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Merck's COVID-19 Pill; Hope for a New Normal in Japan; U.S. President Joe Biden Meets with Democrats to Get Agenda Moving; Possible Sightings of Brian Laundrie; Damages Awarded against Alex Jones for Sandy Hook Lies; Taiwan: Highest Ever Incursion by Chinese Air Force; Expo 2020 Dubai; Activist Greta Thunberg "Tired" of Climate Protection Lies. Aired 5-6a ET
Aired October 02, 2021 - 05:00 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 AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We're learning more about the new anti-viral pill that could be a COVID game changer as the U.S. reaches another milestone in the pandemic.
President Biden pleads with his own party to bridge their divide and come to an agreement on his agenda. We'll have details on the message he delivered personally.
Plus, the latest on the investigation into the death of Gabby Petito and a possible sighting of her missing fiance, Brian Laundrie.
Hello and welcome to all of you watching here in the United States, Canada and around the world, I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: Now 700,000 Americans have lost their lives to the coronavirus with the last 100,000 deaths added in little more than 100 days. Now the staggering figure comes despite widely available vaccines and steadily falling infections.
Meanwhile more booster options are likely coming. Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration will meet in mid-October to discuss booster doses for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. Later in the month, the panel is set to discuss using Pfizer's vaccine for children under 12.
Merck's new drug isn't on the FDA's calendar yet. But that's not stopping medical experts from calling it a potential game changer. The company says its anti-viral pill drastically cuts the risk of death or hospitalization. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is a pretty big deal. In fact, an independent data safety monitoring board, looked at the trial results, as they were ongoing, for Merck. They decided they look so good to be that they wanted to stop the trial and encourage the company to apply for emergency use authorization.
That is unusual. Often, trials stop because they're it looks too futile to continue. But in this, case it was promising. Let's show you the data. This is what we're talking about here.
Basically, these were participants in the early stages of disease. Quite important, they weren't super sick, they were not in the hospital early. They were diagnosed with COVID-19, had mild symptoms.
Those given the drug, 385 of them, 28 were hospitalized. In the placebo group, 377, 45 were hospitalized and 8 died. When you do the math on that, that is the 50 percent reduction in likelihood of hospitalizations or death.
Again, no one died in the group that received the medication. Now all of this information, so far coming from the company itself, must be reviewed by the FDA. It needs to see if the efficacy data actually holds up and, also, how safe it is. That's a big question as well.
If it does go through and gets emergency use authorization, this is an option for people who've been diagnosed with COVID. It is not a substitute for the vaccine. I think most people realize that.
But the vaccine is to prevent illness. This is to treat illness. That is a major, major point that will come up, over and over again. We still encourage the vaccines very much.
One thing I want to point, out we don't hear a lot about antivirals. We hear a lot about antibiotics for bacterial infections, but we don't hear about antivirals. Viruses replicate within human cells. They need the human body and human cells to replicate.
That is what makes antiviral development challenging. Because the virus is within the human cell. The way this medication seems to work is by, basically, interfering with how the virus replicates.
It takes all these various components to allow the virus to replicate and this drug is, essentially, sticking a Trojan horse in the machinery of the replication, so that the replication can't continue. People don't develop a significant amount of viral load. They don't get as sick. They aren't as likely to transmit.
That is the expectation, if it all pans out. It will be another important tool, when it comes to fighting COVID. Again, let me emphasize, not a substitute for vaccine.
The cost?
Probably around $700 per course, 2 pills per day, for 5 days. As we get more news about this, certainly, we will bring it to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: The nation's most populous state will become the first to require COVID vaccine for eligible K-12 students to attend school in person. The governor of California announced the measure on Friday. The requirement will go into effect in the school term after the FDA gives full approval for the age groups to get the vaccine.
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BRUNHUBER: It will apply to students in both private and public schools and allows exemptions for medical reasons and personal beliefs. Governor Gavin Newsom explained the logic behind the move to CNN's Ana Cabrera.
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GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): We want to get this pandemic behind us and while we've made great progress, California, 84 percent of those Californians eligible received the dose, we have the lowest case rate in America, it is not good enough.
