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U.S. Evacuation From Afghanistan Now In Final Phase; Dangerous Hurricane Ida Now Category 3; U.S. Embassy Issues Security Alert At Kabul Airport Due To "Specific, Credible Threat" At Multiple Areas; About 350 Americans Still Trying To Exit Afghanistan; Louisiana Governor Warns Of Storm Impact On Hospitals; Australia Reconsidering "Zero COVID" Strategy; Chinese State Media Attempts To Twist Narrative On Pandemic; Afghan Evacuees Arrive In U.S.; Female Activists Stay In Afghanistan To Fight For Rights. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired August 29, 2021 - 03:00   ET

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

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Welcome to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber.

We begin with breaking news on what's being called a monster hurricane now churning its way toward the U.S. Gulf Coast. Minutes ago, the National Hurricane Center reported that Ida is now a category 4 storm.

The potentially catastrophic hurricane is forecast to slam the Louisiana coast Sunday, possibly -- while we know it's a category 4 -- hitting the state on exactly the same date as Hurricane Katrina 16 years ago.

The National Weather Service office in New Orleans says storm surge and high winds could leave some locations uninhabitable for weeks or even months. Both mandatory and voluntary evacuations ordered for several Louisiana parishes.

And the National Hurricane Center warns of life-threatening situations. Officials say if residents are planning to leave, do it now. On Saturday, the governor stressed the dangerous and historic nature of Ida's threat.

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GOV. JOHN BEL EDWARDS (R-LA): When you talk about rain totals that could be up to 15, 16 inches and -- and in isolated areas, above 20 inches, with that kind of rain, that kind of storm surge, that kind of wind, this is just a very serious storm.

It'll be one of the very strongest storms to hit Louisiana since the 1850s. And, ironically, it's scheduled to make landfall on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

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BRUNHUBER: I want to show you some incredible video of the store.

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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): This is a Hurricane Hunter team as it flew directly into the eyewall on Saturday. They're part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA.

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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): They're gathering data that helps forecasters know what's going on with the storm in real time. The plane, by the way, is named Ms. Piggy.

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People in the Gulf Coast states have been busy preparing for the storm, from Florida to Louisiana. They're no strangers to hurricanes and residents are making sure they're ready for when Ida makes her presence known. Michael Holmes has that story.

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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Filling up and getting out, many people in New Orleans are leaving town.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When Katrina was here, hey, I had -- I had to stand in the water and I slept on the bridge for two days, I am not about to do that again.

HOLMES (voice-over): The lines of heavy traffic leading out of the city show just how many people aren't taking their chances with the storm named Ida. Many residents have been through major hurricanes before.

But officials say this one could be a monster. There are warnings in New Orleans and the surrounding coastal regions to evacuate, if at all possible, by morning. One man says his neighborhood on a barrier island is emptying out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody packing up, getting out. I hear it's only going to be about a dozen people probably going to try to ride it out. But you know, it's going to flood.

HOLMES (voice-over): Louisiana has taken the punches of many of these walloping storms before. It's still recovering from Hurricane Laura and Hurricane Zeta, which made landfall in the state last year, causing nearly $20 billion in damage.

And 16 years ago, on this very day, Hurricane Katrina unleashed its fury on New Orleans and other Gulf Coast cities. More than 1,800 people were killed in the storm and its harrowing aftermath.

The city taking early action, based on mistakes made during that disaster. It spent billions of dollars reconstructing its levee system. U.S. President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration to free up federal assistance.

FEMA is moving trucks and generators to the area. And more than 200 National Guard members are already on the ground in New Orleans. Rescue teams from across the Southeast, also, gearing up to help. Some getting coronavirus tests before they deploy.

Officials and experts say the pandemic will make emergency responses more difficult. And with low vaccination rates in places in the storm's path, Ida could bring a surge not only of floodwaters but of more COVID-19 cases -- Michael Holmes, CNN.

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BRUNHUBER: Now earlier, CNN spoke to a New Orleans council member about how COVID and Hurricane Ida are stretching resources in his city beyond capacity.

