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Hala Gorani Tonight
Biden, Macron Speak to Ease Tensions Over Submarine Deal; Boris Johnson Tells France to "Get a Grip" After AUKUS Fallout; U.S. Pledges $2 Billion to Support Global Fight Against COVID; Taliban Want Representation at United Nations; Inside Bagram Air Base; Lava Flows Fourth Day on La Palma Island; U.S. Homeland Security Releasing Some Haitians into the U.S.; Coroner Rules Gabby Petito`s Death a Homicide. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired September 22, 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. The leaders of France and the U.S. finally discuss the
disagreement that`s driven a wedge between age-old allies after the British prime minister jumped into the diplomatic crisis in a surprising way. We`ll
tell you about a bit later. Then climate change promises from the world`s biggest polluters. I`ll speak to the climate minister of a country right on
the frontlines.
And later, you don`t want to miss this. CNN takes you inside Bagram Airbase now in Taliban hands. What the U.S. left behind after its chaotic
withdrawal. We began with that diplomatic raw that is now diplomatic thaw between America and its oldest ally France. U.S. President Joe Biden spoke
with French President Emmanuel Macron by phone for the first time since their feud over the controversial submarine deal with Australia.
Both leaders acknowledged the situation could have benefited from more open consultation, and they both agreed to meet in Europe in person next month
for further talks. But tensions remain between France and the U.K. Earlier, the British prime minister responded to France`s fury over the new
trilateral pact in no uncertain terms. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, PRIME MINISTER, UNITED KINGDOM: That certainly did come up. And what I want to say about that is, I just think it`s time for some of
our dearest friends around the world to, you know, prenez un grip about all this, and donnez-moi un break because this is fundamentally a great step
forward for global security.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, it appears as though Boris Johnson is mocking the French president. Let`s get more on all this from our correspondents. Cyril Vanier
is in Paris, Nina dos Santos joins us from London. Nina, I`ll get to you in a moment, but first, the French are -- well, basically, they`re patching up
things with the United States. At least, they haven`t decided on whether or not to send their ambassador back to Australia quite yet. But it seems as
though it was a productive phone call between Macron and Biden at least.
CYRIL VANIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I would say that it was. The French had set a pretty high bar for that phone call. They had decided that they
wanted to hear what was nearly an apology from the most powerful man in the world Joe Biden, and he pretty much got that because the Americans
acknowledged that this situation could have been avoided if there had been more consultation with the French, although, Hala, let me pause here for a
second because there`s a difference in the language in the joint statement that was produced by France and the U.S.
Difference in the language in the French version and the English version. I think you`re going to enjoy this. There`s a lot more of an apology in the
French version of the statement than there is in the English version. The French version saying the crisis could have been avoided if the U.S. had
handled things better, the English version saying only that the situation could have benefited from further communication. So, I think that`s some
first-class diplomatic hair-splitting some would say pettiness. But still, the French got what they wanted, an acknowledgment from the Americans that
they could have done -- that they could have handled this better, and as a result, the worst part of this crisis is over.
Emmanuel Macron sending the French ambassador back to Washington as of next week, and Macron and Biden scheduled to meet next month, Hala.
GORANI: All right, stand by Cyril, I just want to get to Nina because the U.K. prime minister jumped in and in typical style joked about the
situation by speaking frenglish or franglais by saying that essentially the French need to get over their issues with this whole security pact that the
U.K. is participating in with the U.S. and Australia. I wonder, what was the thinking behind that? Because it doesn`t strike me as the most
diplomatic way to try to mend fences.
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, but it is typical Boris Johnsonian sort of rhetoric, if you like, trying to throw a little bit of a humor or a
spin or humorous slant if you like on something that is very serious as Cyril was pointing out. At least, the other side of it is that he didn`t
have to deal with differences in linguistic nuance like obviously the Franco-American statement was replete, where Cyril was pointing out. Yes,
essentially, Boris Johnson, as you heard in that clip earlier on said prenez un grip and also Mr. Macron should donnez-moi un break.
[14:05:00]
The back-drop to what he was saying which might come across as slightly patronizing, I suppose to France was that they should realize that this is
a win-win for international security in a tense part of the world. Now, obviously, that in no way assuages France`s concerns about being having --
been left out of this partnership as a whole that wasn`t just the financial and technological aspect of that submarine deal, it was the fact that they
were actually left out of a huge strategic defense partnership as a big player in the geo-strategic and defense world.
