Return to Transcripts main page

Hala Gorani Tonight

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan Tells World Leaders To Work With The Taliban; Vaccine Mandates Expand Across Europe; North And South Korea Conduct Rival Missile Tests; Investigating The Deadly U.S. Drone Strike In Afghanistan; Haitian Prime Minister Orders Firing Of Top Prosecutor; "The Wall Street Journal:" Facebook Knows Instagram Is Harmful To Teens; SpaceX Inspiration4 To Launch Within Hours. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired September 15, 2021 - 14:00   ET

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


[14:00:00]

HALA GORANI, CNN HOST: Hello, everyone, live from CNN in London, I'm HALA GORANI TONIGHT. Work with the Taliban. That is the Pakistan prime

minister's message to the world. What else Imran Khan had to say on the crisis in Afghanistan. Then, as Europe rolls out more vaccine mandates,

I'll speak to the former prime minister of Italy about his efforts to prepare for the next global pandemic.

And is Instagram toxic to teens? The company's internal research reportedly says that it is harmful. So how can we protect young minds? We'll explore

that question. As Afghanistan spirals deeper into a humanitarian crisis, concerns are growing about ramifications that could go well beyond its

borders. Tens of thousands of Afghans fleeing violence and poverty are trying to escape. Others may be getting kicked out of their homes, hundreds

of protesters took to the streets in Kandahar on Tuesday, today, after the Taliban reportedly gave some residents three days to pack up and leave.

Border countries like Pakistan will likely bear the brunt of the refugee crisis. CNN's Becky Anderson sat down with Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran

Khan, in his first media interview since the Taliban takeover. She asked him about the biggest concern he has right now with his neighbor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IMRAN KHAN, PRIME MINISTER, PAKISTAN: I think it's worrying. Afghanistan is on a historic crossroads. One, if it goes well and we pray that this

works in the direction of peace after 40 years in Afghanistan, if this Taliban hold all of Afghanistan and if they can sort of now work with an

inclusive government, get all the factions together, Afghanistan could have peace after 40 years. But if it goes wrong -- and which is what we are

really worried about, it could go to chaos, the biggest humanitarian crisis, a huge refugee problem, unstable Afghanistan.

And the reason why the U.S. came in was to fight terrorism or international terrorists. So, unstable Afghanistan, refugee crisis and the possibility

of, again, terrorism from Afghanistan soil.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This interim government is not an inclusive government. The concerns of so many around the world are for the

future of Afghanistan and its people under a Taliban government, which is notorious for its misogyny and its violence against women. There is no

evidence to date of any interest in providing basic human rights, particularly for women and children. How concerned are you about that?

KHAN: Where Afghanistan goes from here, I'm afraid none of us can predict. We can hope and pray that they'll have peace after 40 years, that the

Taliban, what they have said, that they want an inclusive government. They want women rights in their own context. They want human rights. They've

given amnesty. So, so far what they have said, clearly they want international acceptability. But there's another fallacy. Afghanistan

cannot be controlled by outside. They have a history. No puppet government in Afghanistan is supported by the people. It gets discredit amongst the

people.

So, rather than sitting here and thinking that we can sort of control them, we should incentivize them because Afghanistan, this current government,

clearly feels that without international aid and help, they will not be able to stop this crisis. So, we should incentivize them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[14:05:00]

GORANI: The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, we'll have more of that interview in a moment. Today, actually marks a month since the Taliban

takeover. CNN's Nic Robertson joins me now live from Kabul with more. The Pakistani prime minister is saying, work with the Taliban, give them a

chance. You can't impose any type of government or even human rights from the outside of the country. How is this Taliban government's rule in the

last month playing out inside the country for many Afghans?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: I think in a word, slowly. You know, when the U.S.-backed government was here, the Taliban

used to joke that the United States and its diplomats and soldiers had the watches, but they had the time. It's a different situation now. The time is

short for the Taliban. The expectation for the international community is that they will live up to delivering an inclusive government, one that

respects women's rights and the rights of minorities here. The Taliban have been really slow to establish their government and begin to govern the

country.

You hear that from Afghans. The rumors abound here about splits in the government, differences between different factions in the Taliban. Sources

I am talking to say that those rifts and gaps are genuine. They deny that it's come to blows at a senior level. But I think you only have to look at

the events of the past few days to get a glimpse into how those divisions are happening. Mullah Baradar, the deputy prime minister, the one who

negotiated with the United States was not -- did not meet with the Qatari foreign minister when he came in at the beginning of the week.

