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United States Official: Work On "Final Details" For Ceasefire; Israel And Hezbollah Exchange Fire As Fears Escalate; Russia Launches Large Drone And Missile Bombardment On Ukraine; Luxury "Bayesian" Superyacht Captain Faces Investigation; Kamala Harris Has Raised $540 Million Since She Entered The Race; Donald Trump Steps Up Schedule With Battleground State Visits; Team Falcons Become First-Ever Esports World Cup Champions; SpaceX To Retrieve Astronauts After Extended ISS Stay. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired August 26, 2024 - 10:00:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi. This is CONNECT THE WORLD WITH BECKY ANDERSON.

[10:00:49]

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: And welcome to what is the second hour of CONNECT WORLD. 6:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson this

hour.

Back from the brink, leaders of Israel and Hezbollah signaling that the worst is over, at least for now, after intense cross border attacks this

weekend. We are live in Beirut for you.

Plus, Russia is going after Ukraine's energy infrastructure, targeting 15 regions overnight with a barrage of missile and drone attacks.

And in the United States. Kamala Harris has raised more than half a billion dollars since launching her campaign for president. Today, Trump's team is

kicking off a new campaign blitz to try to retake the momentum.

Well, we start with this hour with a tense calm hanging over the Israel- Lebanon border, after the IDF and Hezbollah launched weekend cross border attacks. Israel's military calling the attacks preemptive.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the IDF destroyed thousands of Hezbollah rockets. The Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah describes his

group's rocket attacks on Israel as a meticulous success. Both leaders are indicating more attacks could come.

Meantime, a U.S. official tells CNN, negotiators are discussing, "final details" of an elusive ceasefire and hostage release deal for Gaza, as

talks do continue in Cairo. That official saying it involves a huge surge of humanitarian aid, as well as a commitment to remove rubble and begin

reconstruction.

Nada. Bashir back with us this hour from Cairo, along with Ben Wedeman, who is in Beirut.

Nada, let me just start with you. Attacks this weekend underscores, underscoring just how critical a ceasefire in Gaza is. Because, of course,

this cross border -- these cross-border attacks between Israel and Hezbollah have Gaza at the heart of the current conflict.

U.S. negotiators again claiming progress in these talks, but we know that there are sticking points, and those are more than that, which I just

described. What's the reality from your vantage point there in Cairo as to the progress or not being made at this point?

NADA BASHIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL REPORTER: Well, look, Becky, while we are hearing some notes of optimism from U.S. officials have told CNN that the

talks are moving in a forward direction. That, frankly, hasn't been reflected by Hamas officials in their statements following the depart of a

Hamas delegation on Sunday evening, following those talks here in Cairo.

In fact, Hamas' position, according to this latest statement from the organization, is, frankly, not too dissimilar from what we've been hearing

from the organization for weeks now. That they want to see a deal which reflects the proposal put forward by U.S. President Joe Biden in late May.

It appears as though the sticking points that have been the focus of these talks for weeks now continue to persist. Chief among, of course, questions

around the long-term permanency of a ceasefire. We know that, of course, in the first phase of agreement, there would be a six week pause in fighting.

That is what is being proposed at this stage, with the hope that in the second phase, we will see a transition to a permanent ceasefire.

That is something that Hamas wants to see guaranteed, as far as indications suggest that hasn't yet been endorsed or guaranteed by the Israeli

delegation. Hamas has said that they will reject the proposal unless that is guaranteed and on the table.

And of course, one of the other key areas of disagreement is the presence of Israeli troops within the Gaza Strip, namely on strategic corridors,

including the border between Gaza and Egypt.

That remains a key sticking point. Israeli forces have proposed a reduced number of troops on that border. Hamas sticking to its position, saying it

wants to see a full withdrawal of Israeli troops in any sort of post war agreement.

ANDERSON: Nada, thank you. Nada is in Cairo. Ben is in Beirut.

[10:05:03]

And Ben, you've been across what's been going on this weekend. I mean, a serious escalation across the Israel Lebanon border. What has Hezbollah,

very specifically had to say about its attacks on Israel this weekend?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we heard, Becky, from Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary general of Hezbollah, was that he said

that what we planned we achieved.

Now, what they said that they did was they struck a series of military positions along the border, which allowed other weapons to go and hit

targets deep inside Israel, including the head of -- I mean, this headquarters of Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, and what's known

as Unit 8200, Israel's signal intelligence units.