But this language Boris Johnson has used is quite different to the kind of placatory language that he`s used earlier on in the week when he said, you
know, that, no, but the U.K. was not trying to shoulder out anybody. He also said that the love of France that the U.K. had was ineradicable. So,
he appears to say different things to different people, and you can calculate just a little bit of Boris Johnson humor is also playing to the
sound bites, playing to the TV audience is as well, not necessarily in the francophone world, Hala.
GORANI: Look, we -- I don`t know -- have we -- Cyril, any -- have we heard any reaction, official reaction to Boris Johnson saying to Emmanuel Macron
donnez-moi un break?
VANIER: No, there hasn`t been official reaction, Hala, and there likely will not be. France has decided to treat Britain with some degree of
contempt, I have to say, by ignoring Britain. So, for our viewers, remember that they recalled their ambassador to the U.S., recalled their ambassador
to Australia, did not recall their ambassador to the U.K. even though that is the third country in this three-way security deal that killed the French
submarine deal. The reason -- the reason given by the French, they feel the U.K. were only a bit player, that essentially they are not leaders in this,
they are just followers, and France prefer not to dignify the U.K.`s role in all of this with an official response.
GORANI: All right, donnez-moi un break, we`ll see if that catches on, thanks very much, Cyril Vanier, beautiful sunset there in Paris, and Nina
dos Santos, not as nice a background, but we appreciate you joining us. All the same, thanks very much. Global vaccine inequity. The U.S. just made
some big promises today to help combat this problem, and it includes doubling the number of vaccine doses it will donate to poorer nations, but
President Biden says the U.S. needs help in this. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This crisis with half measures or middle-of-the-road ambitions. We need to go big, and we need to do our
part. Governments, the private sectors, civil society, leaders, philanthropists. This is an all hands-on deck crisis, and the good news is
we know how to beat this pandemic -- vaccines, public health measures and collective action.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: All right, Mr. Biden laid out his detailed plan of attack for vaccinating the world during a virtual COVID-19 summit on the sidelines of
the U.N. General Assembly today. As of now, the U.S. has promised to donate to other countries a total of more than 1 billion vaccine doses. The U.S.
is also pledging more than $2 billion on things like supporting the administration of those shots, reducing COVID-19 deaths, more testing and
oxygen support, and improving global healthcare systems overall. Now, it`s important to note, these are all pledges at this stage.
It`s a question of how many of these doses actually make their way to poorer countries, and how many make their way into the arms of people who
need them. And the U.S. is looking ahead, supporting the establishment of what it calls a financial mechanism for helping the world better prepare
for future pandemics. A lot of pledges as I said, and promises to look at here with our senior U.N. correspondent Richard Roth. So, let`s talk
because we heard promises at the G7, not all of them became reality in poorer countries. Talk to us about how, you know, we`re going -- we will be
able to measure success in the coming months as so many countries desperately need their vaccine doses to be distributed and administered.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Well, I guess he`ll measure it by hospitalization rates, death rates, what`s happening in the
societies, of course, with so many problems, logistical problems, port problems, so many parts of places like Africa, there`s not many shots
available and many, millions still await vaccinations. The U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres has been talking and begging and wheedling and
negotiating with the big powers for over a year now. Now, he`s a man of diplomacy. He is the secretary-general.
Listen to his biting language on Tuesday as he addressed the General Assembly about this theme.
[14:10:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONIO GUTERRES, SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS: On one hand, we see the vaccines developed in record time. The victory of science and human
ingenuity. On the other hands, we see their triumph and done by the tragedy of the lack of political will, selfishness and mistrust. A surplus in some
countries, empty shelves in others.
A majority of the wealthier world vaccinated. Over 90 percent of Africans still waiting for the first dose. This is a moral indictment of the state
of our world. It is an absurdity. We passed the science test, but we are getting an F in ethics.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROTH: Now, that`s a man also comfortable that he now has been elected to a second five-year term. Hala, for the United Nations membership and with
most of the world, nobody was prepared for a pandemic, and the divisions and splits that you see among North-South developing, play out right to the
tee on this type of crisis.
GORANI: All right, let`s talk a little bit more about COVID, because COVID has, in a very real way, hit the Brazilian delegation. The Brazilian health
minister tested positive, he stayed behind, the rest of the delegation flew back to Brazil. But I want our viewers to look at this video. A reporter
for CNN Brazil obtained these images from a protester in New York, and they appear to show Brazil`s Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga gesturing in a
very queered way with both hands and the middle fingers of both hands after being confronted by protesters.
