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Olympic Authorities To Investigate Belarusian Sprinter Case; U.S. Gymnast Simone Biles Returns In Balance Beam Final; Karsten Warholm Smashes 400m Hurdles World Record; China Scrambling To Contain Spread OF Delta Variant; U.S. Vows Collective Response to Tanker Attack; Haitian First Lady Recounts Night of Husband's Assassination; Memorial Sculpture Unveiled Ahead of Blast Anniversary. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired August 03, 2021 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[02:00:17]
ROBYN CURNOW, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Hi, welcome to CNN. I'm Robyn Curnow live in Atlanta.
So, coming up on the show, she was supposed to compete for her country at the Olympics, but now she's too scared to go home. What's next for the Belarusian runner?
And the Delta variant is driving up COVID cases around the world including in China, where restrictions are being tightened once again.
And in a CNN exclusive. The first lady of Haiti gives her first on- camera interviews since witnessing the assassination of her husband.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTINE MOISE, FIRST LADY OF HAITI: I never thought that the level of hate ever existed in the country.
You never thought this could happen.
MOISE: No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Robyn Curnow.
CURNOW: Thanks for joining me this hour. So, the International Olympic Committee says it will investigate the case of the Belarusian sprinter who defied her country to seek political asylum.
Olympic authorities say they have spoken with Kristina Timanovskaya and that she described feeling safe and secure. That's after receiving a humanitarian visa from Poland on Monday.
She is reportedly staying at the Polish embassy and could leave for Warsaw on Wednesday. Western powers are sending messages of support. The U.S. secretary of state accused Belarus of transnational repression, and tweeted, "Such actions violate the Olympic spirits, and are an affront to basic human rights, and cannot be tolerated."
Nick Paton Walsh picks up the story. Nick.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR (voice-over): It was a simple complaint, but no criticism is safe if you come from Belarus. Sprinter Kristina Timanovskaya unleashed criticism of her Olympic team managers for entering her in the 4X400 relay race without her consent, something she'd never competed in before because Belarus didn't have enough runners.
It was a rant that would not only end her Olympic bid, but also her life in Belarus. 48 hours after posting the video, she said she was escorted by Belarusian team reps to the airport, her bags packed, and ticket home booked for her. She was terrified.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KRISTINA TIMANOVSKAYA, BELARUSIAN OLYMPIC SPRINTER (through translator): I asked the International Olympic Committee for help. I was put under pressure and they are trying to forcibly take me out of the country without my consent. I asked the International Olympic Committee to intervene.
WALSH: She said the instant recall had "come from above", a one-way ticket home to likely repression.
She was terrified of returning to Belarus for good reason. This man, President Alexander Lukashenko dubbed the last dictator in Europe, friend of Vladimir Putin has unleashed a brutal crackdown against dissent.
Allegations of brutality have been constant. CNN reporting on male rape in police custody, extreme brutality against peaceful protesters. Activists have mysteriously died in police custody.
And last week, a court banned an independent news station as extremist amid a wider assault on the media. The government denies accusations of brutality.
So, at the airport, Timanovskaya reached out to Japanese police who held her in safety as news of what she called her forced returns spread. The Belarusian Olympic Committee said she had "psychological and emotional issues," and was taken off the team, which she denies.
YURI MOISEVICH, BELARUSIAN TEAM COACH (through translator): She stood out with her behavior. We know her and we've known her a long time, there was something strange.
Sometimes she would isolate. Sometimes she would not want to socialize.
WALSH: She said it was because she criticized the Olympic managers and annoyed this man.
Quickly, Democratic Europe came to her aid. Poland offering her a humanitarian visa and perhaps asylum. MARCIN PRZYDACZ, POLISH DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER: Of course she can continue, she's free to pursue her sporting career in Poland, but that would be her decision.
WALSH: She entered the Polish embassy in Tokyo at roughly the same time her husband fled Belarus into Ukraine. Hers, a very public and clumsy sign of how Belarus has treated even the most slightly outspoken critic. So many of whom suffer silently behind bars.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW: And the Tokyo Olympics is not over yet for the young woman many considered to be one of the greatest gymnasts of all time.
[02:04:58]
CURNOW (voice-over): Simone Biles is scheduled to compete in the balance beam final little less -- a little less than three hours from now.
Our "WORLD SPORT" anchor Patrick Snell is standing by here in Atlanta.
CURNOW (on camera): But first, I want to take you straight to Tokyo. Blake Essig joins me now.
Blake, hi. I know that you're standing outside the center where Simone Biles will perform. What's the mood there right now?
BLAKE ESSIG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Oh man, you know, Robyn, it's electric. And I will tell you, just five minutes ago, Simone Biles and the rest of Team USA actually walk just behind us and entered the building.
So, Simone Biles is in the building and ready to go. In just a few hours, as you mentioned, arguably the greatest gymnast of all time is set to make a dramatic return to Olympic competition right here at the Ariake Gymnastic Centre behind me. And she'll do it on the balance beam.