And we have a cohort 12-17, where only 63.5 percent of the kids have received at least one dose of the vaccine and we think this will accelerate our efforts to get this pandemic behind us.
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BRUNHUBER: California is one of 34 states that have vaccinated more than half of their residents and it's providing an example to other states by implementing vaccine mandates across a number of industries.
Now earlier, I spoke to Dr. Stephen Parodi, the executive director of the Permanente Medical Group, and I asked if mandates have helped in his hospital system.
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DR. STEPHEN PARODI, ASSOCIATE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PERMANENTE MEDICAL GROUP: We have had an incredible response. So before the mandate was put in place, we were at about 78 percent vaccination rates. In California now, we're up above 96 percent for employees and 98 percent for our physicians, a tremendous uptick.
And I'll tell you, it is three things. One, there is nothing like a requirement. But two, it encourages these conversations, critical conversations about disinformation.
And I have to call out our managers and actually our labor unions, that have leaned in to actually dispel that disinformation.
And then the third thing is you can't really dismiss the Delta effect. I think Delta, that variant, really galvanized people. It scared people, too. And so all those things, put together, I think has led to these incredibly high percentages of vaccinations.
BRUNHUBER: And then those who haven't, I mean what have you done or what are you planning do with those who have refused, do you suspend them, fire them?
PARODI: So a number of people have applied for exemptions. And so, of course, we're verifying those exemptions. There are a few people that have declined to get an exemption or get vaccinated and they have been put on administrative leave.
They have the opportunity over the next couple months to engage in further conversation. But, yes, if necessary, we'll terminate people. That is not our goal, though, absolutely not our goal.
Our goal is to protect the workforce, protect our patients and protect our communities. And I'm just so heartened by the fact that we saw this tremendous uptake. And I'll just tell you, when you have percentages above 90 percent, our communities are not seeing people get hospitalized.
This latest surge, we have communities within California, particularly the San Francisco Bay area, where the vaccination rates are 90 percent and higher for the eligible population. And their hospitalization rates were 20 percent comparable to other places with lower vaccination rates.
BRUNHUBER: Let me ask you about that. The areas, like rural parts of the state, the vaccination rate is much less. I was reading that the busiest hospital in one very Republican part of the state said that about more than 30 percent of the workers had been granted those religious exemptions that you were talking about; another saying the same thing, that they are granting religious exemption exemptions for anyone who asked for them to avoid the mass exodus of staff and to avoid lawsuits.
But it's a paradox because we're seeing more COVID patients and COVID deaths in areas where more people are refusing to get vaccinated. And yet that seems to be where hospitals are letting their staff keep working without getting vaccinated.
How do you deal with that in those types of areas?
PARODI: I think one of the most important things here is to actually show people the outcomes and to show that you don't get sick. You don't have your hospitals overrun with COVID when you do this.
For Kaiser Permanente, we've been challenging our vendors, our contractors to also participate in the vaccination effort and actually asking them to mandate vaccination. We're also reaching out to community benefit organizations, that we provide grants and funding to, to also participate in mandatory vaccination.
And the other thing I'll just say is that we need to get the business community to rally around this. The airline industry is one in particular that has moved in the route of mandating vaccination.
If you look at the country as a whole in the United States, you know, more than two-thirds of all workers now have some form of a mandate. So I think that the momentum is on the side of getting our workers vaccinated. BRUNHUBER: All right. That is all the time we have. Doctor, thank you
so much for joining us.
PARODI: Thank you. Good to be with you.
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BRUNHUBER: So though the numbers are still high, it appears the latest wave of COVID infections may finally be waning.
According to Johns Hopkins University, the seven-day average of new COVID cases globally dropped roughly 30 percent from the 1st of September to the 30th. And now over the same period, daily deaths from COVID also dropped by about 20 percent. And something else that is spreading, COVID optimism. CNN's Michael Holmes explains.
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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dinner and drinks, the return of one of the simple pleasures of life in Japan. It's just one of the signs of getting back to a sense of normal in some spots around the globe, where the number of new coronavirus cases has declined.
