Return to Transcripts main page

Connect the World

Palestinians Return to Northern Gaza; Human Rights Watch Says Miscarriage Rate in Gaza Increased 300 Percent since October 7 Attack; White House Freezes All Federal Grants and Loans; Immigration and Customs Enforcement Reports 3,500+ Arrests during Trump Presidency; Thousands Flee Fighting in DRC; Trump Pauses Funding for Key HIV/AIDS Program; North Korean Soldiers Fighting for Russia Use Near-Suicidal Tactics in Battle; French AI Chatbot Spews Nonsense. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired January 28, 2025 - 10:00   ET

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


[10:00:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to our second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Eleni Giokos live in Abu Dhabi.

Human Rights Watch says Israel's war in Gaza has inflicted life-threatening danger on pregnant women and girls. We'll have details on a damning new

report.

A major shock for NGOs as the Trump White House orders federal funding to be halted immediately. We'll look at what it means for U.S. foreign aid.

Plus, thousands flee a fresh outbreak of fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo as violence flares in the city of Goma. Aid agencies say

hospitals are overwhelmed.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

GIOKOS: This hour, the United Nations Security Council is convening to discuss the situation in the Middle East, where the Israel-Hamas ceasefire

is in its second week. Council members will discuss the status of Palestinians.

Hundreds of thousands of them now finally back in northern parts of Gaza, more than 15 months after the start of the war. The excruciating wait to go

home was extended by 48 hours after Israel accused Hamas of breaching the ceasefire agreement by not releasing a specific female hostage last

weekend.

With that dispute resolved, Israel lifted its military blockade, allowing Palestinians to return en masse. Jeremy Diamond shows us a day of decidedly

mixed emotions in northern Gaza.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The masses of people trekking up Gaza's coastal road are not being forced to flee.

They're returning home.

The Palestinian people are going back to their homes, this man shouts, announcing his joy to anyone who will listen.

It's a great happiness. We feel like we can fly.

After being displaced for months on end, tens of thousands of Palestinians are finally returning to northern Gaza, shielded by the guarantees of a

six-week ceasefire.

This river of humanity flows for miles and miles, underscoring the magnitude of the last 15 months of war. For many, like Ayad al-Masri, their

journey began in southern Gaza, taking down their tents they hoped forever.

I'm taking these four bags and going back to my house, Ayad says. I don't know if it is still standing or not but I'm going back to Beit Hanoun.

People quickly crowd around the few buses heading north, babies and belongings hoisted with urgency. Others carry what they can, taking their

chances on foot. Trudging through this uneven coastal road, young and old alike are determined to push past fatigue and return home.

For the first of many, that moment came shortly after 7 am, crossing an abandoned Israeli checkpoint where masked Hamas militants now stand watch.

Israel agreed to open the road to northern Gaza only after resolving a two- day dispute with Hamas over the fate of an Israeli hostage, Arbel Yehud.

Hamas now set to release her alongside the captive Israeli soldier, Agam Berger and a third hostage on Thursday.

Back in Gaza, this is what most are returning to. Bombed out buildings and heaps of rubble now line the streets. Even amid the destruction, there is

joy as family members separated by war reunite.

Thank God, Moataz says, as he kisses his mother and embraces his daughter, he hasn't seen them in 10 months.

Amid the reunions, there are also tears. As people set foot on the land, they call home once again.

I'm crying right now out of happiness, this man says. I don't want anything except to enter my homeland.

The enormity of the destruction in Gaza prompting President Trump to call for moving Palestinians out of Gaza.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'd like Egypt to take people and I'd like Georgia to take people. I can -- you're talking about

probably a million and a million.5 people and we just clean out that whole thing.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Among those who camped out for days near the checkpoint to northern Gaza, waiting for it to open, Trump's idea is

quickly rejected.

"We say to Trump, no. And a million and one knows, we will stay here.

[10:05:00]

"We will stay in Gaza," he says, "even if it is a pile of rubble." -- Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GIOKOS: Human Rights Watch is accusing Israel of inflicting serious and sometimes life-threatening danger on pregnant and postpartum women and

girls in Gaza over more than 15 months of war.

Among the findings in its 50-page report, the group says the miscarriage rate in Gaza has increased by 300 percent since the October 7th Hamas

terror attacks that set off the war.

It says, as of this month, emergency and newborn care is available only at seven out of 18 partially functioning hospitals in Gaza and at four of the

11 field hospitals.