Before these games started. Biles had a chance to win six gold medals and was a heavy favorite to win at least four. But so far, she's only going to take home a silver at this point, while she didn't need to do anything else, win any more gold medals to cement her legacy as the greatest of all time, withdrawing from competition and putting her mental health first will likely mean so much more to her legacy and the sports world as a whole versus winning a full -- a few more gold medals.
Now, Biles last competed a little more than a week ago. During the women's team final. Of course, she withdrew herself after stumbling on the vault, citing mental health concerns.
Biles has said that she's been struggling with the twisties, a mental block gymnast -- that gymnast experience, where they will lose their track of their positioning mid-air, which can obviously be very dangerous resulting them landing on their back or head.
The twisties might sound bad. You know, it might sound bad, but of course, again, can be incredibly dangerous.
Now, as a result, Biles withdrew from an additional four competitions at these games, the all-around vault uneven bars, and floor. But Robyn, she will be back tonight going for gold here in Tokyo on the balance beam.
CURNOW: And of course, there's all sorts of things that define this Olympics. But one of the main ones is that there are no spectators in any of these events. So, how are the Japanese people enjoying this? And particularly, because there seems to be a bit of gold rush for Japanese athletes?
ESSIG: Yes, I mean, Japan has never done better at a Summer Olympic Games than they have done this year. I believe about 18 gold medals, their previous record was 16 back in 2004.
So, the home-field advantage, definitely playing a role part of that probably has to do with the fact that, you know, the Japanese athletes are able to train in his heat, this humidity. You know, I tell you, it's good. It has to have played a role.
The other athletes only allowed to come in five days before their competition, leave two days after. But the people here in Japan, the curiosity that has taken over since the start of these games, you know, is obvious.
I mean, just sitting out here, outside of the gymnastic center, there are people literally just sitting there looking at the venue, just to be part of this experience. They're loving the fact that, you know, the athletes on the field of play are doing so well representing Japan.
But again, just experiencing these Olympic Games that are supposed to be for the Japanese people, you know, is what people are trying to do. Of course, at the same time, Robyn, you know, COVID-19 continues to surge. People are wearing masks, but still trying to experience that Olympic experience in any way possible.
CURNOW: OK, good to see you. Blake Essig, there in Tokyo. Thank you, Blake.
Well, I want to go straight now to CNN sport anchor Patrick Snell. Hey, Patrick, good to see you. I know that you've been tracking all the highlights and the highs and lows of the athletes, but what's happening on the track right now?
PATRICK SNELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL SPORTS ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Robyn, it's been an incredible Olympic Games, no question from a sporting perspective. And another amazing day already. I have to tell you this Tuesday, a little earlier, Karsten Warholm of Norway, winning gold in the 400-meter hurdles, shattering the world record. And I do mean shattering it in the process. It was incredible. SNELL (voice-over): The 25-year-old not just holding off Rai Benjamin of the United States to win a race for the ages. We were back there in the office, Robyn. And to a man in there, we were all calling it a race for the ages. It was incredible.
And now, for context, ahead of today's final, the world record standing at 46.70 seconds, which Warholm himself set on the first day of July, while wait for it. Because after today's final, both Warholm and Benjamin beating the mark by a wide margin.
Warholm, in fact, become the first person to run the event in less than 46 seconds. Less than 46 seconds, I'll say it again, finishing in a time of 45.9. For Benjamin's time, pretty special too, 46.17.
And the bronze medal, even that, he went to the Alison dos Santos of Brazil, a time of 46.72. His time is the fourth fastest in history in this event.
And that image there that look on his face there really does say it all for Warholm, doesn't it?
[02:10:01]
SNELL: Well, after the race, Warholm calling it by far the biggest moment of his life. Adding, "It defines everything, all the hours I put in, everything that my coach has been working for. I dream about it."
"I tell you, I sleep all night on it. I spend all my time thinking about this, so just getting this last medal into my collection, it's complete."
Incredible stuff. Now, do you want to get to a store? I know you've been following this one closely as well, Robyn, because it really has been highly impressive by the Dutch track and field star Sifan Hassan who suffered a really heavy fall during her 1500 heat -- 1500 meter heat. That was on Monday.
What happened then, the powers of recovery on full display here paring away to victory in the end after a photo finish. Now, we can say it's one down, two to go for the 28-year-old.
As she is -- this is what she's trying to do. She's aiming for a never-before attempted trio of track goals. Also including the five and the 10,000-meter races. Well, Hassan duly securing the first of those in the 5,000 meters a dominant display, and she's now, in fact, the first Dutch woman to win an Olympic medal in women's long-distance event.
Really impressive. And it all goes back to that for, doesn't it? The powers of recovery, as I say, a really powerful moment, and iconic moment really in many ways depending on how she goes on to perform.
I do want to get to a piece of history in the making we've already had today. This is another wonderful moment, I tell you for Japanese sport, after the boxer Irie Sena clinching the women's featherweight gold not too long ago today. The country's first-ever Olympic women's boxing medal.
Sena upsetting the reigning world champion no less, Nesthy Petecio of the Philippines in the process. A really special moment again, for Japanese sport.