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JOSEPH GIARRUSSO, NEW ORLEANS COUNCIL MEMBER: I talked to the health department earlier today and while there were some beds that were available by the morning, there's pretty much going to be a full lockdown, at least in Orleans Parish of all the hospitals.

So it is critical to make sure that you've made your plans, that you're ready to be safe and that obviously COVID is another factor. We have two -- we have pandemic happening right now and you have this act of God that's coming simultaneously. It's two big issues hitting us both at the same time.

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BRUNHUBER: Cynthia Lee Sheng is president of Jefferson Parish and joins us now from Gretna.

Thank you for taking time to speak with me. Over half your parish is literally water, you're used to dealing with hurricanes and storm surge. So put this one into context for us.

How worried are you by what's heading your way?

CYNTHIA LEE SHENG, PRESIDENT, JEFFERSON PARISH: You know, we just got the latest track. Not good news for us. Seems it's going over a section of our most vulnerable part of our parish called Grand Isle, the southern most part of our parish, outside of the hurricane protection system. It's essentially like an island.

We know we have people on the island there and so we are very concerned. We have been all day. You know, it's a mandatory evacuation in that area. But I know some people did not leave. Certainly, they are on our minds right now, very much so, especially with this last track.

BRUNHUBER: Well, yes. Exactly it. In one of your briefings, you said that the storm surge outside the levee system is unsurvivable.

I mean what do you mean by that?

SHENG: Well, where they are, they really are up right against the water. And -- you know, the storm surge being expected to be so high and for such a long period of time. And the issue with Grand Isle is that it's one road in. So it becomes impassable for much smaller storms. So the rescue efforts become more difficult.

And the people there are strong people. You know, they're fishermen. They're wonderful people. They're people of the Earth. You know?

But this is going to be a very, very tough storm for that island and the island was already losing a lot of land as it is. I mean, my friends used to go there when they were in high school.

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SHENG: And the land loss on that island is incredible over the past couple of decades. So it is a very vulnerable area for us, has a lot of history for us in Jefferson Parish and it's really difficult to watch and see the latest track, that the storm is headed right there.

So those of us in the greater New Orleans area, it's a different situation. We're behind the levee system in a protected area. Obviously, we live in a bowl and rely on pumping capacity. So the issue up here is more of, you know, a lot of flash flooding, electrical outages, some wind damage.

But the folks in Grand Isle, Lower Lafitte, Barataria, Crown Point, we're very concerned with storm surge for those citizens.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. Listen, we've heard that, you know, looking in the long term, this -- parts of the state could be, you know, uninhabitable for weeks or months.

How prepared are you to cope with the potential long-term effects of this?

SHENG: Well, you know, I know that the whole country is dealing with COVID. But here where we are, we are in our fourth surge of COVID since probably the middle of July. So you know, up until this point, we are concerned with hospital capacity. We have a lot of patients in the hospital with COVID.

So we're coming into the storm very vulnerable from that perspective. That's going to be difficult for us. You know? It's very hot in Louisiana in August. So without air conditioning and modern amenities, it's going to be very difficult for elderly folks, for people who are medically vulnerable to live here, if this is what -- you know, if it's catastrophic for us.

So we're hoping there can be some change. We're prepared; search and rescue are prepared. We're a strong people here. We have really been through a lot and we are a people of faith.

But it's difficult to watch this track coming, especially, as I said, to our Grand Isle.

BRUNHUBER: This is happening on the anniversary of Katrina. There have been, you know, plenty of changes to the system since then, in your parish, both in terms of infrastructure itself and your emergency plan as well.

What did you learn from that disaster that might help you better weather this one?

SHENG: With Hurricane Katrina, we had levee failures. So since then, we're better prepared in terms of the infrastructure and the drainage system. The levees have been raised, fortified and hardened. So we're not expecting the levee failures like we had before.

Our pumping capacity has been increased. We have what we call safe houses next to all of our pumping stations that can withstand hurricane force winds. We actually have operators at our pumping -- at our state houses and pumping stations so they'll be at the pumping station when the winds get high.

They'll go right into the safe house right there at that location. And they're able to actually operate right there. So they're not going to abandon their posts. So we look very different from that perspective, in the hurricane protected areas, in this area where we're protected by our levee system.

