Return to Transcripts main page
What We Know with Max Foster
Taliban: At Least 800 Killed In Afghanistan Earthquake; E.U. Leader's Plane Targeted By GPS Jamming; Modi, Putin And Xi Among World Leaders Meeting In China; Israeli Military Intensifying Attacks On Gaza City Ahead Of Planned Full-Scale Assault; U.S. Deportation Of Unaccompanied Guatemalan Minors Blocked; Trump Demands Drugmakers Justify Success Of COVID Drugs; Debate Over Sex Education in Philippines. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired September 01, 2025 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:24]
MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: Deadly chaos in Afghanistan.
This is WHAT WE KNOW.
Hundreds are dead, thousands are injured, following that massive 6.0 magnitude earthquake. The quake hit just before midnight northeast of
Jalalabad.
The Taliban says at least 800 people are dead, 2,800 others are hurt in villages and towns, rescuers are scrambling to find victims. It's the
latest blow for a country already reeling from humanitarian and economic crises.
Nic Robertson following developments for us.
And I mean, we could predict the numbers are going to go up.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: We can because it's the early stages. It's still rescue and recovery. And the difficulty is
getting out to people. And one of the things that's compounded this earthquake is that it happened at night when most people were sleeping.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Chaotic scenes searching for survivors in the dark. Most people asleep in their homes. When the magnitude six quake
struck. By day, the scale of destruction becoming clearer. This young boy desperately calling for his older brother as other villagers arrived to
help.
The relatively shallow quake eight kilometers or five miles contributing to the destruction and staggering death toll Kunar province, the worst
affected homes here are often made of mud, rock and trees, particularly vulnerable to quakes, 95 percent of the houses in our village have been
destroyed. This survivor says every household has lost between 5 to 10 family members. We appeal to all Muslims to open their hearts and help us
at this time of hardship. Some of the worst affected areas in the mountainous, rural east of Afghanistan could only be reached by helicopter,
as dirt roads already weakened by weeks of heavy rain, were cut by quake induced landslides.
KATE CAREY, DEPUTY HEAD OF OFFICE, U.N. OCHA: There are some locations and some villages in a few of the most hard hit districts that are only
accessible by foot up to three hours. And of course, the priority is also to unblock, impassable roads.
ROBERTSON: The Afghan government spokesman warning while they've reached most villages, it will take some time before international aid agencies
will get there to help. The nearest major city, Jalalabad, receiving some of the injured. Only the luckier survivors able to get to hospital. At
least one NGO, the International Rescue Committee, reporting entire villages have been destroyed. In our district alone, 100 to 150 people were
killed, this man says. We still don't know the number of the injured. The roads are still closed.
The Taliban-ruled country is already reeling from the effects of shrinking international aid budgets. Healthcare at the forefront of basic services
impacted. USAID contracts alone down $1.7 billion over the last year.
In 2023, a magnitude 6.3 quake caused more than 2,000 deaths. Not clear if the toll this time will exceed that. But for sure, the country's ability to
cope with this type of catastrophe is weakening.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: It exposes, doesn't it, the broader problem that the infrastructure, the services, aren't in place because of this shortage of
aid money coming in, and that's going to become apparent, you know, after this immediate rescue, presumably.
ROBERTSON: It is. I mean, it's all compounded, of course, because the country, in essence, has been at war in various ways for over 40 years. So,
the infrastructure is not there. The roads are not there. There very, very few tarmac roads, if any, in that area.
But it's the hospitals. Education as well suffers the sort of being able to get blankets and tents to people, being able to get them ready, supplies of
food, you know, that humanitarian resource, healthcare, humanitarian resource, tents, blankets are the sorts of things that you often find these
international aid budgets that are now being cut are spent on.
[15:05:00]
So, the sort of backup, the reserve. You know, one of the things we heard from a U.N. agency today. They said literally, we're trying to get a
helicopter back online. They said because of the cutbacks, they had to decommission there was -- decommission a helicopter. Now they need it.
They're trying to recommission it.
And it's all because of those aid budgets that have been cut. Various capitals feel the domestic pressure and the need to do it, but it has a
real world effect.
FOSTER: Nic Robertson, thank you so much.
