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Chaotic Journey To Escape Through Kabul Airport; Helicopters Bring 169 Americans To Kabul Airport; U.S.: 13,000 Evacuated From Kabul Over Past Week; Desperate Afghans Cling To Hope Of Evacuation; U.S. Official: Full FDA Approval Of Pfizer Vaccine Imminent; Florida Governor Conflates COVID-19 Treatment With Prevention; Reports Of Anti-Taliban Resistance In Panjshir Province; Some Haiti Areas Receiving No Aid After Earthquake; "Jeopardy!" Host Steps Down Amid Controversial Comments. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired August 21, 2021 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Any American who wants to come home, we will get you home.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): But thousands of America's Afghan allies still wait amid the heat, the dust and the danger, fearing that the U.S. will, indeed, leave them behind.
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HOLMES (voice-over): Plus, the FDA pushing to fully approve Pfizer's COVID vaccine as soon as Monday. Why that could be a game changer in getting people vaccinated.
And anti-lockdown protesters clashing with police in Australia. Thousands taking to the streets, despite the country seeing its highest case count of the pandemic.
Hello and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. Appreciate your company. I'm Michael Holmes and this is CNN NEWSROOM.
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HOLMES: U.S. President Joe Biden vowing to bring every American home from Afghanistan if they want to leave. One problem, though: nobody knows how many U.S. citizens are in the country or their situation. The U.S. State Department says it is actively trying to track down as many as possible.
On Friday, the Pentagon confirming it had evacuated 169 Americans by helicopter from a hotel near the airport after large crowds blocked the group's access. It's the first-known rescue operation of Americans outside the airport perimeter.
Meanwhile, the Taliban showing off the spoils of war. They published photographs, showing their fighters armed with U.S. weapons seized from the Afghan national army.
Now after reporting from inside Afghanistan since the beginning of the month, our Clarissa Ward and her team made it out of the country Friday.
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HOLMES (voice-over): And I want to show you what it looked like inside their plane as they flew to Qatar. About 300 Afghan evacuees were onboard. Clarissa has since tweeted they've made it to Doha. Before leaving, she filed this report on the conditions that thousands of people are facing as they try to flee Taliban rule.
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CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After three weeks in Afghanistan, we joined the crowds at Kabul airport. Now the only way out of the country.
(on camera): There's a huge block here, lots of cars.
(voice-over): hundreds of people wait in the blistering heat, hoping for a flight out.
(on camera): So we just managed to get into the airport compound and I have to say it was pretty intense. It was just like this crush of desperate people and screaming children and women and babies. And -- yes, it's not often you rarely see desperation like that.
(voice-over): The few people that do make it are exhausted and scared but they're the lucky ones. They've made it past the Taliban checkpoints, Afghan security guards and finally the airport gate. But they can't forget those who they left behind.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're getting out. We're happy for that. But we're heartbroken for our country. Especially for those can't get out, those who are stuck here. And we're really heartbroken. Our heart bleeds for them.
WARD (on camera): What do you feel for all the mothers with young daughters will now be growing up under Taliban rule?
The back of a pretty long line now. Transportations are just strained, they said. And obviously, the priority is getting children and babies out as soon as possible. But I think we'll probably be here for a while.
You'd work for the U.S. military or ... ?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not military but we are working with the Ministry of --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Defense.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- Defense.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In Afghanistan.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But we are also work with the foreign people, too.
WARD (on camera): And so you have visa?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, yes.
WARD (voice-over): As we interview this couple, suddenly shouts behind us, a vehicle speeds through.
(on camera): That's a newborn baby that just flew past. That was a newborn.
Did you see the baby?
It was this big.
(voice-over): The baby, we find out, has heat stroke and needs treatment. A reminder for these families that they're close to safety but not there yet.
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WARD (voice-over): We stand in the blazing hot sun for hours. Everyone's seeking what shelter they can. Patients wearing thin. It's an agonizingly slow process but finally we're allowed inside. Out on the tarmac now safe but the chaos continues.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been waiting for two days, yesterday since 3:00 am
WARD (on camera): Yesterday, since 3:00 am?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
WARD (on camera): Tell me what the situation was like trying to get into the airport.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was really busy. And a lot of people were just fighting and trying to make way for themselves. But we push through.
