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Connect the World
Syria Withdraws Troops from South after Days of Deadly Clashes; UK Doctor in Gaza Describes Battle to Keep Patients Alive; Will he or Won't He; Senate Passes $9B in "DOGE Cuts" in 51-48 Vote Overnight; Opening Round of the Open Championship. Aired 9-10a ET
Aired July 17, 2025 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: This is the scene at the boundary between Syria and the Israeli occupied Golan Heights, after
hundreds of crews streamed across yesterday. Now we are watching to see if a ceasefire in Syria will hold after recent intense fighting.
It is 04:00 p.m. there. It is 05:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson, you're watching "Connect the World". This hour coming up, the
Epstein fallout grows, President Trump calling anyone who still wants to see the documents, quote weaklings for believing what he is now calling a
hoax.
In Greece, five people have been arrested for the killing of a California professor in Athens, including his ex-wife and her current boyfriend. The
stock market in New York opens about 30 minutes from now, and futures on the major indices certainly indicating a pretty flat to slightly better
open will be back there at 09:30 a.m. local time.
Well, Syria says it is withdrawing troops from a southern city after days of deadly clashes that triggered military action from Israel. This video
from late on Wednesday shows Syrian military vehicles leaving Suwayda. Syria's President says his country is not afraid of war, but agreed to a
renewed ceasefire to protect his people from more chaos and destruction, he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AHMED AL-SHARAA, SYRIAN PRESIDENT: Today, as we face this challenge, we find ourselves in the heart of a battle aimed at preserving the unity of
our nation. The Israeli entity, known for its repeated attempts to destabilize us and sow division, once again, seeks to turn our land into a
battlefield of chaos and to dismantle the fabric of our people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, the Israeli military struck a number of targets in the Syrian capital Damascus on Wednesday, in support of the Druze, an Arab
minority group that had clashed with Bedouin tribes in Suwayda in the south. Syrian authorities say at least three people were killed and dozens
more injured in Damascus.
In a message on X, America's top diplomat, said the U.S. has been working to bring the situation to an end. And notes this requires all parties to
deliver on the commitments that they have made to a ceasefire. Well, Reuters, Iraq Bureau Chief, Timour Azhari, joins us now from Damascus.
Good to have you. Thank you. Is the sense in Syria that this ceasefire will hold? What are you hearing on the ground there in Damascus?
TIMOUR AZHARI, IRAQ BUREAU CHIEF, REUTERS: So, thanks for having me. This ceasefire looks a lot like an agreement that followed violence a few months
back in Suwayda. And the background to this really goes back to the fall of Assad. Since then, the new Syrian authorities have struggled to impose
their authority in Suwayda, just as they've struggled to impose their authority in the northeast and even in the coastal regions.
You have a lot of ethnic minorities in Syria that look at the new rulers with a healthy dose of skepticism. We do have to remember they're a former
Al Qaeda affiliate, even though they have long disavowed those views, even though they've pledged to be inclusive. We have seen incidents since the
takeover that you know that are troubling to some of these groups.
In March, there was the coastal violence, which was sparked by an attack on security forces but then led very quickly to massacres of Alawites. There
was violence in Suwayda, actually, in May that led to a similar agreement called for the government to work together with local forces, but it never
really was implemented.
And so today we're in a situation where this agreement was reached, but then immediately it was rejected by a prominent Druze Leader, Sheikh Hikmat
al-Hajari, who has very close ties with the Israelis. And so now we're in a position where we have to see, will the Druze notables, the Sheikhs, be
able to work with Damascus to implement this agreement, which calls for bringing in the state, bringing in security forces, or will we basically be
going back to the past?
ANDERSON: Well, the clashes in the south and the subsequent Israeli bombing, Israel says in support of the Druze, that's the official Israeli
line. Have struck a lot of fear into Syrians of all backgrounds. Al-Sharaa tried to address that. And I want our viewers to just have a listen to
this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AL-SHARAA: We have therefore decided to entrust certain local factions and the Druze spiritual leadership with the responsibility of maintaining
security in Suwayda. This decision stems from a deep understanding of the dangers this situation poses to our country and the risk of being dragged
into a new war that could derail our recovery from past conflict and ongoing economic and political challenges.
