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U.S. President to Unveil Economic Plan to Counter China; Wife Awaits Word on Captured Husband; White House Announces Second Flight of Baby Formula; Seven Beijing Districts Go into Partial Lockdown; World Economic Forum Founder: Group Never as Important as Now; More Countries Threaten to Boycott Los Angeles Summit; Manchester City Capture Premier League Title Again; Justin Thomas Wins Second Career Major. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired May 23, 2022 - 00:00   ET

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

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Paula Newton.

[00:00:48]

Ahead right here on CNN NEWSROOM, the U.S. president in Tokyo this hour, looking to shore up an economic plan to counter Beijing.

Badly-needed baby formula arrives in the United States from overseas. But for many frustrated families, the crisis, far from over.

And men at a TV station in Afghanistan show their solidarity with women. The Taliban continues to crack down on the rights of female journalists.

And we do begin in Japan this hour, where U.S. President Joe Biden is pivoting from military reassurance to economic alliances as he tackles the second leg of a high-stakes diplomatic tour in Asia.

Earlier, Mr. Biden called on the Japanese emperor at his palace before heading inside for a meeting. He later arrived for talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, where Mr. Biden reaffirmed America's support for Japan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The U.S.-Japanese alliance has long been the cornerstone of peace and prosperity in the Indo- Pacific. And the United States remains fully committed to Japanese -- to Japan's defense. And we will face the challenges of today and the future together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Now while much of the focus in South Korea was on the rising threat from North Korea, in Japan, all eyes are on China's growing economic and military footprint. Now, in the coming hours, Mr. Biden is expected to unveil his

administration's new economic framework for the region. The goal: to boost ties between the U.S. and its Asia-Pacific allies to try and counter China.

Now, Mr. Biden will bring a similar message to a meeting of the so- called Quad alliance on Tuesday, where he'll speak with leaders from Japan, India, and Australia.

CNN is covering the story from every angle. Our Kevin Liptak and Blake Essig are standing by in Tokyo with us with all the latest updates. Kevin, we'll go to you first.

These Asian tours are never easy, especially when you're dealing with the desperate issues that they have at hand now. Obviously, more and more complicated, even by the conflict in Ukraine.

But at this point, how has the president been doing in terms of trying to really give that military reassurance? But also make sure that there is a robust -- robust economic agenda going forward?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and these are really the two main components that he's trying to focus on while he's here. South Korea was, of course, really about the military. And you saw that, really, on his last day when he went to Osan Air Base, visited with U.S. and South Korean troops, saw this joint command center.

Here, it really is more about the economics, even though security is still a main concern for Japan. So right now, the president is behind closed doors at the Akasaka Palace, meeting with the prime minister. One of the main issues is security. And you heard the president there say the U.S. is fully committed to Japan's security.

But the other major issue is, of course, economics, and Japan really wants to cultivate President Biden to approve the trading relationship. And that had sort of gone through some tumultuous times under President Trump. He applied tariffs on steel and aluminum. He -- the former prime minister, Shinzo Abe, wasn't necessarily successful in convincing President Trump to ease those tariffs.

And so you will hear President Biden talk about that in a lot more detail later today, when he unveils that economic framework. Now, this is not a traditional trade plan. It sort of goes beyond that into areas of supply chains, climate change, talking about anti-corruption efforts.

And so President Biden really wants to bring along Japan, South Korea, and a number of other Asian nations to try and form this economic sphere that might counter China's growing economic influence in this region.

Now, that plan does have some skeptics, and a lot of the details of it have yet to be hammered out. But that's just really one of the main centerpieces of the president's visit here in Japan. And then, of course, tomorrow, it's onto the Quad summit. This is a

collective that the president has really revitalized. It includes the U.S., India, Japan, and Australia.

[00:05:10]

He will also have the chance to meet individually with the prime minister of Australia, who has just been elected. This is his first order of business, is coming to the summit.

Then he will meet individually with the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi. And of course, that is where the war in Ukraine will sort of come back into focus. India has been so reluctant to punish Moscow for its invasion. India is very reliant on Russia for armaments and is also importing Russian energy. So that's something that the two men will discuss. It's the continuation of a conversation that they have been having over the course of this, where the president hasn't necessarily been successful in convincing India to back off support for Russia.

