Return to Transcripts main page

Connect the World

Iraqi Protests U.S. Airstrikes On Iraqi-Syrian Border; Sydney Under Lockdown; Crews Continue Search For Survivors And Clues In Rubble. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired June 28, 2021 - 10:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:00:27]

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: U.S. President orders airstrikes targeting Iranian-backed militants along the Iraq Syrian border. Iraq says

it's an unacceptable act of violence.

Grief and fear in Florida as the search for survivors continues in the debris of a collapsed building. Many residents in high rises, worrying is

my apartment safe.

And stay at home. Sydney under lockdown as COVID cases surge around the city. So how did that happen?

It's 10:00 a.m. in Atlanta, 6:00 p.m. in Abu Dhabi. I'm Lynda Kinkade in for Becky Anderson. Hello, and welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD. good to have

you with us.

Well, Iraq and Iran are expressing outrage over the latest U.S. airstrikes. The Pentagon claims airstrikes targeted facilities along Iraq's border with

Syria used by militia which are backed by Iran. Several militia members were killed. This is the second time the Biden administration has struck

Iranian-backed groups. Iran's foreign ministry warns the strikes could destabilize regional security saying and I quote, "Our advice to the new

administration is that instead of making crisis and creating problems for people in the region, take corrective actions and let regional people

determine their destiny."

When Meantime, Iraq says the strikes violate its national sovereignty. The U.S. is citing the ongoing attacks on U.S. interests for the reason for the

strikes. We have CNN's Barbara Starr following this for U.S. from the Pentagon. And senior international correspondent Arwa Damon is live for us

in Istanbul. Good to have you both with this. I'm going to start with you first, Barbara. This is the second time we've had an attack like this under

the Biden administration. What can you tell us?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, one of the reasons this is happening, Lynda is because the U.S. says that these are Iranian-backed

militias in this border region are staging attacks using armed drone technology. And they're stating those attacks against U.S. troops. The big

worry, of course, is that they're going to wind up killing U.S. troops. And that could become very quickly, a wider conflict.

So, what you had overnight were these airstrikes, two on the Syrian side, one on the Iraq side, going after these staging areas where the U.S.

believes all of this is originating from. The idea is that the U.S. is saying these are precision and defensive, and hoping it's a deterrent to

these Iranian-backed militias. But that may be a very much a wish rather than something that's going to happen anytime soon.

This kind of activity, these kinds of militia stage attacks have been going on for years and it's been very tough for the Iraqi government to be strong

enough to put the -- push these militias out. Lynda?

KINKADE: Yes. It certainly is, Barbara. I'm going to come back here in just a moment. But I want to go to Arwa first on the reaction in the region.

Arwa, if you can just explain to us what you're hearing from Iraq and Iran.

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, at this stage, basically what the Iranians are saying is that this is an effort -- an attack that

was going to be quite detrimental to stability in the region, but it is perhaps what's happening and what we're hearing from Iraq, that is more

significant at this stage. You have a number of senior Iraqi officials who are saying that this is a violation of their own sovereignty to reference

what Barbara was saying about the strength of the Iraqi Government.

It's not just an issue of the Iraqi government not being able to sort of rein in these various different Iranian-backed Iraqi Shia militias. It's

also an issue with the Iraqi military. The reason why these militias were able to reemerge and become so powerful is because when the U.S. withdrew

from Iraq years ago, the Iraqi security forces despite what Americans were saying, at the time, we're not fully ready or capable of handling the

security situation which eventually is, of course, what led to the emergence of ISIS.

The emergence of ISIS is what then led it to these Iranian-backed Shia militia groups to be able to sort of recoalesce, expand, emerge and become

arguably even more powerful than they were when Iraq was being occupied by U.S. forces itself. And so, Iraq's fate right now is very much intertwined

to the fate of what happens between Iran and the United States. And Iraq is whether it's Iraqis that you speak to in the street or the vast majority of

Iraqis in government will tell you that you Iran and the United States have to stop using Iraq as their back ground for these back and forth, you know,

strikes on the one hand, airstrikes and retaliation, ongoing tensions between these two countries because Iraq itself can't sustain this.