Now to a concerning moment in the sky for the E.U.'s top leader. A spokesperson for E.U. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says her
plane was targeted by GPS jamming whilst trying to land in Bulgaria on Sunday. CNN is told the pilots resorted to using paper maps to land safely.
The European Commission says the Bulgarian authorities suspect this interference may have been carried out by Russia. They're now using this
moment to call for stronger support for Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARIANNA PODESTA, SPOKESPERSON, EUROPEAN COMMISSION: This will only reinforce, even further our unshakable commitment to ramp up defense
capabilities and support for Ukraine. This incident actually underlines the urgency of the mission that the president is carrying out in the frontline
member states these days. There, she has seen firsthand the everyday challenges of threats coming from Russia and its proxies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Well, the Kremlin has denied the allegations. Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov tells "The Financial Times", which first reported on the story.
Quote, "Your information is incorrect."
Our senior international correspondent Melissa Bell has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: A plane carrying the top E.U. leader targeted by GPS jamming. Ursula von der Leyen, the European
Commission president, was on a whistle-stop tour of Eastern Europe and trying to land in southern Bulgaria when the plane systems went down with
the pilots having to land the aircraft using paper maps. That's according to a source close to this incident.
What we've learned from the European Commission is that they heard from Bulgarian authorities very quickly after the incident and then announced it
to the public on Monday that the Bulgarian authorities believe that it was Moscow behind these attempts.
This, of course, in the wake of many years of hybrid warfare being waged on European ground, often in the shape of these sorts of incidents of GPS
jamming.
Ursula von der Leyen landed safely in southern Bulgaria but spoke immediately having knowledge of what had just gone on, but before the rest
of the world found out of the fact that there was an important need to remember the urgency of continuing to deal with Russian aggression and
continuing to support Ukraine.
That's what her tour had been about trying to shore up support for Ukraine even as ceasefire talks appear to falter.
Melissa Bell, CNN Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Now, if a picture is worth a thousand words, you can bet that there will be many thousands of words written about this image.
The leaders of China, Russia, India huddling together with a translators furiously battling to keep up with the conversation. China, Russia and
India represent the three most important superpowers outside the western world, and they seem increasingly interested in working together rather
than cozying up to the U.S. and Europe.
Can you see here a bit earlier on, you actually see Modi and Putin holding hands as they go up to Xi. Here you go. That's an image that's gone viral
today.
CNN's Ivan Watson has more from China.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A show of international solidarity at a time of global uncertainty. Leaders of
three of the world's largest countries happily rubbing shoulders at a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Tianjin, China.
The leaders of China and Russia have long complained that the U.S. and its Western allies have dominated international relations. So now they've
gathered heads of state from across Asia and the Middle East into this vast building to call for the creation of a new world order.
The host, Chinese President Xi Jinping, denouncing bullying and double standards and promoting China as a champion for developing countries.
XI JINPING, CHINESE PRESIDENT (through translator): The house rules of a few countries should not be imposed upon others.
WATSON: Those points echoed by his close partner Vladimir Putin. Even as his military continues its nightly bombardment of Ukrainian cities defying
U.S. President Donald Trump's demands for peace.
But the Russian president accuses the West of starting Russia's war with Ukraine and makes his own appeal for a new global system of governance.
[15:10:00]
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): A system that would replace the outdated Eurocentric and Euro-Atlantic models, taking
into account the interest of the broadest possible range of countries truly balanced.
WATSON: But it is the presence of India's prime minister that has been most notable at this gathering. Narendra Modi came to China still stinging
from 50 percent tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on Indian goods.
Snubbed by Washington, Modi is now mending fences with China, despite an ongoing Chinese-Indian border dispute that five years ago turned very
deadly.
Modi also spent an hour talking to Putin in the Russian president's limousine, demonstrating India has other powerful friends, if it can no
longer count on U.S. support.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping demonstrated diplomatic might at this regional summit. In a few days' time, he'll put on a show of military might. China
is set to hold a huge military parade in Beijing. The VIP guests are to include Vladimir Putin, as well as the leaders of North Korea and Iran.
