Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Taliban Seize 5th Afghan City as U.S. Withdrawal Winds Down; Fully Vaccinated Americans Can Travel to Canada As of Today; California's Dixie Fire Now Second-Largest in State's History; New U.N. Report Issues Stark Warning: Window Is Closing to Avoid Catastrophic Climate Change; New Details on Trump's Efforts to Undermine Election Results. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired August 09, 2021 - 13:30   ET

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

[13:30:00]

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We've seen five provincial capitals fall since Friday. Three just yesterday alone, and a key one, Kunduz, a major city there.

Now, I should point out none of this is necessarily irreversible. In Kunduz, the Taliban have moved in twice in the last six years and have been kicked out.

But that was back when Afghan security forces had substantial U.S. air support. They don't have that in as much numbers now as they have had in the past.

In fact, one Afghan official said they were deeply concerned, because they have about three weeks left of it until the U.S. says they'll stop using air support to fight back against the insurgency, when all their troops finally leave at the end of this month.

The problem really is -- and I think it's hard for Afghan security forces to know what fire to rush in and put out now -- they've got another two burning in at major provincial capital called Gazni. That's a key city.

And there's a seventh one as well under threat, too. And reports of other fighting in other places as well.

And a major battle raging in the south of the country for a very important city symbolically, that's in Helmand Province, where lots of U.S. and NATO soldiers have lost their lives in the past 10 years.

Make no mistake, everybody knew this would be bad when President Joe Biden said we're leaving unconditionally. But I think the hope had been that peace talks might kick in. Seems a bit naive now, frankly.

All that Afghan security forces would be able to hold the line. They still might.

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: Yes.

PATON WALSH: That's an important thing to remember. That you know, there's eventually a bottom line that's going to kick in here.

But it's been an appalling five days. And I think, frankly, many are concerned the momentum is certainly with the insurgency here and they might be damaging Afghan security forces' moral.

CABRERA: As we watch what's happening there, Barbara, I think the question on a lot of people's minds is might the U.S. change plans.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, I don't think there's much chance of that.

We've talked to a lot of officials about it and President Biden appears to be quite set in his decision that Afghan forces have been trained, that they have the weapons and the capacity to fight.

The question of their capability to do it might be something else entirely. But President Biden feels very strongly and has said so publicly that none of this is recent to commit U.S. forces again.

That would be the challenge. If you are going to really do it, would you have to put forces in significant numbers back on the ground in a combat role?

And in fact, the airstrikes the U.S. has been doing to support Afghan forces are likely to end at the end of August when all U.S. troops are withdrawn.

So we're talking now days, that the Afghan forces are days away from being really on their own -- Ana?

CABRERA: Nick, why do the Afghan forces seem so unprepared, given they have had decades and years of training with the U.S. military?

PATON WALSH: There are a number of possible explanations. I think some internally in Afghanistan might say there's been a lot of changing in senior military leadership over the last months or so.

Others might say, frankly, that you have a good, solid core of Afghan commandos who are very good at pushing back the Taliban.

But then Afghan police, security forces, conventional army are often quite ramshackle when they come in afterwards and tend to fall apart when the insurgency moves in. That's a criticism we've heard repeatedly.

Then, two, there's the comfortable deceit the U.S. has always lived with, that they created a strong and thriving Afghan army that they could hand the country over to as they pulled out.

Most saw how the Afghan military truly functioned over the last 10 years and knew they didn't truly matched-up to that dream being sold by politicians and military leaders. There's a hope in U.S. officials' minds that there's something still

serious in that Afghan security force that we see daily kicking the insurgents around in some cities, too. But something serious that can sustain and hold certain parts of ground.

I think the problem is, if you're looking for certain key objectives and you're dealing with a series of fires that you need to put out, and you're dealing with an insurgency that has the resources, manpower spread out from rural areas to push around those cities, and a lot of those cities are cut off from resupply, as we tend to be seeing in some of these key fights.

Then it's a very steep mountain to climb for those Afghan security forces who have been experiencing extraordinary attrition and loss over the past years.

I think that's what's got many concerned as to exactly when you might start seeing things spiral in the wrong direction for the government.

CABRERA: Nick Paton Walsh and Barbara Starr, thank you both.

[13:34:29]

Want a cocktail at the bar? It's 5:00 somewhere, right? You'll need a health pass for that in France.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Today, for the first time since March of 2020, American tourists can visit Canada.

CNN's Paula Newton is live near the border in Canada.

Paula, it used to be pretty simple, right, for Americans to travel into Canada. What's that process like now?