Iraq will not be able to survive as a stable nation, as long as these two countries, America and Iran keep going at each other within Iraqi

territory.

KINKADE: Yes, exactly. Arwa, I'm going to come back to you in just a second. Barbara, I want to get your take on how this is playing out

diplomatically because as we're seeing this proxy war play out, we're also know, obviously, that there's talks underway to revive the Iran Nuclear

Deal.

STARR: Well, then that certainly does, I think linger behind much of this as a major issue. Now, whether it really changes anything with the militias

or not, it would be an open question. But it's one of the reasons the U.S. wants to see these militias under control. Again, they don't want to see

the militias stage any kind of attack that would lead to U.S. fatalities, U.S. casualties, that could then draw in the U.S. military in a way that it

is.

Not now and could harm any diplomatic progress. The U.S. wants to keep everything pretty stable until they're using these strikes that we've seen

as another deterrent mechanism, whether it works remains to be seen.

KINKADE: Yes, exactly. And it's you, Arwa on this, the U.S. Secretary of State met with Israel's new foreign minister, not surprisingly, as we've

heard from Israel in the past, he expressed serious reservations about the Iran Nuclear Deal.

DAMON: Yes, I mean, Israel historically has not really wanted to see the deal emerge when it first did years ago under the Obama administration. And

now most certainly does not want to necessarily see it revive, believing that it may perhaps embolden Iran or actually push Iran towards thinking

that it has a bit more of a (INAUDIBLE) free rein to sort of expand on its own nuclear capabilities.

But that being said, something has to happen. Lynda, there are some analysts who are saying that the reason why we're seeing, you know, this

sort of uptick to a certain degree, although this has pretty much been the status quo in these targets against U.S. interest in Iraq, carried out by

these Iranian-backed militias is because Iran is feeling the pinch on its economy. It's feeling the pinch of U.S. sanctions and it wants to hit an

American pressure point.

And the most convenient U.S. pressure point that it has within its sights is American installations, American interests inside Iraq. But at the same

time, you know, that being said, Lynda, there are a few other things to also take into consideration and that is that Iran is very deeply

entrenched in Iraq. And so, when it comes to the issue of these Iranian- backed Shia militias, the other big concern is how powerful of a force they actually are.

And many will argue that they are more powerful than the Iraqi army itself. And what you most certainly do not want to see emerge as the end scenario,

in a country like Iraq is what we have in Lebanon, for example, where you have Hezbollah armed forces, who are more powerful than the Lebanese army,

and that has never voted well for Lebanon. And so within Iraq, having an armed force that is not under the direct command and control of the Iraqi

security forces that is more powerful than the Iraqi security forces, most certainly is not going to bode well for Iraq's long term stability or

future.

KINKADE: Certainly isn't. And just back to you, Barbara, on how this began, the U.S. claims it carried out these airstrikes after drone attacks. Are we

likely to see this tit for tat continue?

STARR: Well, I think it's very likely that it will if these militias keep up with these attacks, we have seen them sporadically over time, in terms

of a U.S. response, and I don't think there's any reason to think the Biden administration is not going to pursue these targets.

KINKADE: All right. Barbara Starr for us at the Pentagon. Arwa Damon for us in Istanbul. Good to have you both with us. Thank you.

Well, the desperate search for survivors has not slowed down in Florida. Five days after a huge condo building collapsing in Miami. At least nine

people were killed. More than 100 remain missing. Rescue crews are getting help from around the world including from teams from Israel and Mexico. And

experts now trying to zero in on where the building might have failed and there are some clues back in 2018 an engineering report showed significant

cracks and breaks in the concrete. The fire chief sized up the situation to reporters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[10:10:06]

ALAN COMINSKY, MIAMI-DADE FIRE CHIEF: I mean, it's horrific. You know, that can be a one word that I'll say. I mean, it's -- again (INAUDIBLE) one of

the most difficult collapses to deal with. The operation of what we're seeing is just an extremely difficult situation.