[09:05:00]
We are committed to holding accountable those who wronged our Druze brothers and sisters. They are under the protection of the state, and that
is through law and justice that everyone's rights will be safeguarded without exception.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: So, what are you hearing about? How Al-Sharaa will navigate this?
AZHARI: Look, there's layers to this issue. First of all, the Druze are not a monolith. From the beginning, there were factions within this community
that tried to work with the government, wanted to work with the government, and are still saying that. At the same time, you had the other faction, led
by Hajari, which was very critical, quite outspokenly.
So, that's one layer that you have. What Al-Sharaa was saying, and it was very interesting to see in his speech yesterday, is he really, for the
first time, in a public forum, referred to Israel as the Israeli entity. Previously, they had referred to it as the Israeli state, or just Israel,
which was a marked shift from Syria's past.
You know, Syria has been a long-time enemy, and we've reported quite a lot of Reuters about how, since May, there were efforts to have first indirect
talks and then direct talks with the Israelis for security arrangements. And now the question is, after the strikes yesterday, which sort of fly in
the face of that, how can they continue on that path?
We know that the U.S. mediated a lot to bring the ceasefire into place, added the Arabs and Turks, and now we have to see how they move forward.
Definitely for Syrians to see their capital city struck in this way. And I was here and I saw it that brings back a lot of bad memories, but also,
it's quite unprecedented.
During the 14 years of war, there was no such strike on Syrian state institutions in the capital city.
ANDERSON: Timour, it's good to have you. Thank you very much indeed. Your analysis from there on the ground, very important to us. Thank you. Well,
the U.S. Secretary of State said on Wednesday, the Trump Administration had engaged, and I quote here, with all parties to end the brief conflict in
Syria. He also described the deadly clashes between Israel and Syria as a quote, misunderstanding.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: It's complicated. Obviously, these are historic, long-time rivalries between different groups in the south
west of Syria, Bedouins, the Druze community, and it led to an unfortunate situation and a misunderstanding it looks like between the Israeli side and
the Syrian side.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, I want to bring in CNN's Kylie Atwood from the State Department, to break down the U.S. position right now. And he talks about a
misunderstanding. There will be those who suggest that the U.S. misunderstands the complexities of what is going on the ground in Syria at
present.
Israel has been taking a hard line against Al-Sharaa, and we heard al Shara sharply condemn Israel. So perhaps it is hard to call this a
misunderstanding between these two. Explain for us the current U.S. position and reminders of Washington's interest in Syria today in 2025.
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's a few pieces of this, not the least of which is that the Trump Administration made a
really bold decision earlier this year to in the encouragement of some regional players to roll off U.S. sanctions on Syria, to effectively, in
their perspective, give President Al Sharaa an opportunity to rebuild Syria.
There was some doubt about that position, but it is what they did, effectively, what they're still doing, because some of those sanctions are
still in place. They're working to roll them back now, but because they did that, of course, maintaining a stable Syria is important to the United
States because it helps to maintain a stable region writ large, but it also puts their credibility on the line.
The decision that the Trump Administration made here, the bet that they made on President Al-Sharaa here. As you were speaking about earlier, the
Trump Administration officials, Marco Rubio, Ambassador Tom Barrack, who is the Special Envoy for Syria. They have been intimately involved in what we
now see as this ceasefire in Southern Syria.
President excuse me, President Trump turned to the Secretary of State yesterday during a meeting in which Rubio said that both parties had agreed
to specific steps to bring the fighting to a conclusion. That was before we saw the ceasefire in effect. So, he was clearly very intimately involved in
the discussions that were underway.
We now obviously have to see if this is able to hold and what measures can be put into place to make sure that this doesn't happen again, because, of
course, this has been an ongoing conflict that Syria has seen for some time now.
ANDERSON: So good to have you. Thank you very much indeed. Negotiations over a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza may be looking slightly more optimistic
today, according to sources.
[09:10:00]
The issue of Israeli troops positing in Gaza during the ceasefire appears to be on the path to be resolved. Forces could be removed from the what's
known as Morag corridor an Israeli security zone. In the meantime, Gaza's most vulnerable do continue to suffer.
