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UBS to Pay $3.2B for Credit Suisse in Rescue Deal; China's Xi to Meet with Putin in Moscow; Putin Visits Occupied City of Mariupol; Macron Feels the Heat from Anger Over Pension Reform; Israel: Two Civilians Wounded in West Bank Shooting; U.S. and Iraq Still Grapple with Consequences of War; CDC: Sharp Rise in Mental Health Challenges in U.S. Schools. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired March 20, 2023 - 00:00   ET

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

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome. Coming to you live from Studio Four at the CNN Center in Atlanta. I'm Michael Holmes. Appreciate your company.

[00:00:35]

Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, a buyer steps forward for the troubled bank Credit Suisse just ahead of markets opening for the week.

China's president is set to visit Moscow in what it calls a peace mission. Western officials, though, are skeptical.

And the U.S. invasion of Iraq, two decades on. The country may be freer but at huge cost.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Michael Holmes.

HOLMES: In the latest twists of global banking troubles following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, Switzerland's largest bank, UBS, is planning to buy its troubled rival, Credit Suisse, in an emergency rescue deal.

The marriage between the two banks is the latest attempt to calm panicked investors and nervous markets. UBS will pay nearly three and a quarter billion dollars for the 167-year-old Credit Suisse. That's about 60 percent less than what Credit Suisse was valued at when markets closed on Friday.

And UBS will now assume up to $5.4 billion in losses, in a deal backed by a massive Swiss guarantee. The deal is expected to close by the end of this year and is being welcomed by many in the finance world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARIN KELLER-SUTTER, SWISS FINANCE MINISTER: The bankruptcy of a global, systematically-important bank would have cost irreparable economic turmoil in Switzerland and throughout the world. For this reason, Switzerland had to take the responsibilities beyond its own borders.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: All right. Let's have a look at how markets in Asia are reacting to the news. You can see the Hang Seng is down two and a half percent. Then U.S. stock futures, let's have a look at those. They seem to be pretty flat for the day. Slightly up on the NASDAQ and the S&P.

Now, to help avert a financial crises and keep credit available to households and businesses. The U.S. Federal Reserve and central banks of the U.K., the E.U. and several other major economies have announced a joint effort to keep U.S. dollars flowing easily through the global banking system.

All right, Ryan Patel, senior fellow at Claremont graduate university's Drucker School of Management joins me now from Los Angeles. Always good to see, Ryan. The question is, will this calm things down?

RYAN PATEL, SENIOR FELLOW, CLAREMONT GRADUATE UNIVERSITY'S DRUCKER SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT: Well, calming today, Michael. What about the rest of the week? We just got started.

I mean, truthfully, yes, I think it was good news by all to be able to have -- you know, for UBS, it's a great deal. It's almost pennies on the dollar when you think about combining the invested assets. It's almost five trillion, you know, dollars, per se.

So I think one of the things that helps the global interconnection piece and even the Silicon Valley Bank piece. It kind of calms the nerves. But you know, Michael, this is just the start of -- you know, of other questions on the banking system in general.

And, yes this would have been a really bad sign if they couldn't come to an agreement or to be able to kind of have that much stability. So I don't think -- this is a great conversation, a great start point. But we're not out of the woods just yet.

HOLMES: Yes, because I was going to ask you. How much of Credit Suisse's problem is isolated to Credit Suisse? After all, it's had years of scandals and financial missteps that have, you know, cost it billions in losses and legal fines and cost of the trust of investors. So, you know, how much of it is their fault?

PATEL: Yes, you know, it's a great point. Because, you know, when we think of comparing '08 and '09 to now, we're talking about the whole global financial crises. The economic banking system is strong.

However, when you look at isolated incidents. And now we're looking at it a lot more closely than before, which like we saw what happened with Silicon Valley Bank, the Credit Suisse CEO. And I believe their leadership came out. That system, even though it's not that connected, kind of made their weakness even further and brought the weaknesses to the forefront.

