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U.S. and Russia Hold Ukraine Talks in Saudi Arabia; Russia Attacks Ukraine with Drones ahead of Riyadh Talks; Delta Jet Flips after Landing; Israel to Begin Phase II of Gaza Ceasefire Deal; Student Protesters Face Consequences Despite Backlash; Call to Earth: Hammerhead Sharks; Manage Your Fear of Flying. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired February 18, 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]
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ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): And welcome to what is a very busy news wheel and the second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson in
Abu Dhabi where the time is 7:00 in the evening. It is 6:00 in Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia playing a central role in facilitating talks on ending the war in Ukraine. President Trump's secretary of state, says the U.S. and Russia
have already agreed on four key principles. But so far Ukraine hasn't been asked to join in. We will bring you the view from Russia and Ukraine.
Dramatic pictures from Toronto this hour, where a plane crashed and flipped over, injuring over a dozen people. Survivors say the accident left them,
quote, "hanging like bats."
And today is the deadline agreed by Israel for its troops to withdraw from Lebanon. But now the IDF saying it will keep some forces there, prompting
an angry response from the Lebanese as well.
The U.S. and Russia have wrapped up their first face to face talks in nearly three years. The meeting in Saudi Arabia included U.S. secretary of
state Marco Rubio and the Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, alongside both countries' delegations following the talks.
Sergey Lavrov said the meeting had been useful and that he told U.S. diplomats in Riyadh that, if Ukraine joined NATO, it would pose a direct
threat to Russian interests and sovereignty.
Well, the U.S. delegation spoke with CNN's Jennifer Hansler right after these critical talks, which apparently lasted for some 4.5 hours. She asked
whether the Saudis would be taking a more active role in mediation. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL WALTZ, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: I just wanted to also take a moment, I think, on behalf of all of us and the president, to thank our
partners in Saudi Arabia, to thank our hosts for bringing this together and particularly the crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman and his team.
We are moving quickly, which means they moved very quickly to be such gracious hosts and we certainly are all appreciative.
MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Absolutely.
(CROSSTALK)
JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER: -- a last question, will the Saudis take on a more active mediation role as these talks go forward?
RUBIO: Well, that's a decision for the kingdom to make but I can tell you that the kingdom of Saudi Arabia is playing an indispensable role in making
today possible, not just hosting us but bringing the parties together to have these conversations.
I think it's something we're very grateful for, something we're very grateful for the partnership that we have with them on a host of issues and
this being one of them where we thank them for doing it.
And we hope they -- that they will -- I think they've offered and I believe that they will continue to be helpful in any way they can.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: I want to stay on this and also look more closely at the role Saudi Arabia is playing in all of this, not only as host but as mediator.
Ali Shihabi is an author and analyst on Saudi issues and he joins me now live.
You just heard Mike Waltz and Marco Rubio shower the kingdom with praise as part of their updates on today's talks. Ali, let me start with this very
specific question.
What do you make of all that has unfolded in Riyadh today?
ALI SHIHABI, SAUDI ARABIA POLICY ANALYST: Well, good afternoon, Becky, thank you for having me.
Look, this is a result of Saudi policy of multi-polarity really.
Over the last five, six, seven years. Saudi Arabia has made it a point to not only maintain excellent ties with the U.S. but maintain excellent ties
with Russia and China. And in this case, also the crown prince maintains an excellent personal relationship with Mr. Putin and Mr. Trump.
So I think that is what allowed Saudi Arabia or encouraged both parties to ask Saudi Arabia to host this event.
ANDERSON: What do you see as the kingdom's opportunity to leverage these key, mediation roles?
And I say roles.
[10:05:00]
Because there has been an offer to mediate between the U.S. and Iran and, indeed, the kingdom is heavily involved in what happens next in Gaza.
SHIHABI: Well, on the issue of the Middle East, the kingdom, you know, is very eager to play a role in mediating between the U.S. and Iran because
ultimately it wants peace and quiet in the Gulf and would rather avoid some sort of military conflict breaking out, on the issue of Gaza.
Again, it's a top priority for the kingdom to find a solution to this crisis. So I think all this mediation enhances Saudi soft power and stature
globally and regionally and is being put to good use, really.
ANDERSON: And you make a very good point. It enhances the kingdom's soft power.
What is in this for the kingdom?
This is no small effort on the Mohammed bin Salman's part.
What does he want out of the U.S.?
SHIHABI: Well, I mean, it drives home a point to the Americans who had previously criticized Saudi Arabia for maintaining its ties with Russia and
China. It drives home -- and Saudi Arabia at that time said that, actually, it -- those ties would be of value in the future to the United States. And
they have turned out to be of value.