BRUNHUBER: Listen, we wish you and everyone there all the best in what will probably be a very challenging time. So really appreciate you taking the time to speak with us. Again, best of luck, Cynthia Lee Sheng, president of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. Thanks again for joining us.

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BRUNHUBER: And time is running out for those hoping to leave Louisiana by plane. New Orleans' Louis Armstrong International Airport, all flights have been canceled for Sunday. CNN affiliate WVUE spoke to a young couple visiting New Orleans who said they're stranded and looking for bus routes out of the city.

Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport says early Sunday morning flights on American Airlines are still scheduled to operate but all flights after 10:00 am local time are canceled. Passengers are advised to contact their airline for the latest flight information.

All right. Ahead on CNN, more on Hurricane Ida as it barrels toward the U.S. Gulf Coast. We'll take a closer look at where the storm is expected to make landfall and other areas that will feel its wrath.

Plus, warnings about the new threat around the Kabul airport in Afghanistan. We'll hear why the U.S. embassy is telling Americans to leave the area.

Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: All right. You're getting a live look of the Kabul airport in Afghanistan right now. That's where time is running out for the U.S. military as it races to evacuate Americans and their allies. A deadly bombing on Thursday claimed the lives of close to 200 people, including 13 U.S. troops.

And the deadline for American forces to leave is fast approaching on Tuesday. Warnings of a new attack could be making evacuations even more complicated. The U.S. embassy is urging Americans to leave the area around Kabul airport, citing a specific and credible threat.

And President Joe Biden warned Saturday, another attack was highly likely within 24 to 36 hours. This comes as the U.S. hits back against ISIS linked militants it says are responsible for Thursday's blast. The Pentagon reports two high-profile ISIS-K militants were killed and one wounded in a U.S. airstrike.

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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): This exclusive video shows the aftermath of the strike. President Biden is vowing this strike against ISIS-K won't be the last.

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BRUNHUBER: CNN senior international correspondent Ivan Watson joins us now from Hong Kong with more.

Ivan, let's start with the warnings that another attack is likely, we heard, within the next 24 to 36 hours.

What's the latest?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's possibly -- this could be a foreshadowing of what we had the last time those warnings came out, because the suicide bomber struck at the gates of the airport on Thursday after similar warnings from the U.S. government.

And the death toll was just massive. More than 160 Afghan civilians killed as well as 13 U.S. service personnel. So these are warnings that have come from the U.S. President, from the U.S. embassy, echoed by Australia's department of foreign affairs.

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WATSON: And if you are a suicidal jihadi who wants to kill American troops, you basically have 48 hours left to try to do that. And that's part of why the U.S. government and its allies are taking this so seriously and are so anxious in these final hours and days. That said, the evacuations have continued from that airport, with some

2,000 people evacuated, the U.S. government says, in a 12-hour period. I know of one individual, for example, who made it into the airport yesterday and is now, I'm told, waiting for a flight to take her and her relatives to safety.

As this discussion is going on there is also clearly governments looking beyond the 31st. The U.S. government keeping the door open to further potential evacuations after the U.S. military footprint is lifted. And the French president has indicated that that is also being discussed by his government as well with the Taliban. Take a listen.

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EMMANUEL MACRON, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE (through translator): Yes, discussions have begun with the Taliban on the issue of humanitarian operations and the ability to protect and repatriate Afghans who are at risk. And, yes, we are working alongside with Qatar to allow those operations to proceed.

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WATSON: Of course, Qatar has close ties with the Taliban. A lot of those negotiations between the Taliban and other governments have taken place in Doha. For its part, the Taliban put out a statement, saying that, once foreign troops leave Afghanistan, it would reopen its borders. It would allow Afghans to leave the country.

But they would have to go in, quote, "a dignified fashion" that is appropriate as an Afghan and a Muslim. Also worth pointing out, Afghanistan is a land-locked country with long borders with a number of other countries.

And in cycles of conflict in its bloody history, large numbers of refugees have fled across borders to countries by the millions to countries like Pakistan and Iran -- Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. And Ivan, before I let you go, we're learning more about that U.S. strike against ISIS-K.

What more can you tell us about that?

WATSON: We have spoken, local journalists have spoken with eyewitnesses, living in the area where the house was targeted, near the eastern city of Jalalabad in the province of Nangarhar.

