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Brazilian Protesters Demand Impeachment Of President Bolsonaro; High Vaccination Rates Take Portugal From Worst To First; Asia Ramps Up Vaccination Programs; U.S. Hospitals Overwhelmed By Unvaccinated Patients; Taiwan Reports Second Day Of Chinese Air Incursion; Afghan Family Reunited In U.S. After Escaping Taliban; Interview With Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry On Migrants; Thousands Of Climate Protesters March Through Milan; U.S. To Declare 23 Species Extinct; Student Skips Class With Excuse From Lin-Manuel Miranda. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired October 03, 2021 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and welcome to CNN NEWSROOM, everyone, I am Michael Holmes, appreciate your company.
Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, fed up and polling for change, Brazilians take to the streets demanding the impeachment of Jair Bolsonaro.
Looking for a return to normal, Asia ramps up COVID vaccinations, even surpassing the U.S. in many countries.
And trying to fix the damage from humans. We will look at innovative technology, aimed at protecting Australia's endangered coral reefs.
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HOLMES: In Brazil, protesters can't wait a year to elect a new leader. They are demanding the impeachment of Jair Bolsonaro. He is under fire for his handling of the pandemic, with data showing nearly 600,000 Brazilians have died from the virus so far.
But these protesters about more than just COVID-19. Left-wing parties and labor unions are among those rallying against the president, blaming him for a poor economy and of extreme abuses of power.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Our first action is for democracy. Bolsonaro has done many things against the democratic process, against institutions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It is a genocidal, homophobic government. They have no support. They are corrupt and genocidal. Out with Bolsonaro is an act of resistance, which we should all support.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now for the very latest, Stefano Pozzebon is tracking events from neighboring Colombia.
Good to see you Stefano. Bolsonaro, he was the populist for so long and now we see this opposition to him growing. Tell us about the depth of feeling.
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, correct, Michael. It really seems that the tide is changing for Bolsonaro and for Brazil, because, for the last 2.5 years, Bolsonaro has always been able to distance himself from the massive tragedy and pain caused by the pandemic and to defend his power base.
But now Brazil has taken a very big hit in economic terms. The economy of Brazil is plunging and the crisis has moved from the stock market to the real life, to the high street. And more than 40 million Brazilians are now unemployed.
And that means that the Brazilians are not only dealing with a president that has been criticized for his handling of the pandemic but it's the economic outlook that is worrying millions of Brazilians.
That he why, according to local polls, Bolsonaro is in his worst moment since becoming president, with a majority of Brazilians, 53 percent of them, opposing his government and wanting him out -- Michael.
HOLMES: I want to ask you. He vowed to leave office, only under arrest or dead, which to a lot of observers shows some desperation.
But what might he do before or after the next election, if he is feeling cornered politically?
POZZEBON: That was a question that came to the forefront of many Brazilians about 2 weeks ago, Michael, when Bolsonaro organized that military parade in front of the supreme court, which is one of the institutions that he is providing most checks and balances on his presidency.
And this military parade, it was historic, not even unusual for Brazil, a country that has suffered tremendously under a military dictatorship in the '80s. His critics have said that Bolsonaro was saber-rattling and he was threatening what could have been a military takeover, should the supreme court put too much weight on his wings.
At the same time, just the following day, Bolsonaro wrote electors (ph), said saying that he did not have any intention to threaten the stability of Brazil. So I think there is a little bit -- we need to distance the bluff from charismatic populist leader, that firebrand politician, from his actual power in Brazil. And Brazil still have some strengths.
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POZZEBON: The institutions of Brazil still have some strengths. So distance a little bit from the bluff and the words and the shout that Bolsonaro might do in his political rallies, from the actual reality of the country that really seems ready to turn the page, Michael. HOLMES: Yes, interesting months ahead. Thank you so much, Stefano
Pozzebon, in Bogota, reporting for us.
An announcement the Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte, will retire from politics has fueled intense speculation about who might take his place. Media reports are focusing on his daughter, Sara Duterte- Carpio, the popular mayor of Davao City.
Duterte himself was expected to register as a candidate in next year's vice presidential election but instead, it was his longtime aide, senator Christopher Go, who filed those papers.
The president acknowledged that public opinion polls were running against him in terms of the vice presidency, after his six-year term as president is up. Have a listen.
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RODRIGO DUTERTE, PRESIDENT, THE PHILIPPINES (voice-over): So in obedience to the will of the people, who, after all placed me in the presidency many years ago, I now say to my countrymen that I will follow your wishes and today I announce my retirement from politics.
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HOLMES: CNN's Selina Wang is following these developments from Tokyo.
It's been such a controversial presidency and this isn't what people thought would happen.
What is the thinking as to what's behind his decision?
SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Michael, this announcement is a big surprise. Duterte is barred under the Philippine constitution from seeking a second presidential term, after his six years in office.