Ivan Watson, CNN, Tianjin, China.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Now, according to the world's leading Genocide Scholars Association, Israels actions in Gaza have now met the legal definition of
genocide. The experts accuse Israel of deliberately killing civilians, including children, as well as starving people and forcibly displacing
nearly the entire population. Israel is rejecting the resolution, saying its based on, quote, Hamas's campaign of lies.
As horrific as the humanitarian crisis is now in Gaza, it could soon get even worse. Israels security cabinet met yesterday appeared -- appearing
determined to move ahead with a full-scale assault on Gaza City.
Our Jeremy Diamond has more. And we warn you, his report contains some very disturbing images.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As Israeli attacks intensify, fear is coursing through the streets of Gaza City,
driving some families to flee.
But this hail of bullets is a reminder that even running away carries immense risk and no guarantee of reaching safety. Fear etched across Saeed
(ph) and Mariam's (ph) faces, but they listen intently as their mother tells them to stay close to the buildings they set off once more.
They are among thousands of Palestinians who have begun to flee under similar circumstances. The U.N. says nearly 1 million could be forced out
of Gaza City, which is already experiencing famine. Israel is halting humanitarian airdrops and ending daily tactical pauses that enabled more
aid trucks to reach the city. The first stages of Israel's assault on Gaza City, already underway. Airstrikes and artillery shelling of the city are
ramping up. The casualty count mounting alongside it.
A hundred thirty-five people have been killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza City since Friday, according to hospital officials. Israel says Abu Obeida,
the longtime spokesman of Hamas's military wing, was killed in one of those strikes on Saturday. No comment from Hamas.
And once again, the all too familiar sight of children among the dead, a mother's anguish. And the outpouring of grief and disbelief that follow.
"We were gathered in a tent, and we had nothing to do with anything. Look in front of you. These are children," this man says. "This elderly one here
is my grandmother. This is my sister. I don't know where my brother is."
But these images represent just a fraction of the death and destruction that await this city. These plumes of smoke indicate Israel is readying a
path for its tanks and troops to take the city, even as Israels top general urges his government to reconsider a full-scale assault and accept the
ceasefire and hostage release deal on the table.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now, we don't have -- we don't know where we go. They're bombing around us.
DIAMOND: Like so many here, Mohammed al Durham (ph) no longer knows where to flee, but his pleas are directed toward one man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President Donald Trump, stop the war right now, everyone died. And if you -- if you are care about Gaza cities, you should
stop the war because everyone here will die.
DIAMOND: Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[15:15:00]
FOSTER: Coming up, new measures in the U.K. to try to cut the number of migrants arriving by boat. Will it work?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: A federal judge has blocked the U.S. government from deporting unaccompanied Guatemalan minors, some of whom were already on planes. It
happened as they were in the process of repatriating some of them on Sunday, where attorneys and advocacy groups raised concerns over children
taken from shelters in the middle of the night, describing them as terrified and confused.
CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is live in Washington.
And they would be, wouldn't they?
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Max, I've been talking to immigration attorneys who represent these children, and they say that there
was so much confusion among them as they were being prepared to be repatriated back to Guatemala. Now, what we know as of today is that the
U.S. government has placed 74 children back into their custody after deplaning them yesterday. We've also heard from the Guatemalan president,
who said that the country is prepared to receive minors on a weekly basis once the legal dispute here in the United States is resolved.
But just to rewind a little bit as to what happened here, late Saturday and in the early morning hours of Sunday, legal service providers. So those
attorneys who represent these children were told that their clients were going to be repatriated to Guatemala. Meanwhile, the shelter is taking care
of these children were told to prepare to discharge them within a matter of hours, collecting their personal belongings, any medications that they had,
as well as preparing snacks for them for their flights.
Now, I spoke to one of the immigration attorneys who represents multiple children, and what that attorney told me is that these children were woken
up in the middle of the night and again prepared to be sent to their country of origin. The attorney said this, quote, the reaction when you
explain what's happening is disbelief.
[15:20:02]
They're very scared. They all say they're afraid to return to Guatemala for different reasons. They were literally taken out of their beds in the
middle of the night on a holiday weekend.
Now, the children that we're talking about here, Max, are children who arrived to the U.S. southern border unaccompanied. So, without a parent or
a legal guardian. They're in U.S. government custody until they can be reunited with a U.S.-based family member and go through their immigration
proceedings, where they will. It will be determined whether they have protections in the United States.