So I think the whole policy of Saudi multipolarity has proven to be valuable to America and has proven the point of Saudi Arabia's strategy to
maintain good ties with all these key global players at the same time.
ANDERSON: Let's take a step back again and think about what we got today. Kirill Dmitriev is a close advisor to Russian president Vladimir Putin, the
head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund and now a key negotiator. Here is what he told CNN's Matthew Chance after today's talks in Riyadh.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: So you described these talks as positive.
In what way were they positive?
KIRILL DMITRIEV, ADVISOR TO RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN; HEAD OF RUSSIA'S SOVEREIGN WEALTH FUND: I think, again, in the previous
administration, there was so much damage done to any communication, any dialogue, any understanding of each other.
(CROSSTALK)
DMITRIEV: -- Biden administration. So I think we're starting from a very low base and we have lots of road ahead of us. But I think the conversation
was a dialogue, trying to understand each other's position, respectful dialogue.
And that already is a huge accomplishment. No ultimatums, really understanding each other's position. So still a long road ahead, difficult
road ahead. But definitely Russia and U.S., two very important countries in the world, have started talking together in a positive, professional
manner.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: CNN's Fred Pleitgen has been following all of this from Moscow.
Tell us more about the Russian perspective on what came out of these talks, Fred.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the Russians certainly are saying that they believe that these talks were
extremely constructive and certainly very helpful for them.
We've had several of the Russian negotiators now speaking very publicly about this. We just heard Kirill Dmitriev there. We also had Yuri Ushakov,
who, of course, is a senior aide to Russian president Vladimir Putin, who came out immediately after the talks happened and said that the talks went
very well.
He believed that they went not badly. The Russians, though, are saying that a lot of topics were discussed, very serious topics, they say, were
discussed. They are not sure whether or not headway was made on any of these topics.
But they do believe that it was important to speak about these topics. Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, he came out after the talks
and he said that it was very important for the two sides to lay everything out there, the issues that they have with one another and speak very openly
about it. Let's listen to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): I think that the meeting was very useful. We didn't just listen to each other. We heard
each other. And I think the American side certainly started to understand our side of the argument, which has been many times expounded by President
Putin.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: That's Sergey Lavrov there, saying he believes that the American side is starting to understand the Russian side. That's, of course,
something that the Russians have been saying for quite a while now, that they don't believe that they are being understood by the U.S., by the
international community.
And then, of course, there are the topics that were at hand, the really important ones. And there it still does appear to be the case that the
U.S., the Trump administration, still sees ending the war in Ukraine as the main thing that they want to achieve; where the Russians really seem to be
after a broader new relations with the United States.
Sergey Lavrov also speaking about economic conditions improving between the two countries, sanctions relief, of course.
[10:10:00]
One of the things that Lavrov did again, say, though, that he believes that, if NATO membership for Ukraine were in any way, shape or form on the
table, that that would be very difficult for the Russians. He said that that would be a direct threat, as he put it, to Russia's sovereignty.
Of course, one of the red lines for the Russians -- and then, of course, both sides acknowledge and the Russians acknowledge as well that any talks
going forward are going to be very difficult, because, of course, the sides are so far apart.
Speaking of Ukraine and the Russians, as far as the territory in Ukraine that the Russians hold and, of course, also the territory, Becky, that the
Ukrainians hold on the Russian side of the border.
Nevertheless, speaking to Russian officials here in Moscow and also listening to the ones that were at that meeting today, they certainly come
back with a positive vibe and they believe that a lot is possible between Moscow and the new Trump administration. Becky.
ANDERSON: Fred, this meeting between the U.S. and Washington in Riyadh is being described by some Kremlin critics and by critics of Donald Trump as a
PR coup for Putin.
Is that how it will be seen in Moscow?
PLEITGEN: No. Absolutely not. I don't think it's being seen like that at all. I think that there's a lot of optimism -- and not just speaking of
politicians here in Moscow, political Moscow, or economists, like, for instance, we heard there from Kirill Dmitriev, speaking to Matthew Chance
before.
But you do get a positive vibe here among many Russians that they hope that there could be a new footing for relations between Russia and the United
States. Of course, all of this, they believe, is viewed very positively here in Russia.
But at the same time, they do also hope that all this could lead to sanctions relief in the future, because, while, you know, we've been
talking about how the economy of this country has been very resilient in the face of sanctions.
When you speak to people here on the ground, many of them will tell you that they do believe that the conflict in Ukraine needs to end as fast as
possible, that there need to be talks to end them and that also sanctions certainly are having an effect on the economy here as well.