A British surgeon who has been working in Gaza is keeping a video diary for CNN. Nada Bashir has that but a warning, the images that you are about to
see are disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. NICK MAYNARD, MEDICAL AID FOR PALESTINIANS: I am just over halfway through my fall in Nasser Hospital Khan Yunis, and this is my third trip
out here since October the seventh, to Gaza. And it is much worse than previous visits.
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dr. Nick Maynard has been traveling in and out of Gaza for around 15 years. He's been recording diary
entries exclusively for CNN. Together with our own footage from inside the hospital, we have pieced together a first-hand look, the humanitarian
crisis unfolding inside Gaza's hospitals.
MAYNARD: There's a massive area of bombardment just the east of Khan Yunis, the whole operating theater was shaking.
BASHIR (voice-over): Doctors here are not just treating wounds from bombs and bullets. They are fighting to keep their weakest patients alive as
hunger spreads.
MAYNARD: Does it hurt? Where does it hurt? Where does it hurt? He's very sleepy, isn't he?
BASHIR (voice-over): A blockade imposed by Israel on the Gaza strip has thrown the enclaves, 2 million people into the midst of a catastrophic
hunger crisis. As a result, doctors warn Gaza's most vulnerable, including children, are starving to death.
MAYNARD: Maybe cry seeing them my tears, my eyes. Literally, the expression skin and bones doesn't do it justice there. They have no muscle mass at
all, every single rib visible.
BASHIR (voice-over): What we are about to show you is distressing. Baby Zainab (ph) is just five months old. Her sunken cheeks and wrinkled skin a
painful indicator of just how malnourished she is. Her helpless cries, almost too weak to hear.
MAYNARD: What is her weight?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- before at two months she was -- 2.5. She losing weight.
BASHIR (voice-over): Zainab (ph) is just one of so many babies now at risk of death in Gaza.
MAYNARD: There have been four newborn babies in the last couple of weeks who died as a direct result of malnutrition. Their mothers were too
malnourished to produce milk. There are inadequate amounts of formula feed. Healthcare workers who tried to bring in formula feed have had it
specifically confiscated by the Israeli border guards.
BASHIR (voice-over): In response to CNN, the Israeli government said it is working to allow and facilitate the transfer of humanitarian aid to the
residents of the Gaza Strip, and is actively assisting these efforts, including the entry of food. But almost all the aid coming through is being
distributed by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is backed by both the U.S. and Israel.
It's at these sites that hundreds of Palestinians have been killed as they desperately attempt to secure what little aid is being made available, many
of them suffering from injuries that Dr. Nick Maynard says indicate a pattern.
MAYNARD: One day they come in with gunshot wounds to the head. Another day, they come in with gunshot wounds to the neck. The other day, we had four
children admitted, all of whom had been shot in the genitals.
BASHIR (voice-over): CNN has reached out to the Israeli military, but has not yet received a response.
MAYNARD: All the families of these victims, they all tell exactly the same story. That is the Israeli soldiers shooting them and the quadcopters
shooting them.
BASHIR (voice-over): But after more than 21 months of constant bombardment and with at least 1400 medical workers killed during that time, according
to the group medical aid for Palestinians, fatigue and the fear of being targeted pervades.
MAYNARD: Some colleagues have lost 20 or 30 kilograms in weight. So, they are exhausted mentally, they're exhausted physically. They're hungry all
the time, but they cope.
BASHIR (voice-over): And while doctors here work around the clock to save their patients from both bombs and bullets, their patients, they say, are
often then lost to hunger. Nada Bashir CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[09:15:00]
ANDERSON: You're watching "Connect the World" with me Becky Anderson. Still to come, the latest on a shocking murder of a UC Berkeley Professor in
Greece. Five people are now under arrest, including the victim's ex-wife. Plus, Donald Trump is desperately trying to stop everyone talking about
Jeffrey Epstein, but his own supporters just won't let it go. We'll get into why. Up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Five people are under arrest in Athens over the murder of a U.S. based Professor. Polish born father of two, was gunned down in the streets
on July the fourth, and one of the people detained is closely connected to the victim. Elinda Labropoulou, is following the story for us, and she
joins us now. What's the very latest, Elinda?