And Michael, this is what's going to happen to other banks that were teetering just like what Credit Suisse was. It's going to put this, you know, escalation a little bit further back on that conversation. And, you know, I would hope that many of the leadership of the banking will put their risk management systems in place right away.

HOLMES: So we had a look at the futures for the U.S. and had a quick look at the Asian markets. What do you expect when European and U.S. markets open for Monday trading?

[00:05:06]

PATEL: Well, hopefully, it's flat. But this is going to be, you know, not that I have a predictive ball, but Michael, I think it's going to be a bumpy week, with the Fed coming out later this weekend and, you know, over the next 48 hours. It will be interesting to see what other banking news, not just from Credit Suisse but in other places, come out.

Because if we see any kind of lack of trust or even a bit of trust issues with certain banks, it's going to be a very long week.

HOLMES: Yes, so much of this is about sentiment. But, you know, after 2008 and the other scares, you know, for the average person, why haven't the rules, the safeguards been enough to prevent such things? Or is that impossible?

PATEL: Well, it's hard when you think about individual banks. And, you know, I will take two examples. You look at Silicon Valley Bank. They had a run of high deposits, an all-time high in 2021. And, you know, there's multiple variables.

But one of them obviously, they bought these bonds with -- you know, with interest rates rising and made their assets a lot worse. And then First Republic Bank, which came out again today with analysts downgrading to junk bonds. Right? These are mistakes that are happening. You know, you can blame on specific leadership teams and the economic conditions, not getting in front of it. So these are held specific in certain banks.

So when you think about regulations and what needs to be had, I mean, it's a great conversation. While there is healthy banks, then there is also banks that are, you know, in this situation, where they've put themselves in that situation.

HOLMES: Yes. Yes. And as we said at the beginning, Credit Suisse was valued, I think it was 9.5 billion dollars on Friday. And as you say, you know, UBS is going to pay a fraction of that. How much of a bargain is it for them? And what are they likely to do with Credit Suisse?

PATEL: I mean truthfully, that's a bargain for UBS. I mean, they started, I think we were coming negotiating a lot to a billion, to a billion dollars moving themselves up. They knew that they had -- they had a deal here when the days got further in.

I think what I expect from them, I think they're going to consolidate. They're going to be able to get some -- you know, especially on the investment management side. They're going to be able to make more money, provide more money to the shareholder.

It was clear that they made this deal for their shareholder. And they thought that, you know, combining services and being able to still keep the Credit Suisse afloat, obviously, there's a very high ROI and a very low risk for them because they got it -- you know, I hate to say it, pennies to the dollar where the potential is a lot larger than it can be.

HOLMES: Yes, yes. Always good to get your analysis, Ryan Patel. Appreciate it. Thanks so much.

PATEL: Thank you, Michael.

HOLMES: Now, in the hours ahead, Chinese leader Xi Jinping is set to arrive in Russia for a visit that's likely to be viewed by the West as a powerful show of support for Moscow and President Vladimir Putin.

The Kremlin says the two plan to strengthen relations and discuss the war in Ukraine, with a one-on-one meeting knocking -- kicking off the visit. The U.S. plans to keep a close eye on developments and watch for any signs that China might move forward with providing military aid to Russia.

CNN's Anna Coren is following developments, joins me now live from Hong Kong. What are we expecting, Anna?

ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Michael, China certainly framing Xi's visit, three-day visit to Moscow as an opportunity to promote peace talks.

Now, whether the U.S. and Europe believe that is another question and highly unlikely. But Xi Jinping has made it perfectly clear that China is committed to finding a resolution to this war in Ukraine.

Now, he wrote an article that was published this morning in a Russian newspaper, celebrating the close ties between China and Russia. Let me read you a quote from it.

He said, "The bilateral relationship has grown more mature and resilient. It is brimming with new dynamism and vitality, setting a fine example for developing a new model of major-country relations featuring mutual trust, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation."

Now, China proposed its 12-point peace plan last month, Michael, calling for a cease-fire between Ukraine and Russia, an end to Western sanctions. But it did not address Russia's occupation of Ukrainian territory.

