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Tehran: Remaining Issues Not Very Difficult to Resolve; China adds 7 Taiwanese Officials to Sanctions List; William Ruto Defeats Raila Odinga to Win Presidency; FBI Reports Unprecedented Threats Against Agents; U.K. Approves Booster Targeting Two COVID-19 Strains; Americans Moving to Mexico City for Cheaper Cost of Living; How Afghanistan Has Changed Since Fall of Kabul; How Social Media Impacts Users' Mental Health. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired August 16, 2022 - 01:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:00:31]

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN Newsroom. In the hour ahead, let's make a deal, Iran outlines what it wants to revive the nuclear deal and bring an end to punishing economic sanctions.

Also ahead, more bang with one shot. The next generation of COVID boosters approved for adults of U.K. targeting both the original and current variant.

And Hollywood and social media why Spiderman's Tom Holland, is the latest in a long run celebrities to log off.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.

VAUSE: We begin this out with new signs that Iran may be closer than ever to resuming its nuclear agreement with the United States, Europe, China and Russia. The 2015 deal was meant to keep Iran from developing nuclear weapons for 10 years. But when Donald Trump became president, he withdrew the United States from the agreement in 2018. Tehran's negotiating team advisor has responded to the latest E.U. proposal tweeting this, the remaining issues are not very difficult to resolve. Those concerns have founded upon past us E.U. violations. I can't say that there will be a deal, but we're closer than we've been before. Iran's foreign minister says if the U.S. is realistic and flexible, both sides be at the point of agreement. Washington says it wants to keep extraneous issues off the table.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NED PRICE, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: We've been clear about what a return to mutual compliance with the JCPOA would look like. There are issues that the Iranians have put on the table that are clearly extraneous to the four corners of the JCPOA. Every time they have done that, we have made very clear that the JCPOA is about one thing and one thing only. It's about Iran's nuclear program. And we are prepared to negotiate one thing and one thing only. (END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: More on the future of the Iran nuclear deal, we head to Washington and Karim Sadjadpour, Senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Welcome back, good to see you.

KARIM SADJADPOUR, SENIOR FELLOW, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE: Thank you so much.

VAUSE: OK. So on Friday, Tehran said the text of the proposal from the E.U. could be the basis for acceptable deal by Monday, it seems Tehran had a few reservations wanting to make a few tweaks. But the real problem, according to Tehran, was the U.S. listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOSSEIN AMIR-ABDOLLAHIAN IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): If America shows that it is willing to be flexible and realistic, then in the next few days, we can reach an agreement. But if it doesn't, then it's not the end of the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Does Iran actually really want to deal here? Or do they want to look like they actually do and just play along for a while avoid, set that sanctions and then, you know, when it doesn't happen, put the blame on the United States?

SADJADPOUR: You know, John, ultimately, Iran won't be able to reverse its economic decline, absent a removal of the very onerous economic sanctions against it. And, you know, at the moment is able to muddle along because oil prices are high, it's able to sell some oil to China. But that's not a long term sustainable solution for the Iranians. Now, the question is, has Iran changed its endgame. For many years, the United States has assessed -- CIA has assess that Iran isn't actually intending to weaponize its program and essentially wants to have a nuclear weapons capability.

The question is, you know, has that changed as Iran's endgame now to actually have a nuclear bomb like North Korea, we still don't see hard evidence of that. So I think that this kind of ambiguous period in which Iran doesn't, you know, doesn't have a bomb. But there's no deal. I don't think that's an ideal endgame for Iran. I think at the moment, they're simply standing tough because they feel like they can probably extract more concessions from the United States.

VAUSE: Well, the U.S. seems to be, I guess reluctantly, compared to historically to rushing back into an agreement with Iran. Listen to Ned Price here from the State Department.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRICE: Iran has not consistently demonstrated the seriousness of purpose. Iran has not consistently demonstrated that, as are we that it is steadfastly and sincerely committed to a mutual return to compliance with the JCPOA. (END VIDEO CLIP)

[01:05:00]

VAUSE: So again, are these real concerns specifically about compliance, so the United States taking a hard line before a nuclear deal is finalized?

SADJADPOUR: No, I think the U.S. has legitimate concerns. And, you know, frankly, Iran, given the fact that the United States, the Trump administration withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018. You know, Iran is right to be mistrustful.

I think what's happening at the moment is that the United States has shown such a commitment to diplomacy and to reviving the deal that Iran feels like it essentially can have the deal whenever it wants to. The deal of -- the nuclear deal that was signed in 2015 is always on the table for them. And what they're trying to do now is extract more concessions, because they feel that they were wronged by the United States. And I think it puts the United States and the Europeans in a dilemma because nobody wants conflict with Iran. President Biden certainly doesn't want another war in the Middle East. But, you know, oftentimes, the 43 year history of the Iranian regime has shown that it usually only tends to compromise under pretty significant pressure. And at the moment, it perhaps doesn't feel that significant pressure.