ELINDA LABROPOULOU, JOURNALIST: The five who were arrested and detained yesterday have testified this morning, and they are have been given until
Monday to prepare their pleas. They're facing very serious criminal charges, including the ex-wife, who is facing charges as a moral accomplice
to the murder, her current boyfriend, who is seen potentially as someone who has premeditated the murder, and there are three other people who are
facing charges as accomplices.
So, they will all appear on Monday in court. The ex-wife's lawyer already denies any of his client's involvement to this. As you understand, this was
a very shocking case here in Greece. It happened just under two weeks ago in broad daylight at a busy suburb of Athens.
Somebody walked up to the professor, shot him at close range, as police said, and then just fled the scene. The professor, at the time, was on his
way to see his children. He was in Greece to attend a custody case along with his ex-wife, and at the time of the killing, he was very close to his
wife's house.
We understand from both sides, from both legal teams, that there were issues between the two. There was the custody case. Now, of course, there
is the question of what happens to the children. Members of his family have come to Greece, and they're asking questions and trying to see what happens
next.
At the moment, the children two 10-year-old twins, are in the hands of the Greek authorities, and we're all waiting to see what happens on Monday,
Becky.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you, Elinda, thank you. Let's get you up to speed in some of the other stories that are on our radar right now. And at
eastern region of Iraq is mourning 61 people who died in a fire at a shopping center. The building had only been open for seven days when it was
engulfed in flames on Wednesday.
[09:20:00]
Some people could be seen on the roof as the fire burned beneath them. A total of 45 were rescued. Iraq's Interior Ministry said an investigation
there is underway. Well, a witness describes feeling terrified after a massive fire burned down the Tomorrowland main stage north of Brussels in
Belgium.
She said the sound of fireworks sent her outside, where she saw the giant cloud of smoke, if you see it here, organizers of the world-famous
electronic dance music festival set to begin Friday. They are focused, they say, on finding solutions for the weekend. Well, five migrants who were
deported from the U.S., the African nation of Eswatini, are currently being housed in isolated units in the country's correctional facilities.
That's according to a government official. The Eswatini government say that it is aware that is widespread concern. U.S. Supreme Court has paved the
way for the Trump Administration to deport certain migrants to countries other than their homeland. Well turning now to what appears to be the new
strategy for Donald Trump on the Epstein files.
He's blaming the Democrats lashing out at his own supporters who believe it. Here's what he wrote, quote, my past supporters have bought into this
bs hook, line and sinker. It's a sign of cracks developing in Trump's MAGA base, who are still demanding more information about sex offender Jeffrey
Epstein. CNN's Brian Stelter takes a closer look for you now at the controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel really betrayed, and I feel really, really angry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Millions of Americans are not satisfied with what we've been told.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a giant fiasco.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is not what I voted for.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST (voice-over): Some of President Trump's most loyal supporters are not letting up on the subject of Jeffrey
Epstein.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are owed more than a two-page memo being like, there's no there, there now move on.
STELTER (voice-over): Conservative influencers like Matt Walsh are vowing not to.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want justice, and we're not going to drop the subject until we get it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello, everybody.
STELTER (voice-over): Conspiracy theory boosters like Alex Jones kept up the pressure today, stoking fears of a cover up, while expressing hope that
Trump will put out more information. His guest is Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.
REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): I really encourage everyone that continues to ask questions. You know, this has been the first fracture in
MAGA, and we don't want this to happen anymore.
STELTER (voice-over): All of this poses a political challenge for a president who has, up until now, enjoyed an almost supernatural power to
persuade his base.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?
STELTER (voice-over): Trump's bafflement turned to frustration as he became the target of twisted conspiracy theories about the dead convicted
pedophile and some loyalists did follow the lead of his weekend "Truth Social" post telling people not to quote, waste time and energy on Jeffrey
Epstein.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now to the latest in the battle within the Trump Administration --
STELTER (voice-over): This was Fox's one and only segment about the controversy yesterday. Plus --
CHARLIE KIRK, TURNING POINT USA FOUNDER: I'm done talking about Epstein for the time being.