He said that they did not target civilian or civilians or civilian infrastructure. Of course, the Israelis say that nothing was hit in this

strike, nothing was damaged. So, where the truth lies, it's not altogether clearer, but he's obviously, obviously trying to send the message to his

supporters that this has been a successful -- success -- successful attack. But he did not take the possibility of a future escalation off the table.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HASSAN NASRALLAH, SECRETARY GENERAL, HEZBOLLAH (through translator): The result is satisfactory and achieves the intended goal. And if the result is

not enough from our point of view, then we retain the right to respond another time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WEDEMAN: And, of course, what we've seen is really just a return to the situation before tensions rose a month ago. There have been five Israeli

airstrikes on positions in South Lebanon. One of them appears to have been an unsuccessful strike on a car in the city of Sidon. The target, it's

believed, is a Hamas official, not Hezbollah. Hamas.

In addition to that, there is been one strike claimed by Hezbollah on Israeli surveillance equipment on the border. And so, what we are seeing is

just to return to the situation before.

In fact, Nasrallah did say in his speech that after a month in which people here were very concerned about the situation that now everyone can take a

breath and relax. Becky?

ANDERSON: The threat, of course, though, continues from Hezbollah. Its missile capabilities are estimated to be able to strike well beyond what we

saw this weekend.

You've covered the militant group for years, Ben. I mean, you and I covered the war back in 2006 and you were in it way before that. What do you make

of the scale of this response? What was said by Hezbollah's leader and where this goes next?

Of course, you know this status quo of this sort of low-level conflict along the border continues to a certain extent. What's your sense of what

we might expect going forward?

WEDEMAN: Well, I think if you look at the attack yesterday, it was limited. Limited in scope, limited in targets. Hezbollah still has its estimated at

least 150,000 rockets and missiles, some of them that can hit to the very southern tip of Israel, to the city of Eilat, and they did not use those.

And Israel, even though we heard Benjamin Netanyahu, saying they took down thousands of projectiles fired from Lebanon, I think that's something of an

exaggeration, not necessarily the first time he would exaggerate things. But what we also saw is that the Israelis limited their strikes to the

border area. They did not strike deep inside Lebanon. And deep inside Lebanon is where Hezbollah has its most deadly weapons, its most modern and

precise weapons are kept well away from the border.

So, I think what's going to happen now Becky is that we are going to resume this daily back and forth on the border, sometimes a little more intense,

sometimes a little less but reality remains the same. There is more than 100,000 Lebanese who have been forced to leave because of the

circumstances, forced to leave their homes in the south. More than 60,000 Israelis along the northern border of Israel, and really everything hinges

on the negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza.

[10:10:02]

Hezbollah has made it clear that it will stop firing at Israel as soon as there is a ceasefire in Gaza. And we saw that it was true to its words,

because back in November, when there was that brief truce, when there were some hostages released in Israel -- and Palestinian prisoners and detainees

released as well, Hezbollah did not fire a shot, and only resumed when the fighting resumed in Gaza.

That's the key, but it seems a very elusive key for the United States, which has expended so much capital or diplomatic energy to try to reach

some sort of ceasefire, but until now, has failed. Becky?

ANDERSON: It's good to have you there, Ben. Thank you very much indeed. Ben Wedeman, with his insight and analysis.

Well, Israel's military is ordering more evacuations in central Gaza, where about 40,000 Palestinians are sheltering. It is, though, unclear how many

are currently aware of that order. The evacuation zone has five school shelters, tents, houses, and the al-Aqsa Hospital.

Now, many of those living in the area previously fled from Rafah, and they are frustrated over having to pick up and move yet again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAWSA ABU AFESH, DISPLACED PALESTINIAN: Everyone with a conscience, hopefully can see us and bravely see that we are dying. No one is watching.

Please watch us with mercy. Watch how we are moving from a place to another, and we have no idea where to go. I have no place. I am moving with

my kids and what I can carry. My furniture left behind, and I will sleep tonight on the ground.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, amidst all the destruction and displacement, disease is spreading. Just within the past two weeks, health officials reported the

first case of polio in Gaza in 25 years. A 10-month-old who is now paralyzed in one leg.

Now, there is an urgent need for vaccinations. The Palestinian health ministry says about one and a quarter million doses of polio vaccine have

arrived so far, with efforts now underway to secure another 365,000 doses.

