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Connect the World
Isreal Faces Global Outrage Following Gaza Hospital Attack; Trump Doubles Tariffs on Indian Imports to 50 Percent; Kremlin Rejects Presence of European Troops on Ukrainian Territory; SpaceX's Starship Meets "Every Major Objective" in Test Flight; Bradley to Announce His Final U.S. Ryder Cup Picks Today. Aired 9-9:45a ET
Aired August 27, 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: Well, this is the scene in Washington, D.C., where U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to
hold a White House meeting on Gaza today. It's 05:00 p.m. in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson. You're watching "Connect the World".
Also coming up, President Trump threatens sanctions on Russia. Meanwhile, Trump's fight with the U.S. Federal Reserve escalates. The stock market in
New York opens in about 30 minutes from now, in that fight with the U.S. Fed, what happens on interest rates.
Plus, earnings from tech giant Nvidia, later today, amid talk of an AI bubble. All dominating investors' minds, perhaps no surprise in that stock
futures, indicating few in the markets prepared to place bets one way or the other. More on that at 09:30 local time. Well, we start with what the
U.S. Special Middle East Envoy is calling a large meeting on Gaza planned for later today at the White House.
Steve Witkoff says it will focus on the future of the besieged enclave. This meeting set to happen a day after those massive nationwide protests in
Israel calling for an immediate ceasefire with Hamas and the release of the hostages. Meantime, Israel's military is offering details of its initial
inquiry into the deadly double tap attack Monday on a Gaza hospital that has sparked international condemnation.
Jeremy Diamond, connecting us today from Jerusalem and fill us in, if you will, on the details of this IDF inquiry, firstly, on the Nasser hospital
attack as international outrage grows.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well Becky, this is an initial inquiry from the Israeli military, and it is quite scant on details. The
Israeli military claiming that it was targeting a camera that it says Hamas was using to observe the movement of Israeli troops.
They say that camera was positioned the top the Nasser hospital, where the Israeli military indeed carried out not one, but at least two strikes on
that very same location, just minutes apart. The Israeli military, though, in this statement, provided no evidence for this claim, no explanation of
how they ascertained that this camera was a Hamas camera and not a camera of one of the several journalists who were positioned at that very
location.
Nor did they explain why they struck this location for a second time while first responders were arriving on the scene. The Israeli military said that
they would further examine the process for authorizing these strikes, as well as the decision making on the ground.
What we do know for certain, though, is that now 22 people have been killed after two additional individuals died of their wounds in the days following
these strikes. Among the dead, five journalists, including those working for Reuters, the Associated Press and Al Jazeera, four health care workers
and one rescue worker were also killed in these strikes.
And it's important to note that this is not some kind of isolated incident. Nearly 200 journalists have been killed in Gaza since the beginning of this
war by the Israeli military, according to the committee for the protection of journalists. That makes this war the deadliest conflict for journalists
in modern history.
And this is clearly a pattern of Israel targeting journalists or simply disregarding its international duty to protect journalists during conflict.
And it's also important to note, Becky, that Israel has done so while consistently blocking access for foreign journalists to freely and
independently report inside of Gaza for nearly 23 months now, Becky.
ANDERSON: Jeremy, let's just pause for a moment, as I'm sure our viewers will reflect on some of these images of some of those who were killed at
Nasser hospital. There's a meeting planned today at the White House, apparently, to focus on the so-called day after for Gaza, but with no end
in sight, a further expansion of Israeli operations, the sort of strike that we saw Monday on Nasser hospital. Explain what we understand is likely
to happen next?
DIAMOND: Well, there's no question that there are a series of meetings happening in Washington today that could, presumably, you know, be aimed at
hastening the end of the war in Gaza, reaching some kind of political settlement, and securing the release of the 50 Israeli hostages who remain
held inside the Gaza Strip, about 20 of whom are believed to still be alive.
[09:05:00]
But the question will ultimately be at the end of the day, whether these meetings were mainly for show, or whether they were actually, substantive
and something that can productively achieve those aims. We know that the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, set to meet with the Israeli Foreign
Minister this afternoon in Washington.