Belkis Wille is the associate crisis, conflict and arms director for Human Rights Watch and she's documented war violations in Gaza and Israel since

2022 and joins us now.

Welcome. Great to have you with us. And frankly, these are staggering, shocking numbers in this report. It's a 50-page report. Tell me about some

of the most important information and findings that we urgently need to know about.

BELKIS WILLE, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR FOR CRISIS, CONFLICT AND ARMS, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: So, of course, the hostilities by Israel and Gaza, as well

as Israel's blockade, have led to really a collapse of the health care system there.

And that is impacting every civilian in Gaza -- women, children and men. But that that collapse of the health care system is really having an acute

impact on pregnant women and on newborns.

And what we found in our interviews with women who have been pregnant since the hostilities began, as well as medical workers, both international and

local ones based in Gaza, is that basically there is no prenatal care for women in Gaza.

And in addition to a lack of access to medical care during their pregnancy, they're not getting nutritious and regular access to food. They do not have

clean water. And that's both to drink and also to wash themselves.

If they get an infection, that, you know, that can jeopardize not only their life but the life of their fetus. And all of these conditions

together are conditions to lead to higher rates of miscarriage, higher rates of stillbirth and also early births, which leads to low birth weight

babies.

But what we see is that at this small number of health care facilities that are providing for maternal health, they are dealing with overcrowding,

unsanitary conditions, power cuts. So they don't even have enough incubators for those low birth weight babies that are being born in this

context.

GIOKOS: Yes. I mean, it's really shocking. And as we all know, when a woman is pregnant, she's at her most vulnerable and will do anything to

protect the baby.

And shockingly, in the report, it says two Palestinian women told how their fetuses died and they were injured by explosive weapons that also killed

their partners. And these stories are absolutely harrowing.

And it speaks to some of the data that you discovered specifically on the miscarriage front, which has increased 300 percent since the war began.

WILLE: This number comes from health care workers and experts on the ground in Gaza. It's, unfortunately, a reality in armed conflict around the

world that the conditions created by armed conflict can lead to things like higher rates of miscarriage and stillbirth.

But I think we really see this so incredibly acutely in the context of Gaza because of that whole-scale collapse of the health care system, as well as

lack of access to food, lack of access to water.

And it's because of these conditions that, as you said, women who are in a particularly vulnerable situation have no way of bringing their pregnancy

to term safely.

GIOKOS: And Gaza's health ministry has reported that 56 children starved to death. Absolutely terrifying to think that eight infants and newborns

died from hypothermia. And again, it speaks to the dire situations on the ground.

WILLE: You know, newborns, of course, are particularly vulnerable. And what we heard from mothers are several things. One is women who are too

malnourished to be able to breastfeed, women who are not able to find clean water to mix with formula.

So they describe actually putting dirty water into a bottle, shaking it up with the formula powder. And it won't even mix with the water because the

water is so contaminated in those conditions.

These newborn babies are getting diarrhea, which can, you know, be fatal for them. And again, because of a lack of enough incubators, low birth

weight babies are at particular risk. And the lack of incubators is because of, you know, electricity cuts, incubators in hospitals that were

destroyed.

[10:10:05]

And I spoke to doctors who were telling me this horrifying reality, that they're putting multiple babies into one incubator that is unsanitary,

potentially killing all of them.

GIOKOS: Absolutely. And, you know, in November 2023, Egypt was able to evacuate 28 neonatal babies from Al-Shifa hospital. I was covering that

story at the time. We've got some images of that.

And again, the story of multiple babies being in one incubator. And already back then, at the start of the war, this was the reality. It's one of those

harrowing stories. And, you know, over a year later, we're sitting with the same the same reality here. So now we're in a ceasefire arrangement, an

agreement.

Is there any hope?

Is there any sign of more medical assistance coming in to alleviate the reality of pregnant women and babies and children?

WILLE: In terms of the provision of this cease-fire and the step of the cease-fire that we're at, there are no real measures in place to do what

really urgently needs to be done, which is to allow for the restoration of the health care sector in Gaza.

And that means surging in humanitarian aid and medical goods, surging in food, surging in clean water. And medical workers, you know, medical

workers from international organizations still are struggling to get visas to enter Gaza, even though the cease-fire is in place.

And it's important to point out that today is the day that two bills passed by the Knesset come into effect.