And remember, China is -- is really positioning itself as this peacemaker with its credentials, which were certainly bolstered by the recent intervention between Saudi Arabia and Iran in reestablishing their diplomatic ties.

The Kremlin, interestingly, says that it's giving China's proposal great attention. And we know that the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has said that he is willing to speak to Xi. Now Michael, we are expecting virtual talks between Xi and Zelenskyy,

although that has not yet been confirmed.

We do know, however, that the Chinese foreign minister spoke by phone to the Ukrainian foreign minister last Thursday.

But Michael, as we know, the U.S. is not buying any of it. They believe that this visit is a show of solidarity between Xi and Putin, you know, further strengthening their ties.

[00:10:12]

They have met 39 times since she came to power in 2012. Xi, as we know, has just cemented his precedent-breaking third term in power. These are two men, Michael, who've positioned themselves as -- as leaders for life. And it certainly sets the scene, you know, for global confrontation with Beijing, if it's willing to use its partnership with Moscow to counter Washington -- Michael.

HOLMES: All right. Appreciate it, Anna.

Thanks, Anna Coren there in Hong Kong for us.

Now the Russian president's meeting with his Chinese counterpart comes after his first visit to Ukrainian territory captured by Russian forces since their invasion began last year.

Mr. Putin traveled to Mariupol, driving around parts of that bombed- out city in a move that the Kremlin said was, quote, "spontaneous."

CNN's Ivan Watson reports from Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fresh from an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes, Russian President Vladimir Putin paid a visit to a city his forces largely destroyed. A Kremlin camera filmed the leader driving a car into the outskirts of Mariupol.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

GRAPHIC: Very much. This is a little piece of heaven here now.

WATSON (voice-over): There, some residents, living in houses built by the Russian government, welcomed Putin into their homes.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

GRAPHIC: I don't want to bother you. I apologize for such a sudden visit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

GRAPHIC: Thank you for coming by. We are so happy to see you. WATSON (voice-over): Part of a visit aimed at highlighting Russian efforts to rebuild parts of the city. A top Kremlin official describing plans to build new schools, hospitals and homes, while also demolishing the ruins of shattered apartment buildings.

During the first weeks of Russia's invasion, the Russian military encircled this port city, bombing it from land, sea and air. For those who remain in the city a year later, basics like heat and electricity are still hard to come by.

Many Ukrainians noticed Putin made his visit under the cover of darkness. The Ukrainian defense ministry called it cowardly, saying, "As befits a thief, Putin visited Ukrainian Mariupol under the cover of night."

Ukrainian refugee Maria Kutnyakova survived the infamous bombing of the Mariupol drama theater last year.

MARIA KUTNYAKOVA, MARIUPOL THEATER SURVIVOR: Everyone started screaming that the theater is on fire. So we should run and we ran. But Russians bombed it. So we ran in from the theater, and bombs was like this, this, this.

WATSON (voice-over): It took nine days for Maria and her family to escape and reach Ukrainian-controlled territory. Speaking from exile, this resident, forced to flee Mariupol, says Putin's visit to her hometown is like watching a serial killer return to the scene of the crime.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Kharkiv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: David Sanger is a CNN political and national security analyst. He's also White House and national security correspondent for "The New York Times."

He joins me now from Seoul in South Korea. Good to see you.

Before we move on to Putin's meeting with Xi, I wanted to get your thoughts on Putin's visit. Not so much to occupied Crimea. He's done that before. But occupied Mariupol.

What do you think the messaging was in that, especially coming after the International Criminal Court war crimes indictment?

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, Michael, you've got it exactly right. The symbolism here was both the timing, after the indictment, as if to say I'm ignoring this.

The Russians have already said that the International Criminal Court had no legitimacy in their eyes. A position that they'll be able to sustain a bit, since the United States itself doesn't recognize the jurisdiction of the criminal court over Americans. And then also, because it is obviously from Mariupol that they took

many of the children in the program that resulted in his indictment. So it's as if to say this is now Russian territory. This is an internal matter. We're going to do it our way.

