Return to Transcripts main page

Isa Soares Tonight

Gaza Polio Vaccination to Begin Sunday; Concerns on China- Philippines Sea Incidents; Aghan Women Struggling Under Taliban Rule; Paralympic Games Begin in France; Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition. U.N. Calling for Israel to Cease Its Efforts As the Humanitarian Situation in Gaza Worsens; Kamala Harris and Tim Walz Sit Down for First Interview Since Entering Presidential Race; Paralympics Begins in Paris. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired August 29, 2024 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

PAULA NEWTON, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: And a very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Paula Newton in for Isa Soares. Tonight, new details on

Israel's operation in the West Bank. The U.N. calling for Israel to cease its efforts as the humanitarian situation in the region worsens.

Plus, Kamala Harris sits down with CNN for her first interview since she entered the presidential race. We'll find out what she'll be asked and

what's at stake. And the Paralympics underway now in Paris, we'll bring you all the action from the opening ceremony, and those all important first

medal details.

Israel is giving new details about its major incursion into the West Bank as the U.N. Secretary-General urges an immediate end to the offensive.

Troops backed by helicopters and drones are raiding Jenin, Tulkarem, Tubas and other areas in what they call a counterterrorism operation.

The Palestinian Health Ministry says at least 16 people have been killed so far. Today, Israel said it killed five militants, including an Islamic

Jihad commander in a firefight at a Mosque. Now, bulldozers are ripping up some of the streets and widespread damage is reported to infrastructure and

crucially, this includes water and sewage systems.

Now, the U.N. Secretary-General is condemning the use of airstrikes in these civilian areas, and says children are already among the dead. Antonio

Guterres warns these, quote, "dangerous developments are fueling an already-explosive situation. We want to get more on all of this from Nic

Robertson is live for us in Tel Aviv.

Could you bring us right up to date in terms of what the situation is now on the ground. And of course, at issue is Israel's claim that the West Bank

has seen a rise in militant groups associated with violence, and they also are saying that Iran has a hand in it.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, and I think what the U.N. Secretary-General gives you a view into that, because he said not

is this sort of fueling an already dangerous situation, but he said it's undermining the authority of the Palestinian Authority, which is

notionally, nominally in charge in the West Bank.

In those northern areas, the Palestinian Authority, because their authority has been undermined and is viewed by many Palestinians as being a weak

institution and a corrupt institution have turned to groups like Hamas, like Palestinian Islamic Jihad, to look for leadership and to look for

security against Israeli forces who have increasingly been going into northern Gaza, into Jenin, into Tulkarem and these places.

Well, the situation on the ground at the moment, my colleague Jeremy Diamond was actually in Jenin a short time ago, he was in the market area,

one of the diggers that we've seen in the videos there, we had dug up the central market area in the middle of Jenin, and he said that people around

him there said that there were no terrorists there.

They could hear gunfire going on in the distance. It does appear as if a level of normality is the wrong word, but it does appear that the --

perhaps, the most intense part of the Israeli operation is over. They say that they've been targeting terrorists. They say it's terrorists whom they

killed, that they've killed a terrorist commander and some of the group around him.

They say they have seized weapons, arrested more than ten people, found bomb-making equipment, some of it they say, inside a Mosque, had a gun

battle in and around a Mosque. But I think actual details of the full picture that emerge when you hear from people like the Palestinian Red

Crescent is that ambulances have been targeted, ambulances have been stopped at the side of the road and carefully searched by the IDF and the

Israeli border police cases where there have been allegations made that senior Red Cross officials have been beaten by those same soldiers.

The IDF hasn't responded to those specific allegations. But the picture is one where civilians absolutely have been caught up in this, not able to get

out for food, not able to get out for medicines. It is possible that the situation is easing a bit now, but it's really too soon to know, Paula.

[14:05:00]

NEWTON: Yes, and this is at a point in time when civilian infrastructure or even talking about things like clean water are at risk this hour. Nic

Robertson really appreciate the update. Now, the Palestine Red Crescent Society says it received urgent pleas from basic supplies, that includes

food and baby formula in areas currently under siege in the West Bank.

It says there's a severe shortage of drinking water in some of those towns near Jenin, and says, people are suffering from the spread of sewage in the

streets. Now, yesterday, a spokeswoman for the U.N. Human Rights office laid out a very grim picture of the humanitarian situation in the West

Bank, saying it was catastrophic even before this current operation.

