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U.S. Markets Open after Worst Day of 2025; U.S. and Ukraine Meet on Ending Russia's War; Ukraine Launches "Massive" Overnight Drone Attack; International Criminal Court Alleges Rodrigo Duterte Committed Crimes against Humanity; Trump Threatens to Double Tariffs on Canadian Steel and Aluminum; Syrian Government Signs Troops Merge Deal with Kurdish-Led Syrian Democratic Forces; Hundreds Dead amid Fights with Assad Loyalists; Israel's Right Pivot Alarms Activists; #MyFreedomDay. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired March 11, 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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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Welcome to our second hour of the show. I'm Becky Anderson. It is 6 pm here in Abu Dhabi. This is CNN's
Middle East programming headquarters.
President Trump's disruptive policies reverberating through world financial markets. U.S. stocks struggling to recover following a huge selloff on
Monday. The markets are open in the States on Wall Street. And this is the picture. Mr. Trump will meet business leaders today. What else he says
there to ease their fears will be closely monitored.
In Saudi Arabia, U.S. and Ukrainian delegations meeting right now to see if there is any scope for an agreement on U.S. aid to Kyiv and terms for peace
with Russia.
And Syrians celebrate a landmark deal, recognizing the Kurdish community as an integral part of the Syrian state, just days after the worst sectarian
violence in years against Syria's Alawites.
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ANDERSON: Well, let's get you a closer look at U.S. markets now. And this is the picture, as I say, struggling really to find some direction, mixed
to slightly lower there. The Nasdaq up .08 percent.
But that market remember down at its worst level since 2022. Wall Street grappling with the fallout from what was a miserable Monday. CNN's Anna
Stewart covering the latest for us.
There is clear concern about Trump's policies here and that is reflected on these stock prices.
Do we expect this volatility to continue at this point?
What are people in the markets telling you?
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Monday selloff is over. That is the good news. But clearly we're not really seeing a recovery at this
stage. We're seeing sort of treading water really in markets. And I don't think the volatility is going to be over until there is a bit more
certainty when it comes to policy.
Particularly when it comes to tariffs. It's nearly impossible right now for investors investing in U.S. assets, whether that's stocks or commodities or
anything really, to know what the prices are going to be or to place really any bets if the trade policy is changing every 30 days.
You know, every 30 days, tariffs are due to be implemented and then they are pulled back. So until we have some certainty, that is going to impact
markets. And also, of course, feeding into this week's sort of current market misery, if we call it that, from yesterday, the fact that president
Trump is not at this stage ruling out a recession.
And that's just a very far cry from the sort of very bullish tones we had, particularly during the campaign and in the very early days of this
administration. That's not to say that he doesn't see huge economic boom further down the line. But I think now investors are feeling a little bit
anxious. Becky.
ANDERSON: That's right. Yes, absolutely. That's perhaps an understatement. Thank you.
While the Nasdaq suffered its worst day since 2022 on Monday and the Dow its worst day so far this year, president Trump, it seems, is forging ahead
with his tariff plan. Mr. Trump has said the tariffs could raise trillions and trillions of dollars. And you can do a deeper dive on that at CNN
Digital and on your CNN app.
"We are getting there," is how a top U.S. official is describing meetings with Ukrainian diplomats in Saudi Arabia aimed at ending Russia's war on
Ukraine. These talks, mediated, of course, by Saudi in Jeddah, started several hours ago.
This reengagement happening in the shadow of that explosive White House meeting between the Ukrainian and U.S. leaders on February the 28th that
resulted in Donald Trump pausing U.S. aid and intel for Ukraine, along, as I say, with intelligence sharing.
Russia, meantime, says three people were killed in what it is calling a massive Ukrainian drone attack overnight. That attack targeting Moscow and
other parts of Russia. Alex Marquardt back with us this hour from Jeddah, where those talks are going on.
And as I understand it, Alex, talks have just resumed. We are now several hours in.
What's the talk there?
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: They have just resumed behind closed doors. The State Department spokesperson, Tammy
Bruce, saying, fingers crossed, the work continues. We've also heard from Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff, to President Zelenskyy.
[10:05:00]
He called this a work in progress. So the sounds that we are hearing from these delegations are quite positive. And, of course, that is quite a
change from the tumult in this relationship in the past 1.5 weeks. But what will actually end up in concrete terms at the end of these meetings, that
we don't know.
What we do know is that the U.S. side was hoping to hear a few more specifics about what Ukraine would do in order to get to a peace deal,
because there has been some doubt on the U.S. side about Ukraine's commitment to that peace.
