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CNN International: Children Sleep on the Streets of Beirut as War Arrives; U.S. Plans to Reinforce Air Defense in Middle East; Trump Says One "Rough Nasty Day" of Policing will End Crime; Officials: 41,615 People Killed in Gaza Since War Began; Israel Keeps Striking Gaza Even as its Focus Shifts to Lebanon. Aired 9-9:45a ET
Aired September 30, 2024 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Well, this is the scene in Beirut after another night of air strikes on the city. Israeli strikes hit
within Beirut city limits for the first time since this current campaign began. The bombardment of the Lebanese capital continuing in the wake of
Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah's assassination. it's 04:00 p.m. there.
It's also 04:00 p.m. here in Tel Aviv, in Israel. I'm Becky Anderson, you're watching "Connect the World". Also coming up over the next two hours
on this show, the U.S. prepares to send military reinforcements to this region, as regional players await a possible Iranian response.
States across the U.S. dealing with the impact of Hurricane Helene President Biden expected to speak next hour. Well, we start with chaotic
scenes just hours ago on the streets of Beirut. Israel striking within the Lebanese capital city limits on Monday morning for the first time since the
Israel-Hamas war broke out nearly a year ago.
It comes as Israel says it's also striking Hezbollah strongholds in eastern and southern Lebanon. Meantime, Lebanon's Health Ministry says attacks on
Sunday alone killed more than 100 people and wounded more than 350 others. All this as Israel signals again to a potential ground invasion and
Hezbollah vows to fight on.
Well, CNN's Jomana Karadsheh has been in Beirut in the past few days, witnessing firsthand as attacks in the city have increased, both in number
and in intensity. And she joins me now, Jomana, what further detail do you have on today's strikes and the wider impact on the Lebanese population
since this current campaign began.
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Becky, for the past week or so, the Israeli strikes have been mostly focused on Southern
Lebanon and the Eastern Bekaa region, but we've seen that expand into the southern suburbs of Beirut, where the Israeli military says it is going
after Hezbollah targets.
As we saw, that's where it killed the Leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, and other top commanders. It says it's also going after their
weapons storage facilities. But again, Becky, as with every war, it is the civilians in places like the southern suburbs of Beirut, one of the most
densely populated, or was one of the most densely populated parts of the country, who are the ones who bear the brunt of war.
And when the Israeli military began those intense strikes on Friday night, we went out to the streets, and we saw that mass exodus of the residents of
the southern suburbs. People were out on the streets, women carrying their little children, people carrying whatever they could grab as they tried to
run and search for safety.
And we went back out on the streets of Beirut, Becky, days later, and what we saw is that so many people are still out on the streets with nowhere to
go.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARADSHEH (voice-over): War has arrived to Beirut, and this is what it's done to so many of its children, exhausted and homeless. They now sleep on
the streets and parks like this one, most here fled the densely populated southern suburbs where Israel's rained down bombs on Hezbollah targets.
But like every war, it is the innocent who paid the heaviest price. Abeer's home was hit in one of the strikes. She grabbed her little girl and ran and
they've been out here since.
ABEER, DISPLACED IN LEBANON: I've never fled my home before, not even in the 2006 war.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): The single mother says, but now I have a child. The children are terrified. Far from the air strikes, eight-year-old Batul (ph)
tells us she's very scared. The roof was falling on us, she says. Every time my mom would tell me they're not going to strike, they would. I wish
the war would stop.
Batul (ph) plays with new friends she's made, children trying to escape a new reality. They're too young to understand.
[09:05:00]
But beneath their playful giggles, trauma and fear so deep, 10-year-old Fatima (ph) can't hold back her tears. The whole country is being
destroyed, she says, born in Syria, she fled war a baby Beirut's the only home she's ever known. My dad was killed in Syria, she says, I only have my
mom.
I'm scared my mother and siblings will also get killed. Syrians, Lebanese and migrant workers all found themselves with nowhere to turn, but this
park. Schools now house the displaced, but there are too many in search of shelter, and this all happened so fast, a million people, the government
estimates, have been displaced in a matter of days.
We found many Lebanese families like this one camped out on the side of the road for five days, they say there was no room for them at government
shelters, their disabled young girl sleeps in the car. The rest have mattresses outside, no toilets or showers here, they've heard their home is
still standing, the women tell us, but their neighborhood is devastated.