WARD (on camera): We are certainly some of the very lucky ones here. Others, as you heard from that young man, have been waiting for two days. Others we saw getting turned around, sent back, told you don't have the appropriate paperwork.
And there's no question, everybody here is doing their best. But it's not clear if it's fast enough, if enough people can get out and how much longer they have to finish this massive operation -- Clarissa Ward, CNN, Kabul.
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HOLMES: Now despite the chaos and uncertainty at Kabul's airport, the U.S. President is defending the evacuation process. Joe Biden says his administration is focused on bringing Americans home and helping Afghan allies. But not all the critics are satisfied. Jeremy Diamond with more on that.
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BIDEN: Let me be clear. Any American who wants to come home, we will get you home.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Biden vowing to get all Americans out of Afghanistan and extending that commitment to Afghans who have helped the U.S.
BIDEN: Yes. Yes, we're making the same commitment. There is no one more important than bringing American citizens out. I acknowledge that. But they're equally important.
DIAMOND (voice-over): The president trying to project command of a situation that spiraled out of control, after the Taliban seized the Afghan capital five days ago, leading to scenes of desperation at the Kabul airport.
BIDEN: Security.
DIAMOND (voice-over): The president revealing that U.S. troops exited the airport perimeter to bring in 169 Americans trapped in the chaos outside the gates.
BIDEN: We've increased the number of people.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Biden promising U.S. forces will continue to do what's necessary to get Americans out, including the possibility of rescue missions into Taliban-controlled Kabul.
BIDEN: We're continuing every -- every opportunity and every means by which we could get folks to the airport.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Even as he acknowledged he doesn't know how many Americans are still in Afghanistan, he projected confidence that the U.S. can complete evacuations by the end of the month, the deadline for U.S. troops to withdraw. But he warned there are still risks.
BIDEN: This evacuation mission is dangerous. It involves risks to our armed forces and it's being conducted under difficult circumstances. I cannot promise what the final outcome will be or what it will be -- that it will be without risk of loss. But as commander in chief, I can assure you that I will mobilize every resource necessary.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Biden, also, facing fresh questions about why he didn't act sooner to bring Americans and Afghans home, after diplomats sent a classified cable in mid-July, warning a U.S. withdrawal would lead to the collapse of the U.S.-backed government.
BIDEN: I got all kinds of cables, all kinds of advice. I made the decision. The buck stops with me. I took the consensus opinion. The consensus opinion was that, in fact, it would not occur, if it occurred, until later in the year.
DIAMOND (voice-over): The White House says the U.S. has now evacuated about 13,000 people since Saturday, including 5,700 people just yesterday.
BIDEN: Our commander in Kabul has already given the order for outbound flights to resume.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Evacuation flights now resuming after a bottleneck brought the mission to a halt.
As for Americans still trying to get to the airport?
BIDEN: We have no indication that they haven't been able to get in Kabul through the airport.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Those words contradicting reports and the images on the ground.
DIAMOND: And those words by the president were also contradicted by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who told members of the House of Representatives in a briefing on Friday afternoon, that there are Americans who have been beaten by the Taliban.
And he called those beatings "unacceptable."
But by and large, officials insisting that the Taliban are, indeed, letting Americans through their checkpoints to the airport.
Now after those comments by Secretary Austin in that briefing, I spoke with a White House official, who acknowledged that there is a volatile situation on the ground and that there have been reports of chaos and of Americans facing challenges, trying to get to the airport but insisting that the U.S. is doing everything it can to get Americans to the airport, safely and out of the country -- Jeremy Diamond, CNN, the White House.
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HOLMES: And CNN's Jomana Karadsheh joins me live from Istanbul.
It's interesting, Jomana, the president working hard to make it sound like plans are coming together. But that's difficult to believe when we see those scenes at the airport.
What are people where you are in the region there saying about what we are seeing?