And so, secretary Rubio, we heard, saying that he wants to hear concessions and painful decisions that the Ukrainians might have to make in order to
get to that peace.
We put that question to Andriy Yermak, who declined to say what concessions they had in mind. He said the priority is to get this process toward a deal
going. Here's a bit more of what he had to say.
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ANDRIY YERMAK, CHIEF OF STAFF TO PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY: Now we think it's necessary to discuss the most important, how to start this process. And we
are very open, very open. And we want to have very constructive, deep, friend, partners conversation with our American partners.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUARDT: And now, Becky, the two sides are back at the table. Interestingly, it's not just the two delegations. It's the Saudis as well.
They are, of course, hosting these talks.
And we've seen their national security advisor and their foreign minister at the head of the table. Under discussions, certainly, that military and
intelligence sharing aid, that assistance that has been put on pause by the Trump administration, Ukrainians hoping that that could be reversed out of
this meeting.
Security guarantees, certainly another thing that the Ukrainians will want to raise as well as this proposal for a partial ceasefire deal. President
Zelenskyy has talked about the potential for the aerial bombardment between Ukraine and Russia to end the fighting in the Black Sea, to end as a first
stop in a ceasefire toward an eventual peace deal.
How the Russians will respond to that?
That remains to be seen. They haven't been indicating that they are willing to make any compromises or give any real concessions.
But the assumption, Becky, is here, if the talks go well today, what the Ukrainians and the U.S. have discussed will then be taken to the Russians.
We know that the Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, who is very involved in these talks, is expected to go to Russia later this week. Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes, Trump's deal baggage carrier. OK, Alex. Thank you.
There's a lot moving today. I want to welcome CNN global affairs analyst Kim Dozier and "The New York Times" journalist Lulu Garcia-Navarro to the
show.
It's good to have you both. Thank you so much for joining us.
Rubio and Waltz from the U.S. delegation then said that they would be in listening mode in Jeddah. So the onus is on the Ukrainians here to make
their case. We just heard from Yermak, who is clearly taking a lead for Kyiv in the room.
What do you make of what we just heard?
Lulu, let's start with you.
LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": I think this is basically a temperature-taking meeting and it's a table setting. This is the beginning
of formal negotiations. And so they want to hear what exactly Ukraine is willing to concede.
And on the Ukrainian side, they want to hear exactly what the United States is proposing and not in front of the cameras; not, you know, to try and
sway public opinion but really brass tacks.
And so it is actually a positive development that this is happening in a conventional manner. But it is, you know, what is going to come out the
other side of this is -- remains to be seen, very much so.
Kim, the mood music, at least positive, right?
KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Yes. I mean, the important thing for the administration is they're able to hold this in Saudi Arabia
where they won't have to have other Europeans at the table. It's just them and the Ukrainians and they can get down to brass tacks.
It's also a resetting from that disastrous Oval Office meeting in that the only people in the room, other than the Ukrainians, are the two national
security traditionalists in the top of the Trump administration.
Mike Waltz and Marco Rubio have both been anti-Russia, pro Ukraine assistance over the years. And they want Ukraine to get the best possible
formula out of this. And Ukrainians know that.
I've talked to Ukrainian officials who are like, why aren't we hearing from Waltz and Rubio?
We thought we could count on them. Now they're able to have these honest conversations behind closed doors.
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And Ukrainian officials will tell you privately that they know, for instance, that they have to sacrifice some territory. That's why they
seized parts of Russian territory in Kursk, because they want to do some sort of a trade.
So they'll be able to realistically talk about, say things that you can't say in public, like, yes, we know we will probably never get back Crimea.
But we want to get back these mineral-rich parts of the Donbas for our survival and for your mineral investment. And there's also that mineral
deal that they still need to sign.
ANDERSON: Yes.
Lulu, Kyiv hit Moscow with a barrage of drones overnight. We know this follows a series of, you know, deadly attacks on Ukraine by the Russians in
the past days.
Given that the United States is sort of new positioning on the conflict, does that action by Kyiv risk agitating the Americans in the meeting, do
you think?
GARCIA-NAVARRO: I think it does.
I'll also say about Waltz and Rubio, the one thing that's become clear with this administration is that, whatever the personal proclivities are of the
various members of the cabinet, there is one person who is directing this and it is Donald Trump and probably others close to him that aren't, whose
names are not as well known.
But you know, at the end of the day, whatever Waltz feels, whatever secretary Rubio feels, Donald Trump is the one who's going to decide what
deal will or will not be made. And that is the big question here.