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. Think about it. People would go over just to get milk and bread and gas.

This border was closed for nearly a year and a half. This about it, Ana. During 9/11, it was only closed for two days.

I know people who lined up behind me here in Cornwall, Ontario, near Upstate New York there. They lined up at midnight to get in here. A lot of family reunions going on right now.

[13:40:03]

Let me tell you what it takes. You have to be fully vaccinated and you have to download an arrive app. Get the upload, proof of vaccination there.

And you have to have a negative test. Rapid tests won't do. You need to have that lab confirmed PCR test.

What's interesting is, starting today, this is the first time really that those unvaccinated, those 12 and under, who are with their parents or guardians and can't get vaccinated, they're going to be allowed in here without having to quarantine.

And, Ana, I think you know, writ large, like those grandparents, family reunions are going on at this hour.

It's been such a relief. And I can tell you relief really to both sides of the border in terms of the leisure, the tourist businesses that have really been suffering.

Having said that, Ana, key here, interesting, the Biden administration has no reciprocated. Throughout the entire pandemic, we've been flying to the United States. You could not drive to the United States. And that remains the same today.

The Biden administration really not saying how soon they will reopen the land border. Right now, it's closed until at least August.

CABRERA: All right, Paula Newton, there in Cornwall, Ontario, thank you.

People in France now need a health pass just to enjoy everyday activities. It's a digital card that allow businesses to check for proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test.

This is required to ride buses and trains and other public transportation.

The Q.R. code also has to be scanned before eating at restaurants or drinking at bars.

This law went into effect today despite big opposition. Over the weekend, there were tens of thousands who took to the streets in protest.

California is battling the largest active fire in the U.S. right now. CNN's Camila Bernal is there live -- Camila?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: (INAUDIBLE). It's the second-largest fire in the history of the state of California.

Those flames getting close to the homes, but firefighters doing everything they can. Unfortunately, the fire keeps growing.

We'll talk about containment efforts coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:46:57]

CABRERA: Right now, there are more than 100 wildfires burning across parts of 15 states. Together, they have charred more than two million acres. That's an area bigger than the Grand Canyon.

The largest fire is in northern California. The Dixie Fire is growing and destroying everything in its path. Reducing an entire town to ash. Burning more than 600 structures.

CNN's Camila Bernal is in Chico, California.

Camila, is there any progress on containing this?

BERNAL: Ana, unfortunately, no. Containment is still at 21 percent. It's the same number that we've been seeing and reporting over the last couple of days.

But we are seeing the fire growing. And the weather is not helping.

The smoke has cleared but you're seeing temperatures increasing and the humidity decreasing. On top of that, you have the winds.

And all of this contributing to the growth of this fire, which has already burned about a half a million acres. That is an incredible number just to think about.

It's been so difficult for people because you're seeing more evacuation orders being issued. We're hearing the alerts. Getting them on our phones.

And we've been talking to people who have lost their homes to fires, like this one, who say that evacuation orders, smelling the smoke, hearing the sirens, triggers this anxiety and trauma.

It's been a difficult month for the people of northern California.

On the other hand, you have firefighters telling me they are tired, that they're doing everything they can, and that they've never seen a fire like this one.

They've never been through a fire season like the one they're living through at the moment.

Governor Gavin Newsom using this weekend to visit one of the most affected areas. He was in Greenville.

He used it not just to show the destruction and the loss but used the visit to talk about climate change and called the Dixie Fire a climate-induced fire. He says that more needs to be done.

And look, I've talked to experts over the last couple of weeks who say it's impossible to ignore the fact that temperatures are getting higher and higher. It's impossible to ignore the drought.

So overall, I'm just hearing a collective fear. People who are concerned about what's going to happen in the next couple of days, maybe even weeks -- Ana?

CABRERA: It is so brown behind you. It shows how dry it is.

Camila Bernal, thank you for your reporting.

Nearly 40,000 wildfires have burned more than 3.5 million acres in the U.S. this year. We can't discuss that devastation without bringing up climate change.

And today, the U.N. shared a chilling report that says we are running out of time.

Hundreds of scientists concluded that humans are causing the planet to get hotter and it's happening fast than we thought..

Right now, the earth is 1.1 degrees warmer from preindustrial times and could be 1.5 degrees warmer in the next decade. If we go higher than that, the report says it will "transform life as we know it."

CNN chief climate correspondent, Bill Weir, is joining us now.

Bill, this is a dangerous trajectory. But, already, the effects are being felt. Talk to us about we're experiencing. Help us make this more tangible for our viewers.

