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Connect the World
SpaceX Crew Completes First Ever Commercial Spacewalk; Biden Pressured to East Ukraine Strike Restrictions; Gaza Health Officials' Death Toll Tops 41,000; 2024 Presidential Candidates Hit Campaign Trail; Georgia Women Voters React to Harris-Trump Debate; Francine Hits Southern Louisiana; Typhoon Yagi Kills Nearly 200 in Vietnam; Call to Earth: Eels in the Classroom; Saudi Hosting Inaugural Olympic Esports Games. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired September 12, 2024 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Welcome to our second hour of the show. It's 6:00 pm in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON (voice-over): One small float for SpaceX, one giant leap toward the democratization of space exploration. We will explain what all was
going on, what was tested and what was discovered during today's spacewalk.
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ANDERSON (voice-over): Then the latest strike on a school in Gaza is straining relations between Israel and the United Nations even further.
UNRWA says more staffers died in this than in any other single incident in this war.
And Democratic U.S. lawmakers are putting their finger on the scale in favor of Ukraine, saying Ukrainians should be able to hit inside Russia
with U.S.-made weapons.
But what difference will it make?
And up later --
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- those rings and the pride that you get for being a part of those rings and those medals and bring that to esports because
these young men and women put in the time and the effort that these other athletes do. And they deserve an opportunity to win a medal like other
athletes do in other sports.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: The first-ever esports Olympics next year in Saudi Arabia. My conversation with Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan about how the kingdom
is cashing in on the multibillion dollar business.
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ANDERSON: Well, from here, looks like a perfect world. Powerful words from billionaire CEO Jared Isaacman, the first private citizen ever to perform a
spacewalk, describing his view from 700 kilometers above the Earth.
Isaacman, who helped finance the groundbreaking SpaceX mission, and a second crew member, Sarah Gillis, exited their Crew Dragon spacecraft for
about 20 minutes earlier today.
Two other crew members stayed inside, though they were exposed to the vacuum of space the entire time since the capsule does not have an airlock.
Well, this historic spacewalk was meant to test the capabilities of SpaceX's newly designed spacesuits. CNN's space and defense correspondent
Kristin Fisher covering the very latest for us on what was this groundbreaking mission.
And we have seen spacewalks in the past, financed by governments. NASA has been doing them for decades.
Why is this one so important?
KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE & DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: Because it's the first one that's ever been conducted by private, nonprofessional astronauts
outside of a spacecraft designed by a private company and also wearing brand-new spacesuits that were also designed and manufactured by a private
company.
As you said, Becky, this is all part of a movement that's been happening for a few decades now, the privatization of space flight and then
ultimately the democratization of spaceflight so that spaceflight is no longer something that is just the privy of an elite few government
astronauts or an elite few powerful nations.
You know, when you're, when you're making history, Becky, you want to have some words to meet the moment, right?
I mean, Neil Armstrong had, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
But what did Jared Isaacman decide to say when he became one of the very first people, first commercial spacewalkers in history?
Here's what he said.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
JARED ISAACMAN, SPACEX ASTRONAUT: Back at home, we all have a lot of work to do. But from here it sure looks like a perfect world.
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FISHER: So that was the line that he clearly, I mean, you know, he had to think about that ahead of time.
And in my opinion, I think he really delivered there. And, Jared, the commander of the mission, also the person who financed the mission, one of
two spacewalkers there, Becky. The other one was Sarah Gillis. She is a SpaceX employee.
She became, along with her fellow Polaris Dawn crew member, Anna Menon, the first SpaceX employees to ever fly in space on a spacecraft, SpaceX
vehicle. And the reason Sarah Gillis flying in space is so important, Becky, is because she is SpaceX's lead astronaut trainer.
So she trains all of the NASA astronauts, all of the private astronauts that fly on a SpaceX Crew Dragon. And so the commander, Jared Isaacman,
said, as he was picking this crew, it makes perfect sense.
Like of all the people, the person who trains the astronauts should have that firsthand experience of flying in space. And so that's what she did
there. Becky.
ANDERSON: It is remarkable stuff and I can't get enough of these images.
What's next for the crew?