That's surprising because he essentially was a top person negotiating with the U.S. in Qatar, and you would have expect him to be there. When the U.N.

point-person on Afghanistan Deborah Lyons came into Kabul today, she met with Sirajuddin Haqqani; the Interior Minister, she came in for meetings,

met with other people, but it was all about delivering humanitarian aid around the country, access and safety. I think again, at a political level,

you would have expected somebody like Deborah Lyons to be meeting with somebody like Mullah Baradar, not one of the foremost and most feared

military commanders in the Taliban.

And there is a sense at the moment that here in Kabul, the Haqqanis are strong. We've heard from the Taliban spokesman saying that Mullah Baradar

is out in the provinces visiting the elders and the governors. He hasn't been seen on camera for a few days. So, this is the picture here right now,

Hala.

GORANI: Yes, and of course, lots of questions about how the Taliban are treating women and girls. They promised that things would be different this

time around. But we've seen the footage of women getting whipped and beaten, women demonstrating for their rights. In fact, Becky asked Imran

Khan about whether, you know, any -- whether or not he had any concerns about how women and girls and minorities are being treated inside of the

Taliban's Afghanistan. This was his answer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KHAN: I feel very strongly that it's a mistake to think that someone from outside will give Afghan women rights. Afghan women are strong. Give them

time. They will get their rights.

ANDERSON: Should women have access to the same roles in public and in private life?

KHAN: Of course. Women should have the ability in a society to fulfill their potential in life. The society --

ANDERSON: And you won't be able to support a Taliban government that doesn't allow that? Is that what you're telling me?

KHAN: No, what I'm saying is that you cannot impose women's rights from abroad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GORANI: Nic, you've been speaking to a prominent women's rights activist who, I remember in previous interviews, has said that this is a disaster

for women and girls in Afghanistan, this Taliban government. What has she been telling you one month in?

ROBERTSON: Yes, Mahbuba Seraj, one month in hasn't been able to have a face-to-face meeting, the most senior and perhaps most respected of the --

of Afghan women's activists in the country. She founded and is president of the Afghan Women's Network. She came here back in 2003 pretty soon after

the Taliban were forced from government. She began really pushing for women's rights back then. I've seen all her work come to some level of

fruition, frustrations with the last government. But I asked her now, what's at stake now?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: What is at stake now for this country?

MAHBUBA SERAJ, AFGHAN WOMEN'S RIGHTS ACTIVIST: Everything. Everything that we knew, everything that we built, everything -- especially the women.

Everything is at stake right now because we are actually facing a situation that we are so disliked by a group of people who are actually running this

country.

[14:10:00]

They can't even look at us. When there's a question we ask of them, they will not answer us. They will answer the question to the man who's standing

next to us.

ROBERTSON: How can you have any hope that this can get better?

SERAJ: You know, to tell you the honest truth, I really have no other choice. I honestly don't. None of us do. We have to. We have to believe

that something is going to give, something is going to change, and we are going to be -- something is going to be better because otherwise, what does

it mean?

ROBERTSON: But isn't it dangerous for you to speak up and be heard?

SERAJ: Well, you know, I -- whatever I've been saying and whatever I'm saying from now on also, I am never saying anything bad about the Taliban.

What I'm trying to say is about exactly what they are doing in here. So, I mean, what they're going to do? Kill all of us? Right, that's also fine.

But there is something in this world that is, to me, in my eyes, is worth dying and living for and really standing by. And one of them is the rights

of the women of Afghanistan. And what we have to do, our education, our place in society, as mothers, as daughters, as wives, as the woman that we

are. And all of that, I want to do it according to Islam.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: And she says she's going to continue to push, continue to try to protest. But I've been talking as well to women who have been out there

on the streets at protests who have been beaten and bloodied, some of them by the Taliban and are now in hiding in absolute fear for their lives. It's

not any -- that women are not able to find Taliban officials to talk to or get them even to listen to them. It's that those that have spoken out are

now being sent death threats and absolutely living in fear for their lives, Hala, some of them.

