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U.S. Says Nearly 6,000 Evacuated from Kabul Since Saturday; People Must Run Taliban Gauntlet to Get into Kabul Airport; Former Afghan President Ghani Speaks from UAE; Parent Rips Off Teacher's Mask in Texas; U.S. Veterans Grapple with Taliban Takeover. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired August 19, 2021 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:30:00]
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber, this is CNN NEWSROOM.
Kabul's airport remains the best hope for thousands of Afghans desperate to escape from the Taliban but the airport is surrounded by militant fighters who are making it almost impossible for anyone to get inside. The U.S. says about 6,000 people have been air lifted so far, but that's a tiny fraction of those who worked as translators and other jobs that may entitle them to be evacuated. The U.S. State Department is warning that safe passage to the airport can't be guaranteed. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says that the U.S. is working with the Taliban to let more people leave.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: But we will continue to coordinate and deconflict with the Taliban and make sure that those people that need to get to the airfield have the right credentials to ensure passage and the Taliban has been checking those credentials and if they have them, they have allowed them to pass.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: The U.S. estimates up to 65,000 Afghan nationals and their families may be eligible for admission to the United States. But first they neat to get past the Taliban who are blocking access to the airport. CNN's Clarissa Ward takes us through the chaos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): America's last foothold in Afghanistan is now guarded by the Taliban.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As you can see, the Taliban are all over and they won't allow anyone.
WARD (voice-over): We've come to Kabul's airport to see the gauntlet people must pass through to fly out.
WARD: You can hear gunshots every couple of minutes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: CNN, CNN, CNN.
WARD (voice-over): Quickly, we are accosted by an angry Taliban fighter.
WARD: Can I ask you a question? Excuse me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He says first --
WARD: Cover my face?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cover.
WARD: OK, covered my face. What is this? What is that?
He told me to cover my face. But he doesn't want to comment on that truncheon he's carrying.
WARD (voice-over): The fighter tells us these chaotic scenes are the fault of America.
The cause of all this is America in Afghanistan. Look at these people, he says. America is really acting unfairly towards them. Why are they lying and telling them that they can go to America? Why don't they let them stay and help their country?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He doesn't want to talk to you.
WARD: OK. (INAUDIBLE)
WARD (voice-over): We keep walking to avoid confrontation. A man follows us asking for advice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How we can enter the base?
WARD: How you can enter the base?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Because they are sending me e-mails also.
WARD: Do you have paperwork to enter?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
WARD: Show me your paper.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The internal, but we have the e-mail and they call on me.
WARD: Was this an Italian company?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, Italian company.
WARD: OK, but I don't want this guy to whip you.
WARD: OK, thank you. WARD (voice-over): Others crowd around us to show their documents.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's my -- translator.
WARD: Yes, you were a translator?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
WARD: OK. (INAUDIBLE)
So, they're saying they all worked at American camps as translators for the Americans and they can't get into that airport.
These Taliban fighters are a little upset with us, so let's keep going.
WARD (voice-over): We decide to leave and head for our car. The fighter takes the safety off his AK-47 and pushes through the crowd.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stay behind him, stay behind him.
WARD: You can see that some of these Taliban fighters, they're just hopped up on adrenaline or I don't know what. It's a very dicey situation.
WARD (voice-over): Suddenly, two other Taliban charged towards us. You can see their rifle butt, raised to strike producer Brent Swails. When the fighters are told we have permission to report, they lower their weapons and let us pass.
Clarissa Ward, CNN, Kabul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: While some have been lucky enough to break through the chaos for a chance at a new life. Have a look at this, this photograph of an Afghan child was taken on board an American military plane departing Kabul's airport. The U.S. air force jacket serves as a blanket allowing the kid to get some sleep and a little bit of peace as thousands try to escape Afghanistan.