So it is a full agenda, but you do see him trying to balance both this focus on Asia while still focusing on the war in Ukraine. The president, when he was meeting with the Japanese prime minister today, thanked him for his leadership on that front. So this is still very much front of mind for the president while he's here.

NEWTON: Yes. And then that gratitude a completely different posture from Japan right now, given what's happened in Ukraine. And for that, we turn to CNN's Blake Essig, who's been watching all of this as it has developed in the last few months.

I mean, as Kevin was just saying, look, this is economic; this is military. At the same time Japan is taking a huge step forward. A completely -- a complete departure from where they were in the post- World War II history. What are they saying to President Biden about wanting to shore up those defenses?

BLAKE ESSIG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, Paula, security incredibly important to Japan and the United States here in the Indo-Pacific, in a part of the world that's seemingly more unstable by the day, fueled by the rise of China's military and the nuclear power of North Korea.

Friends and allies have never been more important. And for Japan and the United States, there's no more important friend or ally. Today President Biden made clear that the U.S. is fully committed to Japan's defense, while Prime Minister Kishida is expected to communicate Japan's readiness to structurally reinforce its defense capabilities.

His ruling Liberal Democratic Party has proposed that Japan possess counterattack ability against ballistic missile threats and has also called for an increase in defense spending of its GDP from 1 to 2 percent.

But now, the two leaders also confirmed close cooperation in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. And they're expected to announce ways to strengthen ties, both militarily and economically, to ensure that a similar situation doesn't play out in this part of the world, as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sees parallels between Russia's actions in Europe and China's expansion in the Indo-Pacific.

Now, regarding both the upcoming Quad summit and bilateral meetings underway right now between President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida, where China is most certainly on the agenda.

China's foreign minister, Wang Yi, has repeatedly made it clear this past week that China is not pleased with what they perceive as negative moves made by the United States and Japan and for creating a foul atmosphere, even before any of these meetings had taken place. And yesterday, Yi released a statement critical of the U.S. Indo- Pacific economic framework that Kevin explained, that's meant to boost economic growth in the region by securing strong and fair -- strong and fair economy.

His statement reads, facts will prove that the so-called Indo-Pacific strategy is, in essence, a strategy to create division, provoke conflict, and harm peace. No matter how it is packaged or named, it is doomed to fail.

But according to experts, Paula, this isn't a rivalry between the U.S. and China, or China and Japan. The tension exists based on how regional powers here are going about expanding their influence.

And to that point, the U.S. and Japan have not been shy about calling out China for what they see as China attempting to unilaterally change the so-called status quo in the East and South trying to seize by increasing its maritime assertiveness -- Paula.

NEWTON: Yes, and I'll point out, Biden visited Japan in 2013, and the context was completely different. But the issue with China and the South China Sea, completely the same.

Blake Essig in Tokyo for us, we thank you. And we will wait, as President Biden will give a press conference in about an hour from now. And both of you will join us again. Appreciate it.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced a historic joint customs control with Poland, saying no one will break the unity between the two countries.

And that development came after Polish President Andrzej Duda visited Kyiv Sunday. He sat down with Mr. Zelenskyy and became the first foreign leader to address Ukraine's Parliament in person since Russia's invasion began.

Now one Parliament member tweeted that Mr. Duda told Ukrainian lawmakers, quote, "The free world today has the face of Ukraine." And Mr. Duda said Ukraine needs reparations from Russia to help rebuild itself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ANDRZEJ DUDA, POLISH PRESIDENT (through translator): It is obvious

that Ukraine should be rebuilt using war reparations from the invaders, from Russia. They should be taken from assets, frozen in financial institutions all around the world, due to being Russian assets. Apart from that, we need different kinds of initiatives that will help Ukraine directly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Meantime Ukraine's leader is accusing Russia of blocking the export of 22 million tons of food products and is warning this could create a food crisis.

Mr. Zelenskyy discussed the issue with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who says he'll ensure the country is able to export and will redouble efforts to provide food and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

And in the Eastern part of the country, Russians attacked the city of Severodonetsk from multiple directions. Ukraine says its troops were able to push back those Russian forces.

Still, more than two dozen homes in and around the city were damaged.