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look. I think, Michael, a lot of people are absolutely shocked by what they have been saying.
You clearly have U.S. officials, who have been, over the past couple of days, whether it's the president or other senior officials, coming out, trying to project this image of an operation that is under control; the situation's running smoothly or headed in that direction.
But obviously, as we have seen from Clarissa's reporting, from what we have been seeing on the ground, things are very different in reality.
I think one big thing here, Michael, is people have been watching this very closely in this region over the past week. And no matter what is being said or done right now, what is really going to stay with people for a very long time is the images that they have seen coming out of Kabul airport over the past few days.
Whether it is those heartbreaking images of people desperately trying to get to the airport, those heart-wrenching images people holding onto U.S. military aircraft, trying desperately to get out of the country, falling to their death, these are the kinds of images that have really stunned people.
And they will stay with them for a very long time. There was a lot of hope amongst a lot of people in this region -- not everyone, obviously -- that the Biden administration is going to come in and bring a lot more stability, a lot more predictability after those turbulent years of the Donald Trump presidency, that America first era.
There was hope that this is going to be an America that is going to put human rights as a priority when it comes to its foreign policy.
But what people are seeing right now, it has -- it's been disappointing for a lot of people who had hopes for change. And you have a lot of people, not just governments, not leaders necessarily, Michael, ordinary people, who are watching this and questioning how reliable America is as an ally and as a partner.
No one expected the U.S. to stay or wanted the U.S. to stay in Afghanistan forever. But the way this was all handled and despite what U.S. officials are saying, despite the assurances that they're not going to leave anyone behind, this is not what people are seeing right now.
American -- America's image has -- you know, it -- it's suffered a lot in recent years. And I think this is going to be even more damaging for that U.S. image.
HOLMES: Yes. There's no doubt that allies will be left behind. It -- it's just been that kind of operation. Jomana, thank you. Jomana Karadsheh there in Istanbul.
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HOLMES: I want to get more analysis now from Sarah Chayes, who knows Afghanistan well. She was a journalist, who covered the fall of the Taliban in 2001, before later working with NGOs and advising the U.S. military. She is also the author of "Thieves of State: Why Corruption Threatens
Global Security." And Sarah Chayes joins me, now, live from Paris.
It's great to have you on and your expertise in this. I mean, like you, I was in Afghanistan in the weeks after the Taliban fell at the end of 2001; saw the joy, the relief of Afghans that that rule was over.
You -- you end up being there for years.
I wanted to start by asking you, quickly, do you think that there will be anything different about this Taliban, compared to the Taliban who ran the country prior to 9/11?
SARAH CHAYES, JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR: That was 20 years ago and the world's changed a lot in 20 years; not least, social media and things like that.
The other thing I think it's very important for people to understand is the Taliban did not emerge spontaneously inside Afghanistan either back in 1994 or now, recently.
And in spite of what we hear, we keep hearing that the Taliban emerged around the city of Kandahar in the south of Afghanistan. That's where I lived for almost a decade. And that is simply incorrect.
It was, in fact, the Pakistani military intelligence agency that deliberately put the Taliban together initially, sent the members of this group across the border into Kandahar in 1994. And I saw the same thing happening, beginning 2003.
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CHAYES: So to understand how the Taliban are likely to behave, it's important to think through, what is in the Pakistani military establishment's strategic interest?
Or what does that establishment think is in its strategic interest?
I doubt we're going to see another massive terrorist attack emanating from Afghan territory, because that will bring, again, a reaction by the international community.
But -- and I'm not trying to suggest that the Pakistani military has total control of the Taliban. But you know, we're living in a hall of mirrors here. It's a very, you know ...
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HOLMES: Yes. No. No. I -- absolutely -- and whether Pakistan may get blowback from its involvement in -- in what it has been doing.
I wanted to ask you this. So you -- you've written a lot about corruption with, as always, civilians suffering because of that.
What role did top-down corruption in the Afghan government play into how we got here?
CHAYES: Enormous. And -- and I -- and I'm glad you said top down. It's top down and bottom up. In other words, these are vertically integrated systems, where the cop on the street, who shakes you down, is paying part of the take up the line.
