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Interview with Center for Countering Digital Hate CEO Imran Ahmed; Vaccine Misinformation on Social Media Platforms; Political Divide Over Vaccines Feeding Social Media Frenzy; Silence in Afghanistan. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired September 30, 2021 - 02:00:00   ET

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

[02:00:08]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Kim Jong-un is taking steps to ease tensions with South Korea while condemning the Biden administration just days after claiming to test a hypersonic missile. U.S. officials vowed to atone for mistakenly killing Afghan civilians in a drone strike. Or one month later, survivors tell us no one from the government has contacted them.

Plus, Britney Spears clears a major legal hurdle to regain control of her life. Live from CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. Welcome to all of our viewers here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

We begin in North Korea, where the nation's leader is airing a list of grievances on the second day of Legislative Assembly. Kim Jong-un is slamming the "hostile policies of the U.S. claiming the Biden administration's proposal of dialogue without precondition is nothing but a mere illusion. He also condemned South Korea's recent military buildup and its joint drills with the U.S. Meanwhile, state media reports that Kim Jong-un's younger sister, Kim Yo-jong has been promoted to North Korea's top ruling body.

CNN's Will Ripley joins us now from Taipei. Well, so setting aside the belligerent rhetoric about the U.S. Let's set that aside for now. Reaching out to the south to reestablish communications. That's a good first step, at least, right? What do you make of the -- these latest moves?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a good first step. And it's a step that we've seen North Korea take before repeatedly, in fact, where they kind of cozy up with the south, they engage with the south, they open up a communication line with the south, they even opened up an inter-Korean liaison office with the south and then last year, as diplomacy sort of fell apart they had that office blown up.

And they cut off the communication line, and they criticize the south and insulted the president of the South Moon Jae-in. And yet now you have the sister of Kim Jong-un, Kim Yo-jong calling for a possible resumption of dialogue based on what she described as mutual respect. And so you have these overtures. This -- giving the South Korean administration hope that there might be potentially, you know, not only a resumption of communications, but maybe even a -- an inter- Korean summit and inter-Korean dialogue.

Knowing that South Korea is closely aligned with the U.S. North Korea is very calculated here because eventually what they need is a dialogue with the United States to get what they want, which is sanctions lifted. They're going to have a hard time getting sanctions lifted when they conduct weapons tests, like the one on Tuesday.

BRUNHUBER: Let's talk about that. If we're talking about this familiar dance that we're seeing the something new here is that so called hypersonic missile. There is an asterisk there, which I'm sure you'll explain. Tell us a bit more about it.

RIPLEY: Yes. You know, it's important to point out that when North Korea unveils and announces that they have a new weapon. In the past, there have been times that North Korea claims have something and their initial prototype their first version may not be exactly as strong or as powerful as state media might suggest. But what this does show is that North Korea is moving and pretty quickly towards the development of technology that could be particularly dangerous for a lot of U.S. allies in this part of the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY (voice-over): If what North Korea says is true, this may be their most dangerous weapon yet. A hypersonic missile. Analysts say it could change the military equation in East Asia and beyond. Kim Jong- un's arsenal has exploded during his first decade and power. Analysts say the Hwasong-8 could be unlike any missile he's tested before. Exact specifications unknown. Hypersonic missiles can fly more than five times the speed of sound.

Roughly 4000 miles an hour or about a mile every second. At that speed a missile could fly from Pyongyang to Washington in less than two hours. Some hypersonic weapons can theoretically fly four times faster, up to 20 times the speed of sound. Many ballistic missiles already fly at hypersonic speeds, but they follow a set trajectory from point A to point B. North Korea says this new missile has a hypersonic glide vehicle, making it highly maneuverable descending on a target from a much lower altitude, experts say almost impossible to shoot down.

GORDON CHANG, AUTHOR, NUCLEAR SHOWDOWN: NORTH KOREA TAKES ON THE WORLD: It would mean for instance that our ground based interceptors and Alaska in California would not work against North Korea's missiles. That means North Korea would be able to intimidate The United States.

[02:05:01]

RIPLEY: South Korea says the North's newly tested hypersonic missile is likely in the early stages of development and can still be detected and intercepted by South Korean and U.S. missile defense systems at least for now.