It's for that reason that the attorneys here are so concerned because they say their clients are still in those proceedings, so it hasn't been
determined yet whether these children are better off in the United States than Guatemala, a country that many of them are fleeing from.
In fact, in a lawsuit that was filed early Sunday, one of the cases of the children is a 10 year old whose mother is deceased and who was fleeing
abuse and neglect back at home in Guatemala.
Now there are children, it's worth noting, who do want to be returned to their country of origin, Guatemala or elsewhere, who are in custody. But
even those children have to go before an immigration judge to express that desire and have the judge ask them about that to ensure that they are going
to be safe if returned. It's unclear if that process happened here. In fact, some attorneys say it was flouted and the administration is violating
U.S. law, which has created a situation in which the federal judge has blocked the removal of these children for now.
These proceedings are still going to be ongoing. The administration is pushing back, saying that, again, this has been done in coordination with
the Guatemalan government, and this is an effort to reunify these children with family members in their home country.
Now, the next step in all of this is that there will continue to be proceedings over the course of the week, as the government as well as the
attorneys for these children try to resolve this. But for now, what we do know is that the dozens of children who were being prepared on planes to be
sent back to Guatemala on Sunday have now been returned to the custody of the United States.
FOSTER: Yeah, they must be very confused.
Priscilla, thank you.
The United Kingdom making it tougher for migrants to bring their families to the U.K. The government is temporarily suspending new applications for
family reunions as it tries to cut the number of arrivals. The home secretary says so-called small boat gangs use the idea of family reunion as
a tool to encourage migrants to journey to the country's shores.
A record 29,000 migrants have arrived by small boats to the U.K. this year. It's also pledged to close hotels housing thousands of migrants awaiting
processing. Those hotels have recently become a flashpoint for anti-migrant protests.
So, what we want to know is how can Europe manage growing numbers of asylum seekers?
Joining me now is Hannes Einsporn. He's a senior migration expert at the Robert Bosch Stiftung Foundation.
Thank you so much for joining us, Hannes.
So, it's a huge question, isn't it? It's a -- it's an interesting case, the U.K., because a liberal country like much of Europe, but we've also got a
left leaning government in power and they are reacting to this in a way that in the past would have been seen as quite right wing, actually. I
mean, you could argue this small boats policy is far right.
HANNES EINSPORN, SENIOR MIGRANT EXPERT, ROBERT BOSCH STIFTUNG FOUNDATION: I think it's a very interesting question indeed, Max, and thanks for having
me. I think overall, we see in Europe that numbers are actually decreasing of asylum seekers, and that's partly attributed to the fall of Assad in
Syria. So, the trend is actually on a downward trend. So, we see less people arriving. I think the small boats crisis in the U.K. is very special
one, and there's a lot of attention, and there is the politics in the U.K. that are also driving attention on this issue.
I think something that -- that is particularly interesting about this case, and I think that we can learn also for larger migration policy in Europe. I
think people in general, I think, really want a balance of compassion and control. So, they don't want the very sort of right wing and very extreme
measures. They want the in between.
And I think that's something that can unite us. And in practice this means combining compassion and control, for instance, being restrictive. And when
it comes to irregular migration, but at the same time also allowing for legal pathways to have people access asylum and protection in Europe, but
also in the U.K.
FOSTER: But the boats that we're seeing now are an example of that, aren't they. So you have these dinghies coming over from France full of migrants,
you know, an extreme policy would be to force them back out to water. People don't want that to happen, but at the same time, they don't want
them being brought onto land and housed in the only property available, frankly, which is these hotels.
So, they've been demonstrations about hotels. So, as you say, the public is quite split here in Europe. You know, within themselves about what to do.
[15:25:00]
EINSPORN: That is indeed true. I think if we look at the debate in politics, we actually would assume that there is a lot of polarization when
it comes to migration. And in particular, I think what's polarizing is this particular issue that you're highlighting, the irregular migration over to
the U.K. from France.
I think if we look at the polling and we have, the Robert Bosch Foundation has a partner more in common who has done representative polling,
representative polling in in the U.K., but also in five countries in Europe.