The Brazilian health agency is now recommending a 14-day quarantine for Brazil`s entire U.N. entourage. All right, what is going on with this
Brazilian delegation at the UNGA? The president is proudly saying he is not vaccinated, the health minister is flipping the bird from a bus and then
testing positive after having, you know -- been in very close contact indoors with world leaders.
ROTH: Yes, the irony you can`t mistake it. You have one of the most advocate skeptics and critics of the vaccination program and the virus
itself, Jair Bolsonaro, the leader of Brazil who was here and with great fanfare came to the U.N. unvaccinated, violating U.N. protocols. And he had
his health minister with him. And now that minister has contracted COVID. They also ate some pizza together on the sidewalks of New York on Sunday,
and you`ll see the health minister, second from the right of an upcoming photo, he was with him all the way.
It`s unknown how many places they went together and who they might have talked to at the U.N. Bolsonaro, third from the left, the health minister
is second from the right, he`s in a New York hotel room not far from the U.N. But they were at the U.N. for hours with other people, other
dignitaries. The U.N. has a contact-tracing program in effect, they haven`t shut the doors, nobody that we know of including the secretary-general has
changed their schedules in any way. But it`s incredible that, that was the big issue. Bolsonaro, COVID, and he leaves behind a health minister who has
it and who knows what`s arriving and has arrived since they left last night, back in Brazil.
GORANI: All right, well, that they seem to be enjoying their pizzas there the day before it was announced that health minister tested positive. Thank
you very much, Richard Roth. Now to that other major agenda item dominating the UNGA. Climate change. The world`s two biggest economies and largest
carbon polluters each announced major new commitments on Tuesday. Here is Joe Biden.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: In April, I announced the United States will double our public international financing to help developing nations tackle the climate
crisis. And, today, I`m proud to announce that we`ll work with the Congress to double that number again, including for adaptation efforts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: For China`s part, President Xi Jinping pledged Beijing will stop building coal plants abroad. Brazil said it will try and achieve climate
neutrality by 2060. Low-lying islands like Grenada and the Maldives are already living in a climate nightmare with rising sea levels threatening
livelihoods right now. Simon Stiell is Grenada`s Minister for Climate Resilience. He says the latest commitments are encouraging but not enough.
He`s live in New York for us this evening.
And there was a high level discussion Simon Stiell involving heads of state on all these climate pledges. You don`t believe these go far enough,
especially for vulnerable nations like yours who are really at the frontlines of climate change. Why not?
[14:15:00]
SIMON STIELL, MINISTER FOR CLIMATE RESILIENCE, GRENADA: Well, let me start by saying good morning -- good afternoon, Hala, it`s a pleasure to be here.
What we -- the announcements that we`ve seen both from the U.S. and China are steps, positive steps in the right direction. But as you said, they
still don`t go far enough in terms of the extreme challenges that we face as developing nations, especially low-lying islands such as ours.
GORANI: Yes, so if they don`t go far enough, what are the implications for your country in particular? What`s the worst-case scenario if more is not
done?
STIELL: I mean, it`s going to be more of what we are already seeing, whether that is an extreme weather events, hurricanes, floods, droughts,
sea level rise, vulnerable communities being put at risk. But the three areas that are absolutely critical that we want to see, not just China and
the U.S., but the entire G20 grouping is greater ambition on the mitigating measures that are required to maintain temperature rise to within that 1.5
degrees limit. The second element is financial resources that are required for nations such as ours to adapt to climate change, so that we are able to
take the necessary measures to protect lives, to protect livelihoods.
GORANI: When you say that, you mean coming from where? You think the G20? The richest nations on earth who, by the way, contribute 80 percent of the
world`s pollution. Do you think they should be financially liable to nations like yours?
STIELL: In a nutshell, absolutely. Not only do they generate 80 percent of global emissions, they also constitute 85 percent global GDP. The finances
that are required to take the necessary steps, the technical capacity to do what needs to be done resides wholly within the G20.
GORANI: So, up until about a couple of years ago when -- at least when I covered climate change, it was always something in the future. You know, in
ten years, our kids, our grandkids. But what you`re saying and what we`ve observed is that climate change, the impact of climate change is happening
before our very eyes. Can you quantify for your country how damaging it has been in terms of the rise in sea levels and the extreme weather patterns
for instance. Can you put a number on it?