FISHER: So the riskiest parts of the mission are over. They traveled farther from space, farther into space than any humans since the Apollo
program, going through the radiation belt. They did this spacewalk.
Now they're going to be continuing to conduct these scientific and research experiments. They have about 40 to do over the course of this mission.
They're also going to be testing out some space-to-space Starlink communication using lasers in space, a new way for the Starlink internet
terminals to communicate in orbit.
And then they also have a surprise, Becky, that they're not ready to make public but I have a hint about what it may be. And if it is what I think it
is, it's going to be pretty cool. And then they'll land at some point over the weekend -- excuse me, splash down somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean.
Becky.
ANDERSON: Well, you've teased us. We will stand by for more. Always good to have you. Thank you very much.
Well, pressure building on U.S. President Joe Biden to lift restrictions on Western supplied weapons in Ukraine. He's also facing calls from both
Republican and Democratic lawmakers in the States to give Ukraine the green light to use long-range weapons to hit targets deep inside Russia.
They say the current limits put Ukraine at a disadvantage. U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken discussed the issue with Ukraine's president and
Britain's foreign secretary during a meeting in Kyiv on Wednesday.
Speaking in Poland, today, Thursday, Blinken said, the battlefield has changed.
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ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: As to what Russia is doing has changed as the battlefield has changed, we've adapted. And as you've seen
through the provision of some of the most sophisticated weapons systems we've had through the extraordinary provision of military assistance.
Overall, more than $100 billion from the United States. The sharing of intelligence and many other things at every step along the way as
necessary. We've adapted and we've adjusted.
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ANDERSON: CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Ukraine's capital, Kyiv.
In the U.S., Biden's own party starting to call for change. Democratic Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Ben Cardin released a statement
saying, and I quote him here.
"The time has come to ease restrictions on Ukraine's use of U.S.-provided weapons. greater flexibility to target Russian military assets will degrade
Moscow's ability to harm the Ukrainian people."
Is this a forgone conclusion that Ukraine will get the green light?
What's the perspective there at this point?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I don't think it's a foregone conclusion just yet, Becky, that the Biden
administration is going to lift these restrictions.
Because of course, for the past couple of months, the Biden administration has been called upon by the Ukrainians, by some European allies and also
now by a lot of folks inside the United States on both sides of the political aisle to ease those restrictions. And so far that has not
happened.
Last night, Secretary of State Blinken was on the ground here, together with a new British foreign secretary. And they met with the new foreign
minister of Ukraine.
And there were a lot of people who were expecting that, during that visit, possibly Secretary of State Blinken would give the Ukrainians the go-ahead
to use those weapons with fewer restrictions to strike deeper into Russian territory.
Of course he also met with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine as well.
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And so the Ukrainians thought this was going to happen already. But so far, it hasn't.
And one of the things, of course, they're hoping for is that, in the next couple of days, when Secretary of State Blinken returns back to the United
States, as he said, and he talks all of this over, together with President Biden, that then the restrictions will be lifted for the Ukrainians. They
say it's absolutely imperative.
And one of the reasons for that is one thing that Secretary of State Blinken said in the sound bite we just heard and that's that the
battlefield's changed. It changed quite a while ago.
The Russians are now able to use their air force much more effectively than they have in the past, with some of those aerial glide bombs that can fly
much further than before. And the Ukrainians need to try to find ways to mitigate that.
One of them is longer distance air defense systems. But the other one, Becky, is trying to strike Russian airfields and other assets controlling
those aircraft deeper inside Russian territory. The Ukrainians have been calling for that for a very long time. Becky.
ANDERSON: I have to ask, why does this even matter?
Even if Ukraine hits farther into Russia, Russia still controls huge swaths of Eastern Ukraine and keeps hitting the country. And these are significant
strikes.
What's Ukraine's long game here?
Hmm. We lost comms with -- communication with Fred there. So I will save that question and put it to him for you next time we speak.
Well, the U.N. Secretary General is condemning an attack on one of the U.N. agency schools in Gaza that officials say caused the largest single death
toll of U.N. staff during the Israel-Hamas war.