But just last month, he said he would run for vice president. That plan was widely criticized by many Filipinos as trying to maintain his political power and as an attempt to circumvent any legal action at home or abroad.
But in this surprise reversal on Saturday, his longtime aide submitted papers, declaring that he and not Duterte would be running for vice president. And Duterte accompanied him in a show of unity.
Now experts say that Duterte here is realizing that the tide is really turning against him. While, as you say, he is this controversial strongman figure, he has been one of the Philippines most popular presidents. But his support has been falling during the pandemic and the ensuing economic fallout.
Now with Duterte's announcement of retirement, this appears to leave the race for the presidency wide open, with many speculating that this leaves a potential for his popular daughter, Sarah Duterte-Carpio, who is currently the mayor of one of the Philippines' largest cities. Now in addition to, that Manny Pacquiao, the popular boxing star, has
also announced that he is running for the presidency next year and that he has vowed to go against corruption -- Michael.
HOLMES: There is an International Criminal Court investigation into Duterte's so-called war on drugs and the massive loss of life that brought about.
What does that look like for him after he leaves office?
WANG: Well, Michael, some analysts say that it is critical for Duterte to have a loyal successor in order to insulate himself from this potential legal action at home or by the International Criminal Court.
Now Duterte has presided over this brutal war on drugs since he took over in office. And last month, the International Criminal Court authorized a full investigation on what it has called a quote, "widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population."
But, Michael, it is possible that Duterte can still hold influence, if his daughter or another strong ally end up taking these top positions. Some experts also point out that Duterte's retirement announcement itself should be taken with a large grain of salt since last-minute changes are still possible and Duterte has been known to make U-turns in the past.
For instance, back in 2015, leading up to the presidential elections, Duterte, who was then mayor, had said that he was going to retire from public life for good. But then, in the last minute, he entered the presidential race and won by a large margin -- Michael.
HOLMES: Unpredictable indeed. Appreciate it, Selina Wang, thank you so much, there in Tokyo for us.
Quick break here on the program. When we come back vaccine centers sit nearly empty throughout Portugal now that the nation leads the world in vaccination rates. We'll take a look at how Portugal got there after the break.
Also, many Asian nations, at a slow start in their vaccine rollouts, we will show how some are already exceeding some U.S. vaccination numbers.
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HOLMES: The global coronavirus death toll is set to soon reach a new and heartbreaking milestone. Around the world, nearly 5 million people have now lost their lives to this virus, drive, of course, most recently, by the Delta variant. And experts say the only real and viable solution to end this pandemic
is for enough people to get vaccinated. Portugal is one country where that is all too apparent. The nation was hard hit by COVID-19, at the beginning of the year with one of the world's worst surges.
But Portugal has gone from worst to first, thanks to the highest vaccination rate on the planet. Vasco Cotovio reports.
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VASCO COTOVIO, CNN PRODUCER (voice-over): Meet Vice Admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo. He led Portugal's vaccination campaign and has become somewhat of a hero for the Portuguese. The country now has the highest vaccination rate of any nation.
But despite the credit he is getting, the admiral tells me "hero" is a title he feels uncomfortable with.
VICE ADM. HENRIQUE GOUVEIA E MELO, PORTUGAL VACCINATION TASK FORCE (through translator): I think that's an overstatement. Luckily, I was able to help my people, to help my country. And that fills my heart and it's good enough.
COTOVIO (voice-over): The admiral and his military unit ran the campaign from what they called their war room, facing the virus like the enemy they believe it is.
GOUVEIA (through translator): I've worn combat fatigues from day one to show people this was no joke. In less than 1.5 years we lost 18,000 people to this virus.
If this isn't a battle, what is?
COTOVIO (voice-over): The worst of that battle happened earlier in the year; when CNN visited in January, ICUs had no beds to spare. Health authorities had to move patients around to free up much-needed space and doctors told us they were forced to decide which cases to prioritize.
The German military flew in to help out. And strict restrictions to curb the spread of the disease emptied the capital Lisbon. But fast forward eight months and the situation's now completely different. Businesses are open and tourists are back.
The turnaround started in centers like this; 20-year-old Alana Silva (ph) knows all too well what it's like to get COVID-19. She recovered a few months ago and now she says it is a great comfort to get the vaccine.
ALANA SILVA (PH), COVID-19 PATIENT (through translator): Even though you can still get COVID-19, despite having had the vaccine, the symptoms will be milder. So I'm quite relieved.
COTOVIO (voice-over): She's one of only a dozen people at this vaccination center. They're mostly empty these days, because there are simply very few left to vaccinate. But for the admiral, the war's not over until the enemy is defeated on a global scale.