Our area has been emptied out -- says there is no one left. In the heart of the capital in Marchers Square the remnants of crises passed with a poster
that reads, Beirut never dies, and here many more with no roofs over their heads. For how long? No one really knows, but they fear this may only just
be the start of a long war on -- fled barefoot.
It was real horror, she says, air strikes were all around us. People were collapsing and fainting. She only grabbed her medication and these tissue
packs her livelihood. She sells them for about 50 cents on those he escaped Syria, her home, there is gone. Wherever we go, she says, death follows us.
It's all just too much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KARADSHEH (on camera): And Becky, more than a million people is what the Lebanese government saying have been displaced, and we're talking about
this crisis unfolding in a matter of days. This is the biggest internal displacement crisis, Lebanon has ever had to deal with, according to its
prime minister.
And this is a government with not much resources, and it wasn't prepared for something like this. I mean, and just to put this into context, I was
speaking with a government minister a few days ago, and he said, in the month long 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, they had about 600 to 800,000 people
displaced and now you have about a million within a matter of days.
They are trying their best, trying to find accommodation, trying to provide facilities for those who have been displaced. But the sheer number of
people who have been forced out of their homes in such a short period of time has really left them struggling to deal with that.
And the fear is that they are going to be looking at more people being forced out of their homes, because if you look at the developments of the
last 24 hours, with that airstrike taking place for the first time since the war began in Beirut city limits. It was a targeted strike.
It was limited, but it really sent shock waves and fear in this city for the residents of Beirut who feel that for the first time, this has gone
beyond the southern suburbs, and they've heard the warnings in recent days from the Israeli military, not only addressing the people of the south of
the country, southern suburbs and the east, where these Israeli strikes have been really focused.
It was addressed to the people of Lebanon, telling them that they need to stay away from Hezbollah facilities. And that's, of course, pretty much
impossible when people don't actually know where these facilities are. But that warning and seeing that strike has made many people in this country
feel that the situation could change fast, that this war is expanding. And many feel that this may only just be the beginning, Becky.
ANDERSON: Jomana Karadsheh is in Beirut. Well, U.S. President Joe Biden says he will speak with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu soon.
Mr. Biden says a wider war must be avoided, and the U.S., he says, is taking precautions. The Pentagon says it plans to reinforce its air support
capabilities in the Middle East.
White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby says they are watching for any possible response from Hezbollah and Iran.
[09:10:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KIRBY, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER: The rhetoric certainly suggests they're going to try to do something. I mean,
just coming out of Tehran, but we don't really know. We're watching this very, very closely to see how -- if and how Hezbollah and or Iran may react
as well as the militia groups in Iraq and Syria.
We have to be prepared for some sort of response. We have to make sure that we are ready and we are. We believe we have the force capability we need in
the region.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Natasha Bertrand is at the Pentagon. And Natasha, while Israel is reporting counterattacks from Hezbollah. It is not clear at this
stage whether or not Iran will respond. They have certainly condemned the assassination of the Hezbollah Leader, there are threats, but as yet, no
response to this current Israeli campaign. What steps is the U.S. taking to try and prevent this war from expanding?
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, and recall, Iran never responded either for the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the
senior Hamas official in Tehran, just a few months ago. And so, the idea that Iran is going to retaliate for the killing of Nasrallah last week.
It is, of course, concerning to U.S. officials, but they still don't know whether they are going to conduct such an attack, or when, or what it would
even look like, but just in case, they are preparing for all possible contingencies. That is why the Pentagon has further reinforced its
positions in the Middle East, particularly when it comes to air capabilities.
Now, in a statement last night, the Pentagon said that they are going to be bolstering their air support capabilities in the region. Essentially, what
that means is that they're going to be sending additional fighter aircraft to the Middle East. There are already squadrons of F-15s, F-16s, F-22s,
18s. So much air power in the region --
ANDERSON: Natasha, I'm going to just break in, because Secretary of State, Antony Blinken is speaking in Washington. Let's just listen in.
ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: -- Lebanon, civilians in Syria and many others as well. During his leadership of Hezbollah, the group
terrorized people across the region and prevented Lebanon from fully moving forward as a country. Lebanon, the region, the world are safer without him.