In a single incident, six UNRWA workers were among 18 people killed when Israel's military hit a now closed School on Wednesday. The IDF says Hamas
terrorists were operating inside the school compound in the Nuseirat camp. It's been targeted repeatedly during the war.
Nic Robertson is back with us this hour from Tel Aviv.
Clearly extreme frustration and concern at the U.N.
What's being said?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Concern so the fifth time that particular school has been hit and those six UNRWA workers bringing
the total now close to 220 UNRWA workers, official, official U.N. employees.
Whose jobs it is to either teach or distribute aid or otherwise help the citizens of Gaza, 220 now killed in Israeli airstrikes since October 7 last
year.
The U.N. of course, is at various levels outraged and that's being framed in diplomatic terms. The U.N. Secretary General has tweeted that these
violations of international law must stop.
Philip Lazzarini, the head of UNWRA for Gaza and the surrounding area, has said very clearly as well that, if there is a continuation of these blatant
and unabated strikes on U.N. premises and workers. If they can -- if they are allowed to continue, they will essentially erode the Geneva Conventions
and the international rules of law.
It is very, very strong language coming from the U.N. There is frustration and desperation coming from those residents in Gaza, who use these schools
and these premises.
And there were 12,000 of these people inside the school when it was hit. Frustration for their part about where they can go to be safe. This is what
they're saying.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Most people sought refuge in schools but the schools were bombed and the majority of the martyrs were
children and women.
Where can the people go?
They fled to the Mawasi area, which was also bombed, and then to the schools, which were targeted as well.
What are we supposed to do?
Where can we go?
Where's the Arab and Islamic world?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): There is no safe place in Gaza.
And what have the children, the elderly and the women done to deserve being turned into casualties and martyrs?
There's nowhere safe for people to seek refuge.
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ROBERTSON: And these are sentiments, again, echoed by the U.N.
The U.N. Special Rapporteur on this says that 70 percent -- that's seven out of every 10 U.N. UNRWA schools inside of Gaza -- have been struck by
Israeli airstrikes or other munitions since October the 7th.
And as we've seen in the case of this school, now struck five times.
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Because the IDF say Hamas is using it as command and control.
ANDERSON: Nic Robertson on the ground in Israel.
Thank you.
Still to come, one wants to capitalize, the other needs to rebound. How Harris and Trump campaigns are moving on from Tuesday's big presidential
debate and what they suggest they will do next. That's coming up.
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ANDERSON: Well, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump returned to the campaign trail today, Harris is expected to hold two rallies in North Carolina as
part of her new, and I quote, "aggressive" effort to target voters in key battleground states.
That's a term describing her campaign, by her campaign herself. Her campaign will also launched several ads highlighting her top moments from
Tuesday's debate.
Meantime Trump campaign sources say the former president plans to ramp up his schedule in the weeks leading up to November's election. There'll be an
Arizona later today for a rally. CNN Politics senior reporter Stephen Collinson back with us today.
Good to have you, sir. On the potential for Trump agreeing to a second debate, because that is out there, you say, one, on the one hand, he may
have little incentive to show up again, given that he was widely seen to have suffered a drubbing on Tuesday.
But if the polls show him trailing in the run-up to the election, there might be a rationale for a do-over. You go on to say that the Harris camp
has a similar conundrum. Just explain and tell us.
Should we expect a second debate or not?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think it depends on what happens in the next few weeks and what the polls tell us about the
last debate from Trump's point of view, he was embarrassed by Kamala Harris in that debate.
It seems unlikely to me that he'd want to put himself through that again, unless he is more prepared and able to put up a far better performance.
On the other hand, does he want that to be the last sight that many voters have of him before they go to the polls?
So there would be pressure for Trump to try and do a do-over and do a far better job of prosecuting the case against Kamala Harris.
From the Harris campaign, I think one school of thought would be, well, why would she give Trump the chance to make a comeback, to create a narrative
that, OK, the first debate wasn't very good but now Trump is back?
So there's a possibility they wouldn't want to let him into the race again.
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But if we get to, say, the end of October and the polls are very close still, they might see this as a way to perhaps try and close Trump out and
get a boost just before voting starts. So I think a lot of it depends on the calculations of each campaign about where they feel they stand and if
they need to do another debate.