Health officials stress a ceasefire must happen to ensure a successful mass vaccination campaign. Well, you can keep up with all the very latest from

Gaza and the region in our "MEANWHILE IN THE MIDDLE EAST" newsletter, there is a story up now about a released Palestinian prisoner who tells CNN that

he was sexually abused in an Israeli prison.

Sign up for that newsletter by scanning the Q.R. code at the bottom of your screen.

Well, Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy is speaking out. Saying that Russia's massive overnight shelling was one of the biggest ever attacks on

the country. A mix of about 200 missiles and drones targeted more than a dozen regions of Ukraine. At least four people have been killed, including

a British citizen who worked for the Reuters news agency.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: What you're looking at there is footage of Ukrainian forces shooting at a Russian drone. Ukrainian officials say energy facilities

across the country have been hit by drones, knocking out power to several cities. Now, all of this comes as President Zelenskyy says that his troops

are making progress in Russia's Kursk region.

Well, CNN's Salma Abdelaziz, tracking the latest developments, she is back with us live. And we have seen, Salma, in the past, Russia launching a

barrage of attacks on Ukraine in a single day.

How does what we have seen in the past 24 hours compare with other Russian attacks of this scale -- in size and scale?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look for. in many ways, this is something that Ukrainians are used to. Energy infrastructure has been a

target for Russia since the beginning of this conflict. It has weaponized essentially the right to turn on your light or to get water out of your

faucet all across Ukraine.

But as you mentioned, there is that Kursk offensive. The surprise assault into Russian territory just a few weeks ago. And since that time, Becky,

Ukrainians have been bracing for retaliation, and that's exactly what they believe this is. A hundred drones, hundred missiles fired all across

Ukrainian territory. The Ukrainian Air Force scrambling to intercept these incoming missiles, rescue workers, of course, across the country,

scrambling to respond to multiple emergencies, power outages in multiple cities and towns, families fleeing into bomb shelters or hiding in metro

stations. And it is those scenes playing out that President Zelenskyy says is exactly the objective behind these -- behind this massive assault.

[10:15:04]

To make normal life, daily life in Ukraine, even far from that battlefield, extremely difficult.

But Ukraine continues to press on with that Kursk offensive. So, today, Zelenskyy, in addressing that massive air assault also gave a few updates,

a few gains in Kursk. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): I have just spoken with Commander in Chief Syrskyi, and there is in advance of our

troops in the Kursk region from one to three kilometers. Two more settlements were taken under control, active actions are underway in one

more settlement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: So, tiny progress there. And you have to put that in the wider context, along those front lines that in eastern Ukraine, Russian forces

have been able to advance and are just barreling on through Ukrainian territory, forcing families to flee further west.

But again, back to that aerial assault that's occurred for now, of course, a scramble to return things to normal. This will only become more dangerous

and deadly in the winter, Becky, when, of course, people will need heat, will need water ever more.

ANDERSON: Absolutely. Salma, thank you.

Telegram has played a key role in spreading information from the ground in Ukraine. And Russia, now, its CEO reportedly in French custody. Why at

least one Russian lawmaker called it a witch hunt?

And Italian authorities investigating last week's deadly yacht disaster narrow their focus on one of the survivors.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well, the Kremlin is denying that the Russian president met with the founder of Telegram in Azerbaijan last week. This is important. Let me

tell you why.

The messaging app's Russian born CEO, Pavel Durov, has now been detained in France since Saturday. He was arrested in Paris after flying in from

Azerbaijan, where Vladimir Putin was making a state visit.

CNN affiliate BFMTV reported that the arrest warrant was related to Telegram's lack of moderation, which has allowed criminal activity they

allege to flourish. But the Kremlin says it is yet to hear specific allegations from the French authorities. One Russian lawmaker called the

arrest a witch hunt, aimed at silencing free speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA BUTINA, MEMBER, RUSSIAN PARLIAMENT: The arrest of Pavel Durov means that there is no freedom of speech. That the freedom of speech in Europe is

dead.

Elon Musk is free. Mark Zuckerberg is free, but Pavel Durov is now in prison. Why? Because he is Russian.

I do believe that Durov -- Pavel Durov is a political prisoner.

[10:20:02]

That he is the victim of the witch hunt that the West did do for the people who are not simply minded as they are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, let's bring in CNN's Clare Duffy joining me now. Many of our viewers will find, quite frankly, what was just said there rather

ironic, coming as it does, out of a Kremlin-aligned spokesperson.

