they searched our house, and I was hide inside the oven in my yard. They burned my house. And nothing remained to us. All our materials burned by them.
ATWOOD: They burned your house?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. They burned my house.
ATWOOD: After that, Ramish snuck out of his hometown in the middle of the night, embarking on a dangerous journey to Kabul, where the Taliban are not in control.
Army Captain Sayre Paine worked with Ramish in Afghanistan and encouraged him to flee to Kabul under the cloak of darkness.
CAPT. SAYRE PAINE, U.S. ARMY: Today, it's the -- it's the comrade in arms, and an indelible duty to not betray them. You put these people into on a tier with your own family.
ATWOOD: Paine says the United States could not have done the job on the ground without the interpreters by their side. He feels angry, thinking about the ones who may not make it out.
PAINE: To allow, and fully know, all of these people signing up for this promise, to come, literally, to the promised land, and to just let it go, is a betrayal to those people.
[00:25:11]
ATWOOD: About 20,000 Afghans have applied for the SIVs. Seven hundred of them will fly into the United States in the coming weeks and wait at a U.S. military base while their visas are finalized.
Yet, the total processing time can take years. President Biden has promised --
BIDEN: We will stand with you, just as you stood with us.
ATWOOD: But the United States government has not yet laid out a comprehensive plan to get these Afghans out of the country before the complete U.S. troop withdrawal next month.
Due to the urgent and vast nature of this challenge, many individuals, like Paine, have taken it upon themselves to contribute. Janis Shinwari, a former Afghan interpreter living in Virginia, set up a nonprofit to help SIVs, based on his own experience.
JANIS SHINWARI, FORMER AFGHAN TRANSLATOR: When I came here, at the airport, I realized that the government is not taking care of us, and I was on my own. And from that time, I thought that I have to build something to help these SIVs when they are coming to the United States, and they don't know anybody.
ATWOOD: Earlier this month, he waited at the airport to welcome an Afghan SIV recipient and his family to the United States. Janis's nonprofit paid for their flights.
It's an emotional and hopeful scene. But a glance at his phone offers a reality check. Hundreds of messages, all Afghans, pleading with him, to help them get out.
(on camera): Each of these Afghan SIV applicants that I spoke with has children. One of them has five children. And I tell you that to underscore the fact that it's not just these 20,000 SIV applicants who are trying to get here because they feel their lives are in jeopardy. It's also their larger families.
Kylie Atwood, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Coming up, it's not often the brilliant comrade admits to bad news, but it seems North Korea's food prices is so bad, Kim Jong-un can no longer ignore the hardships caused by the pandemic, drought, and climate change.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause.
Well, an overheating planet, surging temperatures, that's causing the biggest meltdown of the year for Greenland. The amount of ice that liquefied on Tuesday alone, would be enough to cover the entire state of Florida. More than 5 centimeters of water, about 2 inches.
And this is the third time an extreme melting on Greenland in the past decade.
[00:30:06]
Let's bring in CNN meteorologist Gene Norman for more.
So two inches of water all across Greenland, it's -- it's an incredible thing.
GENE NORMAN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Exactly, right John. Those kind of staggering numbers, and the way that you kind of think about it, just highlights this climate crisis.
We've been talking about extreme heat in North America over the summertime. Well, some of that heat made its way over to Greenland. And it is part of a troubling trend, because we do expect to see
melting in Greenland this time of year, from June to August, but we did have a record melt back in 2019.
What we're experiencing now is getting close to that. Other large melt events, as you mentioned, 2007, 2010 and 2012.
Don't forget, 2019 was the second warmest year on record. But, all of those years were in the top 10.
Now, I want to show you this detail about how rapidly the ice has been melting in Greenland this week. Now, this is from the end of May, and this comes from Polar Portal. The areas of kind of brown here that you see, those are places where the melting is occurring.
Now, watch what happens from the end of May until earlier this week, just a couple days ago: 18.4 billion tons melted this week. That's an incredible amount.
And on Tuesday alone, we had 8.6 billion. Well, that would cover, as we mentioned, Florida, with 5 centimeters, or 2 inches of water. So, it is pretty dramatic.
Also, another way to think about how bad this is, is we mentioned earlier that the typical melt time is from June to August, and that's indicated by the black line here on this graph, also from Polar Portal.
Now, the blue line indicates what's been going on this year. So you see it is a dramatic spike, and if we don't reign it in, it's going to be really bad.