One of the things that we've been speaking about so much on this show, for instance, is the inflation in Russia, which certainly has been a very big
problem. So the Russians are hoping that all of this could really lead to a change in U.S.-Russian relations.
At the same time, of course, one of the things that Marco Rubio, for instance, said after that meeting today is he said, look, a precondition
the U.S. believes for all of this is a lasting peace agreement about Ukraine.
And that is certainly something where the Russians acknowledge. And the U.S. certainly acknowledges that that is going to be a very, very difficult
thing to negotiate. Becky.
ANDERSON: Fred Pleitgen is in Moscow. Thank you.
Let's get you back to the Saudi author and analyst, good friend of this show, Ali Shihabi.
Ali, you've just heard Fred in Moscow there. Look, Saudi Arabia has maintained a relationship with Russia during the conflict in Ukraine.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman resisting Western pressure as many others did, to alienate Moscow over the past three years.
And, of course, Russia, you know, a key member of OPEC+, the oil grouping led by Saudi Arabia.
Has Russia found an ally in the kingdom here?
SHIHABI: I mean, an ally is a big word. Saudi Arabia has very good ties with Russia, has very good communications with Russia, cooperates closely
with Russia in OPEC+, as you said.
But Saudi Arabia maintains very close ties to America and maintains good ties with China also. So you know, Saudi Arabia has tried to avoid getting
boxed into a certain camp and has tried to make a point that multilateralism is in the interests not only of the kingdom but of its
friends, also in America.
ANDERSON: Noticeably, of course, these peace talks did not include Ukraine. President Zelenskyy was actually here in Abu Dhabi yesterday.
And Ukraine, during that trip here, signing what is known as a CEPA, which very similar to a free trade agreement, with Ukraine between the UAE and
Ukraine, looking toward economic opportunities and investment going forward.
He was certainly scheduled to be in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia later this week for separate talks with Saudi officials.
How will he be received?
Just describe what you believe the sort of strategy will be for those talks between Ukraine and Saudi Arabia and what you believe Ukraine might expect
from that meeting, if indeed it happens this week.
SHIHABI: Well, he would have been received very well by Saudi Arabia.
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And Saudi Arabia maintains close ties with him and with Ukraine and has helped Ukraine out, financially during this crisis, that Ukraine has been
going through.
But he has just canceled his visit to Saudi Arabia. So I guess that's not an issue that the kingdom is going to be dealing with. He just announced in
Turkiye that he was canceling his visit to Saudi Arabia, saying that he didn't want to be seen as participating in the negotiations.
ANDERSON: And how will that be received in the kingdom, just out of interest, do you think?
SHIHABI: No. I mean, they understand in the kingdom that that this is --
ANDERSON: Disappointment?
SHIHABI: -- (AUDIO GAP).
Sorry?
I said they understand --
ANDERSON: I jumped in; I wondered whether that would be seen as disappointing, yes.
SHIHABI: No, I mean, the kingdom understands that this is a sensitive and difficult time for Mr. Zelenskyy. And, you know, he has to tread a fine
line. Ultimately, it's maybe a bit awkward for him to have the superpowers meet without Ukraine.
But at the same time, I think president Trump has changed the paradigm a bit and opened up a direct line with the Russians, which may yield some
very positive benefits for everybody really.
ANDERSON: Ali, it's so good to have you. This will not be the last time that we speak, I hope, in the days and weeks ahead. We've been discussing
the, you know, critical position that the kingdom is taking in mediation efforts.
Of course, it is not the first time that the kingdom has mediated efforts between countries on issues and conflicts roiling over the last couple of
years. But it's certainly the most recent and very visible effort.
And we've talked about the fact that there has been an offer to mediate between Iran, Iran and the U.S., of course, the kingdom again; you know,
there has been a rapprochement between Tehran and Riyadh. And so it puts the kingdom in a good position if asked to play that role.
And, of course, we've talked about the efforts for Gaza and the sort of principled position that the Saudis have taken in wanting to ensure that
there is a path to a Palestinian state at the back end of this conflict, which is still, of course, ongoing in Gaza as well.
For the time being, it's very good to have you, sir. Thank you very much indeed.
Well, European leaders, who are all excluded from today's talks in Riyadh, are scrambling to avoid being left behind.
Today, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen met with the U.S. special envoy to Russia and Ukraine in Brussels. And she told Keith
Kellogg, seen here, that any resolution to the war in Ukraine must respect Kyiv's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
And French president Emmanuel Macron says he spoke to both the Ukrainian and U.S. presidents ahead of today's talks. And he said in a social media
post, any deal to end the war must include strong, credible security guarantees for Kyiv.