GORANI: All right, thanks very much, Nic Robertson, really fascinating chat there you had, and thanks for the coverage from Kabul. The latest on

COVID now. So, Italy and France are basically saying if you want to work in some places, if you want to go to restaurants, if you want to go to bars,

you've got to be vaccinated. They're tightening their coronavirus restrictions, not without controversy, it has to be said. Italy is set to

become the first European country to mandate a green pass for workers, that will take effect next month.

The pass will show if someone has at least one dose or is negative. In France today is the deadline for all healthcare workers to get their first

shot or they might get suspended. Melissa Bell is in Paris for us. And Melissa, this is really interesting in a country like France. Because we

have a very interesting piece on our website, cnn.com, that explains how Emmanuel Macron took a huge gamble when he announced the -- you know, the

mandatory vaccine passport and the mandatory first jab at least for healthcare workers. But it's paying off in a way.

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Hala. It caused such an outrage. You'll remember in mid-July when Emmanuel Macron made that speech

on live French television, announcing two things, essentially, first of all, said healthcare workers would have to be vaccinated or could face the

sack and that comes into effect -- you're quite right, today without pay. But also, that this COVID pass which shows whether you've been vaccinated

or are PCR negative with those tests being -- that something that you'll have to pay for from this Autumn, that had caused huge outrage. And yet,

when you look several weeks on, it seems like it's worked.

This was one of the most vaccine-hesitant countries in the world. You and I have been talking about it for months, Hala, the difficulty that the people

foresaw in trying to convince the French in particular to get vaccinated, even back in December in the middle of France's second lockdown, it was --

60 percent of the French were saying they weren't planning on getting vaccinated. That push it seems has made all the difference. Seventy three

percent of the population here in France have now been fully vaccinated, Hala, really, pushing it to the top of the vaccination rate's list

globally.

And of course, that means and you've seen in the COVID figures that the rise that we saw at the end of the Summer that might have led to an extra

wave, that might have led to fresh restrictions in fact appears to have been brought under control with things like the number of new cases

stabilizing about 10,000 a day, things like entries into hospital, entries into ICU coming down, and the incidence rate, Hala, that very symbolic

figure that tells you how many positive cases there are per 100,000 inhabitants, down below 100 for the first time since mid-July.

So, it was controversial. The part about the healthcare workers having to be vaccinated continues to be contested by their unions. And yet, the fact

that figures do show that it has encouraged people, in particular those who were hoping to go about their lives as they used to, go to restaurants,

cafes, et cetera, to go ahead and get vaccinated.

[14:15:00]

People weren't as hesitant as we'd imagined, Hala.

GORANI: All right, yes, once you tell people they can't go about their lives if they're not vaccinated, it seems to at least be effective in this

context. Thanks very much, Melissa. Back to Italy and to leaders who are trying to use lessons from the pandemic to shape health policy in the

future. Joining me from Milan is the former Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti. He's the chair of the Pan-European Commission on Health and

Sustainable Development. Thank you for joining us, sir.

First of all, before we talk about the next pandemic, we're still back in the middle of this one. Let's talk a little bit about your countries, Italy

and France. They're really taking a tough line here. I mean, this isn't something you would see in the U.S. where there is mandatory vaccines for

healthcare workers or they face suspension. This green pass to get into restaurants, to get into bars, to get in to even take long train rides. Did

you think this was the right approach?

MARIO MONTI, CHAIR, PAN-EUROPEAN COMMISSION ON HEALTH & SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: Well, I think some rigidity here is appropriate. And, you

know, Italy, for example, is a country where not all lows are at all times profoundly respected. But people are living this bad experience with a

renewed sense of the role of the state, the role of the law, and the fact that the state and the law may even be useful to everybody, which is not

always certain --

GORANI: Yes --

MONTI: Entrenched in Italian history.

GORANI: Well, as you know, for instance, in France, some unions are saying this is an overreach by the government, that it should not be obligatory

for workers in some sectors to get the vaccine if they don't want it. How do you respond as the former Prime Minister of Italy or the current

president of France should respond to that argument in particular?

MONTI: Well, recently, the Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi used very strong language to describe the consequences of not vaccinating. And I

believe that in particular with certain categories of workers in contact with the public in -- or certain category -- fragile categories of the

public, I think it should really be upon a modern imperative, but those legally mandatory to --

GORANI: So, initially, the European vaccine rollout was very messy. It was a failure in some cases. They've caught up, EU countries now. France is

more vaccinated than the United States, for instance, in terms of first jabs. But if we look forward to the next big health crisis, whether it's a

pandemic or something else, what needs to change today so that the response next time is more efficient?