[04:35:00]
Well, the former Afghan president fled the country last Sunday and until now his exact whereabouts were unknown. On Wednesday the United Arab Emirates confirmed that Ashraf Ghani had taken refuge in that country. He posted an online message explaining why he decided to leave.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ASHRAF GHANI, FORMER AFGHAN PRESIDENT (through translator): If I had stayed the president of Afghanistan, I would have been hanged in front of the eyes of the people of Afghanistan. This would have been a dreadful disaster in our history. I'm not fearful of an honorable death. But I don't want the dishonoring of Afghanistan. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: CNN's Eleni Giokos is covering this for us in Dubai. So, Eleni, Ghani is pushing back against the accusations that he cut and run. Take us through what he said.
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. Look, he's justifying why he felt he needed to flee and he needed to flee with such urgency. And he described the circumstances that played out on Sunday that forced him to make that difficult decision.
He described a situation where people that had entered the presidential palace which he says made little resistance, started moving from room to room and he barely had enough time to take his shoes or his prized possessions which he says were his laptop and his notebooks. We also know the UAE foreign ministry says that they welcomed Ghani and his family on humanitarian grounds.
Now, this is very different to the perception that has surrounded him leaving Afghanistan. The Taliban had said that they wanted a peaceful transfer of power, that they were standing on the sidelines before they entered Kabul, but Ashraf Ghani said that was not the case, that the Taliban didn't have any intention of a peaceful transfer of power, that he was probably going to be hanged and he wanted to avoid that bloodshed. That he did it for the good of the people. He spoke about his desire and commitment for peace, stability and development of Afghanistan.
And this is the first time we've heard from him since he fled on Sunday. We also now are seeing lots of questions being raised whether he is going to try and be part of negotiations from abroad. Whether he is going to be part of Afghan politics down the line. But what we do know is that him leaving blindsided a lot of the politicians on the ground that felt that he left the country without any leader, with the commander in chief basically leaving the forces on the ground completely demoralized.
The parliamentarians, the politicians that he left behind. And some of those politicians and even the negotiators that are working with the Taliban had to come out and put video messages out to assure the people of Afghanistan that they will be secure and they are in safe hands.
In the meantime, the narrative, the rhetoric from the Taliban has been vastly different to what Ashraf Ghani has been describing. And of course, that is the big concern here, should we, you know, believe what the Taliban is saying? Should we believe what Ashraf Ghani is saying. What we do know right now is it is a very tense situation and that things are escalate on the ground.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, many unanswered questions there. Thanks so much, Eleni Giokos in Dubai. Appreciate it.
Well, but disputes over face masks and other COVID restrictions have reached a boiling point here in the U.S.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're surrendering our children to a pandemic of sincere ignorance, to conscientious stupidity.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're assaulting the masks, you're assaulting parents, you're children.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: We'll show you how officials are trying to ease the tensions when we come back. Stay with us.
[04:40:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRUNHUBER: President Biden is escalating his push to get more people vaccinated. He is directing nursing homes to remember their staffs to be vaccinated. And if they don't, they could lose their Medicare and Medicaid funding. A nursing home industry group says the mandate will cause vaccine hesitant workers to quit and take other jobs, leaving nursing homes without adequate staff.
Florida's largest school district has voted in favor of requiring masks in schools defying the governor's executive order against such mandates. Miami-Dade County voted 7-1 on the measure with the district superintendent saying he is ready to accept any consequences for doing the right thing. Top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci says wearing a mask is the best way to keep students safe.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, U.S. NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: When you talk about the extra added degree of protection, even in a school system where you may have vaccinated teachers and some of the children may be vaccinated, you want to wear a mask to protect the children so that they can continue to be in school, in person, in classes, so that we don't get the deleterious effects on the child of again keeping them out of school. You want to do that, but you want to do it safely and masks contribute greatly to the safety of the children.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: CNN's Rosa Flores has more on the growing disputes over face masks around the U.S.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The heated debate over masks is escalating into physical altercations in various states across the nation. In Texas, a parent ripping a teacher's face mask during a meet the teacher event Monday according Eanes school district superintendent Tom Leonard.
TOM LEONARD, SUPERINTENDENT, EANES INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT: Let's just leave the mask wars out of the schools.