Well, for its part, the Kremlin says Ukraine has the sovereign right to join the European Union. But a Russian foreign minister reiterated this
week Ukrainian membership of NATO would be unacceptable to Moscow.
Well, in an apparent show of force before today's talks between the U.S. and Russia in Riyadh, Russia launched a series of drone attacks on Ukraine
overnight as it seeks to weaken Ukraine's defenses and attack critical energy infrastructure. CNN's chief international security correspondent,
Nick Paton Walsh, is live in Kyiv with more -- Nick.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Becky, we've just been hearing in the last minutes that, as a result of
this U.S.-Russian summit in Riyadh.
The conclusion of which seemed to be predominantly goals about trying to improve relationships between Washington and Moscow with Ukraine's peace
deal, something given for teams for later negotiations.
Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has had a pretty stark reaction to that. Now just to recap, he had been expected in Riyadh tomorrow. a
separate meeting, a bilateral one they said was long planned.
But it all felt like a bit of a coincidence, frankly, that he would turn up there the day after the U.S. and Russian diplomatic missions meant perhaps
Kyiv was hoping they might be invited to something or there might be some sort of spillout from that which could involve Ukraine in those talks about
Ukraine.
Now Zelenskyy has said that he will now not be going tomorrow. He will instead go on March the 10th. That's an age, frankly, in diplomatic terms.
[10:20:03]
And he said some quite stern words.
"We were not invited to this Russian American meeting in Saudi Arabia. It was a surprise for us, a surprise for many people," he said. "We learned
about it through the media," he went on to say.
He's not going to Saudi Arabia.
"We're honest and open. We want any peace deal to be fair and that no one decides anything behind our backs."
He says he doesn't really care what his allies, if they have any unnecessary opinions about Ukraine. So a determined and firm response
there. Perhaps he's seen what looks to be U.S. and Russian diplomats leaving Riyadh at this stage and thought, well, there's not much point in
me going along if there's nobody to speak to now.
But it just once again emphasizes how isolated Kyiv feel. This is, I think, an understandable reaction to the entente we begin to see emerge from
Riyadh, the U.S. and Russia both agreeing that they need to reestablish an element of diplomacy in their respective embassies in Moscow and
Washington.
Remember, they were stripped back because of the full scale invasion here, because of the Russian poisoning of a former Russian spy in Salisbury,
United Kingdom, many years ago.
Now that was a nerve agent that could have killed hundreds if it had spread further. That's why the diplomats were kicked out of Washington. And there
were reciprocal expulsions in Moscow, too. I'm sure Moscow will look at today's results and that beginning normalization as something that is
perhaps a win on their part.
And certainly these talks appear to have been much more about Moscow and Washington trying to get their relationship back on a better footing than
it has been entirely about the Ukraine peace deal.
That's probably something that the Kremlin will take as a win. They've been trying to cast the Ukraine conflict as them against all of NATO. But it's
clearly left Ukraine furious. Frankly, they're going to receive Trump's envoy to the Ukraine conflict here tomorrow, Thursday and Friday to
possibly hear outlines of what they think the plan may indeed be.
But a stark reaction there from Zelenskyy.
ANDERSON: As well as these talks got underway in Saudi Arabia. Nick, Russia intensified attacks in key areas of eastern Donetsk.
What can you tell us and what signal is Russia sending here?
WALSH: It's hard to draw a singular conclusion about what's happening on the front line. In the last week or so, it appears to have had an ebb and
flow for maybe Russia focusing more on a southern pocket down near Krakow, potentially trying to make wider gains there.
And maybe taking a little bit of the pressure off a key Ukrainian military hub called Pokrovsk. That's been the real focus of its slow advance.
But the story of the past months is Moscow moving forward, often at horrific losses amongst its own troops, but still advancing slowly.
Overnight, indeed, we've had 176 Shahed drones, say Ukraine's air force, launched against Ukraine. That's a very high number. Startling, frankly, to
hear that.
So the story on the front lines is one of persistence over the last months Russian success. And that feeds into the wider narrative of these peace
talks.
You know, Ukraine is not coming away from seeing the U.S. and Russia meeting in Riyadh with some urgent panic, because things have been decided
about the concessions they must make without them being there.
But instead we have the peace deal now, potentially as part of a wider U.S.-Russian rapprochement and now part of other teams that will begin
those negotiations. That could take a while. And it's time which Russia will use to advance on the front lines. Becky.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you, Nick.