JAMIE METZL, FOUNDER, ONE SHARED WORLD: We don't know yet about the full capacity of these hypersonic missiles. But when you connect these new missile capabilities, new launch capabilities and the miniaturization of nuclear weapons, it leads to the conclusion that North Korea will possibly or even likely have an increased strike capability and that's going to increase the threat that North Korea poses to countries around the world.

RIPLEY: Right now just two nations have deployed hypersonic missiles, Russia and China. The U.S. is actively testing and developing hypersonic missile technology. Three world powers and now possibly North Korea, a new global arms race, escalating at hypersonic speed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: Within the last few hours, the United States State Department said that it does not have a hostile intent towards North Korea. They re-extended their offer of talks without preconditions and offer that Kim Jong-un was quoted in state media as saying he doesn't trust, he thinks that the Biden administration is just as hostile as previous U.S. administrations but perhaps in his words more sly.

One more note or the development out of Pyongyang, Kim is a promotion, a big one for the very powerful younger sister of Kim Jong-un, Kim Yo- jong. She has been by his side at all three face to face meetings with the former U.S. president. She's held various government offices since 2014 of various levels. She was an alternate member of the Politburo until she was taken off in January of this year.

Some perceive that as a demotion, but a lot of observers of the Korean Peninsula said that her power inside the country essentially remained unchanged. And now this promotion to the state affairs commission seems to basically solidify her place as perhaps the second most powerful figure inside North Korea because she is her brother's closest confidant. She has the Paektu bloodline that has him in power.

And now, she has a seat on a very powerful group of otherwise all men. Not a bad accomplishment for a -- for a woman who we think might be around 32 years old. We don't know a whole lot of details about her. But of course, having your brother as the dictator certainly helps, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, interesting developments. Will Ripley thanks so much. As U.S. general says the 20-year war in Afghanistan wasn't last than last 20 days or even 20 months. Mark Milley told the U.S. House committee investigating what went wrong that he knew some six years ago that the war was "stalemated." And that many factors led to the country's collapse, including the Trump administration's deal with the Taliban that set a date for the U.S. to fully withdraw.

The Pentagon chief who also testified before Congress added that the Doha deal just didn't just demoralize troops, it allowed the Taliban to grow stronger. The generals were also asked about the devastating U.S. drone strike in Kabul that killed civilians. Our Anna Coren is covering that part of the story live from Hong Kong. Anna, what more are we learning?

ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kim, we heard some pretty stunning admissions from the top U.S. defense officials revealing how much they knew about this drone strike within a matter of hours, if not days. And remember, it was three days after that drone strike that killed 10 people that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley said that it was a righteous strike.

This was something that they defended for another few weeks before they went public saying they had made a terrible mistake. For the family that has lost these 10 family members it has been an agonizing month and still no word from anyone within the U.S. government.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COREN (voice-over): Barking dogs and a faint call to prayer are the only sounds that punctuate the silence from this hilltop above Kabul. Yet the serenity and panoramic views do little to ease the souls of those who have been forced to relocate here.

We cannot go inside the old house because of the memories, a house full of life was turned into a graveyard.

A month ago their world was destroyed when the U.S. military fighter hellfire missile into the family's compound. The target, a white Toyota Corolla with aid worker and family patriarch Zamarai Ahmadi behind the wheel. 10 family members were killed, including seven children, three of whom were toddlers. The U.S. had intelligence. The 43-year-old was an ISIS facilitator with suspected explosives in the car.

Posing an imminent threat to U.S. troops in the final days of the airport evacuation. After weeks of defending the strike, the military admitted their intelligence was wrong. And then this admission during yesterday's grilling of defense chiefs in Congress examining the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.

[02:10:01]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At what point, General McKenzie -- and this is for all three of you, at what point did you know that the strike was bad that it hit civilians?

GEN. KENNETH MCKENZIE, U.S. CENTCOM COMMANDER: So, we knew the strike hit civilians within four or five hours after the strike occurred we did not know though that the target of the strike was in fact an error until a mistake until sometime later. Took us a few days to run that down.