How much is he willing to sacrifice for peace?
How much leeway is he willing to give the Russians?
Because ultimately, as Donald Trump has pointed out, Ukraine is in a very difficult position and Russia holds many of the cards because of its close
proximity to Donald Trump.
And so you know, Ukraine obviously launched this attack because it wanted to show that nothing is off the table, that it still has a viable military
offensive going. But if this antagonizes Donald Trump, then they're going to be in a worse position than they we're just 24 hours ago.
ANDERSON: Yes.
And it was the Ukrainian president who replied to the sort of card-holding comment by Donald Trump by saying, this isn't a card game. But I mean, the
point was, was well made, I guess.
And to that point, Kim -- and you we're just talking about, you know, the obvious sort of elephant in the room here, which is that those in Kyiv who
know are telling you that they know they're going to have to concede some ground. It's the reason why they advanced on Kursk in Russia.
Russia is advancing in Kursk, threatening the sort of -- Kyiv's sole bargaining chip at this point.
What happens if Russia forces Ukraine out of that area?
That again changes the sort of game, doesn't it?
DOZIER: Yes. They lose a really important bargaining chip if they get completely forced out of Kursk and they have even fewer cards at their
disposal to play, to use Donald Trump's analogy.
But you know, Lulu is right that Donald Trump is the guy making the call. But I've seen Trump administration officials in the past do a good cop/bad
cop. You know, Trump is the bad cop and the officials get in the room to negotiate and say, hey, we'd like to concede this, this and this. We'd like
to provide you this.
But you know that president Trump will never buy that. So they have, in Waltz and Rubio, messengers who they'll trust to get this message from.
They didn't believe it the first time.
Keith Kellogg, the Ukrainian envoy, said he tried to warn the Ukrainians where president Trump's mind was on this peace deal and what kind of
concessions they would be having to make and what kind of security guarantees he would not be willing to extend. And they didn't believe it
the first time around.
After the Oval Office meltdown, they do. And so basically, you've got his team behind closed doors, delivering, you know, the poison pill and saying,
we know you want this, this and this. This is all we're going to be able to give you.
But if you say yes to the mineral deal without security guarantees, we'll be able to get you the intelligence you so desperately need on things like
Russian troop movements again.
ANDERSON: The art of the deal here, Kim.
Lulu, Donald Trump conspicuously out of sight yesterday, amid what was -- of course, we're headlining this, the market selloff. He is meeting top
CEOs and other business leaders today.
[10:15:00]
What do you expect him to do next?
One of the reasons the markets are in such a mess is this sense of uncertainty around policy. And that's around his sort of tariffs and trade
policy. We've also got this sort of sense of uncertainty about what he really is keen to do with regard to Russia and Ukraine. None of this is
clear at this point.
What do you expect from him?
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Yes, none of this is clear. And let's, you know, remind ourselves that, just before Donald Trump took over, the U.S. economy was
actually one of the strongest in the world, if not the strongest. It was -- inflation was being battled down and things were looking pretty good.
And as you know, businesses, the markets, regular people don't like uncertainty. And he's been using these tariffs as a kind of whip, right,
kind of striking them out and then retracting it, striking them out and then retracting it.
And so no one can plan. No one knows exactly what the end game is here. But we do know that Donald Trump does not like it when the markets are not in
his favor and he does not like it when he when business people are calling up Republicans and complaining. And so I expect him to strike a
conciliatory note.
But what that actually means, we'll see. He has said -- and we've seen that he really does believe that tariffs are the way to strengthen the U.S.
economy in the long run. And that's what we're hearing now.
We're hearing a very different message over the past few days than we have before, which is basically there's going to be some pain but there will be
long term gain, a very different tone than when, in the runup to the election and the period before his inauguration, which said that everything
was going to be sunny.
ANDERSON: Got it. OK, I'm going to have to close this out because we've got some breaking news just coming in to CNN.
To both of you, though, thank you very much indeed for joining us.
Well, this breaking now, the former president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, is on a plane on his way to The Hague, according to his lawyer.
Duterte was taken into custody by police in Manila earlier today, acting on an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.
Now the ICC alleges Duterte committed crimes against humanity in his brutal crackdown on drugs, that killed thousands of Filipinos during his six year
presidency. Well, in a video shot after he was detained, he claimed the arrest was illegal.
Well, let's bring in Richard Heydarian, who is a podcaster, lecturer and the author of "The Rise of Duterte."