VAUSE: But with that in mind, in an op-ed for the New York Times you wrote this, the United States has sought to engage a regime that clearly doesn't want to be engaged and isolate a ruling regime that thrives in isolation. The coercive policies needed to counter the Islamic Republic's nuclear and regional ambitions, a sanctions may inadvertently serve to strengthen, not weaken the regime's grip on power. So with that in mind, even if there is a nuclear agreement, if it is revived, would you expect Tehran to continue to abide by that deal? And looking at what the -- you know, the way the United States is conducting these negotiations? Are they on the right track?

SADJADPOUR: Well, what I say, John, is that if there is a nuclear deal, if the deal is revived with Iran, we should have almost no expectations that Iran is going to change its long standing policies with -- when it comes to the United States. And when it comes to regional issues, like opposition to Israel, and support for proxy groups.

Now, last time around Iran did, by and large, abide by the terms of the nuclear deal it was the United States with which withdrew, but I think the concern a lot of folks have is that if this deal is revived with Iran, Iran is going to get a significant cash windfall, many billions of dollars, and they're going to spend a lot of that money supporting groups that are opposed to the United States oppose Israel, and, you know, that are destabilizing forces in the Middle East. And that's something we have to be very mindful of and address.

VAUSE: Thanks for being with us. We really appreciate your insights.

SADJADPOUR: Thank you so much for having me. VAUSE: State run media in China reporting seven officials in Taiwan have been sanctioned for supporting independence for the self- governing Island. A statement says pro-independence activities became more egregious after a U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan earlier this month.

The seven officials and their family members are banned from entering the mainland as well as Hong Kong and Macau. Taiwan's foreign ministry says it cannot accept threats and intimidation from, "an authoritarian regime." CNN's Kristie Lu Stout joins me now live from Hong Kong with more on this.

And actually we had Pelosi's visit just a few weeks ago. And now we have another congressional delegation there in Taipei and again, China's not happy. What are the details?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, we are getting more details about the latest U.S. Congressional visit, still unclear about whether they left the island. We're working to get those details for you. But what we have learned is this. This latest delegation led by the U.S. Senator Ed Markey has only met with the Taiwan president's hiding when, and other top officials but also met with representatives of TSMC, the Taiwan chip making giant on the agenda during this trip, they've been discussing ways to reduce tension in the Taiwan Strait.

And also a key theme in Taiwan-U.S. relations right now, how to expand economic cooperation between Taiwan and the U.S., namely, expanding investment in the semiconductor industry and improving supply chain in the semiconductor industry, want to show you a tweet that was sent out a few hours ago earlier today by the U.S. Senator Ed Markey, and in it he describes the visit. He says, "I'm honored to have met with Taiwanese officials like President Tsai and Foreign Minister Wu, as well as the Taiwan semiconductor manufacturing company. The United States must continue to support Taiwan's meaningful participation in the international community."

Now, it is very significant that they met with TSMC. This is the world's biggest contract chip maker. They produce 90% of the world's most advanced computer chips. The timing is significant as well, because earlier this month, U.S. President Joe Biden signed the Chips Act which is aimed at boosting American competitiveness in the semiconductor industry. And Taiwan plays a role in that TSMC. In fact has already pledged over $10 billion to make a new chip fab in the U.S. state of Arizona. So remains to be seen if this latest visit will pave the way for more investment in America's semiconductor industry.

[01:10:05]

Meanwhile, we've seen a statement in relation to semiconductors from the office of the Taiwan President, Tsai Ing-wen, we'll bring it up for you. She says this, "The Taiwan Strait is the main route connecting the East China Sea and the South China Sea. Therefore, the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait is critical to the stability of the global hi-tech product supply chain."

Now, China has reacted very strongly to this latest congressional visit to Taiwan. As we've been reporting on Monday, the Chinese military launched more military drills in the aerospace in the waters around Taiwan. Taiwan's Ministry of Defense reported 30 Chinese planes, war planes as well as five vessels in the area. And I just want to bring up this statement for you, just to give us a sense of the -- what the Chinese are thinking during this moment. This is from Shi Yi, he's a Senior Colonel of the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese military, and on the official Weibo site of the Eastern theater command. He writes, "The exercises are a solemn response to political plays by the U.S. and Taiwan that are undermining the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait."

In addition to the military drills that have taken place on Monday, and we are monitoring to see if there's more activity today. China of course, has announced that seven Taiwan officials have been sanctioned. Taiwan has responded to that move of sanctioning saying, "We cannot accept threats and intimidation. Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also condemned the latest round of military drills in response to the latest U.S. congressional delegation visit." John.

VAUSE: Kristie, we appreciate the report. Thank you. Kristie Lu Stout live for us there in Hong Kong.