They describe the airstrike as taking place at 2 o'clock in the morning and eyewitnesses claiming they saw a woman, a child and man killed by the attack. The U.S. military says that two ISIS suspects were killed and another wounded and that they do not know of any further civilian casualties.

And I just would like to add one other fact, Kim, that I left out and that is, going back to some of the diplomacy about the post-pullout period, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, also told French press that he plans to submit a United Nations Security Council resolution a draft resolution calling for establishment of a safe zone for further evacuations in the weeks ahead. We'll keep an eye on that diplomacy for you, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, that could be an important development, absolutely. Thanks so much, Ivan Watson in Hong Kong.

As we mentioned, U.S. President Joe Biden is vowing this strike against ISIS-K won't be the last. Joining us now is CNN White House reporter Jasmine Wright.

Obviously, the president isn't going to telegraph when exactly that next strike might be.

But what more can you tell us about this threat of further retaliation?

JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It's a two-part strategy. President Biden attempting to show the U.S. will defend itself and troops on the ground in Afghanistan.

But also it's an effort to disrupt and prevent any future attacks. Remember, the Pentagon says that they targeted two ISIS-K planners. And now President Biden -- listen, President Biden -- I think the government acknowledges that how difficult this situation is.

And giving the nature of suicide bombers but the president really warned after that that they'll be another attack, excuse me, there's highly likely that there could be another attack at the Kabul airport in the next 24-36 hours makes things more grave. Makes the situation more grave.

So the Pentagon said today they will lean on those over-the-horizon capabilities really using them to leverage themselves. That is something that the president has said repeatedly over these months, as he's defended his decision to withdraw, saying he was comfortable with it because of the U.S.' ability to enact that over-the-horizon capability.

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WRIGHT: Really keeping their thumb on any bad actors in Afghanistan that would seek to harm the U.S. and the homeland. So I think that's one of the things we can expect this administration will lean on, not only in the last two days getting closer to the drawdown on August 31st but also over time, as they look to keep Afghanistan terror incidents kind of in line.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. And, Jasmine, Ivan touched on the evacuation of Americans there.

But from the Washington perspective, is there any discussion about having to extend the deadline, as some in Congress have been demanding, given the fact the embassy keeps telling Americans in Kabul to stay away from the airport?

WRIGHT: If there's one thing the president has really been firm in throughout the last week since the fall of Kabul and throughout these months is that August 31st is his firm deadline.

And the Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby really confirmed that today. But I think Ivan laid it out really well. There are now discussions about what happens after the August 31st deadline.

Yes, evacuations are still happening, although we've noticed the pace is slowing and already they've evacuated, along with coalition partners, about 110,000 people, more than 110,000 people.

And the State Department said today that they are in talks with about 350 Americans, who are still looking to get out though they say some of those might have already gotten out and a few hundred who have not really detailed their plans.

As Ivan said, that after that August 31st deadline, there are conversations, the U.S. is kind of hoping, if the Taliban does keep that airport open, there would potentially be a way to evacuate more people, specifically those Afghans that have helped in the U.S. war effort over these last 20 years.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. So many still desperate to get out. Jasmine Wright in Washington, thanks so much for joining us.

All right. Still ahead, Louisiana's making last-minute preparations ahead of a monster hurricane forecast to pummel the state in the coming hours. Tracking Ida -- next.

Plus, how China is fighting back on the theories of the origin of COVID.

Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: You're looking at New Orleans as people try desperately to evacuate on Saturday. From the Florida Panhandle to Louisiana, states are bracing for Hurricane Ida. The potentially catastrophic storm is closing in on the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Just a short time ago, the National Hurricane Center upgraded Ida to a category 4 storm. It's forecast to pummel the Louisiana coast today. Along power outages are a major concern. FEMA says it's moving supply trucks and generators into Louisiana ahead of the storm's landfall.

There are 10,000 linemen in the state already and another 20,000 are on standby. And making matters worse, many hospitals in the area are already maxed out due to COVID-19. Health officials are asking residents not to go to the hospital unless it's a dire emergency.