Nick is there on the ground, in Ukraine.
Still to come, all 80 people on board miraculously survived after this. This is a Delta jet crashing and flipping over at Toronto's Pearson
Airport. We are following what happened, reaction and the investigation now into what was Monday's crash.
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ANDERSON: An investigation is now underway to determine what caused a Delta Air Lines plane to crash and flip over while trying to land at
Toronto's Pearson Airport on Monday.
CNN just obtained this video from the cockpit of another plane, showing the moment the actual crash happened; 21 people were injured but remarkably,
all 80 people on board that plane survived what was this terrifying incident and escaped from the jet.
CNN's Michael Yoshida is following this developing story from Toronto.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL YOSHIDA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here at Toronto's Pearson International Airport, the investigation continues into Monday's crash
landing of a Delta plane. We know that all 80 on board were able to get out of the plane following the crash landing.
Some had minor injuries but officials really crediting first responders for preventing any loss of life.
DEBORAH FLINT, PRESIDENT AND CEO, TORONTO PEAARSON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT: Airport emergency workers mounted a textbook response, reaching the site
within minutes and quickly evacuating the passengers.
YOSHIDA (voice-over): A total of 80 people were evacuated from the Delta plane. Passenger John Nelson described the scene inside the plane.
JOHN NELSON, PASSENGER: It was like a big fireball out this left side of the plane and, when we got finished, it was -- I was upside down.
YOSHIDA (voice-over): An air safety analyst says it's amazing that everyone survived the crash.
DAVID SOUCIE, CNN SAFETY ANALYST: Everything that could go wrong went wrong. Yet still, 80 people survived the accident.
YOSHIDA (voice-over): Toronto Pearson Airport fire chief Todd Aitken says 18 people were injured. Delta says that some of those injured passengers
have been released from the hospital. Experts and officials say the outcome is a credit to the crews on and off the plane.
Monday's crash adds to a rough few weeks for air travel in the United States. Ten people dead after a region airline plane crashed in Alaska
earlier this month. In late January, there were a pair of fatal incidents. Seven people were killed when a medevac jet crashed in a Philadelphia
neighborhood.
And there was the mid-air collision near Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people. Two runways at Toronto will remain closed as the work to determine
what caused the crash continues.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is leading the investigation and the National Transportation Safety Board in the U.S. is assisting.
YOSHIDA: And we're told the FAA is also sending investigators to Toronto to help in the investigation. The airport is back up and running but still
significant delays, even some cancellations remain as, again, two runways here at the airport, they are closed following this crash landing.
That could go on for several days as crews really dig into the investigation of this crash landing. Becky.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Ahead on CONNECT THE WORLD, more on that news from Hamas that broke just a short time ago. If you weren't with us in the past hour, Hamas
promising to hand over more hostages this Saturday than originally agreed upon. A live update on that is up next.
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ANDERSON (voice-over): Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky, Anderson, these are your headlines this hour.
Top diplomats from the U.S. and Russia met today in Saudi Arabia to discuss, amongst other things, ending Russia's war with Ukraine. A Putin
aide says Russia and the U.S. agreed to take each others interests into account after those talks. Ukraine's president said his country will not
give in to Moscow's ultimatums.
All 80 people on board survived after this Delta Air Lines flight crash landed and flipped over at Toronto's Pearson Airport in snowy conditions on
Monday. Officials say at least 21 were injured in the incident. None of the injuries appear to be life threatening, thankfully. An investigation is
underway to determine the cause of the crash.
Israel's foreign minister says IDF troops will not leave southern Lebanon until that country fully implements its side of what is a ceasefire deal.
Israel says it will keep limited troops at five southern Lebanese posts past today's extended deadline to withdraw.
Lebanon says it will consider any remaining Israeli presence as an occupation, which it has, it says, the right to end.
ANDERSON: And more now on the latest news from Hamas. The group says it will release the bodies of four hostages taken on October 7th, 2023. Two of
those will be the bodies of children Kfir and Ariel Bibas. That release will take place on Thursday. Also, they will release six living hostages,
they say, on Saturday.
Israel is expected to release more Palestinian prisoners as part of the ceasefire and hostage deal. And this comes as we could see talks on phase
two of the Gaza ceasefire begin as early as this week. That is what we are hearing from the Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Saar.
CNN's Nic Robertson spoke to me a short time ago about this, from Jerusalem.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: What we have on one hand is
Hamas in Cairo through the negotiators saying that they will release and we also understand that they will release and repatriate four other dead
hostages later next week.