STIELL: Well, we`ve actually been living this for not just now, but many years now. Just to give a very specific example of us here in Grenada.
Hurricane Ivan wiped out in a matter of hours the equivalent of 200 percent of our GDP, 95 percent --
GORANI: Yes --
STIELL: Of property was either damaged or completely destroyed. This is something that we`ve been living with for quite some time now. And you
know, as an everyday citing, you know, we can see the impacts of sea level rise in our coastal communities. Our struggling farmers are having to deal
with extended droughts or floods. It`s ingrained in everyday life now. I think this phenomenon is coming to greater global prominence, and when we
see whether it is severe flooding in China and across Europe, whether it is wildfires, again, across Europe and in the U.S.
You know, this is now being brought home to more developed nations, but the developing nations, those vulnerable nations, this has been a way of life,
our new normal for quite some time now.
GORANI: Simon Stiell, Grenada`s Minister for Climate Resilience, thanks very much for joining us from New York. Still to come tonight --
STIELL: Thank you --
GORANI: Gunfire rings out in Ukraine as President Zelensky`s top aide is targeted. Who is behind the attack? We`ll have more after the break. Stay
with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:20:00]
GORANI: A top aide to the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has survived what police are calling an assassination attempt. The spray of
automatic gunfire hit Sergey Shefir`s car in a village just outside of Kiev. The aide survived unscathed and says the attack against him was an
attempt to intimate those in power. President Zelensky who is currently in New York for the U.N. General Assembly says he doesn`t yet know who is
behind the assault, but promised to respond.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, PRESIDENT, UKRAINE (through translator): It is a weakness to say hello to me by shooting at my friend`s car from a forest,
but the response will be strong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Our senior international correspondent Matthew Chance has all the details from Moscow. Matthew?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sergey Shefir is a really close associate of the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He`s officially an
assistant to the president of Ukraine. And it`s quite a shocking attempt on his life if you listen to the details of what actually happened. He was
driving in car near a village outside of the capitol Kiev, that when according to Ukrainian officials that I`ve spoken to, at least 18 shots
were fired from automatic weapon from the trees along the side of the road.
At least 12 of those bullets hit the car. And what saved the lives of the occupants inside the car, the driver and Mr. Shefir is that the driver
instead of stopping in the road apparently put his foot on the accelerator and sped away, he was hit with three bullets and is currently recovering in
the hospital. Sergey Shefir wasn`t injured at all, and has spoken about how this is an attempt to sort of destabilize the inner circle of President
Zelensky.
There`s been some suggestion inside Ukraine that Russia may be linked with this, but not just the Russians have ruled that out and denied it, but
also, the Ukrainian officials I`ve spoken to say that`s not something they`re really considering seriously. Mr. Shefir was somebody who was
associated very closely with the attempts inside Ukraine to erode the people of the oligarchs, the small circle of business people that wield
considerable power and influence in the country. He was also involved in judicial reform and the attempts by Volodymyr Zelensky to get rid of some
of the judges that are corrupt and that are in the pockets of some of those oligarchs.
And so, what Ukrainian officials are saying is that, this is an illustration of the lengths to which some individuals will go in Ukraine to
hang on to what they got. Hala?
GORANI: Matthew, thanks very much. Germany heads to the polls Sunday in a national election that could shape the future of Europe`s largest economy.
Polls are showing a tightening race between Chancellor Angela Merkel`s conservatives and the social Democrats. One thing is for sure though, it
will be a new era regardless of who comes out on top, that`s because Chancellor Merkel plans to stand down after 16 years of steady leadership.
[14:25:00]
CNN`s Fred Pleitgen looks back at her legacy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Back to the roots for one of Germany`s longest-serving chancellors. Angela
Merkel planting a Linden tree in Templin, the east German town she grew up in.
ANGELA MERKEL, CHANCELLOR, GERMANY: It will always be this way. I come from here, my roots are here and they will always be here.
PLEITGEN (on camera): Angela Merkel still calls this place her home. It was here in Templin that she set out decades ago and eventually became one
of the most powerful women in the world.
(voice-over): It was no easy journey, often belittled in the male- dominated world of German conservative politics many rivals failed to take her seriously enough and later regretted it, says Merkel`s biographer.