The United States will continue to work with our partners in the region and around the world, to advance a diplomatic resolution that provides real
security to Israel, to Lebanon, and allows citizens on both sides of the border to return to their homes.
We likewise, will continue working to secure a ceasefire deal in Gaza that brings the hostages home, eases the suffering of people in Gaza preserves
the possibility of a more lasting, secure peace for the entire region, diplomacy remains the best and only path to achieving greater stability in
the Middle East.
The United States remains committed to urgently driving these efforts forward. Now, turning to the subject of this ministerial, 10 years ago, the
United States mobilized a global coalition to confront ISIS, or Daesh, a nihilistic terror group that, over the course of a few months, had occupied
territory comprising a third of both Iraq and Syria, which it used to conduct a horrific campaign of violence and brutality.
Over the following decade, this coalition grew from 12 to 87 countries, and together, we've made significant progress. In 2017 --
ANDERSON: Secretary of State, Antony Blinken speaking at a ministerial in Washington there. He said, we will continue to work with partners around
the region to secure -- help secure the people of the region from action, from any malign, non-state actors. And we will continue, he said, to push
for a cease fire.
Natasha, apologies for breaking in on you. You were talking about what the U.S. bolstering its air capabilities in this region of the Middle East
looks like? Continue.
BERTRAND: Yeah, there's so much air power that the Pentagon has in the region right now, because that, of course, is going to be key if Iran does
start lobbing missiles and drones at Israel in retaliation for Nasrallah's death. Of course, we saw that kind of response from the U.S. and its allies
back in April, when Iran launched missiles at Israe then.
And so, the U.S. now is also preparing to lessen essentially, the time it takes for U.S. troops to deploy to the region. So, what does that mean?
That basically means that their readiness, if they're, for example, you know, been forced to be ready within 72 hours to deploy to the Middle East.
Now they have to be ready within 24 hours or less, just in case something happens and the conflict escalates really sharply at a moment's notice. So,
all of this is really aimed at just getting enough firepower, enough manpower in the region ready and positioned in case Iran does decide to
respond and this conflict escalates even further.
[09:15:00]
Of course, it remains to be seen whether Israel is actually going to conduct a ground invasion into Southern Lebanon, and that, of course, could
also really lead to things escalating even further, Becky.
ANDERSON: Natasha Bertrand is at the Pentagon in Washington. Thank you. Well, still to come here on CNN, more on what is going on around this
region. Plus, the U.S. southeast, still reeling from Hurricane Helene days after it swept through the region. We'll look at the ongoing rescue and
recovery efforts underway right now. Donald Trump rams up personal attacks against Vice President Kamala Harris as he prepares to visit storm ravaged
Georgia. More on that just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, you're looking at emergency teams in Nepal rescuing people stranded in areas affected by devastating floods and landslides. Days of
torrential monsoon rain caused major rivers to swell far above danger levels, cutting off highways and bringing down power lines.
Nearly 200 people have been killed so far, with hundreds of homes destroyed. In the United States, President Joe Biden will address the
nation next hour about the federal government's response to Hurricane Helene and efforts to get critical resources to where they are needed most
as millions try to recover from that storm.
He is also expected to visit communities later this week, ravaged by Helene. More than 100 people were killed across six states after high
winds, torrential rain and flash flooding triggered by the hurricane ripped through the Southeastern U.S. last week, while we wait for Mr. Biden to
speak.
CNN's Jacqueline Howard joins us with a look at the mounting health concerns facing people impacted by this storm. Jacqueline, it's good to
have you. What more can you tell us about the public health risks in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene?
JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Yeah. Becky, well, we're hearing that health officials are very concerned about the aftermath of this storm,
especially when it comes to the public health risks that come with this flood water. This is flood water that is, we know, often contaminated with
bacteria, harmful bacteria, with chemicals, with a sharp objects, glass and metal can be found in the flood water, and that's why there is a risk.
If people encounter this floodwater, they could be at risk of bacterial infections, of wound infections, if they have an open wound, they could be
at risk of tetanus. They could be at risk of skin rashes, gastrointestinal illnesses. These are all the risks that come with floodwater, like what
we're seeing in the southeast region of the U.S., particularly in North Carolina at this time.
