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Finger Pointing over Taliban Takeover; Horrific Devastation from Haiti's Earthquake; Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) is Interviewed about Afghanistan's Fall; Kelly McHugh-Stewart is Interviewed about her Father's Death in Afghanistan and the Taliban Takeover There Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired August 17, 2021 - 08:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:31:23]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: So as many as 10,000 Americans could still be in Afghanistan in need of evacuation.

Moments ago I spoke to Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby on the latest assessment from the Pentagon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KIRBY, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: There are certainly thousands of Americans. We don't have an exact count. I would say somewhere -- best guess between 5,000 and 10,000 that are -- that are near Kabul.

There was a message put out by the secretary -- sorry, the State Department today advising those Americans about how to queue up and how to get to the airport so that we're -- now that security's better, they don't need to necessarily shelter in place and they can begin movement to the airport for processing for flights out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So this does come as the blame game is starting between different factions in the Biden administration over why the U.S. didn't act sooner to get these 5,000 to 10,000 Americans out of Afghanistan.

Let's bring in CNN national security correspondent Kylie Atwood and CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.

Kylie, the finger pointing, what are you learning?

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John, what we're learning is the publically Biden administration officials have stayed far away from how this all went down. But behind the scenes you're already starting to see officials point the finger at other officials for why this went wrong.

So you've got folks at the Pentagon pointing to the State Department saying that they had warned the State Department that they should more rapidly draw down diplomatic personnel from the embassy in Kabul sooner than they did.

And then you have the State Department saying, look, we did everything that we could. We had started to slowly withdraw diplomatic personnel, but we were ultimately making the decision to fully pull them out based on the intelligence assessments that we were getting and we thought that we had more time. And as you have seen many officials say, the Taliban took over Afghanistan and Kabul much more rapidly than many of those assessments had laid out.

Then you have the intelligence community and they are saying, no, we had warned of a rapid possible Taliban complete takeover of Afghanistan.

So there's a lot of finger pointing happening right now. And I think it's important to note that this is going to be litigated over days, weeks and months. And there's still a lot of questions about exactly how these decisions were made.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: And, Barbara, to you, just operationally here, John Kirby at the Pentagon said that folks, Americans, and presumably Afghan allies of America, can begin movement to the airport here at some point soon. There doesn't seem to be any indication of support for them to get there safely, though. What are you hearing?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think Kirby made the critical point that there is no military plan right now to go out into the countryside, where so many of these Afghans live, and try and convoy them or fly them to Kabul to get to the airport. The -- you know, literally, all of Afghanistan now controlled by the Taliban and no real ability of the U.S. military to get out there and scoop up these people.

So what they are focusing on is getting that security under control at the airport so they don't see a repeat of yesterday's scenes getting more troops in to provide security and more aircraft and basically trying to get as many people out as they can out right now.

He went into some of this detail about the numbers and the statistics.

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JOHN KIRBY, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: Just on the military craft alone, we believe we can get between 5,000 and 9,000 people out per day. Of course, some of that's weather dependent, obviously security dependent. But we have the capacity to literally move thousands per day once we get everybody on the ground, all the security troops that we need there and we can continue the flow of aircraft.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:35:08]

STARR: And right now the plan is to do it all by the end of the month.

KEILAR: All right, Barbara, Kylie, thank you so much. We'll see if they are able to achieve that. It is a lofty goal. There are many Americans and Afghan allies away from the airport and even out in the countryside, as you said, Barbara.

Next, the race against time to rescue those who are still trapped after a devastating earthquake in Haiti.

BERMAN: Plus, schools in Florida and Texas defying their Republican governors on masks. See what's happening on the ground.

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BERMAN: The devastation in Haiti is mounting this morning days after the 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the nation, killing more than 1,400 people. For those who survived, nearly 7,000 of them injured, recovery efforts have been daunting. Many of Haiti's roads are blocked or damaged and its hospitals are overwhelmed, and the country is experiencing an urgent lack of medical supplies.

Matt Rivers is on the ground in Haiti with more on the earthquake's aftermath.

[08:40:05]

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MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Getting to the hardest hit area of this earthquake means a helicopter ride 100 miles away from Port-au-Prince. Land, and the reality of Haiti's latest trauma greets us on the tarmac, a waiting truck filled with people injured over the weekend still waiting to be evacuated. First to come out, a young child, held by a relative, carried into a waiting plane. Next up, an elderly woman in a wheelchair, unable to walk, lifted out of her chair. She's carried up step by cautious step on her way to the help that still eludes so many.

Things are out of control at the hospital, he says. Not enough doctors. Not enough medicine. Serious injuries. We need urgent help before things get worse.

At least 1,400 have been killed and thousands more injured in the worst earthquake to strike here since 2010. Not far from the airport, this is what remains of a multi-story hotel. Officials say there could still be bodies in this rubble. Some here digging, trying to help, others digging for scrap metal and air conditioners.