And then Steve Witkoff has said that there is a large meeting planned at the White House today that will be chaired by President Trump to discuss
post war Gaza plans, although he didn't elaborate on exactly what they would be aiming to achieve there.
What is certainly clear, though, is that right now, more than a week after Hamas has said that it is effectively agreed to the conditions for a
temporary ceasefire in Gaza that would lead to the release of 10 living Israeli hostages held inside the Gaza Strip, effectively identical to the
conditions of the deal that was on the table that Israel had previously agreed to.
Israel still has not responded to that deal, and instead, it seems that both Israel and Washington are indeed now committed to not engaging in
talks over a temporary ceasefire and a partial release of the remaining hostages in Gaza, instead aiming for an all-encompassing deal that would
secure the release of all of the hostages and ultimately lead to an end of the war.
But of course, Israel's conditions and what Hamas is willing to accept for that are still quite far apart, as the Israeli government demands that
Hamas not only not be part of any future governance of Gaza, but also that it demilitarized entirely. That has been a red line for Hamas, of course.
Steve Witkoff, President Trump's Special Envoy on all of this, he has said that he believes that this war will end. Certainly, he said, by the end of
the year, one way or another, we will see, of course, if that is the timeline of the reality on the ground.
ANDERSON: Jeremy, it's good to have you. Thank you very much indeed. Well, the Associated Press has published a series of some of the last photos
taken by their freelancer inside Gaza before she was killed in that double tap attack on Nasser hospital that Jeremy was referring to on Monday.
These are some of Mariam Abu Dagga's images, many of them taken at Nasser hospital. They are a reminder of the essential work. She and many other
Palestinian journalists undertake to help the world see in stark terms what is happening inside Gaza. And here is the view from her lens.
A warning, you may find some of these images, disturbing. Mariam Abu Dagga spent a lot of time documenting injuries and starvation at Nasser hospital,
as you saw there. Next hour, I'm going to speak to a doctor from Medecins Sans Frontieres, who worked with Mariam during her time in Gaza.
Well, India is now facing some of the steepest tariffs imposed by the United States. President Donald Trump, doubled the rate to 50 percent up
from the baseline 25 percent imposed just a few weeks ago. Mr. Trump is making good on his threats to punish New Delhi for buying Russian oil. And
as CNN Mike Valerio reports, it is likely to have major implications.
MIKE VALERIO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And it's all the more extraordinary because six months ago, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi
was in the Oval Office, bear hugging and back slapping U.S. President Trump. And now fast forward to the end of August, this tariff fight.
So, besides products from India, some of them, anyway, becoming more expensive for American buyers. The other theme why this is important for
the rest of the world to look at, that we're concerned with is this, could this tariff fight be pushing India in a new direction, specifically, one
closer to Russia, or even closer to China because of this tension with the United States.
Evidence of that just this week, happening for the first time, travel by the Indian Prime Minister to China since 2018, the first time since 2018,
Prime Minister Modi will be going to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting that is a regional security bloc founded by Beijing and Moscow to
try to reshape the global world order in the image that those two capitals want to make it.
Also, Putin will be traveling -- Vladimir Putin, President Putin of Russia, will be traveling to India by year's end. So, in terms of the human cost of
this, you're going to hear from a garment exporter owner talking about the cost that this is already inflicted upon his business, as well as somebody
who's worked as an embroiderer for the past 22 years.
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SUDHIR DHINGRA, OWNER OF ORIENT CRAFT LIMITED: There will be job losses, and it's very painful that these are people who hardly make $300 a month.
This is worse than COVID.
NEERAJ PANDEY, FACTORY WORKER: I have no other work, if this goes away. I don't know how to do anything else.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALERIO: So, what could bring India and the United States out of this is if a trade deal is reached. So far, there have been five rounds of negotiation
that have ended in failure, for what it's worth, in terms of the geopolitical direction that India could be moving in.
There was a virtual meeting between the State Department and India's Ministry of External Affairs, those representatives the next day agreeing
that their ties still remain strong, especially as it relates to the quad, which is a security partnership between India, the United States, Japan and
Australia, with leaders of the quad that would be President Trump.