MONTI: No, well, several things. Maybe the key thing that needs to be done now is the fight against the global warming. The other day, 200 editors of

medical journals have come out with the assessment that the biggest risk to public health in the future is global warming. So, in this sense, the fact

that we call this green pass has an admonition inherent in it -- not, because global warming will be devastating for pandemics and public health

generally. So, it's really two different throngs of one big battle.

GORANI: Right.

MONTI: Then there is the social aspect because we have seen that this pandemic has been particularly devastating because it hit the health system

and the social structure, which was burdened with enormous inequalities. So, again, not only our moral or political imperatives, but also to prevent

the next public health threats to be devastating. It is in the collective interest to reduce the inequalities. And then the third thing I would say

is a --

GORANI: Yes --

[14:20:00]

MONTI: Huge need to change the international governance on health, and hear the report that we presented has some very complete proposals, among

which, one which is already being discussed at the G20, namely to set up a global health and finance board, which would make a permanent contact

between the world of health and the world of finance, and this would also avoid the rushing of the finance and financial policy to come to the rescue

after the calamities --

GORANI: But do you --

MONTI: Have occurred.

GORANI: Do you think -- sorry to jump in. Do you think in that sense, the World Health Organization has failed?

MONTI: No, well, the World Health Organization has not done perfectly. We all know this. But how could an organization with a very weak, unstable

financial structure as the W.H.O. has performed well. So, I should have said this. Our panel and the other panels which have worked recently all

come to the conclusion that the W.H.O. should remain the body for global health and should be -- and made more accountable and transparent. But in

addition to this -- in addition to this, there should be at the G20 with the director general of the W.H.O. be one key member of this board, a board

on health and finance.

GORANI: Mario Monti; the former Italian Prime Minister, thank you in working on the health policy of the future, the framework of the health

system of the future, to try to at least mitigate the effects of the next crisis. Thank you so much for joining us live from Milan. And still to

come, top American gymnast testify on Capitol Hill. They are blaming FBI inaction for a predator continuing to victimize children. We'll hear what

Simone Biles had to say in particular about this after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:25:00]

GORANI: There are growing fears of an arms race in the Korean peninsula after the North and the South conducted rival missile tests. Earlier, Seoul

fired a submarine launched ballistic missile for the first time, becoming the 7th country in the world to do that. It came just hours after Pyongyang

launched two ballistic missiles of its own. According to Japan, they landed in Japanese waters east of the Korean peninsula. Some tension there.

And in the U.S., an emotional Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill. Several elite gymnasts testified before senators who are examining

how the FBI botched investigations into sexual abuse allegations against former USA gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar. He was eventually sentenced to

decades in prison in 2018. Among those who testified today, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIMONE BILES, U.S. GYMNAST: I sit before you today to raise my voice so that no little girl must endure what I, the athletes at this table, and the

countless others who needlessly suffered under Nassar's guise of medical treatment, which we continue to endure today. We suffered and continue to

suffer because no one at FBI, USAG or the USOPC did what was necessary to protect us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GORANI: Simone Biles there, went on to say that she blamed not just Larry Nassar, but the entire system that enabled and perpetrated his abuse.

There's a lot more ahead on the program. The U.S. military says its final drone strike in Kabul prevented an imminent terror threat. However, a CNN

investigation is raising some serious questions about America's version of events. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:30:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

GORANI: For the last two weeks, CNN has been investigating the U.S. military's last drone strike in Afghanistan before U.S. troops were

withdrawn. It happened on a car in Kabul. The U.S. military claims it hit a legitimate terrorist target.

But CNN's investigation is raising some very serious questions about the U.S. government's version of events of what happened that day. CNN's Anna

Coren has our story but first we want to warn viewers that the report contains scenes that are graphic and may be difficult to watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA COREN, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Screams of horror in a Kabul neighborhood on the last Sunday afternoon of August, as

residents desperately try in vain to extinguish the fireball called by a Hellfire missile airstrike.

"Yes, I thought this is an attack on the whole of Afghanistan. I did not know the attack was only on our house."