Japan lifted a state of emergency in, all regions of the country, for the first time in 6 months, allowing restaurants to increase their hours of operation and sell alcohol, once again.
New infections, in Japan, have dropped dramatically. From over 20,000 a day in August, to just under 2,000 now. Welcome progress for people who have been encouraged to skip nonessential gatherings.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I was just commuting between my home and my company. Because of the lack of communication, I felt lonely.
HOLMES (voice-over): The WHO, saying, globally, the numbers of weekly new COVID-19 cases and deaths, are declining. Most recently, down 10 percent, from mid-September. Cautious optimism, though the virus is still circulating and killing.
Experts warn, it could quickly rebound. Vietnam, also, easing some coronavirus measures after a gradual decline in cases there. A stay- at-home order, lifted, in Ho Chi Minh city. People in the capital of Hanoi, now, exercising outside and small groups and malls and retail stores, have opened, something that, many, hope will revive the economy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): This year, the outbreak is more complicated than the last. There has been jobless now with no income. So, staying at home feels very suffocating.
HOLMES (voice-over): Masks are required on Havana's famous seaside promenade but the popular spot to fish or soak up the sun is also open again, after being off limits for nine months, because of Cuba's COVID-19 restrictions.
Even the traditional double kiss is Paris, is making a slow comeback after falling out a favor during the outbreaks in France.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I stopped kissing people on the cheek during COVID, due to social distancing. But now, I do kiss people I know but only to the loved ones, not people I don't know very well.
HOLMES (voice-over): The power of the human touch or a breath of fresh air, small reminders of life before the pandemic and what could one day bring us closer to normal -- Michael Holmes, CNN.
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BRUNHUBER: President Biden's high stakes, high dollar domestic agenda, suddenly stuck in neutral.
Can a quick trip to Capitol Hill, get the process moving again?
The president seems to think so. We'll have the details just ahead.
Plus, new details emerging about a camping trip Brian Laundrie took with his family, just days after returning home without Gabby Petito.
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BRUNHUBER: U.S. President Joe Biden says he is confident Democrats will eventually work out their differences and agree on two massive spending bills that are the centerpiece of his domestic agenda.
The president met with Democratic lawmakers on Friday after party progressives blocked a vote on a bipartisan bill to fix America's roads, bridges and airports.
After their meeting, some members of the progressive caucus said they appreciated the president's input, but they came away hoping for more. The president was optimistic as he left Capitol Hill. Here he is.
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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm telling you, we're going to get this done.
QUESTION: When?
BIDEN: It doesn't matter when. It doesn't matter whether it's in six minutes, six days, or six weeks. We're going to get it done.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BRUNHUBER: So as you just heard, the president dismissed artificial deadlines and is now telling Democrats to take as much time as they need to negotiate the ambitious spending package. We have more from Jeremy Diamond at the White House.
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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With his legislative agenda on the line, President Biden arrived on Capitol Hill, making his most public play yet to bridge the multitrillion dollar Democratic divide, addressing House Democrats less than 24 hours after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi delayed a vote on the trillion- dollar infrastructure bill rather than watch it sink under the weight of progressive demands.
Now a new approach for the president: after weeks spent negotiating on the phone and in the Oval Office.
DIAMOND: Why the change in tactics?
Is this a make-or-break moment?
JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: This is a moment where he feels that it is exactly the right time to go to the caucus and make the case for why it's important to work together, to get this agenda done.
He wants to speak directly to members, answer their questions and make the case for why we should all work together to give the American people more breathing room.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Now the White House and Democratic leaders are trying to get moderate senators to buy into a $2.1 trillion compromise framework. The late-night meetings between White House officials and moderate senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia so far yielding no deal, Manchin sticking to his own top line number.
SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D-WV): My top line has been 1.5 because I believe in my heart that what we can do and what the needs we have right now and what we can afford to do, without basically changing our whole society to an entitlement mentality.
DIAMOND (voice-over): The White House still pressing forward, insisting a deal is closer than ever.