The type of debris, unfortunately, that we're coming across, this session is tough to describe. It's just, you know, we don't have the voice that we

would be hoping for, things that we're looking for, you know, not that, you know, we're still looking, you know, that's what I mean by horrific is just

-- it's a very difficult, difficult situation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Absolutely horrific. Well, all of this as desperate family members wait to hear any word on their missing loved ones. Nick Valencia is at the

Family Center in Surfside Florida, and joins us now live. And Nick Valencia, 152 peoples still missing. Many, many people wanting answers, and

you've been speaking to some of the family members there.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Lynda, it is grim here at this point. It is a combination of emotions, the local officials who have

also spoken to the family members a little bit more directly say that they are just processing things differently. And everyone processes things

differently. I did just get off the phone with Pablo Rodriguez whose grandmother and mother are among those still unaccounted for.

And he was unable to join us on camera. But he did want to record this voice message for those to listen. And you could tell from his voice just

how distraught he is. He was trembling. He said as he sent us this message.

I don't think we have that soundbite, Lynda. But what he said ultimately was that he has a young son who's asking where his grandma and great

grandma are and they have not had the heart yet to tell them what happened. You know, there is hope for him. Not necessarily that he'll find his mother

or grandmother alive but that there will be some accountability here. There is a great amount of attention as the days go by on how the condition of

this building was allowed to get to this point.

It is people like Rodriguez that are holding out hope for accountability because as the days have ticked by, some like him are coming to the

realization that it is extremely unlikely that many of those who are still unaccounted for survive this. People here are hoping for a miracle. A

miracle that is yet to come. The range of emotions not just being felt by the families but also by the first responders who day after day are risking

their own lives to dig through that debris.

Inhaled toxic smoke. There was fires over the weekend that were, you know, eventually put out but now there was particles in the air, green smoke

coming from that debris. We don't really know what was in that air, but we know it was toxic, and those first responders coming up empty handed have

told me that they felt demoralized by these efforts. Family members have grown frustrated.

Their anger has boiled over into outrage and confrontation at points over the weekend. There was a briefing between family members and local

officials, during which they were confronted. The pain and the anger is evident denial as well. Some family members have bordered on anxiety

attacks. We've seen ambulances show up here with stretchers. We know later today this afternoon those family members who didn't have a chance to get

to the site yesterday when they were allowed to go to that site will be given another opportunity to visit.

And just as we're on the on the air here, Lynda, I'm going to step aside so you can see another busload of those families being taken. It seems it is

empty right now, but that bus is arriving to take family members later this afternoon, later this morning to the site. Miami-Dade Fire and Rescue

Maggie Castro telling me it has provided those families some closure, some understanding to the difficulty and the circumstances that these emergency

crews are dealing with. But it is clear on day five here that it -- hope is dwindling and finding a miracle in that rubble. Lynda?

KINKADE: All right. Nick Valencia, we'll leave it there for now. We will speak to you again soon. Our thoughts are really with all those people

wanting answers right now. Thank you.

Well, the missing people in that condo collapse are from at least nine countries. Mostly Latin America. Our Matt Rivers joins us now from Mexico

City with more on that side of the story. And Matt, dozens of people missing from where you are, from Latin America. Must be heartbreaking for

those you're speaking to waiting for answers.

MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, just like you heard from Nick there, Lynda. I think for a lot of these families, there is

the understanding, right? That as the days go by, the chances of finding anyone alive in the rubble gets lower and lower and lower. I think that

reality has set in for a lot of families. But the consistent theme that we've heard, you know, going back to late last week when we were reporting

on this story going through the weekend when we were reporting on this story, it's just the lack of knowing.

[10:15:09]

RIVERS: The lack of knowledge, the lack of someone in an authoritative way telling these families, your loved one is blank. And that's what they're

hoping to hear. Some sort of information. Especially, you know, it's heartbreaking. And when you hear these individual stories of people that

were in Miami from Latin America, the one that has stuck with me personally, is a 23-year-old woman named Lady Luna Villalba.

She was a nanny for the sister of Paraguay's First Lady. Her sister was there with her family, this 23-year-old went with that family because she's

trying to pay her way through nursing school, she was close to getting that degree. She told her mom that she was nervous about going on this trip

because she had never traveled outside of Paraguay before, but she thought that it would be good and it can earn her some more money to finish that

degree.