(WEATHER REPORT) BRUNHUBER: A short time ago extreme storm chaser Aaron Jayjack told CNN that many have been caught off guard by Hurricane Ida. Here he is.

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AARON JAYJACK, EXTREME STORM CHASER: before it was even a storm or even a hurricane, you could tell that the models were very consistent in showing that it would be a powerful hurricane, likely coming to shore in Louisiana.

And -- and it's quick. There is only a few days here. I know a lot of people -- I was at the New Orleans airport earlier tonight -- and I heard a lot of people talking when they were waiting in line to get a rental car, that this is kind of -- came up fast. They weren't ready for it just a couple days ago. They were looking at forecasts and they didn't really think they were going to get any kind of bad weather.

And now, we have this potentially major hurricane approaching the Louisiana coast right now.

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BRUNHUBER: Even as Hurricane Ida barrels toward the Gulf Coast of Louisiana, it already was dealing with another crisis: skyrocketing coronavirus cases.

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BRUNHUBER: On Saturday, the governor explained to CNN the additional strain the storm could wind up putting on health care resources.

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GOV. JOHN BEL EDWARDS (R-LA): We had four hurricanes last year during COVID-19. But we had a small fraction of the number of people in our hospitals that we currently have.

We have more people in the hospital today, 2,450 with COVID, than we had at any point before this current surge.

And when Hurricane Laura hit last year, we only had about 300 in the hospitals. So evacuating hospitals is not going to be possible because there is nowhere to bring those patients to. There's no excess capacity anywhere else in the state or outside the state. And so we're really worried about prolonged power outages.

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BRUNHUBER: So as you just heard from the governor, Louisiana hospitals are packed with COVID patients. CNN asked a doctor in New Orleans how her hospital planned to protect some of the most vulnerable during the storm. Here she is.

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DR. JENNIFER AVEGNO, DIRECTOR, NEW ORLEANS HEALTH DEPARTMENT: We will certainly handle whatever comes our way. You know, I'm in a hospital right now and I know they've been very diligent about working with every partner we have to make sure that people can be discharged safely to a place that they'll be able to ride out the storm.

And, you know, as our hospitals have done, when they need to take patients because they are ill and cannot safely go home and ride out a storm, they'll do that. We -- you know, we're very good at making the most of our resources and flexing. And I'll say this just points to how good our staff is. You know?

They know what they're getting into. They know they might be called to take care of more patients or be stretched in ways that they're not used to being. And they're showing up anyway.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: China is trying to discredit theories about the origins of the coronavirus. Coming up, the conspiracy theories being pushed and that they're finding a receptive audience.

Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Well, as if Gulf states didn't have enough to deal with, Ida set to make landfall in the coming hours, COVID cases in Florida, Alabama and Louisiana continue to climb.

The rate of COVID deaths increased in 42 states last week, some by as high as 50 percent.

For the seventh weekend in a row, demonstrators rallied against the French health pass. Some 160,000 people in France hit the streets across the country on Saturday. The march you see is one of four planned for the capital this weekend; 16 people were arrested and 3 police officers were slightly injured during Saturday's protests.

Australia reports another day of record-setting cases. New South Wales reported more than 12,000 new locally transmitted cases Sunday. That's the highest ever. Only 35 percent of people over the age of 16 have been fully vaccinated in the state.

And Australia's neighbor down under also seeing a surge in new cases. On Sunday, New Zealand reported dozens of new COVID infections. The country is in lockdown until at least Tuesday night. But in some other cities, that curfew could get extended.

China is pushing back on theories of where COVID originated. An inconclusive report from the U.S. intelligence community sparked a swift condemnation from Chinese officials. But it doesn't stop there. CNN's David Culver has more on attempts by Chinese state media to twist the narrative on the pandemic.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).

DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A constant barrage of digital articles with sarcastic cartoons, TV reports, documentaries, even a rap song.

All of it, part of an aggressive Chinese propaganda campaign, aimed to sow doubt and deflect blame when it comes to the origins of COVID-19.

CNN combing through months of online posts and publications, they reveal a seemingly coordinated effort, pushed by state media and diplomats.