PSAKI: The negotiations and the deal making always happens at the end. It doesn't matter how the process works or how many weeks there are, it always happens at the end.
This is exactly the moment where people put their bottom lines down, they put their best ideas forward and there's heavy negotiating. And that's exactly what is happening.
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DIAMOND: And emerging from that meeting with House Democrats, President Biden vowing, we are going to get this done, the president saying it doesn't matter if it takes six minutes, six days or six weeks, we're going to get it done.
And according to lawmakers in the room, the president was very much laying out the stakes, the high stakes happening right now, as it relates to the entire domestic agenda and the policy priorities, really for the Democratic caucus at large.
Talking about the need to pass not only the infrastructure bill as well as the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation but, according to one lawmaker in the room, the president made clear that compromise was going to be necessary and that it was far more likely that something in the realm of $2 trillion was going to happen.
But for now, the president back at the White House and negotiations still ongoing -- Jeremy Diamond, CNN, the White House.
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BRUNHUBER: So those negotiations, if successful, will ultimately lead to a single bottom line number that everyone agrees on. Earlier the head of the Democrats' progressive caucus spoke with our Anderson Cooper about what that elusive figure might be and what that money actually represents.
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ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Is it specifics you want to hear from Sinema and Manchin?
Is it a -- you know, he had given the 1.5 number, you know, a while ago to Dana Bash of CNN?
What do you want to -- is it the specifics you need to hear?
REP. PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-WA): Well, I don't think that's the number. I mean, that's not going to be acceptable to us. This is a negotiation. And so we need to figure out how we're going to get to a number that we can all agree on.
But the key thing we were fighting for Anderson, which we feel so proud about tonight, is we were not going to leave behind families who need child care, who need paid leave, people who need affordable housing, people who are committed to delivering real results on climate change. And we are not going to leave behind immigration.
I mean, these were the five priorities of the CPC that are in the Build Back Better agenda, the Build Back Better Act, I should say.
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BRUNHUBER: Natasha Lindstaedt is a professor of government at the University of Essex in England and is joining us from Colchester. And I want to ask you about that quote from President Biden, it
doesn't matter whether it is in six minutes, six days or six weeks, we'll get it done. So the last part first.
Will they get it done?
NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: Well, I think that they absolutely have to. This is one of the situations where they don't have a choice because the Democratic Party appears as if they can't govern if they don't get it done.
And this is also, as you already mentioned, this is the cornerstone of Joe Biden's huge domestic agenda to really transform society by providing huge amounts of investment in infrastructure that is badly needed, which we've talked about, you know, at length, all the investment in high speed internet and bridges and roads and so forth.
But this social safety net bill, which the progressives really have fought for to delay, in order to ensure that it does get passed, is going to be popular, offering support for pre-K, offering free community college tuition, expanding Medicaid and offering child tax credits.
All these things will be very popular. And this is really critical at this point because, right now, Joe Biden's approval ratings aren't doing that well. He is at 45 percent. Now that is 7 points higher than Trump at this point but 7 points below Obama at this point.
And he is really struggling with key demographics in the Democratic Party. Namely women, Hispanics, African Americans and younger people. Hanging on OK with older people, men and white college educated.
But people have this perception that the one big thing he said that he was going to deliver was he's going to improve people's trust in government and make people feel like government can help them.
And at the moment, the optics weren't very good. So they needed to come back to the table and at least ensure that they get these two big pieces of agenda passed.
BRUNHUBER: I'll have to leave it there, Natasha Lindstaedt, thanks so much.
LINDSTAEDT: Thanks for having me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Body cam footage is shedding more light on the domestic dispute between Gabby Petito and her fiance and the actions of the police officers who responded.
Plus Taiwan says it's now witnessed the largest air incursion by China's air force yet.
So what kind of message is Beijing trying to send?
We will have the latest from Taipei coming up. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States and Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
As the search for Gabby Petito's body intensifies, a North Carolina sheriff tells CNN they are monitoring tips of alleged sightings of Brian Laundrie. We are learning more about what Laundrie did with his family after returning from a cross-country road trip without Gabby Petito.