So with the four remains -- set of remains being returned on Thursday this week. The six living hostages returned over the weekend and the other four
sets of remains returned next week. That brings the total 14 that will be all of the hostages, dead and alive, that were agreed as part of the phase
one part of the deal.
And that's interesting, because Hamas really seems to be trying to, apparently, having tried to, sort of off rail and stop phase one, disrupt
the whole process. They now seem to be trying to accelerate their way through it. And this comes at a time this morning when we heard from the
foreign minister here saying that later this week, Israel will get into the phase two negotiations.
And I think it's very important to say that, that is already two weeks late.
[10:35:00]
The negotiators they have in Cairo at the moment, the Israeli
negotiators are only talking about phase one at the moment. So the getting on to phase two is already incredibly delayed. It is the much more
contentious part of the hostage ceasefire negotiations.
And it creates the impression that Hamas is going faster on it now has an all the time faster on it now and Israel is not accelerating at the same
speed toward that point of a successful conclusion of phase one and moving quickly on to phase two, Becky.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: That is Nic Robertson speaking to me a little earlier.
On U.S. college campuses, these are anxious times for some students from overseas. President Trump is threatening to deport foreign students who
took part in last year's widespread pro-Palestinian demonstrations. CNN's Elle Reeve spoke with some of the students who say that they are being
targeted.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELLE REEVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: OK, so I'm just going to jump right into it with this. "To all the resident aliens who joined in the pro jihadist
protests, we put you on notice. Come 2025, we will find you and we will deport you. I will also quickly cancel the student visas of all Hamas
sympathizers on college campuses, which have been infested with radicalism like never before."
Do you think he's talking about you?
BIANCA WAKED, PHD CANDIDATE, CORNELL UNIVERSITY: I think he is absolutely and misguidedly talking about me and others. Yes.
REEVE: President Trump said that in a statement about his executive order to combat anti-Semitism.
And do you dispute the characterization that these protests were pro jihadists?
WAKED: Absolutely. I mean, I think that the problem with the protests is that everybody wants to talk about the protest but nobody wants to actually
ask the protesters what the protests were about.
REEVE: Waked is a grad student at Cornell and a Canadian. She's among several international students who participated in pro-Palestinian protests
on campus.
They say opposition to the war in Gaza has been wrongfully portrayed as anti-Semitism. So they fear that the fact that they protested at all is a
reason for Trump to target them.
AMANDIA THOMAS-JOHNSON, PHD CANDIDATE, CORNELL UNIVERSITY: I got a text message. I got pictures of Black-clad ICE agents in Ithaca, right. And I
got really scared.
So I'm there in the class. I had to call someone basically and say to them, can you pick me up?
Pull up right outside the exit of the building and I'm going to run inside the car.
Reeve: There was an ICE raid in Ithaca and one person was arrested, a 27- year-old Mexican man who pled guilty to third degree assault charges in New York.
MOMODOU TAAL, PHD STUDENT, CORNELL UNIVERSITY: , of course, there's like a fear for many international students right now but that's the intended
effect. With the levels of repression that the university meted out on their students, it was done in such a way to lull and bring down the
protest. And I think what Trump is trying to do now is a continuation of that kind of policy.
REEVE: Tofas (ph) faced the threat of deportation under the Biden administration. Last October, Cornell students protested a campus career
fair where two defense contractors were recruiting. Taal and the two other students we spoke to were part of that protest. Students pushed through
police to enter the fair and banged pots and
pans. Cornell has punished several participants.
TAAL: I received an email promptly saying that I have been suspended and then I was told, effectively, that I have to leave the country by the end
of the week.
REEVE: After a public backlash, Cornell said Taal would be allowed to finish his degree and therefore stay in the U.S. But he was still banned
from campus and from teaching his courses.
Waked and Thomas Johnson-signed agreements with Cornell and got written reprimands and deferred suspension.
When asked if the school was shutting down debate, a spokesperson referred to a previous statement by Cornell's president saying students were
punished because they forced their way past police, so they were not peaceful.
We're you officially accused of anti-Semitism or hate speech?
THOMAS-JOHNSON: Absolutely not. No. I know, of course, that Donald Trump's executive order talks about anti-Semitism and hate speech. And I think this
is being a tactic by governments, by universities as well, to try and shut down legitimate debate about what is going on in Palestine.
REEVE: What would you say to moderate liberals who are like, yes, I think Israel went too far. The war went on too long. But you campus protesters,
you did it the wrong way. You were too violent. You were too hateful. You went too far.
TAAL: In this country, we've seen people who (INAUDIBLE) being shot. We've seen a child being killed in Chicago by his neighbor. So if one talked
about political violence, where should we point the hands?