STELTER (voice-over): Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk said he was moving on.
KIRK: I'm going to trust my friends the administration --
STELTER (voice-over): But today, Kirk said those quotes were taken out of context.
KIRK: We're not moving on.
STELTER (voice-over): Kirk hearing from his fans, saying the grassroots is fired up about this and demanding answers.
KIRK: You are not letting this story go. I know that.
STELTER (voice-over): Kirk expressing confidence that Attorney General Pam Bondi and other Trump officials will provide more info. Despite the signal
last week that the DOJ and the FBI view the matter as closed. At a Tuesday press conference about fentanyl, Bondi dodged a question about Epstein.
PAM BONDI, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Nothing about Epstein. Not going to talk about Epstein.
STELTER (voice-over): So, while some right-wing media outlets are moving on, these conspiracy theories about elites abusing kids are still swirling
online and on the air.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People like me will not stop talking about this. If we do not stand up for the children of this country, we have nothing.
STELTER (voice-over): But this is why conspiracy theories fester. The government says there is no evidence of a so-called client list. This means
listeners have been swallowing lies for a long time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's sitting on my desk right now to review --
STELTER (voice-over): Commentators like Glenn Beck say they want and need some sort of closure.
GLENN BECK, POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I want to believe in the good, so help me, but I don't know how you prove a negative? How do you prove there is no
evidence?
STELTER (voice-over): Trust the government and fall in line or continue to fight for answers? That is the rift on the right, one that even President
Trump can't easily fix.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, that was Brian Stelter, and you can head online for a lot more on this story. CNN's Stephen Collinson argues Donald Trump's wild and
whirling day showed why most Americans disapprove of him and think he's ignoring their key issues and why his most loyal supporters will never
desert him.
[09:25:00]
That is Stephen's take in that is at CNN Digital. Ahead on "Connect the World" with me Becky Anderson, what is Donald Trump's next step in his
ongoing battle with the Fed Chief Jerome Powell. Wall Street, would like to know, and we will get you live to the White House. For more on that after
this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. You are watching "Connect the World". These are your headlines. Syrian government officials
and leaders from the Druze and Arab minority group announced a renewed ceasefire on Wednesday, after days of deadly clashes, the Druze followed
intervention from the U.S.
So far, the ceasefire does appear to be holding. 61 people were killed when a massive fire swept through a shopping mall in Eastern Iraq. Video shows
the building engulfed in flames. Emergency workers battled to the fire out. More than 45 people were rescued. The shopping mall has only been open
seven days beforehand.
Five people have been arrested in relation to the killing of California University professor who was shot dead in Athens earlier this month. A
source tells CNN, four of them have confessed. Among those detained, the victim's ex-wife and her current partner.
Well, the U.S. president has been bad mouthing the Federal Reserve Chief Jerome Powell again for not or refusing to cut interest rates. And on
Wednesday, he said he would quote love for Powell to resign. Well, the president also says highly unlikely Powell would be fired, but then hinted
it could be possible to remove him for what Trump alleges is fraud.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I'd -- love if he wants to resign. That would be up to him. They say it would disrupt the market if I did.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.
TRUMP: But, you know, there are many people say he should be removed because of the fraud of what he's doing.
I don't rule out anything, but I think it's highly unlikely, unless he has to leave fraud.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, the president has suggested that a 2.5-billion-dollar renovation at the Federal Reserve buildings could be crowns for dismissal.
[09:30:00]
And all of this on investors' minds is the markets open on Wall Street today. Let's just see that opening bell. There it goes. These futures
markets had indicated that these markets would be sort of mixed to better today, and we'll let these markets just settle off a little bit. Rana
Foroohar is a CNN Global Economic Analyst and Global Business Columnist at the "Financial Times", and she joins us now.
And I am just having a look at the DOW Jones at least it's open in positive territory, but there isn't an awful lot of volume out there. It has to be
said, how grave is this concern around Powell? Some suggest this may just be a case of TACO Trump always chickening out. Or is it really anyone's
guess? How should we read into this?