And that was a pretty in-your-face moment to the West and particularly to the International Criminal Court.

HOLMES: Yes, absolutely. Well, let's move on to that meeting with President Xi.

China put out -- Let's not call it a plan. But some bullet points for a possible solution to the war. Can China, given its strategic relationship with Russia, ever be a realistic mediator?

SANGER: It can't be a realistic mediator. But it's certainly willing to go play the role.

[00:15:01]

And when you ask Chinese about this, they say, well you tried for years to be a realistic mediator in the Middle East. And you're an ally of Israel.

So, they're using that as -- as an example. In this case, as you said, Xi Jinping's government turned out a peace plan. It was only missing one thing, which was the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.

HOLMES: Yes.

SANGER: So it left completely unclear what happens in those occupied areas.

Look, I think what Xi Jinping would consider to be a negotiating success here would be if he got Putin to agree to some kind of a cease-fire. And then put it on the Ukrainians to accept or turn that down.

Of course, if they accepted it, they would be accepting it under the current lines. Right? So what happened at the end of the Korean War. And they wouldn't want to do that, because it would be an acknowledgment of Russian occupation.

And of course, a cease-fire or even an armistice doesn't resolve the territorial issue.

On the other hand, it's very possible that -- that China could use this as a moment to signal to Putin that over time, if need be, if needed to keep the Russians from being humiliated, they will provide those arms that the Russians have asked for for some version. We don't know that they're ready to go do that. And certainly, we've not seen any indication that they are.

HOLMES: You neatly led into my next question. You know, the U.S. is saying that China is still considering some sort of weapons supply to Russia, be it artillery shells or technology to maintain missile manufacturing and so on.

But I guess my question is what is the risk calculus for Mr. Xi in even weighing such a move? What's at stake if he gets too involved in the war, in a direct sense?

SANGER: The risk calculus is twofold. First, he's trying to rebuild a relationship with Europe. He knows that the relationship of the United States is unlikely to improve any time soon.

But he doesn't want to alienate the Europeans, the major market for him. And if he ships the arms, he's almost forcing the Europeans to join in sanctions on China, if the U.S. went that route.

The second calculus is that, while I'm not sure that Xi Jinping wakes up at night and worries about the fate of the Ukrainians. He does want to make sure that the United States is tied down, and that the Russians are busy innovating a good deal of what it is that they're doing.

So he may well come to the conclusion that the war going on for some time is partly in -- in his interest. We don't know that for a fact, but he may well conclude that.

HOLMES: Always appreciate your analysis, David Sanger. Thanks so much.

SANGER: Good to be with you, Michael. Thank you.

HOLMES: Still to come on the program, as unrest rocks France, President Macron's government facing a test in Parliament. We'll have a look at what's next when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: In France, President Emmanuel Macron's government facing a test in Parliament as protests continue to rock the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CROWD CHANTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: The French National Assembly is set to vote on two no- confidence motions tabled by opposition lawmakers. They were filed after the government bypassed a full parliamentary vote to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.

The no-confidence motions are expected to fall short of the majority needed to succeed.

A majority of French people oppose the retirement age changes, and they've not given up voicing that opinion on the streets of Paris.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES (voice-over): The City of Light lit up by crowds of angry protesters over the weekend. Police clashed with rowdy demonstrators, venting their fury over an unpopular pension reform bill and the man behind that plan, French President Emmanuel Macron, whose government pushed the overhauls through Parliament last week without a vote.

The reforms have sparked weeks of protest in one of the biggest challenges to Macron's leadership in recent years.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): It's despicable, despicable, Mr. Macron is not hearing that the French are in the streets. He's not listening.

HOLMES (voice-over): Macron says the pension system will go bust if the retirement age is not raised from 62 to 64. But it's an unpopular plan. Opinion polls say about two-thirds of French people oppose the reform.

So to ensure the bill's success, the French prime minister, Elisabeth Borne, invoked a controversial executive power last Thursday to bypass a vote in the national assembly.

ELISABETH BORNE, FRENCH PRIME MINISTER (voice-over): We cannot gamble on the future of our pensions. This reform is necessary.