And actually, if we look at the numbers, people don't necessarily are that split when it comes to migration. I think there is a general sentiment that
people want refugees want people that flee persecution and war to find protection. And that's in principle, there is a strong support for this
refugee protection.
But if we look at the practice, we see that there is I think a lot of discontent in how the, how governments are currently handling the issue.
And if we ask people about specific measures that they -- that they support, we see that they want border enforcement on the one hand, but they
also want legal pathways.
On the other hand, and that combination currently isn't there. And if we look, for instance, at Germany, the new German government has actually cut
all humanitarian admissions, all resettlement, in fact, all legal pathways have been on the cutting board. And that's something that's -- that's not
helping in a very polarized debate. And this can I think, really unite, the population in migration policy issues. And that's something where we see
the polling really much supporting this in many countries in Europe.
FOSTER: Okay. Hannes Einsporn, I really appreciate your analysis and your thoughts on that very complex issue here in Europe.
The head of Nestle has been fired after the company found he'd been in a secret romantic relationship with one of his subordinates. Laurent Freixe
was removed with immediate effect after an internal investigation. The company said he had breached Nestle's code of conduct. Freixe was only
appointed as CEO last year. He'll be replaced by Philippe Navratil.
Still to come, a new demand from President Donald Trump on pharmaceutical companies that make COVID vaccines.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:30:47]
FOSTER: Returning to our top story. Rescuers facing extremely difficult terrain, further complicated by landslides after a powerful earthquake that
killed at least 800 people in Afghanistan. The Taliban say another 2,800 are injured. The 6.0 magnitude quake hit near the Pakistani border. It
completely leveled some villages. Aid agencies say time is short to help the people on the ground.
One aid worker from World Vision Afghanistan told me the country's already struggling from the Trump administration's decision to slash aid funding.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK CALDER, ADVOCACY, POLICY & COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, WORLD VISION AFGHANISTAN: Yeah, this has been a major challenge this year. The very
sudden drop in assistance for Afghanistan, and I think it's worth remembering that Afghanistan is already one of the world's worst
humanitarian crises, 3.5 million children in Afghanistan live with acute malnutrition, roughly half of the population, nearly 23 million, are in
need of humanitarian assistance, already. And so, communities such as this are really not well prepared for sustaining shocks as severe as this.
That said, there's an awful lot that can be achieved if resources are available. We have Afghan NGO partners in the area just now. They have
incredible knowledge of the realities on the ground. They used to dealing with the challenges in remote parts of eastern northeastern Afghanistan,
and they're able to get, you know, some of the big organizations aren't able to directly.
So there is potential, there is potential to deal with the short term crisis and the longer term effects. And we've had experience of doing that
even, you know, two years ago in in Herat province, where were headquartered. There were a series of very severe earthquakes. And the
response then was actually very well-coordinated between agencies and managed to, you know, reduce some of the suffering. So, it's about getting
that balance between recognizing the severity of the challenge, but also the potential for -- for making a difference if we act quickly and
generously.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: President Donald Trump demanding that pharmaceutical companies justify the success of their COVID vaccinations. In a post on social media,
he claims that Pfizer and other drug makers have shown him extraordinary information that hasn't been made public. This comes just days after his
administration set new limits on who can receive an updated COVID vaccine.
CNN's Jeff Zeleny is in Washington and can clarify exactly what the president means here -- Jeff.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Max, I'm not sure that I can. Because it certainly is a curious post. President Trump
making earlier today. It almost sounds like something that an argument that was hashed out some five years or so ago about the effectiveness of the
COVID vaccine or not.
But let's do take a look at it a little bit more of the post that the U.S. president posted earlier today. He writes this: It's very important that
drug companies justify the success of their various COVID drugs. Many people think they are a miracle that saved millions of lives. Others
disagree. With the CDC being ripped apart over this question. I want the answer and I want it now.
Of course, this is the U.S. president who has all of the answers and all of the science at his disposal if he wants it. What he's not saying there is
that the reason that the Centers for Disease Control, the CDC, is being ripped apart? It's because people like his Health and Human Services
Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. don't believe the science. In fact, they have been on a years-long campaign against the sciences, saying that
vaccines that have been proven for years and years do not help. So, the president is sort of trying to step in the middle of this somewhat, but
trying to put the onus on the drug companies to justify their success rather than to prove the science.