These are bills that make the functioning of UNRWA, the U.N. agency mandated to provide for the needs of people in Gaza and the largest agency

capable of doing so, these bills that come into effect today are actually rendering the operations of UNRWA illegal under Israeli law.

And given that, what we're going to see, unfortunately, is not an improvement in conditions in the context of the cease-fire but really,

catastrophic conditions for pregnant women and children.

And things are going to get worse, not better, if UNRWA is not able to provide assistance to people in Gaza right now during the ceasefire window.

GIOKOS: Belkis, thank you very much for joining us on this important story. Much appreciated for your time.

Well, in the coming hours, we're set to see a stunning move by the Trump administration, a sweeping order that puts a pause to all federal grants

and loans. That's coming at 5 pm Eastern today.

The head of a council of nonprofit groups calls this "a potential five- alarm fire."

Those groups often rely on government grants and loans to fund everything, from medical research to homeless shelters to suicide hotlines. And this

comes as dozens of senior officials at the U.S. aid agency were placed on paid leave Monday.

They're accused of trying to circumvent another of president's executive orders and this one freezing almost all of foreign aid. CNN's Alex

Marquardt joins us now from Washington with more.

Alex, good to have you on. And look, you heard about the situation in Gaza, where Human Rights Watch is saying that the situation is probably going to

get worse and not better.

USAID, you know, stopping foreign aid flow. We know there are some exemptions.

What do we know about the situation of continuing funding into Gaza?

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: It is potentially not just in Gaza but around the world, a series of decisions

that could have profound consequences on the well-being of so many people.

I think Gaza is a good example, Eleni, because all this foreign aid from the U.S., billions and billions of dollars have been frozen but with a

handful of exceptions: military aid. So weapons and other security aid for Egypt and Israel are exempt, as is critical food assistance. So obviously

that is that is good news.

So much of the aid going into Gaza is food assistance. But anything that falls outside of that, when it comes to people in Gaza or Palestinians in

the West Bank, for example, whether it's security, infrastructure, health, vaccination, so much of what you and your previous guests were just

discussing, that is currently frozen.

And that could have significant, severe consequences. The executive order that the White House just put out a couple of days ago said that so much of

the foreign aid, infrastructure and bureaucracy is not aligned with American interests.

We also heard from the new spokesperson for the State Department, Tammy Bruce, saying just a few days ago that the United States is no longer going

to blindly dole out money with no return for the American people.

So another country that did not get an exception, Ukraine, of course, they're getting all kinds of military aid but also billions in humanitarian

aid. That is critical help for their infrastructure, for electricity, for schools, on and on.

PEPFAR is a name that is known to so many in our audience. It's a highly successful program that was started under George W. Bush to help people

around the world with HIV/AIDS, saving some 25 million lives.

[10:15:08]

Assistance for the PEPFAR program has also been put on hold. And so there are real concerns. We heard that concern coming from the United Nations.

The U.N. secretary general asking for more exemptions to this sort of blanket executive order.

But certainly what we're going to see in the coming days is almost certainly a realignment, a restructuring of U.S. aid around the world --

Eleni.

GIOKOS: Yes. And it's an important point on PEPFAR. We are going to be speaking to the African CDC director general later on in the show to

discuss the impacts and why it makes sense for this funding to continue.

But I want to talk about the fact that you're reporting dozens of senior leaders at USAID being placed on leave.

What more do we know?

And does this sort of feel like it's becoming more of an indefinite move to remove foreign aid?

MARQUARDT: Well, the U.S. donates foreign aid in a number of different ways from the Defense Department, State Department but also primarily under

USAID, which is the main aid agency at the U.S. government.

And my colleague, Jennifer Hansler, and I learned yesterday afternoon that around 60 of the most senior level officials at USAID had been put on

leave. These are career officials. They are not political. They were not put in place, for example, by Joe Biden.

This is not just Donald Trump cleaning house and getting rid of Biden's people. These are career folks, who, frankly, are working to help people's

lives around the world. So around 60 of them were told to go home. They would continue getting paid. They'll continue getting their benefits but

they are not to continue working.

These are senior executive service of the most senior level in the U.S. government when it comes to USAID.

And then we got our hands on a statement or an email from the acting USAID administrator to those 60 people who were told to go home. This is from

Jason Gray.

And he writes, "We have identified several actions within USAID that appeared designed to circumvent the president's executive orders and the

mandate from the American people."