And a new body cam video shows what Gabby Petito told police about a dispute she had with Laundrie.
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JEAN CASAREZ, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New questions tonight about Brian Laundrie and his interactions with family in the days around the disappearance of Gabby Petito.
Brian and his parents visited the Fort De Soto campground the weekend of September 6, according to their attorney, who now tells CNN Brian's sister, Cassie, was also with them for a day. Cassie spoke to ABC News in an interview that aired September 17th.
CASSIE LAUNDRIE, BRIAN LAUNDRIE'S SISTER: We haven't been able to talk to him. I wish I could talk to him. I've cooperated every way that I can.
CASAREZ (voice-over): CNN obtained records showing Laundrie's mother cancelled the camping reservation made for two people on August 31st, the day before Brian returned home without Gabby. Later that week, she made a new reservation for three people.
This as new body cam footage is providing insight into the strained relationship between Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie. Officers in Utah caught up with the couple in mid-August after a witness called police to report a domestic dispute.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So there's two people that came to us and told us that they saw him hit you.
CASAREZ (voice-over): In the back of the police car, 22-year-old Petito tearfully claimed she is the one who initiated that fight.
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CASAREZ (voice-over): After a few quick questions about her injuries --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kind of looks like someone, like, hit you in the face. And then over in your arm, shoulder, right here? That's new, huh? That's kind of a new mark?
GABBY PETITO, BRIAN LAUNDRIE'S FIANCEE AND MURDER VICTIM: Oh, yes, I don't know.
CASAREZ (voice-over): The officers turned their focus on Petito's actions instead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Were you attempting to cause him physical pain or physical impairment? What was the reason behind the slapping and stuff?
PETITO: I was trying to get him to stop telling me to calm down.
CASAREZ (voice-over): For nearly an hour, the police questioned the couple about their relationship separately and determined Laundrie is the victim.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So at this point, you're the victim of domestic assault.
CASAREZ (voice-over): It is something even Laundrie finds surprising.
BRIAN LAUNDRIE, GABBY PETITO'S FIANCE: I'm not going to pursue anything because she is my fiancee. I love her. It's just a little squabble.
CASAREZ (voice-over): Ultimately, Laundrie is sent to a hotel for the night and the police deem the interaction a mental health crisis.
PETITO: I don't want to be separated.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You going to have anxiety?
PETITO: Yes, no, we're a team, please.
CASAREZ: What everyone wants to know is when will the autopsy be complete. What is the official cause of death?
And will that help get investigators answers to their many questions?
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BRUNHUBER: London's Metropolitan Police are facing harsh criticism after issuing advice to women on what to do if approached by a lone police officer. The safety tips were given after a former officer was sentenced to life in prison for the rape and murder of Sarah Everard. Nina dos Santos has more.
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NINA DOS SANTOS, CNNMONEY EUROPE EDITOR (voice-over): Former Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens may now be behind bars but the Sarah Everard case is by no means behind the Metropolitan Police.
They have said that they've issued new guidelines for people who feel unsafe if they're approached by a lone undercover police officer, they can now ask for help, call 999 if they feel unsafe, ask for identification or draw attention to themselves and hail down a passing bus.
Here on the streets of London, many women saying that, that is wholly impractical and also it wouldn't have saved Sarah Everard's life.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If people took misogyny and stopped crimes against women more seriously, it leaves me feeling very angry. They need to have training and any signs of, you know, a bad attitude toward women needs to be rooted out straight-away. People need to understand this cannot go on.
DOS SANTOS: Do you want a public inquiry?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
DOS SANTOS: The woman at the helm of the Metropolitan Police Dame Cressida Dick said that she wants to ensure that all of the lessons that need to be learned are learned by the institution.
But this has rocked a 200-year-old force, a crucial one which is the most important police force in the country. And for that reason, opposition politicians are saying there needs to be a full cultural review and a public inquiry into how exactly Wayne Couzens was vetted and how bad behavior is dealt with inside policing in the U.K.
On Friday, it emerged that the police conduct watchdog was investigating five officers and former officers of the Metropolitan Police for being in a WhatsApp group with Wayne Couzens back in 2019 that was allegedly sharing indecent material.