And everyone could see it. And then, at the top, you had senior officials and their cronies or brothers-in-law or whatever, capturing the bulk of international assistance.
The problem here is that, from the perspective of Afghans, the international interveners were seen as being part and parcel of this, because they never took steps to counter it. They never -- and -- and they were constantly displaying themselves side by side with the very officials who were abusing, frankly, the Afghan population.
And so, when you say, why didn't Afghans, you know, take risks to fight against the Taliban, many of them were coming to me saying, look, the Taliban shake us down at night. But the government shakes us down in the daytime.
HOLMES: Yes. I've -- I've seen that quote. The government slaps us with one hand and, you know, then, yes. Exactly. The -- the -- you -- you mention this earlier and I wanted to just revisit it, quickly. The Taliban did not achieve this alone.
I mean, what -- what are your concerns about regional interference in Afghanistan or, for that matter, regional instability resulting from the Taliban's return?
As you point out, there's many in the neighborhood; notably, Pakistan, who have a lot of self-interest in -- in the country.
CHAYES: I mean, I think it's time for you know, the United States, its Western allies to really understand what we're dealing with in the case of Pakistan in particular. They weren't alone.
But here's a country that fomented the Taliban, protected Osama bin Laden, provided nuclear technology to North Korea and Iran.
And yet, somehow, the United States considers this country to be an ally?
It's -- it's mind bending. It's as though we, the United States, had provided $1 billion a year to North Vietnam during the Vietnamese War while fighting the Viet Cong. And so, I think that is a country that needs a lot of focus in the future.
And then, obviously -- and -- and the Pakistani government is closely allied with China.
And finally, I'd just like to say that, back to corruption for an instant, you know, there's a uncomfortable parallel, also, between the way that Western American contractors, people who were in and out of government, enrich themselves enormously while their public policies were failing spectacularly. That's, you know, how one describes a failing state. I think Americans
and their allies need to take a careful look in the mirror, as we watch this tragedy unfold.
HOLMES: Wise words. I agree. Sarah Chayes, got to leave it there, unfortunately. Thanks so much for being with us.
CHAYES: Thanks for having me, Michael.
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HOLMES: Well, one COVID vaccine could be just days away from full approval in the U.S.
When we return, which shot could get the FDA's thumbs up?
And how it could help increase the rate of vaccination?
Also, still to come on the program, his state is fighting a massive COVID surge. But Florida's governor not pushing for vaccines; he wants more monoclonal antibody treatments.
We'll be right back.
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HOLMES: Welcome back.
Some good news on the U.S. vaccine front. A senior federal official tells CNN that full approval of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine is imminent. A Biden administration official adding that it could come as soon as Monday.
Now this could be a gamechanger in how skeptical Americans view the shot's safety. Until now, the vaccine has been authorized for emergency use. CNN's Wolf Blitzer spoke with CNN medical analyst, Leana Wen, who hopes this will encourage more people to get the shot.
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DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: I expect that we will see a rapid acceleration in the rate of vaccinations following the news of a full approval. And that's mainly because there are so many companies, universities, schools that haven't been making this vaccine a requirement.
They have been waiting for that full approval. So this will open the door for them to all mandate vaccines.
I think, also, we have to remember that drug companies are not allowed to market their their -- the -- something under emergency use authorization. So having full approval means they can use their entire marketing heft to do promotional marketing activities as well.
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HOLMES: Now the state of Florida, of course, is the COVID hot spot in the U.S. right now with more than 150,000 new cases for a second straight week. But its governor touting sights like this as part of the solution.
Governor Ron DeSantis opening new places where people can receive monoclonal antibody treatment such as Regeneron. He blames the COVID surge on doctors not using these drugs.
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HOLMES: Experts say the treatments only work in some patients and they're not a substitute for vaccines-- they're a treatment, not a prevention. Well, now, he wants to make the monoclonal drugs available without a trip to the doctor.
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GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): Up to this point, you had had to get a prescription from a physician. And then, most of the health systems would have infusion centers. So you'd go, you get referred and you do it. And they've done a good job.
