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Pentagon To Release Reviews Of U.S. Afghanistan Withdrawal; Ukraine Possibly Open To Discuss Crimea's Future If Forces Reach Border; Wimbledon Slammed For Lifting Ban On Russian, Belarusian Players; Tennessee Republicans About To Vote On Expelling 3 House Democrats. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired April 06, 2023 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: The Biden administration faced intense scrutiny for its withdrawal from Afghanistan, and now the Pentagon is ready to release its findings on the controversial troop drawdown and we'll send it to Congress. The reports include the attack on the Abbey Gate at Kabul Airport where 13 U.S. service members were killed during the evacuation. CNN national security reporter Natasha Bertrand joins us now from the Pentagon. Natasha, what are you learning?

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes, Fred, so we're getting a lot of information here from U.S. officials who say that this report essentially is going to lay out everything that the U.S. has learned about specifically that withdrawal from Afghanistan back in 2021.

And what we are learning is really that the administration feels that it conducted a good evacuation. All things considered the fact that they were able to get over 100,000 people out of the country as it collapsed, as the Taliban took over. They feel is a success. And they are emphasizing here that they still believe that the administration was severely constrained by the decisions that were made by the Trump administration, namely that deal that former president Trump made with the Taliban that required all U.S. troops to be out of the country by May of 2021.

So, the administration saying that they are working -- that they were working, essentially with the conditions that they entered into the administration under. And they're also, however, acknowledging that there are certain things that they could have done better in that very specific instance. For example, they are now saying they're going to prioritize evacuations in a way that is faster. So basically, when security situations deteriorate in these kinds of environments, they're going to advise Americans and other people to leave the country sooner than they did, of course, with Americans in Afghanistan.

Now the reason that they did not advise those evacuations to happen sooner is because they did not want to undermine confidence in the Afghan government at the time. They did not want the Afghan government to collapse, and they did not foresee the Taliban taking over as fast as they did. But they said that moving forward they are not going to make that mistake again, essentially, and saying that they are going to communicate the risks to Americans much more aggressively than they did in the incidence of Afghanistan. And they're also going to move faster to get people out -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Natasha Bertrand, thanks so much.

All right, according to a new report for the first time in a year, Ukraine is open to negotiating with Moscow over the future of Crimea. We're alive in Ukraine next.

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WHITFIELD: For the first time in a year, Ukraine maybe showing interest in negotiating with Moscow over the future of Crimea. A Ukrainian officials seem to indicate that Crimea could be up for negotiation if Ukraine is successful in its counter offensive. But now there is significant pushback to that. CNN senior international correspondent David McKenzie is here to sort all of this out for us. David, Ukraine cut off peace talks with Moscow about this very thing last April, so what's happening now?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What's really taboo here in Ukraine to discuss any territory that was Ukraine's as leverage into any kind of negotiations, and chief among that, of course, is Crimea, the part of Ukraine that Russia took in 2014.

Now you have these comments from the deputy head of the president's office to the "Financial Times," the British newspaper, saying that perhaps if there was a counter offensive threat that went all the way up to the borders of Crimea, then that is something that could be discussed.

But pretty quickly there's been pushed back very significantly from that person's boss at the president's office and other officials, saying, no, there is no sense from Ukrainians and the Ukrainian leadership that they are willing to talk about any territory within Ukraine that can be part of negotiations with Russia. That is consistent with what we've heard over months and months.

And also, of course, this conversation is theoretical because they are required to take a great deal of territory before they can get to the borders of Crimea -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And David, are there any signs of the counter offensive that has been discussed?

MCKENZIE: Well, there are signs, in that you had a real ratcheting up of Western weapons coming into the country over last few months and increasingly over the last few days. And the Ukrainian military and the Defense Department have pretty wreak -- pretty quickly shown off those weapons like U.S. armored personnel carriers and anti-mine equipment. So, you do feel that there is a movement in a certain direction. And that direction is potentially counter-offensive. I mean, you can just look where I'm standing. The weather is not

great. There's still been snow significantly in the West of the country where I am today.

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You need good weather. You need less mud and the sort of functional things of logistics to be a little bit better I think before you see a Ukrainian counter offensive. But the truth is, no one knows there's been hints from the president on down. But until it actually happens, we don't know and it will be a critical moment I think in the next few months to see if Ukraine can gain enough ground to make significant inroads into that territory that Russia has taken -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, David McKenzie, thanks so much.