Let's check in on the overall mental situation then. Big picture. This is it. China's still leading the metals table with 29 gold there. Part of that 63 total whole. The United States with the most total medals at 66, 22 of them are gold.
The host nation, Japan, we've touched upon it already, they are having an historic and a wonderful Olympics for the host, 18 gold medals, their most ever in a single games. It is quite impressive Team G.B. there. I should point out, 11 gold medals. So, pretty impressive stuff there from the Brits. Robyn, back to you.
CURNOW: Yes, it certainly is. And thanks for bringing us all those track stories. That's my favorite. I really do. You know, it's the basic stuff, but really the way they run the hurdles, and just the stories of resilience is just extraordinary to watch.
(CROSSTALK)
SNELL (on camera): Right. But Robyn, it takes the moments like that that we'll be talking about long after these games are over.
CURNOW: Yes. Yes. And that -- and that's what the Olympics is all about.
SNELL: Yes.
CURNOW: It's about the lows and the highs and how you pick yourself up afterwards.
SNELL: Sure.
CURNOW: Patrick, good to see you, my friend. Thanks a lot.
So, in China, we know at least 16 provinces and 26 cities are reporting locally transmitted COVID cases in its latest outbreak. Officials say most of those cases are caused by, of course, the highly contagious Delta variant.
I want to go straight to Hong Kong. Kristie Lu Stout is monitoring all of these developments. Hi, Kristie. Good to see you as well. Certainly, worrying developments in China.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Yes.
CURNOW: We're even getting some latest information about what's happening in Wuhan, the epicenter of all of this.
LU STOUT: Yes, the Delta variant has reached Wuhan. Look, China is certainly being challenged right now, as the highly contagious Delta variant just continues to spread across the country on Tuesday. China reported 61 new locally transmitted cases of the virus, it's higher than the day before. Yes, that case count is far lower than what we've seen in other places like the U.K. and the US.
But the fact that it is spread to 26 cities and 16 provinces in the last two weeks --
LU STOUT (voice-over): We can bring up the map for you. That is sparking immense concern. As a result, sweeping pandemic measures are in place, lockdowns in number of cities in Wuhan, the city where the coronavirus was first detected.
11 million residents there will be subjected to COVID-19 testing. In Nanjing, a city of 9 million people on the east coast on the eastern side of China. We know that they've gone through three rounds of testing in the last two weeks.
Indoor venues like cinemas and gyms are closed. Beijing, the Chinese capital has banned anyone coming from medium or high risk areas from entering the capital.
LU STOUT (on camera): A Beijing municipal official said that the city will do whatever it takes to block transmission of the virus. We'll bring up the statement for you. In it, the official says this.
LU STOUT (voice-over): "The whole city should be further alluded to use the fastest speed, strictest measures, the most decisive action to block transmission at any cost, to prevent the outbreak in Beijing, to ensure people's safety and health, to ensure the safety of the capital."
LU STOUT (on camera): But, some experts outside China say that China's containment strategy is not enough especially with the Delta variant. Take a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[02:14:57]
YANZHONG HUANG, SENIOR FELLOW FOR GLOBAL HEALTH, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: I think it is time for the government to seriously consider shifting to a mitigation-based strategy that focus on taking care of, you know, those severe cases and reducing mortality.
That could be done by developing, importing, and distributing more effective vaccines.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: The Delta outbreak is a test of China's zero tolerance approach towards infection with those mass testing and contact tracing campaigns and lockdowns. It is also a test of trying to semester vaccination rollout.
As of August the first over 1.65 billion doses have been administered. Robyn. CURNOW: Yes, that certainly is a test and perhaps an indication of just how terrifying this variant is. Kristie Lu Stout, in Hong Kong there. Thanks so much for that reporting.
LU STOUT: You bet.
CURNOW: Thanks, Kristie.
OK. So, as the U.K. prepares for COVID vaccine booster shots, another country now ready to do the same. We have the details ahead on that.
Plus, villages in Turkey are taking firefighting efforts into their own hands. Why some say the government has failed them as devastating wildfires rage on? We have that story too.
Stick with us. You're watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CURNOW: Welcome back. I'm Robyn Curnow, live in Atlanta. Thanks for joining me this hour.
So, in the coming hours, England will launch a clinical trial to investigate the best timing between the first and second vaccine dose for pregnant woman. Now, at the same time, The U.K. is now preparing for a vaccine booster program to prolong protection against the virus.
Salma Abdelaziz has the latest from London.
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN INTERNATIONAL FIELD PRODUCER (on camera): The British government is preparing to offer booster shots from September.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): That's when potentially millions of the most vulnerable in the country will be eligible for yet another shot. And it's supposed to offer a layer of protection over the country during the winter months when it's expected that there could be yet another spike in coronavirus cases.
And it comes on the back of two bits of science. First, studies now show that vaccine efficacy does wane over time. That's why booster shots could help that efficacy get back up.