RIVERS (on camera): What you don't see here are Haitian authorities. There is no police presence. There's no firefighters. There are no search and rescue crews here. There's just people from the community, and this lone excavator that is not currently in operation. It's very indicative of what we're seeing as we drive through this area near the epicenter.

RIVERS (voice over): Aid simply isn't arriving quickly. Part of the reason, blocked roads, like this one, impassable for some convoys.

JERRY CHANDLER, DIRECTOR, HAITI CIVIL PROTECTION AGENCY: The response effort is taking time to actually get there. I mean (INAUDIBLE) and we should have been there already. We're getting started, but we're not satisfied.

RIVERS: Back at the airport, first responders desperately look for a way to get this young girl out. She's stoic, but her leg is gravely injured and she's clearly in pain. This plane is full. Another helicopter takes off without her. And so after walking around the tarmac, she's placed in another truck. A painful wait for help goes on.

Matt Rivers, CNN, Les Cayes, Haiti.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: You know, and these are just the areas that have been reached at this point. I think we'll learn much more about the scope of the devastation as the days go on.

Only one member of Congress voted against the war in Afghanistan after September 11th. She joins us live, next.

KEILAR: Plus, the daughter of a man who fought and died in Afghanistan, how is she reflecting on his sacrifice and hers now?

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[08:46:44]

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REP. BARBARA LEE (D-CA) (September 14, 2001): However difficult this vote may be, some of us must urge the use of restraint. Our country is in a state of mourning. Some of us must say, let's step back for a moment. Let's just pause just for a minute and think through the implications of our actions today so that this does not spiral out of control.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: That was Democratic Congresswoman Barbara Lee of California in 2001 when she was the sole member of Congress to vote against the war in Afghanistan.

And she is with us now.

And, Congresswoman, I want to thank you for being with us this morning.

You're watching this as the book end to what was really that day, I think, that you were on the floor and Congress was deciding how to react and 9/11 had just happened days before. At this point in time, the big question is, Americans are in Afghanistan and it appears 5,000 to 10,000 of them may not have an exit out. In addition, you have tens and tens of thousands more Afghan allies who also cannot find a way out.

What are you learning? What can be done to get those folks to safety as the U.S. has promised them? REP. BARBARA LEE (D-CA): Thanks so much, Brianna.

And this is a very dire situation in many ways. It's an emergency. And so we have to use all of our tools to make sure that each and every American, each and every Afghan ally that -- get out, are evacuated and we must do this quickly.

No one expected -- and I think the president laid it out -- the Taliban would rush on and take over Kabul in such a short period of time.

But having said, we have to use every tool that we have to ensure their safety. And, in fact, it's got to be orderly. We've got to expedite these special immigrant visas. We've been working on this for months now.

I chair the subcommittee on Appropriations, which appropriates much of the funds that we need. And so we've got to do this. This is an emergency. We've got to protect everyone and evacuate all of those that need to be evacuated and placed out of harms' way. And it's a dire situation, but we have to do this. We must do it.

KEILAR: I do want to ask you, as we watched that moment of you on the floor, how do you think all these years later after being criticized for your vote that day?

LEE: Well, Brianna, it's not -- you know, I take a lot of criticism. We all do for a lot of issues. I think what's important is that we gave -- and this is what -- I knew then we were giving any president the authority to use force forever, which established the framework for forever wars. And Congress has a responsibility to debate and authorize the use of force. We don't give it to presidents just to use in perpetuity. And that's what happened.

I knew then that there's no military solution in Afghanistan. You have to understand the history there. And so we can't nation build. Our troops did everything we asked them to do. They accomplished their goals and their mission. Why in the world would we allow any president to keep our brave troops in harms' way for this long is mindboggling?

[08:50:01]

But now, having said that, we have to learn the lessons and we have to understand that we have three aspects of our foreign and military policy, diplomacy, development and defense. And we've got to rebalance those so that we don't end up in a situation where there's, you know, 20 years more because if we have our troops there 20 more years, we'll still be in the same situation as we're in now. And so it's important that we learn the lessons. But right now we've got to get people out and we've got to make sure these evacuations go smoothly and safely, and that's what we have to focus on.

KEILAR: Yes, first things first there.

LEE: Absolutely.

KEILAR: Congresswoman Barbara Lee, thank you so much for being with us.

LEE: Thank you. Nice being with you, Brianna.

KEILAR: The fall of Afghanistan is very personal for the families of those who fought and died there. We'll have a gold star daughter who's joining us next.

BERMAN: And the Biden administration expected to call for COVID booster shots for most Americans beginning as soon as next month.

More CNN coverage ahead.