Richard, you have an enormous amount of experience in covering Duterte. And just let's start with these charges and exactly what he is accused of
doing. And then we'll just get more of a sense about Duterte as the man from you after that. Let's start with these charges, if you will.
What do we understand?
RICHARD HEYDARIAN, POLICY ADVISER: Well, first of all, it's good to be back.
I think the last time we had a conversation, I just had returned from a visit or meeting with president Duterte, when he was at the height of his
power. So it's quite a turn of events.
Well, as far as the cases are concerned, these are very robust cases. We're talking about people, who are at the heart of the darkness of his death
squads and alleged extrajudicial killings, now testifying or have been testifying to the International Criminal Court.
One was Mr. Lascanas. Another one was Mr. Matobato, who recently made it, I think, to Europe, to provide direct evidence to ICC. We had multiple
communications by multiple groups in civil society groups.
Also, opposition leaders like Senator Trillanes, who provided overwhelming evidence that there was something systematically wrong with Duterte's drug
war, meaning that what you had there was not a real drug war based on due process.
But actually extrajudicial killings, whereby death squads, mercenaries and some would even say members of the Philippine national police, kind of
cladding themselves and then doing some really, really dark and bloody things during night.
So Manila turned into kind of a killing fields, really. If you look at it, you're looking at 20,000, 30,000 Filipinos. You're looking at hundreds of
children, like Kian de los Santos. I mean, there's so many of them that it's really hard for us to cope with the enormity of this human rights
catastrophe.
So to be honest, despite that, the gravity of the crisis, the fact that Sara Duterte, his daughter, became the vice president; the fact that that
Duterte is running for mayor right now -- by the way, we'll talk about him more -- it kind of -- part of us, we're still skeptical.
Will we see a day of justice?
[10:20:00]
So this is a very, very big deal to see him really whisk out, immediately out of the Philippines to The Hague, most likely in the coming hours and
days, so that he doesn't come back to the country and kind of try to pull off his, I don't know, a Trumpian comeback.
And present himself as a victim and try to rally people and rally support ahead of the very important elections in the Philippines in a month or two.
Yes.
ANDERSON: Because, of course, he is very well supported by a very vocal base, not just in the Philippines but in -- by a Filipino diaspora around
the world, who, of course, repatriate their money to the Philippines, right?
I mean, there is there is certainly a base of support for the former president.
HEYDARIAN: Oh, absolutely.
I mean, he basically has -- I know many are going to get mad at me -- kind of his own version of a MAGA in the Philippines, a kind of a very right
wing populist base, which is solidly behind him, sees a man of strength and decisiveness in him.
As we speak, Duterte supporters are tagging president Donald Trump online to come and save Duterte because, last time I checked, Donald Trump is
against ICC for the warrant of arrest they issued against Netanyahu, among other allies of the U.S.
So going back to this, I mean, their base of support, first of all, is in the south of the Philippines, the so-called solid south, the Mindanao
region, where there is a lot of legitimate grievances against the national government.
I mean, it is one of the poorest areas of the country. I come from the north of the country, where our human development index is almost southern
Europe. But if you go to Mindanao, their human development index is sub- Saharan African level.
So Duterte's have a very strong following there because they have weaponized that grievance. They also have religious groups, powerful
religious groups. One religious group, for instance, the other month, had a 1 million strong rally. So definitely you never underestimate their base of
support.
But nevertheless, also, I would say, it is not invincible. It is not invincible. Their popularity is not at the same level as before when we had
this conversation. And Sara Duterte, the daughter, doesn't have his spontaneity, doesn't have his charisma and, I would argue, doesn't have his
Machiavellian competence.
So they do have a vulnerability if, indeed, their father ends up thousands of miles away, facing a trial in The Hague.
ANDERSON: Well, he's on the way there. We are looking at pictures just in to CNN of Duterte climbing aboard a plane, bound for The Hague in Holland.
It's good to have you, sir. Thank you very much indeed for joining us.
Well, an historic deal is being praised across the Middle East with the potential to transform Syria. More on that is just ahead.
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ANDERSON (voice-over): All right, let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories that are on our radar right now.
There was no sodium cyanide on board a cargo ship that crashed into a U.S. oil tanker anchored off the northeast coast of England on Monday.
[10:25:06]
That is according to the vessel's owner. The tanker was loaded with jet fuel and the collision sparked a huge fire. Rescuers saved dozens of people
but one crew member is still missing.
Well, voters in Greenland are casting ballots today in what's being called an historic election.
