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Israel Opens Embassy in Abu Dhabi; Fresh Evidence of January Massacre in Tigray; Florida Building Rescue; WHO Warns Vaccinated People Face Some Risk; Multiple Areas in Queensland Enter Lockdown; Facebook Wins Court Case. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired June 29, 2021 - 10:00   ET

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

[10:00:00]

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LYNDA KINKADE, CNNI ANCHOR (voice-over): Tigrayan forces claim they have broken the back of the Ethiopian army as the government withdraws troops

and announces a cease-fire.

Russia boasted that it was doing well with vaccinations. Now COVID-19 deaths are rising to record levels in its cities. We're going to go live to

Moscow.

And diplomacy on display: Israel's foreign minister opens the country's first embassy on the Arabian Peninsula in Abu Dhabi.

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KINKADE: It is 10:00 am here in Atlanta, 6:00 pm in Abu Dhabi. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD.

We begin with a global diplomatic push on the conflict in Ethiopia. A CNN exclusive reporting reveals new information about the horrors taking place

there and the situation takes a dramatic turn.

The U.S. is calling for an open meeting of the U.N. Security Council this Friday and that call is coming just as an offensive by Tigray's regional

forces drive out Ethiopian troops from Mekelle, the capital.

You'll know from watching the show that Tigray is being gripped by native conflict since November. Cut off from supplies for much of that time.

That's been translating into dire hunger for its people.

Just days ago, the U.S. said up to 900,000 could face famine conditions, more than doubling an earlier warning from the United Nations. The

spokesman for the regional government indicated a change is coming, saying its forces have, quote, "broken the backbone of the Ethiopian army."

He went on to say, "Our objectives are degrading the enemy's fighting capabilities. This is a criminal army and we will follow it everywhere to

make sure it doesn't have the capacity to come back."

The CNN investigation in April in collaboration with Amnesty International exposed the horror of a massacre perpetrated by Ethiopian soldiers in the

mountains of the Tigray region.

Now CNN has obtained and verified new images confirming not only the identity of the victims but the army unit of perpetrators. CNN's Nima

Elbagir is joining me now for more on this.

Good to have you on the show. You, of course, are one of just a few reporters that have actually been able to gain access into that region. And

as you've been reporting, that region has been in a bloody conflict for some eight months. And now you have this information on the identity of the

army unit responsible for some of the atrocities there.

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Unfortunately, we do. We had initially raised our initial investigation with the Ethiopian

government. And they dismissed our findings, saying that they were claims which could not be taken as evidence.

Now we not only are able to link the Ethiopian soldiers to these atrocities but the specific unit responsible. Take a look at this, Lynda.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELBAGIR (voice-over): One by one, they enter the church, carrying in sacks all that's left of loved ones executed by Ethiopian soldiers, villagers

risking their lives to retrieve these remains.

But this was not just about closure; this is just press evidence of a January massacre.

Throughout the months-long conflict in its Tigray region, Ethiopia has promised to hold all who break the law accountable. But they haven't. We

must warn you, what you are about to see and hear is horrifying.

This is how many saw their loved ones for the first time: some beheaded, others burned beyond recognition. For six months, families have been denied

access to the execution site by Ethiopian soldiers. The remains tell a grim story.

Corroborating CNN's original investigation, in collaboration with Amnesty International, this is the old footage of the massacre first broadcast in

April.

We can't show you the moment of execution but, in the aftermath, this soldier tosses a jacket.

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ELBAGIR (voice-over): Notice the black and gray color scheme and the bloodstain; same jacket, same bloodstain. The man who took this picture

confirmed, this jacket belong to his brother, which he found at the massacre site.

This video of bullet casings was also filmed at the site last week by family members and sent to CNN. We asked forensic experts to analyze the

casings. They confirmed they were in line with bullets Ethiopian soldiers would use.

The video also reveals the location, the same location as the execution site. Notice the distinctive ridge in this new footage and now in the

footage shot by soldiers during the execution.

We also verify the digital footprint: it's a match. Crucially, locals say they have collected 36 ID cards from the scene, but that 37 more people

remain missing, indicating the massacre could have been much larger than previously suspected.

They believe the desecration of the bodies was a deliberate attempt to destroy evidence in the aftermath of our investigation.