Over the past 175 days, Ukraine has inflicted heavy losses on the Russian military, destroying 1000s of tanks and armored personnel carriers, hundreds of helicopters and warplanes. But despite the staggering loss of materiel, President Vladimir Putin has promised to supply Russian allies with modern weapons as well as training for their soldiers. The offer came during his speech at a military exposition on Monday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT: (through translator): Russia sincerely cherishes historically strong, friendly, truly trusting ties with the countries of Latin America, Asia and Africa. We are ready to offer our allies the most modern types of weapons from small arms to armored vehicles and artillery to Combat Aviation and unmanned aerial vehicles.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Meantime, shelling has increased around Europe's largest nuclear power plant in the south of Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the incoming fire is Russian, he's accusing the Kremlin of nuclear blackmail and wants tougher sanctions leveled on Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Russia does not stop its blackmail actions at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and around it, provocative shelling of the nuclear power plant territory continues, undercover of the station, the occupiers are shelling nearby towns and communities. The Russian military hides ammunition and equipment right in the station's facility.

(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: That was the ongoing attacks on the plant of rice fields of a nuclear catastrophe, prompting warnings from world leaders and nuclear experts. CNN's Nina dos Santos has details.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN EUROPE EDITOR: The European Union and 42 countries have issued a statement urgently demanding that Russia withdraw its forces from the Zaporizhzhian nuclear plant. This is the largest such nuclear facility anywhere in Europe. It is located in Ukraine and it very early on was seized by the Russians in the start of the occupation of Ukraine. And the Ukrainians have said that Russia has repeatedly used it as a sensitive location for which to bombard parts of its western sovereign territory cities like Nikopol and Marganets that have been facing days and days, if not weeks of escalating bombardments.

The concern that this plant might get caught up in the crossfire between Ukraine and Russia is something that the IAEA has become increasingly vocal about the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, has been demanding access to the facility, saying that it wants to see a demilitarized zone created around there, so that its inspectors can get in and make sure that there's no risk that the reactors could overheat that there could be any leakage of radioactive material in namely that this plant can operate safely and effectively. Nina dos Santos, CNN in London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: The trial of five Europeans who fought alongside Ukrainian troops began Monday in the Moscow back to self-proclaimed Donetsk, People's Republic. The five men are accused of acting as mercenaries or recruiting other foreign fighters. Three of the accused are from the U.K. and other from Sweden, and one from Croatia. They all pleaded not guilty, but if convicted, three of the five will face the death penalty.

Still ahead here on CNN, Blue Lives Matter. Blue Lives Matter. But now FBI agents under threat after the search of Donald Trump's at Mar-a- Lago resort. More on that in a moment.

[01:15:03]

Also chaotic scenes in Kenya, as officials announced the winner of the presidential election the results that sparked the skirmishes, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Jubilation in Western Kenya as supporters of President-elect William Ruto celebrated a narrow win over opposition leader Raila Odinga, counting ballots for almost a week and there was briefly chaos when some of the Odinga's supporters rejected the results. The latest now from CNN's Larry Madowo.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Angry scenes inside Kenyan's vote tallying center, soldiers forced to use batons to bring fighting under control.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hereby declares that Ruto, William Samoei has been duly elected as the president.

MADOWO: Moments later, Deputy President William Ruto was declared the country's next leader, succeeding term limited, Uhuru Kenyatta, a nervous six day wait for Kenya's election winner finally over but a narrow lead contested by candidate Raila Odinga's coalition before it was even announced.

SAITABAO KANCHORY, ODINGA COALITION: Once we see them, we would want to verify them. Once we verify them, we will be able to know and to tell the Kenyan people because a result that is not verifiable is not a result.

MADOWO: Four election commissioners also disowned the anticipated results moments before the chaos descended at the national tallying center.

(On camera): Kenyans went to the polls at a critical time for East Africa's largest economy, soaring food and fuel prices, high unemployment and post pandemic stagnation. It was a bitter battle between the friends and foes and friends and foes again, ending in this. Odinga supporters violently rejecting Ruto's win.

(Voice-over): Both campaigns accused the other of corruption but Ruto now promising to work with his rival.

WILLIAM RUTO, KENYAN PRESIDENT-ELECT: I will run a transparent, open, democratic government. And I will work with the opposition to the extent that they provide oversight over my administration.

MADOWO: She has a jubilation in his hometown, but a fierce contest of the results could come next. Larry Madowo, CNN Kisumu, Kenya.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Just months before us midterm elections and an open question right now is how much influence Donald Trump yields over the Republican Party. In the coming hours, a key election battle in the U.S. state of Wyoming may have some clues. Congresswoman Liz Cheney is struggling to keep her seat in the U.S. House of Representatives against challenger Harriet Hageman. Recent polls show Hageman, who's endorsed by Trump leading by a wide margin.

Cheney is the most prominent critic of Trump in the Republican Party. She voted with Democrats to impeach Trump, which tanked her poll numbers in the conservative state. She has also of course taken leading role in the committee investing the attack on the U.S. Capitol. She's also the daughter of Dick Cheney who's like Darth Vader or the Republican Party.