Be that as it may, and I'm talking about free speech here, of course. Be that as it may, are this kind of accusations limited to Russia, or do

France's concerns seem to be legitimate? Perhaps, the sort of flip side of that is free speech advocates seem to have significant concerns about what

the French authorities have done at this point. Can you just explain little bit more about we -- what we understand to be going on here.

CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: Yes, Becky. What we understand at this point is that, again, he is facing these charges that we don't know that

much about, but related to the spread of illicit, potentially illegal material spreading on Telegram.

The thing about Telegram is that it's this encrypted messaging app, which means there's privacy baked into the platform, law enforcement, the

platform itself doesn't have a lot of oversight or control into the kinds of conversations that are happening on this platform. And that has meant

that it's become a tool for people in countries like Iran, where free speech is restricted. It's become a really important tool, as you said

before the break there in Ukraine, where citizens are using it to warn each other about air raids, but that privacy means it's also been used by drug

traffickers, by money launderers, by terrorists, and people spreading child sexual abuse material.

And that's not limited just to Russia. These are concerns that have spread, you know, and grown as this app has grown to more than 900 million users

around the world.

Telegram says that it does have some control over what's happening on the platform, and we have seen this platform shut down, for example, channels

that were related to Hamas or channels used by the organizers of the recent U.K. riots.

Telegram says that it is in compliance with E.U. law, including the new E.U. Digital Services Act, which is forcing lots of big platforms to crack

down even more on harmful content. So, I think we'll be waiting to hear more from these French prosecutors about what these charges are and

potentially what information they are seeking from this platform. Because again, law enforcement is unable to access a lot of what's happening on

Telegram.

ANDERSON: It's really interesting that you providing some context here for our viewers, because sort of the headline on this story seems to be, you

know, about the fact that Telegram isn't doing enough to moderate its content. And most people will consider that around the issue of, sort of

what's being said and whether there are free speech issues here.

And many of these big platforms are dealing with accusations of, you know, clamping down on free speech or not doing enough to moderate what's on --

what's on these platforms. Should other CEOs be concerned at this point?

DUFFY: It's a really good question. This is, I mean, we've seen other social media platforms face fines, have to make changes, to way -- to the

way they are operating.

But to see the CEO of a platform face an arrest over something like this is really unprecedented. And it does get at the heart of this conversation

that's happening about a lot of online platforms is, how do you balance the need for safety while still maintaining the ability for people to speak

freely?

I think one of the things that's different about telegram from some of the other messaging apps and online platforms, it is -- it allows these massive

groups, groups up to 200,000 users, to have these pretty private conversations. Other encrypted platforms, like Meta's WhatsApp, have

limited the size of groups to stop the spread of disinformation.

And other major platforms also do, I think, a bit more to prevent the spread of truly illegal content. Things like drug trafficking or child

sexual abuse material. And so, I think it is this question of, where do you draw the line between allowing free speech, but also keeping your users

safe?

And clearly, France seems to think that telegram is not doing a good enough job of walking that line.

ANDERSON: Yes, this is really important. I mean, there is -- there is -- there is layer in depth to this story that perhaps the headline doesn't

necessarily capture, and I'm glad we've had you to help us do a deeper dive on that.

Thank you very much indeed. Clare Duffy in the house for you folks. Well, the captain of the luxury yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily last week

is now under criminal investigation.

Italian prosecutors say James Cutfield is facing possible manslaughter and negligent shipwreck charges.

[10:25:02]

Now, seven people were killed, including British tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah. Investigators questioned the 51-year-old

Cutfield for a second time on Sunday, trying to understand if human behavior and not the weather was to blame.

CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau laced, joining me now, live from Rome.

And Barbie, you been on this story since it was first alerted and reported, perhaps, we should just step back and try and understand what we believe we

know about the investigation at this point and what more we are learning.

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: Yes. You know, we learned a lot on Saturday, actually. This was the first time we had any official word from the

prosecution about the direction of their investigation.

And we've known from the beginning, they said a violent storm, possibly a tornado, is what brought this ship down. But the prosecutor said it wasn't

exactly all that entailed the sinking of the ship. In fact, he used the word, human behavior.

So, what they are going to be looking at now is what that human behavior is, what decisions were made or not made, which include whether or not the

so-called hatches were battened down before the storm, which was predicted, which was noted on two weather bulletins on the evening before this storm

hit the area.