And the U.N. refugee agency is now reporting a, in their words, staggering milestone propelled by this war in Ukraine. It says around the world, the number of people forced to flee conflict, violence, and persecution has crossed the 100 million million mark for the first time on record.

Meantime, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol says Russian forces are now requiring permits for cars entering or exiting that occupied city. Mariupol fell under complete Russian control last week after the surrender of the Azovstal Steel plant.

One woman whose husband had been among the last defenders is now waiting for word on where he could possibly be. CNN's Suzanne Malveaux has her story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the Russia pummeled the Mariupol Steel plant with overwhelming firepower, Nataliya Zarytska could only watch and pray for her husband, Boldan (ph), inside.

But Boldan (ph), a Ukrainian soldier, was able to update Natalia almost daily, she says, chronically the worsening conditions.

NATALIYA ZARYTSKA, HUSBAND HELPED HOLD AZOVSTAL STEEL PLANT: He described the situation like real hell. Because people had no legs, no hands, and no medicine.

MALVEAUX (voice-over): Weeks in, photos revealed Boldan (ph) was jaundiced and had dropped weight.

ZARYTSKA: He was very sick, but he has a very strong spirit. [noise] MALVEAUX (voice-over): He'd seen many of his friends killed and feared

he was next.

Following his commanders' order, Thursday Boldan (ph) surrendered, telling Natalia he would lose all ability to communicate, now with his fellow soldiers in Russian custody. Natalia can only assume he's at their nearby detention center. Her greatest fear now: that he is being tortured or worse.

ZARYTSKA: We write each message as the last one.

MALVEAUX: What is the last message that he typed to you?

ZARYTSKA: "I love you." He was worried about his mom. He asked me to let her know that he is alive, and to wait for him.

MALVEAUX (voice-over): Nataliya believes her husband will give everything to stay alive, motivated by their shared desire to someday create a family.

ZARYTSKA: And this idea helps me to be strong.

MALVEAUX (voice-over): But the pain of not knowing is excruciating. The weight heavy, as Russia's attacks carry on.

Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, Lviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Ahead for us, the U.S. is ramping up Operation Fly Formula to combat its critical shortage of baby formula.

Coming up, the White House announces new steps to try and address that crisis.

Plus, China's COVID lockdown, the war in Ukraine, and rising inflation. Why there may not be that soft landing in sight for the economy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NEWTON: Relief for some American families is on the way. The White House says a second flight of baby formula will be delivered in the coming days.

Now, the first flight landed on Sunday from Germany as the U.S. Grapples with a nationwide shortage. The Biden administration has authorized the first two orders under the Defense Production Act. This will allow formula makers Abbott and Reckitt to more quickly receive supplies that they desperately need, things like sugar and corn syrup.

CNN's Polo Sandoval has more from Indianapolis, where the first shipment of formula arrived.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This was the first flight of President Biden's effort to try to provide some kind of relief to parents in the United States that have been desperate to stock up on that baby formula, as we are months into this shortage here.

We're looking at 35 tons of prescription baby formula that was manufactured in Zurich, driven into Germany over the weekend, and then flown here to the United States over the weekend, where they hope that it will address the needs of some of the most vulnerable babies.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): Agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack was on the tarmac on Sunday as this plane load was being unloaded. He was basically describing what will be next for this particular load, as he hopes it will be the first of many.

TOM VILSACK, U.S. AGRICULTURE SECRETARY: This shipment is going to essentially get off this cargo plane, and then the Federal Express folks will take it from there. They're going to deliver it to a distribution center that the Nestle-Gerber folks have here in Indiana.

And then it's going to go on trucks, and it's going to be delivered in hospitals and home healthcare clinics all across the country, providing support and health.

SANDOVAL: Important to point out that this is hypoallergenic product for babies that are intolerant to protein in cow's milk. So it is meant to address a very specific need.

There are still a majority of parents in the United States that are hoping to be able to stock up and to see that positive impact in the grocery store shelves. Because this latest load will not be going to those locations.

I did have an opportunity to speak to officials with FedEx who is a big partner in these deliveries. They say that they are already scheduling a flight from Europe here to the United States, possibly later this week, and they hope that that will at least help begin to address the broader needs as manufacturing continues to ramp up in the United States of this essential item.