FLORES (voice-over): In a letter to parents and staff, Leonard calling it a physical assault on a teacher by a parent.
LEONARD: If you want to fight it, fight it somewhere else. But don't mess with the teachers. They have a hard enough job right now.
FLORES (voice-over): In northern California, an elementary schoolteacher was hospitalized last week after a parent attacked him during a verbal argument over face masks, a district official says.
TORIE F. GIBSON, SUPERINTENDENT, AMADOR COUNTY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT: It was originally between the parent and the principal and the teacher intervened at that point. The female principal intervened to say, hey, it's time to go. Like you -- stop.
FLORES (voice-over): The teacher was stitched up for cuts and lacerations to his face. Police responded to the scene and are investigating. The parent was not arrested. The superintendent there sending a letter to parents saying assaulting a staff member will never be tolerated on any school campus.
At this protest outside Los Angeles city hall where dozens of demonstrators waved signs opposing COVID-19 mitigation efforts, it was a news reporter who fell victim. This video capturing his hat getting knocked off and glasses ripped off his head while he tried do an interview, according to his Twitter post.
[04:45:00]
JAMES QUEALLY, STAFF WRITER, LOS ANGELES TIMES: Just exploded pretty quickly. And unfortunately, this is a pattern we've seen at a few other protests around L.A.
FLORES (voice-over): The tension and misinformation flowing into county board meetings like this one in San Diego.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your children and your children's children will be suffocated. They will be asked, how many vaccines have you had? Have you been a good little Nazi? Hail Fauci. Hail Fauci.
FLORES (voice-over): And into school board rooms in Florida too. The debate today in Miami-Dade stretching out for hours.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know what is better for our children, better than the parents and the mothers who have to give birth to those children.
FLORES (voice-over): At the same time, this in Hillsborough County in the Tampa area.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're surrendering our children to a pandemic of sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
FLORES (voice-over): This Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meeting was adjourned after a ruckus crowd refused to put on masks. In Tennessee last week, the chaos started inside the school board room.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We know who you are, no more masks.
FLORES (voice-over): And then spilled into the street. With crowds heckling and threatening officials leaving the meeting after they approved a temporary mask mandate. Sheriff's deputies having to intervene to help officials leave the premises.
MICHAEL MILLER, HARASSED AT TENNESSEE SCHOOL BOARD MEETING: Parents shouldn't feel threatened for their lives walking into a parking lot. That is not the America I know.
FLORES (voice-over): As the unrest over masks grows, educators warn children are watching and learning.
Rosa Flores, CNN, Dallas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: After two years, the federal trial of R. Kelly has finally begun in New York. Prosecutors accuse the R&B singer of using his fame to lure young women and girls over two decades. He pleaded not guilty to charges of sexual exploitation of children, kidnapping and sex trafficking. The most serious charges could lead to decades in prison if convicted. Darryl Forges breaks down what was said in Wednesday's opening statements.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DARRYL FORGES, CNN NEWSOURCE CORRESPONDENT: When it comes down to the prosecution, they're describing Kelly as a predator. They say for decades he organized a criminal enterprise with the help of people in his inner circle to recruit young women to engage in illegal sexual activity. They also claim that Kelly, not only did he do that, but he also took sexually explicit pictures of numerous amounts of girls under the age of 18.
Now, for the defense, they came out swinging saying that many of the women that came forward are lying and that Kelly had a consensual relationship with most if not all of them. In fact, the defense described Kelly's relationship with many of these women as, quote, beautiful.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: North Carolina is one step away from raising the minimum age for marriage in the state. Currently girls as young as 14 who are pregnant can marry if they receive permission from judges. 14-year-old boys can also legally marry the mother of their babies with a judge's permission. The governor is expected to sign the measure raising the age to 16 and then it will take immediate effect.
All right, still to come, U.S. veterans react to the chaotic close of America's longest war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MIKE BREEN, FORMER U.S. ARMY CAPTAIN: We made promises to people that we would expect them if they stood with us. And the deepest, you know, most core beliefs that many of us carried around with us, that no one gets left behind.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: We'll have more on the message for military leaders as some veterans question whether the last 20 years of war were even worth it. Stay with us.