RALPH BOLLMANN, ANGELA MERKEL`S BIOGRAPHER: When they realized a woman from the east is able to play this game of power, it was too late, of
course, for them.
PLEITGEN: When Angela Merkel became Germany`s first female chancellor in 2005, her style was completely different than previous chancellors. Calm,
quiet, and reserved. But what Merkel lacked in fiery rhetoric, she made up for as a crisis manager, both during the Lehman collapse in 2008 and the
Greek debt crisis in 2012, she took bold action to prop up the German economy and ailing EU member states possibly saving the single currency,
the euro.
MERKEL (through translator): Europe will fail if the euro fails, and Europe will win if the euro wins.
PLEITGEN: Arguably Angela Merkel`s biggest hour came in 2015 as hundreds of thousands of refugees, mostly displaced by the Syrian civil war were
literally on the EU`s doorstep seeking shelter. Angela Merkel led the EU as it opened its gates, taking in well over a million people.
MERKEL (through translator): We have achieved so much, we`ll manage this, and whenever something gets in the way, we will overcome it.
PLEITGEN: But integration of the refugees proved more difficult, giving rise to nationalist forces in Germany, a slap in the face for Angela Merkel
says the editor-in-chief of Germany`s largest daily "BILD" Julian Reichelt.
JULIAN REICHELT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, BILD: Praising Angela Merkel for open borders is much easier when you don`t live in a poor neighborhood in
Germany where you live with the direct effect of open borders.
PLEITGEN: While Angela Merkel did manage to win a fourth term in 2017, her popularity was waning and she announced she would not seek a fifth one.
Still, the challenges kept coming. With the election of Donald Trump as U.S. President in 2016 and Trump`s alienation of many of the U.S.` allies,
Merkel, a quantum chemist often appeared stunned by some of the U.S. president`s remarks.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have German in my blood. I`ll be there.
PLEITGEN: Angela Merkel led Germany through the coronavirus pandemic, but shortly before she steps down, her party support has been collapsing. Some
say because she failed to address many important topics.
REICHELT: Zero progress when it comes to huge issues like digitalization for example, Germany after 16 years of Merkel basically hasn`t moved at
all.
PLEITGEN: Merkel herself says she wants some time off after leaving office. The first female chancellor in the history of the Federal Republic
of Germany now waiting to see how her legacy will be remembered. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Still to come tonight, opening the door to a notorious former prison on an abandoned U.S. airbase in Afghanistan. Nic Robertson takes us
inside Bagram. You don`t want to miss this story just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:30:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HALA GORANI, CNN HOST: The Taliban are intensifying their effort to win international legitimacy and requesting representation at the U.N. General
Assembly. They tapped this spokesman to replace Afghanistan`s current representative to the U.N., who was appointed by the former government.
The U.N. credentials committee is considering the request, they say, but isn`t expected to decide before this week`s meeting is over.
Bagram Air Base was the hub of America`s war in Afghanistan, a small city for thousands of service members. But it also housed a notorious prison.
Now that Bagram is in Taliban hands, they want the world to see what conditions were like there. CNN`s Nic Robertson takes us inside.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Behind Bagram`s gates, a wasteland, military hardware abandoned.
ROBERTSON: It`s like driving through a ghost town here completely deserted the odd Taliban vehicle and everything just the way that it was.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): But eerily different a mini city hospital shops cafes, restaurants, power plant.
ROBERTSON: This was Route Disney, the main road through the base. Those are the hangars at the side of the runway over here.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Where presidents and defense chiefs once landed America`s multi-billion dollar Afghan hub is in the Taliban`s hands. Its
dark secrets are being revealed.
ROBERTSON: There are the handcuffs for the pilgrims.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Backgrounds jail once feared by the Taliban that the U.S. handed to Afghan security forces in 2014, vast, sprawling and
trashed.
ROBERTSON: A prisoner`s identification covers his face. This is an ID photograph I`m looking at of a prisoner here, just lying on the ground.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): The Taliban`s victory freed the prisoners. Not all of them were Taliban. They want us to see the harsh conditions.
ROBERTSON: They`re confused about how to find their way around this place. They really don`t know where to go again.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): The way the prisoners got out.
ROBERTSON: This is the cages inside here. These are the cages, huge cages. They`ve just been left as they are. Look at this. Take a look.
Take a look. Prisoner`s food; this bread is still hanging on the plate here. This looks like the place. So putting shackles on handcuffs, food
here.