That main executive order was the one I was just talking about, which is the order to freeze all of this foreign aid for this review over the next

90 days -- Eleni.

GIOKOS: Right. Alex Marquardt, thank you so much for that reporting.

Well, Israel says eight of the hostages are set to be returned by Hamas in the first phase of the ceasefire agreement are already dead. Israeli

authorities say Hamas provided information on the status of all the hostages due for release in the coming weeks.

Hamas has not revealed how they died. Israel says the rest of the 33 hostages expected to be freed are still alive. The families of all of those

33, both dead and alive, were contacted by Israeli authorities on Sunday, according to the Hostage and Missing Families Forum.

And still to come on CNN, U.S. president Donald Trump's plan for mass deportations of unauthorized immigrants appears to be moving along swiftly.

Plus, we're closely following U.S. immigration authorities on a nationwide blitz to erase thousands of people across the country. Hear from people

with varying viewpoints on this controversial issue. We'll be back after this.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:20:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

GIOKOS: Thousands of Afghans who put themselves at risk by helping U.S. forces in Afghanistan have had critical American aid withdrawn. The Trump

administration last week ordered a freeze on foreign aid and halted flights that were bringing refugees to the U.S.

Sources tell CNN many Afghans who were granted special visas to enter the U.S., including translators who worked for the military, can no longer get

there. The freeze also has the potential to expose those still in Afghanistan to retaliation from the Taliban government.

CNN has learned that two Colombian planes carrying U.S. deportees arrived in Bogota earlier today. Now this is part of president Donald Trump's

ongoing crackdown on immigration in the U.S.

Colombia's president posted a message on X, welcoming the migrants and said, quote, "A migrant is not a criminal."

CNN contributor Stefano Pozzebon is following this story for us from Bogota.

Good to see you.

What more can you tell us about the flight and what are officials saying?

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the flights arrived earlier today. Normally these type of flights tend to travel at nighttime because

it's when they have available slots in the commercial airports where they are departing.

One flight arrived from El Paso, the other one from San Diego in Southern California. And the authorities here in Colombia are trying to send a

message of business as usual.

The fact that they are still receiving migrants deported back from the United States, in this case, they were carried, they were taken back,

traveled back to their home country on planes made -- put at disposal by Colombians themselves from Colombian planes, not chartered planes from the

United States.

But I think the feeling here is that Latin America is trying to give a message of business as usual. Just this morning, CNN has learned that there

have been more than 75 flights over the last three weeks, or at least since the year began, of deportations back to Latin America.

The majority I'm looking here are Guatemala, Honduras. Mexico; eight flights to Colombia. So I think that it's a moment where Donald Trump is,

of course, claiming a victory for what's happening here, from the fact that Colombia is receiving migrants and deporting migrants back, even after

whatever happened over the weekend.

But at the same time, Colombian officials in particular are very keen to say that everything is going as normal. And I think this difference is

important to note.

On one side, you have Trump claiming the victory and on the other, the Colombians and frankly, the rest of Latin America, who are very, very

careful to point out that there has not been an uptick in the deportation flights, at least so far -- Eleni.

GIOKOS: Stefano, thank you so much.

Well, Mr. Trump's nationwide immigration crackdown in the U.S. has resulted in more than 3,500 arrests since last Thursday, according to officials in

Immigration and Customs Enforcement. An official in Chicago says the priority is to target criminals first.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're not targeting people in schools. We're not targeting people in churches. We're targeting people who are the worst. You

know, there's a chance they're going to go to some of those places. And this administration has kind of taken some of the handcuffs off of us in a

way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: Well, while the Trump administration is promising the strongest crackdown on undocumented immigrants in the U.S., critics say so far

they're focused more on fear and propaganda. CNN's Ed Lavandera reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Trump administration is celebrating images of immigration officers fanning out

across the country, arresting undocumented migrants. The president's supporters call it a new day in controlling the U.S. southern border.

REP. TONY GONZALES (R-TX): I think what I've seen in the first week has been very positive as far as deporting people that deserve to be deported.

These convicted criminal aliens need to go home.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency or ICE says in the last five days it has arrested an average of 710 people a

day who will face deportation.

[10:25:06]

In Colorado, the Drug Enforcement Administration says nearly 50 people suspected of being undocumented gang members were taken into custody

Sunday. ICE officials say they carried out enhanced targeted operations in Chicago searching for criminal immigrants.