Election Day there never got such worldwide attention before. U.S. President Trump's aggressive talk about annexing Greenland apparently fired
up many voters, who are now calling for full independence from Denmark.
Well, the Dalai Lama says his successor will be born outside China, according to his new book. Beijing has insisted it will choose the next
spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism. But the 89-year old says any successor China names would not be respected.
The 14th Dalai Lama has lived in exile in India since a failed uprising in 1959.
Going to take a very short break. Back after this.
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ANDERSON (voice-over): Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. Your headlines this hour:
And U.S. stock markets down again today with all three major indices in the red following Monday's crashing selloff. Fears of a recession and president
Trump's trade wars causing concern among investors on Wall Street.
Someone not helping allay those concerns, the U.S. president himself, who wouldn't rule out a recession could hit this year.
Ukrainian and U.S. negotiators have resumed talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as they look for a path toward ending Russia's war on Ukraine. A top
Ukrainian official says the talks started very constructively during a break between sessions. U.S. national security advisor Mike Waltz told CNN,
quote, "We are getting there."
Former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte now on the way to The Hague, according to his lawyer. He was arrested earlier on an International
Criminal Court warrant, alleging he committed crimes against humanity. It all stems from Duterte's brutal war on drugs that left thousands dead while
he was in office.
Right back to Donald Trump and tariffs.
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ANDERSON: U.S. president Donald Trump threatening a sharp escalation now in his trade war with Canada in response to the province of Ontario's
surcharge on electricity to three U.S. states.
Mr. Trump is threatening to double tariffs on steel and aluminum from Canada. Very specifically, let me read you some of what he says.
"I've instructed my Secretary of Commerce to add an additional 25 percent tariff to 50 percent on all steel and aluminum coming into the United
States from Canada.
[10:30:06]
"One of the highest tariffing (sic) nations anywhere in the world," he said in his Truth Social tweet. This will go into effect tomorrow morning, March
the 12th.
And for some context, for you, according to U.S. stats, Canada shipped some $25 billion worth of aluminum and steel to the U.S. last year. That's
equivalent to $35 billion in real terms. Canada, by far, the largest source of aluminum to the United States.
So if you thought that this flip flopping, this chaos, this confusion over policy might calm down somewhat after the rout on the markets, the impact
that this has had. And that is not the case.
Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, says he has reached a deal with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, the SDF, to integrate them into
the country's new state institutions. This is big news, as it means Syria's Kurdish community will finally be recognized after decades of being denied
citizenship under the Assad regime.
It comes in the aftermath, of course, of Syria's worst violence since Bashar al-Assad was ousted late last year and evidence that some Syrian
government security personnel carried out impromptu executions of members of the minority Alawite community, with some speaking of purifying the
country.
CNN's Paula Hancocks has the very latest on the fighting. But a warning, her report does contain disturbing images.
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PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The violence has been indiscriminate and brutal. Four days of fighting between the
Syrian military and supporters of the ousted Syrian president, Bashar al- Assad.
And affiliated gunmen adding to the deadly chaos; 779 have been killed, according to Syrian Network for Human Rights, a large proportion of them
civilians.
Bodies lie where they fell on the western coastal areas of Syria. Majority Alawite areas, the heart of Assad's former support. Syria's leader says
forces were trying to quell an insurgency. A successful operation he claims has now ended.
Speaking to Reuters, President Ahmad Al-Sharaa acknowledges there were revenge killings against the Alawite community.
AHMAD AL-SHARAA, SYRIAN'S INTERIM PRESIDENT (through translator): Syria is a state of law. The law will take its course on all. We fought to defend
the oppressed and we won't accept that any blood be shed unjustly or goes without punishment or accountability. Even among those closest to us.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): Residents describe armed men setting fire to civilian homes. Syrian Network for Human Rights spoke of, "widespread field
executions."
An elderly man begs for his life.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): He is a remnant of the regime.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I have children, I swear to God.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): He is executed.
Fears of ethnic minorities being targeted have weighed heavily on optimism since the 50 year reign of the Assad family ended abruptly last December.
GARETH BROWNE, SYRIA CORRESPONDENT, "THE ECONOMIST": A huge part of Ahmad Al-Sharaa's project was about confidence- building, particularly when it
comes to Syria's minorities. The Alawites, the Druze, the Christians, the Kurds. And I think the events of the last few days have absolutely ruptured
that confidence.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): Authorities have now released photos of two militants accused of a separate extrajudicial killing being arrested. Keen
to show the fragile sense of order could be restored.