So, Max, I think the bottom line to all of this, Donald Trump seems to be a little bit nervous by what is happening at the CDC. Several of the top
officials have resigned. He fired the director of the CDC, who was only in her job for about three and a half weeks or so. So, keep an eye on this.
The president obviously has been frustrated over the years. His advisers have long told me for not being able to sort of brag upon the success, in
his view, of Operation Warp Speed that found these vaccines and created them in record time during the global pandemic.
[15:35:09]
This has been something that's divided the MAGA movement. It looks like it still does. But the president obviously not taking a leadership role here.
He's calling on these drug companies to justify their success, in his words, Max.
FOSTER: There's also been this huge backlash, hasn't there? Of course, within the CDC. But across the community, around the CDC and, you know the
health sector, if you like, to the way the CDC has been treated, I'm wondering if he's listening to that.
ZELENY: It seems like he's a bit sensitive to the really the incredible backlash here at the CDC, which, of course, the U.S. obviously depends
upon. But the world does as well for a variety of maladies and pandemics and the like. So, it seems to me that he is listening somewhat, but again,
not taking a leadership role in this. It's his own officials who he has decided to put in his cabinet, who have sparked this new round of concerns
and have changed the protocol for the COVID vaccine.
But this is certainly going to come to a head later this week when members of Congress return to Washington and there are hearings on what's going on
at the CDC. So, certainly very interesting. I think, it's hardly the final word on this over the vaccines, Max.
FOSTER: Jeff Zeleny, appreciate you joining us. Thank you.
ZELENY: My pleasure.
FOSTER: Nine former leaders of the CDC are sounding a dire alarm in an op ed for "The New York Times". They say the HHS secretary, Robert F. Kennedy,
Jr.is, quote, endangering every American's health. They say Kennedy's moves are unlike anything the agency has ever seen, citing, among other issues,
his mass firing of federal health workers, his downplay of vaccines and his replacement of experts with what they call unqualified individuals.
Last week, I spoke to one of the authors of that op-ed, the former CDC Director Tom Frieden, who said the agency was being taken apart.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. TOM FRIEDEN, FORMER CDC DIRECTOR: What's happening now is basically science and organizations being hijacked for an anti-science, anti-fact
agenda that may result in the spread of infectious diseases. And although the claim is making America healthier, what we're seeing is the dismantling
of systems that keep Americans healthy, whether it's from tobacco control or birth defect prevention or other areas. All of these are areas that this
administration has dismantled.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: The CDC officials are urging Congress to take immediate action.
Now, a childhood prank turned deadly for a Houston boy. Police in Texas say an 11-year-old was shot and killed after he and several other children were
ringing doorbells and then running away. This happened just on Saturday night. A Houston officer says the shooter will likely face a murder charge,
noting that the incident doesn't appear to involve self-defense because the shooting wasn't close to the house. In the end, the age old prank has risen
in popularity in recent years and has become the latest tragic example of a TikTok trend gone wrong.
Still to come, the rise in controversy over sex education in the Philippines. We'll take a look at why supporters say it's needed.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:41:39]
FOSTER: Sex education is being fiercely debated in the Philippines. The rate of teen pregnancies in the country is amongst the highest in Asia. But
as Hanako Montgomery explains, it's a controversial topic in a deeply Catholic nation.
(BEGIN VIDOETAPE)
DR. JUNICE MELGAR, FOUNDER, LIKHAAN WOMEN'S HEALTH: Their reproductive tracts are not yet ready. Mentally, they're also not ready.
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Do you think these 13-year-old girls are sinning?
JEROME SECILLANO, CATHOLIC PRIEST: Yes, they are sinning.
MONTGOMERY: Are you scared about giving birth?
(voice-over): It's a school day for 15-year-old Jamica. But before she gets to class, she plays with little Jamico (ph), her nine-month-old son.
JAMICA, MOTHER: If he cries before I go to school, I have to play with him first before leaving.
MONTGOMERY: Jamica was 13 when she conceived. Pregnancy crept up on her foretold in stretch marks and a late period.
JAMICA: I cried.
MONTGOMERY: Why did you cry?
JAMICA: Because I was young, and I was already pregnant.