[01:20:07] Prosecutors in Georgia had notified Donald Trump's former attorney Rudy Giuliani that he is a target in their investigation. They're looking at efforts by the ex-president and his associates to overturn the state's 2020 presidential election results. Giuliani's attorney says if they want to play hardball, we know how to play hardball. Giuliani himself had this response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER TRUMP'S PERSONAL LAWYER: It's just a further desecration of the Sixth Amendment. I was his lawyer of record in that case. The statements that I made are either attorney client privileged because they were between me and him or they were being made on his behalf in order to defend them. When you start when you start turning around lawyers into defendants when they're defending their clients, we're starting to live in a fascist state.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Meanwhile, the federal judge has ruled Republican Senator Lindsey Graham must testify before a grand jury in that same investigation. U.S. Justice Department is opposing the release of the affidavit used to get the search warrant for Donald Trump's Florida home. The Department says the ongoing criminal investigation involves highly classified materials, making the details public could compromise their work and discourage cooperation from witnesses. Meantime, the former president's supporters taking aim at the FBI and the agents involved in that search. CNN's Jessica Schneider has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: The threats against FBI employees have intensified in the past week ever since that search warrant was executed at Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in Florida last Monday night. Our team is now told that the FBI is investigating what they're calling an unprecedented number of threats against FBI employees. And that includes threats against two of the special agents who are listed on those Court Records released on Friday as being involved in the Mar-a-Lago search.

Now, the agents names were blacked out in the official copy released from the court, but their names weren't blacked out in the leaked copies that was put out by conservative media outlets earlier in the day on Friday. Plus, we've learned that the FBI has noticed an uptick in what's called Daxing. That's where people online publicly post the personal information of FBI employees who could then be targeted by people across the country. And we've even seen threats against the judge in Florida who approved this warrant. You know, his contact information was taken offline by the court.

So as personal information was no longer out there. So a very heightened threat environment so much so that the FBI headquarters in Washington is now surrounded by a fence, something we've seen in other government institutions over the past few years like the Supreme Court of the U.S. Capitol building, now surrounding the FBI headquarters. And the FBI Director Christopher Wray. He is speaking out. He issued a statement to employees saying their safety and security is his biggest concern. And the FBI now also urging the public to speak out if they see any threats. Jessica Schneider, CNN Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Still to come Europe's brutally hot summer may be winding down but the danger of wildfires and extreme heat remains, that story straight ahead.

Also why some Americans are moving to Mexico City and working remotely. What is the impact there on the local economy? And later this hour the effects of social media in the spotlight again, a major film start announcing it's been detrimental to his mental health.

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[01:25:50]

VAUSE: A dramatic sight in the night sky over Scotland. In fact, the city of Dundee to be precise, see the lightning there, shooting out in all different directions almost in a spiral. That's the U.K. of bracing for heavy thunderstorms and flash floods, following drought.

Fire crews have finally contained the wildfire that's been raging in southwestern France for days, but a calling for caution to avoid future flare ups. CNN's Melissa Bell reports. Just because the flames are under control, does not mean the fire is no longer a threat.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here to the south of Boulder (ph) with the extreme heat and wildfires continue to prove a major headache for authorities. This is the heart of the third major wildfire to hit Dijon region here in southwestern France this summer. I know that there's been some improvements in the conditions over the last couple of days a little rain that has helped a slight drop in temperatures. The fears are that this fire that for now has been contained has still not been extinguished. And if the conditions get back to what they were and are expected to get back to by the end of the week that is extreme heat and sun. This extremely hot soil that continues to smolder, as you can see, these Romanian firefighters pushing out the smoke as it rises and this is happening over a 25 kilometer zone as they try and get this fire under control why they can.

The fear is that should those conditions change, it isn't just here in Dijon for the firefighters themselves that have come now from all over Europe for the inhabitants many of whom have had to be evacuated from their villages not once but twice. That in places like this here in Gironde's pine forests but also elsewhere in southern Europe. There's parts of the continent that have been turned into a tinderbox by the severe heat and drought that are going forward in August and September, there could be many more wildfires to come. Melissa Bell, CNN Gironde.

(END VIDEOTAPE) VAUSE: Three wildfires in Spain's Valencia Region have forced at least 1200 people from their homes, many fled during the night just to close on their backs. More than 7000 hectares have burned so far, rough terrain, strong winds and made the fires difficult to contain. Spain's weather agency says the fire risks remain very high in areas in the Mediterranean. So let's get more on all. CNNs' Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri joins me now.

OK, so there's a bit of respite, but it's not going to be around for long.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah. You know, you look at the forecast. And any relief that comes John, it looks like after three or four days, it's not only back up being at average, but it's well above average. And that's the concern. You look at the fire activity, it's widespread, it's wide reaching, and you kind of pick any nation you want. And within just 100 kilometers or so you're going to run into another area where wildfires are prevalent and these temperatures even in the past 24 hours, even though it's cooled off across the western area of Europe, off towards the east temps about 10 degrees above average yet again, Homburg, included Berlin as well, around 32, when the low to mid 20s are what it's expected this time of year. And even in Austria, latest observations coming in showing those temperatures, about 33 or so degrees when 25 is average for this time of year.