The target, a white sedan that had been under U.S. military surveillance for the past eight hours, according to a U.S. official with knowledge of

the operation. It had just driven into the residential compound with father of seven and NGO worker Zamarai Ahmadi behind the wheel.

"I saw my father lying in the car. There was shrapnel in his chest, throat, everywhere. Blood was flowing from his ears."

But the strike didn't just take out the 43-year-old father. According to the family, two other men were also killed, along with seven children,

three of whom were toddlers.

"Our children were in such a state that we tried to identify them from their hands, ears or nose," says Zamarai's cousin.

"None of them had their hands and feet intact any one place. They were all in pieces."

Charred body parts, pieces of skull with chunks of hair and a foot melted into a sandal were among the remains taken to the morgue.

Zamarai's 2-year-old nephew lies on a gurney as a relative gently strokes his face.

Ten coffins filled with only partial remains; their names written in black marker, the only distinguishable feature.

GEN. MARK MILLEY, CHAIRMAN, U.S. JOINT CHIEFS: We had very good intelligence.

COREN (voice-over): U.S. claims to have intelligence, there was explosive material inside the car that was to be used in an imminent attack on Hamid

Karzai International Airport by ISIS-K.

Just days before, an ISIS-K suicide bomber had blown himself up at Abbey Gate; 13 U.S. service members and more than 170 Afghans were killed.

But for the past two weeks, CNN has been investigating the U.S. military's claims about the drone strike, interviewing more than 2 dozen people,

family members, neighbors, NGO staff and multiple bomb experts, that paint a very different version of events.

We have also been given access to the CCTV hard drive of the NGO office that day and reviewed all the footage.

For 15 years, Zamarai worked a as a technical engineer for Nutrition Education International, a U.S.-based NGO that introduced soybeans to

Afghanistan in 2003 to help feed the poor and reduce malnutrition.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (from captions): He is always caring for the people who are in need and has a compassionate heart.

COREN (voice-over): The organization's founder says the Toyota Corolla Zamarai was driving belonged to the NGO and he was responsible for picking

up colleagues, distancing soybeans to Afghans in refugee camps and running operations.

U.S. military officials have told CNN they had been monitoring chatter from an ISIS safe house in Kabul for 36 hours when the car pulled out of the

compound around 9:00 am on Sunday morning.

It was from that moment U.S. surveillance aircraft began following the car, not knowing who the driver was. But in an interview with one of Zamarai's

colleagues, who was with him all day, he claims Zamarai picked him up at about 8:45 am. And around 9:00 am, they stopped at the country director's

house to collect a laptop to take to work.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (from captions): Because he forgot his laptop bag there and we took his laptop bag.

COREN (voice-over): The U.S. has told CNN there was intelligence that the car was being directed from the safe house on a route around the city,

instructing the driver to meet a motorcyclist, and that it did (ph).

Zamarai's colleague says, after collecting the laptop, they picked up another colleague and then stopped at a busy cafe to get breakfast,

claiming they did not come into contact with any motorcyclists on their journey to the office.

The only motorcyclist they did talk to was the security guard at the NGO office, seen here with his bike on CCTV.

[14:35:00]

COREN (voice-over): For the next few hours, Zamarai and his colleagues carry out various tasks, visiting Taliban security stations for permission

to resume operations since the Taliban takeover.

They also visit a bank and return to work for lunch at 2:00 pm. Around 2:30 pm, Zamarai begins filling water containers to take back home to his

family, who have no access to running water, a task he had been doing for months, according to his colleagues.

They say they then helped load the containers into the car before leaving around 4:00 pm. The U.S. military says, around the same time, drone footage

showed the driver loading heavy packages with other men into the car, which they suspected were explosives, possibly for the imminent attack.

Colleagues say Zamarai dropped them off before he drove to his family compound, also home to his three brothers and their families.

Around 4:45 pm, the U.S. says the car arrived at a residential location and another male approached the car. The military claims it had reasonable

certainty that they had a legitimate ISIS-K target and took the shot.

It was only afterwards that the U.S. realized there were three children within the vicinity of the car. The family says there were actually seven.

A U.S. official tells CNN there was a significant secondary explosion, possibly caused by a suicide vest or explosives in the car that may have

killed the children.