That U.N. spokeswoman is Ravina Shamdasani, and she joins us now from Geneva. And we thank you for being with us. You know, you state that the

Israeli security forces use of airstrikes and other military weapons and tax tactics violates human rights norms and standards applicable to these

law enforcement operations. OK, so, that's the statement, but how does the U.N. plan to actually influence Israel in its actions on the ground right

now?

RAVINA SHAMDASANI, SPOKESPERSON, UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS: We need to call out what's happening for what it is. This is not new what's happening

in the West Bank. It has been a build-up, very clear deterioration of the situation since October the 7th. Even prior to October the 7th, there were

-- we had documented, you know, arbitrary detentions, killings by settlers and with the complicity of Israeli security forces carried out with

complete impunity.

There was never accountability for these violations. And now, we've seen just an intensification of these attacks and killings just since October

the 7th, there have been 645 Palestinians killed in the West Bank. And this includes children. This includes people with disabilities. The situation is

dire and deteriorating.

NEWTON: But I ask you again, we understand the statement, and of course, it's harrowing, some of the video that we've seen. It is not from Gaza, it

is from the West Bank. And we -- you know, Nic Robertson just reported that one of our colleagues, Jeremy Diamond was just in the market area in Jenin

and did see destruction there.

But again, how to make these statements clear to Israel, because it seems right now that they are certainly conducting operations the way they would

like to in the West Bank with impunity.

SHAMDASANI: Absolutely. I mean, the U.N. does what it can. One of the most important roles that we serve actually in the fog of this war and in the

fog of the situation is to bring it back to the facts on the ground and to provide an analysis of the facts that gives clarity. This is not OK.

The fact that the settlers are being handed arms, the fact that settlements are expanding, the fact that Palestinians are not allowed to move around,

that they're living in fear of settler violence, fear of Israeli security force violence, in fact, that infrastructure is being targeted.

All of this is illegal. It is unacceptable. We have tried to access Israel, but we have difficulty because we're not allowed to -- we're not granted

access to the areas that we would like to access. We send messages, conveying our concerns directly to the Israeli authorities as well.

And we call on member states that have influence, and that have leverage on Israel to use this leverage to bring the situation to an end.

NEWTON: So, I do hear you that you are calling on those member states and perhaps some of that advocacy is actually going on behind the scenes. We

have not heard much actually, in fact, even from the United States. I do want to give you two different sides of the coin though from Israel.

You know, Israel's Foreign Minister said earlier this week that in his words, we need to deal with the terrorist threat exactly as we deal with

terror infrastructure in Gaza, including the temporary evacuation of Palestinian civilians. He's comparing the West Bank to Gaza. Do you fear

that Israel will actually act on the implication there from him?

SHAMDASANI: We do fear an escalation and these remarks unacceptable. Again, this is a law enforcement context that we're talking about in the

West Bank to compare it to the Israeli operation in Gaza, which has been beyond catastrophic is very worrying. And there have also been other very

worrying statements made by Israeli officials, which could also amount to incitement to violence and incitement to the commission of serious human

rights violations.

NEWTON: And what do you know? I understand that the EU may possibly also be looking at that. I mean, do you feel that more is coming on that in

terms of these kinds of statements?

SHAMDASANI: These kinds of statements from Israeli officials have been proliferating from the very beginning, from October the 7th itself, and

they have not been roundly condemned by the leadership of Israel.

[14:10:00]

That needs to be done. Now, we are seeing some steps being taken by the United States, by the EU and by other governments. And we would encourage,

again states to use whatever leverage they can use to influence Israel to bring such rhetoric to an end, and to bring their illegal actions in the

West Bank and in Gaza to an end.

NEWTON: And I said I would bring you the other side of this, you know, Israel, in fact, has condemned and in their strongest terms, the attacks by

Israeli settlers and Palestinians in mid-August. What do you make of that statement? And do you find that as genuine?

SHAMDASANI: It's an important condemnation. It needs to be followed up by actions. It needs to be followed up by independent investigations, justice

and accountability for the perpetrators of these violations, reparations and remedy for the victims of these violations. Condemnations are

important, but there needs to be steps taken to actually stem the violence to prevent further violence from taking place. And unfortunately, we're not

seeing that yet. We need much more of that.

NEWTON: Ravina Shamdasani, we really thank you for your time as we continue to follow developments in the West Bank. Appreciate it. Now, the

most anticipated interview in the U.S. election, not an exaggeration. Now, less than 7 hours, it will air right here on CNN with Kamala Harris' first

joint interview with her VP candidate Tim Walz.