COREN: Zamarai's family says no one from the U.S. government has contacted them.

MCKENZIE: I offer my profound condolences.

COREN: The only apology they've received is by U.S. Central Command general Frank McKenzie before the T.V. cameras almost two weeks ago.

MCKENZIE: And I offer my sincere apology.

COREN: They should have passed on their condolences. Ask for forgiveness directly from us, says Zamarai's brother. For 15 years, Zamarai worked as an engineer for U.S.-based NGO NEI that provided soybeans for Afghanistan's malnourished and poor. NEI based in California has had a long history with the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. Some of its life saving programs were funded by the State Department.

SONIA KWON, SENIOR ADVISOR, NUTRITION AND EDUCATION INTERNATIONAL: I don't know of any other job in the world where you can accidentally kill someone's entire family and then call it a mistake.

COREN: Adding insult to injury. The U.S. military continues to maintain that the chatter they've been monitoring for 36 hours before that fateful day came from an ISIS case safe house.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you very much.

COREN: CNN can confirm that the purported ISIS case safe house is the family home of NEI's country director, Dr. Walid, a pediatrician and father of three young girls and has lived here for 14 years.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So that's you see, the laptop back --

COREN: Zamarai had stopped at the house that morning to pick up Dr. Walid's computer which he had forgot. It was from that moment, the military began following Zamarai's car and will continue surveillance for the next eight hours before launching the strike.

DR. WALID, COUNTRY DIRECTOR, NUTRITION AND EDUCATION INTERNATIONAL: I'm really shocked why this house is leveled as a safe house for ISIS. It is absolutely untrue. But I do expect from the U.S. government to clear the name on my house.

COREN: In fact, Dr. Walid was granted a U.S. Green Card in 2018. It was reissued a few weeks before the strike. He now feels under threat in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Exposed is working for a U.S. based NGO plus being falsely associated with ISIS-K and wants to leave.

The U.S. military says it's looking into reparations for Zamarai's family, but that's little comfort. NEI is engaging legal representation on behalf of the family and is also demanding their resettlement.

KWON: I just hope the U.S. government has the compassion to grant what they want, which is to resettle and I think that they really deserve this.

COREN: For the surviving children, their smiles disguise their deadly anguish and pain. Relatives say they often break down in tears, asking why their siblings and cousins had to die.

There isn't a single day where we don't shed tears for them, says Zamarai's sister. Nothing is more painful and nothing can relieve our pain.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: Yes. It's such a devastating story. This family, Kim, not only do they want compensation, and resettlement, I mean they want to move to the United States. They also want justice for the 10 family members that were killed. Now we know the United States defense has launched two investigations into this fatal drone strike, which will examine what went wrong how, you know, the intelligence was so wrong that then led to this killing of 10 innocent civilians.

You know, whether there needs to be accountability and also whether their tactics need to change. We reached out to U.S. Central Command for comments. They declined, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Thanks so much, Anna Coren. Appreciate it. Well, changing gears now, Britney Spears is celebrating a huge win in the battle to regain control of her life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Her friends cheer to Los Angeles judge's decision to suspend her father Jamie Spears as conservator of her $60 million estate effective immediately. It's the first time since 2008 that Britney Spears is free from her father's oversight. Her attorney said the decision is worth celebrating but he underscored how long it took to get to this point.

MATTHEW ROSENGART, BRITNEY SPEARS LAWYER: It's a great day for Britney Spears. And it's a great day for justice. And there's definitely something to celebrate. But it's also what's solemn day.

[02:15:02]

ROSENGART: Britney Spears has been faced with a decade long nightmare of Kafkaesque nightmare orchestrated by her father and others.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Chloe Melas has details from Los Angeles.

CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: A major legal victory for Britney Spears on Wednesday with Judge Brenda Penny moving to suspend Jamie Spears is his role as conservator of Britney $60 million estate. He has served as his daughter's conservator since 2008. For over a decade. Now, Jamie Spears did not want this to happen. He actually wanted the conservatorship to be completely terminated.