Two bomb experts we spoke to, who both viewed the same footage CNN filmed from the scene, say there's no evidence of a significant secondary

explosion, stating there would have been major structural damage to surrounding buildings and the vegetation and that the nearby SUV would have

overturned.

One of them noted, if a secondary blast was seen from U.S. surveillance, it most likely was the vehicle gas tank exploding.

BRIAN CASTNER, SENIOR CRISIS ADVISER, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL: This over the horizon, having incomplete information but conducting the airstrike anyway,

this is the modus operandi for the U.S. military now. And there's just so many risks and harm to civilians that comes with that.

COREN (voice-over): A U.S. military investigation into the drone strike is underway.

MILLEY: At least one of those people killed was an ISIS facilitator.

So were there others killed?

Yes, there are others killed. Who they are, we don't know. But, at this point, we think that the procedures were correctly followed and it was a

righteous strike.

COREN (voice-over): A Pentagon statement released over the weekend defended the strike, based on good intelligence, preventing an imminent

threat and that "no other military works harder than we do to prevent civilian casualties."

But many questions are being raised as to whether they got the wrong target.

"How do you know from the sky what is here?" says Zamarai's brother.

"There were children in and around the car and you targeted them.

"Isn't it a crime?

"You came here and shattered our hearts into pieces."

The following day, ISIS-K launched a rocket attack toward the airport from a Toyota Corolla. The attack was countered by the missile defense system.

That same day, Zamarai's family buried their dead, 10 graves on a desolate hillside overlooking Kabul, belonging to a family, demanding answers and

justice -- Anna Coren, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI: Haiti's top prosecutor has now been fired after he sought charges against the prime minister, linked to the killing of President Moise. We'll

take a closer look at that increasingly complicated story.

And then its parent company, Facebook, plays it down in public but a new report says its own researchers knew that Instagram was harmful to teens.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:40:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

GORANI: Haiti's prime minister has ordered the firing of the country's top prosecutor but it's unclear if he has the power to do so. The prosecutor

had been seeking charges against that very prime minister, Ariel Henry, in connection with the attack against the president.

CNN's Matt Rivers joins me now live to attempt to unravel the strands of this ever-complexifying (sic) story.

MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Hala. And you know, this assassination happened on July 7th. Here we are, several months later,

and we still don't know who the mastermind behind that assassination is.

Those charges that the prosecutor wanted to bring against the current prime minister, we don't even know what charges he wanted to bring. Couple that

with the still pervasive damage from the earthquake that happened in Haiti around a month ago and you have a very complex situation in that country.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RIVERS (voice-over): Now 71 days after its president was assassinated, 33 since it was hit by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake and Haiti, in many ways,

remains a country in crisis. Its de facto leader, prime minister Ariel Henry, now facing possible unspecified charges in the assassination of

former president Jovenel Moise.

Henry has denied involvement. The man who wants to bring those charges, top prosecutor Bedford Claude (ph), now potentially out of a job after Henry

ordered his removal on Tuesday.

It's unclear if anyone but the justice minister can do that, though, and the president of the senate, Joseph Lambert, could be appointed interim

president soon, though that, too, not official.

More than two months after the former president's assassination and the subsequent arrest of roughly 40 suspects, authorities still do not know who

the mastermind behind the plot is.

An investigation with no momentum has devolved into political infighting for who might actually run the Caribbean nation at a time when clear

leadership is needed more than ever.

While political elites squabble, hundreds of thousands of ordinary Haitians remain in desperate need of help after the worst earthquake to strike Haiti

since 2010 hit on August 14th.

Piles of debris still litter the hardest hit areas, many in rural, difficult to access locations; 2,200 people were killed, more than 12,000

injured. And still so many need aid.

"We are victims of the earthquake because our home was destroyed. We went to the municipality. They told us there is nothing available to help us. We

are paying with our own money to remove the rubble so we can try to rebuild our home."

Nearly 1 million are facing acute food insecurity, says the U.N., many of which are children.

"The children are crying because they need food and water. We are walking everywhere but without getting anything."

Many still live in makeshift shelters, the result of over 137,000 buildings destroyed or damaged. With potable water a challenge and with jobs scarce

and the chance to make money harder than ever, the U.N. says there could be a mass rural exodus soon, with desperate people headed towards cities like

Port-au-Prince.