[04:50:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRUNHUBER: The international community is voicing deep concern over the future of Afghan women under Taliban control. The U.S., EU and 18 other countries have called on those in power across Afghanistan to guarantee their protection.
Writing in a joint statement: Afghan women and girls as all Afghan people deserve to live in safety, security and dignity. Any form of discrimination and abuse should be prevented.
They said that they are ready to assist with humanitarian aid and support to ensure their voices are heard. Now this as many women are staying behind closed doors fearing the return of the Taliban's oppressive rule.
The U.S. Defense Secretary is vowing the military will evacuate as many Americans, allies and Afghans as possible despite the chaos on the ground, he stressed to U.S. veterans that their service and sacrifice for the past two decades wasn't in vein.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: Now, all of this is very personal for me. This is a war that I fought in and led. I know the country. I know the people. And I know those who fought alongside me. As I said, we have a moral obligation to help those who helped us. And I feel the urgency deeply.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: But with the Taliban back in power, some U.S. veterans can't help but wonder if it was all worth it. CNN's Tom Foreman reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Amid the turmoil, panic and the shattering end to 20 years of combat, U.S. veterans of the Afghan war are struggling. Some taking calls around the clock from Afghan allies, trying to find a way out. Mike Breen is a former army captain. MIKE BREEN, FORMER U.S. ARMY CAPTAIN: We made promised to people because we were told to. We made promises to people that we would protect them if they stood with us. And the deepest, you know, most core belief that many of us carried around was, you know, that no one gets left behind.
FOREMAN: This feels like a personal thing for many veterans.
BREEN: Of course, it is. It's deeply personal.
FOREMAN (voiceover): The administration has acknowledged that impact.
AUSTIN: I know that these are difficult days for those who lost one of ones in Afghanistan, and for those who carry the wounds of war.
FOREMAN (voiceover): But the truth goes far beyond bad feelings. Post 9/11 veterans have a significantly higher rate of suicide than other vets.
[04:55:00]
And a study from Brown and Boston Universities estimates over 30,000 active duty and veterans in that age group have died that way, many more than the roughly 7,000 killed in combat.
Why? In part, the study suggests the length of the Afghan and Iraq wars took a terrible toll, subjecting troops to multiple deployments and repeated traumas. And now, this. Cherissa Jackson is a retired air force nurse who has dedicated her life to helping vets. She nearly died in Afghanistan.
CHERISSA JACKSON, RETIRED AIR FORCE NURSE AND CHIEF MEDICAL EXECUTIVE OF AMVETS: It was like, what was all of this for? Why did I work so hard? Why was I gone for six months away for my family?
FOREMAN (voiceover): Jason Kander, former Missouri secretary of state and previously a CNN contributor, works to help vets as well. And he served in Afghanistan too.
JASON KANDER, PRESIDENT OF NATIONAL EXPANSION, VETERANS COMMUNITY PROJECT: A buddy of mine said to me (INAUDIBLE) said, you know, obviously, the Vietnam veterans and others had it really bad too, but at least they are wars ended.
FOREMAN (voiceover): And so, it is with so many who went there, who fought, who believed, who are still proud like former green beret and NFL player, Nate Boyer.
NATE BOYER, BRONZE STAR RECIPIENT AND FORMER NFL PLAYER: We did what we could. We fought for those who can't fight for themselves and we will still do that today and we're still going to do that in the future moving forward.
FOREMAN (voiceover): Now, they are all watching and wondering, after all the years, the victories and losses, the fighting and grieving, what will the legacy be and how will we all live with it? BREEN: This is a question. This is the last act of an American soldier in Afghanistan going to be pushing a refugee, pushing an American ally, pushing a former interpreter away from an airplane while they get on or pulling them aboard?
FOREMAN (voiceover): Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Well, that wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. "EARLY START" is next.
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