For now, Dame Cressida says that she won't resign and continues to enjoy the support of both the mayor of London and the home secretary. But questions about how the Sarah Everard's case undermines trust in policing in the U.K., for now don't appear to be going away soon -- Nina dos Santos, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: The British military will be deployed on Monday to help with fuel deliveries. Nearly 200 military tanker personnel, including 100 drivers, will be on the road in an attempt to alleviate the gas and diesel supply shortage. A quarter of the gas stations were still dry as of Friday.
A legal victory for families of the people killed in the Sandy Hook school shooting; 20 young children and six teachers were murdered at the school in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012.
And now, a man who has lied about the shooting for years has been found legally responsible for damages in two lawsuits. Right wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has repeatedly and falsely claimed the shooting was a hoax. A lawyer for the family says fighting Jones' lies has been difficult.
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KYLE FARRAR, ATTORNEY FOR SANDY HOOK FAMILIES: It affects every part of their life. I mean, you know, it's hard enough to sort of have to relive these things.
And people fought wars, making sure pictures of their kids were taken down off websites, saying these children were still alive. That hurts and that's hard and it just keeps going and snowballing.
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FARRAR: And when you're, when you can't go about your daily business without somebody calling you a liar, saying this didn't happen. It's hard enough and they have suffered the ultimate loss. And compounding it and piling on that, it's unimaginable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: A Texas judge issued default judgments against Jones after he failed to provide information in lawsuits against him. A jury will decide how much he owes the families.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Brett Schwanbeck, 61, from Bullhead City, Arizona.
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Las Vegas is remembering the 60 people killed in a mass shooting there four years ago Friday. The gunman opened fire from a room in the Mandalay Bay hotel.
There were thousands on the ground, attending a concert; hundreds were injured in the panic during the shooting. The gunman took his own life. Investigators never determined his motive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Still ahead, Taiwan says it's witnessed the largest ever incursion by Chinese military aircraft. We go to Taipei for the latest after the break.
Plus, the Taliban controls Afghanistan but not everyone recognizes their government, including some six of its own embassies. We'll explain their diplomatic limbo coming up. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Beijing was showing off the latest generation fighter at an air show on Friday in south China. The J-16D was billed as an electronic warfare jet capable of jamming enemy radar and anti- aircraft. Until now only the United States has had that technical capability.
Taiwan's defense ministry is reporting the largest incursion by China's air force yet. The self-governing island says over 3 dozen aircraft entered the Air Defense Identification Zone on Friday, this as it celebrates the founding of the People's Republic of China. Will Ripley joins us from Taipei.
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BRUNHUBER: Will, what are we to make of all of this?
I think we might not have Will up yet. We'll try to get back to him a little bit later.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wait, what happened?
What time was the hit?
BRUNHUBER: And moving on now, the Taliban may now run Afghanistan but some of the country's own embassies refused to recognize the new government. As CNN's Ben Wedeman reports, that's placed them in a sort of diplomatic limbo.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Taliban have seized control of Afghanistan but 5,000 kilometers away in Rome, the old Afghan flag flutters over the embassy.
KHALED AHMAD ZEKRIYA, AMBASSADOR, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF AFGHANISTAN: So what we do is we issue visas and also we extend the duration of our -- the passports.
This is called the Golden Room.
WEDEMAN: Ambassador Khaled Ahmed Zekriya continues to work and live with this elegant villa that has housed his country's embassy for almost a century.
ZEKRIYA: We, from 1964.
WEDEMAN: Boasting relics from a different era.
ZEKRIYA: Two Electra 225 were bought by former Prime Minister Musa Shafiq. The king sent one to the embassy of Afghanistan to Italy. We have 11 local employees.
WEDEMAN: Since the Taliban takeover, Ambassador Zekriya says he's had to let some staff go. Others received their last paycheck in September.
The new boss in Kabul gets a cold shoulder here.