How many prisoners in here? How many?
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Thousands, he tells me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The prisoner`s kit.
ROBERTSON: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And they got out in behind.
ROBERTSON: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And they didn`t take it.
ROBERTSON: Yes.
[14:35:00]
ROBERTSON: So this is everyone`s shoes hanging here, blankets, towels, books, Quran; phone numbers scribbled on the wall. You really get an idea
of just how many people were crammed in these cells, one mattress, another one, another one, another one.
Looks like at least 30 in each of these wire mesh cells. Look, conditions in here were so tight, the prisoners are hanging their possessions and
there`s not much in this bag, hanging them from these little ropes from the way a cage. And this was it, this piece of mattress. That was a personal
space.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Some prisoners were locked up here for years. And like Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, infamous for torture.
ROBERTSON: So we`ve passed one cage to three number 4, 5, 6, 7 cages I can see here.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): What we don`t realize until later this, cavernous cellblock just one of many.
ROBERTSON: And when you look at all with now, how do you feel about the situation for the people that were held here?
ROBERTSON (voice-over): It was harsh, he says, they were beaten, there was torture. The U.S. Department of Defense said it investigated all credible
allegations of abuse by its soldiers. Some were convicted.
ROBERTSON: So here are the rules. No throwing or assaulting guards, no fighting, no escaping, no damaging the self, no disobedience, you will not
touch my gods. No spitting in my house. Those are the rules.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): We`re not the only ones getting a look. The Taliban are bringing their friends in, wandering on the top of the cages,
too.
ROBERTSON: What, do you think so?
ROBERTSON (voice-over): It should be destroyed, he says. So brutal, people can`t use it again.
ROBERTSON: This is a staircase to the platform above the cells. And when you get up here, you get a sense of the sheer scale of this detention
facility.
How many people must have been in here?
Just huge. This is where they say the guards patrol so they could look down in the different cells. They sprayed it on the prisoners.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): The Taliban commander says the guards use water to break up fights that will keep the prisoners awake at night.
ROBERTSON: What I find a little surprising is that everyone here has come to look; some of the guards here are familiar with this. But none of them
seem angry, angry at us, at least. And that`s something I would have expected.
Do you want revenge for this?
ROBERTSON (voice-over): "We forced the Americans out," he says, "that`s revenge."
The other Talib says, "But it doesn`t mean we`ll forget them."
ROBERTSON: Can you shine a light on this so we can just have a look in here?
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Room after room, documents scattered.
ROBERTSON: And over here, a board with all the prisoners` numbers, look --
ROBERTSON (voice-over): The remnants of occupation in overdrive, years and years of jailing Afghans.
Look at this. This must have been the control room. Look at all of the LCD monitors around the wall here.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Around the corner of the psychiatric ward.
ROBERTSON: It`s a medical center but it`s still got cages inside smaller cages. Yes. OK, so showing us here the isolation. So I don`t know if you
can see, if you put your camera right next to the edge on it, with this torch shining in, the isolation cells.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): The writing on the wall tells us two prisoners crammed in here.
ROBERTSON: And then there`s this net, which I can`t figure out what it`s for. Unless it`s for putting on somebody to restrain them, for lying on the
floor.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): What is clear here, individual trauma, collective anger and, from what we`ve been told, an unpaid score to settle with
America -- Nic Robertson, Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: It is unbelievable, getting a look inside the detention facility part of that huge sprawling air base, Bagram, which was abandoned by the
Americans a few months ago.
The governor of Texas is using unprecedented methods to stop migrants from coming in. His state is dealing with a border crisis. We will go there live
with the very latest on what is really happening on the ground. Stay with us.
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[14:40:00]
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GORANI: Look at these dramatic scenes in the Canary Islands.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI (voice-over): Its volcano has been erupting since Sunday. You can see the molten lava destroying everything in its path, including people`s
homes and swimming pools along the way. You can see it there. Not something you see every day there.
Local authorities say thousands have had to evacuate. Yet, Spain`s tourism minister encouraged tourists to check it all out. Listen.
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SPAIN`S TOURISM MINISTER (through translator): Right now, there are no restrictions to accessing the island by air. On the contrary, we are giving
information so tourists can travel to the island and enjoy something that will undoubtedly be unprecedented and be able to see it in person.