Polo Sandoval, CNN, Indianapolis.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Health officials are tracking a growing outbreak of monkeypox with a possible new case reported in the U.S. state of Florida.

The World Health Organization says there are now more than 90 confirmed cases around the world. There are many more that will be investigated.

[00:20:06]

The illness is mostly found in West and Central Africa.

But the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it's concerned about the rising number of cases being reported outside that region. The White House COVID-19 response coordinator tells ABC News unlike the coronavirus, monkeypox is not a mystery illness. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ASHISH JHA, WHITE HOUSE COVID-19 RESPONSE COORDINATOR: I would not be surprised, Martha, if we see a few more cases in the upcoming days. But I feel like this is a virus we understand. We have vaccines against it. We have treatments against it. And it spread very differently than SARS CoV-2. I am confident we're going to be able to keep our arms around it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: And something important to keep in mind here. A top British health official says the risk to the general population remains extremely low at the moment.

Now, North Korea says its COVID-19 outbreak is slowing down with state media reporting a, quote, "positive trend" that is seeing the number of daily "fever cases," as they're calling before -- pardon me, below 200,000. Now, CNN cannot independently verify those numbers.

President Joe Biden, meantime, said on Saturday the U.S. had offered to provide COVID vaccines to North Korea but that Pyongyang had not responded.

Mr. Biden is currently on his first presidential trip to East Asia, as we were telling you.

In the meantime in China, seven Beijing districts were put under partial lockdown on Saturday. And that means nearly 14 million people will be required to work from home. And that's according to the municipal government.

For more on this now, I'm joined by CNN's Beijing bureau chief, Steven Jiang. Steve, really good to see you. I mean, what do these latest numbers mean? And put it in context for us. Because we had heard, of course, that Beijing, you know, that the numbers were relatively low when you compare it to Shanghai.

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: That's right, but it's not just in Beijing. Even the broader picture nationwide just looks increasingly grim, with new outbreaks being reported in a number of provinces across the country.

What we have seen in response, of course, is authorities resort to that familiar playbook of the harsh lockdowns and incessant mass testing. Because all of them have gotten the message from President Xi Jinping. That zero COVID is here to stay. So they need to act decisively and harshly to not only contain COVID, but also to show their political loyalty.

But here in Beijing, as we mentioned, seven districts, 14 million people are now being ordered to work from home. That's on top of the closure of all schools, and sports, and entertainment venues. And of course, the shutdown of most shops and parks, as well as the bans -- banning of all dining services and restaurants and suspension of a growing number of public transportation routes.

This kind of partial lockdown, and walkable approach does not seem to have worked so far. Because as you mentioned, case numbers have been creeping up, reaching almost triple digits on Sunday.

But ironically, some of those measures have prompted residents to organize family gatherings, or hanging out or partying with their neighbors or friends, which in turn, according to the authorities, have resulted in more transmissions and infections.

So even though they are trying as much as possible to avoid the Shanghai-style full city lockdown, that is increasingly the big question on the minds of many people.

And speaking of Shanghai, that city still recorded more than 500 cases on Sunday, the majority of the nationwide case numbers. But we are seeing some signs of limited reopening in the city, with some residents being allowed out for the first time in months to -- to basically go out for a few hours a day, based on a very strict premise, and some public transportation has resumed in that city.

Which also unsurprisingly, reported some abysmal economic data for April. Output of major industrial companies down 64 percent. And construction area of new commercial buildings down 47 percent. Consumer spending down 14 percent.

And as you can imagine, Paula, this kind of bleak and economic picture is not likely to -- going to end with April data, as this zero-COVID policy has continued to be implemented in an increasingly harsh manner across the country, Paula.

NEWTON: Yes, as you've often reminded us, whatever goes on in the economy there in China not only affects China but the rest of the world, as well.

Steven Jiang for us in Beijing. Really appreciate it.

Joining me now from New York, CNN economics and political commentator Catherine Rampell. She's also a "Washington Post" opinion columnist. And we need you here to try to guide us for the week to come, right. Hopefully it won't be as bad as the last week. But yet, we're hearing again, that China, even if they managed to get through this wave of COVID, is going to continue to be a problem. That could shake an already fragile U.S. and global economy.

I mean, what do you think? Do you think we should brace ourselves for more of that sticker shock inflation? And of course, the supply chain issues that are still headaches?