And they want to know whether or not the captain actually alerted the passengers and crew that there was imminent danger. So, these are the sorts

of things they're going to be looking at.

They told the captain, he's got to get himself a defense lawyer at this point, and we'll see where the investigation goes. And if he's the only of

the crew that end up being named in this investigation. But there is still a lot yet to do on this. Becky.

ANDERSON: Yes, good to have you. Thank you very much indeed.

Still to come. Kamala Harris's campaign says it has raised $82 million during last week's Democratic National Convention alone.

And there is more in the pot, believe me, an awful lot more. Can she build on this momentum? Well, more on that coming up.

Plus, on the third anniversary of what was a deadly bombing in Afghanistan, Donald Trump remembering the dead and criticizing the Biden

administration's withdrawal of U.S. troops. More on that is next.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Present --

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:30:20]

ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me Becky Anderson, just about, or just shy of, half past 6:00 in the evening here in

Abu Dhabi.

With just 71 days until November's presidential election, Vice President Kamala Harris says -- campaign says it has raised $540 million since she

launched her presidential bid in July. The campaign received a surge of grassroots donations during the Democratic National Convention last week,

raking in a total of $82 million. Her campaign hopes to build on this momentum as she faces off against Republican Donald Trump in the final

weeks leading up to that election.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is closely watching the Harris campaign for us today from Washington, and these donations often times, small ones coming

from sort of grassroots supporters. Just how significant is that, if at all?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's very significant, because it, at least for the campaign, signals enthusiasm among voters, particularly those

first time contributors.

In fact, of last week's fundraising, a third of those came from those first time donors.

Now, of course, there's no doubt that fundraising has been a bright spot for the Harris campaign since she launched her presidential bid on the

heels of President Biden stepping aside from the race. They have seen big numbers, 540 million within the last month, and some of that they're

starting to set aside already, at least 370 million of that will be set aside for T.V. and digital advertising in the time between Labor Day and

early September and Election Day.

So, what that tells us is that they really want to flood the airwaves and take up as much space as they possibly can in the weeks ahead of Election

Day.

But what I'm also told by sources is that there's certainly a lot of discussions underway in terms of how they keep this momentum going, because

grassroots donations as exciting as they may be for the campaign, can be hard to predict. They often happen after key moments.

For example, the vice president's remarks last week to close the Democratic National Convention marked the best fundraising hour since launch day.

So, how they continue to find those moments is part of the discussion, and whether they also do some splashy fund raising events, which we've seen in

the past, also rakes in a lot of cash because, of course, Becky, it is expensive to run a campaign.

And so, while they have these coffers that they're excited about, they know that it's going to be a lot of hard work ahead of Election Day that also

includes with their travel, the vice president is headed to Georgia this week with her vice presidential nominee, Tim Walz.

The reason Georgia is so important is because it's a state that President Biden only won by less than 12,000 votes in 2020, so it is one of those

battleground states that this campaign, as well as the Trump campaign, are looking at very closely and trying to use this momentum to get voters

enthusiastic in those states.

I was in Georgia not long ago when President Biden was the candidate, and what I was hearing from strategists is that there just wasn't renewed

excitement among voters, particularly those who are on the fence about whether or not they're going to show up to the polls.

So, that is what the Harris campaign is going to have to work on now is trying to get those voters who perhaps were apprehensive or not so

interested in going to vote on Election Day, and making sure they do show up knowing that it's going to be such a tight race in a state like that.

ANDERSON: Yes, thank you. Priscilla Alvarez is on the Harris campaign for CNN.

While the Harris campaign then prepares for a busy week on the campaign trail, Republican Donald Trump was at Arlington National Cemetery in

Virginia today. He participated in a wreath laying ceremony to mark the three year anniversary of the bombing at Kabul's airport that killed 13

U.S. service members.

Trump used the anniversary to criticize the Biden administration's handling of the U.S. pullout from Afghanistan.

Well, Trump now heads to some key battleground states this week, including Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. J.D. Vance, his V.P. ticket will

appear in Kentucky later today.

CNN's Stephen Collinson watching -- very closely watching the Trump campaign for us today from Washington.

We've seen the images of Trump looking rather presidential. It has to be said at Arlington Cemetery earlier today, his detractors all say it was a

great opportunity to get some publicity, and those who support him will say, that he cares.