Are we pointing the hands at people who say chants and slogans and maybe are a bit too loud in places?
REEVE: Is it on you as an activist to try to win over more moderate people?
So you have a critical mass to demand the government to do what you want?
TAAL: Absolutely.
[10:40:00]
But I think if the images of patients, attached to IVs, burning alive, doesn't move people, then I worry.
WAKED: I wouldn't say the protests were successful. People are still dead. Homes have been ravaged. But I will say, now I am watching students that
would have otherwise never encountered this conversation before to think and talk about it.
REEVE: So what role do the universities have in potentially cooperating with Trump on this order?
MARY ANNE FRANKS, PROFESSOR, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL: If we're talking about a principled university that's actually worth its name,
they should be refusing to even so much as indulge the suggestions of the executive order.
What Trump is trying to say is universities -- all universities essentially need to help us. They need to report on these activities. And there's
absolutely no reason for the universities to do that.
REEVE: When asked about the executive order, Cornell said it continues to evaluate how the order will affect its community. As more concrete
information becomes available, it will provide guidance.
Will the executive order affect your activism going forward?
WAKED: Well, I might not be as quick to pick up a megaphone. I'll put it that way. But I'm still going to be writing. I'm still going to be
teaching. I'm still going to be thinking through and encouraging folks to like, have these conversations. And so yes. But I guess it will affect it
at least a little bit.
REEVE: Elle Reeve, CNN -- Ithaca, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson.
Pope Francis spent a peaceful fourth night in a Rome hospital, according to Vatican officials. Doctors are treating him for a serious respiratory lung
infection. For more, let's get you to CNN's Vatican correspondent, Christopher Lamb. He is outside the hospital in Rome.
And Christopher, we spoke at this time yesterday.
What more are you learning today about the pope's current condition?
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, we're into the fifth day of the pope's hospitalization here at the Gemelli behind me. It
is clear that this is really one of the biggest health challenges, if not the biggest health challenge the 88 year old pontiff has faced.
And from people I'm speaking to in the Vatican, there's clearly worry although not alarm yet. Francis is effectively bedridden in the hospital.
He has been trying to do a few things, such as calling the Catholic parish in Gaza, signing documents.
The Vatican machinery continues to grind on. Appointments are being made. But we don't have any timetable from the Vatican as to how long the pope is
going to be in hospital. The Vatican announced that a Saturday public meeting the pope was due to lead has been canceled. There are no public
events scheduled for the coming five days.
So it is a situation that is obviously very concerning and worrying for the Vatican. But I'm not getting the sense that there is alarm. The Vatican
said last night that the pope's condition is stable. It hasn't worsened. There's no fever.
But the key question is how the pope responds to the treatment that he's being prescribed by doctors here at the Gemelli. I think that will be the
key test as to how long the pontiff stays in hospital. And obviously, we are monitoring things closely and expecting another update from the Vatican
later today. Becky.
ANDERSON: Good to have you, sir.
Christopher Lamb there outside the hospital in Rome.
I'm Becky Anderson. Time here in Abu Dhabi is just before 7:45 in the evening. This is CONNECT THE WORLD.
Coming up a first of its kind shark sanctuary in Costa Rica, giving hope to the long term survival of one of the ocean's most peculiar creatures. That
is, after this.
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[10:45:00]
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ANDERSON: Welcome back.
Protected areas are crucial in the conservation of wildlife. You knew that. But it often takes years of research and gathering data before a case for
protection can be made.
Today, on our series, Call to Earth, we visit the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, where two marine biologists did just that and their work helped
create first-of-its-kind sanctuary for one of the ocean's frankly most peculiar creatures.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): In southern Costa Rica, between rainforest and ocean, sits one of the world`s rarest sites.
Golfo Dulce is one of the only tropical fjords in the world and its warm waters provide the perfect breeding and nursing ground for a host of
extraordinary marine animals. Chief among them, the endangered scalloped hammerhead shark.
ANDRES LOPEZ, CO-FOUNDER, MISION TIBURON: The scalloped hammerhead shark, Zygaena Lewini, is a migratory species. The hammerhead have two stages.
One, in the coastal water, when they are juvenile, grow in the shallow waters with a lot of nutrients, with a lot of food. When they grow, they
make big, big movements, like 1,000 kilometers. It`s a big migration.
STEWART (voice-over): Scientists estimate that the global population of scalloped hammerheads has fallen by more than 80 percent in the last 75
years. And
while thousands of baby sharks are still born in the nursing grounds of Golfo Dulce each year, overfishing and habitat degradation pose a serious
threat to the species` long-term survival.