[00:30:00]

CATHERINE RAMPELL, CNN ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It does seem like we've been incredibly unlucky. I say we meaning the U.S., the global economy. We are finally getting case numbers a little bit further down around

the world, or at least death rates further down in places where there are high vaccination rates, which should be normalizing supply chains, right?

And instead, it's just one thing after another. It's these lockdowns in China, which are continuing to disrupt the manufacture and shipping, and -- and otherwise getting of goods to consumers in places like the United States, as well as other parts of the world.

We have this war in Ukraine, whose main consequence, obviously, is the tragic loss of life and loss of freedom but is also disrupting global commodity markets in energy, in food, in fertilizer, in various kinds of metals. That's like the situation with China, with the Chinese lockdowns. That is also likely to drive inflation higher.

And then you have these sort of ancillary shocks, things like the avian flu here in the United States. So all of those unfortunate, unwelcome surprises put together, do suggest that we're going to continue to see some awkward pressure on prices for a little while to come.

NEWTON: And then there's the question of what will we do about it? At times the news from the Federal Reserve has not been reassuring. I want you to listen now to Neel Kashkari. He's the influential Fed Bank president from Minneapolis. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEEL KASHKARI, PRESIDENT & CEO, FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF MINNEAPOLIS: We know we have to get inflation down. We know we can do everything we can to achieve our, quote unquote, "soft landing." But I'll be honest with you, I don't know the odds of us pulling that off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: I'll be honest with you. I don't know the odds of pulling that off. I mean, he's basically saying, brace yourself for a recession.

RAMPELL: Well, I don't know that he's quite predicting recession. But he is echoing comments that have been made by other Fed officials, in fact, some other administration officials, about the challenge of figuring out how to get inflation under control, which usually requires raising interest rates, the central bank raising interest rates. How to get inflation under control without killing the economy altogether.

And historically, the Fed has not been able to do that. In the post- war period, most of the time, when the Central Bank has raised interest rates to put a damper on demand to get prices downs, price growth down, they have accidentally tipped the U.S. economy into a recession.

Now, the hope is that they've learned their lesson, that they can fine-tune policy enough. But this is -- this is not an instrument that is inclined to be finally tuned. This is a very blunt instrument, the raising of interest rates.

So there is a great risk that, in order to get price growth down as much as they need to, they will have to be much more aggressive and raising interest rates. And that, in turn, increases the risk of a recession.

Jay Powell has indicated it will be challenging. Jay Powell, the Fed chair, I should say, has indicated it will be challenging to get this coveted soft landing.

So Kashkari is not alone in expressing some uncertainty, I should say. Not predicting a recession. But just saying, you know, it's not a slam dunk that they'll be able to pull this off.

NEWTON: Catherine Rampell, thanks so much. Really appreciate it.

RAMPELL: Thank you.

NEWTON: Still to come for us, why these male employees of a news organization in Afghanistan are protesting the Taliban by wearing masks. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:32:24]

NEWTON: And welcome back. I'm Paula Newton. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM.

U.S. President Joe Biden has a packed schedule as he continues the second leg of his diplomatic tour in Asia. Right now, he's meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo.

Now, they are expected to deliver remarks when that meeting wraps up in about 30 minutes. You see the podium right there. We will bring you that press conference and the remarks as soon as it happens.

Now, a reminder, the cornerstone of Mr. Biden's visit will come in a few hours when he's expected to unveil his administration's new economic framework for the region.

The plan is aimed at boosting ties between the U.S. and its Asia- Pacific allies as a way to counter China's dominance in the region.

In the meantime, Australia has sworn in its new prime minister after Saturday's election. Labor Party leader Anthony Albanese replaces Scott Morrison, ending nine years of Conservative rule in favor of the center-left opposition.

Now, the first diplomatic test for Albanese comes on Tuesday. He meets with U.S. President Joe Biden and the prime ministers of India and Japan at that summit there in Tokyo.

And in remarks to the media on Monday, Mr. Albanese says Australia's relationship with China will be one of the toughest political challenges as he enters his new role. Now, it's been nine months since the Taliban seized control of

Afghanistan. With each passing day, more rights and freedoms are being stripped away from Afghan women and girls.