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GOUVEIA (through translator): We need to protect mankind. Rich countries have a moral obligation to do it. Every delay, every action we don't take, will have a boomerang effect and we will regret it in the future. It's a strategy that is both wrong and stupid.
COTOVIO (voice-over): Gouveia e Melo sees COVID as an opportunistic enemy. And until the world is vaccinated, no country, not even Portugal, can afford to fully let its guard down -- Vasco Cotovio, CNN, Lisbon.
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HOLMES: Let's take a closer look at the COVID situation in Asia. The region focused on safety measures, like mask wearing and restricting travel, when the pandemic first broke out. But many nations were slow getting their vaccine campaigns rolling.
Now vaccination rates in some Asian nations, have pulled ahead of the U.S. Look at Singapore with, more than 80 percent of people vaccinated. Malaysia and Japan also with higher rates of vaccinations. The U.S., at just over 55 percent.
For more on this, let's bring in Professor Tikki Pangestu, he is co- chair of the Asia-Pacific Immunization Coalition and an infectious disease expert. He is joining me now, from Geneva, Switzerland.
Thanks so much, Professor. As we said, early on in the pandemic, many Asia-Pacific nations weren't doing so well. But now, the region is vaccinating at great rates.
Why is that?
How did this get turned around?
DR. TIKKI PANGESTU, CO-CHAIR, ASIA-PACIFIC IMMUNIZATION COALITION: Thank, you Michael. I think there are probably 2 main reasons. The first one, in most Asian countries, there is a very strong political will, to ramp up our vaccination.
There is unity of purpose; there is good coordination in terms of rolling out the vaccine. That's the first reason.
The second reason, no less important, I think overall, compared to Europe and North America, there is less hesitancy, vaccine hesitancy, about accepting the fact that these vaccines are safe and they are effective. Those are the 2 main reasons. But there are sort of cultural reasons as well.
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HOLMES: Yes, that was my next question. Asking if there is a cultural aspect to this, more a we're in this together attitude and perhaps people being much more likely to listen to experts; notably, in the U.S.
PANGESTU: Yes, absolutely, I think that's very important. I think in most Asian countries, compared to Western democracies, there is less of this ideal of individual freedom, individual rights; I don't like the government telling me what to do.
So let's say a stronger sense of social responsibility: the community, the country comes first. That translates to the reality that, in most Asian countries, trust in government is, still, quite high. Even in countries like the Philippines, I just heard you, earlier, that, despite all of the political issues, trust in government, is still, quite high. And I think that adds to the success.
HOLMES: I was wondering, your thoughts, in some countries in the region, like Indonesia, the Philippines and others, they have big numbers of day workers who, if they don't work, they don't eat. There is less of a social safety net.
Has that been a motivating factor as well in people wanting to get vaccinated, when your next meal relies on being healthy, when lockdowns are going away?
PANGESTU: Yes, absolutely. It is much less political/social than economic. I've heard many interviews, with people, these day workers, who are part of the informal economy, we need to work. If you ask me, would I rather die of COVID or die of starvation, I would rather get the vaccine just so that I can continue to work and so that I can support my family.
HOLMES: In the U.S., there has been a ton of misinformation from right-wing media and various people in the public eye.
Is that less of a problem in the Asia Pacific region?
PANGESTU: Yes, absolutely. I think actually, that is the number one challenge, the widespread misinformation from social media. Of course, in the past, it was a problem in Asia.
But that has improved, significantly. In the early days, people were still worried about the efficacy, the safety. But overall, the latest data that I've seen, in Asia, this confidence, this hesitancy, trust in vaccines, that is approaching 90 percent overall, in Asia; whereas, in America, I think it's just over 80 percent.
This is in contrast to Europe, where it's still actually quite low, around 70 percent.
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PANGESTU: If you look at France and Russia, still, until today, a lot of resistance to vaccination.
HOLMES: Real quick, we're almost out of time, but most of the countries in the region don't manufacture their own vaccines. We have seen, in Singapore, a great vaccination rate but an uptick in cases and some restrictions coming back in. Briefly, what are factors that could cause a backslide?
PANGESTU: I think a backslide could be, partly -- I mean, a lot of it will be due to insufficient supply. In big countries, like Indonesia, OK, with limited resources, simply, the country just doesn't have the resources to secure the vaccine.
And that's related to the bigger issue of vaccine nationalism, where the rich countries are, actually, holding vaccines, a lot more than what they need. And the COVAX facility, the multilateral initiative, is actually having problem supplying enough vaccines to the countries that need it most.
So it is both an issue of supply and insufficient resources for the lower and lower middle income countries in the region.
HOLMES: Yes, the vaccine hoarding is a real problem. Professor Tikki Pangestu, really interesting. Thank you so much for your expertise.
PANGESTU: Thank you very much, Michael.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Now on Saturday, the White House issued a statement from President Biden, pleading with Americans to get vaccinated.