And secondly, a group of scientific advisors, British scientific advisors have said it is very likely that the virus will be able to evade the vaccine in the long term. This was put into a paper that is not yet peer-reviewed, not yet published. It is theoretical, but it begins to show what scientists are concerned about which is future variants.
Also, on Monday, travel restrictions were seriously eased for the first time in months. Passengers coming from the United States or the E.U. who are fully vaccinated no longer have to quarantine in the U.K.
But there's a few caveats, of course, you still have to show a negative PCR test before departure. You have to take yet another COVID-19 test after arrival -- two days after arrival. And there is one big exception to this that is France, any travelers coming from there will still have to follow isolation rules.
[02:20:10]
ABDELAZIZ (on camera): But it does begin to open up the country a little bit, welcome back tourists, and of course, bring families together.
Salma Abelaziz, CNN, London.
CURNOW: And Germany is the latest country planning to also offer COVID vaccine booster shots to those most at risk. The German health minister says boosters will begin next month and will be one of the two mRNA vaccines currently in use.
Vaccinations will also be expanded to include all children aged 12 to 17. Just over 52 percent of German citizens are now fully vaccinated, almost 62 percent have received at least one shot.
Well, joining me now is Dr. Robert Wachter, doctor of -- chair of the University of California, San Francisco's Department of Medicine. Dr., hi. Thank you very much for joining us.
So, how soon do you think the U.S. and others will join Israel, the U.K., and Germany, and offer boosters in the autumn, for example? I mean, is it inevitable?
DR. ROBERT WACHTER, PROFESSOR AND CHAIR, DEPARTMENT OF MEDICINE, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO: I think it's inevitable. It's hard to know exactly when, but these federal authorities have given a number of hints that they are coming. And I don't think it will be for everyone right out of the -- out of the box. I think it will be for older people for immunosuppressed people, maybe for folks that got J&J, and likely for people that got their first shot more than six months ago because of this -- these hints of waning efficacy over time.
CURNOW: And there's also talk about pregnant women. We're also hearing that the U.K. is studying when is the best time or the times between shots to give to pregnant women? Either way, the research has shown that the vaccination is preferable for pregnant women. Why does it matter when it's given?
WACHTER: I -- that's actually a good question. I don't know the answer to that. But the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology came out today and endorsed the shots. Up until recently, it has been a talk to your doctor about this kind of situation, although the evidence has been very good that the vaccines are safe and effective, and pregnancy is actually a time at some -- of some risk for COVID.
So, I'm glad it seems to be clear. The timing, I'm not quite sure about.
CURNOW: Yes. And of course, that's perhaps one of the questions that needs to be answered. In which trimester is at better, or more successful to do it? So, I think these are very important questions for pregnant women, and also for women who want to get pregnant in the coming years. It's important to know this.
Also, I want to talk about studies because there's so much we don't know. So many questions and one of -- one of those areas is long COVID. We also know now that the American Academy of Pediatrics -- pediatricians is pushing for the effects of long COVID on children to be studied.
And we know this. Even if a child or an adult gets say, a mild dose of COVID, they still can have life-changing long-term problems, disabilities even. So, why is it important also to try and figure out who is most at risk from long COVID particularly as a kid?
WACHTER: I don't know if it's particularly as a kid, although, kids obviously have more years of life ahead of them.
(CROSSTALK)
CURNOW: I mean -- but --
WACHTER: The issue of long COVID is very important, at worse, for example, in people who've been fully vaccinated, and have breakthrough infections. There was a study that came out of Israel just last week that showed that 19 percent of people continue to have symptoms six weeks out.
So, we sometimes talk about COVID as in you either live or you die. If you live, everything is OK. You had a short-lived illness. But for many people, including some kids, but many adults, they have long- lasting symptoms that are really -- for some of them quite disabling.
We need to understand it better. And it's another reason why, even if you're fully vaccinated, you prefer not to get a breakthrough infection because there is a decent chance you'll continue to have symptoms for a while.
CURNOW: Yes, that's really important to note as well. I want you to listen to some sound if you don't mind. The governor of Florida just said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): I just want to say in Florida, there will be no lockdowns, there will be no school closures. There will be no restrictions and no mandates in the State of Florida.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW: It's the comments and also the response from the crowd. How does it make you feel as a doctor, particularly because Florida is showing so many infections right now?
WACHTER: Yes, angry. I -- my parents live there and they are older and vulnerable. And the idea that the state has committed with great cheers to doing nothing to get the -- to get the virus under control when the state is having the worst surge in the entire United States is -- it's quite remarkable. No one wants to close the schools, and I don't think we'll need to. But the idea that there will not be a masked mandate as the virus is surging, or they won't be doing anything to encourage vaccination, that's fairly shocking, and I think it will lead to the deaths of more people than is necessary.
[02:25:12]
CURNOW: Dr. Robert Wachter, thank you very much for joining us. Really appreciate your expertise and all the work and hard work you have been doing so far. Thank you.
So, the Turkish government is under scrutiny as firefighters work to contain the wildfires burning on the country's southern coast there. We know at least seven fires is still burning out of more than 100. That started last week.