Just last week, the militant group ordered all female TV presenters to cover their faces while on air. Now on Sunday, a group of men at the private Afghan TV channel TOLOnews posted this picture. You see it there, and you see that their faces are covered.

They say it's a sign of solidarity with their female colleagues. But as CNN's Christiane Amanpour reports, there is real concern about how much longer women will be allowed to even appear on Afghan television.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR (voice-over): For the past five months, Hatara Hakmadi (ph) has been entering the morning news on TOLO TV. But this might be the last time she can show her face on air.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

AMANPOUR: The morning editorial meeting starts with worried discussion about mandatory masking. Station director Khpolwak Sapai says he'd even considered just shutting down and leaving. But then he thought female staff who want to carry on anchoring with a mask can, while those who don't will get other jobs behind the scenes.

KHPOLWAK SAPAI, DIRECTOR, TOLONEWS: We will leave the last decision up to them. They will make their own decision.

[00:35:00]

AMANPOUR (voice-over): And it's a tough decision for these women, who brave the new Taliban regime to stay on the air, who already adjusted their head scarves to hide their hair, and who now fear a steep slide back to the Middle Ages.

Khatera says she's so stressed she couldn't even present her program properly.

KHATERA, TOLONEWS ANCHOR (through translator): It's not clear, even if we appear with a burqa. Maybe they will say that women's voices are forbidden. They want women to be removed from the screen. They are afraid of an educated woman.

AMANPOUR (voice-over): Across town, the Taliban government spokesman, Zavil Mujarad (ph), was attending a meeting with local journalist to mark a slightly delayed World Press Freedom Day.

We stopped him on the way in.

AMANPOUR: You have said they have to wear a face mask if they're on television, women. Why?

AMANPOUR (voice-over): "It's advisory from the ministry," he says. AMANPOUR: But what does that mean? Is it compulsory?

AMANPOUR (voice-over): "If it is said, they should wear it. It will be implemented as it in our religion, too," says Mujarad. "It is good if it's implemented."

AMANPOUR: Afghan women are afraid that this is the beginning of your efforts to erase them from the work space. They're afraid that, if they wear the mask, the next thing you will say is their voice will not be heard publicly. What is your response to that?

AMANPOUR (voice-over): "Like during COVID," he says, "masks were mandatory. Women would only be wearing hijab or masks, and they will continue their work."

He seems to say that, if women wear this, they can go to work. But the dress code edicts, like saying female university students must now wear black, not colored head scarves, is an escalating war of nerves, and everyone fears world where this will lead.

Back at TOLOnews, these female anchors are distraught.

"What should we do?" cries Tamina (ph). "We don't know. We were ready to fight to the last to perform our work, but they don't allow us."

"We women have been taken hostage," says Hila (ph). "Women can't get themselves educated or work. Like me, who's worked on screen for years and couldn't leave Afghanistan. Due to the fear of the Taliban, I can't go onscreen again."

Since the Taliban takeover, the station's employed even more women than before, because they need a safe space.

And as for the actual journalism, TOLOnews is Afghanistan's leading independent news channel. But director Sapai says they'll all quit the day the Taliban pressures them to tailor their coverage or lie to a public that's come to trust the truth they've been delivering over 20 years.

He's saved the station so far, recruiting a whole new staff after most employees fled the Taliban's arrival.

SAPAI: And from a management level, I've heard a lot. And I was considering, I was only thinking, of how to keep the screen alive. Not to go dark.

AMANPOUR (voice-over): The challenge now is keeping it from going dark.

Christiane Amanpour, CNN, Kabul, Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: To Davos, Switzerland, now and the world's political and business leader attending the World Economic Forum this week. The annual event aims to bring leaders together to tackle pressing global issues. And of course, the point is they're supposed to try and find solutions.

Russia's war in Ukraine, the global pandemic and climate change are expected to dominate the agenda this year.

CNN's Richard Quest asked the founder of the event whether Davos has failed to rise to many of the world's challenges, given its 50-year history now. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KLAUS SCHWAB, WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN: You see every day how the world is falling apart with the different crises which we have to manage. And you can exchange, in small circles, ideas. You can take decisions.

But it was so important to bring the global community and global stakeholder community together in person again. Because it's only the personal interaction which creates trust, or which recreates trusts.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT/ANCHOR: Isn't the reality though that everything that Davos stands for is on the verge of failure?