And more video has emerged to shed light on the perpetrators. Given to CNN by a pro-Tigray organization based in the U.S., it reveals the nickname of

the whistleblower. But more importantly, the rank and division of the unit committing these crimes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (from captions): As you can see, we have killed them and the TPLF bodies are scattered everywhere.

ELBAGIR (voice-over): That's the voice of the Ethiopian soldier turned whistleblower.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (from captions): I am the one who is recording and filming this video for you. My name is Fati.

ELBAGIR (voice-over): He names himself in the video twice and names his unit and division, enough evidence for the Ethiopian government to pursue

an investigation. But none has been confirmed.

The whistleblower gives his phone to another soldier, so he can also be filmed carrying out an execution.

With this level of detail now revealed, we asked the Ethiopian government whether they have investigated and punished the perpetrators. We've

received no response.

After the ceremony at the church, the families gather to bury the dead in a mass grave, their grief, they say, inflamed by their government's inaction.

The identities of the victims are known. The division of the perpetrators is known. Hard to imagine how that inaction can be justified.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ELBAGIR: There's very little that's clear, Lynda, after the events of the last 24 hours in Tigray, the withdrawal of the Ethiopian forces from

Mekelle, the rumors we're hearing that other cities and towns have also been taken by Tigrayan forces.

But one of the things we still continue to hear from people outside of Tigray with regards to their loved ones inside the region, who currently

are under a communications blackout, is that justice is absolutely integral to any moving forward.

Any resolution that doesn't contain some kind of retribution, some kind of punishment for the perpetrators of crimes like these, will be acceptable to

so many in the region and outside -- Lynda.

KINKADE: Exactly, justice is needed here. And, of course, Nima, a cease- fire has been declared.

What does that mean and is it likely to hold?

ELBAGIR: Well, it was unilaterally declared by the Ethiopian government after their forces were forced to withdraw from Mekelle. So already that

gives you a sense perhaps of the seriousness that those on the other side from the Ethiopian government will be taking this cease-fire.

In fact, we heard from the spokesperson for the Tigray forces, saying that they reject it, that they will fight until, as they put it, "every last

enemy has been forced out of Tigray."

What might change the calculus is with regards to the international community. The international community has not really been able to act

effectively to put a stop to all this.

And now you have an escalation and hostilities on the ground. And you have a central government no longer in control of a key and strategic city.

So we've already heard from the United States that they are calling for an open meeting at the U.N. Security Council, backed by Ireland and the United

Kingdom, to try and get, they say, some kind of urgency from the international community, from the U.N. Security Council, to finally address

what is happening on the ground there, Lynda.

KINKADE: And, Nima, we should note, CNN has been trying to reach people on the ground in the Tigray region but we have been unable to get through. And

we are hearing that troops may have destroyed the coms equipment on their way out of the region.

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ELBAGIR: Yes. Yesterday, in fact, UNICEF put out a statement, late Ethiopia time, to say Ethiopian soldiers had raided their offices and

destroyed VSAT equipment, so the equipment that allows them to communicate independently of the government-controlled communications network, whether

that's internet or telephone.

So because we have seen previously that this is part and parcel of the government's methodology, when circumstances are either not going the way

they would like it to on the ground or when there is something that is being hidden from the eyes of the world, although we don't know that what

happened in Mekelle late yesterday with regards to us losing contact with people on the ground was specifically done because of the government.

We know that the rest of the region was under a communications blackout that was imposed by the government and that is incredibly worrying. It's

been really difficult to get any kind of information out of Tigray at the best of times.

All of this reporting, the images that you saw, they've taken so long to verify and get out because the government switches off and switches on the

network at will. The fact that an entire region could be blacked out in this way, is currently hidden from the eyes of the world, is worrying not

only to us as journalists with regard to the contacts we can't get hold of but should be worrying to the international community, because we don't

know what is currently happening in there.

KINKADE: It's really disturbing. Nima, as always, we thank you very much for your reporting. We will speak to you soon.

Well, six days after a condominium collapsed in South Florida, the death toll is sadly rising; 11 people are now confirmed dead, another 150 remain

unaccounted for. Friends, family members of the Surfside, Florida, community are leaning on each other for support, as you can see here,

during a vigil Monday night.

At the site of the collapse, the mayor says the number one priority is pulling people out of the rubble and supporting the families. With just two

days before the collapse, a pool contractor noticed damage at the building and he shared these photos with the "Miami Herald." CNN reached out to

condominium officials and they have declined to comment.