In 2009, Ilena Zanella and Andre Lopez founded Mision Tiburon, a non- profit that promotes ocean conservation through the identification and
protection of critical shark habitats around Costa Rica.
ILENA ZANELLA, CO-FOUNDER, MISION TIBURON: We started with a dream. Both of us, Andres and I, we are both marine biologists. We met at the
university
and we saw a gap in the research and in conservation of this threatened species. So we decided to do something for them.
After several years of tagging sharks and on-board observation of fishing operations, with our data, in 2018, the government of Costa Rica declared
the shark sanctuary of Golfo Dulce in order to protect this important and unique nursery ground for the scalloped hammerhead shark.
STEWART (voice-over): These government protections make Golfo Dulce the first shark sanctuary in the world to be focused on a nursing ground and
has helped to stem the tide of illegal fishing. But there is still work to be done restoring the coastal mangroves, vital as birthing habitats for the
hammerheads.
JAVIER RODRIGUEZ, FORESTRY ENGINEER, MISION TIBURON: It`s important for the hammerhead sharks to have healthy mangroves because they use them on
the first stages of life. So it will help the sharks to get the size they need to get to the ocean.
[10:50:00]
STEWART (voice-over): With their unique shape and 360-degree vision, the hammerheads may look like creatures plucked from another universe. But as
the work in Golfo Dulce continues, Mision Tiburon are optimistic that these otherworldly predators will continue to exist as real and permanent
residents of planet Earth.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And let us know what you are doing to answer the call. Use the #CalltoEarth on social. We will be right back.
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ANDERSON: The plane crash at Toronto's airport Monday is just the latest in a string of incidents leaving travelers, perhaps understandably, on
edge. New video shows the moment a Delta commuter jet flipped over upon landing, leaving more than a dozen people injured.
The aviation industry still, of course, reeling from recent accidents like the collision above Washington, D.C., that killed all 67 people involved.
Miraculously, those on that Toronto flight were able to get off relatively unscathed, all of them.
Then there's the medevac jet crash in Philadelphia that killed seven people, including a child.
Look, these tragedies can trigger a fear that affects millions of us, the fear of flying. CNN's Jacqueline Howard joining me now for more on this.
And look, you know, most of the people watching this show will be travelers and they will use air flights. At times, you and I do that. And I think,
perhaps understandably, people are concerned out there. Jacqueline, tell us about this phobia and how many people it affects.
JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH CORRESPONDENT: Right, Becky.
And many people are concerned. And this phobia, it's one of the most common. The fear of flying is called aerophobia. And here in the United
States, it affects more than 25 million adults. So again, this is a very, very common phobia. It mostly affects ages 17 to 34. That's typically when
we see this phobia develop.
And it has physical and behavioral symptoms. Physical symptoms include a shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, sweating, trembling even sometimes
nausea, chest pain and vomiting.
And then behavioral symptoms occur. For instance, if, at the very last minute, you're about to board a flight and this fear causes you to cancel
last minute -- or some people may opt to drive obscene numbers of hours or take a very long train ride instead of flying, which may be more convenient
for them.
So we see physical and behavioral symptoms. And this phobia manifests in different ways as well, Becky. Some people have more fear during takeoff
during a flight, while others may fear the landing more.
Some people may fear the plane crashing, while others fear getting trapped on the airplane. So we do see these differences from person to person.
[10:55:00]
But when we see accidents like the one just recently in Toronto, like the one in Washington, D.C., earlier this month, that can often trigger these
symptoms in people with this phobia.
And if you have this phobia, those symptoms can persist for at least six months. So if this is a long lasting issue for you, that's when you know
it's a phobia and not just an occasional fear that may occur.
ANDERSON: Yes. And I have to say, I have friends who have this phobia. And it's really debilitating for people who haven't traveled, you know, abroad
for years, because they just can't get on a flight.
What can people do to manage this?
HOWARD: Yes. Well, it's definitely important to talk with your doctor if this is something that impacts your day to day life. Therapy is an option.
Medications can sometimes be prescribed as well as virtual reality treatment may be an option.
But something we can all do on our own during a flight, if the physical symptoms occur, take deep breaths. Inhale for five seconds, exhale for
seven seconds. Do that for 10 minutes. That can be helpful to calm symptoms. Becky.
ANDERSON: Absolutely. Good to have you.
And that is it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Do stay with CNN. "NEWSROOM" is up next. From the team working with me here in Abu Dhabi and those working
with us around the world, it is a very good evening.
END
