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CNN 10
Battle Begins to Push ISIS Out of Its Last Occupied Village; Key West, Florida Banning Certain Sunscreens; Vaping May Be Triggering A "Nicotine Arms" Race; Ghost Apples Photographed in Michigan
Aired February 12, 2019 - 04:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hey, I`m Carl Azuz for CNN 10. Welcome to the show. We`re starting in the Middle East this Tuesday where the ISIS
terrorist group is making what could be its last stand in Syria. ISIS, which stands for Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, once controlled large
parts of land in those two countries after sweeping to power in 2014. But after five years of air strikes by a U.S. led coalition of countries,
fighting on the ground by local forces and intervention by militaries around the world. ISIS now controls less than 1 percent of the territory
it once had and that sliver of land is in a village of eastern Syria.
A military group called the Syrian Democratic Forces with support from the United States is battling ISIS on the ground while continued air strikes
rain down from the sky. The U.S. general overseeing the fighting against ISIS estimates that between 500 and 1,200 terrorists are in the village and
that 10`s of thousands are still spread out across Syria and Iraq. So General Joseph Votel says a defeat at its last stronghold in Syria won`t
mean the end of the terrorist group but that continued pressure on it will be necessary. With U.S. troops scheduled to leave Syria at the direction
of President Donald Trump, General Votel says that America would continue to look for ways to support the fight against ISIS without the U.S.
military on the ground in Syria.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN WHITMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The final battle began just after sunset with coalition air strikes pounding the last dot on the map held by the
state that calls itself Islamic, the town of Baghouz Hajin (ph) in eastern Syria. But there was no calm before the storm as gunners with the U.S.
backed Syrian Democratic Forces rained heavy machine gun fire down onto ISIS targets, while civilian who had stuck it out in the town made their
way to safer ground. The bombing of the town continued throughout the night, intensifying at first light.
The battle to take the last enclave of ISIS in Syria is now into it`s second day. Syrian Democratic Forces have made good progress within the
town but they are encountering some resistance from the ISIS fighters. This despite the constant, heavy coalition air strikes on the town. But as
the day wore on, the going got tougher and the air strikes increased. It`s a hit, he says. ISIS has dug a network of tunnels and trenches. It`s
fighters some of it`s most experienced in battle harden.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE TRANSLATED: This battle will not end the war on ISIS. When ISIS` state is replaced by ISIS the terrorist insurgency, Jumand (ph)
an Arab fighter tells me. It will be tougher still. This war is easy, he says. We`re fighting them on a front. It will be different when it
becomes guerilla warfare.
WHITMAN: Victory of sorts is had. Peace in this tortured land still elusive. Ben Whitman, CNN outside Baghouz (inaudible) in eastern Syria.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARL AZUZ: 10 Second Trivia. In which of these products would you most likely find the organic compound oxybenzone? Sunscreen, Gasoline,
Artificial Sweetner or Hand Sanitizer. Oxybenzone is commonly found in sunscreen and other cosmetic products.
And the city of Key West, Florida has joined the state of Hawaii in banning sunscreens that contain oxybenzone along with another chemical called
octinoxate. Both of these ingredients are used to help protect people from the sun`s ultraviolet rays but some scientists believe that when they wash
off people`s skin, they`re harmful to marine ecosystems like coral reefs. The reefs near Key West are important to both people and wildlife. They
contribute to Florida`s fishing and tourism industries. They`re home to thousands of species of plants, fish and other marine animals.
So the Key West City Commission calls it an obligation to take steps to protect the reefs by eliminating certain sunscreen ingredients. A lot of
popular brands from Coppertone to Neutrogena will be effected and some representatives from the sunscreen manufacturing industry say there`s still
doubt about whether the banned chemicals actually hurt the reefs. Key West is not banning all sunscreens. Mineral products that contain zinc oxide
and titanium dioxide will still be allowed. But a consumer report study published in 2017 found they did not perform as well as chemical
sunscreens. And according to the Miami Herald, some dermatologists are concerned that banning oxybenzone and octinoxate could lead to increases in
skin cancer. The new laws in both Key West and Hawaii take effect on January 1st, 2021.