ANDERSON: That comes down to whether they genuinely believe there has been an impact from this, from this first face-to-face, of course, because it's
much debate about just how much impact these debates really have on the voting public.
This, one has dominated the headlines, hasn't it, about who won and why?
But anyway, let's see, let's see where we get in the weeks to come. Let's talk about the fallout of the other big news, which is Taylor Swift's
endorsement of Harris. This happened literally in the moments after the debate ended on Tuesday. Here's how Trump and Vance react.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
TRUMP: I was not a Taylor Swift fan. It was just a question of time. She's a very liberal person. She seems to always endorse a Democrat.
VANCE: We admire Taylor Swift's music but I don't think most Americans really like her music or fans of hers or not are going to be influenced by
a billionaire celebrity, who I think is fundamentally disconnected from the interests and problems of most Americans.
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ANDERSON: Well, there is an argument. You can argue whether that's effective, that a celebrity endorsement doesn't mean much, even the
endorsement of somebody as big as Taylor Swift.
What's your sense?
COLLINSON: Yes, I'm generally pretty skeptical that you get anything more than really a good news cycle out of a celebrity endorsement in a campaign.
It's about who the candidate is.
Having said that, Taylor Swift has some quite unique power economically and culturally. You've seen how she's created revenues, for example, for the
NFL since she started showing up to games to watch her boyfriend, Travis Kelce.
She has put fractions of a percent of growth on the GDP of certain countries when she goes to do a concert.
I think -- will she be an active participant in this campaign?
Is she going to do more to get young voters to register and vote for Harris?
I think that is the question that the Democrats have been falling back a bit on their registration among younger voters. Those voters are very
difficult to get to the polls. If they could somehow accelerate that, it could have a tangible impact.
College students could be very important in places like Wisconsin where a race could be decided by 10,000 votes. On that issue, I think also
Democrats are really worried that there could be a resurgence of those campus protests by pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
So the college issue this year is actually a very interesting one to watch, not just with regard to Swift but also those campus protests.
ANDERSON: You make a very good point. Always a pleasure, sir. Thank you.
Stephen Collinson in the House.
Well, they are a demographic group that could make or break the outcome of this U.S. election: female voters. CNN spoke to a group of women in the
crucial battleground state of Georgia to get their reaction to the debate on Tuesday and who they thought came out on top. This is fascinating. Randi
Kaye has more.
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RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Macon, Georgia, we watched the presidential debate with these five women. All of them were undecided
months ago when we first started visiting with them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Seeing this debate, I immediately noticed how much older than her he is.
EMILY AMOS, UNDECIDED GEORGIA VOTER: He was not ready for her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think that he just did not expect her to come as hard as she did. I think that he underestimated her and then showed up.
KAYE HLAVATY, GEORGIA VOTER: I didn't think she was going to be the person that went in for the jugular.
AMOS: I think that she came prepared for a tussle and he met his match.
KAY BELIVEAU, GEORGIA VOTER: He could have done a better job. He really could have. So I was a little disappointed in him.
KAYE: What did you make of her right off the top, walking over to his podium, putting out her hand, introducing herself as Kamala Harris?
BELIVEAU: I just think she was making a statement. I'm here. I'm in charge.
KAYE: How many of you think Donald Trump won the debate?
Raise your hand.
I believe, hands down, it was Kamala.
HLAVATY: I think that Donald Trump came to say what he wanted to say. Kamala was very rehearsed.
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AMOS: You are not going to bully a prosecutor, period.
KAYE: What did you make of when she said that Trump was fired by -- this was another moment -- Trump was fired by 81 million people and he's clearly
having a hard time processing that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think that absolutely rattled him.
KAYE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It knocked him off of whatever high horse he was on at that moment.
KAYE: How many of you believe Donald Trump looked more presidential tonight than Kamala Harris?
Raise your hand.
How many of you believe Kamala Harris looked more presidential tonight?
I saw you were about to raise your hand.
BELIVEAU: I was halfway up for Kamala Harris.
AMOS: don't put it up.
BELIVEAU: It was painful. It's painful to raise my hand thinking, yes, she looked a little a little more presidential but I still, I'm sorry. All in
all, I don't believe what she says. I think she says what she thinks people want to hear.