[09:20:00]
And Becky, we do know that some people, if they must encounter this flood water, because they're part of rescue efforts or they're a part of cleanup
efforts, then it is recommended for them to wear rubber boots, particularly high boots that are snake proof, because we know snakes and other wildlife
are in the floodwater.
They should wear rubber gloves. They should wear goggles. They should also be mindful of with floodwater like this, we tend to see swarms of
mosquitoes, and so there is the public health risk of mosquito borne, in fact, mosquito borne infections and diseases. So, it's also important to
wear repellent when you're around the floodwater as well.
So, these are just some of the tips and advice that we're hearing from public health officials, as we see many residents impacted by this severe
flooding in this region at this time, Becky.
ANDERSON: Good to have you. Jacqueline, thank you. Well, Donald Trump heads to Georgia later today for a damage assessment from the storm there. The
former president will also tour storm damage and help distribute relief supplies in Valdosta, not far from the Florida border.
The campaign rally in Pennsylvania on the weekend, Trump ramped up personal attacks against Vice President Kamala Harris.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Crooked Joe Biden became mentally impaired said, but lying Kamala Harris,
honestly, I believe she was born that way. There's something wrong with Kamala.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: CNN's Alayna Treene joining us from Washington. Alayna, you've been covering the campaign Trump's campaign for months now. These latest
comments, how do they fit into the kind of wider narrative here?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, if Donald Trump is someone who often, Becky, talks like this. He is very much someone who likes to paint a dark
picture of America at these different rallies. And that's exactly what he did, not just yesterday in Erie, but also when he was in Wisconsin --
events on Saturday, he really leaned in to this dark rhetoric, as well as escalated his personal attacks on Kamala Harris, as you just heard.
And I do think it's actually very notable, because these are the exact type of remarks and comments that Donald Trump's campaign, as well as several
Republican allies are telling Donald Trump to stop, particularly as we are so close to Election Day. Now, with just a few weeks to go until November
5th.
They are saying you should be focusing on the issues, not on these types of attacks. We heard that from Senator Lindsey Graham, a close friend and ally
of Donald Trump's yesterday, he said that he does not think Kamala Harris is crazy, but that perhaps maybe some of her policies are.
We heard Tom Emmer, the House Majority Whip who is helping Donald Trump's running mate, J. D. Vance, prepare for the vice-presidential debate
tomorrow. He said that this is not the path forward that Donald Trump should be talking about the issues. These are all comments we have heard
from Republicans and even Donald Trump's own advisers for several weeks now, if not months now, telling him to move away from this language.
But I will say I've asked Donald Trump about this directly. And he told me once that, you know, he believes he is entitled to personal attacks. And
this is also the type of language his base in particular, does expect and one from him in some cases. But I do think it is also notable the timing of
these remarks.
It came just a couple days after Kamala Harris had visited the southern border, she had called to crack down on asylum laws to beef up security at
the border, and that's really something I know from my conversations with Trump's team that Trump has been fixated on.
He's brought it up multiple times, even before she went, because in some ways, he believes that she was fighting on turf that he owns, and it's his
own turf. And so, I think that's where some of this language was coming from. And Becky, I do also just want to point out something else he brought
up during that rally in Erie, Pennsylvania yesterday.
Donald Trump, when he was addressing shoplifting across the United States, made a very jarring comment as a solution for what he thinks would be the
right move, he called for an hour of violence. He almost suggested really, that he thinks police brutality might be the answer to that. And I do want
to be clear that we've actually seen several videos of mobs, ransacking stores, shoplifting, et cetera.
But we know that that that type of crime has actually not gone up in a meaningful way under the Biden Administration. So, I keep that in mind as
well. But I think the bottom line here is that Donald Trump does believe that immigration, the border, those are two issues that he's polling better
on and that he thinks are some of his best issues as he looks ahead to Election Day.
[09:25:00]
But they're also the issues where you hear him use that dark type of language to really argue that America is in a very dark place right now,
but at the same time it comes as many people who are rooting for him to win are saying you need to knock it off. You need to stop with the personal
attacks, and you need to start talking about your own policies, not tearing down Kamala Harris, Becky.
ANDERSON: Alayna Treene in Washington, thank you. Well, still ahead this hour, as Israel continues its campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon,
relentless suffering in Gaza, almost a year after this war began. We will return to the regional crisis that we've been covering here on CNN, after
this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Tel Aviv for you. You are watching, "Connect the World". Let's get you updated on our top story.