Now, Harris is looking to extend the party's momentum, fact that she's gained for so long now following last week's Democratic National

Convention. Again, Tim Walz will be by her side. It was an interesting way to try and do this first sit-down interview. CNN's chief political

correspondent Dana Bash will be the one asking the questions with follow- ups, I'm sure, and it's all happening in the battleground state of Georgia.

Tonight's exclusive interview, of course, will air right here 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time. We want to bring in our senior White House correspondent now

Kayla Tausche, she joins us now from D.C. You know, the Harris campaign has faced criticism that it has not done an interview before today, but today's

it -- the stakes are even higher now, right?

Because they waited so long to do this. What will she need to do in order to appeal to those voters beyond the Democratic base?

KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Oh, Paula, this is an opportunity for Vice President Kamala Harris to show the American voters

how she handles being in the hot seat. Just last week at the Democratic National Convention, she as well as her allies, reintroduced her to the

American people her background, her biography, her experience in office.

But now she's going to have to answer a different set of questions in front of a very different audience, the American people, not the party loyalists,

who are really revved up and enthusiastic to be there. There will be very difficult questions about how Vice President Harris and her running mate,

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz will be -- will plan to govern a country with very deep fractures and disagreements over both politics and policy.

Now, Harris, in late June earned some high marks for an interview that she did with CNN's Anderson Cooper in the immediate aftermath of the CNN

presidential debate, where Biden's halting performance ended up precipitating his withdrawal from the race. And she gave a forceful defense

of President Biden's time in office and his record for three-and-a-half years, and argued that 30 minutes on the debate stage should not nullify

that.

But now, it is Harris' record alone that she will have to defend. And that is one reason why Republicans have criticized the Harris campaign for not

putting her out there in a solo-structured interview. The Harris campaign through a spokesperson defending their decision, noting that putting

candidates with their running mates for this first interview of the election cycle has been tradition dating back for decades, and saying they

are doing what presidential candidates in both parties have long done, dating back to the late '90s, Paula.

NEWTON: Yes, and we are waiting in anticipation. We know the questions will be tough, and so will the follow up. Kayla, thanks so much, appreciate

it. And again, a reminder --

TAUSCHE: Sure --

NEWTON: Kamala Harris and Tim Walz will have their first interview since the Democratic Convention right here on CNN with Dana Bash. That's Thursday

9:00 p.m. Eastern. Meantime, Donald Trump's campaign has been handed a fierce rebuke by the U.S. Army. It centers around an incident which

happened during the former President's trip to Arlington National Cemetery on Monday.

The Army says one of its employees was quote, "abruptly pushed aside by Trump's team after asking them to abide by federal laws which ban political

activities inside military cemetery." CNN's Oren Liebermann joins me now from the Pentagon and with the follow-up here. Now, this incident was rare

as was the rebuke, right?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: The rebuke itself incredibly rare. The army normally doesn't put out statements like this and venture

anywhere near politics. And even if it had no choice, it's still a rare statement coming from the army both in terms of the subject matter, that is

the visit to Arlington National Cemetery by former President Donald Trump and the campaign.

[14:15:00]

But also in the way that the army stood up for the Arlington employee who was in the middle of all this. So, first, let's deal with this in two

separate parts. On the issue of the rebuke of the Trump campaign, the statement itself doesn't mention Trump or the campaign, but it's very clear

that it's referring to exactly Trump's visit that you're seeing here.

Here, he is at the tomb of the unknown soldier. The statement references an August 26th ceremony, and then a subsequent visit to section 60 of

Arlington National Cemetery, which is where many of those fallen in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are laid to rest. And there's nothing wrong

with what you're seeing here, the visit to the tomb of the unknown soldier.

It's the visit to the other section, the section 60, that's where federal law explicitly prohibits any sort of political partisan activity, even if

you have an invite from a gold star family -- of a gold star family member of someone buried there. It is explicitly forbidden under federal law.

And the statement from the army makes it clear that they were in touch with the campaign and made clear the federal laws, army regulations, and DOD

policies around these visits. According to the army on Arlington National Cemetery employee who attempted to ensure adherence to these rules was

quote, "abruptly pushed aside", and that led to effectively an incident or an altercation.

The army says the employee stepped back to allow the visit itself to continue. Now, the army in putting out a statement says this, this incident

was unfortunate and it's also unfortunate that the Arlington National Cemetery employee and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked.