To give you an example. No. 1, the war in Ukraine. All the idea of some sort of common views on a European way forward. No. 2, China, unilaterally shut down. Everybody else is open. No. 3, we're failing on our climate change, climate targets. So what's the purpose?

SCHWAB: First, Davos has never been as important as it is now, particularly for the reasons you mentioned. We cannot prevent the war in Ukraine. We cannot cannot take away COVID and so on.

[00:40:15]

But we can create coordinated responses to those challenges. And that's what we are doing. And those challenges need the cooperation of business, civil society, and of course, mainly politics.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Richard Quest interviewing Klaus Schwab there.

Remember, Davos is usually held in winter. Because of COVID it has moved to the spring months.

In the coming hours, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to address the World Economic Forum. That would be remotely from Ukraine.

And CNN, of course, we will cover all of those events for you right here. We will have events from Davos throughout the whole week.

Still to come here for us, there could be a lot of empty seats at the upcoming Summit of the Americas. Why the Mexican president insists the U.S. put everyone on that guest list. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NEWTON: So once the U.S. president returns from his Asia trip, he'll be preparing for the Summit of the Americas, set for next month in Los Angeles. The meeting is, of course, meant to try and bring leaders together from across the region, and they're supposed to be having some constructive conversations.

But with growing tensions, it's unclear which leaders, if any, will actually show up. CNN's Patrick Oppmann reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was at the Summit of the America in Panama in 2015, that then-President Barack Obama first sat down with Cuban leader Raul Castro and seemed to close a chapter of the Cold War.

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is obviously an historic meeting.

OPPMANN (voice-over): The summit has taken place every three years since 1994, an opportunity for the U.S. to shape policy and solidify partnerships in the region.

Until 2015, communist-run Cuba was not invited. Obama said pressure from other countries in the region led to the change.

In 2018, Cuba returned to the Summit of the Americas, this time in Peru. By then, the warm welcome from the U.S. had evaporated, as the Trump administration reversed Obama's detente of Cuba and reimposed tough economic sanctions.

Then-Vice President Mike Pence called Cuba a, quote, "tired communist regime" and walked out on the Cuban foreign minister's rebuttal.

Now there might not be an invite at all for Cuba or allies Nicaragua and Venezuela, at next month's Summit of the Americas, which the U.S. is hosting in Los Angeles.

The U.S. has criticized Cuba for harsh crackdown on protesters. Nicaragua for jailing scores of opponents of president Daniel Ortega and indicted Venezuela's Nicholas Maduro on drug trafficking charges.

Mexico's president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, an admirer of the Cuban revolution, said if countries are excluded, he won't attend either, instead sending other officials in his place.

"Even with the differences, we must dialogue, all Americans. Then we are yet to resolve this issue," he says. "We have a very good relationship with the government of President Biden. We want everyone to be invited. That's the position of Mexico."

The Biden administration is trying to get Mexico's president back on board, and quickly. ERIC FARNSWORTH, FORMER U.S. DIPLOMAT: It's complicated, and the

president of Mexico is a critical actor. Obviously, in terms of U.S. Relations. But also in terms of the issues that the administration wants to discuss at the summit in Los Angeles, namely migration.

OPPMANN (voice-over): So far there doesn't appear to be a diplomatic breakthrough on the invite impasse.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's the president's level of optimism that Mexico will attend the Summit of the Americas? And well, is the guest list finalized?

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The guest list is not finalized. Hopefully, that will happen soon, and I promise, once we have it, we will share it.

The president is optimistic. You know, we don't have anything to share at this moment. Again, once we have it, we'll be happy to share it with all of you.

OPPMANN (voice-over): Leftist governments in Bolivia and Honduras have also threatened to boycott the summit.

Amidst the left-wing rebellion, arch-conservative President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil, who has strained relationship with the Biden administration, reportedly might skip the summit.

And Guatemala's president also said, if invited, he's not going, after the U.S. placed sanctions on the country's attorney general over allegations of corruption.

Behind the scenes, U.S. officials are trying to smooth out the differences and save a summit on regional unity in a region where apparently, there is little to be found.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Now, the winner of Pennsylvania's Democratic Senate primary has now been released from the hospital nine days after learning he'd suffered a stroke.