Villages in one resort town have been carrying buckets of water up a hill to fight the flames themselves, saying the government hasn't sent enough resources to help. A government spokesperson rejected the criticism and says people will be compensated for their losses.
Now, making matters worse is a heat wave in southern Europe, pushing temperatures to near-record levels. I want to go to Pedram Javaheri. Pedram, hi. Just talk us through what folks in Turkey and in Europe are facing.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN INTERNATIONAL METEOROLOGIST: Here, Robyn. Six consecutive days. We've had excessive heat wave and, of course, this massive dome of high pressure that has just envelop this region across southeastern areas of Europe, and now kind of surging right over areas of Turkey where we have these temperatures that are running 10 degrees above average.
It has been excessively dry and you see the scenes play out in the town of Mugla in western and south-western Turkey. And not far away from here in Antalya, a town I have spent plenty of time in the summer months, a beautiful resort community there across south-western Turkey.
And unfortunately, when you get fires this time of year, Mother Nature rarely helps out because this is by far the driest time of year, rainfall almost unheard of. And when you look at the forecast over this region, it is going to be bone dry. It has been very gusty as well.
Look at the thermal signature of the fire activity across Europe as a whole. A large area of Europe here in the past 24 hours alone shows you that widespread coverage of active fires across southern Turkey and southern areas of Italy as well. And of course, the concentration of this really picking up because of the gusty winds in recent days.
Firefighters rarely can get the upper hand when winds are howling, and the conditions are as dry as they have been, Robyn. And you notice 112 fires just in the past couple of days across portions of Turkey. And this is one of the driest spots in all of Europe. And how hard has it been getting? Well, temperatures here nearing all-time hottest ever observed for all of Europe as a continent. So, it really speaks to the significance of the heatwave amid all of this.
Climbing up in Greece, the 46 degrees, the warmest temperatures ever observed in the entire continent. You'd have to go back to 1977, in Athens, they reached 48 Celsius 118 Fahrenheit.
So, again, an incredible heatwave here. Some of these temperatures will close in under this region into the middle 40s.
For Athens in particular, you'll notice temperatures staying around 40 should be at 32 this time of year, and a lot of sunshine in the way in the next several days is certainly going to be a difficult challenge for the firefighting efforts. Robyn.
CURNOW: Yes. Climate change very much upon us. Thank you very much for that report, Pedram Javaheri.
So, still to come here on CNN, amid the escalating regional tensions, Iran is confirming a new president this hour. We'll take your life to Tehran for the details.
And the battle to keep the Taliban at bay. How close the militants are taking over major Afghan cities when we come back.
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[02:30:00]
ROBYN CURNOW, CNN NEWSROOM: Hi. Welcome back. 30 minutes past the hour, live in Atlanta, I'm Robyn Curnow. Thanks for joining us here at CNN.
So, the U.S. is promising a collective response to the attack on a commercial tanker off Oman. Britain, Israel and Romania have joined the U.S. in blaming Iran for the drone attack on this ship, it's called Mercer Street, on Thursday.
A Britain and a Romanian were killed. Iran is denying any involvement and vowing to respond to the threats firmly and with seriousness.
Britain summoned the Iranian ambassador to the U.K. foreign office. Here's what Prime Minister Boris Johnson says about the attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: This is clearly an unacceptable and outrageous attack on commercial shipping. A U.K. national died. It is absolutely vital that Iran, and every other country, respects the freedoms of navigation around the world. And the U.K. will continue to insist on that.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CURNOW: I want to take you to Tehran now. Iran's supreme leader is confirming President-elect Ebrahim Raisi this hour. These are live pictures out of Iran. Raisi is set to be sworn into office on Thursday, the hard-line judiciary chief is a western tough critic. He was elected in a largely noncompetitive vote after his serious rivals were barred from the race.
So, as we watch these live images unfold, I'm going to take you straight to Tehran. Fred Pleitgen is standing by.
Fred, hi, what more can you tell us about what the implications of this man's leadership will be?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think there are going to be pretty big implications and then certainly also something that is going to have a big effect on the U.S., on the U.S.'s presence here in the region, also some of the backlash that the U.S. is going to have here in this region, coming from Iran as well.
It's been quite interesting to hear, because Ebraham Raisi, he is obviously someone who, so far, has been domestic policies here in Iran, of course, very much the judiciary chief of this country, very tough in that role, his critics, obviously, very critical of that role.
However, a lot of people who are conservative in this country are very supportive of that role. I was at some pro-Raisi rallies shortly after the election here in Iran, and there were many people who did praise the way that Raisi had conducted himself as the head of the judiciary as well.
But what you are going to see and what Raisi has said after the election is that there is going to be a very strong Iranian foreign policy as well. And I think that is something that did come as somewhat of a surprise to some of the international observers of this country, political analysts.
Raisi has come out and said there was going to be a very active and dynamic foreign policy on the part of Iran and also certainly not giving the U.S. even an inch. It was quite interesting because I was at his first initial press conference after he was elected. And there, he was asked whether or not he would ever conduct to direct negotiations with the U.S. and with President Biden. He simply, flat out, he said no. There was no, no explanation, nothing else. He just said, no, it's not going to happen.