What we have been able to do is do a standing order through the surgeon general here in Florida, which takes that step out. So if you meet the criteria under the emergency use authorization, you can come in without having to go to a doctor first.
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HOLMES: Well, new restrictions to stem a virulent COVID outbreak are meeting with sometimes violent resistance in Australia. Officers in Melbourne clashing with demonstrators, having to use pepper spray, as the state of Victoria went into a full lockdown.
Thousands of protesters, you see there, marching in various cities, as Australia recorded its worst daily case count of the pandemic, 825 infections in the state of New South Wales.
And as cases, also, rise in New Zealand across the Tasman, its prime minister says a newly extended lockdown will let contract tracers figure out how far the virus has actually spread.
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HOLMES (voice-over): A national lockdown extended in New Zealand over a small cluster of COVID-19 cases. The first case identified in Auckland earlier this week. Cases have been discovered in at least one other city since.
JACINDA ARDERN, NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER: We just don't quite know the full scale of this Delta outbreak. All in all, it tells us we need to continue to be cautious and that we need more time before we have the complete picture we need to change our seatings (ph).
HOLMES (voice-over): The country's lockdown now continuing into the middle of next week to try to contain the first outbreak of locally transmitted cases since February. Some residents say they had hoped it was gone for good, at least in New Zealand, which has had much success containing the virus.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just got it, really. I think most of the country is gutted. We've kept it out for so long and now it's, back so it is what it, is I suppose.
HOLMES (voice-over): Australia also tightening some of its coronavirus restrictions. A lockdown in Sydney has been extended until the end of September. And officials say that people must wear masks as soon as they step outside their house except when exercising.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's time for all of us to bunker down, take this as seriously as we can, although so many of us have, the vast majority have.
HOLMES (voice-over): Officials say the outbreak in Sydney has not yet peaked. The worst is yet to come. The city still logging record- breaking numbers of new COVID-19 cases, even after nearly two months of lockdown.
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HOLMES: Now the U.S. is ramping up evacuation efforts from Afghanistan as we have been reporting. The latest on the chaotic situation in Kabul, when we come back.
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HOLMES: After days of chaotic scenes at the Kabul airport, U.S. President Joe Biden says he will, quote, "mobilize every resource" for the evacuation effort. He is promising to do everything he can to get Americans and Afghan allies out of the country safely.
The U.S. says about 13,000 people have been airlifted in the past week. There are many, many more who have not. Germany now being used as a stop along the way. Evacuation flights to Ramstein airbase began arriving Friday.
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HOLMES: Bill Roggio is the managing editor of the "Long War Journal." You should check it out. He joins me now.
Good to see you again, Bill.
Now that the Taliban has taken, over what do you hear about a localized pushback?
What are the odds that opposition could become more organized and perhaps even lead to civil conflict in parts of the country?
BILL ROGGIO, MANAGING EDITOR, "LONG WAR JOURNAL": Hello, Michael. It has been a dark week and a dark several months in Afghanistan. But I think we are seeing a small, tiny ray of hope that is emerging from Panjshir province. It's the only province that hasn't been overrun by the Taliban.
The son of (ph) Ahmad Shah Massoud, who was the famed anti-Taliban leader of the Northern Alliance was killed by Al Qaeda on September 9th, 2001, he and Amrullah Saleh (ph), who was one of the vice presidents and the national director of security in Afghanistan's FBI and CIA, were all rolled up in one, are starting to mount some resistance.
So they held the Panjshir province -- that is a sort of fortress province in the mountains. And they are taking the fight outside. They took control of four districts, one in Parwan province, which is where Bagram Air Base, near Bagram Air Base right now, and 3 in Bagram province, it's the east and the northeast of it.
I'm hearing rumors that they're moving into Bamyan province as well. So a lot of questions here. It's a long shot. The Taliban is organized and they have a lot of war materiel.
But Saleh, he may have been the man Afghanistan needed. And we are hoping it is not too late.