In Georgia, cameras recorded ICE agents arresting a Honduran man in his 50s at his home. The man's family says he is a construction worker with no

criminal record other than a ticket for driving without a license.

While the Trump administration is touting its deportation efforts, critics say not much has really changed in Trump's first week from the Biden era.

In fiscal year 2023, the Biden administration deported about 390 people a day, according to ICE data. That jumped to 743 a day in 2024.

REP. VERONICA ESCOBAR (D-TX): What the Trump administration is doing right now is performative. A form of propaganda so that he can tell his base,

look, I'm doing exactly what I told you I was going to do.

LAVANDERA: The Trump administration is also boosting the military presence along the southern border. More than 1500 troops have been brought in and

will be deployed along various points on the border.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott is also bringing in 400 additional National Guard soldiers to work alongside Border Patrol agents.

TOM HOMAN, WHITE HOUSE BORDER CZAR: They're down there to create a secure border and lock that border down. And DOD has helped administrations before

but not at this level. So it's a force multiplier and it's sending a strong signal to the world our borders are closed.

LAVANDERA: Tom Homan is the Trump administration's border czar and he's vowing more arrests to come, which is triggering a sense of fear among

immigrant communities across the country, especially among farm workers.

TERESA ROMERO, PRESIDENT, UNITED FARM WORKERS: Right now, farm workers are not even opening their doors to anybody who knock on their doors because

they are afraid that it's going to be somebody who's going to take him, who's going to separate him from the family.

So this is the worst that I personally have seen in many years.

LAVANDERA: There have been some operational changes here on the ground along the U.S. Southern border. Military aircraft are now being used to

carry out deportations, repatriating undocumented immigrants back to their home countries, as well as more cooperation, interagency cooperation in

terms of being able to arrest undocumented immigrants around the country.

So we have seen those changes. But the question is, just how long will this be sustainable? -- Ed Lavandera, CNN, El Paso, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GIOKOS: Well, still to come, longstanding tensions erupting in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Growing clashes between rebels and Congolese

troops forced thousands of civilians to flee. We'll have the very latest in a live report.

And president Trump pausing funding for a major U.S. initiative combating HIV and AIDS. The head of Africa's Centers for Disease Control is standing

by to discuss both of these stories. Stay with CNN.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:30:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

GIOKOS (voice-over): Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Eleni Giokos. You're watching CNN. These are your headlines.

Hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have returned to northern Gaza and they arrived en masse Monday after Hamas agreed to release a

female civilian hostage, who was expected to be freed last weekend, in the next hostage prisoner exchange.

Israel's military then lifted its blockade. Many are returning to their homes, destroyed and will live for now in tents or sleep on the ground.

U.S. immigration authorities say nearly 1,200 people were arrested Monday in a drive to remove undocumented immigrants. That's the most in one day

since president Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration began last week.

A source tells CNN the rebel militia, known as M23, has taken control of Goma airport in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Earlier, the Rwanda-

backed rebels claimed to have seized the city, considered a strategic hub in a region rich in minerals.

Thousands of panicked civilians are fleeing Goma, as aid agencies say hospitals are overwhelmed with hundreds of people injured in the clashes.

CNN's Salma Abdelaziz is following the latest developments for us from London.

Salma, good to see you. We're getting images from Goma, as well as what we're seeing at the airport there. We've also got images from Kinshasa.

There's a lot going on right now. In the meantime, a French intelligence source saying rebels have taken the airport in Goma.

What more do we know?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So we understand that there are still ongoing battles for control of Goma. Just a reminder that, a couple

of days ago, of course, the M23 rebels, this militia group that is accused of really terrible human rights violations -- looting, rape, killing.

That militia group had been advancing on Goma for weeks, sending hundreds of thousands of people fleeing. At least 12 peacekeepers have been killed

in the fighting. M23, again, claiming control of Goma a couple of days ago but still trying to assert with force its authority on the city of 2

million.

Now why is all of this happening?

Why has this fighting broke out?

Well, it may have something to do with your cell phone, because this part of the DRC is rich in minerals that are used to make electronic devices,

including our phones and our computers.

And M23, a group that has been vying for control of this area, has been claiming territory in the eastern part of the DRC for months now. It's

behind illegal mining again of these precious minerals. That's according to a U.N. report.

You may now ask me, well, who's behind M23?

Who funds them, gives them their arms, gives them their support?