The Iranians, of course, still very tough also as far as the Iran nuclear agreement is concerned and getting that back into the force (ph). It's still pretty far apart on certain issues but, of course, trying to get that deal done. But as far as the tensions in this region is concerned, especially between the Iran and the U.S., certainly, Iran, under this new leadership, not looking to back down.
And I think one of the things that we have to point out, Robyn, which is very important, what you have right now, what you're going to have after Ebrahim Raisi is inaugurated, is you are going to have the three big centers of power here in this country, which is the Iranian military and then, of course, first and foremost, Iran's supreme leader, who is the final authority on everything here in this country, and then the presidency and the government really in line in any sort of sphere, almost 100 percent in line with each other. And that certainly is going to have an effect also, of course, on foreign policy as well. Robyn?
CURNOW: Yes. What do you mean by that? Let's just -- talk about that. You talk about active dynamic, that it's going to be more forceful. What are the real world practical, strategic implications of that? What are we going to see potentially?
PLEITGEN: Yes, exactly. You're most probably going to see some of that, as far as Iran is concerned, obviously, towards in its policy towards Iraq, where Iran probably definitely already has a lot of influence, also, of course, in Syria as well.
[02:35:09]
But then you are already having incidents like that happening there in the Persian Gulf near Oman. The Iranians obviously denying they were behind that. But it's also no doubt that you are seeing incidents of similar form really becoming more and more common or more frequent in that area and in other areas as well. Of course, you've had those tit- for-tat sort of attacks with sometimes Israeli-affiliated vessels getting hit, Iranian-affiliated vessels getting hit, those two countries, blaming each other. The Iranians are making clear that they are not going to back down on any of that.
And you have heard the spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry saying that those -- as he put it, those who so the wind, they will receive the whirlwind. So Iranians are saying if there is retaliation for that, then they will come back tough.
They were former members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps who said, look, the United States needs to understand, in this region, the IRGC has an affiliated militia next to every single U.S. military base. So, the Iranians very much aware of the fact that they can project their power and very much saying that that is exactly what they intend to do.
Of course, that can potentially also have positive consequences. One of those that could happen at the inauguration is there could be a delegation of Saudi Arabia there, and those countries actually talking to one another again. That, of course, could have positive implications as well, Robyn.
CURNOW: Well, great that we have you on the ground in Tehran. Fred Pleitgen, thank you so much.
And the Taliban are getting closer to taking over the capital of Afghanistan's Helmand Province. Most of the militant's gains have been in rural areas. Well, now, a source says they have seized a T.V. station Lashkar Gah and an Afghan security official says, the U.S. has ramped up airstrikes around that city as well in Herat and Kandahar. Hundreds of Afghan special forces have arrived in Herat where they have been heavy fighting -- where there's been heavy fighting.
Now, Afghanistan's president blames the U.S. troop withdrawal for the latest fighting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ASHRAF GHANI, AFGHAN PRESIDENT: The reason for our current situation was that a sudden decision was made. I told the American president that I respect their decision to withdraw troops because it was their decision but I knew that this decision would have consequences. And the management of these risks will be left to the Afghans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW: Well, the Pentagon says the U.S. troop withdrawal is nearly complete in Afghanistan, but as Barbara Starr reports, the military is still keeping a pretty close eye on developments on the ground. Barbara?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: What U.S. officials are doing is watching the map very carefully. And let's go to the map. There are three major provincial capitals right now where the Taliban are making an all out push, Herat in the west, near the Iranian border, and two critical provincial capitals in southern Afghanistan, Kandahar, and Lashkar Gah. These are areas where the Taliban are advancing, and as a result, the U.S. conducting up to five airstrikes a day trying to push the Taliban back.
But, so far, especially in Lashkar Gah, we are told that is a city that, right now, is very vulnerable to a Taliban takeover. Even in Kandahar, the Taliban had been on the southern outskirts of the city. So, what does this all mean? The concern is if the Taliban are able to take one of these major population centers, it may unravel Afghan -- the confidence of the Afghan people in their government, and it could start a tipping point.
Interesting to note, the U.S. is saying the ground could still shift. Afghan forces could have time to come back, regain territory. But, nonetheless, the U.S. keeping a major amphibious warship offshore in the Persian Gulf, the Iwo Jima, just in case it needs it. They don't think they will, but just in case they decide that they need to reduce the presence at the U.S. embassy in Kabul, or even shut the embassy down in the coming days and weeks, they will have the military assets in the region to do it.
CURNOW: Barbara Starr there, thanks so much for that report. I'm Robyn Curnow, more news on CNN after the break. Stick with us.
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[02:40:00]
CURNOW: So, it has been nearly a month since Haitian President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in his home. Now, we're hearing from the only other person who was hurt in the attack and the only witness, his widow, First Lady Martine Moise. In her first on-camera interview since the attack, she spoke exclusively with CNN's Matt Rivers about what happened that night and the questions that are still unanswered.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): When gunmen stormed Haiti's presidential residence and assassinated President Jovenel Moise, just one witness was there when he died.