ZEKRIYA: They have contacted us twice, once via an official memo, we declined to response because we do not recognize the current caretaker regime of the Taliban. This is called the Oriental Corner --
WEDEMAN: Many Afghan embassies are in a similar situation, getting by collecting consular fees, yet refusing to deal with the new regime.
ZEKRIYA: And then --
WEDEMAN: Italy and Afghanistan established ties in 1921. King Amanullah visited Rome seven years later. The last king of Afghanistan, Mohammed Zahir Shah, lived in Rome before returning home after the Taliban were ousted 20 years ago.
With the Taliban back in power, Ambassador Zekriya shrugs off the notion the group has changed, warning the world may have gone full circle back to 2001.
ZEKRIYA: Has the war ended in Afghanistan?
Against global terrorists, I don't think so. I think this is based on naivete and I think ill calculation. The Biden administration has indicated that the American war has ended. This is my message. I think a world war with transnational terrorism has begun.
WEDEMAN: Or to put it diplomatically, the more things change, the more they stay the same -- Ben Wedeman, CNN, Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: As I mentioned earlier, Taiwan's defense ministry is reporting the largest incursion by China's air force yet. We have CNN's Will Ripley, joining us now from Taipei.
Take us behind the intent behind the show of force.
RIPLEY: Beijing never actually announces its reasons, Kim. But if you put together the timing, the number of the aircraft, it paints a clear picture in the eyes of the leadership in Taipei, this is bullying and military intimidation and propaganda.
And as one analyst put it to CNN, political warfare. If you look at what the Air Defense Identification Zone actually is, it is crucial that we make the distinction between Taiwanese airspace, 12 nautical miles from the coast, and their self-declared Air Defense Identification Zone which goes much further.
It is a buffer zone if you will. So when Beijing flies planes through the area, they are not violating international law but they are entering an area, where Taiwanese air traffic control will ask them to identify themselves and will alert the military here in Taiwan of a potential incoming threat. That's why it is called the Air Defense Identification Zone.
And Beijing has been flying a lot of planes into the Air Defense Identification Zone but on Friday the largest number in a single day since they've been keeping track. It came in two waves, 38 warplanes all together. If you look at the list of the hardware in the skies, pretty intimidating stuff.
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RIPLEY: From the Taipei perspective, to have 32 Chinese fighter plans, four nuclear capable bombers and one anti-submarine aircraft and one early warning aircraft, all of these planes flying trajectories that bring them just close enough to make Taiwan nervous and to feel intimidated but not so close that it would create or trigger some sort of international incident.
And Beijing did this on Friday, which just so happened to be their national day, the day that they're celebrating 72 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China back in 1949.
So you have a real propaganda show of force here, according to analysts; Chinese President Xi Jinping, front and center at celebrations in Beijing, at the same time they are flying the warplanes near an island that the People's Republic of China has claimed as its own sovereign territory since the end of the China civil war more than 70 years ago.
Even though during the entire seven decades this island has had its own government, a democratically elected governmental, the only Chinese speaking democracy in the world, you have its own military. Taiwan will be showcasing its own domestically made missiles and warplanes and a military parade when they celebrate their national day, later this month.
So you have this show of force and you have this propaganda, this military intimidation and you also have valuable intelligence and training for China.
And I'm going to read you really quickly a statement from Taiwan's ministry of foreign affairs, which sums up their view in Taipei, saying, "Taiwan is Taiwan and it is not part of the People's Republic of China.
"The People's Republic of China has never ruled Taiwan for a single day."
But shows of force like this are a clear message from Beijing that they will not rule out force to take back what they consider their territory, if Taiwan takes formal steps toward declaring its independence.
BRUNHUBER: All right, Will Ripley in Taipei, thanks very much.
This just in from the Philippines: news agencies report president Rodrigo Duterte says he is retiring from politics. So that would put to rest expectations that he would run for vice president next year. He isn't eligible to seek a second presidential term.
And analysts say he could be paving the way for his daughter, Sara (ph), to run for president. They say if she runs and is elected, she could protect her father from potential prosecution over his deadly war against drugs. Nigeria's president is saying he is ready to lift his ban on Twitter
but with some strings attached. In a speech marking the nation's independence day, the president said, the social media giant would need to agree to four sets of conditions. They include opening a local office and paying taxes in Nigeria.