The accusation is that it's a neighboring country, Rwanda. Now Rwanda denies this. But the U.N. report found that, just last year, Rwanda used

M23 to facilitate illegal mining that pulled tons, 150 tons, of these precious minerals from the DRC to be fraudulently sold in the world market.

Now, of course, there are calls for calm. There are appeals for calm. But already the anger is spreading. I know you have those images of the

demonstrations outside of Western embassies in the capital in Kinshasa.

There, protesters set fire to tires. There were firebombs thrown, according to officials at the French embassy. The situation has been stabilized.

But these protesters were angry at what they see as Western intervention in African affairs, as a lack of empathy for those who are suffering in this

conflict. And many believe that the West is on the side of Rwanda, the backers of M23 in this conflict.

The U.N. has been calling on M23 to pull back from Goma. There is one sliver of hope, one sign of progress, and that is that Kenya has been able

to arrange talks between Rwanda and the DRC tomorrow.

But this is a conflict that has been going for years. And for the 2 million who are trapped in Goma and the hundreds of thousands displaced, their

lives very much hang in the balance.

GIOKOS: Right. Salma Abdelaziz, thank you so much for that update.

Aid groups working in Africa are sounding the alarm. U.S. president Trump's executive order pausing most foreign aid includes a key initiative to

combat HIV and AIDS. PEPFAR, short for the President'0s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, has saved nearly 26 million lives.

[10:35:00]

It's helped more than 50 countries in preventing millions of HIV infections. amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, warns this move will

put lives at risk.

And they add, quote, "Even short cessations of these programs cause unnecessary suffering and loss to follow up and risk onward transmission

that cannot simply be turned back on when the suspension is lifted."

President Trump was asked on Sunday whether he has a timeline for restarting that crucial aid and this is what he told reporters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: But we want other people to join us because we're like a one way- street. So we want other people to help us and we want other people to join us. We're spending billions and billions and billions of dollars and other

countries that are wealthy are spending zero.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: I want to bring in Dr. Jean Kaseya, the director general at the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Kaseya, thank you so much for taking the time. And it's a critical moment. I know how PEPFAR sort of changed the fight against HIV/AIDS. From

where I come from in South Africa, it affects many African countries.

You've got the suspension of U.S. aid for 90 days. And in his executive order, president Trump claimed that U.S. foreign aid and bureaucracy isn't

aligned with American interests and American values.

Tell me why it is important for America to fund these kind of programs, specifically PEPFAR and generally anything to do with the medical industry.

DR. JEAN KASEYA, DIRECTOR GENERAL, AFRICA CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION: Thank you so much for having me, Eleni.

Let me start by saying that, in Africa, we are grateful for the support that we are getting from the U.S. government, mostly in the area that I'm

leading in the continent. Just if we need to give an idea, in 2024, we got $8 billion of support from the U.S. to African continent and 73 percent

went to the health sector.

It means today the U.S. is the main partner that we have bilaterally and also multilaterally through a number of organs and organizations. What we

see as a trend today in Africa, it's not just the pause from the U.S. government but it's also the reduction from assistance from other Western

countries.

And that one is a major threat to not only Africa but to the world. And, as Africa CDC is projecting with this trend to have around 2 million to 4

million additional deaths annually. And that one will also increase the likelihood, occurrence of pandemics. This is why we think that we need to

continue.

(CROSSTALK)

GIOKOS: So Dr. Kaseya, I want to talk about the impacts, breakouts; I want to talk about the Marburg virus. And if there isn't funding to try and

ensure that these breakouts don't spread, what that means for the rest of the world and for America in particular.

KASEYA: When I declared mpox a public health emergency of continental security in Africa in August 2024, we had only six countries. Today we have

21 countries affected. And out of $1 billion pledged by partners, including $520 million from the U.S., we only got 47 percent of this money.

Without funding, this mpox that is affecting almost around 45 percent of African countries will continue to spread. Don't forget that mpox in 2021

affected the U.S., Europe and other continents. There is a huge risk, if we don't get this funding pledged by Western countries, that mpox can even

become a next pandemic.

GIOKOS: That is an absolutely terrifying prospect. So you're saying even the freezing of these funds for 90 days could have massive global

ramifications and it needs to continue.

So what are you going to do to try and fill that vacuum that you're facing right now?

KASEYA: Well, I'm calling the U.S. to consider additional exemptions to the 90 day pause on its foreign assistance to ensure continued delivery of

critical emergency response activities.