Those are those individual stories that you hear that really stand out amidst what ends up becoming statistics when we're talking about the dozens

and dozens of people. But each one of those people has an individual story. That's just heartbreaking.

KINKADE: And now we are also seeing an international response in terms of help on the scene. Mexico now sending a team of experts who typically deal

with buildings that collapse in the event of an earthquake. And they also joining another team that's arrived from Israel.

RIVERS: Yes, that's right. I mean, here in Mexico, there's several teams called Topos. And these are groups of men and women who have a lot of

experience, unfortunately, in building collapses, given what we see here in Mexico all the time. This is a very earthquake prone place just as recently

as 2017. There was a massive earthquake here in Mexico City, where hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people were trapped in collapsed buildings.

And so, one of these teams of rescuers is in Miami. There's some confusion at this point about whether they've actually been used on the site. We just

got off the phone with a spokesperson for one of those teams. They say that they've got at least 14 members on site. There are three more coming up

from the Mexican State of Michoacan later on today. Whether they're exactly being used in the site, they are not sure.

They say they're waiting for word for the authorities if they're going to be used, but clearly they have the expertise to be able to help at that

scene, and certainly that help is needed.

KINKADE: Yes. It certainly is. All right. Matt Rivers forests in Mexico City. Thank you very much. Well, still ahead here on CONNECT THE WORLD, the

Delta COVID variant forces Sydney to shut down again. Why Australia is using lockdown to control the spread, and why vaccination rates there are

so low.

Plus, South Africa also taking too strict measures to battle that highly infectious variant. We're going to go live to Johannesburg as COVID sends

the country into another lockdown.

And later, the European Union and the United Nations is giving hungry an earful over Budapest's new law, which they denounced as homophobic. All of

that just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:20:21]

KINKADE: Welcome back. Sydneysiders are now under lockdown. The Delta COVID variant, which is twice as infectious as the original COVID virus that

spread through Australia is spreading rapidly. A cluster of infections that began in Sydney's Bondi neighborhood last Wednesday has grown to at least

110 cases. And we have an extremely sluggish vaccination rate of under five percent. Australians are wondering how much longer they can deal with it.

Our Ivan Watson is in the region tracking developments for us from Hong Kong and joins us now live. So, just explain for us how this cluster began.

Because this variant that is spreading is spreading much faster than others because Australia in the past has done quite a good job at trying to track

and trace the spread of cases.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, I think Australia has been remarkable. It's only had a bit more than 900 people die

from COVID in the last year and a half proportionally. Much better performance at handling the virus than other developed economies. But now

you have some real alarm with lockdowns being announced in coastal cities in the north in the West and the southeast with Sydney being a COVID

hotspot.

And as you pointing out that the outbreak is in that Bondi neighborhood near Bondi Beach and it's attributed to or it's linked to a driver who had

transported air crews. And the authorities are imposing kind of stay-at- home orders and issuing tickets that police are to people who are outside without masks or leaving their homes without a good excuse for that. And

all this taking place a year and a half in to the pandemic.

So people understandably exhausted with the various lockdowns. The authorities, even though they're only 18 new cases detected in Sydney over

the last 24 hours the top official in the state is sounding the alarm saying they're expecting that this will get much worse. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GLADYS BEREJIKLIAN, NEW SOUTH WALES PREMIER: And we also have to be prepared for the numbers to go up considerably because as experience shows

with this strain, we are seeing almost 100 percent of transmission within households. And we're seeing a very high rate of transmissibility.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: So Lynda, this is the irony. Australia did so well for 18 months, had kept the number of deadly cases down. But 18 months into the pandemic,

its population is as vulnerable as ever to COVID-19, if not more so because now there's the highly contagious Delta variant which is starting to spread

and less than five percent of the population fully vaccinated. So, that is why the authorities are alarmed right now. And that's the reality that the

country is facing.

KINKADE: Yes, exactly. Less than five percent as you're saying, as I was reading, Australia now ranks 49th out of 50 of the wealthiest countries in

terms of the rate of vaccination. Explain for us why is it lagging. Is it - - is it the hesitancy, is the lack of vaccines, is it the inefficiencies with the rollout?