Iga Swiatek, the world's top women's tennis player, is slamming her sports specifically Wimbledon when it comes to its stance on the war in Ukraine. CNN's Carolyn Manno explains.

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN REPORTER: Fredricka, the number one player in the world on the women's side, Iga Swiatek, says that her sport really missed an opportunity here to send a strong message by failing to impose a blanket ban on players from Russia and its ally Belarus, after the Ukraine invasion. And she says that even though she and her contemporaries are athletes that the sport wields tremendous power, and that that should be used to reinforce the fact that players are against this war.

Wimbledon banned players from the two countries last year after the invasion. That was very significant, as that was the first time the player were excluded on the grounds of nationality since the World War II era. But they lifted that ban last month, and players are now competing on the tours and at other grand slams under the heading of, quote, unquote, neutral athletes.

And what Swiatek is describing here is a locker room atmosphere at these events that's pretty tense. But she did underscore that this is a complicated situation for some of these athletes. These Russian and Belarusian athletes who could face consequences for not being complicit or for speaking publicly about the war in Ukraine if they do in fact protest. But she said that all players can make an impact and that any decisions that are made by the federation's should really be done so while keeping Russia's aggression top of mind in her opinion -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Carolyn Manno, thanks so much for that.

All right today, in Vatican City, Pope Francis celebrated holy Thursday mass at St. Peter's Basilica.

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POPE FRANCES: (speaking in foreign language)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: The 86-year-old pontiff was just released from the hospital this past Saturday after being treated for bronchitis. And after today's mass Pope Francis visited a juvenile jail where he washed and kissed the feet of 12 young people symbolizing the biblical story of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples at the last supper.

He will celebrate Easter mass on Sunday.

And from Holy Thursday to holy cow.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAMUEL L JACKSON, ACTOR: Enough is enough. I have had it with these (BLEEP) snakes on this (BLEEP). Why everybody strap in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Well, a pilot flying a private plane over South Africa this past Monday had an actual Samuel L. Jackson moment when he felt a snake slithering under his shirt. And not just any snake, a highly, highly venomous Cape Cobra whose bite can kill a human in as little as an hour. The pilot kept his cool though. He turned the plane around and informed passengers of the deadly stowaway. And luckily and unlike the cast of "Snakes on a Plane," they all stayed calm, all of them. And here's the craziest part. Once the plane landed and emptied out the snake it couldn't be found. Don't open that suitcase. We'll be right back.

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WHITFIELD: Returning to our top story. An extraordinary vote today in Nashville, where three Democratic state lawmakers could lose their jobs for taking part in last week's protests against gun violence. CNN's Jake Tapper will be all over this story today in "THE LEAD." And Jake, and you'll actually be talking to one of the three state representatives who is now facing expulsion.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR, THE LEAD: Yes, that's right. I have here the three House resolutions for the Tennessee House, 65, which would expel Justin Jones 64, which would expel Gloria Johnson and House resolution 63, which would expel State Representative Justin J. Pearson was which is the individual we spoke with yesterday and we hope to speak with today.

It should be noted, it's not just that they joined protests on gun violence. It's that they disrupted the proceedings of the of the floor and violated state rules -- State House rules which I don't think anyone really disputes. It's just a question about whether they should truly be punished this way given that the last person to be punished this way, I think is somebody who had allegedly sexually groped 22 women or something like that. I mean, this is a pretty extreme punishment for an act of civil disobedience.

WHITFIELD: Yes, they admit to having broken the House rules, but they also, you know, add that they're giving voice to those who have felt silenced. So, you're also going to be covering the Afghanistan withdrawal report today. What more can you shed on that?

TAPPER: Well, yes. I mean, we've obviously been covering this story for -- since 2021 when President Biden took office and talking about like what was going to come and then covering it as it happened. The chaotic withdrawal, trying to find out as much as we can about the after-action report.

[15:50:00]

We're going to be interviewing today former Admiral William McRaven, who you may recall was the head of Special Ops. Did a lot of time in Afghanistan. He actually was the one who oversaw the mission to go across the border and get Bin Laden in Pakistan. So, we'll be talking to him about the news today. About the lessons learned that the Biden ministrations says. Or the key part of their after-action report.

WHITFIELD: All right, we'll look forward to that. And Jake, thanks so much. Of course, we'll also be looking forward to "THE LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER." That starts at the top of the hour right here on CNN.