Rosa Flores joins us now from Surfside.

Rosa, another couple of victims have been identified, now 11 people identified. But still, 150 people missing.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Lynda, hearts are heavy here. As you were mentioning, these families have been waiting for information for six

days now. The weather hasn't helped. We are expecting more weather today and throughout the week. That, of course, is hampering efforts at certain

points in time.

I can tell you that from, talking to the fire chief, the concrete sometimes becomes very, very slippery. There was an instance in which a rescue worker

tumbled 25 feet down that debris pile.

And so they are doing everything that they can to try to find voids, to try to find signs of life. But as you mentioned, right now the death toll

stands at 11. And I want to read and share the names of these individuals with you.

The first individual who was identified was Stacie Dawn Fang. She was 54 years old.

Antonio Lozano, 82; Gladys Lozano, 80.

Manuel LaFont, 54; Leon Oliwkowicz, 80; Luis Bermudez, 26; Ana Ortiz, 46; Christina Beatriz Elvira, 74.

Marcus Joseph Guara, 52; Frank Kleiman, 55; Michael David Altman, 50.

It is so difficult for these families, both the ones who have received news and the ones who are waiting for news that are at a reunification center.

They get briefings twice a day. From what we heard from officials, they get very detailed briefings and that has helped them understand what is being

done to find their loved ones -- Lynda.

KINKADE: And, of course, Rosa, so many of those people have a lot of questions as to how this could possibly happen. We are learning more about

the state of the building in the leadup to this collapse. We're hearing from contractors and from engineers and from locals.

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KINKADE: And also photos are emerging of pictures that were taken in that building days before it collapsed.

FLORES: You know, you're absolutely right. It almost seems like, every single day, we get a nugget of information that paints a clearer picture of

the structural integrity of this building leading to the collapse.

Let me start with those photos that were obtained by the "Miami Herald" because those were taken 36 hours before the collapse. And the contractor

was there to do some repairs to the pool.

And according to the reporter, Sarah Blasky (ph), she reports that this contractor saw the pool lobby and thought everything was fine. But then it

was when he went underground, under the pool deck, in the garage, where he took those photos.

Now it's important to note -- because she notes this in her report -- that those photos were taken on the south side of the building. The portion of

the building that collapsed is the north side.

So it really begs the question, did the north side look the same or perhaps worse?

We don't know. But again, this is just one piece of the puzzle.

And then we're also learning from a letter that was sent to residents in April of this year, so just a few months ago, that stated that there had

been an acceleration in the deterioration of the concrete, Lynda. And so what we learned from this letter was that, in 2018, the assessment estimate

for the repairs of the structural damage was $9 million.

By this year it had grown to $15 million. And these individuals, the residents of this building, were expected to begin paying for this

assessment in the next few days. And now we're here. The building has partially collapsed; 11 people are dead, 150 people are unaccounted for.

KINKADE: Absolutely shocking. Rosa Flores for us, thanks to you for your reporting there for us and we will speak to you again soon. Thank you.

Still ahead on CONNECT THE WORLD, two Russian cities are seeing more deaths from COVID-19 than ever before. We're going to take you live to Moscow,

where new rules are in place to try to curb infections.

Plus, more places in Australia now under lockdown, as authorities try to stop an outbreak of the Delta COVID variant.

And also ahead, Singapore laying out a post-pandemic plan on how to live normally with the virus.

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KINKADE: Welcome back.

The World Health Organization is warning people not to let their guard down against the coronavirus. The WHO's top scientist says, while existing

vaccines provide up to 90 percent protection against COVID variants, that means even vaccinated people still face some risk.

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DR. SOUMYA SWAMINATHAN, CHIEF SCIENTIST, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: Everyone should recognize this pandemic is not over. The virus hasn't gone.

In fact, it's looking for opportunities to spread and to change itself, mutate and develop new variants.

So I think this is the time for caution. It's not that we -- nobody can travel or do anything. But this is really not the time for us to encourage

a lot of social mixing, to encourage mass events, especially without precautions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Russia is one of many places where vaccination rates remain low, under 12 percent, according to Our World in Data. On Monday, Moscow and St.

Petersburg saw more COVID deaths in a single day than ever before.