So the heat is on in the central portion of Europe, here comes a potent storm system for this time of year that is cool, the temperature is off. And notice in Berlin, we remain into the heat here for three more days finally cooled off towards the latter portion of the week. But that global temperature scale is kind of what we've shown you in recent months here where the dramatic rise really prevalent in the past decade or so and above pre industrial times, about 1.1 degrees Celsius.

Now we know in the U.K. 40 degree observations they'd never been seen until about a month ago where eight different locations in the U.K. saw 40 degree observations, London included. Now, you look at other areas, of course, we've talked about temps cooling off, John, and the forecast looks as such here where when we do get a break, it is very short lived in the average is 32 for this time of year, and you'll notice we don't get anywhere to 32. We kind of get just below it and then we spike right above it and stay there. And these are the seven day forecasts that every single week we show you where when relief even arrives in the form of a storm system, it quickly leaves in another heat wave ensues. And we've had five now having occurred in the nine weeks so far in summer by my count, so five separate heat waves that have developed in nine weeks of summer, John.

VAUSE: Well, Pedram we thank you for that. Pedram Javaheri there for the latest.

[01:29:48]

Well, rising water levels set back rescue efforts to save ten miners trapped in a flooded coal mine in Mexico. They have been trapped for nearly two weeks after a tunnel wall collapsed causing flooding. The water's coming from a nearby abandoned mine. Engineers now plan to seal off the two mines while continuing to pump out the water. An earlier rescue attempt on Sunday was also set back by rising water.

British regulators have given the world's first approval to a next generation of COVID boosters for use in adults. Moderna's bivalent targets the original strain as well as the now dominant omicron variant. It may only be needed once a year.

Side effects are seemingly (ph) similar or milder compared to Moderna's original booster.

Dr. Jorge Rodriguez is a board certified internal medicine specialist and bio researcher and he is with us now from Los Angeles.

Dr. Rodriguez, it's good to see you. It's been a while.

DR. JORGE RODRIGUEZ, BOARD CERTIFIED INTERNAL MEDICINE SPECIALIST: Thank you John. Good to be here.

VAUSE: Ok. So this new booster essentially delivers more bang with just one shot. And each dose of the booster vaccine, half of the vaccine, 25 micrograms targets the original virus strain from 2020. The other half, the 25 micrograms targets omicron.

Are we now at that point, or very close to it, when it will be one and done? One vaccine shot a year just like it is for influenza which, you know, is adjusted to the particular strain in circulation, just kind of like this is.

DR. RODRIGUEZ: I think we are there, or very close to there. I want people to stop and realize what it is that science has been able to accomplish. They have been able to map this virus that has only been around as far as we know for a couple years, has been able to design vaccines that actually fight it and every year fight it more effectively. So yes, hopefully one year, every year we get a new vaccine. Just like happens with the flu.

VAUSE: Here's the U.K. deputy chief medical officer with more on expectations for this COVID combo booster. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THOMAS WAITE, BRITISH DEPUTY CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: Bivalent vaccines by giving protection against more than one type of COVID give a broader type of immunity and should therefore give a stronger immune response, making sure that people are better protected in winter 2022.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: It's pretty good timing when you think about it, just before -- coming before winter especially considering the original boosters are proving to be less effective against the new variants, right?

RODRIGUEZ: Absolutely. And from what I've read, this new vaccine, which is bivalent because it protects you against the original COVID virus and then the omicron and some if not more of its variants, is almost two times as effective in creating antibodies.

So it is a boosting booster if you will. It's more potent than the original.

VAUSE: Not bivalent -- bivalent, ok. The other point on timing -- you know, the boosters, the constant booster shots, they just seem unsustainable for a whole lot of reasons. So just also good timing.

RODRIGUEZ: Yes it is a good time. And people, you know, I get all of this feedback, oh my gosh, how many vaccines can we take? You know, the body is vaccinating itself all the time, every time it comes into contact with a different virus or a different antigen of some sort.

So it is the body's natural response to make antibodies. So we are vaccinating ourselves holistically if you will. And vaccines are just accelerating that.

VAUSE: Just getting that needle over and over and over again. I think it's getting kind of a drag for a lot of people.

RODRIGUEZ: It is.

VAUSE: This will hopefully relieve that.

This new COVID double, COVID combo, it produce potent neutralizing antibody responses against the omicron subvariant, ba.4 and ba.5 compared to the current authorize booster, regardless of prior infection status or age.

How significant is that last part about, you know, infection status and age?

RODRIGUEZ: I think that is very, very significant because I think we have been a little bit too slow in vaccinating the whole general population. Obviously in the beginning John, we didn't have enough vaccine to go around, so we vaccinated that part of the population that was most susceptible.