Some of the stories appearing authentic and convincing, like the work of Wilson Edwards, whose online profiles suggest he's a biologist from Switzerland. On July 24th, Edwards appeared to post a lengthy article, slamming the World Health Organization for its COVID investigation, claiming the WHO advisory group succumbed to a political tool, a strikingly similar sentiment that's been shared repeatedly by Chinese officials.

Look a bit closer and you'll find this was Wilson Edwards' first Facebook post and he's only got three friends.

Still, his article got picked up by Voice of South Pacific and shared more than 500 times. We found many of those reposting the article, apparent trolls pushing Beijing's agenda.

A deeper dig Into Voice of South Pacific finds that the publication is ultimately run by China News Service, a state-controlled news agency. Not surprising, Wilson's pro-China stance got plenty of play online in other state media outlets.

That was, until the neutral Swiss embassy in Beijing sent out this tweet on August 10th.

"Looking for Wilson Edwards. Hoping to find this biologist."

No luck, it seemed, as the embassy of Switzerland later concluded he doesn't exist.

"If you exist, we would like to meet you," the embassy said.

His Facebook account likely to be fake. And so, too, that article. Suddenly, state media purged all references to Wilson Edwards.

That is just one recent example of China's effort to influence the COVID-19 origin's narrative, by deflecting blame for the worldwide pandemic and then staying silent in the early days, as it spread in China, before it alerted world health officials.

Other efforts include consistently rehashing old conspiracy theories, primarily that the virus started in a lab. No, not this lab, this one, Ft. Detrick in the United States, the home

of the U.S. Army's biological laboratory. Though there is no evidence the virus originated here, that has not stopped the Chinese from trying to push their version of a lab-leak theory.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The U.S. should invite WHO experts to investigate Ft. Detrick.

CULVER (voice-over): And people are getting the message, true or not. One conspiracy article picked up by state media Xinhua on July 30th alleged the virus leaked from Ft. Detrick to Europe. It was viewed nearly 25 million times on a Chinese site Weibo.

A video made by a Chinese state media reporter appeared to show several satellite images of the U.S.' biological labs, suggesting the virus, despite having first been detected in Wuhan, came from the U.S. The video getting nearly 200,000 views on Facebook, which happens to be blocked in China.

The propaganda-fueled push might be working, at least in China. State media tabloid, "Global Times," claimed more than 25 million people signed an online petition to investigate the U.S. military.

[03:45:00]

CULVER (voice-over): And just look at the spike in Ft. Detrick interest on Chinese search engine Baidu.

After the initial surge in searches when a WHO field mission was in Wuhan in January of this year, a second spike last month after Beijing rejected a WHO phase II study and began churning out more propaganda, which has since steadily flooded the airwaves and cyberspace.

As President Biden's 90-day intelligence community review on the origins ends, its findings will likely only fuel the fiery war of words over who is to blame for nearly 4.4 million deaths -- David Culver, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Some female activists aren't giving up on women's rights in Afghanistan, despite the Taliban's takeover. They choose to stay in the country to keep fighting. That story coming up.

Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: We are looking at pictures of evacuees from Afghanistan, arriving at Dulles International Airport in Virginia on Saturday. You see a wave of thumbs up. Likely a sense of relief for those escaping Taliban rule. [03:50:00]

BRUNHUBER: Evacuees undergo thorough screening and vetting before and after arriving in the U.S., the long journey to resettlement takes most of them through countries allied with the U.S., including Germany.

Journalist Atika Shubert joining me from Ramstein air base in Germany,

Atika, what's the latest as they still try to cope with the massive influx of refugees?

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. More than 20,000 evacuees have come through the Ramstein air base. Yesterday we spoke with officials on the air base and to see a number of departure flights taking off.

Those were the flights you saw taking evacuees, most to Dulles in Virginia. When we spoke to airbase officials, they insisted the evacuation of Kabul airport was continuing. Despite that, we did not see any flights arriving from either Kabul or from Doha yesterday.

There may have been some overnight but it does seem that there is at least a pause, if not a tapering, of those flights coming out of Kabul. So we'll see how it goes today.

We do know that, as far as departures, at least eight departure flights expected. This is good news because it means we're seeing an increase in those flights bringing evacuees to the United States -- Kim.