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BERMAN: Kelly McHugh-Stewart was just 18 years old when her father's convoy was hit by a suicide bomber on the streets of Kabul, an attack the Taliban would immediately take credit for. Now with the war coming to an end, Kelli and other gold star families are trying to make sense of a war that lasted 20 years and claimed the lives of their loved ones.

[08:55:08]

And I'm joined now by Kelly McHugh-Stewart.

Thank you so much for being with us this morning.

KELLY MCHUGH-STEWART, GOLD STAR DAUGHTER, FATHER KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN IN 2010: Yes.

BERMAN: And thank you for your family's service.

Your father died more than 10 years ago, was killed more than 10 years ago. And I know it's been on your mind every day in a way since then.

MCHUGH-STEWART: Yes.

BERMAN: But I want to know what feelings have come up for you the last few days as you've watched Afghanistan fall.

MCHUGH-STEWART: Yes. Yes, definitely. It's -- it's definitely been difficult for me and I know for so many gold star families to watch what's unfolding. The scenes from Afghanistan are just devastating. And, you know, for me, my dad was killed in Kabul. And to watch the Taliban walking on the streets where he was killed when, you know, 11 years ago we were told they were making headway and we were told that, you know, we would defeat the Taliban and not avenge his death but we would -- we're making headway there. To see how quickly that Afghanistan kind of crumbled under the Taliban, you kind of wonder, what have -- what have we been doing for 20 years?

BERMAN: You have made it something of a mission. You went to college to study journalism and try to understand the war in Afghanistan. I know that sounds like a big subject, but, literally, you tried to understand it. And a year ago, almost a year ago, you wrote an op-ed which was titled, I never understood why my dad died in Afghanistan. Turns out neither did American leaders.

Now, you wrote that in, what, January.

MCHUGH-STEWART: Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

BERMAN: It -- but it applies right now.

MCHUGH-STEWART: It does. The Afghanistan papers came out in late 2019. And at the time I remember reading them. And I am working on a book kind of about like my dad, a memoir. And -- but I remember reading the Afghanistan papers. And it's -- they're all about the mistakes that were made and just about the war in Afghanistan. And I thought, oh, here it is. Here's when our country is going to care. They're going to see the mistakes and we're going to finally end this war, or at least, you know, have people take credit for the mistakes that were made. And that never happened.

So I wrote -- I wrote that op-ed. It got traction within the military community and it -- you know, but -- but from there it was just silence. And -- but I think a lot of military and gold star families and service members are used to that where it's this like, you'll ask these questions or do these things and, you know, then nothing. There were no answers to it. Every time I kind of go down this road, I've spent the past decade really, like you said, taking on researching the war, kind of -- trying to understand it. But I can never get answers. It always comes down to, you know, your dad was a hero and there's meaning in his death. And I totally believe that my dad sacrificed his life and my family sacrificed so much. But it's difficult when there's no answers there.

BERMAN: How important is closure to you?

MCHUGH-STEWART: I thought -- yes, I mean, for a decade I've been wanting closure and I've been wanting purpose and meaning. And, you know, I felt like it was very important to me. But seeing how everything is unfolding now, I just -- I -- it's -- I don't -- I feel like gold star families will never have that. And I think that that's a shame. And -- but at the same time, I think it kind of is -- is what it is in a sense right now. I mean I think the more we see from Afghanistan and, like I said, seeing the Taliban resurge the way they have, like, we won't have that closure.

BERMAN: You said one of the things you kept on being told was that your father was a hero, and then I couldn't help but notice you touched your stomach.

MCHUGH-STEWART: Yes.

BERMAN: You're due in a month.

MCHUGH-STEWART: I am. Yes. I'm due on September 13th, which is way too close to the 20 year anniversary of 9/11 for comfort. I kind of laugh and am saying, like, of course, he could be born on September 11th, which would be the perfect recap of a decade of me researching this war and all of this. But -- but, yes, yes. So it's definitely brought up new feelings and new emotions about the

war and about losing my dad. You know, my kid is, my son's going to grow up with only memories of his grandfather. And looking back now, why? Why is that, you know?

So, yes, I -- but I do feel a lot of gold star family members -- I can't speak for everyone, I can't speak for the whole community, but are having similar feelings right now.

BERMAN: You just said a son. Am I allowed to ask the name?

MCHUGH-STEWART: Yes, yes, we're -- we're naming him after my dad, so it will be John. Yes.

BERMAN: Of course.

Kelly, we appreciate you coming on. We appreciate your search for answers, which in and of itself I think is important. The work you've done is really important.

MCHUGH-STEWART: Thank you. Yes, I appreciate it. I appreciate you having me on today.

BERMAN: Thank you very much.

All right, obviously, Brianna, a lot of breaking news today on a lot of different fronts.

KEILAR: Yes. And I'm very excited, I will say, for Kelly when little John comes into the world here in about a month.

[09:00:05]

CNN's coverage continues right now.