Sources telling CNN that Israeli Special Forces have carried out raids inside Lebanon in recent days. This comes amid mounting concerns that
Israel is preparing a ground invasion into Lebanon as Israel widens its attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon and other Iran backed militant groups.
Gaza's Health Ministry says Israeli attacks have killed more than 41,600 people since this war began almost a year ago. In recent days, Israel
appears to have reduced the intensity of its ground offensive in Gaza, but has kept hammering the Enclave with airstrikes. CNN's Paula Hancocks has
the details and a warning. Her report does contain graphic images.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Another week of help in Gaza, a mother and her four children were killed when their home in -- was
hit by an Israeli air strike. Their uncle said it happened at 03:00 a.m. they were killed while they slept. Another strike at a school sheltering
displaced in Nuseirat camp killed a couple and their five-year-old child.
[09:30:00]
Israel said it was a precise strike targeting Hamas operatives. A man staying nearby says, these are the remains of the missile. They were
innocent and displaced sleeping in this little room. The next day, a drone strike in -- killed two children and 20-year-old twin men. Their father
says they were sitting by the front door looking at their phones. They were born together and killed together, he says.
Children playing in the street were rushed into hospital. We have asked the IDF what the target of this strike was. One little boy is treated on the
hospital floor next to the body of a deceased man. No dignity allowed in life or death for the residents of Gaza. Dozens lost their lives last week,
while thousands of miles away at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, world leader after world leader called for the war in Gaza to end.
A U.S. led proposal for a 21-day ceasefire on the Israel-Lebanon border is also intended to jolt a Gaza ceasefire if it happens, but it's a big if.
Families of hostages still held in Gaza worry the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah is overshadowing their cause. Residents of Gaza fear they are
being forgotten by a world that has failed to end their suffering. This man says, when the war on Beirut happened, we lost all hope.
There is no focus on Gaza. It's barely mentioned. This woman adds, Lebanon is full of our brothers and sisters. We stand in solidarity with them, but
at the same time, we do not want the world to forget us. This man says, I don't think Gaza is forgotten because of the war in Lebanon, because the
two are connected.
Hopefully they will be resolved together. Since Hezbollah pagers started exploding in Lebanon, two weeks ago, more than 360 Palestinians have been
killed in Gaza, according to the Ministry of Health. No breakdown of militants versus civilians, but hospitals filled with women and children
tell its own story. Israel's shift in focus to its northern border feels no different on the ground in Gaza. Paula Hancocks, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: For more on the situation in Gaza, we're joined by UNICEF Spokesperson, James Elder. James, good to have you. You are in Gaza, and
you have been warning of the normalization of suffering four children in Gaza since this war broke out just after October the seventh. Can you
describe what you are witnessing nearly a year on?
JAMES ELDER, UNICEF SPOKESPERSON: Yeah, look, Becky, in a way we did, a place where suffering stretches beyond the limits of what we thought was
possible. You look at an average now, every single day for the course of this war, a war on children. Again, UNICEF doesn't say that for a headline,
Becky.
We say that because of the completely disproportionate impact this has had on child casualties versus all the other wars where UNICEF is on the front
lines. So, 30 or 40 children killed every single day. Now you've got the vast majority of 2 million people crammed into around 10 percent of the
Gaza Strip.
So, all the things we warned about, all the things the bombardments from the sky, the denials, the restrictions, the delays are put upon aid means
we've got disease on the ground and the hospitals, as you rightly show, I still walk in hospitals. I've been to that hospital of those four girls
were killed.
I'm still walking across hospital floors with children with amputations in a place where there is no chance for prosthetics. I sat with a little boy,
Becky, who is six years old and had fourth degree burns. I didn't know there was such a thing as fourth degree burns and he has no skin, left skin
graft.
There are so many children here whilst we need aid to come in, so many children who need medivacs to get out. Neither of these things are
happening at a scale that needs to for children here in Gaza.
ANDERSON: How concerned are you about the opening of this new front in Lebanon? You've talked for months about how stretched your organization and
others are. How would you deal with this regional escalation that we are seeing?