All right and this warning today from China following House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's meeting in California Wednesday with Taiwan's president. A spokesman from China's foreign ministry said earlier today that China will take, quote, resolute and strong measures to firmly defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity. China further accuses, quote, the U.S. and Taiwan of colluding with each other. End quote. Claiming that McCarthy's meeting undermines China's sovereignty and sends the wrong signal to the Taiwan independence separatist forces.

And as the country grapples with historic inflation, one area that has remained sound in this country is the labor market. But job cuts are mounting, bringing added attention to tomorrow's jobs report. One chief economist says we're at a tipping point now. The March jobs report will be the last monthly employment snapshot before the Feds next policy meeting at the beginning of May.

And a stark warning from actor Hugh Jackman. Details on his skin cancer scare and his warning to all of us, straight ahead.

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WHITFIELD: He played a superhero on the big screen. But today actor Hugh Jackman shared a very human moment. He announced that after quite the scare, he is now clear of skin cancer. The 54-year-old posted that the results of two biopsies from his nose came back negative. Jackman revealed yesterday that he got the procedures done and how he grew up wearing no sunscreen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HUGH JACKMAN, ACTOR: And trust me, trust me. This is all stuff that happened 25 years ago that is coming out now. Put some sunscreen on. You'll still have a incredible time out there. All right, please be safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, good advice and more advice from chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Sanjay, so, you know, Jackman, you know, he's hoping that he can be the example to encourage people to wear sunscreen. But what was, you know -- what was the scare? Did he see brown spots, lesions? What was it?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, he's had skin cancer in the past. So, I think he was getting checked and saw something that looks suspicious and had it removed and sounds like got the all-clear there. So that's good news. He talked about the fact that some of the sun damage from 25 years ago which is really important. I mean, you know the sun damage can accumulate over time.

Fredricka, this is one of those things where we all know the importance of taking care of our skin. But very few of us actually do it. About 5.5 million cases of these types of skin cancers every year in the United States. Eight out of 10 of them are what are known as basal cell cancer. That's the type that Hugh Jackman was talking about. They're not commonly fatal, but they can spread and they can lead to the need for extensive procedures.

Let me just show you quickly here if we can. We have this graphic. You're the outer layer of your skin called the epidermis. Most people know that. It's about the thickness of a credit card. In that layer is where all these cells lie, basil cells, squamous cells and even melanocytes. Which can lead to melanoma.

Any of those cells when they get mutated because of UV light could potentially turn into cancer. And again, that can accumulate over time. That's why sunscreen and all that is so important.

WHITFIELD: Wow. So, who should be screened for skin cancer and how often?

GUPTA: Mostly it's people who have had, you know, issues. In the past. People who've had previous basal cell or squamous cell carcinomas. But most people can sort of self screen and, you know, medical people love these acronyms. So, I'll just give you a quick one. A B C D E. If you have a lesion or a mole or something, is it asymmetric? Different one side to the other.

Are the borders? Changing or becoming jagged? Is the color changing? Or is the diameter -- the size of it changing? Is it evolving in some way? If it is that's a flag and you should get it checked out. More times than not, it's not going to mean anything significant, but that's the kind of screening that you really want to take place.

WHITFIELD: OK, you know, I'm glad that my mom really impressed upon me to wear sunscreen when I was seven. I was one of those kids that just stayed at the pool every day all the time and would get roasted. And I feel like today we've all been conditioned, and now we all have a pretty good understanding of why it's so important to wear sunscreen.

But then there are there are a lot of things to choose from. How do we make the right choices about the kinds of sunscreen we need to grab?

GUPTA: Most of what you're going to find out there are going to have these specific ingredients, criteria of the sunscreen. SPF sun protection factor of 30 or more. Where it is all the time. Make it part of your daily routine. Even on cloudy days. And broad spectrum is a term you hear a lot. Let me just explain that really quickly. If we can put up this other graphic.

There's two types of UV light that we're most concerned about. UV-A and UV-B. UV-B is the one that attacks that epidermis is more associated with developing some of these skin cancers. But UV-A is deeper and that's typically what's associated with aging.

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So, if for no other reason you want to get both of them in there. And let me just share with you quickly. But if you look at men and women, the likelihood of wearing sunscreen, 12.3 percent of men only wear sunscreen even on sunny days. Higher for women, but still less than a third. This is easy folks, especially with summer coming up.

WHITFIELD: I know, but it's probably easier for women to because a lot of our makeup has sunscreen in it now. OK, got to go. Thank you. Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Thanks so much. "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now.