But now, especially in the U.S., where so many people don't want to get vaccinated, we have extra vaccines, I say that we vaccinate everybody from 50 to 5, or older. Let's just get as much of the population vaccinated as possible. And this vaccine seems to show that it will be effective regardless of the age.

VAUSE: It is good news. And it's welcome news. It's about time.

Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, thanks so much.

RODRIGUEZ: Thank you sir.

VAUSE: Chaos at IKEA in shanghai as China's hard line pandemic restrictions forced the giant furniture retailer into a lockdown. A close contact of a COVID patient was traced to the store. And when health officials ordered the closure, panicked shoppers started racing to the exits. That's Saturday. (INAUDIBLE) the thought of nothing but meatballs, hotdogs and soft- serve ice cream for two days was enough for customers to yell and push and try and get out. IKEA in Shanghai has now reopened.

[01:34:52]

VAUSE: The global (ph) pandemic forced millions to work remotely from home. But some digital nomads found it even easier to work from another country. The influx though of foreigners paying in U.S. dollars have some locals concerned about the economic impact.

CNN's David Culver has the story from Mexico city.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look past the charming cafes, scenic parks, flashy apartments and you will see this capital city for what is becoming -- a refuge for migrants.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I grew up in New York.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: L.A.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Atlanta.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Georgia.

CULVER: Perhaps not the border crossing you expected. Americans leaving pricey U.S. cities, heading south to work from home in Mexico City.

ERIC RODRIGUEZ, WORKS IN MEXICO CITY: It is starting to feel like home. I've been here for several months already.

CULVER: Born and raised in the U.S., Eric Rodriguez hardly speaks Spanish and admits he is not here to rediscover his Mexican roots, so much as to save money.

E. RODRIGUEZ: In San Diego, my apartment was probably $2,500.

CULVER: For 1 bedroom?

E. RODRIGUEZ: For a studio.

CULVER: For a studio.

E. RODRIGUEZ: Here I have a one bedroom and I pay $800 a month.

CULVER: The State Department says 1.6 million U.S. citizens live in Mexico. But they don't say how many are living and working there on tourist visas. The Mexican government does not track that data either. But they've recorded more than 5.3 million American tourists flying in during just the first five months of this year. Nearly 1 million more than that same period in 2019, pre-pandemic.

Rodriguez is among the unreported, but undeniably present so-called digital nomads. Here officially as tourists. Most working remotely for U.S. companies. Still getting paid in U.S. dollars, allowing for a far more affordable life in Mexico.

E. RODRIGUEZ: I think there was a sense of, we want people to come here to stimulate the economy. Thank you for being here.

But I know that recently, there has been kind of complaints from locals about the effect that expats living here have had on their own lifestyles.

CULVER: Sandra Ortiz is one of them.

"The prices are going up," she said it's difficult because a lot of these foreigners come and they have a bunch of money to be able to spend on some of these apartments and rent.

For more than 50 years, Ortiz and her four siblings ran a restaurant popular with locals, on a prime corner in the increasingly desirable Roma (ph) neighborhood. But as prices climbed, Ortiz says it became unaffordable for the family.

And in February, she says they were evicted. All their belongings, piled onto the sidewalk.

You had five minutes to get everything out and move it out?

So where do the locals go? That is what we need to be asking ourselves.

Fernando Bustos Gorospe tells me the pandemic, coupled with the global inflation, has made matters worse leaving locals in fear of a culture clash.

"This is part of the problem", he says. The expats move here because it is cheap, not because they want to truly immerse in the local culture. Families like the Ortizes feel they are getting pushed out. Sandra and two of her siblings now working at another restaurant, no longer the owners.

The thought of visiting their old restaurant, too painful. We went by renovations already underway, high-end apartments coming soon.

David Culver, CNN -- Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: One year after the fall of Kabul and the Taliban want billions of dollars of Afghan assets unfrozen. And the world wants the girls to get an education.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: When will the Taliban allow teenage girls to go back to school? What is the holdup?

(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: CNN's chief international correspondent pushes an Afghan government spokesman for some answers.

[01:38:44]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Prison time is piling up for the former civilian leader of Myanmar. A court has sentenced Aung San Suu Kyi to an additional six years for corruption. She's already serving an 11-year sentence on other charges. 77-year-old Suu Kyi was ousted and detained in a military coup early last year.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner denies any wrongdoing. Currently being held in solitary confinement in a jail in Myanmar's capital.

One year on since the Afghan National Army folded like a cheap suit and the Taliban took control of the capital, Afghanistan is reeling from rabid poverty, widespread hunger and an almost total rollback of almost two decades of progress on women's rights.

Today Taliban leaders want international recognition and foreign aid, but they are not likely to get either anytime soon. Foreign governments like the United States fear any funding will be devoted to terror groups.

And the international community is demanding major reforms in the realm of human and especially women's rights.

CNN's chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward has this report now from Kabul.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WARD: It's a three-hour journey from Shaquila's (ph) home to the center of Kabul. But each morning she and other women make this walk, driven by hunger and the need to feed their children.