Arlington National Cemetery is a national shrine to the honored dead of the Armed Forces and its dedicated staff will continue to ensure public

ceremonies are conducted with the dignity and respect the nation's fallen deserves. Now, it is worth noting, the Army considers this case closed, and

that's because the employee involved here has decided not to press charges.

Spokespeople from the Trump campaign have suggested this Arlington employee may have had mental health issues, one called her a despicable individual.

So, it's worth noting the Army here very much sticking up for the employee who was caught up in this incident earlier this week, Paula.

NEWTON: Yes, incredibly unfortunate, given the fact that the families themselves deserve at all times peace at least in Arlington Cemetery. Oren

Liebermann for us, appreciate the explanation. Now, this Arlington controversy comes on top of a bad week for the former President who's taken

to Truth Social to lash out at his opponents, reposting memes and comments so offensive that we're actually not going to detail them here. Trump

campaign senior adviser Jason Miller had this to say about the social media post.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JASON MILLER, TRUMP CAMPAIGN SENIOR ADVISER: I don't know if the President even saw the comment that was on there, simply the picture. But I would say

with regard to Kamala Harris, the attacks that had been levied by Kamala Harris' -- both the campaign by Harris allies against President Trump, not

just recently, but over the past year-and-a-half, two years, ever since he came down the escalator quite frankly.

In the case of many left-and-center people have been quite horrific. All of this though, Kasie, is a distraction --

KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: He seemed as terrific --

MILLER: For the real issues going on right now --

HUNT: As what was reposted. I mean, I -- the -- I mean --

MILLER: Oh, 100 times worse.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Now on Tuesday, special counsel Jack Smith filed a slimmed-down version of the indictment against Trump in the federal election

interference case. Shortly after that, Trump blasted Smith on Truth Social. Now, his re-election campaign is fundraising off the reworked indictment

and the candidate is back on the trail in Michigan and Wisconsin.

Omar Jimenez is live for us in La Crosse, Wisconsin, following the campaign. I mean, we have to say right to the MAGA base, this is not a bad

week despite, you know, what it may look like for them. This is the President and the kind of posture that they expect. But the former

President now needs to appeal to those beyond the base. So, what can we expect in these two states?

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, he will have to, to try and win again in November. Remember he's campaigning in Michigan today and in

Wisconsin, those were states that he won in 2016 and then lost to Joe Biden in 2020, both of them by very slim margins. So, again, it's in those

margins will he be able to attract some of those same voters or potentially make up for some of those voters he lost in 2016 here.

Here in La Crosse, Wisconsin, which is where we expect the former President to be a little bit later, you can see, folks are already lining up and you

asked whether he would be appealing to some independent voters here. I think it's fair to say these are more Trump fans as opposed to mostly

independents.

You can see the extent of the line here. I'll just bring you over to show you how widespread this is. They blocked off part of this road as they

typically do and things like this. But you can see how far it extends down even though doors don't open until another hour or so.

[14:20:00]

And so, one of the things we're also looking for when you talk about that appeal to independent voters, we've seen some changes in posturing from the

former President on that front. Not so much here in Wisconsin, at least we'll wait and see on how this unfolds. But when you go down to a state

like Georgia, for example, also expected to be a battleground state in this election.

There's a very popular governor there, Governor Brian Kemp, and for years really at this point, they have had a very tense relationship between Kemp

and former President Trump. Well, that has all seemed to change over the last week or so, in particular, with Donald Trump coming out and posting on

social media that he respects the work that Kemp has been doing, and this is after Kemp had made an appearance during an interview saying that he

wants to work to get Kamala Harris and Joe Biden out of office.

So, clearly, some form of calculation, they have to try and mend a tense relationship in a place where it is fair to say he would also need to take

to win re-election here. But to your original question, as far as what we're expecting to hear here, this does seem to be a good portion of his

base here in La Crosse, Wisconsin, an area which I should mention that Joe Biden carried in 2020, and particular area of Wisconsin. The people that

voted for Trump, though, seem to be here in good numbers.

NEWTON: Yes, again, we are back in the toss-up category now with this election. Omar, thanks and thanks for the glib in song, the line and the

security there, especially given how tight that security is for both candidates right now. Omar, thanks so much. Still to come for us tonight,

new details on how police foiled an attack on a Taylor Swift concert. We'll tell you about the role the CIA apparently played.