[10:40:10]

I'm also hoping that the pause will be lifted promptly. I want to say that I'm prepared to travel to the U.S. to engage with the new administration in

discussions about enhancing collaboration in the health sector between Africa and the U.S. on our shared and mutual interests.

Because this one is what is putting us together as human beings in the same planet.

GIOKOS: So I want to talk -- I want to turn our attention to what we're seeing in the eastern DRC and the M23 rebels in Goma right now. There are

people that are -- many people that are displaced actually over many years.

It's said that over 7 million people have been displaced. You're very concerned about the health situation right now. Hospitals are overwhelmed.

What conversations are you having with policymakers to try and ensure that things don't get out of control there?

What's your biggest fear right now?

KASEYA: I know Goma. Goma is a city of 3 million people, including 1 million displaced individuals, living in an area of 75 square kilometers.

That means a population density of around 39,620 people per square kilometer.

If we need to consider Goma as a country, it will be one of the highest population density in the world. But what we saw also in Goma -- and it's

important for CNN, as people are following CNN to know that, end of 2023, a new variant of mpox called clade 1b was identified in this region.

And this variant is mostly -- the factors of this variant are mostly internal displacement due to armed conflict, overcrowded displacement camps

and increased human mobility due to insecurity.

Today, what is happening in Goma can lead for a chaotic situation that can even result to a major pandemic. Because we see this fragility of health

system in Goma, we see this humanitarian situation going on.

And I call upon all of our African leaders and our international partners to stop what is going on in Goma, because Goma is a fragile, area that can

kill all of us if we have a pandemic coming from this area.

GIOKOS: Wow. Dr. Kaseya, to end off, do you know -- you're asking the United States for an exemption.

You're saying you're willing to travel there to make your case?

It sounds like a scary prospect in terms of the things, the risks that we face.

Do you believe that you can find a way out of this?

You've said in local media in South Africa there's a win-win situation we can look at. Tell me about that.

KASEYA: I think, all of us, we have a common interest. We have a mutual interest. While Americans, they have to focus to build America, we in

Africa, we are also building Africa.

But what is putting us together is how can we not talk again about assistance but talk about programs that can support the development?

Today in Africa, we need programs that can create more jobs for our young people. That can help our young people not to migrate again to the U.S. We

need programs that can put our countries together, that can generate economic growth.

I think this is the kind of program -- and the health sector today in Africa is moving from liability to an area that is creating jobs with the

local manufacturing, like of medicines, vaccines and other diagnostics. We are talking about the market in 2030. That will be around $260 billion.

This is a big market and we need now the U.S. to start to work with us to invest in Africa and to see how we can bring the private sector together to

create this economic growth that will protect also the U.S.

Because the interest of the U.S. is to see outbreaks not spreading in the U.S., to see less migration and to see American companies coming to Africa.

[10:45:00]

GIOKOS: Dr. Kaseya, thank you very much for your time and your insights. We appreciate it. Thank you.

We're going to a very short break. We'll be right back. Stay with CNN.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

GIOKOS: Unwavering allegiance to their leader, Kim Jong-un, scores of North Korean troops have lost their lives fighting for Russia on the

battlefield. Kyiv's Special Forces say the soldiers from Pyongyang may appear to be young, trained and hardy fighters. They are not prepared for

the realities of modern combat.

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh sent us this report from the front lines in Ukraine. And we must warn you, there are graphic images throughout.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These are the first images on the ground of the capture of North Korean troops by

Ukraine. The soldier is injured, can hardly walk but they spirit him away. Russian shelling intensifies to prevent capture.

A wild prize pulled through their wires here from brutal fighting in Russia's Kursk region against a radicalized, near suicidal enemy but one

who'd never seen drones in war before. The special operations forces who fought them told us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (from captions): They are all young, fresh and hardy. But they're only prepared for the realities of an Eighties war. Despite all

attempts to call them to surrender they continue to fight.

WALSH (voice-over): There's a unique challenge here. Ukraine wants to take captives but the North Koreans seem to prefer to die. They shoot one here

in caution. In the distressing images that follow, they pull one injured Korean's leg, then realize he has a grenade he detonates under his chin.

His last words were to scream North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's name, South Korean officials say.

We meet the Ukrainians who show us the faked Russian military papers he was carrying, suggesting he was from Russia's Far East and his military radio

codes. Another paper, handwritten pledges of brainwashed courage.