John Fetterman, who is the state's lieutenant governor, underwent a three-hour surgery -- surgery Tuesday, the day of his primary victory. He'll now recuperate at home, but he doesn't know who his opponent will be this November. That's because votes are still being counted in Pennsylvania's Republican primary.

Trump-endorsed TV personality Mehmet Oz now leads former hedge fund executive David McCormick, but that's by less than 1,100 votes. And an automatic recount is likely.

Authorities are searching for a gunman who shot and killed a 48-year- old man on the New York subway. Police say the suspect and the victim had no interaction before the shooting Sunday morning. And witnesses say the gunman fired without provocation. No one else was hurt.

Police are looking at surveillance video and asking the public for help in identifying and finding the killer.

Now, it took a playoff to decide the winner of this year's PGA championship. CNN sits down with Justin Thomas to discuss that dramatic finish when we come back.

Plus, it was, in fact, another dramatic finish for the English Premier League title. Just ahead, who came out on top between Man City and Liverpool.

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[00:52:55]

NEWTON: Now, it wasn't decided until the final minutes of the last game of the season, but reigning champions Manchester City captured the English Premier League title, again. And that is thanks to a dramatic comeback. Look at this.

It is the club's fourth Premier League championship in five years and their eighth top-flight title in team history.

And you have to figure this out, right? It was looking like Liverpool could claim the title after Manchester City trailed Aston Villa. And that is 2-0 late in the game. Remember, down 2-0, late in the game.

But City scored three goals in quick succession, giving them the title. And you can imagine, sending the home fans in a complete frenzy. They went wild. And there you go. Claiming that title again.

No, it was another thrilling finish for golf's second major of the season, the PGA championship. Justin Thomas came roaring from behind after to win his second career major a three-hole play-off.

CNN SPORTS' Don Riddell sat down with Thomas after his emotional win.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JUSTIN THOMAS, PGA CHAMPIONSHIP WINNER: It's a lot. I don't think it's really set in. I know the -- all the emotions and excitement, I think, has definitely hit me in terms of crashing. I'm very tired and worn out. But I'm very excited. And everybody in my whole team has really put in a lot of hard work and effort for this moment to be here. And you know, I can't thank them all enough.

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: When you teed off. You were seven strokes behind the leader. Do you have any idea what odds the professionals gave you, the stato (ph) guys? Have you heard?

THOMAS: I haven't, but I appreciate anybody who backed me today.

RIDDELL: Apparently, it was 1.2 percent.

THOMAS: Really? RIDDELL: Apparently. That's what I heard.

THOMAS: I mean, that's 1.2 percent more than I would have taken. When you're that far behind, you can't -- in a major, you can't do it all yourself. You need some help. And I understood that it was going to be tough for those guys, just as it was and is for me to try to win the tournament. And yes, I just executed when I needed to, and it was just enough.

RIDDELL: When you won your first major and you did this the first time in 2017, honestly, how hard did you think it would be to do it again?

THOMAS: I mean, when it happens, you think it's going to happen the next time you play. You really do. I think it's one of those things when things are going well, especially in the sport, it's easy. It's -- you know the ball bounces the right way, the putts slip in. Just guys do what you need them to do in the leader board. Like, stuff just happens.

But when it's not going well is when you have no idea if and when it's going to happen again. And over five years, I've definitely had a lot of those moments. But -- but I'm just very, very glad to be back here now.

RIDDELL: Now that you've got this second one under your belt, how do you recalibrate your expectations for this next phase of your career?

THOMAS: I don't think you change them. I mean, it's -- I think that's the biggest thing for me, is just not -- I mean, obviously I know and think that if I play well, I should and could have a chance to win. But I can't necessarily go in saying I expect to win. Because it's just -- I just have to take it for what it is.

I mean, there's so much that can happen over the course of nine holes, let alone four rounds, that I can't get ahead of myself. And I have to be a little bit more processed and specific hole- and shot-oriented, as opposed to the entire week-oriented. Because if I do the things I'm supposed to do as the week goes on, then you know, I could be sitting here more often. And that's -- that's the hope.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Indeed. Our thanks to Don Riddell there for bringing us that. I'm Paula Newton. I'll be right back at the top of the hour with more news.

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