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GORANI: I`m not sure what a dip in one of those pools will feel like if you`re adventurous. The comments didn`t sit well with the affected locals.
And she has since tried to clarifying, saying the immediate response was to help the people who live there and not encouraging people to fly there.
Some of the migrants at a camp in Texas are being released into the United States even though the Department of Homeland Security said they would be
flown back to Haiti. Thousands of migrants have been sheltering under the Del Rio International Bridge after crossing the border from Mexico.
This is an aerial view and gives you a sense of the size of the crowds, the size of the migrant population. Many of these migrants, mostly Haitians,
are still waiting to be processed. Some of them sleeping in the dirt, surrounded by a bunch of trash. Josh Campbell joins me live near that
bridge.
What is going on exactly?
Just set the record straight for us, because we saw these pictures of Border Patrol officers on horseback, whipping migrants, who had gone to get
food in Mexico and crossing the border.
What is going on under that bridge right now?
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: That incident you mentioned remains under investigation. What authorities say is those horse-mounted
agents were actually using the reins to control the horse in close proximity of the migrants.
And you see the horses at one point trying to charge the migrant and he falls in the water. Authorities say they are investigating that.
The agent seen in that video is working administrative duties and is not allowed to interact with the migrants as that goes on. Here on the ground,
we are standing in front of this so-called barrier steel.
All of these police vehicles, as we go to our drone camera, you get a sense of how forceful authorities have come out here and how many resources that
they have brought to the border.
These are all Texas Department of Public Safety patrol vehicles.
[14:45:00]
CAMPBELL: The Texas governor has said that he is going to secure the border. The Del Rio port of entry between Mexico and the United States is
currently locked down because, underneath this bridge, there are thousands of migrants that remain and that number swelled up to over 12,000 here; as
of last night, about 8,000.
What the U.S. government says is that they are working to process these migrants and the Department of Homeland Security says they will be
repatriated to the nations from which they came. Most of them here are Haitians.
New information, despite the hard line from the Biden administration that they were going to quickly expel these migrants, we are learning some are
allowed to stay in the United States because, under U.S. law, there`s a process of asylum; if someone makes a claim that they might face harm or
danger when they go back to their home country, they can seek asylum in the United States.
Some migrants have been allowed to stay here as they await immigration hearings. But this remains a large task for the federal government. This
is, obviously, an issue that has garnered worldwide attention. You have migrants, gone from Haiti to South America, Central America.
. And here at the U.S. border you can see that not only is this an issue authorities are facing here but the migrants, themselves, living under the
bridge and sleeping in the dirt out under the hot Texas sun.
This is being described as a humanitarian crisis the U.S. government is grappling with as they work to get the migrants processed and back to their
home countries.
GORANI: Thank you, Josh Campbell, Del Rio, Texas.
What is it like when they are flown back to Haiti from the United States, some of these migrants?
They seem to be left to fend for themselves. There was visible frustration. One journalist at the airport in Port-au-Prince says he didn`t see any U.S.
presence, quote, "like they were flown there and left at the airport."
Cuba`s president is speaking about those images of the U.S. border patrol agents apparently confronting migrants along the Rio Grande.
He writes, "Who talked about human rights?"
The White House says it is seeking more information on this, quote, "horrific video" and an investigation, as Josh Campbell mentioned, is
underway.
Still to come tonight, the search intensifies for the missing fiance of Gabby Petito. And underwater team has been brought in to a nature preserve
to look for Brian Laundrie. We have a live report ahead.
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[14:50:00]
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GORANI: A team of underwater divers in Florida are now taking part in the search for Gabby Petito`s fiance, Brian Laundrie. They will look in the
waters in Venice. He has not been seen in more than a week. On Tuesday, the FBI confirmed this young lady`s body was found over the weekend in Wyoming.
Gabby Petito had been on a cross-country road trip with Laundrie when she disappeared. Athena Jones brings us up to date on the story.
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ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An autopsy conducted confirming the remains found in a remote part of Wyoming on
Sunday are those of 22-year-old Gabby Petito. The FBI saying in a tweet, quote, "The initial determination for the manner of death is homicide. The
cause of death is pending autopsy results."
The search for her fiance, Brian Laundrie, intensifying today. Police returning to this 25,000-acre reserve. Officers searching by foot with
canines, using all-terrain vehicles and drones to cover the vast area of treacherous wilderness.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The terrain is very difficult and 75 percent of it is under water and other areas that are dry, we are trying to clear.