WATSON: I think a mixture of all of this. It is -- it's only domestically produced vaccine is AstraZeneca, which has had concerns about the risk of

blood clots. So, it has been restricted from certain individuals in a different age demographics. Under 60, for example, and there's been vaccine

hesitancy as a result of some of that reporting. The authorities have just announced that they're going to mandate vaccinations for employees that

elderly people's homes and they're going to loosen up some of the guidance and allow the medical workers and doctors to suggest other vaccines for

other people and not hold them responsible if there's any kind of complication as a result of that.

But yes, the authorities have mixed -- missed rather, multiple targets and goals for vaccination. So, the country is lagging very far behind on that

front. Meanwhile, there's much more contagious variant is starting to spread. And as the premier of New South Wales pointed out, she wants every

citizen to think that they could be infected every time they step foot outside of their homes and thus, really think twice about whether or not

they need to make that trip.

KINKADE: Yes, I really hope the mistake as well as all the thousands of Australians right now that desperately want to be reunited with family in

Australia that this vaccination campaign can really pick up pace there. Our Ivan Watson for us in Hong Kong. Thanks very much.

Well, South Africans are back on a lockdown as well in some of the most severe restrictions since the pandemic began.

[10:25:03]

KINKADE: Well, South African government has banned indoor and outdoor public gatherings. It's also closing schools. And it's limiting visits to

nursing homes to help stop the explosive rise of new cases, which, again, are being fueled by this Delta variant of the COVID virus. Well, health

experts are concerned the pace of COVID vaccinations is too slow to have a positive effect. And the number of confirmed COVID infections in South

Africa is near two million.

Our David McKenzie joins us now from Johannesburg, South Africa's economic hub, which is being severely impacted by the surge in cases there. Take us

through what you're seeing, David.

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What we're hearing from doctors and nurses in the public sector, particularly and the private

sector, Lynda is that these hospitals in Johannesburg are absolutely swamped. There are cases of people waiting for hours and waiting areas not

accessing oxygen on time. And despite the herculean efforts by these doctors, nurses, it really is really bad situation.

The worst that I've seen since the beginning of this pandemic that started sometime around March last year hospitals are even having to turn away

ambulances, who have people in them that are desperate for help. And it's for that reason that the government finally instituted a severe lockdown

with all those restrictions you mentioned that will last at least two weeks, but I suspect may be extended.

Yes, it's because of the Delta variant say scientist but also because of a lack of adherence to the public health restrictions and masking in some

cases. Here is the president of South Africa putting a pretty bleak picture.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CYRIL RAMAPHOSA, SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT: We are in the grip of a devastating wave that by all indications seems like it will be worse than

those that have preceded it. The peak of this third wave looks set to be higher than the previous two waves. Once again, we find ourselves at a

defining moment in our fight against this disease. Let us call on every bit of strength we have, let us summon our reserves of courage and hold firm

until this wave two passes over.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKENZIE: Like I say South Africans are certainly tired like the rest of the planet is still dealing with this pandemic, particularly when they see

other parts of the world who have gotten past the worst potentially because of widespread vaccination. Now, vaccination rates here in South Africa are

still extremely low. The government plan for starting late and not rolling them out swiftly. And there's also the case of vaccine nationalism.

Now the picture here in South Africa is reflected in many countries across the continent that are dealing with these brutal third waves potentially

pushed by this Delta variant. It could be a very difficult few months ahead. Lynda?

KINKADE: Yes, it certainly sounds that way. David McKenzie for us in Johannesburg, thank you.

Well, up next, a U.N. Human Rights expert is worried over Hungary's new anti LGBTQ laws saying it will feel discrimination.

And in the next hour, a shocking admission for the president of the Czech Republic about his view of transgender people. We'll bring you what he had

to say.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:31:10]

KINKADE: Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Good to have you with us. I want to recap our top story for you now. Iraq and Iran

condemning the latest U.S. airstrikes on the Iraqi-Syrian border. The U.S. military says it targeted operational and weapons storage facilities used

by Iranian-backed militia groups. At least four militia members have killed. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says those strikes were a response

to a serious and specific threat.

Well, this is the second time this year that the Biden administration has ordered strikes on Iranian backed groups.