RANA FOROOHAR, CNN GLOBAL ECONOMIC ANALYST: Yeah, you know, Becky, I really do think that this is a serious issue. I was at a conference of CEOs,
global CEOs a couple of weeks ago, and really, independence of the fed was their primary concern. I mean, people are willing to put up with a lot from
the U.S., more polarized politics, corruption, tariff wars.
What they are not willing to put up with is the sense that the central bank is not independent. That is the bedrock of the U.S. economy, and, frankly,
of any economy. I mean, you can see in other countries, Turkey, for example, where a very, quite a similar scenario played out, where the
president was wanting the central banker to lower interest rates.
He didn't want to. He was removed. The currency plunged, the stock market plunge, and inflation is now 35 percent. I'm not saying that that's going
to happen in the U.S., but what I will say is, when I talk to global investors, this is the number one thing blinking red.
And I think you've already seen the markets you know, which were down about a percentage point the other day. The dollar has not come back. The dollar
fell and the dollar's value is not coming back. That's a big bellwether for trust in the U.S. I think you cannot overstate what would happen if Trump
pulled Powell out of his job?
ANDERSON: Yeah, I agree that this is certainly people I talk to, a very mindful of what might happen next with Jerome Powell, who is doing his best
it seems to navigate what has been this. You know, on again, off again, tariff, you know, rates and trade war that will ultimately affect the U.S.
economy.
And it doesn't really matter whether you buy into the increase in tariffs and the fight that Donald Trump is prepared to have, whether or not you buy
into this long term. Short term, this is really impactful on U.S. assets.
FOROOHAR: Yeah.
ANDERSON: And the Fed Chair trying to do his job, which is keep inflation within a certain corridor by using monetary policy I interest rates. When
you look at the raw data at this point, what's it telling you about the U.S. economy?
FOROOHAR: So, you know, it's interesting. We just saw retail numbers this morning that came in really hot. People are still shopping in the U.S. I
mean, it's incredible. The strength of the U.S. consumer, the labor data that came in last week was very strong. The raw data, against all odds, is
saying it's not time to lower interest rates.
The economy is still running hot. You know, I'm hearing from a lot of big companies that some of them are more optimistic than they were even three
months ago on earnings. So really, Powell is doing exactly what he should be doing right now. He is waiting, he's looking at the data.
And frankly, this is a guy that's navigated a lot of rocky shoals, the pandemic wars, trade wars, you know, I mean, if anything, I think he should
be coming in for some praise from the president.
ANDERSON: In turn of course, we've got Trump's big, beautiful bill at present, and what's your take on how that might affect the U.S. economy
long term, briefly?
FOROOHAR: I think the big, beautiful bill is going to go down as one of the worst economic policy disasters in U.S. history. And I don't say that
lightly, this bill basically gives the rich who have never been richer in this country, a huge tax break in order to cut things like Medicaid, which
is health care for the poor, at a time when the poor are incredibly vulnerable.
We have a very bifurcated economy in the U.S. If you are making your money from the stock market, you're doing very well. If you're making it in
income, you're not, low-end service jobs are what's growing fastest. And so, if you pull health care from the most vulnerable people, that's what
tends to push people in America into poverty a health care emergency.
ANDERSON: Right.
FOROOHAR: I just think it's going to stoke inequality, it's going to stoke populism, and it's really going to come back to haunt us in a few years.
It's also going to raise --
[09:35:00]
ANDERSON: And 61 percent of Americans --
FOROOHAR: Yeah.
ANDERSON: Right, and which, you know, to the conversation you just been having about the sort of macroeconomic picture. I just want our viewers get
the latest CNN polling 61 percent of Americans oppose the big, beautiful bill. It's set to worse than the nation's debt as you suggested over time.
There are those who, of course, suggest it will give a massive fiscal stimulus. And so, you know, there was -- there always, you know, economists
never agree on everything, do they? In fact, economists rarely agree on anything. So, there is another, there is a counter argument to this. Look,
I want to turn to the bill. Go on --
FOROOHAR: I just want to make one point about the idea of this actually stimulating the economy. That's trickle-down theory. We know that, that has
not given tax breaks to the rich, has not grown the American economy in decades. There is simply no proof in recent memory that that's the case.