[10:35:02]

Walk us through the Republican strategy very specifically for Donald Trump and his V.P. over these next couple of months.

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Well, it looks like right now, Becky, there are two Republican strategies, the one that Trump's

campaign managers and all of the Republicans want to run, which is laser focus on the economy and immigration, and the one that Trump seems to want

to run, which is more an expression of his volcanic temperament than any clear political tactics.

Listen to what one of Trump's closest allies, Senator Lindsey Graham, would like to see Trump doing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): So, I told President Trump, then and now, you're going to win this thing if you focus on policy. Americans are not

joyful when they go to the gas station and fill up their car. They're not joyful when they make their mortgage payment. They're not joyful when they

go to the grocery store. People are hurting, and this whole joy love fest doesn't exist in the real world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINSON: So, what Graham is doing there is actually making a far more focused case for Trump than Trump really has made for himself in recent

weeks, when he seems like he's been off balance, because he's faced with this new joyful, as Graham might say, presidential rival in Kamala Harris.

Trump seems to want to continue the vengeance, the insults, the chaos, which helped him admittedly win the 2016 campaign, when he shook up the

establishment, but also contributed to him losing in 2020.

Republican strategists believe that they have an opening here, because Vice President Harris is a member of an unpopular administration. There have

been economic problems, have been problems on the southern border, and they think Trump could really easily exploit this, and he's not doing the things

that could actually help him win back the White House.

ANDERSON: Yes, interesting. Look, and we've heard from Lindsey Graham there, as you rightly pointed out, you know, a great pal of Donald Trump, a

supporter of Donald Trump, with what -- you know, with quite a kind of pointed, sort of appeal, as it were, to the former presidents. That's the

sort of Republican side. And we know there's a lot of that on that side.

We're also seeing calls for the Democrats, and internally from Democrats to provide more substance, very specifically speaking to Kamala Harris here on

policy. The NYT also put out an op-ed entitled joy is not a strategy, pointing out that she needs to build more trust with voters in swing states

if she really wants to pull this off. Other Democrats overestimating just how far this sort of good vibes campaign, if you will can go.

COLLINSON: I don't think so. Just speaking to a lot of Democrats last week at the convention, there clearly is this sudden burst of euphoria, because

the party thought pretty much that it was doomed to defeat when President Joe Biden was at the top of the presidential ticket.

But we heard from Michelle Obama, Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton, the nominee herself, telling Democrats that this is going to be a

razor thin election, which it is probably and that they should never get complacent, and they need to get out every single vote.

I also think the specter of a return to office of Donald Trump and everything that might entail really does concentrate the minds of Democrats

who see that they have a chance here where they thought that they didn't have just five weeks ago.

But it's true that the vice president hasn't laid out an awful lot of policy. She has taken a populist turn on the economy, saying she'd do more

to cut grocery prices, help people buy homes for the first time.

But on foreign policy, for instance, which may not be a huge issue in the campaign, will be a huge issue in her presidency. We don't know really how

she would differ from President Joe Biden on all sorts of other policy, like climate, environment, other issues.

This -- there hasn't been a policy layout, so I think there will be some pressure on her to put more meat on the bones, but she is presenting

herself as a candidate of change, even though she's a member of this administration, and she's trying to act as the avatar for people who want

something other than Trump. She's saying, you don't have to go through that nightmare again. You can choose me.

So, I don't think we're ever going to see pages and pages of policy, especially due to the fact we've got a truncated campaign. She's only been

the nominee for a month, and the election is in 70 odd days.

ANDERSON: 71 I think, to be precise, always good to have you, Stephen, thank you. And Mr. Collinson has just penned an opinion piece for CNN about

Donald Trump. His article focuses on the Trump campaign strategy, which includes personal attacks against Harris. We invite you to read that

article and peruse the other.

[10:40:09]

U.S. political stories in our CNN digital platforms right now, you know how to find them. Your CNN app will also have all of that.

Well, still to come on CONNECT THE WORLD, a world cup like no other, some of the top video game players on the planet competing the Esports World Cup

Championship. We talk to the best of the best, that's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well, for eight weeks, more than a thousand gamers from around the world put their video game skills to the test. Only one could come out

on top.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And now, welcome to the stage the first ever Esports World Cup club champion team Falcons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, you are looking at the first ever Esports World Cup club champion, team Falcons took home the $7 million prize on Sunday night in

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Grant Rousseau of team Falcons tweeted about the winning moment in front of Cristiano Ronaldo saying, "It was utterly

surreal to lift the trophy in front of someone I've admired my whole life, let alone to then see him tweet about us."