MONTGOMERY: Jamica is part of a soaring number of Filipino adolescents forced to end girlhood for motherhood.
But she's one of the fortunate ones. Not only did she endure pregnancy and labor, but she's also finishing her education.
Jamica is just on her way to school now, and you can tell that she really loves her son a lot. Very much cares for him. But if she had the choice not
to get pregnant so young, she would have chosen that.
Here in the Philippines, teen pregnancy has been described as a national emergency. Young families often belong to the poorest communities of
fragile homes and narrow alleyways.
Now, the latest government data collected between 2019 and 2023 shows a 38 percent spike in the number of 10- to 14-year-olds giving birth in the
Philippines. None old enough to choose such a life-changing ordeal.
How difficult is it for an adolescent girl to give birth?
MELGAR: So, we know that pregnancies are below the age of 16 is three times riskier than in older women.
MONTGOMERY: So these girls can die.
MELGAR: Yes, their reproductive tracts are not yet ready. Mentally, they're also not ready. So they're not seeking the care.
MONTGOMERY: Women's health advocates have told CNN that the crisis is fueled by social media's growing role as a place to meet people, and COVID-
19 restrictions loosening. In an effort to curb adolescent pregnancies, sex education advocates introduced the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Bill,
which would standardize and enforce sex ed in school.
But under pressure from the Catholic Church and conservatives, it was stalled. Three years on, the senate still hasn't passed the bill. Its
latest version, introduced in July, grants major concessions to conservatives guaranteeing parental control and religious freedom.
Most people in the Philippines are catholic, and the church has a lot of power in this country.
[15:45:03]
They influence Filipino society, values and also to some extent, politics.
SECILLANO: Even if you bombard them with sex education, it's still, they're going to engage in sex and then get pregnant later on.
MONTGOMERY: We've spoken to some very young moms who got pregnant at age 13, and they all said that had they received sufficient sex education, they
would not have chosen to get pregnant.
SECILLANO: Well, that's a narrative that we don't want to discredit. But I'm telling you that even if you tell people not to sin, it's still they're
going to sin.
MONTGOMERY: So, do you think these 13 year old girls are sinning?
SECILLANO: Yes, they are sinning when they engage in sex without the benefit of marriage. It is a sin.
MARIA LOURDES SERENO, CONVENOR, PROJECT DALISAY: With everything we have, we have to root out --
MONTGOMERY: Conservatives against the bill have rallied around a new lobby group called Project Dalisay or in English, Project Pure.
What exactly about this sexual education program are you against?
SERENO: Filipinos cannot imagine the thought that the reproductive organs of their young children, as young as grade one, will be discussed in a
classroom setting?
MONTGOMERY: U.S. right wing Christian groups have influenced the debate in the Philippines, anti-abortion rights group Human Life International has
campaigned against the bill, telling CNN in a statement it poses a moral threat to the Philippines. Family Watch International also told CNN that
sex ed programs are inappropriate and unnecessary.
Project Dalisay's convener Maria Lourdes Sereno says she's taken the lead from right wing Christian groups in the U.S., but denies any financial
ties.
SERENO: We look for information, the technical information, the science from the U.S. is actually very -- it's important to note the science that
U.S. think tanks produce, U.S. medical experts produce.
MONTGOMERY: In 2022, the Philippines raised the age of consent from 12 to 16, meaning adolescent pregnancy may constitute statutory rape.
Volunteer group Likhaan warns the rise in adolescent pregnancies is also driven by this power imbalance between some young girls and older teenage
boys, and shifting attitudes towards them spending time together. It's one of the many things they teach young women about as they race to fill this
gap in the Philippines sex education.
PRINCESS SALAMAT, VOLUNTEER, LIKHAAN WOMEN'S HEALTH: So in here we have a condom. And then we also have combined oral contraceptive pills. But it can
also be used for the plan B method or the emergency contraceptive pill method.
MONTGOMERY: Likhaan is greeted warmly here. Friendly faces in a community where birth control is a luxury.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks for condom.
MONTGOMERY: So the volunteers who are handing out these condom kits told me that they target these basketball courts because they know that young
men gather here and they don't have access to contraceptives.