HOLMES: Yes, well, hopefully, that is a glimmer. As you write in the "Long War Journal," I'll read some of it, you said, "The U.S. is fearful of upsetting the Taliban as it evacuates American citizens via Hamid Karzai International Airport."
What were the mistakes made in terms of even being in this position?
As many have said, evacuations, of particularly translators and other workers, should've started months ago.
ROGGIO: Yes, absolutely. The U.S. policy from February 29th, 2020, under the Trump administration, was that we were leaving Afghanistan. And yet nothing was done to prepare for this, to get the individuals out, to scale back the embassy, to talk to American citizens and Westerners as well as to get key Afghan personnel out.
Instead, the Biden administration pretended that Afghanistan had a year or two before it would be in trouble. It did not anticipate or understand that the Taliban was prepared to take over large parts of the country.
And it never implemented in its plan to just hold the embassy and the airfield in Kabul. This was an absolute mistake. If this was happening, you needed to secure big parts of the city.
HOLMES: Yes, it should have happened a long time ago.
I want to ask you this, the U.S. and others, including the president today, talking about an unwavering commitment to the Afghan people.
But is that not meaningless?
The Afghan people are on their own, basically, aren't they?
ROGGIO: Yes, there is no unwavering commitment, there's no commitment right now to the Afghan people. It is a madhouse in Kabul right now. President Biden and his team have told us everything's fine and the airport is accessible.
But who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?
We all know what we are seeing on the television.
HOLMES: Yes, exactly. I wanted to ask you this, too. The Taliban have been releasing prisoners all across the country, including accused ISIS fighters as. Well
How soon do you think terror networks, anti Western jihadis, establish themselves in Afghanistan and begin plotting attacks?
ROGGIO: Al Qaeda has been established in Afghanistan. In 2015, the U.S. raided one of the largest bases it's seen since it launched the war on terror in Kandahar province and killed 150 Al Qaeda operatives.
The release of these prisoners, this is a boon for jihadism.
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ROGGIO: Some of them are Islamic, from the Islamic State, but most of them are from Al Qaeda and affiliated groups. I'm told that members of -- and it makes sense, because we know we detained them but of the external operation cells, these were the ones who plotted attacks (INAUDIBLE).
And scores of them have been freed from the prisons in Bagram and elsewhere throughout the country. So the Al Qaeda has had its ranks expanded significantly by this (INAUDIBLE).
HOLMES: I want to ask you this, too, before, we go, what do you make of the Taliban taking massive amounts of U.S. weaponry?
They were releasing photographs today of fighters with U.S. M-16s, M- 4s, not to mention driving around in U.S. Humvees and even MRAPs, quite apart from the embarrassing optics, it gives them a lot of firepower they didn't have before.
ROGGIO: Absolutely. We are just seeing a small fraction of this. I've seen video after video. So they overran all of the Afghan military spaces, their army corps headquarters and large military and training bases. And in these videos, you will just see them panning over fields of
Humvees, armored vehicles, fuel trucks, sometimes tanks, artillery pieces. And I've even seen Taliban flying helicopters. The more advanced weaponry is going to more difficult to keep in the air over time.
It'll degrade quickly; the maintenance and issues like. That but these Humvees and trucks and armored vehicles significantly increases the Taliban's combat power. (INAUDIBLE).
HOLMES: Yes, yes, it's a -- what a mess, as we have been saying. Bill Roggio, got to leave it there, really appreciate it, as always.
ROGGIO: Thank you for having me on, Michael. Have a great night.
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HOLMES: Regional powers keeping a keen eye on the chaos unfolding in Afghanistan. Pakistan, already home to hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees and a key player in the region, on Thursday, it did help to evacuate more than 1,000 people from its war-torn neighbor. CNN producer Sophia Saifi joins me now live from Islamabad.
And, Sophia, tell us what -- what lies ahead for Pakistan's relationship with the Taliban in Afghanistan, particularly given that its security service, the ISI's links there, how to navigate what is a -- well, it's a complicated political and security landscape.