Now to America's longest war in Afghanistan, the Taliban continue to make gains in territory as negotiation store between the group and the

government. The Afghans president has called the U.S. decision to withdraw troops a transformational one that will have consequential results. Ashraf

Ghani spoke after a pivotal meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House Friday. The U.S. plans to bring its soldiers home from Afghanistan by

September 11th.

Our International diplomatic editor Nic Robertson joins us now on this situation in Afghanistan now live from London. Nic, good to have you with

us. So, as the US withdraws its troops. The Biden administration is trying to reassure the Afghans that it can still count on the U.S. for support.

And that is he's talking about billions of dollars, right?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: He's talking about billions of dollars, and some of it will get channeled into supporting the

Afghan military but where the Afghan military needs it most is in air power, air support to support Afghan troops on the ground. And that's not

just not going to happen in the way that it was possible in the past and the Afghans don't have air power, air capacity skill set to be able to step

in and fill the void left by U.S. and NATO forces.

You know, what's quite striking is just as Ashraf Ghani, Abdullah Abdullah we're meeting there with President Biden in the White House. The Taliban

had just the day before reopened a border crossing with Tajikistan. It is a very significant border crossing. It's a Taliban first since 2001, it's the

major highway connecting Afghanistan to the north to Dushanbe in Tajikistan, essentially, in some parts of central Asia.

So, what the Taliban are able to do and you quoted Ashraf Ghani, the president saying that there -- Afghan President said that there will be

consequences, some of those consequences of the Taliban pushing ahead and taking control of areas. So, now with this border control, they forced the

Afghan Army troops who were at that border to cross the border, who are now sort of effectively become the first refugees from this latest Northern

Afghan offensive by the Taliban.

They're being cared for by Tajik authorities at the moment. You have a scenario where the Taliban are able to take border customs excuses, for

example, this post. Cut off a major resupply route to areas in Northern Afghanistan. What the Taliban are claiming over the past week is taking

another 27 government district centers, no provincial capitals, but again, these numbers are there. We can't verify them.

And they're disputed by the U.N., the Afghan government, the U.S. military, they speak to the Taliban's claim of being able to continue without being

substantially pushed back, continue to make gains in the north of Afghanistan. I spoke to one commander a couple of hours ago, and he told me

that they're we're still working their way through one district that they wanted to get back from the Taliban before they can begin to get to the

others.

The situation that we're witnessing last week has not reversed, continues perhaps at a slightly less -- lesser pace.

KINKADE: And so Nic, obviously the U.S. wants Afghans to unite to defeat the Taliban.

[10:35:06]

KINKADE: What is actually possible given that some experts feel fear that the Afghan government could fall in the next year or two?

ROBERTSON: Some experts are even putting the timeframe shorter than that. I mean, what we're hearing from Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, the former chief

executive officer of Afghanistan, syllabary, very senior politician is that let's try to keep the talks going with the Taliban, even though they're not

getting anywhere, we're not going to shut the door. But, you know, they may effectively shut the door on the talk.

So, you have an aspiration but the aspiration is not being met on the Taliban side, because they're still trying to fight for victory on the

ground. And the reality for Afghan says, they will begin to choose in their different areas. And we've seen some Afghan army forces quit and run away

from the fight and hand weapons over to the Taliban. In small areas, people will begin to say, who's going to secure my future better?

Am I better just aligning with the Taliban for the next few years, or trying to stick with the Afghan government who can't get forces here to

protect me and these are the fundamental decisions that are beset Afghan society for decades. The U.S. kind of held it all together, that's falling

apart. And as that glue falls apart, yes, that's going to have a dispersive element on the -- on the powers of Afghanistan.

As you see individual warlords tried to sort of provide security and sanctuary for their areas that creates tensions, that central government

because that's something that's sort of been pushed to one side.

KINKADE: Yes. We will be watching this closely over the coming months with you and your expertise. Nic Robertson, for us in London. Thank you so much.