KAYE: How do you think Trump did in answering the question about calling out Kamala Harris for her race?
His response was, I don't really care about her race.
AMOS: By him simply saying that, I don't care, I don't care, that let's me know you actually do care because you would have never brought it up. It
would have never even slipped out of your mouth if it wasn't an issue.
KAYE: Did anybody hear a solid plan on anything from Donald Trump tonight?
HLAVATY: Absolutely not.
BRITNEY DANIELS, GEORGIA VOTER: I did not.
BELIVEAU: He could have been more to the point telling us more about what the plans are, what does he plan to do?
DANIELS: We're suffering from the economy, the most, the middle class, lower class people. And Trump did not state that at all, as he really
didn't mention anything about his policies. He avoided all of those questions about just straight policy.
KAYE: You were still undecided after the last meeting as a group. You were wanting to hear more from Kamala Harris. Did you hear enough at this debate
to decide?
AMOS: Not 100 percent decide. And I'm feeling really, really promising in her direction. I wasn't quite sure what Kamala Harris was about, what her
policies were, what she stood for. And tonight, she answered a lot of those questions for me and I want to hear more.
KAYE: More like how she's going to get it done?
AMOS: Right, exactly, yes. Specifically, obviously, about the small businesses. I want to hear how it's going to get done because I do
understand when money gets moved around, the money has to come from somewhere. Where are you going to pull that money from?
KAYE: Where do you stand after the debate?
HLAVATY: I truly believe Kamala Harris is a great spokesman and she will represent our country well. Will she lead our country well?
I still think Trump has the experience to go forward and be the leader instead of the spokesman.
KAYE: And just to sum up for you, because you were considering Kamala last time we spoke, what was it about this debate that made you say, I'm going
to go back to Trump?
HLAVATY: Where has she been the last three.5 years?
And why can we expect something different now?
KAYE: Kamala Harris' team is already asking for another debate. If you were Donald Trump, would you debate her again?
DANIELS: Oh, I don't know.
BELIVEAU: Yes, he needs to. He should.
AMOS: But he probably won't.
KAYE: And why do you think he needs to?
BELIVEAU: To answer questions. We really didn't get a lot of answers tonight. We need to know more, some solid information.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Some really interesting reflections there. Randi Kaye reporting for you.
Well, ahead on this show with me, Becky Anderson, Hurricane Francine has weakened since it made landfall. But its rains and its winds have caused
flooding and other damage in Louisiana. We'll get a live report for you on the ground. That is coming up. Do stay with us.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And now we're receiving some of the worst conditions that (INAUDIBLE).
ANDERSON (voice-over): Since making landfall on Wednesday, Tropical Storm Francine has left hundreds of thousands without power in southern
Louisiana. Areas of the state, as you can see here, have been hit with flash flooding. The storm is weakened since it made landfall on Wednesday.
When it did, it was a category two hurricane.
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ANDERSON: Meantime, nearly 200 people have died in Vietnam after Typhoon Yagi hit the country. The death toll spiked on Tuesday after a flash flood
swept away the entire village of Lang Nu in the north.
[10:35:04]
Rescue missions are ongoing as an estimated 128 people are still missing. Many buildings and homes have also been swept away. Take a listen to this
one resident.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): This is the worst flood that's happened in 40 years. My house is first floor, it's completely under the
water. Now we have no fresh water and electricity. It is very difficult to travel around and the price for everything is also going up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Yagi made landfall on Saturday and is the strongest typhoon to hit the country in decades.
More extreme weather back in the States. Three wildfires in Southern California burned dozens of homes in towns and cities east of Los angeles.
The Bridge fire as it's known in San Bernardino County, is now the largest in the state. Thousands there were forced to flee. Let's get you to CNN's
Stephanie Elam. She is in Wrightwood, California.
And what are the challenges that firefighters there and indeed residents are facing?
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, when you look at these three blazes, one is burning east of Los Angeles, one is burning southeast
and one is burning to the south.