Plus, Ukraine waited a long time for advanced fighter jets, but just weeks after acquiring them, one of them goes down in a deadly crash. Ahead, what

we know about the tragedy, and why it's so important.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NEWTON: Just weeks after Ukraine finally received long-converted F-16 fighter jets from the West, the military says one of the U.S.-made planes

has now crashed in the country. A source tells CNN a top Ukrainian pilot died in the crash Monday as he was, quote "repelling the largest aerial

attack Russia has launched against Ukraine."

Now, meantime, Ukraine has been carrying out its own strikes inside Russia, one attack on Wednesday caused a fire at this oil depot in the Rostov

region.

[14:25:00]

CNN's Ivana Kottasova is standing by for us live from Kyiv, Ukraine. Grateful to have you on the ground there. What more are we learning about

this crash of the F-16? Ivana, I don't know if you can hear me.

IVANA KOTTASOVA, CNN REPORTER: Paula, this has been extremely different day today. The loss of the pilot is a huge blow for the Ukrainians. They

have been waiting for more than two years to get these coveted F-16s fighter jets. It takes months and months and months to train up pilots to

be able to use them.

And there are not that many pilots in Ukraine who can be trained up to use them. This pilot, we're told by the Ukrainian Air Force, Oleksiy Mes,

better known by his call sign Moonfish, was killed on Monday. We don't have many details, but sources in the Ukrainian military are telling us he died

in a crash while he was taking part in the operation to repel what was this huge Russian aerial assault on Monday.

We know this was the biggest ever attack in the air that Russia launched against Ukraine, and he was killed in a crash. We don't know exactly what

happened, we will probably find out in the next few days, weeks, the Ukrainians are saying they will -- they will invite international

investigators to get to the bottom of what happened and we'll see. But all in all, this is a huge loss for the Ukrainians.

NEWTON: Yes, absolutely, and bound to dent to morale. Now, we're also learning about what has been characterized as extremely fierce fighting at

this hour in Pokrovsk in the key city in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region. You were just there a little while ago. What more are you learning about

what's happening this hour?

KOTTASOVA: Yes, Paula, we were there just a few days ago, and I can tell you already the situation was really scary week. We were in the city center

and we were hearing the fighting getting closer and closer all the time. Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said he spent some time in

the sector and he said the situation there is really serious.

It seems that the Russian forces are throwing everything they have at Pokrovsk, and at the same time, local authorities are telling us that there

are still more than 30,000 civilians in the city, including hundreds of children, and they're trying to get these people out as quickly as they can

because it could soon become, too dangerous, if not impossible to leave. So, again, very serious situation there. Paula?

NEWTON: Yes, and as you reported, the case for evacuating civilians, they really need to do that on deadline, and as you said, it continues this

hour, we'll continue to keep you up-to-date on that. Thanks so much for your reporting, Ivana. Now, the CIA has confirmed the U.S. agencies

provided Intelligence to Austrian authorities that helped them foil an attack on a Taylor Swift concert this month.

Now, according to CIA deputy Director David Cohen, the ISIS-inspired plot was quote, "quite advanced and threatened to kill tens of thousands of

people in Vienna." Now, he said Austrian police were able to arrest several suspects because the U.S. told them what the ISIS-connected group was

planning to do.

Three teenagers have been detained in connection with that plot. Japan is dealing with the impact of typhoon Shanshan after it made landfall

Thursday. The 135-kilometer per hour winds may get equivalent of an Atlantic Category One hurricane.

Government officials say at least three people have been killed and dozens injured after landslides there. More than 700 flights have been canceled in

Japan and evacuation advisory could impact up to 4 million people as it weakens to a tropical storm by the end of the day.

The Kremlin says France should not turn the detention of Telegram founder Pavel Durov into quote, "political persecution". The remarks come after

French authorities placed the Russian-born billionaire under formal investigation in a probe over organized crime on the messaging app.

Durov must remain in France under judicial supervision, and is required to report to police twice a week. He has not yet been formally charged, and we

note as well that he is also a French citizen. Still to come for us tonight, to life for women in Afghanistan. Our special guest will explain

the impact of Taliban rule that's become even worse and more oppressive for women.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:30:00]

PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: So, a much-anticipated effort to vaccinate the children of Gaza against polio could soon get underway. The World Health

Organization says Israel and Hamas have agreed to a series of humanitarian pauses to allow the vaccine rollout. It's expected to begin Sunday. Health

officials have been warning about a possible polio outbreak in Gaza for weeks. As Jeremy Diamon reports, the disease has already paralyzed a baby

boy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 11-month-old Abdul Rahman is no longer the energetic baby he once was. He now sleeps

most of the day, gently rocked by his mother, who is still grappling with how quickly he went from feverish and vomiting, to partially paralyzed.