Their destination is this bakery. One of many across the capital where crowds of women now sit patiently every day quietly hoping for handouts.

So all the women have been pressing pieces of paper with their phone numbers into our hands. They're desperately hoping that maybe we can help them.

Shaquila tells us on a good day, they might get two or three pieces of bread. Every morsel counts.

Were you doing this year ago, or has the situation become worse in the last year?

"There is no work this year" she says. "My husband has a cart but now he only earns 30 to 40 cents a day." One year after the Taliban took power, Afghanistan is isolated and increasingly impoverished. Largely cut off from the global banking system and the foreign aid that once funded almost 80 percent of this country's budget.

It is also unmistakably safer. One thing the Taliban has been able to improve is security. Outside Kabul's airport, shops are open and streets are calm.

A far cry from the chaotic scenes we witnessed last summer. He told me to cover my face. But he does not want to comment on that transcript he's carrying.

Tens of thousands risked life and limb to try to flee the country. Many feared for their lives. Others that the Taliban would take the country back to the Middle Ages. For these girls, that fear has come true. They were just a year out from graduating.

The Taliban announced a de facto ban on girls' secondary education after sixth grade. Now they have improvised ways to defy the ban, setting up unofficial schools where they continue their studies.

Nahid (INAUDIBLE) dreams of a diploma may have vanished, but her drive has not.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I always say to myself that I am so powerful. I'm strong. And these can't break my (INAUDIBLE) and my dreams. What I want to do.

WARD: Do you ever feel scared?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. It's so risky for us. We don't cover our face. And we study our work here.

WARD: You are very brave.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I know.

[01:44:54]

WARD: Girls' education is one of the main reasons no country and the world has yet recognized the Taliban government. A point we put to foreign ministry spokesman, Abdul Qahar Balkhi.

When will the Taliban allow teenage girls to go back to school?

ABDUL QAHAR BALAKHI, SPOKESMAN, AFGHAN MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: From the perspective of the government, there's a range of mix of issues that has led to the temporary suspension of secondary schools.

The most important and significant part of this is that the policy of the government of Afghanistan is education for all citizens of Afghanistan.

WARD: And yet all citizens of Afghanistan are not currently able to get an education. What is the holdup? BALKHI: It seems that international actors are unfortunately

weaponizing the issue of education. instead of coming forward and interacting positively, they are trying to find moral justifications for some of the inhumane policies of sanctions, which is leading to the collective punishment of the entire people of Afghanistan.

WARD: Do you want to see girls going to school again?

BALKHI: The policy of the government of Afghanistan is very clear. And that is education for all citizens of Afghanistan.

WARD: The Taliban says it wants to see peaceful and positive relations with all countries, including the U.S. But those prospects were dramatically diminished when the head of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed by U.S. drone strike in a villa in downtown Kabul just over two weeks ago.

BALKHI: We've made it very clear that the government of Afghanistan was unaware of the arrival or presence of Mr. Zawahiri in Kabul. So far, we have been unable to establish -- as a matter of fact that Mr. Zawahiri was indeed present in Kabul.

WARD: Isn't that almost more frightening, though. The idea that you are claiming potentially the leader of al-Qaeda was here in the center of the city and you did not even know about it?

BALKHI: Again, we contend that notion that he was even present here. But even if he was, these types of incidents happen everywhere in the world.

WARD: But they really don't. I mean how can the U.S. possibly trust the Taliban leadership though to stay true to its promise that it will not allow sanctuary to be granted to terrorist groups?

BALKHI: If we look at the Doha agreement, the articles that define the commitments of the government of Afghanistan, all of them had been fulfilled. And if we look at the commitments that the United States of America has made, sadly they have not fulfilled a single article.

But we are hopeful and we continue to urge the United States to adhere to that agreement.

WARD: It's a brazen position that complicates efforts to unfreeze funding to help the Afghan people millions of whom remain hungry and reliant on the kindness of strangers.

Clarissa Ward, CNN -- Kabul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: If you would like to help ease the crisis there with (INAUDIBLE) food and hunger, please go to CNN's Impact Your World at CNN.com/Impact.

There you'll find links to aid groups operating in Afghanistan and other countries struggling with famine. Please stay with us, you're watching CNN. We'll be back in just a moment.

[01:48:35]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Salman Rushdie is awake and articulate when speaking to investigators. But a law enforcement source says it's unclear what he actually said.

And now Iran has weighed in and blamed the author and his supporters for the stabbing. Rushdie's "Satanic Verses" has long drawn condemnation from some Muslims who consider the book sacrilegious, with Iran's late ayatollah calling for Rushdie's death decades ago.

The suspect Hadi Matar (ph) of New Jersey has not revealed the motive. He had a fake driver's license, some cash, Two Visa prepaid gift cards on him at his time of arrest.