So they're out and about. But overall they burned over 100,000 acres of land in a very quick amount of time. And so that is really taxing
resources. Normally what they would do is assign one helicopter, one fixed wing aircraft to a blaze.
They can't do that. They're flying them around these different fires because there's just not enough to go around to drop fire retardant, to
drop water. And just to show you how quickly things have moved, this fire started on Sunday afternoon where I'm standing here in the San Gabriel
Mountains.
This fire started, it was about 4,000 acres; within a 24 hour period it exploded to 30,000 acres. And right now, they're saying that it's burned
through close to 50,000 acres. I talked to one fire official, who told me this area where I'm standing now, as you can see, there's no more
vegetation here right now.
He says, this was basically an inferno. Everything was here was here was on fire, even the power lines, the poles that hold them up are also burned
through. This is what's making it so challenging as you're seeing that the wind is still blowing here. And that is also very dangerous when you we're
battling wildfires, Becky.
ANDERSON: Thank you, Stephanie, stay safe.
Going to take a very short break, back after this.
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ANDERSON: Britain has a history with eels that stretches back to the 11th century.
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But overfishing and barriers in the waters have seen the number of these slippery fish returning to British rivers fall by 95 percent. This week on
our series, "Call to Earth," we call on a school in Somerset at the forefront of a grassroots movement to protect the eels' future. Have a look
at this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Can you see all where the orange and the yellow is, is where there's eels. So there's lots and lots and lots of eels
a few hundred years ago. And then this is a picture of today. And the blue means that there's no eels.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some of them are dying easily.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why might they have died?
Go on.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think because people keep put in like these barriers in the water and then they even can't get to where they want to
go.
ANDREW KERR, CHAIRMAN, SUSTAINABLE EEL GROUP (voice-over): In the story of Britain, William Conqueror in 1086 started to collect taxes in eels. How
significant it was. Everybody was eating it. Eel was so close to humankind.
And really we've gradually lost that relationship, where all this sort of engineering has strangled the life out of eel, not just in Britain, across
the whole of Europe and North Africa. And now it's critically endangered.
RUPERT FOOTE, YEAR 3, ST. BENEDICT'S JUNIOR SCHOOL: That like barriers that the eels can't get further. They can't get to eat their food and stuff
so they can't grow and then they could die.
COLLINS DIAZ, YEAR 3, ST. BENEDICT'S JUNIOR SCHOOL: There's not that many of them left and they're close to been extinct.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where we live in Somerset, that used to basically be a bog. But humans have done something very clever, which is to help us to
live on it by draining it. But if you're a tiny, little, baby eel, you need to swim past all of these barriers. But lots of eels can't get over these
barriers in the water.
So that is why we have got them in your classroom.
FOOTE: All pass plenty L words and we think feeding them to keep them healthy (ph).
At the start, they kept hiding in the filter machine and under the pots and in the pots so we couldn't really see them. And over time, they started
adapting to the tank. And we like to see them and they like to see us, too.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Young people have a really beautiful or a natural wonder for the world.
HANNAH STRODE, PROJECT COORDINATOR: The children might never have encountered an eel before, unlike some other sort of more charismatic, big
species that you see a lot of. I think there's something really special about them having that actual, personal interaction with the eels. It's all
part of a bigger restocking project.
You've been amazing, your parents, and I really appreciate you looking after them for a little while.
DIAZ: They're going to go back to the river itself. (INAUDIBLE) one of the barriers, so they can get to where they want to be.
KERR (voice-over): The eels are a key component in that fresh water. Everything eats eel. It's the basis of the food chain.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can see this one's heart beating. Hopefully, I'm inspiring some children to be conservationists in the future.
Wouldn't that be amazing?
They can then go on and spread the word and we can really get a community movement going on.
Well, it's time for these guys to go back into the river. I think if you want to engage a community, a really good place to start is with the young
people.
KERR (voice-over): We've already started to turn the corner and we're making a difference. So eel is a story of hope. If enough of us want to
make a difference, we can band together and make positive change happen.
DIAZ: Now that I know more about European eels, I actually really want to help them.
FOOTE: If I see other eels getting stuck by barriers, I will go help them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: I'm not sure that eels have ever had such fans.
Isn't that wonderful?