Also, these close-up pictures from the Copernicus satellite show that the melt is depositing sediment. That's the brown that you see on that satellite picture. So, it is significant, because unlike just losing a couple icebergs or something like that, we're losing a lot of the ice sheet that covers Greenland.
And it's all due to high temperatures this week, in the upper to mid- 20s, or low to mid-20s. May not seem very high, John, but for this time of year, that's unusual in Greenland.
So, certainly, something that we're looking at, something very troubling, a trend of all of the climate crisis.
VAUSE: Yes. The -- they just keep going in one direction, don't they? It just keeps getting hotter. Thanks, Gene. Appreciate it.
NORMAN: Thank you.
VAUSE: Now --
NORMAN: The wrong direction (ph).
VAUSE: Yes, that's right. Well, for most of this year, North Korea has been facing a chronic
food shortage. Leader Kim Jong-un described it as a tense situation back in June.
Now, according to "The Washington Post," it's about to get even worse, with a soaring heat wave and record low rainfall. Experts tell "The Post" the heat and drought could keep North Korea from producing the food it depends on, including rice.
To top it off, the pandemic and international sanctions have made it harder and North Korea to pull the food, and family (ph) supplies, which are desperately needed.
Philip Yun is president and CEO of the World Affairs Council. He was a presidential appointee to the U.S. State Department, advising on Asia, and had a direct role in policy formation and negotiations with North Korea for the current (ph) administration. Quite the resume, and it's good to see you.
PHILIP YUN, PRESIDENT/CEO, WORLD AFFAIRS COUNCIL: Hi, John.
VAUSE: OK. So, it's not often we get to hear from the brilliant comrade himself. But earlier this week, the North Korean leader spoke publicly at the 7th National Conference of War Veterans in Pyongyang. Here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIM JONG-UN, NORTH KOREAN LEADER (through translator): Today, the difficulties and hardship caused by the world health crisis, unprecedented in history. The prolonged lockdown is no less harsh for us than those in the wartime situation.
However, just as the victorious wartime generation displayed the greatest courage and brought the greatest victory and honor in the face of the greatest national trials, so our generation, that carrying forward the fine (ph) tradition, will turn the present difficulties into a fresh, greater victory.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: OK. So he blamed the pandemic. He blamed lockdowns. But still, what does it say about the severity of the food crisis and the overall situation, that even Kim had to acknowledge the fact that they're dealing with some hardships?
YUN: Yes. I think it's -- it's definitely hardship time right now. It's really unusual. Kim Jong-un is -- you know, for them to recognize failure and admit it, they're preparing the -- the -- their public for some really difficult times.
We have a potentially perfect storm, pardon the pun -- it's not funny -- that threatens North Korea. We have the possibility, let me underscore, of food shortages that we've not seen since the 1990s.
And, you know, that is the worst-case scenario. We've got extreme weather, hot. We have floods. We have drought. And we have uncertainty about COVID-19, which is playing havoc for the last year or so on the economy. And then we had sanctions.
So all of those things could push North Korea over the edge. And so what he's doing is reaching out to the international community for help, but at the same time, he's also preparing, you know, his -- his citizenry that things are going to be really hard.
[00:35:12]
And the unfortunate thing is that, you know, the kids, children, and the poor, are going to be most affected.
VAUSE: Well, now, here's the weather forecast from Pyongyang.
YUN: OK.
VAUSE: Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RI YONG NAM, VICE HEAD, NORTH KOREA NATIONAL METEOROLOGICAL FORECAST SQUAD (through translator): Residents should especially take care of their health to avoid the impact of the heat wave and high temperatures and also carry out thorough measures on economic sectors, including agricultural practices, to prevent damages from the intense heat wave.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The website NK News adds that North Korean state media is warning citizens of the deadly potential of the ongoing heat wave and the dangerously high temperatures in areas of the country lacking regular access to electricity and air conditioning.
I would guess areas without reliable electricity and air conditioning would be pretty much everywhere, except residence No. 55, home to the Kim family.
YUN: Right.
VAUSE: (CROSSTALK)
YUNG: Yes.
VAUSE: Go.
YUN: Not -- not a lot of electricity, only some places. I mean, when I was in Pyongyang, you know, during the summer, it was -- it was really hot. Even places, you know, had very rarely any kind of air conditioning, if at all.