So they hope that with these condom kits, they'll practice safer sex.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I took these condoms so I don't impregnate anyone. I'm too young to have a family.
MONTGOMERY: At 14, Clara thinks she's too young to be an expecting mother. She's asked to remain anonymous because she doesn't want her classmates to
know she's pregnant.
CLARA, EXPECTANT MOTHER: I haven't gone to the hospital.
MONTGOMERY: Why not?
CLARA: I have no money yet, to go to hospital.
MONTGOMERY: Do you think it's going to be a boy or a girl?
CLARA: I want a boy.
MONTGOMERY: Boy? Why do you want a boy?
CLARA: I want him to be like my older brother. I don't want to him to end up like me. And he won't get pregnant.
MONTGOMERY: As the political battle rages on, thousands of girls like Clara are forced to live with the consequences of a life they would never
have chosen.
Hanako Montgomery, CNN, the Philippines.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: We'll be back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:51:36]
FOSTER: In football, it's going to be a record breaking day in the English Premier League, as the European transfer window closes for the summer.
Alexander Isak is reportedly heading from Newcastle to Liverpool for a fee of around $170 million. That would be a British transfer record.
Even though the window officially closed around two hours ago, we're still waiting for the deal to be confirmed. It's not all good news for Liverpool,
though. The deal for the center back, Marc Guehi, has reportedly fallen through.
There's one big European loan deal that's already been agreed. Crowds flocked to view the priceless by a tapestry in France over the weekend,
before it moves to London's British museum. Whilst the loan is temporary, there's concern that relocating the nearly 1,000-year-old work of art could
cause significant damage.
Ben Hunte has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN HUNTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The story of a famous battle nearly a thousand years ago unfolds scene after scene on the famous Bayeux
tapestry.
Tales of a shipwreck, a broken oath, the death of a king and the victory of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 embroidered on a
70-meter-long linen cloth.
A piece of history that will soon go on loan to the British Museum in London while the Bayeux Museum in France undergoes renovations. Over the
weekend, visitors lined up to see the exhibit before it closes to the public.
NEIL KLOTZ, MUSEUM VISITOR: Well, we came specifically to see it in France because we knew it was going to England. We thought, well, we could just
wait a year and we'll see it there. But what the heck, let's see it where it's from.
HUNTE: The Bayeux Tapestry, which is technically an embroidery, will be viewable again next year in September at the British Museum until July of
2027, as part of a cultural exchange that was announced by French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
But critics say moving the 11th century artwork could seriously damage it. And there is an online petition with more than 66,000 signatures to stop
the loan, saying the tapestry is too precious and too fragile to risk such a transport.
DIDIER RYKNER, ART HISTORIAN (through translator): If we could loan it, we should do so. I have no problem with that. But we just cannot. We can't
just loan an object that will get damaged. That's unacceptable.
HUNTE: Historians say the ancient artifact has rarely been moved from Bayeux except for brief periods in Napoleon's rule and World War Two. But
the British Museum says it will take the greatest care with it, saying its conservation team is experienced with handling this type of material.
A French official in charge of the move says no decision has been made yet on how to transport the tapestry, but some museum goers in Bayeux getting
one last look at it before its hiatus, say they understand why people are so fascinated with it.
NICOLE LAWLER, MUSEUM VISITOR: They're worried that it won't which would be horrendous. But I can also see why in the U.K. they would want to have
it available there, because it is a significant part of that history.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Well, finally, tonight, after a lackluster Labor Day box office, one thriller is chewing up most of the competition.
Well, the re-release of Universal Pictures' "Jaws" finished second at the box office, making nearly $10 million.
[15:55:00]
Warner Bros' "Weapons" managed to outswim the 1975 classic, earning more than $12 million. Warner Bros. Discovery is the parent company of CNN.
And another comeback to look forward to. For the first time in five years, Lady Gaga plans to perform at MTV's Video Music Awards. MTV made the
announcement on Saturday. Lady Gaga is also the leading nominee at the VMAs, with 12 nominations. Her last VMAs appearance was in 2020. The shows
set for Sunday, September the 7th.
I'm Max Foster. That's WHAT WE KNOW.
"QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" up next.
END
TO ORDER VIDEOTAPES AND TRANSCRIPTS OF CNN INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMMING, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS