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In that statement. Mr. Biden mourning the loss of 700,000 lives to the virus, a milestone, crossed on Saturday. Each of the flags, that you see in these pictures, taken on the National Mall, in Washington, representing an American who has died of COVID.
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HOLMES: The U.S., recording the highest death toll of any country in the world, so far. Hospitals, across the U.S., are still overwhelmed with COVID patients, almost all of them, unvaccinated. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta is showing us how this crisis is impacting the hospital where he works, right here, in Atlanta.
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DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: How unusual is what we're experiencing right now?
DR. ROBERT JANSEN, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, GRADY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL: So this is very unusual.
GUPTA (voice-over): Brady Memorial Hospital. This is the hospital where I work, where I've been a neurosurgeon now for more than 20 years. It's a level one trauma center. And I can tell, you there's almost nothing a hospital like this can't handle. JANSEN: There was one Sunday evening, there were 27 gunshot victims
brought to Grady in a span of a couple of hours, 27. We didn't go and diversion them.
GUPTA: But you take a pandemic and a bunch of unvaccinated people.
JANSEN: Right, and we can't do it.
GUPTA (voice-over): Diversion is just what it sounds like. You have to divert patients away. It is something chief medical officer Dr. Robert Jansen never wants to happen. But the thing is COVID-19 has changed everything here.
JANSEN: It's a 20-bed unit. This morning we had 14 COVID-19 patients just on this unit alone.
GUPTA (voice-over): Up in the intensive care unit, it's almost eerily quiet. There's no indication of the tremendous suffering that's happening behind closed doors. These yellow bags are full of PPE. And everyone knows, those are the rooms with COVID patients.
GUPTA: How much of what you are seeing is truly due to the unvaccinated?
JANSEN: Ninety-five percent of our patients are unvaccinated.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is more challenging than the first COVID-19 wave we had because it seems they're more and more quick. This variant is quick.
JANSEN: This is the board we use in the GCC to help coordinate ambulances.
GUPTA (voice-over): We're now in the Georgia coordinating center. This is where they work moment to moment, trying to decide where ambulances can actually take patients.
JANSEN: So if it's red, so that means, they are full, basically. And so there are occasions, where they're made to wait, without taking a patient inside. It is called "on the wall," where they're kept outside of the emergency room, with the patient at the back of the ambulance, waiting to be able to go inside. We don't allow that here.
GUPTA: Even if you are vaccinated and done all the right things, because of this pandemic now, with the unvaccinated, it affects you.
JANSEN: Well, it is. We call it delaying surgery, because we don't have a place to put you after the operation. That is a consequence of this pandemic and related, directly, to the lack of vaccination.
GUPTA (voice-over): And it's when hospitals are on diversion that the toughest decisions of all need to be made. Who gets treated?
Who doesn't?
GUPTA: What's the practical impact on me as, if I was driving here, I got in a car accident?
JANSEN: You know, we do still take care of anybody who comes.
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JANSEN: So what we have had to do is cancel patients who would require hospitalization following surgery. Even now, we've canceled other patients who wouldn't require hospitalization. The downstream effect, that has limitations, is devastating at times.
Every morning I come in and go through every COVID patient to determine who's on ventilators. I have to report the deaths.
GUPTA: Even as we're talking, we learned that someone passed away around the corner.
JANSEN: Unfortunately, it is a daily event.
GUPTA: How frustrating is all of this for you?
JANSEN: Well, personally, it is frustrating. But what I worry about is our staff.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a naturalistic human part of you that says, how much more can you take?
But when it's in your heart, you care. You keep coming. Keep coming.
GUPTA (voice-over): Keep coming, because that is exactly what the virus will do -- Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Still to come here on the program, for the second day running, Taiwan reports China has flooded its air defense zone with dozens of warplanes. We will go live, to Will Ripley in Taipei, for the latest details on this incursion. We will be right back.
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HOLMES: Welcome back. I'm Michael Holmes. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
China, keeping quiet after Taiwan reported the largest incursion, by the Chinese air force, for the second day in a row. The self-governing island says more than 3 dozen military aircraft, entered its Air Defense Identification Zone on both Friday and Saturday. CNN's Will Ripley, continuing to follow this for us, from Taipei.
Will, it is hard to see what is happening, as anything other than an attempt at intimidation.
What is the sense of what China is up to?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Certainly, even though Beijing isn't explicitly announcing its reasons, there is no doubt from analysts and, certainly from leadership here in Taipei, that this is bullying, this is intimidation and this is an attempt by the mainland to remind the island of Taiwan that it can take it back at any time.
That is the stance that the People's Republic of China has had ever since its founding more than 70 years ago. They have never recognized the government here, even though since 1992, they have elected their leaders.
This is the only Chinese speaking democracy in the world. So these past 2 days, really, is unprecedented in terms of the sheer volume of aircraft.
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RIPLEY: They are entering the Air Defense Identification Zone of Taiwan. It's not Taiwanese airspace, which is 12 nautical miles from the coast, but it's a buffer zone, that, whenever a plane enters, the Taiwanese air force will scramble aircraft, it will deploy their air defense missile systems, they will issue radio warnings.
I am going to show you a list of how many planes, over the last 48 hours, from Mainland China, have entered Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone, it's pretty staggering. More than 6 dozen warplanes coming in four waves, both day and night; 68 fighters, four nuclear capable bombers, three anti submarine warfare aircraft, two early warning aircraft.
The flight path, the extreme southwest of Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone, putting these planes in the vicinity of the Pratas Islands. And now, that's something that's pretty important because those islands are very small, a small, small group of islands, where there are no permanent residents but there is a small Taiwanese military outpost. And there's a landing strip for aircraft.
Military analysts, politicians, they know that at any time Chinese president Xi Jinping could decide to take back that little island if they wanted to, to show Taiwan who's boss. I mean, there is no question that it would not be a difficult task at all for Beijing to do that.
The question would be, what would be the political and military implications?
What would the United States, Japan do?
And if Beijing was allowed to take a piece of land like those islands, what could happen next?
These are all questions that are now being asked again, because you have this military intimidation really apparently escalating. Friday was national day in the mainland, celebrating more than 70 years since the founding of People's Republic of China. Is this to try to send a message to Taiwan ahead of their own national
day of celebrations on October 10th, where they're going to be showing off their own missiles and their own warplanes?
But Michael, this is unprecedented. Last week, there were 24 warplanes that were sent to Taiwan's 80 IZ. The previous record high for a single 24 hour period was 28 warplanes. I was here back in June when that happened. But these numbers, 77 warplanes on Friday and Saturday are blowing this all out of the water. And they're raising a lot of concerns in this part of the world.
HOLMES: Yes. Hardly surprising, indeed. In Taipei, Will Ripley on the ground, appreciate it.
Vital humanitarian aid is going out to the people of Afghanistan. Trucks carrying rice, flour, cooking oil and other food items arrived on Saturday, seen here crossing the border from Pakistan. The Red Crescent says the supplies will benefit up to 16,000 people.
However, the group estimated some 18 million Afghans will need assistance in the months ahead. Poverty and hunger have worsened since the Taliban takeover. And there was a drought on before that.
One Afghan official says the aid comes at a time when people do need it the most. The U.N. reporting half a million people are being displaced in the country in just the last few months.
Meanwhile, resettlement agencies are having difficulties finding new homes for the approximately 53,000 Afghans living on U.S. military bases. Aid groups say they're facing an expensive housing market and strained resources. Even those who are already U.S. residents have struggled to get out of Afghanistan under Taliban rule.
One family telling CNN's Brianna Keilar about their perilous escape.
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BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST (voice-over): A harrowing journey for a Philadelphia resident and her five children, ending in the U.S. with the reunion that almost didn't happen.
Mohammad Sadeed embracing his family, after their visit to Afghanistan was interrupted by the fall of the country to the Taliban. His wife, Bibi (ph), whose face we aren't showing because she fears reprisals from the Taliban, was out shopping when life in Kabul changed in an instant.
BIBI SADEED (PH), MOHAMMAD'S (PH) WIFE (through translator): Yes, they were closing the shops. I asked what the matter was. They said the Taliban had come. As I got closer, the gunshots increased and everyone started running.
KEILAR (voice-over): She hurried to her family's house, where her kids, including her 11-year old Zarina, hid.
ZARINA SADEED, BIBI'S (PH) DAUGHTER: We were so scared and my cousins was telling that the Taliban was coming. And when my mom came to the home and she said everybody have to go to the basement and that that was escape time.
KEILAR (voice-over): Mohammad had returned to Philadelphia just days before, for his job helping resettle immigrants like himself. Bibi (ph) and the kids, also green card holders, were to follow in early September; too late, it turned out.
Afraid but determined to get home, they went to the airport, where they took this video.
Z. SADEED: There was a lot of people to come.
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Z. SADEED: And the Taliban was also there. And, at the airport, we hear some gunshots and we were so scared. My cousin was crying. And everybody, like, I was so scared, to.
KEILAR (voice-over): Bibi (ph) describes tear gas, as she urged her children to hold hands so they did not get lost.
MOHAMMAD SADEED, ZARINA'S FATHER: The first time she attempted with my children, there were shots and seven people were killed.
KEILAR (voice-over): Mohammad was desperate. He told the story to "The Washington Post," and he appeared on CNN.
M. SADEED: I can call it a matter of life and death. So they are still indoor. I tried all my network but I could not succeed then to bring them back.
KEILAR (voice-over): Mohammad was at a dead end. So I sent his wife's contact information to the White House. And in what I initially thought was a Hail Mary, I connected Mohammad with a network of veterans. They were remotely shepherding people with a legal claim to be in the U.S., through a little known route to a secret gate at the airport.
Bibi's (ph) first attempt at this route failed, because, even with all her kids in tow, the Taliban said she could not travel without a male escort for her family. So she hatched a plan.
KEILAR: So she pretended that your brother was her husband.
M. SADEED: Yes.
KEILAR: That was the only way through the Taliban?
M. SADEED: Yes.
KEILAR (voice-over): For Mohammad's brother, getting Bibi (ph) and the kids to safety meant leaving his own family behind.
Just before the explosion outside the airport that killed 13 U.S. service members and more than 90 Afghans, Bibi (ph) and her children made it through and on to a military transport plane.
KEILAR: Zarina, what was the airplane like as you flew out?
Z. SADEED: It was the military airplane and that airplane, it did not have the seats that we can sit.
KEILAR (voice-over): They flew to Germany, staying in tents like these, at times going hungry because they said there was not enough food. And finally, after 10 days, they arrived back in the U.S.
KEILAR: Who did you hug first?
M. SADEED: My brother, to just respect him and to just show my appreciation to my brother. He was the first one I hugged him. And I to just give him a sense and I felt that I have not forgotten whatever you have done to my family.
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HOLMES: Brianna Keilar reporting there.
Now a happy ending meanwhile was not in the cards for thousands of Haitians who hoped for a better life in the U.S. More than 4,600 of them have now being deported back to Haiti over the last two weeks.
They were part of a massive migrant wave that crossed the border near Del Rio, in Texas. Thousands of them cramming under that highway bridge, while waiting to be processed, as we all saw.
And video showing U.S. border agents on horseback confronting desperate migrants trying to cross from Mexico. The White House took fire over that treatment and on Saturday, the U.S. apologized.
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JUAN SEBASTIAN GONZALEZ, SENIOR DIRECTOR, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: I want to say that -- you all saw the images of the treatment of Haitians at our border. And I want to say that it was an injustice, that it was wrong. And I want to apologize to the people of Haiti.
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HOLMES: Now the deported Haitians are returning, of course, to a country that became a synonym for crisis. The prime minister of Haiti Ariel Henry spoke exclusively with CNN about possible solution and his own controversies. Melissa Bell reports.
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MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Haiti is a country in the midst of multiple crises, the migrant prices we have been talking so much about over the course of the last week, the abject poverty that continues to be such a difficult thing for so many people day to day.
The gun violence that now grips so much of the Haitian capital, with daily kidnappings on its streets. But also, there is the political crisis, in which it currently finds itself. At the helm of Haiti at the moment, what the departing U.S. special envoy to Haiti described as an unelected de facto leader, the man who is currently the prime minister of Haiti, CNN got a chance to sit down with him for a chat.
BELL (voice-over): Since the migrant crisis and the deportation of thousands of Haitians, the man now in charge of Haiti gives an exclusive interview to CNN.
ARIEL HENRY, HAITIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We saw some of the mistreatment that these Haitians suffering and it struck us a lot. Which we are seeing is that, as long as there are countries that are better off than others, there will always be an appeal to those wealthier places.
BELL (voice-over): But despite the migrant crisis, prime minister Ariel Henry said the Haitian cooperation with the United States is good and that he needs it to remain so.
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BELL (voice-over): Henry took office just 2 weeks after the assassination of president Jovenel Moise; elections had been due in September. They have now been pushed back.
HENRY (through translator): The train has derailed for some time in Haiti. We have no more elected officials. Only 10 senators who cannot pass a law because there aren't enough of them. We want to move as quickly as possible to the restoration of democracy through elections.
BELL (voice-over): But since taking over, Henry has been accused of hampering the investigation into the late president's murder by firing the prosecutor and the justice minister.
BELL: How can people have faith in the investigation when the executive is meddling in the judiciary?
HENRY (through translator): The prosecutor was dismissed for breaking the law. The minister of justice was dismissed for breaking the law as well. It is important for us that the president Jovenel Moise has justice. It is fundamental for us and we are going to do everything so that justice is done.
BELL (voice-over): The prosecutor had wanted to see charges brought against Henry over alleged phone calls that were made in the hours after the assassination, with one of the main suspects who is still on the run.
BELL: The questions that the prosecutor had were about phone calls that you had received from one of the main suspects.
What is your relationship with him?
HENRY (through translator): I have no recollection of this telephone call or if it took place. I have no interest in being associated with these people. And I have never been and never will be. BELL (voice-over): Despite the controversy that has surrounded him so
far, Henry says that he's determined to bring stability to Haiti by taking on the gangs that control so much of the country.