BRUNHUBER: You've been talking to the folks there, before I let you go. I'm curious. Is the prevailing mood there one of hope or of despair?

SHUBERT: You know, it's a real mix of emotions. I mean, from the evacuees, certainly relief that they are in a safe country, that they're here, that they're on their way to the United States.

But also frustration, because many people thought they would be here in Germany for just 48 hours, maximum, before going on to the States. It turns out, for many evacuees, they have to wait seven days. They cannot wait more than 10 days, according to the agreement with Germany.

But it is a frustrating wait for people. At the same time, you see an enormous amount of goodwill coming from the base itself. We have seen not just service men helping in any way they can but a lot of volunteers as well, bringing toys for the kids, footballs for them to play with.

There have been sing-alongs, football matches. There's definitely an attempt to try to keep spirits up but it is hard, especially because not only are they frustrated but many of them have left family back home in Afghanistan and are very, very worried about them, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. Understandably. Atika Shubert in Germany, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

As many Afghans hope to catch a flight out while they still can, fear is growing among some who will stay, including many women, terrified of the Taliban's return to power. But as Anna Coren reports, some female activists are choosing to stay, to keep fighting for women's rights.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA COREN, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "I'm in my house, waiting for any help and support for protection."

"Due to the dangerous situation, my family has stopped me coming on the media."

"I think we will be left here in this hell under the dark shadow of this tyranny."

Testimonies from women inside Afghanistan. All across the country, they are dreading the Taliban's return to power, wondering what it will mean for them.

Many are desperately trying to escape; entire lives, dreams shattered. Their fears are not unfounded.

Under Taliban rule, in the '90s and early 2000s, the group denied women basic rights, forcing them to cover their entire bodies, banning them from the workplace and prohibiting most education for girls, driving many schools, like this one, underground.

The Taliban's longtime spokesman says women's rights will be protected within Islamic sharia law.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There will be no violence against women, no discrimination against womens. Of course, based within the framework of the Islamic law.

COREN (voice-over): But already, signs that things have not changed that much. Just days ago, field commanders told women they had to be covered up. And their spokesman instructed women to stay home, temporarily, because their soldiers are, quote, "not trained to respect them."

And yet, despite the impending nightmare scenario, some women activists are choosing to risk it all and stay in Afghanistan for now to continue their work.

Mahbouba Seraj is one of them. She's a prominent activist and head of the Afghan Women's Network.

MAHBOUBA SERAJ, AFGHAN WOMEN'S NETWORK: I am planning to stay here. And I am going to for as long as I am needed in Afghanistan, for as long as there is something I can do which is useful.

[03:55:00]

SERAJ: And I will be hopefully capable of going outside. I am not worried or afraid about that.

COREN (voice-over): This courageous woman in her 70s is waiting to find out what life will be like after the August 31st deadline but says the Taliban cannot afford to count women out this time.

SERAJ: Afghanistan has 35 million people and there are 18 million women. And there is a lot of people that they are educated here. We all need to work together. And -- and that's what I am hoping that is that -- it happens.

And it better happen sooner because the more time we spent in this -- in this kind of a quagmire of not knowing what is going to be happening, Afghanistan will be in deep danger.

COREN (voice-over): And then, there's the generation of Afghan women who can't even remember living under the Taliban, like 23-year-old Pashtana Durrani. She is the executive director of LEARN, a nonprofit working to expand access to girls' education in the country. She is now in hiding.

PASHTANA DURRANI, LEARN: Because we need (INAUDIBLE) to live, to fight for their rights, to fight for their rights to us for their rights, because it's time that people fight back. Not every person can leave. Not every person has the privilege to leave, right?

COREN (voice-over): Pashtana says she is trying to enroll as many girls as possible on digital learning programs before things get worse. But she is not giving up.

DURRANI: It's (INAUDIBLE) of my country as much as theirs and, right now, we fight back. We ask for our rights.

COREN (voice-over): Only time will tell what the future looks like. But the wellbeing of Afghan women will be the surest sign of whether the Taliban has changed its ways. So the stakes could not be higher -- Anna Coren, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: I'm Kim Brunhuber. The latest on Hurricane Ida and the situation in Afghanistan in just a moment. Please, do stay with us.