So, energy, you know, is -- we're here in the United States. We're having trouble getting consistent energy. I can't imagine what it's like in North Korea right now. VAUSE: Yes. But we're also looking at a situation where, external to
this, you had the reconnection of the hotline between North and South. That happened earlier this week. It's a sign of what looks to be improving relations. And this leading to speculation the food crisis might be incentive for Kim to return to the nuclear negotiations.
And you mentioned this before: food shortages are common in North Korea. It's been the case for decades. You know, back in the 1990s, over a million people died from famine.
Which, Kim's grandfather and father were quite OK with. They -- you know, didn't go back to the nuclear table, the negotiating table, rather. They doubled down on their -- you know, the illicit nuclear programs, and the illicit missile programs, as well.
I guess the only difference this time is that the crises in the past have been from poor management, a bad system. Not external shocks from the weather. This time, it is partly the weather and climate change making it a whole lot worse. So where does this go from here?
YUN: Well, it's unclear. I mean, Kim -- I mean, South Korea, clearly, wants to have a better -- wanted to have a North-South dialogue open up. I think this is -- it's not only a threat to the current peninsula, writ large, because you know, if things go wrong in North Korea, that's going to affect South Korea significantly.
It's an opportunity. It's one in which South and North Korea can actually cooperate in a meaningful way, with respect to, as you talked about, climate change. And COVID-19, which in many ways, is not a national security risk for North Korea or South Korea. So, there's some potential there.
Now, whether that affects the nuclear negotiations is really unclear. And you know, one thing I do want to add on all of this is that, you know, we don't have people on the ground like we used to. You know, North Korea has kicked out the foreigners. There are no NGOs.
So basically, what we're relying on is we have this big black box on what the North Koreans say. Now, I'm not saying it's not as bad as it -- as it could be, but you know, we've got to have some kind of third- party evaluation about what's going on, on the ground.
So there's some talk about North Korea has -- you know, has been able to weather this in the past. And there's a -- there's some rumors about them having significant food reserves. We just don't know.
So I want to caution people that, you know, it's really hard -- over the short term, it may be bad. We don't know. But I think over the longer term, these weather affects, with climate change, are just going to get more worse [SIC], more pronounced, and more frequent.
So it's not a good scenario for North Korea over the longer term, regardless.
VAUSE: You know, climate change and social disruption seem to go hand in hand, and North Korea will not be immune, I guess. Philip, it's been a very long time, and it's great to see you again.
Thank you so much for being with us.
YUNG: Thank you, John.
VAUSE: Deadly wildfires continue to sweep across southern Turkey. At least four people have died, with emergency crews still battling 20 major burns.
Thousands of animals have also died and dozens of villages were ordered to evacuate.
Well, a global summit. Billions of dollars have been promised to educate girls in developing countries. But when we come back, many charities say they've been left underwhelmed.
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VAUSE: A record $4 billion has been raised to help children in developing companies just go to school. That's thanks to the Global Partnership for Education.
The funds were raised at an event cohosted by the British prime minister, Boris Johnson, and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. The international fund says that donations will help tens of millions of children, mostly girls, go to school.
One person who put her life on the line to fight for girls' education says the money is desperately needed.
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MALALA YOUSAFZAI, NOBEL PEACE PRIZE LAUREATE: We all know THAT the world is facing a girls' education crisis. Nearly 130 million girls were out of school before the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, 20 million more girls are at risk of dropping out because of it.
Climate change is exacerbating the issue. Malala Fund estimates that climate-related events will lead to at least 20 -- 12.5 million more girls a year deprived from learning.
If we want a stronger, fairer world, we must keep girls learning.
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VAUSE: But the conference fell short by a billion dollars of its goal of raising 5 billion for education, and many charities blame that on the British government for cuts to foreign aid, which other countries then followed suit.
As for Malala Yousafzai, she survived an assassination attempt by the Pakistani Taliban in 2012. She's criticized the group for opposing girls' education.
A particularly dangerous situation when a Russian module misfired its thrusters during docking.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One -- the target (ph) is in the center. The crosshairs are aligned. Copy.
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VAUSE: The mishap pushed the International Space Station out of position in a kind of tug of war. Communications were down for 11 minutes between the ground and the ISS.
NASA declared spacecraft emergency. Took an hour to get it under control.
The, U.S. and Russian space agencies, are now investigating what happened. NASA downplayed the incident, calling it a pretty exciting hour, and then some.
Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. Please stay with us. WORLD SPORT with all the Olympic highlights after the break. I'll see the top of the hour.
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