HENRY (through translator): We have asked friendly countries for help in supporting our police to fight these bandits and get them out of public life so that the economy can pick up, so that our children can go about their normal lives.
BELL (voice-over): Little comfort to the deportees, returning to a country more violent and politically unstable than the one they left.
BELL: That gang violence and the kidnappings that we've seen spiraling over the course of the last 2 weeks is really what is on the mind of Haitians, as they try to go about their daily life, which will only really see people out on the streets during the daytime, since after dusk, the city is too dangerous for people to head out onto his streets.
In fact, as we left the prime minister's residence, he warned us to be careful, since the streets of Port-au-Prince might not be that safe -- Melissa Bell, CNN, Port-au-Prince.
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HOLMES: Still to come here on the program, the ivory billed woodpecker hasn't been seen in decades and the U.S. government thinks it should be declared extinct, along with 22 other species that vanished years ago. We'll discuss extinction and what it means when we come back.
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HOLMES: Dozens of climate activists, marching through the streets of Milan on Saturday. They called on policymakers to live up to promises made one decade ago. Wealthy nations, pledging, then, to spend $100 billion per year, to help developing countries transition to cleaner energy.
Activists say, those countries still need to deliver on that pledge and do even more. One, nation taking some action, is Australia. It has a process called cloud brightening. They hope to protect the vulnerable Great Barrier Reef. Lynda Kinkade with details.
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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): About 100 kilometers off the coast of Australia, right above the Great Barrier Reef, researchers are spraying fine mists of seawater into the air.
They're using a process called cloud brightening, to protect endangered reefs from rising temperatures and sunlight, causing irreversible, coral bleaching. The premise of the project is simple.
The water droplets, from the mist, evaporate, leaving tiny salt crystals, drifting up, toward the sky. Water vapor, condensing around those crystals, brightening existing clouds, which block the damaging solar energy, from reaching the reefs.
The project, initiated last year, had its second trial in March at the end of summer in the Southern Hemisphere.
DANIEL HARRISON, CLOUD BRIGHTENING PROJECT LEADER: If we do it over an extended period of time, for a few weeks, to a couple of months, when the corals are experiencing marine heat wave, we can actually start lowering the water temperature, over the reef.
The second way we can help the coral, it's actually the light in the presence in the hot water, that causes of coral to bleach. So by reducing just a small amount of light, about 6 percent or so of the average light, over the summer, we can reduce 50-60 percent of the bleaching stress on the corals.
KINKADE (voice-over): The research team, using a boat, floating just above the coral reefs. Scientists use sensors, attached to drones, to monitor the nanodroplets, as they drift to the sky.
Researchers found the results exceeded their expectations, with far more droplets making it into the clouds, than their initial explanation. Despite the promising results, some environmental groups fear the project may detract from global efforts to limit greenhouse emissions.
But Harrison says his focus is on the reefs, not global geoengineering and tackling climate change is key.
HARRISON: If we don't have strong action on climate change, then cloud brightening can only help for a little while. Eventually the effect that you can get from the clouds is limited and it just becomes overwhelmed by climate change after a couple of decades.
KINKADE (voice-over): -- Lynda Kinkade, CNN.
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HOLMES: The U.S. government says nearly two dozen species of birds, fish and mammals, are probably gone forever and should be, officially, considered extinct. Those have been on the government's endangered list for years, yet, some haven't been spotted in decades.
The ivory billed woodpecker, for example, was last seen in the Louisiana swamps, about 80 years ago. Wildlife experts are not thrilled by the delistings and say it's possible some of these animals are still around.
In all, the U.S. now proposes 11 kinds of birds, 2 types of fish, eight species of mussels and a bat, to be declared extinct. Officials say, modern human activity is simply too much for some of the species to survive. Now of course, global climate change is accelerating it all.
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HOLMES: Bridget Fahey is the division chief of ecological services at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, overseeing the Endangered Species Act, listing and delisting program, she's joining me now.
A worrying issue, how concerning are these new extinctions?
Why does it matter if the ivory billed woodpecker or the Bachman's warbler are gone?
BRIDGET FAHEY, DIVISION CHIEF, ECOLOGICAL SERVICES, U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE: I think that every extinction is cause for concern. Each species is a piece of the puzzle, of our healthy functioning, ecosystems. When that piece is missing, it is a sign that something is amiss, in the larger natural world.
So for example, eight of the 23 species that we are now saying -- proposing for delisting are the mussel species from the southeastern United States. Mussels are important indicators of healthy, clean water and clean rivers. These are resources that help benefit both people and animals.
HOLMES: You make a great point that every creature plays a role in world.
What then are the potential flow-on effects of the extinctions, be they plant or animal, let's bring it home for people, what could it lead to?