That's where the ongoing political crisis continues. The leaders in charge of helping steer aid toward Haiti's most vulnerable currently consumed in

the aftermath of post-assassination politics.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIVERS: And at least after the assassination, in terms of who is going to truly lead this country, who has the mandate to do so, the only way really

to try and come to some conclusion about that would be to hold new elections for a new president in Haiti.

[14:45:00]

RIVERS: They have been scheduled for September of this year, already pushed back, Hala, several months.

And there are many people who will tell you, if you look at the damage after the earthquake, if you look at the worsening security situation, with

the gang violence in places like Port-au-Prince, there is every chance those elections are going to get delayed once again, potentially into next

year.

It just all adds up to, at least when you're talk about the short-term future of Haiti, there are still so many open questions.

GORANI: All right. Matt Rivers, thanks very much for the latest.

Lots of us use Instagram.

But what about for young minds?

They're a lot more fragile, a lot more impressionable. And apparently, teens who struggle with their mental health say that Instagram makes it

worse.

That's according to "The Wall Street Journal," one of the key findings published of internal research at Facebook, which owns Instagram.

But here's the thing. That research was never released to the public. Let's bring in Anna Stewart for details.

What is the research exactly saying about what teens say themselves about how the social media impacts their mental health?

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think people won't be surprised to find that the research suggests that, yes, you know, social platforms can have a

really negative impact on the mental health of young people.

But the actual stats in this, which has been three years in the making, lots of different studies by Facebook, internal research, are really quite

shocking. Researchers have found, for instance, Instagram makes one in five teens feel worse about themselves.

Teens who struggle with mental health say the platform makes it worse. And perhaps most shocking of all, 6 percent of U.S. teen users trace suicidal

thoughts to Instagram specifically. And that number is over double for teenage users in the U.K.

Hala, also this research looked at the difference between Instagram and other social media platforms. And studies suggest some of the problems here

are unique actually to Instagram or are exacerbated by this platform in particular, because it has such a big focus on body image, on lifestyle, on

wealth; unlike, perhaps, TikTok, which is more based on performance or satire, which is more based on selfies with silly filters.

So I think perhaps the most shocking part of it all is that Facebook have had this research for some time now and they haven't shared it.

GORANI: Is it because, why?

Because young people compare their lives to these highly curated, edited, filtered fake lives that they see on Instagram and that, therefore, they

develop some sort of self-loathing?

Is that part of it?

STEWART: I think that certainly feeds into it. And I think, with Instagram, when you go on it, it's very aspirational. You see people living

their dream life. It's very much about the perfect image.

That's not necessarily the case as much across all social media platforms. Of course, also there's so many influencers. This is a platform people use

to monetize. People use their perfect lives to make money.

Facebook has given a statement, responded to the fact this has come out in "The Wall Street Journal," the fact they haven't shared this information.

They say they think social media is not inherently good or bad for people. They say many find it helpful one day and problematic the next. What seems

to matter most is how people use social media and their state of mind when they use it.

However, they did say that they will look to share their data and their research. They'll be more transparent in the future -- Hala.

GORANI: All right. Well, we'll see. We'll see if that happens. Senator Richard Blumenthal in the U.S. tweeted this, though, about how the

government should protect children.

"Even though Facebook knows its platforms are doing lasting harm, they are racing to push Instagram onto even younger kids. My Commerce subcommittee

will act to protect children and support parents."

But obviously the big question is, how do you do that?

This isn't alcohol or cigarettes. You don't have to pay for it. You don't have to go somewhere to acquire a product. It's in the palm of your hands.

Kids aged 10, 11, 12 have iPhones.

STEWART: And what can social media firms do about it?

It was interesting today; TikTok came out with a statement responding to "The Wall Street Journal" article on Instagram. They said they are trying

to help but it includes things like, if people search for specific hashtags, #suicide, it directs you to help lines and some information that

can help.

That is already the same for Instagram and Twitter. Lots of social media platforms have this. They have public notices for certain searches.

Does it do anything?

Is it actually making a material impact?

Facebook piloted removing likes from posts. They said it didn't make any real difference. So the issue here is a tough one. Social media firms need

to do more.

And what role do regulators play and what about the rest of us?

All of us who post on social media and perhaps don't post the truth, we post filtered images. And that is having a really damaging effect on people

around the world, particularly young people.