HANCOCKS: There was one significant sign of unity this Monday, the Kurdish led and U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces has agreed to merge itself
into Syria's new state institutions. The agreement emphasizes a cease fire and also its intent to support Syria in its fight against al-Assad's forces
-- Paula Hancocks, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, for more on the significance of this historic moment in Syria, I want to bring in Emile Hokayem, director of regional security and
senior fellow for Middle East security at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, joining me today from London.
Emile, it's good to have you. Look, I want to just bring up the image of al-Sharaa and the head of the SDF, both in civilian uniform, signing this
deal. Just explain to our viewers the significance of what we are seeing here.
EMILE HOKAYEM, DIRECTOR OF REGIONAL SECURITY AND SENIOR FELLOW FOR MIDDLE EAST SECURITY, INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES: It is a
pretty extraordinary moment, to be honest.
[10:35:00]
Here are two men, who, only a few weeks, few months ago, were, in a way, pitted against each other. And because both of them also need to
consolidate their authority, both want to avoid a full-fledged war that they know they cannot wage or win.
They have decided, because of regional pressure, they've decided that it was better to reach this accommodation. And it's important also because it
recognizes the political and cultural rights of the Kurdish minority which has feared ever since the beginning of the uprising.
But even before that, during the long rule of the Assad family, that it was ostracized and pushed away from the key elements of Syrian public life. So
the fact that they came together to sign this agreement is a ray of hope in an otherwise troubled landscape.
ANDERSON: Some questions still remain about the SDF deal.
For example, what will happen to other Kurdish groups?
Is it clear?
HOKAYEM: No. Not everything has been ironed out. But other groups have not necessarily aligned with the SDF throughout the fight. There were small
Kurdish groups that actually aligned with Syrian Sunni rebels.
You know, the SDF or at least the Kurdish component of the SDF is a controversial force in part of northeast Syria because of the way it has
ruled, because of a hegemonic or quasi-hegemonic way of doing things.
But that said, it was the biggest challenge to Ahmed al-Sharaa's authority because the SDF controls a large size of Syrian territory but, also,
importantly, resources and part of the border with Turkiye. So one cannot understate the importance of that particular --
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Right.
Ahmed al-Sharaa saying the deal was to ensure the rights of all Syrians represented and participating in the political process. Of course, this
comes against the backdrop of a horrific weekend, primarily for the Alawite community in the West.
And there is no clear concern about just how supportive the interim president is of all communities. With regard those recent killings in the
Alawite community, we now know that four men have been arrested so far.
What are the international community here?
Should it get involved while Syria's government is in a political transition?
We are hearing sort of quite a lot of talk outside.
But where do you see, you know, the international community, including Syria's neighbors, what do you see as their involvement at this point?
HOKAYEM: Ahmad al-Sharaa has said a lot of the right things since he emerged on the forefront in December of last year. For a former jihadi,
still an Islamist leader, you know, that was quite a leap.
That doesn't mean that he necessarily controls all the elements of that broad coalition that came together to unseat Assad. It doesn't mean that he
has the accountability mechanisms to make sure that these massacres will not happen, not just at the hands of his own troops but also at the hands
of others.
There's plenty of desire for revenge and vengeance in Syria. And the fact that Ahmed al-Sharaa seemed to have put accountability for the crimes of
the former regime on the side has been has been a sore for a lot of his own followers.
And so the moment, I think, the remnants of the Assad regime mounted that operation, some of these groups saw an opportunity to do so. And it's an
immensely embarrassing moment for Ahmed al-Sharaa, because he has been, you know, cautiously welcomed by Syria's neighbors but also by others,
including in the West.
But they were clear that the test was an inclusive government.
[10:40:04]
And then he may fail the test.
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: We're going to have to leave it there. It is so good to have you on. Thank you very --
Yes. Understood.
It's good to have you, sir. Thank you very much indeed.
We're going to take a break at this point but, up next, U.S. immigration enforcement arrests a former Columbia student over the pro-Palestinian
campus protests. We'll have the details on what is a developing story up next.
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ANDERSON: Well, a federal judge in the United States has temporarily blocked the deportation of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil. He's a
Columbia University graduate, who fervently campaigned for the school to divest from companies with ties to Israel.
Khalil was arrested on Saturday, while a White House post on X mockingly wrote, "Shalom, Mahmoud," and accused him of working with Hamas but offered
no proof.
Well, president Trump has claimed Khalil's arrest is the first of many as part of an executive order vowing to root out antisemitism on university
campuses across the States.