A new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control says there`s been a huge jump in the number of American teenagers using electronic cigarettes,
or e-cigarettes. The National Youth Tobacco Survey found that last year, 1.5 million more teens use tobacco than the year before and that the way
they did it was through e-cigarettes or vapes. Tobacco contains an alkaloid called nicotine. That`s the drug that makes it addictive. Many
adult smokers have turned to e-cigarettes to help them quit regular cigarettes which have more toxic chemicals but health officials say, any
form of smoking or vaping is dangerous.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(PHILLIP VERMIN): The first time I Juuled was at the end of 8th grade. My friend handed it to me and I had no idea what it was.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: That`s 15 year old Phillip Vermin (ph) speaking at a New York City Council Health Meeting.
(PHILLIP VERMIN): When I started hearing all the facts, everything bad about it, it was already too late. I was already hooked onto it.
GUPTA: Phillip`s (ph) story has become shockingly familiar. You`ve probably heard of Juul by now. It`s been around since June of 2015 and
millions of high school students have already Juuled or vaped using the device. What you may not know however is how Juul`s high 5 percent
nicotine pods have caused a so-called "nicotine arms" race across the vaping industry.
DR. ROBERT JACKLER, STANFORD PROFESSOR: When Juul came on the market 4 and a half years ago, the vapor market was mostly 1 and 2 percent nicotine.
It`s now 6-7 percent nicotine. Now this tiny Juul cartridge delivers to a person`s body the same amount of nicotine as this entire box of Camels of
20 cigarettes.
GUPTA: Stanford Professor Dr. Robert Jackler makes his case in a study in the BMJ Journal Tobacco Control. His research group has been tracking the
industry for nearly a decade.
JACKLER: When Juul came out with very high nicotine electronic cigarettes, it triggered a "nicotine arms" race amongst competitive companies seeking
to emulate the success of Juul.
GUPTA: Juul is now winning the race. They now control about 3/4 of the vaping market in the United States. While Federal law prohibits selling
these products to minor, Jackler worries that vaping companies like Juul are using new technology to pack more nicotine into their products.
JACKLER: There`s no regulation of the amount of nicotine in electronic cigarettes. Highly concentrated nicotine solutions are potently addictive
and nicotine addiction is a very difficult addiction to break.
(VERMIN): I`d be waking up in the middle of the night. I`d have like cold sweats or whatever. It was just not a great experience.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And then, I think, that`s when he really understood what nicotine addiction was.
GUPTA: Remember, many of these kids have never smoked before and are suddenly being exposed to the same nicotine levels as a full pack of
cigarettes without any build up of tolerance. Juul says it`s taken swift action against counterfeit and infringing products and is committed to
preventing youth from accessing it`s products. Juul also says there were products on the market in the range of 4 to 5 percent nicotine before
Juul`s rise in popularity. But Jackler says the majority of products were must lower when Juul launched and it was indeed the popularity of Juul that
sent nicotine levels soaring.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We hear about 6th graders doing it, 4th graders doing it. You know, these kids are facing a lifetime of serious nicotine
addiction.
(VERMIN): I still sometimes crave a Juul and it`s really hard to say no because there are really Juul`s everywhere. So it`s really hard to fully
stop.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN reporting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARL AZUZ: For 10 out of 10 this Tuesday we`re serving up some frozen fruit, well more frozen than fruit. These are called "ghost apples".
They`re a product of both extreme cold and freezing rain in western Michigan. The man who captured them on camera says they formed when ice
coated rotten apples and the fruit itself slipped through as apples have a lower freezing point than water.
That left just some icy apple shells hanging on the trees. Of course, "ghost apples" are only a "shell" of themselves but they are "appley"
named. It must "stem" or "branch" from the "fruitographers bity witt". A "slice" of his "inshelligence" that we`re happy to "pick", "peel" and
"share" on CNN 10. I`m Carl Azuz and how do you like them apples?
END