[14:50:00]

GORANI: Yes, absolutely. I think the genie is out of the bottle. I don't know how you put it back in. I don't know how you even put 1 percent of

that genie back in the bottle. But hopefully there are politicians and policy makers that can come up with ideas, given what we're learning about

this research. Thanks so much, Anna.

This is about mental health, risk to vulnerable young people. As always, if you or someone you know might be at risk of suicide or self-harm, there are

ways to help. We'll put them up for you.

In the United States, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The number is on your screen. And outside the United States,

where most of you watch us from, a worldwide directory of resources and international hotlines is provided by the International Association for

Suicide Prevention.

You can also turn to Befrienders Worldwide. There's always someone willing to listen if you reach out.

Here in the U.K., prime minister Boris Johnson is making high level changes to his cabinet. He's reassigned several ministers, including the foreign

secretary, Dominic Raab.

It comes after Raab drew heavy criticism from the way he handled evacuations from Afghanistan. He's now been appointed justice secretary and

deputy prime minister and will be replaced as foreign secretary by Liz Truss. So still in the government and in a very high level job.

Still to come tonight, meet the four crew members of the world's first space mission to be staffed entirely by civilians. We'll be right back.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

GORANI: Just hours from now, SpaceX is set to make history again. It plans to launch four tourists on a three day trip into space, making it the first

all-civilian mission to orbit Earth. The crew includes a billionaire -- there's always a billionaire in there somewhere -- but also a cancer

survivor, a geologist and a raffle winner.

CNN's Rachel Crane spoke with the group, known as Inspiration4.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RACHEL CRANE, CNN BUSINESS INNOVATION AND SPACE CORRESPONDENT: Do you feel pressure to, you know, make this successful and pave the way for civilian -

- future civilian astronauts?

JARED ISAACMAN, INSPIRATION4 FLIGHT COMMANDER: I wouldn't say pressure because pressure would mean I'm nervous about the outcome here. I think

that responsibility is really the word, right?

And that this is a big responsibility.

[14:55:00]

ISAACMAN: And we have to execute really well and get this right so that the door can stay open for all the other missions to follow.

CRANE: Hayley, what did your doctor say to you when you told them you were going to embark on this journey?

Were they like, you're crazy?

HAYLEY ARCENEAUX, INSPIRATION4 MEDICAL OFFICER: Not at all. So I texted my orthopedic surgeon right before my announcement.

And I said I had some really big news to share. And we both work (INAUDIBLE) together. And so I met up with him and I said, in a few days,

you can brag that you put the first artificial joint in space. And he just kept saying how proud he was. He kept hugging me. And he's here to watch

the launch tomorrow with his family.

CRANE: The media has deemed you guys ordinary people doing something extraordinary. But that's why so many people feel conducted to this

mission.

Do you think, though, that that description is accurate?

CHRISTOPHER SEMBROSKI, INSPIRATION4 DATA ENGINEER: I kind of feel like it does. I mean, you could have put a group of people together from all over

the country and you would still have a set of unique stories behind each person.

So I think when you think of the word ordinary, you're not necessarily thinking of bland, boring people, because everyone has an extraordinary

story. We are just the lucky few, that have the extraordinary opportunity to be together and to share in this incredible journey.

SIAN PROCTOR, INSPIRATION4 PILOT; For me being the oldest and most seasoned here, you know, I think it's about not giving up in your dreams, having

resilience and grit and determination.

So I know I have a lot of friends and colleagues, who are in their 50s and 60s. And you know, sometimes you feel like the best parts of your life have

passed you by. But that's not the case. There's so much life still worth living in your golden ages. And I like to think that this is an example of

that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI: All right. Good luck to them.

Now a city in eastern China is changing a rule that forced some children with coronavirus to quarantine without their parents.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GORANI (voice-over): It comes after this video went viral. Look at this tiny little figure in a hazmat suit. He's 4 years old with his little

backpack. He tested positive for COVID. According to the nurse who posted the video, he was separated from his parents -- imagine how traumatic.

He was forced to go into quarantine all by himself. That's so sad. This video sparked backlash on heavily censored Chinese social media and the

city will now let a parent or a family member stay with their child in quarantine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GORANI: That's a good thing, I think.

Thanks for watching tonight. Stay with CNN. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" with Max Foster is coming next. I'll see you tomorrow.

END