My child started to move and crawled at an early age, Naveen says, but suddenly everything went backwards. Suddenly, he was no longer crawling or

moving or able to stand on his feet or even sit.

Doctors delivered the devastating news earlier this month. Abdul Rahman has polio, the first known case in Gaza in 25 years.

It is a shock for a mother to hear such news. Now, he is lying here in the tent in these unhealthy conditions. There's no treatment, no capabilities,

and no supplements.

The course of Abdel Raham's life cruelly twisted by the war that started just weeks after he was born, leaving him vulnerable to malnutrition, dirty

drinking water, and missed vaccines. The fear now that Abdul Rahman could be the first of many.

DIAMOND: What is your plan to keep this one confirmed case from becoming an epidemic in the Gaza Strip.

SAM ROSE, DIRECTOR OF PLANNING, UNRWA: Absolutely. The plan is to start a vaccination campaign, a mass vaccination campaign involving all children

under 10. There are 640,000 children who needs to be reached. So, we need to reach about 95 percent of them.

DIAMOND (voice-over): 1.2 million vaccine doses have now arrived and thousands of U.N. staffers and volunteers are ready to inoculate Gaza's

children. The challenge will be getting the job done as the war rages on.

[14:35:00]

ROSE: It's a relatively easy vaccine to administer. It's dropped on tongues. It doesn't require needles. It doesn't require injections. It's

something that's relatively simple to do. The difficult part is everything else.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Gaza's health system has been devastated by nearly 11 months of war and global health officials are calling for a pause in the

fighting to distribute the vaccine.

Israeli authorities who launched the drive to vaccinate their troops last month haven't committed to that. But they say, quote, routine humanitarian

pauses will facilitate the inoculation drive.

In Central Gaza, Naveen fans the flies from her son's face. She is helpless to fight off the disease that now grips his small body.

Abdel Rahman needs treatment, she says, pleading with the world to take her son out of Gaza. She's still waiting for someone to answer her cry.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: A U.S. official tells CNN that Washington and Beijing have agreed to hold direct military conversations as concerns grow over run ins between

China and the Philippines in the South China Sea. There has been a series of encounters between the two, and the worry is that they could erupt into

conflict. CNN Senior International Correspondent Ivan Watson has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Collisions, water cannons, and screaming matches involving sailors armed

with knives and axes, a spree of incidents and collisions in the last several days, adding new tensions to months of skirmishes between China and

close U.S. ally, the Philippines, in contested waters of the South China Sea. A David and Goliath struggle CNN witnessed firsthand earlier this

year.

WATSON: And as you may see, there is a large Chinese Coast Guard ship directly in front of this Philippines Coast Guard vessel.

WATSON (voice-over): Growing concerns that one of these confrontations in the South China Sea could spiral out of control.

DR. RAHMAN YAACOB, SOUTHEAST ASIA SECURITY EXPERT, LOWY INSTITUTE: Are we going to see a military conflict between the Philippines and the Chinese?

Could be.

WATSON: The confrontations revolve around several contested reefs and shoals. Most of them are located well within the exclusive economic zone of

the Philippines. And as you can clearly see, much further away from Mainland China.

WATSON (voice-over): Beijing places the blame squarely on the Philippines.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We urge certain individuals in the Philippines to stop going further down the path of stirring up trouble and

making provocations.

WATSON (voice-over): Meanwhile, the Philippine president issued this warning back in May.

FERDINAND MARCOS JR., PHILIPPINES PRESIDENT: If a Filipino citizen is killed by a willful act, that is, I think, very, very close to what we

define as an act of war. And therefore, we will respond accordingly.

WATSON (voice-over): Washington has a mutual defense treaty with Manila. At a meeting with the Philippine Armed Forces chief this week, a U.S. navy

commander suggested U.S. ships could get directly involved in the maritime dispute.

SAMUEL PAPARO, U.S. INDO-PACIFIC COMMAND COMMANDER: Escort of one vessel to the other is an entirely reasonable option within our mutual defense

treaty among this close alliance between the two of us.

WATSON (voice-over): However, during a visit to Beijing on Thursday, President Biden's National Security Council adviser called for a de-

escalation with the People's Republic of China.

JAKE SULLIVAN, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Nobody is looking for a crisis, not the Philippines, not the United States, and we hope not the

PRC.