HOLMES (voice-over): Outraged opposition lawmakers filed motions of no confidence, which are unlikely to pass, as they would require too many different factions to come together to reach a majority threshold of 287 votes.

But it's still a sign of how much anger there is in France. Over the weekend, the offices of some MPs were vandalized and painted with graffiti opposing the reforms.

Unions have called for another day of nationwide strikes on Thursday, with one ongoing action causing a particularly nasty stink. Garbage workers walked off the job two weeks ago, leaving an estimated 10,000 metric tons of trash piling up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): The situation is catastrophic for the residents, for the whole of Paris, as well as for the tourists. The most beautiful city in the world. You just have to look at what's going on. It's pathetic. We've seen better.

HOLMES: It's a potential political mess for Macron, who may prevail in Parliament, if a no-confidence motion fails to get enough votes. But it's a victory that could set off even more unrest, making for even uglier scenes in the French capital.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Now we're tracking more violence over the weekend in the West Bank, Israeli authorities said on Sunday that two civilian settlers were shot and wounded in the flash-point Palestinian town of Hawara.

The U.S. ambassador to Israel says at least one of those shot was a U.S. citizen. Both of the shooting victims survived a suspected gunman was apprehended. Hadas Gold with the latest from Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HADAS GOLD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so we're learning that earlier today. This man and his wife were driving through Hawara, and the reason that they were doing so is that one of the main roadways through the occupied West Bank that both settlers and Palestinians use crosses through this town.

And that's why it's become a flash point.

What we know is is that, at some point, they came under attack. A gunman began shooting at their vehicle. If you look at the images of the vehicle, you can see the windshield absolutely riddled with bullet holes.

Now the Israeli military says, actually, the driver, the husband, managed to shoot back at the attacker. They say the attacker was injured before fleeing. He was later apprehended by Israeli soldiers.

Miraculously, despite the number of bullet holes you've seen in that windshield, the man actually is now in a rather stable condition. The hospital saying that it's amazing the condition that he is in.

But as you noted, Hawara has been a flash point for some time. A few weeks ago, those two Israeli brothers were shot and killed in actually a rather similar attack while they were driving along that main road.

[00:25:05]

An attacker shooting and killing these two Israeli brothers. A few hours later, we had those Israeli settlers essentially rampage, revenge attacks. Dozens of homes and cars were burned, and one Palestinian man was killed in the ensuing chaos.

There's been a lot of tension already in Hawara. Now actually, settlers had said they wanted to demonstrate again tonight, so there's a lot of concern that we see sort of a repeat of the settler rampages.

But so far, it doesn't seem -- it does seem as though things are calm. It seems the Israeli military has a lot more control over the situation than last time.

This is all coming while Israelis and Palestinians -- Egyptians, Jordanians and Americans all just met in Sharm El-Sheikh to try and calm the situation, especially ahead of Ramadan, which shows later this week.

All eyes will be here on Jerusalem, holy sites here in Jerusalem. Ramadan is expected to really raise attention quite a bit.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Hadas Gold there. Pakistan's former prime minister, Imran Khan, is vowing to take legal

action against the police, saying they broke into his home in Lahore while he was away.

It happened on Saturday, as police again clashed with Khan's supporters outside the home. Khan also says he plans to hold a public rally in Lahore on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Khan has another court hearing in the coming hours, although he's not required to be there in person. He's facing several legal challenges for alleged corruption, including illegally selling state gifts he received while in office.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un says his country should be ready to launch nuclear attacks at any time to deter war. That's from state media. Kim was on hand for military drills over the weekend, which simulated a nuclear counter-attack.

He also accused the U.S. and South Korea of expanding their joint military drills by involving American nuclear assets. And he says their aggression means his country must bolster its nuclear deterrence, quote, "exponentially."