And really, if you go back to Trump's tax cuts of 2017, you can see that all of the money went to stock buybacks and into the pockets of the richest
Americans. It didn't create factories. It didn't create stronger growth.
ANDERSON: Making a very good point. The bill that passed the Senate last night formalizing DOGE cuts, let's have a look at that. It had cut $9
billion of previously approved federal funding, namely for USAID and public broadcasting like NPR and, of course, PBS.
In a striking moment overnight, one of the Democratic Senators, Jon Ossoff, warned that, that bill will cut off all U.S. involvement for UNICEF. Have a
listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JON OSSOFF (D-GA): This is Abdullah (ph). He was one year old, starving in a war zone in Yemen until his life was saved by emergency
rations sent by the American people through UNICEF. This bill ends the entire direct American contribution to UNICEF.
Are we so calloused by politics that we would make this grievous and avoidable error, moral error? Do we believe it is the will of our
constituents that children like Abdullah (ph) should die?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: You've had a look at this bill. Just talk to us about the fallout of this, both domestically and internationally, if you will.
FOROOHAR: Yeah, well, let's start with international, because I think that, that's going to be really huge. I mean, if you look at the way in which
foreign aid has been pulled by this administration, who's coming in to fill that void, China, there's a huge charm campaign. China is pouring money
into the places where America is pulling back, that has really, lasting long term effects.
Because if you think about the goodwill of the international public towards America over the last, really 50 years, I mean, most of my lifetime, this
is where people wanted to come. They thought of America as a benevolent place, as a place where you can get the best education, people that would
welcome you with open arms.
Not so much anymore. The Chinese and other nations are courting the most talented people globally, and this kind of really silly, penny-wise, pound-
foolish diplomacy mistake is, I think, going to resonate unfortunately in the U.S. I don't think it's going to have much of an impact at all.
I think that, sadly, people are watching other things, and they're not as concerned as they should be about America's larger place in the world.
ANDERSON: Fascinating. Rana, always good to have you. Thank you. Thanks for your time. Speak soon. Still to come, we'll check in on the leaderboard at
Royal Portrush, where Rory McIlroy is about to tee off at the Open Championship. More on that is --
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[09:40:00]
ANDERSON: Not long now until crowds are roaring for Rory at the Open Championship in the coming hour. Five-time major winner, Rory McIlroy will
tee off in front of his home fans in the opening round at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. Odds of people expected to follow the world number two
around the course as he attempts to win the Claret Jug for a second time.
Patrick Snell joins me now. I've played that course, it absolutely tore me up clearly. How's this form coming into the British big one?
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Becky, now that you've shared that with us, I've got to ask you, how did it go for you? Was it tough? It looked really
tough, I tell you.
ANDERSON: Oh, no, the weather was lousy. I play, I mean, just no. It's terrible, anyway --
SNELL: Becky -- case. It's really soggy there. You won't be surprised to learn on this day, but the massive anticipation always around Rory McIlroy,
wherever he plays in the world, but especially so, Becky, when he's playing in his homeland, in Northern Ireland.
And of course, it didn't go too well for him, I will say, the last time the open was played there Royal Portrush back in 2019 when Shane Lowry won
McIlroy. There was so much expectation around him that time he failed to make the cut. He wasn't around for the weekend.
He had a disaster on his very first hole during round one that year. Then he came back superbly shot, mid 60s in the second round, but it wasn't
enough to make the cut. But I think he's in a different, sort of, altogether different headspace. Now he's a five-time major when he's
finally completed the Career Grand Slam.
So, in a way, Becky, the shackles are off, really. I think he's liberated. I expect him to do well over the next few days. We'll see, though, it is
Royal Portrush, it's one mighty challenge. It will bring our viewers up to date with all the very latest as they're out on the course there in "World
Sport" just a few moments from right now.
ANDERSON: Terrific. Thank you, sir. Patrick Snell -- he's got "World Sport" after this short break. We are back in 15 minutes time with "Connect the
World".
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[09:45:00]
(WORLD SPORT)
[10:00:00]
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