JONES (voice-over): Authorities is not saying what led them back to this 25,000-acre reserve after calling off the search there Monday morning.
A search warrant obtained for an external hard drive found in the van the couple had been traveling in, noting more and more tension between Laundrie
and Petito and detailed what Petito`s mother, Nichole Schmidt, called "an odd text" from her, calling her grandfather by his first name, saying per
the mother, "She never calls him Stan."
Petito stopped posting anything on social media after that message.
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GABBY PETITO, MURDERED WOMAN (from captions): We have been fighting all morning. And he wouldn`t let me in the car before.
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JONES (voice-over): We are learning more about their August 12th encounter with police in Moab, Utah, captured on body camera. Officers concluded the
situation was the result of a mental health crisis and suggested the two separate for the night. No charges were filed.
A national park service ranger there for the stop revealing to a newspaper that she told Petito her relationship seemed toxic, also telling the news,
"We thought we were making the right decision when we left them."
MIRANDA BAKER, POTENTIAL CRIME WITNESS: On August 29th, my boyfriend and I picked up Brian at Grand Teton National Park.
JONES (voice-over): And authorities looking into an encounter with Laundrie in Wyoming where this woman said he was hitchhiking, picking him
up in an area near where Petito`s body was later discovered.
According to the woman, Laundrie told the couple he had been camping alone for days while Petito stayed back at the van to work on social media posts.
Once Laundrie realized the couple was not going toward his destination, she says he became agitated and quickly left their vehicle.
BAKER: He kind of like hurried out of the car and he said, all he had was a tarp to sleep on, which, I think if you`re going camping for days on end,
you`d want food and a tent. And he had none of that.
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GORANI: Athena Jones is joining us with the latest.
It is a vast search area where they are looking for the boyfriend, right?
JONES: Exactly right. We are talking about 25,000 acres and it`s being described as -- by law enforcement as a vast and unforgiving location, also
dangerous to search. We are talking about waters that are waist deep, a lot of flooded hiking and biking trails and that waist-deep water or deeper
also is infested with alligators and snakes.
And so searching it by foot and all-terrain vehicles and canines and now a specialized team of divers from the sheriff`s office, who are helping out.
But they are describing this as dangerous and they have been searching this area for several days now.
But you realize how big it is and how challenging it is. You understand why they haven`t so far found anything that they have reported so far.
GORANI: I wonder, why has the story generated so much coverage?
I mean, people go missing -- lots of people go missing, sadly, in the U.S. all the time.
Why this story, do you think?
JONES: You`re exactly right, Hala. I read a story today about dozens of Native American women going missing in Wyoming near why Gabby Petito was
found dead and they don`t get nearly as much coverage.
A lot of it has to do with this is a young woman, a couple documenting their journey. They had an eight-minute video posted to YouTube. People
felt like they kind of got to know her.
[14:55:00]
0JONES: And so, you know, the attention kind of drives more attention. People on TikTok, all over social media have been sharing clues and stories
about their encounter. You saw the woman, included in the package, Miranda Baker, who said she gave Brian Laundrie a ride while hitchhiking on August
29th.
It`s a case of captivate the nation, partly, some say, because of the blogging and the updates to social media, the material that allows us to
see and have a feel for Gabby Petito. Plus that body camera footage. People have been interested in this story and the more interest there is, the more
interest it gets.
GORANI: Yes, sure. Even internationally, we have seen in the U.K. and Germany and France, people have been reading up on this story. Thanks so
much, Athena Jones.
JONES: Thank you.
GORANI: Well, the actor Willie Garson, if you were a fan like I was and still am of "Sex and the City," you`ll know him. He died at 57. He brought
to life one of the show`s most beloved LGBTQ actors.
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WILLIE GARSON, ACTOR, "STANFORD BLATCH": I am done. I`ve listened to you talk about Aiden for 10 blocks and two years and I`ve been a wonderful
audience.
And I ask you about my Marcus and all I get is nice?
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GORANI: Tributes of him flooding in from his former co-stars and his son, Nathan, whom he adopted, wrote, quote, "I will always love you but I think
it`s time for you to go on an adventure of your own."
Garson was to be on a reboot of the series later this year. Anybody who loved that show will remember Willie very fondly. Our condolences to his
family and loved ones.
Thank you for watching tonight. I`m Hala Gorani. Stay with CNN. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is next.
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