Global director for Esports for team Falcons, Grant Rousseau joining me now from Riyadh.

I can see you smiling there. I mean, remarkable, really, to see Ronaldo there. I mean, he is, of course, based in Saudi Arabia, so perhaps not as

remarkable as some might think.

But look, congratulations to you and all of team Falcons.

Just describe what winning this World Cup and the $7 million championship prize pot means.

GRANT ROUSSEAU, GLOBAL DIRECTOR OF ESPORTS, TEAM FALCONS: It means absolutely everything. When this first got announced, we set it as our goal

to go out there and try and win this kind of thing, and always wants to be on the world stage for the biggest competition.

So, when they announced the World Cup, we knew there was nothing bigger. And it's been my dream to bring in Esports to a team, to fruition, to win

something at this level.

So, I'm still kind of processing the emotions over the last 24 hours. But yes, it feels amazing.

ANDERSON: Right, OK, there is going to be a whole load of viewers out there who know nothing about gaming. There'll be many, many, many people watching

this who know quite a lot about gaming.

But many of those you know will be -- will be new to the idea that this is a sort of, you know, a big championship, a sport as it will.

So, let's just -- let's talk about what goes into gaming, how long you've been in it, and how far it's come to this point?

[10:45:14]

ROUSSEAU: Sure, I've been in Esports for just under 10 years now. Started straight out of university effectively, and when I started, it was lots of

people just in their houses trying to make something happen on next to no money, effectively, no performance systems, no anything, just people

playing games.

And we stand here 10 years later with entire performance, losses and systems, bespoke facilities, players earning tens of thousands, hundreds of

thousands of dollars. It really is on a global scale now and equivalent to any sport out there.

ANDERSON: Alex, you know some of our -- some of our viewers will know Call of Duty, Fortnite. I mean, and some of those, of course, were the games

that were involved here. Let's talk about the numbers involved, because they are huge tournament. 1,500 players competing for their share of the

$16 million in prize money. And the viewership, that's even more impressive, according to the Esports World Cup Foundation, a total of 500

million viewers across the full eight week tournament, able to watch more than 250 million hours of content over that period. That is huge.

It frankly means there's something in it for everybody, right? I mean, you -- did you expect it to be this big 10 years ago? You were in the -- you're

in the city, right, you're in London doing finance at one point before you decided to throw yourself and your weight behind this?

ROUSSEAU: Yes, I was -- I was very briefly an accountant in London, but I'd always had a big interest in competitive sport. And I've seen Esports

happen, and I just -- I don't know, it's hard to explain how I just -- I knew it was my calling. I just wanted to jump into and give it a go on the

belief that this is what it could become.

In a sense, that was a gamble. But fortunately, it's very much been the case that the gaming world as we know it has always had lots of people

involved, and it was only a matter of time, in my opinion, that Esports became something of this sort of scalable level, and those numbers

represent just where we're at.

I'll admit, I don't think anyone expected the World Cup that they've made to be this successful in terms of our scene and people following it, but it

was just testament to the event that they put on to make this the premier event of Esports now.

ANDERSON: So, as we mentioned, some of the biggest stars were in attendance to see the crowning moment, including Saudis Crown Prince Mohammed bin

Salman, FIFA president Gianni Infantino, football legend Cristiano Ronaldo.

I mean, you were clearly in awe of what was probably, I'm sure, the front row there, these giants of sport were they're cheering the players on. What

does that mean to you, truly and to those in attendance? And does this put Esports into a -- into a new sort of arena, do you think? Has this taken

Esports somewhere that many couldn't have imagined it going before?

I mean, there will be people watching this, by the way, who say this is not a sport.

ROUSSEAU: Don't worry. I hear that a lot, but I think it really does add to the legitimacy of what we're doing.

For me personally, it was just surreal to be holding a trophy in front of those kind of people, but the fact that they're even there and present and

involved shows how much Esports has reached that world stage. It's comparable to traditional sports out there now in terms of viewership, in

terms of people following the event.

So, yes, surreal for myself, but it's nice to see that legitimacy starting to come through, and it's been around a while, I think now, and will

continue to go for strength.

This Esports, for me, will become a major, major sports player on the global stage, and is very much catching up already.