Madam First Lady, how are you? Thank you so much.
His wife, Haiti's first lady, Martine Moise. Flanked by private security, she agreed to go on camera for the first time, with her side of a story that has left her shaken.
You have armed security here at this interview. We have been asked and agreed not to disclose the location of where we are talking right now. You are obviously at least thinking about threats to your life. Do you feel like your life right now is at risk?
MARTINE MOISE, HAITIAN FIRST LADY: Yes, it is, because I wasn't supposed to be alive.
RIVERS: In a long conversation that's switched between Haitian Creole and English, Moise described and vivid detail what happened the night her husband was killed.
It was around 1:00 A.M., she says, when the shooting started. It wasn't something small. It was the sounds of automatic weapons.
Bullet holes still pockmark the compound. At the time, she and her husband hid in their bedroom. But just minutes later, she says the door burst open, gunfire ripped through the air, and at first only she was hit. Face down and bleeding, she thinks about a dozen men ransacked the room looking for something specific.
They came to find something because I heard them saying, that's not it, that's not it, there it is, which means they found what they were they were looking for.
She doesn't know what they found, but after they did, an attacker approached her husband, at this point, still alive and unhurt, and got on the phone.
She says, that person called someone and described what my husband looked like, saying he was tall, skinny and black. Maybe the person on the phone confirmed to the shooter that was him, and they shot him on the floor.
The president was dead and the attackers left soon after. Moise believes they thought she was dead too. Critically wounded, she lifted herself up.
When you stood up and you saw he was dead, did you say anything to him? In my heart, I said something I used to tell him when he was alive. We are married for better or worse and even beyond the grave. Her left side bleeding and her right arm shredded by gunfire, she was eventually let out of the house by police and comes to a quick conclusion, the dozens of security guards normally on hand to protect the president either let the attackers or they abandoned their posts.
There is no other explanation, she says. You are there to protect the president and the president is dead, and you are nowhere to be found. Adding that she was amazed, apparently not a single guard was injured. Moise believes it is part of a much larger conspiracy.
At your husband's funeral, you said, quote, the raptors are still out there watching and laughing at us. What did you mean by that?
MOISE: Yes, they are because no one is being arrested yet. The people that they arrest, these are the people that pulled the trigger.
[02:45:02]
They won't pull the trigger with no orders. So the men -- character that we need is the people who paid for that and the people who gave the order.
RIVERS: And you think that that person or persons has not yet been arrested?
MOISE: No.
RIVERS: The official investigation has led to the arrest of more than 40 suspects but has still not provided a motive for the president's killing or identified a mastermind behind it all. That has left a vacuum, Haiti flooded with theories about who killed the president who, at the time of his death, was an embattled, largely unpopular leader. Even still, for his widow, this was an unimaginable ending.
MOISE: I never thought that the level of hate ever existed in the country.
RIVERS: You never thought this could happen?
MOISE: No.
RIVERS: Because your husband did have a lot of enemies.
MOISE: Yes, he did. But I didn't know that they hated that much to kill him.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIVERS (on camera): And we asked Martine Moise, are you confident in the investigation that is ongoing on the island right now? And she basically said, no. And she specifically said that she wants U.S. investigators already involved in this investigation to continue, even ramp up their participation. And she also is specifically calling for the U.N. to create a special investigative tribunal to investigate the assassination of her husband, much like they did back in the mid 2000s after the assassination of Lebanon's prime minister.
Basically, what she is saying here is that she does not trusting this investigation unless foreign investigators are involved. Because, if they are not, she doesn't feel the truth will ever truly be found out.
Matt Rivers, CNN, Miami.
CURNOW: Thanks to Matt, great interview there.
I want to take you back to a story we were reporting on a little bit earlier before the ad break on Afghanistan and the Taliban gains that are being felt across the country.
I want to go straight to Ben Farmer. Ben is the Pakistan and Afghanistan Correspondent for the Daily Telegraph. He joins us from Islamabad in Pakistan but he will be traveling to Afghanistan soon.
Ben, hi, thank you for joining us, particularly before you on this big trip. What is the story you expect to be filing? What are you prepared for?
BEN FARMER, PAKISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN CORRESPONDENT, THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Well, things are moving very fast in Afghanistan. There is a lot of fighting at the moment. The Taliban have launched an offensive, which is coincided with the American withdrawal. And they really are pushing into some major Afghan cities, into Kandahar, Lashkar Gah and Herat.
But one of the other things that I'll be looking at certainly is that as the Americans have left, there is a lot of concern about the people who worked for them while they were there, whether that is interpreters or embassy staff, what will happen to them as the Taliban make these gains?
CURNOW: And also questions about special forces and the Afghan forces. The Taliban have made, as you said, these advances, and they've made them fast, really showing up the Afghan forces on their weaknesses, despite many decades of training and military aid.
How vulnerable are these forces to what our Barbara Starr referred to as perhaps a tipping point, that if one of these major cities falls, that there will be a loss of confidence? How long can they hold?