He filed a petition earlier this month saying so, now Matthew Rosengart, Britney Spears' attorney saying in court that he believes that he actually filed that motion and an effort to not have to now hand over accounting and paperwork. And basically all of his checks and balances over the last 13 years which now he has to do so. But Matthew Rosengart spoke on Britney's behalf saying that although she's not here today, I am her voice calling Jamie Spears a cruel and toxic and an abusive man saying that Britney should not have to wake up one more day with her father as conservator. The judge actually called this a toxic environment and has now appointed a Certified Public Accountant by the name of John Zabel who's going to be temporarily stepping into this role overseeing the estate. Now there is another court hearing scheduled for November 12th where Judge Brenda Penny is expected to terminate this once and for all. But in the meantime, lots of twists and turns that Britney took to Instagram to say that she is on cloud nine with this news. Chloe Melas, CNN, Los Angeles.

BRUNHUBER: And again, Jamie Spears' attorney said everything Jamie did was with Britney's interest in mind and that he loves her very much.

Well, in about five hours a judge in London is expected to hand down a life sentence for the brutal murder of Sarah Everard. She was killed back in March and her death sparked outrage and started a national debate about women's safety and sexual assault in the U.K. Former police officer Wayne Couzens confessed to her kidnapping and rape before he strangled Everard and burned her remains.

On Wednesday, prosecutors revealed that Couzens used his police I.D. and handcuffs to get her into his car under the pretense that she had broken COVID restrictions. Instead he later used his police belt to strangle her. Prosecutors are asking for a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Well, from fuel to food. Supply chains in the U.K. are feeling the strain of a lack of drivers. What the government is doing to give the sector a much needed boost. We'll take a look at that. Plus, the air in La Palma is safe to breathe for now. But experts are still worried about toxic gases on the islands coast. We have the latest on the Canary Islands volcano after the break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: The death toll from a prison massacre in Ecuador has reached at least 115 people and counting. The country's president the death toll Wednesday night instead it may rise even more.

[02:20:03]

BRUNHUBER: Some of those killed were decapitated. 80 other people were wounded at the facility near the city of Guayaquil. Police say rival gangs clashed there on Tuesday using guns and grenades. The President also said the prison isn't completely secured yet. Ecuador has announced the state of emergency in its entire prison system.

The British government says soldiers will be deployed in the coming days to help deliver fuel across the U.K. It says a lack of truck drivers is causing the petrol crisis and it's a problem that's putting strain on other key supply chains. Now, despite the government's efforts to fill the labor gap. CNNs Nina dos Santos explains why some are reluctant to return.

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Petrol, fresh produce and natural gas. Shortages of vital items are affecting day to day life in Britain. UNIDENTIFIED FEMAL1E: This shouldn't be happening (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't have enough skilled workers and that's going to be the problem.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hindsight is 2020. So it's very easy for me to sit and say, oh, they should have, could have, would have but we should do better.

DOS SANTOS: The government says the recent run on the pumps is down to panic buying and that there's plenty of fuel. Thanks to the pandemic and Brexit There is however, a lack of truck drivers making it very difficult to get all sorts of goods to where they're needed most.

(voice-over): Authorities hope to ease pressure on stream supply chains by issuing thousands of temporary visas to people like Drazen Miljic from Bosnia. He's worked in the U.K. before and would gladly return.

DRAZEN MILJIC, TRUCK DRIVER: Sounds tempting for me because salaries are always good, especially now when they're in crisis, in need of drivers. I know before, before the Brexit, before the crisis salaries were good also in England. So yes, it sounds OK for me. I would work it.

DOS SANTOS: But others like these drivers in Slovenia weren't so keen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Problem, customs, time, no good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)

DOS SANTOS: Why?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Visa problem, passport problem.

DOS SANTOS: COVID-19 disrupted the examination process with tens of thousands of potential heavy goods vehicle operators in the U.K. Now the government has decided to try and ease the backlog by fast tracking the qualification process. Here at this driving school on the outskirts of London that means that they're busier than they've ever been.

Here you are as a 29-year-old wanting to be a truck driver. Why?

JOE CROOK, TRAINEE DRIVER: Just the opportunity of earning money is the main thing. It's very flexible within my family life for an English person to be doing I think it's a -- it's a big mass and a big need. I do try to tell people who have grown up with, you know, do it.