[13:50:08]

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Sure, yes. What we're seeing is the drumbeat of this on front pages every week now in different parts of the world kind of simultaneously.

That's the paradox of this emergency. It won't be like 9/11 or Pearl Harbor where everyone feels the effects immediately and goes into action.

What we're seeing, we've got the heatwaves. Hurricane Harvey, 15 percent more water. So a warmer planet means too much water in some places, not near enough in others.

That springs the drought out west. So much of the west locked in a drought with no end in sight. They say they could use 10 years of rain, of wet years to correct the drought out there.

If you look at, well, this is too much water in places in Texas. We saw Belgium and Germany. We've seen it in Asia as well.

But, Ana, I want to show you this before-and-after of the Lake Oroville Dam in California. The lake doesn't have enough to go into the spillway so they've shut down the hydroelectric dam there.

But just a few years ago, this same spot was inundated with floodwaters, which is called weather whiplash, Ana, which this new report says is the new normal now as things get hotter faster and with extreme consequences than anybody ever predicted.

CABRERA: Wow, that picture was just so, so eye-opening.

And we heard last week the president announcing policies on carbon emission and electric vehicles. Will be upping the ante there. And 50 percent of cars sold in the U.S. by 2030 will have to be electric vehicles.

Today, Senate Democrats also unveiled some new climate provisions. If all of that is actually implemented, will it be enough?

WEIR: It would be a start, but a very small one. It would be a Dixie Cup of water going into a five-alarm fire, frankly.

Ultimately, what science agrees on now, unequivocally, is the only way to stop this from going out of control is to stop using fuels that burn.

And the faster we do that, the better, the more life that can be saved.

But look around you. Everything we touch is in some way based with fossil fuels. Everything has to change. But it would be a start.

CABRERA: A start is better than nothing. Otherwise, we're on a path to doom it sounded like.

WEIR: Yes.

CABRERA: Bill Weir, appreciate it as always. Thanks for your reporting, for your expertise, and continuing to bring us that important information..

We have new details on the big effort to push the Big Lie from new testimony over the weekend, which paints just a clearer picture of how far former President Trump went to try and undermine the election results.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:57:23]

CABRERA: Senate investigators are getting some stunning new revelations about what former President Trump and his allies were willing to do to try to overturn the 2020 election.

A source close to the investigation says two top former Department of Justice officials, former acting deputy attorney general, Richard Donoghue, and the former acting attorney general, Jeffrey Rosen, spoke to the Judiciary Committee this weekend.

They reportedly told lawmakers another Trump-appointed DOJ official, Jeffrey Clark, went out of the chain of command to push President Trump's fraudulent election claims.

It included a January meeting where the former president had both men vie for the attorney general job.

Jessica Schneider joins us in Washington.

Jessica, what else are we learning about this testimony?

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Ana, it was robust and illuminating testimony. It amounted to about seven hours for Rosen, six hours for Donoghue.

We also know that Rosen sat with the DOJ inspector general this weekend, too.

Our sources are telling our team that Rosen and Donoghue focused on their interactions with Trump but also Jeffrey Clark.

In particular, detailing how Clark subverted the chain of command at DOJ at least five times to push these false claims of fraud Trump's behalf.

We've also learned in our reporting, our team learning that Clark insisted that Chinese intelligence used special kinds of thermometers to change results in machines tallying votes, something that was false.

And when the director of National Intelligence at the time, John Ratcliffe, rebutted those claims in a briefing, Clark just wouldn't believe him. So we learned that.

There were also new revelations in this testimony over the weekend about Trump and how much he actually pressured the acting A.G., Jeff Rosen, to back up his false claims of fraud.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL): Just how directly personally involved the president was, the pressure he was putting on Jeffrey Rosen, it was real, very real. It was very specific.

This president is not subtle when he wants something -- the former president is not subtle when he wants something.

I think it's a good thing for America that we had a person like Rosen in that position who withstood the pressure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: Senator Durbin saying this afternoon, Ana, that the next witness on their list is the former U.S. attorney in Georgia, B.J. Pak.

You'll remember that Pak resigned abruptly right after that taped phone call came out of Trump pressuring Georgia's secretary of state to just find him more votes.

So there's a lot of questions as to what Pak knew, what pressure he was facing. Senator Durbin hoping to get at that -- Ana?

[14:00:03]

CABRERA: Another reason why this January 6th Select Committee, too, is so crucial for us to get to the facts about what happened, what led up to the insurrection, and what was happening behind the scenes.