The mayor of Moscow is quoted by state media as saying that, over the past week, the city has also broken new records for hospitalizations. We want to

go now to Matthew Chance, who is in the Russian capital for us.

Matthew, when you look at the data, this latest wave began at the start of this month. And the cases there are rising rapidly.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They are. And, in fact, over the course of the past 24 hours, there's been the highest number

of people that have died because of COVID-19 across the country than have been recorded since the pandemic began. It's over 650 people, in the past

measured 24 hours.

And so it shows you just how serious this third wave is hitting this country, not just in Moscow and St. Petersburg but across the board. And

there are a couple of reasons for that.

One of them, as you mentioned, is that extraordinarily low rates of vaccination in the country, a country that, remember, was the first to

register a vaccine for public use anywhere in the world; it's still hovering around 11 or 12 percent, the rate of vaccination, a high degree of

hesitancy here.

That's starting to change. Within the past few days, because the government has imposed strict rules on public sector workers in the country -- or

public service, rather -- workers in the country, people who are facing the public in transport industry and hospitality industry, restaurants, cafes,

that if they're not vaccinated with at least one dose by the middle of July, they are not allowed to work in those jobs anymore.

So it's still voluntary, the government says. But if you don't do it, you're going to lose your livelihood.

So just how voluntary is it these days for those sections of the workforce in Russia?

The other problem is, of course, the Delta variant, which is making a big impact across the world. It's having a big impact in Russia as well. And

within the past couple of hours, the people who pioneered and who created the Sputnik V vaccine, which is the main vaccine in Russia, the one they

registered before any other vaccine, have said that they don't think it's as effective against the Delta variant, the Delta strain, against other

strains of COVID as well.

So that is another worrying sign this third wave of the pandemic in Russia could get a lot worse before it gets any better.

KINKADE: It certainly sounds that way. Of course, the Kremlin was hoping to have 60 percent of the population vaccinated by September this year.

It's conceded that is definitely not going to happen. And now there seems to be a black market for COVID certificates. People really don't want to

get vaccinated.

CHANCE: I mean, that's what's been reported in the local media, that people are out there, trying to buy black market certificates. There

certainly has been an official response to that in state-run media, which is often a conduit for the views of the Kremlin and the views of the

government.

They say they're cracking down on what they call these scam artists. So yes, look, there is still a lot of vaccine hesitancy in the country. People

believe all sorts of conspiracy theories in this country about the impact of vaccination might have on them.

They have got access to the internet. They have access to the discredited conspiracy theories that have taken root amongst a big chunk of the

population in Russia. And I think some people are clearly prepared to do whatever they have to do, whatever they can do, to avoid, you know, getting

that vaccination.

So the fact, that in some quarters, in some areas of the economy, the government are now making it essentially compulsory, mandatory for them to

have these vaccinations, I think it's kind of poured oil on the fire.

And some people are really up in arms that this is being made to happen. But I mean, I think we have to balance the fact that, after so long with a

valid, workable vaccine, which is free to Russian citizens in the country, and still only with 11-12 percent vaccine uptake, the authorities in Russia

really have to take strong measures now to get people actually vaccinated, basically to stop the death tolls from rising even higher -- Lynda.

KINKADE: Incredible. All right, Matthew Chance for us in Moscow. Good to have you there for us. Thank you so much.

[10:25:00]

KINKADE: In Australia, several areas in Queensland are joining a growing list of places entering a lockdown. A three-day lockdown now in place after

four new COVID infections were reported in Queensland.

More than 10 million Australians across the country are now being told to stay in their homes due to the rapid spread of the highly infectious Delta

variant of COVID-19. Ivan Watson joins us now from Hong Kong.

Just 24 hours ago, Ivan, we're talking about the lockdown in Sydney, places in western Australia; now, of course, Queensland.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Lynda, one after another, you have states imposing these temporary lockdowns as they see

cases popping up in their locations.

I think it's important to stress that the number of new cases that are being discovered in Australia in a day, they number perhaps in a couple of

dozen. And you compare that to a situation like the United Kingdom or the U.S., where you have upwards of 14,000, 15,000 new cases a day, or the

U.S., more than 100 deaths from COVID a day, we're talking a very, very different situation in Australia, even though it has a much smaller

population.

But I think that that underscores how concerned the authorities are there about how vulnerable the population is to the virus 18 months into the

pandemic. And especially to the highly contagious Delta variant.