Actor Tom Holland says he is taking a break from social media because of mental health issues. The 26-year-old star "Spider-Man: No Way Home" has nearly 68 million followers. He has been noticeably absent from his digital platforms in recent weeks. On Sunday he issued a three minute video statement on Instagram and Twitter saying social media has become detrimental to his mental health. And he's deleted the apps.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM HOLLAND, ACTOR: I get caught up and I spiral when I read things about me online. And ultimately, it's very detrimental to my mental state. So I've decided to take a step back and delete the app.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Mike Isaac is the technology correspondent for the "New York Times". He is with us this hour from San Francisco. Welcome back.

MIKE ISAAC, TECH CORRESPONDENT, "NEW YORK TIMES": Hey. Thanks for having me.

VAUSE: Sure. Now, the reaction to Tom Holland's announcement seems to be more whimper than bang. Notably though, Justin Bieber, who has struggled with his own mental health issues, this message. "Love you man, heart emoji."

And from pro wrestler (INAUDIBLE) "Man, you're an inspiration to so many. What matters is your physical and your mental health. So take care, and come back better than ever."

The messages to the guy who's taking the break from social media for mental health reasons was post to his social media account, just saying. But in many ways, social media for celebrities is a different beast than it is for the rest of us, right. For them it's business. Reputations are made, they can be unmade. studios could cast on the numbers of followers someone has.

Despite all that Holland is among a growing number of celebrities or big names who are taking a walk or taking a break away from social media. Why is that?

ISAAC: Yes. I think it is a great point. You are exactly right, it's just basically as a celebrity, you have to manage your reputation online these days. It's where the fans sort of reach you directly.

And a lot of the success of let's say films or different things that are coming out often rely on hype that is generated by social media. But it's intense you know. Folks like you and I don't have the same followings as someone like Tom Holland, who has, you know, tens of millions of followers responding to him, reacting to him, sending him photos, videos, messages all day long.

And it, you get like a whole range of emotions from people. And it can be, you know -- if you are someone who like Tom just put something out into the universe, you know, whether it's a photo or a random thought, you can get any sort of torrent of abuse back basically. And so I think more as social media has matured, more celebrities who have to be on it are starting to wonder if it's worth it. You know, wondering if it's really worth being constantly available to the fans at the cost of taxing their brain and with notifications coming all the time.

VAUSE: Yes. And if you click through some of the pages, you know, my favorite news sites like In Style there are stories like this. "21 celebrities who don't use social media." Or perhaps Insider is more your thing. "17 celebrities to quit social media and why they did it".

You know, the reasons vary, it's said to be believed from either privacy concerns, they could not be bothered, they don't know how to tweet because they are stupid. Occasionally it's bullying or harassment. None of them though have actually claimed mental health as one reason why they've taken a break or they've walked away from social media.

And someone I think -- I think it makes Holland's announcement just unique but relatable. Because that's the impact social media is having across the (INAUDIBLE) right now.

[01:54:45]

ISAAC: One hundred percent. I mean you know, we don't really quantify the cost that these little notifications that pile up on our phones have on ourselves each day. But you know, right now I'm on leave to write a book for my day job at the "Times".

And so I've started to notice more each time I get, you know, pings on my phones for whatever it is and it puts stress on you. And I think that being more aware of that as tech matures and as people sort of become accustomed to having social networks integrated into their lives, it's a positive thing.

And just sort of recognizing when you need to step away from that. I think even the tech companies too are recognizing that. With companies like Apple building features in, essentially letting you take breaks or monitor how much time you are spending online basically.

VAUSE: And Holland talked about specifically how Instagram and Twitter were over stimulating, they're overwhelming and you mentioned some of the comments which he read (INAUDIBLE).

The thing though, we've known about that for a while. Especially the overall harm which can be done to teenagers and teenage girls. And that is because of the research which was done by Instagram and Facebook and all these social media companies.

And yet, you know, that story was the big story last year. And it's still happening.

ISAAC: Yes. I mean this is the sort of the interesting thing when all of this stuff came up around Facebook and Instagram being potentially damaging especially around younger users and women, you know, they did not see it a dip in usage, you know. Like as much sort of negative press or negative sort of -- even how much we intuit how negative this can be for us isn't really batting back our usage, make you sort of wonder, you know, what are the different ways that social media sort of keeps itself hooked into our lives.

Are there different feedback loops based on how many likes I'm getting or how many sort of retweets something is getting that keep me coming back to it?

So I think Holland's announcement is hopeful in the sense that, you know, at least paying attention and paying attention where, you know, when you start feeling like this is just too much, and maybe you need to take a break from having this on your phone is really valuable.

And if people start recognizing that more, maybe, you know, folks like you and me might do it eventually.

VAUSE: I've done it. I've walked away as much as I can. I'm not a big fan.

But Mike, thanks so much for being with us. Appreciate it.

ISAAC: Thanks. Thanks for having me as well.

VAUSE: And thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM.

I'm John Vause. The news continues next with my colleague and friend Rosemary Church.

And I'll see you right back here tomorrow.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:00]