Other officials said earlier, Twitter would also have to manage its engagement, together, with Nigeria's government. The Buhari administration, blocking access to Twitter in June, after the company deleted one of his tweets that, many, considered offensive.
Participants are pulling out all of the stops to make an impression at Dubai's world expo. Next, a unique, the stunning and the wacky at the ongoing world's fair. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): A code red aviation warning is in effect on the big island of Hawaii, after the Kilauea volcano started erupting on Wednesday. This was the scene, from above, on Friday. High levels of volcanic gas are the primary hazard of concern. Officials say it can have far reaching effects downwind.
Lava continues to erupt from multiple vents but so far it is confined to Hawaii's volcano national park. Over the last day, the lava lake surface has risen some four meters but has slowed since first erupting.
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BRUNHUBER: World Expo 2020 is in full swing in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Over 190 countries will showcase their innovation and architecture and culture. The expo is the world's largest in-person event of 2021, apart from the Tokyo Olympics.
The expo's opening was delayed a year because of the pandemic. But as Scott McLean reports, the participants are now going all out to make a splash.
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SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After eight years of planning and a global pandemic, Expo 2020 is finally open to the public. This is part tech invention, part United Nations and part theme park, all under the scorching temperatures of the Emirate Desert. On Thursday the show opened with an Olympic sized opening ceremony,
which showcased just how far the country has come over the past 50 years. Even the crown prince of Abu Dhabi was spotted recording it on his cellphone.
Also notable to see was the flag of Israel after a historic reset in relations with the UAE just a year ago. They are represented with their own pavilion here at Expo 2020, along with 191 other countries, some of which have some truly wild and wacky pavilions, like the Saudi pavilion. There is nothing traditional about the design here.
Same goes for the Moroccan pavilion, which is equally impressive on the inside.
This is the very first Expo where all the nations of Africa are represented, thanks to some help from the Emirate government. The African Union tells me that the reason that they are here is to send the message that Africa is a secure police to invest -- Scott McLean, CNN, Dubai.
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BRUNHUBER: And all week long, join us for more reporting on climate and biodiversity as part of Dubai Expo 2020, right here on CNN.
Young climate activists are demanding that world leaders take their 2015 Paris climate pledges seriously. Thousands gathered at the Youth for Climate Conference in Milan, ahead of next month's COP26 summit.
They say world leaders have not done nearly enough to protect the climate from rising temperatures. Swedish activist Greta Thunberg says that young people are sick of being lied to.
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GRETA THUNBERG, CLIMATE ACTIVIST: Right now here in Milan, ministers from all over the world have gathered here to discuss the climate crisis.
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THUNBERG: And they are pretending that they have solutions to the climate crisis and that they are taking sufficient action. But we see through their lies and we see through their blah-blah-blah and we are tired of it.
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BRUNHUBER: The head of the upcoming COP26 climate talks says, perhaps it's time for world leaders to take a cue from the younger generation.
Sotheby's is about to auction something that has never been auctioned before. It's an immersive digital experience being sold as a nonfungible token or NFT. The exhibit is called Machine Hallucinations -- Space: Metaverse NFT Collection.
The artist used artificial intelligence to generate eight works featuring these immersive experiences and here is how he described it.
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REFIK ANADOL, MEDIA ARTIST: What is really inspiring is that data becomes a pigment, for a painting and a sculpture in the room, so basically you are immersed in the mind of the machine, flying in the memories and the dreams of the machine in a fully immersive energy (ph) room.
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): The collection will be sold in the form of an NFT or a nonfungible token, which is a crypto asset with a unique code that helps make digital art distinctive and unique. According to Sotheby's, the full collection may fetch $2 million at the end of the online auction on Monday.
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BRUNHUBER: Well, that's it for me. I'm Kim Brunhuber in Atlanta. Thanks so much for joining me on CNN NEWSROOM. For viewers in North America, "NEW DAY" is next. For the rest of the world, it's "ON OMAN."