So you know, you mentioned the state of Queensland, which has imposed this three-day lockdown in Townsville and Palm Island, Magnetic Island, other

places, too.

Among the cases they discovered in the last four hours, one of the people who tested positive was a 19-year-old clerical worker, who worked at a

hospital at the reception of the COVID ward. And that woman was not vaccinated. So the premier of Queensland was furious when speaking to the

press about this. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GLADYS BEREJIKLIAN, PREMIER OF NEW SOUTH WALES: I am absolutely furious about this. We need to make sure that we are getting our population

vaccinated right across the state. Now this leaves us with no option.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: I mean, that underscores this real dilemma.

How could you have somebody at the COVID ward, who isn't vaccinated 18 months into this pandemic?

Well, the answer is less than 5 percent of the Australian population has been fully vaccinated. And that underscores why the population is so

vulnerable and why the authorities are taking these relatively low, new daily caseloads so seriously and expressing such alarm.

The premier of New South Wales, she said, "We will have to live differently due to this strain of virus until the majority of the population is

vaccinated."

And that seems to still be a very long way away. Lynda?

KINKADE: It certainly does. The vaccination rate incredibly low when you compare it to other developed countries. Ivan Watson for us in Hong Kong,

thank you.

Well, still ahead on CONNECT THE WORLD, Israel inaugurates its first embassy in the Persian Gulf. We'll tell you where, coming up in a live

report from Jerusalem.

And he's considered South Africa's Anthony Fauci. Right now, his country needs minds like his. We're going to speak to this professor.

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KINKADE: Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Lynda Kinkade. More now on our top story.

Leaders in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region tell CNN they are rejecting a cease-fire proposed by the federal government. The Ethiopian military

withdrew from the regional capital after more than seven months of fighting.

The conflict has killed thousands of people, displaced millions and it's fueled a horrific famine. The U.S. is calling for a United Nations Security

Council meeting after a CNN investigation revealed new evidence that Ethiopian soldiers carried out a massacre there.

Now to a landmark visit in the Middle East. Israel's new foreign minister stepped into history when he got off a plane in Abu Dhabi today. Yair Lapid

is the first Israeli minister to visit the UAE in an official capacity. Lapid inaugurated the Israeli embassy in Abu Dhabi, its first in the Gulf.

The two countries normalized relations less than a year ago and have since signed a number of trade and cooperation deals.

CNN's Hadas Gold is following Lapid's visit from Jerusalem for us and is joining us now live.

This is certainly an historic visit.

HADAS GOLD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Lynda, it's also Yair Lapid's first big formal visit as foreign minister. This new Israeli government was

sworn in just a few weeks ago. He is the first Israeli minister to be officially welcomed to the UAE ever since the UAE and Israel signed the

historic normalization agreements about nine months ago.

Lapid opened the first Israeli embassy in Abu Dhabi and later he is expected to open the Israeli consulate in Dubai as well. But he used the

opportunity of the speech to open the embassy, to try and encourage other Middle Eastern countries to sign peace agreements with Israel, saying that

Israel's home is in the Middle East and that they are here to stay. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YAIR LAPID, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER: This isn't a moment of complex or detailed agreement. It's a moment of simplicity, people looking at one

another and saying, we prefer peace. Hate is not inevitable (sic).

The people of the Middle East are invited to look around them and ask, whose situation is better, those who chose the path of peace or those who

chose the path of war?

Those who chose to invest in their people and their land or those who chose to invest in the hatred of others?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLD: And notably, Lapid also thanked now former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling him the architect of these Abraham accords,

somebody who he said worked tirelessly to bring them about.

Of course, Lapid is part of the reason that Netanyahu is no longer prime minister. Lapid helping to organize this coalition that ultimately toppled

Netanyahu from power. Lapid is also expected to meet with the UAE foreign minister, where the two are for sure expected to discuss Iran.

Both Israel and the UAE oppose any sort of return to the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal. The talks for which are expected to go underway once again in

Vienna very soon -- Lynda?

KINKADE: All right, Hadas Gold for us. Thank you very much.

Still to come, could the anger over Hungary's anti-LGBT laws force the country's longtime leader out?

I'm going to speak to one of the candidates running against him.

And Facebook hits a new milestone, thanks to a very favorable court ruling. We'll tell you what the judge said that sent the stock soaring in just a

moment.