DOS SANTOS: Until Joe and many others like him can get goods around the U.K. customer patience is another thing that's in short supply in. Nina Dos Santos, CNN in London.

BRUNHUBER: Lava flowing into the ocean from that volcano in the Canary Islands is now forming a lot of delta as it gathers the shoreline. Official warn the reaction when the lava hits the sea could cause toxic gases or even explosions but so far they are still safe to breathe. A team of international volcano experts has descended on La Palma to work with local scientists as the volcano continues to erupt. Al Goodman reports.

AL GOODMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was on the 10th consecutive day of eruptions from a volcano on Spain's La Palma Island. But the red hot lava finally reached the Atlantic Ocean, that was just before midnight, the lava coming down the hill and falling off a steep cliff into the ocean. Authorities had expected this since the eruptions began back on September 19th. So an exclusionary zone was set up at sea to keep ships away.

And also on land, people on the western side of the island told to shelter in place, keep their windows and doors closed because of what official said was the danger of toxic gases coming and explosions when the lava hits the Atlantic Ocean. By daybreak, by daylight the extent of the damage could be seen with official saying the lava not just going underneath the surface of the ocean, but forming new pieces of land, kind of a Delta sticking out in a triangular fashion from the coastline.

All of this on the western side of the island away from the eastern side where the airport is, which has been closed on and off due to the heavy load of volcanic ash. Flights trying to get through there. Officials say some 700 buildings have been affected by the lava flow. Hundreds of them destroyed and officials say that this could go on for several weeks, even a few more months. Al Goodman CNN, Madrid.

BRUNHUBER: Now even though officials say the air in La Palma is safe to breathe for now, experts warn it needs to be monitored as lava flows into the ocean.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARNAU FOLCH DURAN, VOLCANOLOGIST (through translator): The gases will have to be monitored. We have to bear in mind that each liter of seawater contains 35 grams of sodium chloride, which means that large quantities are now evaporating from the sea, sending all this chlorine into the atmosphere.

[02:25:10]

DURAN: Forming hydrochloric acid which obviously has harmful effects on people's health, and we will have to measure the quantities being produced. Depending on the flow, the amount of lava that will reach the sea, and how quickly it does so. We will have to measure the formation of these compounds.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Officials have advised local residents to seal their doors and windows with tape and wet towels as a precaution.

Life under the Taliban means no more music on the streets of Kabul. CNN's Clarissa Ward meets some frightened musicians who are no longer able to do what they love most. Plus, YouTube declares war on vaccine misinformation. And that move is making some very powerful enemies. Well, that story in just a moment, please do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: And welcome back to all of you watching us from around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber and this is CNN NEWSROOM. There is an alarming spike in new COVID cases in Australia's Victoria state. The number of new cases surged by 50 percent in the last 24 hours. Officials blamed the rise on recent social gatherings especially parties to mark the final of the Australian Football League last weekend.

YouTube is stepping up its fight against vaccine misinformation. The video platform already banned false information about COVID vaccines. Now it says any misinformation about any vaccine would be prohibited. And YouTube's crusade against misinformation has put it on a collision course with Russia. Russia threatens to ban YouTube after it suspended two German language outlets of a Russian network.

YouTube says it banned the Russian channels for violating its rules on misinformation related to the coronavirus. Russia is threatening to block YouTube's access to Russian internet providers.

Imran Ahmed is the CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate and he joins me from Washington. Thanks so much for being here with us. So YouTube's decision to expand the ban on vaccine misinformation it seems to have already worked to some degree in that several high- profile major spreaders of COVID vaccine misinformation say their accounts have been shut down. So your organization has been calling for this for some time. How important is this move by YouTube?

IMRAN AHMED, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, CENTER FOR COUNTERING DIGITAL HATE: Well, look for some time the organization I run the Center for Country and Digital Hate has been highlighting 12 key producers. Super spreaders of vaccine disinformation were responsible for two-thirds of all the vaccine information misinformation shared on social media.

[02:30:04]

AHMED: And the calls that we've had to those platforms to take action against them.