ELDER: Yeah, for an organization like UNICEF, many of our UN partners, I mean, you prepare for these things, you have a sense of where things may
literally blow up again. So, you know, we have the biggest humanitarian supply hub in the world, Becky. So, we preposition whether it's water,
whether it's medicines, you know, whether it's even education, getting children into some form school.
But everyone is stretched, not least of all the civilians here. Now, obviously it's impossible to disentangle these two crises, what's happening
in Lebanon and what's been happening here for a year.
[09:35:00]
But I think one thing should be so very clear to people that you know a ceasefire in Gaza is going to de-escalate things across the region. And
during that polio campaign, a polio campaign which was a success, but was born through the devastation of a primary health care system, we saw those
pauses.
We saw what can happen when the fighting party stop, when the bombardments stop, we need to see more of that. Unfortunately, we do seem, as I speak,
to gardens on the ground a long, long way away from that. So, aid agencies are stretched. Aid agencies are working very dangerous places, but this is
the frontline work you meant to do. But no one is more exhausted. No one is feeling the fatigue more than Gazans after almost a year of this.
ANDERSON: And as we saw in Paula's report, many fear that a wider regional conflict could overshadow what is the desperate situation in Gaza. I mean,
appeals for an immediate ceasefire have been largely ignored. What will it take for those in power to listen at this point?
ELDER: It's a very good question. I'm constantly struck, and I'm constantly, I am in a privileged position that I speak to a lot of
Palestinians here. They are very, very generous and gracious with their time. And one thing I try to explain to them is just how much voice there
is around the world from everyday people for peace here, for the suffering to end, the absolute clarity that the killing of so many children in Gaza
cannot possibly bring peace to the Middle East.
It does seem, though, that this could, this message is not heard by that leadership. I mean, we've seen, when you see a major hostage release that
happened during a humanitarian pause in November. We haven't got close to that since then. So, if we want those things for civilians, aid to flow,
children to stop being bombed in their beds.
Those Israeli hostages who I cannot imagine the torment for their families in Israel over here, to go home, all these things speak to a ceasefire, and
it's very clear who has control over that it's not the civilians here.
ANDERSON: Yeah.
ELDER: But those people with that control are not using it for the benefits of their own people.
ANDERSON: James Elder is on the ground in Gaza. James, thank you. "Connect the World", more after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Quantum Computers might one day transform everything from the fight against climate change to how we cure diseases, but this tech could
also destroy online privacy, as part of our ongoing series "Decoded". Anna Stewart with this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: Oh, here we go. These my weapons of destruction, quite like the sledgehammer. Not going to lie.
[09:40:00]
Let's get the wrench. Yeah, OK, ready now. So, I've heard quantum could break the internet. So, I thought I'd have a go at breaking it myself.
STEWART (voice-over): For all of quantum's promising applications, these computers also possess a dark side. Some call it Q-Day, the day when
quantum computers essentially break the internet by cracking every password that secures information online. Today, most digital data is secured using
something called an RSA algorithm, which relies on factoring enormous numbers.
Experts say it would take hundreds to trillions of years for classical computers to crack these codes. A quantum computer with enough perfectly
stable qubits could reduce this time to hours or days. Luckily, quantum computers would need millions of unstable qubits to pull this off, but if
they do everything from personal finances to national security, could be at risk.
PETER SHOR, PROFESSOR OF APPLIED MATHEMATICS, MIT: If the computers that you build are quantum, then spies of all factions will want them. Our codes
will all fail, and they'll read our email till we've crypto this quantum and Dalton.
STEWART: Loved it, very good.
STEWART (voice-over): Peter Shor isn't just a poet.
SHOR: -- going to start from cluster the c zero to the end here.
STEWART (voice-over): He's also a renowned mathematician who devised a quantum algorithm that could make Q-Day a reality.
SHOR: So, this is again, action in a quantum circuit has back action. What's likely to happen is that the first person to have a quantum computer
will either be IBM, who is not going to go around breaking other people's code, or it might be the U.S. government or the Chinese government.
And they're not going to go around stealing money from banks, I don't think. Although they'll definitely steal state secrets from other
countries. I don't think the average person has to worry about it, although the spy agencies definitely do.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, that is it for this hour of "Connect the World". Although be back with more news at the top of the hour, "World Sport" up next for
you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:45:00]
(WORLD SPORT)
END