WATSON (voice-over): But things can get very unpredictable very quickly when large ships play a dangerous game of chicken on the high seas.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Ahead for us, a first look at some of the best pictures from this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. You will want to see

this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:40:00]

NEWTON: The Taliban's return to power has been an absolute nightmare for women living under the extremist strict code of religious laws. It was

three years ago this week that the last U.S. and allied troops left Afghanistan, and since then, the Taliban have introduced even more so-

called virtue laws. Women are banned now from secondary and higher education, barred from most jobs, and can't travel freely when and where

they wish. Taliban's strict dress code from the 1990s is now back, even worse, in fact, usually it's all in black. And there are now restrictions

limiting when women's voices can be heard.

Joining us now is Nilofar Ayoubi. She's a women's rights advocate from Afghanistan. And I really want to thank you for joining us on the program.

I mean, you Afghan women, you point out, are being denied, really, these are basic, basic human rights and freedoms. And, of course, it's not just

education and speech, but now, even the right to speak or sing.

I mean, how much worse have the lives of women and girls become since the U.S. and its allies pulled out?

NILOFAR AYOUBI, AFGHAN ACTIVIST AND JOURNALIST: Thank you so much for having me, Paula, and thank you so much for covering this very important

issue. To be honest, I would describe it even worse than you know, keeping birds into the cage, because even in those cages, you have -- you know, you

have a space to see outside or whatever, but these women are confined within four walls, and literally, it's like burying these women alive

inside brick walls.

So, when I'm saying this, I'm saying because -- see, I have cousins in Afghanistan who are currently living there, who are deprived of education

right when they were about to graduate high school. It was their last year, which was left in the middle, and they couldn't continue that. And then,

there are my nieces who are born under Taliban in these two years, and they would never ever experience a normal life growing up if Taliban stays

longer.

Whenever I call back home, which is rarely, because of the condition that my family are under, each time I call, their -- the moral, you know, I find

them so, so heartbroken and so -- like the -- when I talk to my cousin, most of them, like, they're already in suicidal. They think that the life

is finished for them and they don't see any life. And with the current law issued or codified by Taliban, this is the final nail in the coffin of

women in Afghanistan, unfortunately.

[14:45:00]

NEWTON: You know, you state that this is gender apartheid, but you also point out that because any kind of gender apartheid is not codified in

international law, these most severe abuses are going unpunished. And yet, it seems here that the International Community has no leverage, no voice.

Do you believe that they can have that leverage with the Taliban? Is there anything that you believe they can do?

AYOUBI: I mean, they can do certainly many things. As I said, the first step that they can take is codify the term gender apartheid. I mean, it's a

big shame that Mullah Hibatullah, the Taliban leader, is way ahead of the International Community, the same International Community, which claims to

be, you know, the center of human rights and they value human rights and women rights. But then, it took them three long years to even listen to us,

that we are, you know, suffering from gender apartheid in Afghanistan and in Iran.

And now, that Taliban leader is a step ahead of them, and they already codified the Sharia law, the laws of lies (ph) and virtue in -- for women

and even for men. And I think the first and the basic step that the International Community can take is to recognize and codify the term gender

apartheid so we can take these criminals to the court.

And the second thing is that, all these leverage that you're seeing that the Taliban has is because the International Community gave it -- you know,

hand it over to them, sending millions weekly, sending delegations after each degree issued by Taliban leaders against women. And the next week you

would see a new delegation visiting them.

So, how are you supposed to, you know, put pressure on such a group which upholds no value at all, no human value? And then, you keep sending your

delegations, you keep your trade with them. You have, you know, in the name of humanitarians, millions and millions are being pumped into this system

of these creatures. I don't even like to call them human beings.

And then at the end, it's the women of Afghanistan who are paying the price. And it's not cool. You know, it's not nice. And women of Afghanistan

will remember that who betrayed them again.

NEWTON: They are most definitely paying the price here. I certainly have listened to you, certainly in your heartbreak and speaking to your own

family. Do women and girls in Afghanistan feel abandoned by the western community? I mean, do they feel that as if that no one is coming to their

rescue?

AYOUBI: Absolutely. And they have even lost faith in, you know, human's rights and women's rights. And they think it was all a project for 20 years

until it was beneficial for the west. And then, they left us, you know, to die, to starve, to be confined inside these living coffins.

So, this is quite dangerous and fragile situation for the women of Afghanistan. And then, the more time the International Community takes to

take action, the worse it's going to get. And when you take hope from, you know, a human being, then there's no life left. And then they have to --

you know, the society is going towards a very, very dark path, and this is not going to end well for anybody.