[02:30:00]

They've been backed up by President Biden, by senators, by state attorneys general. And finally, six months later, YouTube has taken action against three of them.

Now, they are big players. Joe McCullough, Robert F. Kennedy junior, son of the former attorney general, these are major presenters of misinformation about vaccines. So, we're delighted to see the action taken. However, there are still members of Disinformation Dozen on YouTube even right now. And the problem is, of course, that we are all looking at one platform today and we're giving them plodders, YouTube. But the granddaddy of misinformation remains Facebook, which owns both Facebook and Instagram. And on, there, the Disinformation Dozen has 6 million followers. BRUNHUBER: Yes. But, I mean, Facebook did make the decision to ban

all vaccine misinformation back in, when was it, February, I think. Does that mean that they haven't been good enough at enforcing this?

AHMED: Yes. Sadly, when it comes to Facebook, there is almost always an enormous gulf between what they say and what they do. And unfortunately, when it comes to anti-vaccine misinformation, initially they denied it was a problem. Then they deflected it and said it's general social problem. They finally accepted that they have responsibility for what's published on that platform for the information that people consume, especially in a year and a half where we've been extremely reliant on social media.

And when they've seen their properties double because we're using social media and therefore, consuming ads on their platform. In that year and a half, they've accepted responsibility, but they haven't yet taken that complete action that's required. We found that they still have 6 million followers, the Disinformation Dozen, on their platform today.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. Let's get into that. Is the difficulty in shutting them all down, because there is that conflict of interest that you are kind of alluding to here, the anti-vax industry online, it's worth a lot of money to the big social media companies. Your organization has looked into this. How important are they in terms of the followers and the revenue that they generate as well?

AHMED: Well, the extraordinary thing is that the anti-vaccine industry, which is a profitmaking industry, because once they persuaded people not to take vaccines, they also sell them all sorts of false cures, whether it's nebulized hydrogen peroxides, inhaled bleach or it's quercetin or vitamin D or other supplements. And that's a profit-making industry in itself.

But the platforms, gosh, they are making billion dollars a year from the that's generated by people visiting anti-vax content. And that's because every time you look at a post, there's an ad next to it. So, if they can keep you on the post, on the site for as long as possible, and we found with conspiracists contend, it's highly addicted. And so, they know that if they give that up, if they throw those people out the platform, they're getting rid of a billion dollars a year, and that's a lot of money.

BRUNHUBER: So, I'm wondering what the effects of this ocean of misinformation actually has. I mean, looking at -- you know, here in the U.S., for example, the most recent report suggests that the political divide over vaccinations is massive and it's growing even bigger, almost every blue state now has higher vaccination rates than almost every red state.

Is the anti-vaccine misinformation on COVID specifically exacerbating these existing divides or is it having sort of a different effect maybe on other populations like say younger people?

AHMED: Well, look, I mean, it seems extraordinary to me as a non- American given that President Trump was the president who put the effort and the money into operation warp speed, which no matter what your feelings are about him as an act of public policy was an extraordinary injection of public wealth into the production of a vaccine, and it was successful, it was moonshot scientific enterprise and it worked.

And yet, at the same time, the anti-vax industry has so to prey on the frustrations of Trump voters and Republicans over the lost of presidency and seek to say that there's something wrong with the state. The status evil. The state is even trying to kill you by giving you vaccines. And that's just both cynical and, of course, highly harmful to Republican voters who are going die.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. Absolutely. Listen, we are out of time. We'll have to leave it there. But thank you so much for your insight. Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate. Thank you very much for joining us. I really appreciate it.

[02:35:00]

Tunisia's president has tapped a woman to be that country's first female prime minister. President Kais Saied asked Najla Bouden Romdhan to form a new government. Romdhan appears of little practical experience and have previously been a geophysics professor. But her selection is watershed moment. She is the first female prime minister in the Arab world.

A silent (ph) silence has fallen over capital of Afghanistan. Music is no longer heard in the streets. The Taliban haven't formally banned the playing of instruments, but at this point, they don't need to. We get more from CNN's Clarissa Ward in Kabul.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This neighborhood used to be full of musicians and music stores selling instruments. Now, you can see almost all of the shops here have been shut down.