Marking two decades since the U.S. invaded Iraq. Coming up, how the war has shaped both countries and altered the lives of millions around the world. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Welcome back to our viewers all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

Well, it has now been 20 years since the U.S. and its allies launched one of the largest and most consequential military operations in modern history. The 2003 invasion of Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(EXPLOSIONS)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: That is how it began, with a barrage of strikes pummeling military targets on March 19. In the weeks that followed, U.S.-led forces would sweep through the country with the goal of toppling its ruler.

By April 9, they took the capital, where that large statue of Saddam Hussein came tumbling down in Firdos Square.

The U.S. declared that his regime was gone, but the war would rage on for years more, leaving tens of thousands, some would say hundreds of thousands, dead, millions in chaos.

Now to this day, the impacts of the war are still being felt in Iraq, also in the U.S. CNN's Ben Wedeman explains how the conflict has shaped both nations

over the past 20 years.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It began with Shock and Awe. Twenty years ago, the United States and its allies embarked on a war in Iraq. Within weeks, Saddam Hussein's regime fell.

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.

WEDEMAN (voice-over): They prevailed in the brief battle of Iraq, but the war in Iraq that followed was long and hard. The American road, paved with good intentions, soon led to hell.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Son of a bitch. Welcome to freaking Iraq. Huh? Get back in the vehicle!

WEDEMAN (voice-over): The U.S. never found Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction, the original rationale for the war. And blunder after blunder poured fuel on a fire of resentment.

Every U.S. operation, like this one, uncovered in the summer of 2003 left behind a trail of bitterness.

By mid-week, U.S. troops had detained nearly 400 men, none from their most wanted list. They also managed, however, to arouse a fair amount of resentment.

"The Americans are occupiers," says this man. "They have no manners or ethics. One of them grabbed a Quran and threw it to the ground."

The U.S. cobbled together a political order based on sectarian divisions. Disbanded the Iraqi army and the once ruling Baath Party, throwing hundreds of thousands out of a job.

It was mired in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, where Iraqis were tortured, humiliated, and photographed. Eleven U.S. soldiers were convicted of crimes.

Less than a year after the invasion, large parts of Iraq in chaos. Saddam Hussein was captured, tried, an executed. But the insurgency went on.

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, was killed, but the insurgency went on.

Two years after the invasion, sectarian tensions between the Shia majority and the once-dominant Sunni Arab minority erupted into civil war, and the killing intensified.

The violence only subsided after the U.S. surged more troops into Iraq in 2007. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- checkpoints, we're here to support you.

WEDEMAN: In August 2010, the last U.S. combat troops left Iraq, leaving behind a brittle, corrupt, deeply-flawed democratic regime, riven by sectarian intentions. Which provided fertile ground for the rampage of the Islamic State, or ISIS, spilling over from the war in Syria into Iraq.

ISIS seized control of the Northern city of Mosul and then captured city after city, reaching the outskirts of Baghdad.

It took more than three years of bitter combat, and foreign military assistance, to defeat the group.

That enemy vanquished, old discontents resurfaced, in 2019, Baghdad was gripped by massive protests against corruption, sectarianism and poor living conditions. But like protest movements across the region, it too was crushed.

As the U.S. invasion and occupation fade into history, neighboring Iran plays an ever greater role in the country's affairs. Old problems, corruption, a dysfunctional infrastructure, and unemployment remain unresolved. Yet despite it all, today Baghdad is more peaceful than it has been in years.

[00:35:03]

Ben Wedeman, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Still to come on the program, the CDC warning of a growing mental health crisis among U.S. teens. I speak with an expert about what could be done to curb a rise in suicidal thoughts. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: The risk of suicide and other mental health challenges for U.S. teenagers has skyrocketed in the last few years. That's according to the CDC. And the risk is especially high among girls and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

The CDC's report found nearly three in five teenage girls felt persistently sad or hopeless in 2021. Thirty percent of high-school- aged girls had seriously considered suicide. And almost 20 percent had experienced sexual violence in the previous year.

Similarly, more than half of LGBTQ+ teens reported poor mental health, with more than 20 percent attempting suicide in the previous year.

Dr. Jill Harkavy-Friedman is the senior vice president of research and leads the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's Research program. She joins me now.