NEWTON: Nilofar, I really want to thank you for your time. It has been some years since I've been in Afghanistan, but as you say, one thing we

will never forget is the plight of women there as they strive for equality, even under Taliban rule. We'll have you back on the program again. I want

to thank you.

AYOUBI: Thank you.

NEWTON: Now, still to come for us tonight, history made on the basketball court. It's the first day of the Paralympics in Paris, and we've got all

the details. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:50:00]

NEWTON: Game on at the Paralympics in France. Today, the first full official day of competition, and one athlete has already made history in a

sport nicknamed murderball. I remember that. Sarah Adam is the first woman to compete for Team USA in the popular mixed sport of wheelchair rugby. She

made her Paralympic debut after qualifying in 2022, and she helped the U.S. get the win versus Canada.

This after an exciting opening ceremony, an estimated 50,000 spectators were in attendance, as well as 300 million viewers around the world on TV.

CNN's World Sports Patrick Snell is with us from Atlanta. So, far, right, game as advertised. Exciting.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORTS: Hi there, Paula. Yes, absolutely. Really inspiring storylines everywhere you look. And as you say, history being

made already on this day one of official competition.

Let's reflect a little more on Wednesday night's opening ceremony, though. First up, the video is really, really powerful over there in the French

capital. History made there as well because it was the opening ceremony for the Paralympics held outside of a stadium for the very first time ever,

that in itself a first.

We had well over 100 artists, including 16 performers with disabilities taking center stage with a parade of athletes starting at the bottom of the

iconic Champs Elysees there, right in the heart of the capital city before heading on to the famed Place de la Concorde. That's the largest square in

the French capital.

A total of 168 delegations participating in the celebration. It was really warm. Temperatures were right up there. Eye-catching night in Paris. Let's

hear now from the Paralympic Games communications officer, Craig Spence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CRAIG SPENCE, COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER, INTERNATIONAL PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE: That's my seventh Paralympic Games opening ceremony I've attended. The best

by some distance. And I don't think that is only my view. I was sat with our governing board members last night, including our president, Andrew.

The feedback was phenomenal.

Even this morning, I saw Andrew briefly before coming here, he's absolutely buzzing. That's the only word I can describe it as. He has a huge smile on

his face.

Last night, you had not just 4,400 athletes and officials marching, but I think the crowd really got into it. And I think that sets the bar for the

coming games. I hope the Parisian audiences and the spectators who were there last night got a taste for the spirit of our athletes, and they'll

see the same now in the sporting venues.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNELL: Yes, it really was a remarkable night. Well, Thursday marking day one, as I said, official competition and a very special piece of history as

well being made by Sarah Adam, who's become the first woman now to compete for Team USA in the popular sport of wheelchair rugby. The mixed sport has

been co-ed at the Paralympics since 2000. This year, though, there are eight women in the entire competition.

Paula, as you said, USA beating Canada. Tight fought match, though, 51 to 48, the final score in the end, in the opening game of the 2024 Paris

Paralympics. Adam with six tries as well. Back to you.

NEWTON: Patrick, for obvious reasons, I am never happy when Canada's defeated in anything.

SNELL: I know, I know.

NEWTON: But there you go, fair play to them. Appreciate it.

[14:55:00]

Now, an amazing deep sea discovery is made by oceanographers during a 28- day expedition off the coast of Chile the team captured video of rare underwater squid and octopus including one of the scientists and formally

nicknamed, this person here, the Casper octopus. They also found a creature known as the flying spaghetti monster. Sounds like a book. And

scorpionfish. Researchers reportedly logged 20 potential new species of animals. The team was mapping the region's large underwater mountain range.

And maybe some of these pictures also want to be included because we're back on land now. The Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition has

just released the first images from this year's exhibition. Picked from more than 50,000 entries.

Now, the images were judged on the creativity, originality, and technical excellence. These are some of our favorites from the highly commended

category. The adorable stout jumping around in the fresh snow. That is pretty adorable. I got to say. The moment a jaguar sinks its teeth into its

prey. Wow. Pretty scary. And a picture of a deer covered in frost. Lovely. Which is also the first smartphone image to be awarded a highly commended

honor. So, the message to you, keep snapping. And finally, through the eyes of a child, these owls, an entry from the 10 years and under category.

The exhibition opens, we should say, in October at the Natural History Museum in London. That is definitely an exhibition worth seeing. Adorable.

I want to thank all of you for watching this evening. Stay with CNN Newsroom with Jim Sciutto is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:00:00]

END