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[10:35:00]

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KINKADE: Welcome back.

Facebook briefly joined Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and Google as a trillion dollar tech company. Facebook shares jumped on Monday after a judge tossed

out a government lawsuit, alleging Facebook is a monopoly in the social media space.

The suit claimed that whenever Facebook sees real competition, it just buys the rival company; like it did, of course, with Instagram and WhatsApp. The

stock has now dipped below that trillion-dollar mark. Our Clare Sebastian is following the story for us.

Good to see you, Clare. It is pretty hard to get your head around that sort of price, $1 trillion, the valuation of Facebook for the first time. And it

came after a judge struck not one but two lawsuits.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this was a celebration for Facebook investors that it's sort of a momentary reprieve from all the

regulatory pressure that that stock has been feeling.

It has gone a little bit below trading, as you said, still up about 130 percent or more since its bottom last year during the pandemic. So this

stock has really been on a tear. Any dips right now are just a small blip.

The crux of the cases won by the federal Trade Commission, won by a large number of U.S. states, was that Facebook operates a monopoly and that it is

abusing antitrust law to keep that monopoly by buying up rivals and preventing what they call interoperability of the Facebook app with other

apps and platforms.

The judge threw it out for several reasons. One, because he said that the FTC had failed to define the market, had failed to prove what exactly the

market for personal social media is and thereby to prove that Facebook has a stranglehold on what the FTC says is 60-plus percent of that market.

Difficult to do because the services that Facebook provides are largely free in monetary terms to users. So it's difficult to measure on

traditional metrics, like revenue.

And he also said that particularly when it comes to the state's case, that these were simply too old, these allegations of buying up rivals because

Facebook bought WhatsApp and Instagram the best part of a decade ago. So that is why we are where we are now.

But he has left the door open in particular for the FTC to renew its claim. I want to read you a tweet from Senator Amy Klobuchar, who is the antitrust

chief in the Senate.

She said, "The FTC should do everything it can to pursue its case against Facebook. But the ruling shows why our antitrust laws need to be updated

after years of bad precedent. We can't meet the challenges," she says, "of the modern digital economy with pared down agencies and limited legal

tools."

This piles on pressure on the bipartisan group of lawmakers who are pushing through what would amount to a major rewrite of U.S. antitrust laws through

Congress. This will sort of step up the momentum on that.

KINKADE: I want to ask a bit more on that. This, of course, is not the first U.S. company to be valued at $1 trillion but certainly the youngest

company.

Are we going to see an appeal against this ruling?

SEBASTIAN: So both the FTC and the states led by the New York attorney general, Letitia James, has said they're reviewing their options and will

sort of decide on their next steps going forward. As I said, the judge did, in his opinion, leave it open.

[10:40:00]

SEBASTIAN: In particular for the FTC to rewrite its claim and come back within 30 days. So you know, it's possible that they will do that.

But of course, the other question is can they do it under the current antitrust laws?

The new chairman of the FTC is Lina Khan, who is famous for her college essay, talking about how antitrust law in its current state is not fit when

it comes to big tech companies. In her essay she talked about Amazon.

It will be interesting to see if they try again under current antitrust law or focus their efforts on rewriting the laws so they can be reapplied in

the future.

KINKADE: And it's pretty clear that politicians and leaders around the world were watching how this was going to play out. And certainly, here in

the U.S., there are politicians that have not been happy about this verdict.

SEBASTIAN: Right, yes, plenty of them. As I said, Amy Klobuchar has talked about it. It's bipartisan. Republican lawmaker Ken Buck said he agreed with

Amy Klobuchar on Twitter. We heard from Senator Richard Blumenthal, saying the FTC should continue to pursue its case and that this was a wrong

decision.

Pretty strong terms, they've been talking about this. This is one of the few areas you see bipartisan agreement. But I will say, yes, the world is

watching. There are other cases around the world against Facebook and other big tech giants. But this is still incremental.

There is a lot of work to be done here, a lot of appeals potentially before we see actual changes to Facebook or any other of the tech giants' business

models.

KINKADE: Clare Sebastian for us in New York. Thanks so much.

(WORLD SPORTS)

KINKADE: We are looking forward to much more on "WORLD SPORT" with you just after a very short break and I'll have much more news at the top of

the hour. Thanks, Alex.

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