FARMER: I think that is the big worry at the moment. There is a very big psychological element towards this. What we've seen in the past three months is that the Taliban have captured lots of rural districts, many of these didn't have much of a government presence in them anyway, but they have now pressed up against these major cities. And the big question is whether they can take these major cities, and if they do, whether then that will become a cascade, and whether city after city will fall, rather quickly. At the moment, they're being held back. But even for this morning, there is heavy fighting in the capital of Helmand, Lashkar Gah. The Taliban are pressing on into the city and they're being held back largely by these Afghan special forces who have become key to securing these places.
The international community spent two decades --
CURNOW: And some air cover from the U.S., I understand.
FARMER: Yes, that's right. The air cover has been a key part of the defense of these cities. It has been here for decades. But now, as the Americans are leaving, it's becoming more occasional and even more precious.
CURNOW: You talk about Helmand there. Why is it so strategically key for the Taliban?
FARMER: It's been a Taliban stronghold since the very beginning of their counterinsurgency. It's a place that is very symbolic to both sides. It holds tens of thousands of American and British troops during the international campaign and was the site of some of the heaviest fighting.
[02:50:07]
So, the Taliban are hoping that this can be the first place that they can capture.
CURNOW: How threatened is Kabul in the long run, in the short or medium-turn even? How much concern is there about Kabul?
FARMER: At the moment, Kabul seems secure. It is not in anything like the peril that some of these smaller provincial capitals are. But the worry is that, as I mentioned, if you get to cascade of provincial capitals falling.
CURNOW: What is the international community's plan after the Americans leave and in the face of this Taliban advance, concerned about cascades, possible routing of government areas and forces? I mean, is there a backup plan here?
FARMER: It has to be said that the international community doesn't seem to be keen to intervene again militarily. There have been airstrikes but only a few, a handful, really, to stop these advances.
I think the international community, particularly in America, is very, very reluctant to send troops back. They are really hoping that the Afghan forces can continue to support them. I think they will do some training and they will do some advising from a distance, if you like. They call it from over the horizon. And they will also try and bolster and to maintain the Afghan Air Force.
CURNOW: Okay. Ben Farmer, good luck on your trip, I look forward to reading your dispatches, thank you very much.
FARMER: Thank you.
CURNOW: So, ahead on CNN, from the wreckage of tragedy rises this new memorial in Beirut. A look at how the city is coping one year after that devastating port explosion that claimed so many lives. We have a report on that.
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CURNOW: This giant sculpture now stands in Beirut made from the wreckage of last year's deadly port explosion, which killed more than 200 people and injured thousands. This Wednesday marks a year since the tragedy and critics say it's really still too soon for memorial because no one was brought to justice over what happened.
Well, the official investigation into the blast and why hundreds of tons of dangerous chemicals sat in port, unattended for years, is stalled, again. And one year on, many questions, of course, remain unanswered, as Ben Wedeman now reports. Ben?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Sometime between 5:00 and 6:00 P.M., on Tuesday, the 4th of August, 2020, a fire broke out, here. Here used to be hangar number 12, a warehouse that contained perhaps up to 2,750 metric tons of highly flammable ammonium nitrate, plus 23 tons of fireworks and 1,000 car tires.
The fire burned. There were attempts to put it, they failed. And at eight minutes past 6:00, there was a massive explosion, described by some as one of the largest non nuclear blasts in history.
[02:55:00]
And, of course, it sent a shockwave right over there into some of Beirut's oldest neighborhoods, shattering glass, toppling walls, killing, with the final death toll, as many as 210 people, perhaps more.
A final death toll is not even known at this point. More than 6,000 people were wounded, more than 300,000 people were rendered homeless, around 77,000 housing units were either damaged or destroyed. And according to the World Bank, the cost of the damage caused by the explosion is somewhere between $3.8, and $4.6 billion dollars, a sum of money this country, which is bankrupt, simply cannot afford.
Now, there has been an investigation going on since days after the blast, but it hasn't found anyone culpable. It hasn't found reasons for the explosion, it hasn't explained why all of that ammonium nitrate was left, apparently, very poorly secured, in very improper conditions.
And the relatives of the victims are increasingly angry with the fact that it appears that the government, the politicians are just trying to protect themselves and avoid any kind of blame. All of this while the country's economy has melted down, there has been political unrest, there has been a government in paralysis for a year now. And, of course, the country is grappling with the coronavirus pandemic, all of this leading those Lebanese who can, to ponder leaving this country for good.
I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN, reporting from the Port of Beirut.
CURNOW: Thank you, Ben, so much for that.
So, on Wednesday, CNN's Connect the World will bring you stories of dignity, courage and hope as the people of Lebanon, as we say, mark one year since the port explosion, our special report, Wednesday at 6:00 P.M. in Beirut, 4:00 P.M. in London.
And that wraps this hour of CNN. Thank you so much for joining me, wherever you are in the world. I'm Robyn Curnow. I've been live in Atlanta. I'm going to hand you over to my colleague, Rosemary Church, who picks things up after a quick break.
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