Let us know what you are doing to answer the call with the #CalltoEarth. We will be right back.
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ANDERSON: Just in to CNN, a magnitude 4.7 earthquake has been detected in Southern California.
It is centered just north of Malibu in Ventura County, more on that as we get it.
Well, the global gaming industry is forecast to generate more than $200 billion by 2026. There are an estimated 3 billion gamers around the world,
with the Middle East and North Africa one of the fastest growing regions.
Qiddiya is a planned entertainment tourism giga project being constructed near Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. And amongst other things, it will be a new hub
for esports and gaming. Just one example of the kingdom's plan to take a large slice of the industry.
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ANDERSON (voice-over): This is the closing ceremony of the first esports World Cup, the latest in Saudi Arabia's growing portfolio of high profile
sporting events attracted over 1,500 of the world's best gamers and featured a prize pot of $60 million.
Esports has emerged as central to Saudi Vision 2030, the kingdom's program to diversify its economy and modernize its society. And the kingdom next
year hosts the inaugural Olympic esports games. And this man is charged with delivering on the ambition, Prince Faisal bin Bandar Bin Sultan.
ANDERSON: As you reflect on the World Cup and this summer in Saudi, what were the biggest --
ANDERSON (voice-over): I spoke with the chairman of the Saudi Esports Federation to find out more about his plans for the sport, starting with
those Olympics next year.
PRINCE FAISAL BIN BANDAR BIN SULTAN AL SAUD, SAUDI FEDERATION FOR ELECTRONIC AND INTELLECTUAL SPORTS: This 12 year partnership agreement to
really get this off the ground.
And that partnership really entails using our expertise and our know-how from what we've done in our investments with ESP -- EFG sports basic group,
with ESB out of China and a number of other investments.
Our experience and our knowledge, what we've done with the gamers aid and esports World Cup, our experience and our knowledge, what we did with
Gamers Without Borders, a charity event that we did a few years ago and I hope to restart very soon and really take that to the Olympic Games and the
Olympic movement.
And how can we bring those rings and the pride that you get for being a part of those rings and those medals and bring that to esports?
Because these young men and women put in the time and the effort that these other athletes due and they deserve an opportunity to win a medal like
other athletes do in other sports.
There's a lot of details about that that are still being worked out. But the one thing I can say with certainty is we are going to be doing three
kind of events.
One is going to be simulation sports and that's based on traditional sports. That's your cycling, your rowing, things that are physical in
relation to a traditional sport and led by their international federations.
You're going to have simulation sports and those are games based on traditional sports. So things like EAFC, NBA, 2K and things like that. And
you're going to have your esports.
ANDERSON: Let's talk about the competitive video gaming component of these forthcoming Olympics.
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What's complicating the picture for the IOC are the themes of violence that run through many video games -- titles such Counter Strike or Call of Duty
for example, which are which are really popular.
How is that marriage going to work?
PRINCE FAISAL: If you look at some traditional sports at the surface level, they are clearly violent. If you look at boxing, if you look at any
martial arts, look at the history behind shooting or archery or javelin, there is violence there.
But when you peel that layer back and take that superficial layer away and actually look at the skill, the mental prowess behind it, you look at the
fact that they're spending hours and hours training, coming up with strategies.
The fact that when especially on a keyboard and mouse, you're talking about 400 to 500 actions per minute with 98 percent accuracy. You're talking
about some of these players doing this for hours on end and these tournaments playing back-to-back matches.
It is a strategy behind it. It is an art behind it. And to be able to showcase that at an Olympic level is something I'm incredibly proud to be a
part of.
ANDERSON: The World Cup recently in Saudi came at what has been, let's be quite clear about this, quite a difficult period for an industry which has
seen large scale layoffs at the start of the year, game developer right games (ph).
They let go of more than 10 percent. I think it was 11 percent of its workforce, for example. Esports leagues are struggling to make money, very
specifically in the United States, for example, while sponsors have slashed their advertising budgets.
How concerned are you?
PRINCE FAISAL: There's been a lot of talk about an esports winter. But from our point of view and a lot of the work that we've done, I think it's
rather a short-term winter. It's an industry that right now, a global gaming industry that is bigger than film, TV and music combined.