SOPHIA SAIFI, CNN PRODUCER: It is, Michael. And it's -- you know, it's something that Pakistan has often said, for better or worse, that it doesn't have the kind of leverage over the Taliban that is expected of it.
Pakistan has been saying in the months leading to what happened over this past weekend, last week, that it didn't have much more clout over the Afghan Taliban than to kind of bring them to the table when it came to peace talks.
That's, of course, debatable; there has been a strong presence of the Haqqani Network in the Pakistani city of Quetta. And just jumping off of that, I mean, I think the reactions within Pakistan have been quite measured ever since Kabul was taken last Sunday.
The Pakistani foreign minister has said that he's going to be visiting Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, as well as Uzbekistan sometime next week, to talk to other regional powers and countries as to how to deal with the Afghan Taliban.
There's also been statements coming out of Pakistan, which was initially criticizing the way the U.S. pullout was taking place, saying that President Biden's decision was a illogical one.
There were also concerns about security within Pakistan. You have got the Pakistani Taliban, which is known to have strongholds within Afghanistan, which Pakistan has said has been funded by the Indian intelligence as well as the Afghan intelligence. You have now got a situation where there was an attack on Chinese
workers just last night in the extremely important One Belt One Road Project, in the south of Pakistan, in Balochistan province, which borders Afghanistan.
This claim of responsibility was taken by the Balochistan Liberation Army, the BLA, which Pakistan has often said has links to Indian intelligence. It's gotten funding, according to Pakistan, by India.
So there is an emerging new world order. Pakistan has said that it's going to take a multilateral decision when recognizing the Afghan Taliban as the official government. So things are shifting quite quickly. There is a lot at play at the moment. And lot of actors at play as well. So we will just have to wait and see how things settle -- Michael.
HOLMES: All right, good analysis there. Sophia Saifi, thanks so much, there in Islamabad for us.
Now some areas in Haiti are yet to see any aid, even though it's been a week now since that devastating earthquake. Coming up, CNN flies to remote towns and villages that have been dealing with the aftermath largely alone.
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HOLMES: Now you are looking there at recovery efforts in Haiti, as the nation struggles to cope after last Saturday's massive earthquake. And the U.N. says hospitals in the worst affected areas are overwhelmed.
Now we want to take you to some areas that have not had any help at all since the earthquake struck. Our Matt Rivers flew there.
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MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Our chopper takes off with no clear destination in mind. Flying with charity group World Central Kitchen or WCK, we want to find remote villages in Haiti that still need help.
A week after this earthquake just finding out where the needs are, remains a challenge. A tip led us to Grande Cayemite, an island off Haiti's coast.
On the ground, we're told damage is actually a bit further west, which it is seen from above. Dozens of structures were damaged and the contact in town told us no one has come to help them yet, but we can't either.
RIVERS: So there was damage in that town and the people there clearly wanted us to land and the problem was there was no safe area for us to touch down and that gives you an idea of how difficult it is to access these places. Just because you want to go somewhere doesn't mean that you can at least right away.
RIVERS (voice-over): Another tip leads us back into Haiti's mountains and the remote town of Minish. Destruction greets us as we land and the charity starts to assess the damage.
RIVERS: In terms of figuring out exactly what needs what you really need to go to the ground?
JEAN MARC DEMATTEIS, BOARD MEMBER, WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN: Correct. And these areas are remote, for the cell service has been knocked out and due to damage from the earthquake. So there's no substitute for just getting out there and on the ground.
RIVERS (voice-over): There team fans out and so do we, the damage is as bad as anything we've seen. Entire blocks destroyed, near some damage lead distinct smell of bodies lingers.
[02:45:00]
RIVERS (voice-over): Amidst all the rubble there is grief.
Rose Mika Fontus' mom died when her home collapsed. My mom was everything to us, she says and now she's gone. We're just waiting for help.
Rose is now homeless, saying the government has yet to visit her town, they've had to make do with what they have not easy in such a remote place. That's where charities like WKC are trying to help fill the gap. People crowd around as the team drops off a few hundred sandwiches. Now that they know where to go, aid workers say thousands more meals will likely follow soon.