Doctor, thanks for doing so. So how concerning are the results of this CDC survey when it comes to overall teen mental health, particularly having suicidal thoughts and so on? And why are more girls apparently affected than boys?

DR. JILL HARKAVY-FRIEDMAN, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF RESEARCH, AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION RESEARCH PROGRAM: So first, I just want to say thank you so much for having me and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Because as you know, our mission is to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide. So we find these data concerning, this is a different time.

So we know that there's a lot of distress. We also know that girls often, over the years, have higher rates of suicidal ideation than boys.

The difference is not as surprising. What's of concern, and yet of hope, is that the girls are responding and expressing it more.

HOLMES: Well, that's encouraging. But one particularly concerning aspect of the survey, that it found that -- and it's not a huge number, in itself -- but one in five LGBTQ students had actually attempted suicide in the previous year. What do you make of that?

HARKAVY-FRIEDMAN: Well again, we know that, for a variety of reasons, including discrimination and what we call minority stress, the rates of suicidal ideation and attempts are higher in -- among LGBT youth than among the general population.

We don't really know about if that translates to suicide rates, because that's not information that's on the death certificates.

[00:40:04]

HOLMES: Any idea why that is so, though?

HARKAVY-FRIEDMAN: Well, we don't think it's anything unique about, you know, you know, LGBTQIA. It has to do with the rejection they experience, the lack of acceptance, the discrimination, the lack of gender-affirming care, and again, the discrimination that they face.

HOLMES: And what -- and you make a good point. And I know the data is nuanced, but -- and not to be political, but you make the point. In the U.S. now, many Republican states are legislating on gender issues, LGBTQ rights, and so on. And not in a positive way. Many of those bills coming after this survey that we're discussing.

Are you worried LGBTQ suicides, transgender for that matter, attempts are just going to get worse?

HARKAVY-FRIEDMAN: We know that it's very stressful, and again, I want to say that suicide is complex. It's not just being LGBTQIA, for instance. There are many factors that go into suicide risk.

And many people at risk will never actually engage in suicidal behavior. But if you are at risk, and you have this kind of intense pressure and stress, you might be a greater risk to think about it. You might be a greater risk to actually make attempts. And again, we don't know about deaths.

HOLMES: One would -- one would imagine that sort of legislating isn't going to help, right?

HARKAVY-FRIEDMAN: We know that our gender minority, you know, companions are experiencing extreme stress at this time.

HOLMES: Yes. What, then, is the answer? How to turn around disturbing trends like this?

HARKAVY-FRIEDMAN: Well, when we're talking about the LGBTQIA population, then we know first of all acceptance, gender-affirming care, and resources that take into account special issues that this group, you know, experiences, and also legislation that improves the lives of people in this sexual orientation and gender minority group.

HOLMES: Yes. I guess although some of these trends were evident before the pandemic, what -- what role do you think the pandemic -- lockdowns, et cetera -- might have played in the findings?

HARKAVY-FRIEDMAN: Well, fortunately, we're out of the lockdown now, but you know, many people may have been in homes or situations where they were being rejected and not accepted every day, you know.

We know from research that when people are accepted, that they fare well. But when there is rejection and discrimination, it's toxic. And like anybody else who's experienced that kind of thing, when you're at risk for thinking about it, or making an attempt, it just exacerbates that problem.

HOLMES: Wow. That -- yes, it's a really good point. I hadn't thought of that. Such an important issue. Thanks for being with us, and thanks for the work you. Dr. Jill Harkavy-Friedman, appreciate it. Thank you.

HARKAVY-FRIEDMAN: And thank you so much for having us.

HOLMES: And if you know of someone who is having thoughts of suicide, visit Suicide.org. You're going to get free and confidential support there in your area.

If you're in the U.S., you can call or text 988 for help, from the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline. And you can reach them at any hour of the day online.

Thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'm Michael Holmes. You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram, @HolmesCNN.

Do stick around. WORLD SPORT up next. And my colleague, Laila Harrak, has more news in about 15 minutes.

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