Well, protesters and critics of Khalil's arrest have repeatedly said there is nothing anti-Semitic about criticizing Israel over its actions in Gaza
or calling for a ceasefire and expressing solidarity with Palestinians.
Well, meanwhile, Democrats on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee posted a photo of Khalil, calling for his release.
Well, in occupied East Jerusalem, Israeli police have raided a renowned Palestinian bookshop for the second time in a month. One of the owners was
detained during last month's raid. Police said the shop was suspected of selling books containing incitement and support for terrorism.
But critics point to this as proof of a growing crackdown on free speech in Israel. CNN's Nic Robertson reports.
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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): In East Jerusalem, undercover cops rifle the shelves of an internationally renowned
bookstore. Owner Mahmoud Muna looks on in disbelief, watching, he believes, the erosion of his and his customers intellectual freedoms.
MAHMOUD MUNA, EAST JERUSALEM BOOKSHOP OWNER: Any book that had the word Palestine, had a flag, had colors, had any expression of a national or
political identity of the Palestinians, became possibly a suspect book.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Muna, under house arrest when we met, was still struggling to understand why he had been targeted.
MUNA: What I do in the bookshop is I create a space and I put in it books that create conversations.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): The police carried away bags of his books, returned most of them and ultimately focused on a child's coloring book,
which Muna says was in a back room, not for sale, titled, "From the River to the Sea."
[10:45:00]
Words many Israelis interpret as a threat to the Jewish state. Muna and his nephew we're taken into custody, held almost 48 hours.
MUNA: There's a devastating feeling that in this place, within 30
minutes, you could be running one of the most international bookshops of the city. And within 30 minutes, you are in a dungeon underground in a
detention center.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Lawyers, international diplomats and Israeli friends rallied to his side in the courts. A petition was signed by some of
Israel's leading writers and poets. Police arrested him for, quote, selling books containing incitement and support for terrorism.
The charges later downgraded, Muna says, to the catch all, disrupting public order, that Palestinians should feel mistreated by Israeli police is
not new. But Muna's cultural standing has some on Israel's left worried that since Hamas October 7 attacks, Israeli freedoms are increasingly under
attack too.
GIDEON LEVY, JOURNALIST: And what happened in the bookstore, in the educational bookshop should be a red light, a very strong red light for all
of us.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Respected journalist Gideon Levy, once a go to voice on the Israeli left, is slowly disappearing from the national
conversation. No longer inviting, he Sundays, for Israeli TV interviews.
LEVY: In Israel, there is a government which is using anti-democratic means, not to say fascist means, against freedom of thought, freedom of
speech, any kind of freedom. And they do it with pride.
ROBERTSON: And they say that this is the only democracy in the Middle East.
LEVY: This joke, I think nobody takes it seriously anymore.
ROBERTSON: The list of Israelis getting leaned on is growing. Knesset member Ofer Cassif is a case in point. Knesset members voted to expel him
last year when he said Israel may be committing genocide in Gaza.
OFER CASSIF, KNESSET MEMBER: The very fact that members of Parliament can impeach another member of parliament, that's anti-democratic because that's
a clear case of tyranny of the majority.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Cassif narrowly avoided the expulsion but even now is banned from the chamber. Aside from voting, there is an ongoing.
CASSIF: Profound, systematic political persecution of anyone who raises an alternative voice to the government.
ROBERTSON: Freedom of speech is at stake.
CASSIF: Freedom of speech doesn't exist. It's not even at stake anymore. It doesn't exist.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Israeli government officials reject Cassif's characterization.
DAVID MENCER, INSRAELI GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON: We'll maintain freedom of speech under the rule of law. So any measures which are taken are always
taken within the framework of Israeli law with all the appropriate checks and balances from our democracy.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Levy, whose own newspaper Haaretz, lost government funding last year over objections to their critical coverage of Israel's
actions in Gaza, worries he too will be shut down.
LEVY: This government has an agenda and this agenda is to try as much as they can to shut mouths and to close any criticism.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Muna and his nephew stores are open again. A group of visiting British MPs among the latest customers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's just very good to be able to come here and see you open.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): The stakes of successful trade, Muna says, are higher than ever.
MUNA: You are creating a whole generation that their ability to think will not beyond that framework that has been set by the government. This is a
very dangerous, very dangerous.
ROBERTSON: Muna says he's never received a list of banned books. And the Israeli government pushes back against accusations is cracking down on free
speech. But the raid on this store has raised awareness that this government is different to previous and that may come at a cost -- Nic
Robertson, CNN, Jerusalem.