RIVERS: Of course, it is a good thing that organizations like the World Central Kitchen have identified this town in dire need of assistance. They're starting to figure out exactly what those needs are. But those are just first steps, unfortunately.
Getting those government resources actually moved into that area is a different challenge altogether. And this is not the only town affected by the earthquake there. Scattered throughout the region affected by all of this, many of which haven't gotten any help so far -- Matt Rivers, CNN, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
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HOLMES: Hurricane Grace is now the first major hurricane of the Atlantic season and just made landfall in Mexico for a second time. It's now pounding the Mexican coast with heavy rain. It's a category 3 storm with maximum-sustained winds of 125 miles per hour, 195 kilometers an hour.
And Henri is expected to make landfall in the northeastern U.S. on Sunday as a category 1 hurricane, possibly on Long Island. That area has not seen a hurricane since Gloria hit in 1985.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HOLMES: We are going to take a break here on the program. When we come back, here is the clue: a game show in search of a new host.
The question?
What is "Jeopardy!"?
The reasons why the new emcee is out, just days after starting the job. We'll be right back.
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[02:50:00]
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HOLMES: Welcome back.
The popular TV game show "Jeopardy!" is once again looking for a new host. Mike Richards has announced he will step down from the coveted role just days after accepting the job. That comes after offensive comments he made in the past resurfaced. CNN's Brian Stelter has the answers to your questions.
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MIKE RICHARDS, FORMER "JEOPARDY!" HOST: Welcome to "Jeopardy!"
BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): That's Mike Richards, out from the host's podium just one day after he started taping the new season.
And now "Jeopardy!," a show synonymous with smarts, is mired in scandal over Richards' offensive comments about women and minorities and Sony's failure to vet him.
STEPHEN COLBERT, CBS HOST: Everyone is talking about this.
STELTER (voice-over): Richards is a long-time TV producer and host, who became the "Jeopardy!" executive producer last year. He briefly overlapped with Alex Trebek, who kept hosting during pancreatic cancer treatments.
When Trebek died, this lucrative TV franchise needed a new star. "Jeopardy!" genius Ken Jennings filled in first and then Richards.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): And now here is the executive producer of "Jeopardy!," Mike Richards. STELTER (voice-over): He implied that he was filling in because A-
listers like Savannah Guthrie and Aaron Rodgers could not get to L.A. as COVID cases were on the rise there.
RICHARDS: It was very literally at the last minute that the decision was to step in and just keep the show going.
STELTER (voice-over): Some viewers liked him a lot. But questions persisted about his "Daily Double" role.
Was he in the running while auditioning others?
For some, it was a bucket list experience.
[02:55:00]
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: A life dream for me.
STELTER (voice-over): While others were notably snubbed, like CNN's Laura Coates, who Trebek suggested as a possible successor. Some fan favorites felt slighted or shelved until the end of the season.
LEVAR BURTON, GUEST HOST, "JEOPARDY!": Who is me?
LeVar Burton.
STELTER (voice-over): The bosses at Sony who run the show went with Richards, despite the appearance that he picked himself or manipulated the race.
COLBERT: Wow, what are the odds?
Exactly the same as me getting named "Stephen Colbert Magazine's" "Sexiest Man Alive."
STELTER (voice-over): Richards defended himself when news outlets resurfaced old lawsuits, alleging he mistreated colleagues at "The Price Is Right."
Then he apologized when "The Ringer" website found his old podcasts, with a litany of offensive remarks about women, Jews, Asians and others.
Richards said, "My attempts to be funny and provocative were not acceptable."
And he pledged to be a role model. But the damage was done. "The Ringer" story hit on Wednesday. And Richards taped five episodes on Thursday. But Friday's shows were canceled. Guest hosts take over again, starting next week.
But Sony says Richards will remain executive producer and execs claim they didn't know about his old podcasts, which means the smartest game show on TV made a rookie mistake -- Brian Stelter, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. Thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'm Michael Holmes. You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @HolmesCNN. Do stick around, though. Robyn Curnow is locked and loaded with more CNN NEWSROOM in just a moment.