There was a huge rise, almost 75 percent rise in viewership and participation during COVID for obvious reasons. There was a bit of a
decline afterwards, which I would call a normalization rather than really a decline except for in two areas, Latin America and Mina (ph) saw an
increase.
And that's really what we saw here. I mean, you have a country in salary where 60 percent to 70 percent of our population consider themselves
gamers. What we saw from the community growth during COVID that led to the creation of the national strategy for gaming and esports here, to really
create a growth plan for the future.
We're not naive enough to think we're going to be the only global hub. But we are staking our claim to be one of those places like South Korea, like
China, like the U.S., Canada, where, when you think about gaming and esports, Saudi is becoming one of those places you start to think about.
ANDERSON: And the ambition for this comprehensive gaming industry announced that the a billion dollars investment strategy predicting some
39,000 jobs related to gaming as you've laid out, it's ambitious.
Is it though, given what you just said about the esports winter, is this realistic?
PRINCE FAISAL: Right now, everything is moving on track. Don't get me wrong. There's still plenty to do. People always ask me, why, why do you
have such a big focus on esports and not the greater industry?
And what I would say to that is the esports for us is a gateway to a greater industry. We have an opportunity in esports to take a leadership
role.
ANDERSON (voice-over): I put it to Prince Faisal that, in this esport leadership role, to which the kingdom aspires, an issue to be addressed is
inclusivity. Nearly half of Saudi gamers are women. Yet there'll be more than 1,500 competitors at this summer's World Cup, only 72 were women.
And in the wider competitive global gaming industry, some reports suggest threats and abuse are common in what is a male dominated arena.
ANDERSON: How do you improve the inclusivity of women?
PRINCE FAISAL: In the global community, it's roughly 5 percent, maybe 5 percent to 7 percent of the global esports community that is that is women
players. In Saudi we're doing a little bit better. We are somewhere between 18 percent to 20 percent female participation in our local Saudi elites.
And as professional players in Saudi. And one of the things that we've been striving to do here in Saudi but also as a global community that we need to
do better is give more of a platform to our young our young women to really showcase their skills.
In our Saudi elites, we have a women's and men's tournament for almost every game that we have here. Prize pools are equal and participation in
the women's league is growing. We have over 150 pro esports women in our local leagues now and almost 10,000 in our Academy League that are
graduating to become professionals next year.
The talent is out there. What they need is a platform and a limelight, a spotlight on them, to be able to showcase, one, the scale that they have.
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And to be the heroes of the next-generation.
ANDERSON: What needs to be done to make women feel safer?
PRINCE FAISAL: What I tend to find on the global stage, there are a small community of what you would call trolls. And they're there, all over the
world. And they are very vocal. But educating people on how to deal with them, how to make sure that you're not letting them take the lead.
One of the things I love about a lot of what you do in qualifying is online. It's behind the screen. And that is that, your first introduction
to someone is by their skill level, not their gender, not their religion, not their history, none of that.
And you get a chance to really stake your claim based on your skill level alone. And giving our young women a chance to really stake their claim in
an industry and showcase the skill that they have, that is the fastest way I think to gain that respect.
ANDERSON: And as Saudi takes a real leadership role in esports, what can you do to welcome gamers from all communities; including, for example, the
LGBTQ+ community, to make them feel welcome, both online and in country, as you host more tournaments going forward?
And indeed, of course, the Olympics.
PRINCE FAISAL: Again, this is something that's very important to me.
This is a community, a global gaming community that is an inclusive community. And we are an additive part of the global community. Our
tournaments, everything that we've done has been open for anyone who qualifies and anyone who would like to come and visit.
And in fact, if you look at the history of our events that we've done over the last 5-6-7 years, as we've started to open up in sports in general,
whether it's been boxing, football, soccer and many other events, including esports, we have shown a willingness to allow people to come in.
I think is a testament to the effort that we've put into opening up our country, opening it up for people to come visit of every class and every
background.
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ANDERSON: Prince Faisal speaking to me about what is a huge, multi-billion dollar industry with CONNECT THE WORLD.
Stay with CNN. "NEWSROOM" is up next.
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