ANDERSON: It's really interesting to see the FIFA chief, for example, there. And one wonders, given that Saudi the only -- the only country

competing -- not competing, I mean, going for the 2034 World Cup, of course, I wonder how Esports and the sport of football are going to kind of

come together at that point? Well, that remains to be seen.

I just want those who really get this to understand what happened. We've got the standings here. This shows that team Falcons won Call of Duty, War

Zone and Free Fire came in sixth in again, many will have heard of Fortnite. What's your favorite game? And what are you best at?

[10:50:00]

ROUSSEAU: My favorite game best at is different. I'll be honest, I'm awful at video games. There's a reason I'm in this position and not one of the

players, but I just said, enjoy that competitive side of sport, and this is exactly the same in that methodology, but I'm a big fan of Rocket League,

which was one of the last games we played, Falcons finished second in it, so just missed out on first place there, but had already won the club title

at this point. So, it was more of a celebration, let's say. So, yes, so and I think it was a very, very successful final game to see out the World Cup.

ANDERSON: That's fantastic. Listen, it's good to have you on. Thank you very much indeed. And congratulations. What a -- what a closing ceremony,

what a competition, and then what a front row for you to be honored by. Well done, mate. Thank you.

The plans to bring two astronauts back to Earth are no longer up in the air, but they won't be heading home anytime soon. The Starliner crews' next

steps as it were, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BILL NELSON, ADMINISTRATOR, NASA: The decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and bring the Boeing Starliner home

uncrewed is result of a commitment to safety.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ANDERSON: Well, quite a turn of events for two astronauts who thought they'd be in space for just over a week. The test pilots for Boeing's

Starliner effectively now stranded on the International Space Station since June, finally learning that there is a plan to bring them back home. That

plan does not involve a return flight on the Starliner, which suffered a series of setbacks on the way there, but a SpaceX mission set for earlier -

- for early next year.

CNN's space and defense correspondent Kristen Fisher following all of this very, very closely.

Kristen, just what is it about this plan to bring them home, why it's taken so long, and ultimately, why NASA have had to rely on Elon Musk set up to

get him out of there?

KRISTEN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, this is not what NASA wanted. It's certainly not what Boeing wanted for this first

crude test light of its flagship new vehicle, the Starliner spacecraft.

It took so long to come to this decision because they wanted to exhaust all possible options. They wanted to do testing in space. They wanted to do

testing on some of those faulty thrusters here on Earth. And when they finally got a chance to look at all of that data, NASA's top leadership

came together. Over the weekend, they held this thing called a flight readiness review, which is where all of NASA's top leadership gets

together. And essentially they vote, put your hand up and vote, are you comfortable with this vehicle taking those two astronauts, Butch Wilmore

and Suni Williams, home? And it was unanimous. The answer was no. They said that it simply wasn't worth the risk to see if these thrusters that they've

been having so many issues with on Starliner would indeed fire up at the precise moment that was needed to get Butch and Suni back to Earth safely.

And so, now, because of the Commercial Crew Program, which is what this Starliner spacecraft is a part of, the two vehicles involved in this Boeing

Starliner and SpaceX Crew Dragon. The whole point of this program was to have redundancy. Was to have backup options. That's why they want -- why

NASA wants Starliner to work, to provide some kind of a backup in case something goes wrong with a SpaceX Crew Dragon.

[10:55:11]

But clearly that's not happening this time. And now SpaceX's Crew Dragon coming to the rescue, and it will be the vehicle that brings Butch and Suni

back to Earth.

But as you said, Becky, not until February of 2025.

ANDERSON: Yes, we've got 60 seconds just less. SpaceX also has a launch coming up very soon, right Kristen, and tell us about the Polaris mission.

FISHER: It's called Polaris Dawn, Becky, this is one of the most exciting missions that I've heard about in quite some time. What you're going to see

is the world's first commercial spacewalk, the first time nongovernment, non-NASA astronauts have ever stepped into the vacuum of space. They're

also testing out those right there, these brand new spacesuits.

I mean, keep in mind, NASA has been using the same spacesuits for 40 years. So, they're going to be testing out these new spacesuits. They're also

going to be going into a really dangerous part of space called the radiation belt.

So, so many firsts here and it launches, hopefully early tomorrow morning, Becky.

ANDERSON: Always good to have you. Thank you very much indeed. That is it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN, "NEWSROOM" with Rahel is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END