This is you singing, yes.

WARD (voiceover): Down the street, we meet musician Mustafa Nouri, he tells us he has been forced to sell street food since the Taliban took over. The entire area of Hurabat (ph) is full of musicians, he says. But since the Taliban came, they stopped the music, and our work has ended.

As we're talking, a red car pulls out.

WARD (on camera): So, it looks like the Taliban have arrived here?

Does it make you nervous to see them coming up and down the street like this?

Of course, I'm afraid, he says. When we see them normally, we go into our houses. WARD (voiceover): The Taliban haven't officially banned music, but the musicians tell us the fighters regularly threaten them not to play their instruments.

WARD (on camera): So, the Taliban are here again, driving past us.

You can imagine how intimating that is for people in this neighborhood, just to have them with their weapons driving up and down the street all the time.

WARD (voiceover): As we start to leave, a man invites as to his house. He says he hasn't taken his tabla out of its case since the Taliban took over.

WARD (on camera): I imagine that music is part of your heart. It must hurt not to have -- not to be able to play anymore.

If we can play then we feel depressed and our hearts cannot breathe, he tells us. Nothing is left. The music has ended.

WARD (voiceover): He says he doesn't know how long they can continue to live like this. He starts to tap the table lightly. His reflexes take over. And through a brief moment, he's free.

WARD (on camera): It's beautiful. Thank you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Oman is hoping to become one of the world's top 10 players in the logistics business. The nation is pumping billions of dollars into it hoping to create some 300,000 jobs in the coming years. Eleni Giokos takes a closer look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[02:40:00]

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN BUSINESS AFRICA CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): The port of Sohar in Northern Oman is a breathtakingly massive facility. Strategically located at the center of global trade routes between East and West. It is also at the center of Oman's strategy to boost its logistics sector.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good, good.

GIOKOS (voiceover): Mark Geilenkirchen is the CEO of SOHAR Ports and Freezone. He came to Oman five years ago and has seen it through challenging times.

MARK GEILENKIRCHEN, SOHAR PORTS AND FREE ZONE CEO: So, we have had an oil crisis and we've had pandemic. And still, we did grow every single year and we have been growing every single year since I've been here. So, basically, it's a big story of success, of new investments and new faces coming into the port and into the free zone.

GIOKOS (voiceover): He says, 68 million tons of cargo had come through the port this year. Most of it, industrial.

GEILENKIRCHEN: Seven out of 10 products which you will see in this country come through our port.

GIOKOS (voiceover): The ASYAD Group is Oman's national logistics hub, established in 2016, it operates in the country's three deep wall (ph) ports and free zones.

ABDULRAHMAN AL HATMI, ASYAD CEO: We have to be ahead of the game in terms of technology, in terms of expansion in terms of the people as well. So, our poor summary by top efficient port, you know, the moment, you know, we ranked in the top 10 globally in terms of efficiency.

GIOKOS (voiceover): And businesses are benefiting from that efficiency. Like SPMP, which manufactures precious metals, antimony and gold. The company buys raw materials from all over the world, processes them and then ships out the finished product. Everything happens right here in the free zone at Sohar Port.

JOEL MONTGOMERY, STRATEGIC AND PRECIOUS METAL PROCESSING CEO: Our businesses is about antimony but it's also about logistics. It's about getting the products to the site and getting the finished goods to the customer.

GIOKOS (voiceover): Joel Montgomery is the company's CEO. SPMP started construction in the SOHAR Freezone in 2014, and began production in 2019. The company enjoys a big tax advantage for operating here.

MONTGOMERY: In Oman, the Freezone allows SPMP to import those concentrate globally and export our products without having to deal with all the tax and the import and export burden that typically is associated with bringing products in and out of the country.

GEILENKIRCHEN: We just offer you a one stop shop. So, you come to me, and I will take you to the process of everything. The permits you need, starting your company, getting through the chain or through the Ministry of Commerce, getting your environmental permit, your electricity connection. You just come to us and we'll help you through the whole process.

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BRUNHUBER: I'm Kim Brunhuber back at the top of the hour with more CNN Newsroom. World Sport is next.

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