These notes from a soldier killed really a snapshot of the mindset inside the Hermit Kingdom.

Declarations of loyalty, even tactics on how to fight Ukrainian drones and also the suggestion that their presence here is about helping North Korea

prepare for war. It's a remarkable insight but also a reminder of how this biggest land war in Europe since the '40s is becoming more global.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (from captions): The hammer of death to the unknown and the puppet trash is not far off. We wield the powerful force that makes

them tremble in fear. World, watch closely.

WALSH: These notes from a soldier killed, really a snapshot of the mindset inside the home, their kingdom. Their curations of loyalty, even tactics on

how to fight Ukrainian drones. And also the suggestion that their presence here is about helping North Korea prepare for war.

It's a remarkable insight but also a reminder of how this biggest land war in Europe since the '40s is becoming more global.

[10:50:05]

WALSH (voice-over): But also a glimpse of the fear they live under, how they inform on each other. Notes from an officer writing a critique of his

fellow soldiers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (from captions): He engaged in a unimaginable disgraceful act by stealing supplies. (Another soldier) failed to uphold

the Supreme Commander's dignity and placed his personal interest above all.

WALSH (voice-over): Ukrainians film themselves taking DNA samples from the dead, which they say proved these were Korean. Ukraine says up to a third

of the 12,000 here are already dead or injured and more are coming.

Amur shows us the newish AK-12 rifle and backpack Russia gave the North Koreans. They are overladen with ammo, he says but sometimes nobody armor

or warm clothes and minimal water.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (from captions): We have seen cases when fighters from North Korea ran without body armor. They often don't wear helmets which we

find strange as well. They're very maneuverable, they run and move very quickly. They're hard to catch, especially with a drone.

WALSH (voice-over): This thermal drone video shows that speed of attack. Below are seven Ukrainians in a trench facing 130 North Koreans above, who

race at them and then try to flank them. Many died here but they seem to be learning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (from captions): They have a plan of what to do if they are attacked by a drone. It's one person who takes the hit. Two or three

people stand on the side and shoot directly. It is worth noting that they shoot quite well. This suggests that they were trained ..

WALSH (voice-over): Ready to die, everybody checked for grenades. But not ready for this modern warfare. On a training mission, many won't survive,

for a future war not even glimpsed yet -- Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Sumy, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

GIOKOS: Welcome back.

Now I want to check in to see how Wall Street is faring in early trading today, after the big selloff that we saw specifically in the tech stock

industry yesterday after the news of DeepSeek. We've got the Dow up 0.4 percent, Nasdaq looking much better, up 1 percent today and S&P 500 0.5

percent higher.

We're starting to see a little bit of a rebound after that big knock yesterday. Let's check in on those tech stocks, specifically Nvidia, that

dropped around 17 percent yesterday, now on the rise but only just yesterday. In fact it was down almost $600 billion in market

capitalization.

A really big knock, DeepSeek rattling global markets. It was a big story when American chipmaker, Nvidia, as you can see, coming under pressure. Now

it is up around 1 percent. Alphabet up 1.5 percent. You've got Microsoft as well as Meta platforms also in the green.

DeepSeek's new AI model shaking stocks on Monday because it claims to be a cheaper, more efficient version of ChatGPT.

Right. Not all AI startups are as successful as DeepSeek. A French language artificial intelligence chatbot named Lucie has been taken offline after

giving crazy answers to some basic questions.

[10:55:02]

Lucie said there is such a thing as cow's eggs.

Quote, "Edible eggs produced by cows are healthy and nutritious food," and there's no such thing.

Lucie incorrectly said this was the answer to a mathematical equation. And she said it was 17. But actually it's 25.

And the chatbot said, quote, "The square root of goat is one."

That sounds about right.

Yes?

Well, Lucie's developers say it remains an academic research project in its early stages and it was released prematurely. And, of course, whoever uses

it, I'm sure got a really good laugh out of the answers.

We're getting ready for this year's Super Bowl. The Empire State Building was lit up in green and white in honor of the Philadelphia Eagles, much to

the chagrin of New York Giants and Jets fans, whose teams failed to even make the playoffs.

Later, the colors were switched to red, honoring the Kansas City Chiefs and their latest championship. The Eagles and Chiefs will face off in Super

Bowl LIX in New Orleans on February 9th.

Well, that is it for CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Eleni Giokos in Abu Dhabi. Stay with CNN. "NEWSROOM" is up next.

END