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ANDERSON: Well, you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. Time here is 6:48. We are in Abu Dhabi. Still to come on CNN, more of our
special coverage celebrating My Freedom Day.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Freedom is not to be oppressed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Freedom to have rights.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Freedom to talk to my friends.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Freedom to play sports.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Freedom is equality.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Freedom to be with friends.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Freedom to do what I want to.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Freedom to learn.
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[10:50:00]
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ANDERSON: CNN is marking an important event called My Freedom Day today throughout many of our shows and across our platforms.
This year's theme is Freedom to Learn. We are partnering with youngsters across the world who are refusing to stay silent when 12 million of their
peers are denied an education because of modern day slavery. Well, students in South Africa are among those speaking out. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At Redhill, we are free to build, learn and dream. But 12 million children affected by child slavery do not have this freedom.
That's why this My Freedom Day, we say --
GROUP (in unison): Every child deserves freedom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, CNN's Nada Bashir back with us this hour from Queen Anne's School in Caversham. That is near Reading in England to the west of London.
Last hour you showed us some really interesting installation -- art installations and displays that students there are using to learn about the
scourge that is modern day slavery.
What else is happening at the school today to mark My Freedom Day?
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, there has been a whole day of events and art installations. As you mentioned, we've seen poetry recitals,
musical performances, dance performances.
As you can see behind me, we've got posters that have been put together not only by the students here at this school but also students at partner
schools in Kosovo and in Sweden, working together to raise awareness around modern day slavery.
And, of course, this event is a student-led initiative. They have been working on this for weeks now. And you can see behind me we've got another
art installation, students sewing the words "Freedom to Learn" on children's clothing.
And we've also seen an incredible dance performance. I've got two of the dancers here with me, Scarlett and Harriet. They put together an incredible
performance just a little earlier.
Just tell me a bit about what inspired that performance.
SCARLETT BEEK, STUDENT, QUEEN ANNE'S SCHOOL: Yes. I mean, to us it was just so important to kind of express that idea of, you know, this longing
for freedom. And for this dance particularly, we've kind of taken a bit more of an animalistic kind of point of view with some of our movements.
I mean, for anyone, you know, whether or not you're feeling kind of trapped emotionally, physically, financially, I mean, you all have that kind of
feeling and longing for freedom, which is what we really wanted to express within this kind of movement and this dance piece.
BASHIR: And what exactly have you taken away from today?
Of course, we've seen so many different events, including two incredible performances from you.
HARRIET PROCTOR-PEARSON, STUDENT, QUEEN ANNE'S SCHOOL: Well, it's just really nice to be able to see what everyone's put together and get the
message across about modern day slavery and that it still happens today.
And because some people think that it's just something that's from the past but it's still a very recent thing that happens every day. And it's really
great to be able to just spread that message to everyone.
BASHIR: It's incredible.
And, Becky, we've also seen today as the students being able to hear from a survivor of exploitation, hearing that story firsthand, hearing from the
charities that they're working with again to raise awareness around modern day slavery.
So this really has been a packed day of events. And as I mentioned, this is a truly international effort that is being led by the students here at this
school.
ANDERSON: Yes. And that's Queen Anne's School in England, marking #MyFreedomDay, youngsters celebrating the freedom to learn. It looks as if
Queen Anne's have really thrown themselves at this.
[10:55:03]
And it sounds as if the kids have really, you know, learned an awful lot out of this. Thank you.
Follow us for full coverage of My Freedom Day across CNN's multiple platforms. You're also invited to send us your thoughts on Freedom to
Learn.
What does that mean to you?
Wherever you are in the world, do send us your thoughts. Use the #MyFreedomDay on social media.
And we've also got a collection of stories about My Freedom Day across our digital platforms. This piece was written by a college professor,
highlighting the importance of education to combat the exploitation of children and human trafficking. And you can find that on your CNN app or at
CNN Digital.
All right. For our "Parting Shots" today, the rare sight of rainwater turning red.
Where else can you see a natural sight like this?
Heavy rain falling on the Cliffs of Hormuz Island in Iran and taking on the deep red color of the rocks, that vivid shade of red deriving from what is
the iron oxide deposits in the soil there.
Amazing, isn't it?
Your "Parting Shots" for you.
That's it for our show, CONNECT THE WORLD, with me, Becky Anderson. From the team working with me here, it's a very good evening. Stay with CNN.
"ONE WORLD" is up next.
END