Well, coming up next hour. Wimbledon is back this year of the pandemic force the cancellation of last year's tournament. For the first time in

decades, we're going to have a live report coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Welcome back. Well, Hungary could wind up facing a legal challenge at the E.U.'s highest court because of the country's highly controversial

new law. Banning LGBTQI content in schools. The E.U. is pushing Budapest to repeal the law with the Dutch Prime Minister even declaring, "Hungary has

no place in the E.U. anymore." CNN's Scott McLean brings us the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On the banks of the Danube River the striking Hungarian parliament was built more than a century ago. Another

era that some say is better suited for a bill that just passed inside of it. The bill which erodes gay rights in a country where there are already

precious few passed with almost no objections inside the chamber, but plenty outside. Last week, protesters filled the streets of Budapest rally

against the bill just signed into law.

[10:40:02]

MCLEAN: It outlaws any content available to children which portrays diversion from gender identity assigned at birth, gender alteration or

homosexuality. Effectively barring any discussions on the topic inside classrooms, or even in advertising, like this 2019 Coke ad, which was

controversial and Hungary. This was all added to a bill meant to better protect children from pedophiles, making it difficult for lawmakers to vote

against. Leftist opposition parties boycotted the vote.

ATTILA KELEMEN, SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST (through translator): To mix up homosexuality with sexual crimes is disgusting.

SZEKERES ZSOLT, COORDINATOR, HUNGARIAN HELSINKI COMMITTEE (through translator): Each abused child who fears asking for help because of

homophobic or transphobic hatred will suffer because of those M.P.s who voted for this hate provoking law proposal.

MCLEAN: Prime Minister Viktor Orban says the law simply states clearly that only parents can decide on the sexual education of their children. And the

band does not place limits on the content adults can view. European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted she was very concerned

about the new law, saying she believes in a Europe which embraces diversity, not one which hides it from our children.

The government says it is not going to apologize for protecting our children. And Orban himself insists that criticism of the law reinforces

the Central European conviction that today's liberals are in fact communists with degrees.

I wonder what you think this bill says about the direction that Hungary is headed in.

GRAEME REID, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: Well, I think it's a continuation of what we've seen in the past. This is straight out of an autocrat's playbook.

It's part and parcel of the erosion of the rule of law and sustained attack on human rights in Hungary.

MCLEAN: Gay people in Hungary already can't marry or adopt children. But it's not just Hungary clamping down on gay rights. Last year, some Polish

towns declared themselves LGBT ideology free zones. And a 2013 law in Russia banned so called gay propaganda.

REID: In Russia, we had groups that built themselves as anti-pedophile groups who targeted young gay men would subject them to harassment and

torture that and then uploaded that onto social media.

MCLEAN: You think that this law goes even further than the Russian law did?

REID: It does go further in the sense that its wording is broader than the Russian law. I expected it could have greater implications than the

propaganda law in Russia.

MCLEAN: One more example of Hungary looking less and less like the rest of Europe. Scott McLean, CNN, London.

KINKADE: Well, the golf world has a new Women's Champion. 22-year-old Nelly Korda won the women's PGA Championship Sunday. It's no surprise she's at

the top of her game. Squad is a family affair for the quarters. Nelly's dad is tennis champion, her mom Regina competed in the Olympics. Her brother

Sebastian is playing at Wimbledon today. And her sister Jessica is also on the LPGA Tour.

Amanda Davies joins us now. I mean, talk about an overachieving family. It's incredible.

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it is absolutely incredible. I mean, can you imagine being sat at one of their family dinners, Lynda?

But with Nelly, you know, there is certainly no middle child syndrome. She is the middle of the three here but the first of the three siblings to

follow in his father's footsteps and when a major. She of course winning the PGA Championship in golf, her father, a former Australian Open champion

in tennis.

She said afterwards, it's something she's been dreaming of since the age of 14. So many people would crack under that pressure, wouldn't they? But all

three of these siblings are doing so incredibly well. And as you said, the brother Seba in action beginning his Wimbledon campaign later on Monday.

We've got news of that coming up.

KINKADE: Amazing. They must be the most successful athletic family in the world. Seriously. Awesome. All right, Amanda Davis. We will join you for

sport just after the break and I will be back at the top of the hour for much more news. Stay with us.

[10:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WORLD SPORT)

[11:00:00]

END