FAHEY: I don't think, we fully, understand all the ways in which our species are interconnected with each other. For example, we know that if you lose a species at the bottom of the food chain, it will affect all of the species above it, in that food chain.
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FAHEY: Also, if we lose the predators at the very top, that results in the overpopulation of the prey, which can spread disease. I always think of that quote, that the first rule of intelligent tinkering is to keep all the parts.
HOLMES: Yes, the beat of the butterfly wing and all of that.
This latest report, about extinctions in the U.S., let's broaden it out; it is a global issue, of course. There are talks coming up, that will look to a new global biodiversity agreement. One of those proposals is to protect at least 30 percent of the U.S. land and ocean, by 2030.
How important and how urgent, is a global response, a global strategy, to mitigate these sorts of events?
FAHEY: I think that it is the exact important next step to do. I get excited about the discussions about 30 by 30, because, I think if we are truly at risk of six extinction, as many scientists believe, then we need to be in front of the curve.
It will take more than the Endangered Species Act to do that. If we wait until species are endangered or threatened, something is already greatly amiss in the larger ecosystem. So we need to get ahead of that extinction curve, by keeping common species common. The way to do that, is by having interconnected protected lands around the globe.
HOLMES: Of course, we have to say, climate change is a major driver of some of these changes, isn't it?
FAHEY: Climate change wasn't a driver of the 23 species that we announced. But certainly, it's a threat we are seeing more and more in our assessments with the species to see if they qualify from listening under the Endangered Species Act.
It is a fact of more and more of the assessments that we are actually seeing it be the only threat for some species, that we recently saw posted in the listing. I see it as a trend that is likely to continue and key to the determinations on many of these species, are decisions that are made, around the globe, by governments on how to tackle the issue of climate change.
HOLMES: Real quick, I think the worsening global biodiversity crisis in general, what are humans doing to make things worse?
What can they do to make things better?
FAHEY: Certainly, this underscores the human impact on the environment around us. Many are threats to the species, that we're talking about this week, habitat loss, invasive species, disease. These threats still continue to impact species today. On top of that, there is climate change.
But I think although this is a sad story, there is a lot of hope. The Endangered Species Act came too late for the 23 species in this batch but it has been, incredibly successful at protecting 99 percent of the listed species from extinction.
So the threats that brought us here, the things that led to the decline, in decades, in some cases, and it takes decades to reverse those declines. We can see, the Endangered Species Act works, to recover species, as well.
We have announced delistings and downlistings, for over 100 species. We, are currently, assessing the status of an additional 60 species. So we know how to recover species and we can do it.
HOLMES: It is such an important issue and is all interconnected. Bridget Fahey, thank you so much, I appreciate it.
FAHEY: All right, take care.
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HOLMES: Still to come on the program, snapping pics and snapping jaws. Video of the moment a photographer's drone got a little too close to its toothy subject. We will be right back.
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HOLMES: A Georgia student presented one of the most epic absent notes ever from missing school. Watch this.
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LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA, ACTOR AND PRODUCER: Ms. Rosner, this is Lin-Manuel Miranda. I am sorry he can't be in U.S. history class right now. But he is with me. We're going to go over the Bill of Rights and anything you may be covering right now, we cover.
We cover a lot in about 2.5 hours of "Hamilton," but we're going to go over it in specifics now. So this is not lost time. Thank you.
HOLMES (voice-over): The "Hamilton" creator was the guest of honor at a fundraiser organized by the mother of 16-year-old Luke Stevens. Luke's history teacher said she was thrilled to learn he really did skip her class to spend time with the Broadway star and perhaps learn something.
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Well, paparazzi beware; a camera operator in Australia's Crocodylus Park lost his equipment when a crocodile snapped at the low flying drone. Staff members finding what looked like the reptile's new chew toy, on the bank of the lagoon, two weeks later. Luckily, the memory card was still intact.
The drone operator says, basically, he picked the wrong croc, on the wrong day.
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DANE HIRST, CAMERAMAN, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION (voice- over): So I got the drone up over a small lagoon at Crocodylus Park. And all the crocs were really skittish. But there was one crocodile in particular that was holding its ground and really eyeballing that drone.
I thought, great, I'll use this fellow. He's in a stationary spot. I can get some decent shots of him.
I lined the drone up and moved over the top of him. And as I was doing that, I looked up towards the lagoon and saw a crocodile vertical out of the water and heard the great clamping noise of a crocodile's jaws coming together.
I looked down at my controller and, sure enough, it was blank screen and no connection. I thought, oh, wow, that was a brand-new drone. This is going to be a really hard one to explain.
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HOLMES: Expensive. Lesson learned from a croc, who, is definitely, not ready for its close-up.
Thank you for spending part of our day with me, I'm Michael Holmes, "ON Oman" is next. I will see you in an hour.