The prime ministers of the respective members expected to meet by year's end. Mike Valerio, CNN, Seoul.
ANDERSON: So, Mike Valerio, and while President Donald Trump hits India with these punishing tariffs, he is also renewing his threat of heavy
economic sanctions against Russia if it doesn't end the fighting in Ukraine. Have a listen to his latest remarks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: It will not be a world war, but it will be an economic war, and an economic war is going to
be bad, and it's going to be bad for Russia, and I don't want that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: President's Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, tells Fox News that the Trump Administration speaks with the Russians every day, and he is, quote,
hopeful that Russia and Ukraine will reach a deal by the end of this year, or maybe sooner. Well CNN's Fred Pleitgen joins us now from Moscow for the
Kremlin says it views European security guarantees for Ukraine negatively, and it would not like to discuss this topic in a public format.
I just wonder what more you are learning about what is being discussed and what we understand to be the developments at this point?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, the Kremlin says that they don't view European security guarantees, per se,
negatively, but they certainly view the prospect of possibly having European troops on the ground in Ukraine negatively.
It's definitely not something the Kremlin wants. It was quite interesting because Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for the Kremlin, came out a little
earlier today and said that the Russians don't consider those to be European troops. They consider those to be the troops of European nations,
most of which would be members of NATO.
And the Russians are saying, look, one of the reasons they say this conflict started in the first place. The root causes that the Russians keep
speaking about was the expansion of NATO, and NATO infringing on Ukrainian territory and essentially trying to make Ukraine a bulwark against Russia,
and possibly move NATO expansion to there.
So, the Russians are saying that that's something they definitely view negatively, also, as far as the prospects of a meeting between Vladimir
Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine are concerned, the Russians also don't seem to be in a massive rush to make that happen.
Either Peskov, they're also saying that he believes a meeting like that needs to be well prepared. Of course, over the past couple of days, we've
seen a messaging blitz coming from the Russians, essentially saying that right now, the two sides are still very far apart.
And that they believe that if such a meeting would happen, if Vladimir Putin were meet to meet face to face, directly with Volodymyr Zelenskyy,
that that meeting would have to have direct results, and therefore things need to be prepared, essentially, for those two leaders to then just sign
off on things.
And the Russians believe that they are still pretty far away from making that happen. And as far as President Trump's threats are concerned, what
we've been hearing here, Becky, over the past couple of days is that the Russians seem pretty calm about that, about the prospect of President Trump
putting new tariffs on them, things like that, that economic war that he was speaking about.
In fact, Vladimir Putin was at an event this weekend in a closed off city that is a nuclear city, where he said that he sees light at the end of the
tunnel as far as relations between the U.S. and Russia is concerned. And not only believes that there could be cooperation between the U.S. and
Russia, but possibly even that Russian firms could actually start getting contracts in the United States as well, Becky.
ANDERSON: Good to have you. Thank you. Fred's keeping across what is going on there in Moscow. You are watching "Connect the World" with me Becky
Anderson. Just ahead taking on the world's most powerful central bank, the potential fallout from Donald Trump's escalating fight with the fed.
Plus, is the U.S. President trying to strong arm his way to ultimate power? Our Stephen Collinson believes that is the case. Find out why. Up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: So, the line is that I'm a dictator when I stopped crime. So, a lot of people say, you know, if that's the case, I'd rather have a dictator.
Most people say, if you call him a dictator, if he stops crime, he can be whatever he wants.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: What was President Trump and his cabinet meeting on Tuesday, doubling down on his push to deploy National Guard troops beyond
Washington, D.C. This is in the name of fighting crime, according to Trump. Critics have raised red flags about the plan on multiple fronts.
Some say it's just a way to punish his political enemies, others calling it a dangerous power grab, but the president not backing down. CNN's Stephen
Collinson says this is right on brand for President Trump. He joins me now. Stephen, you say in your latest analysis for CNN Digital, the President
Trump's crime crackdown is just one of the ways he's been using the full power of government for his own agenda.
And you and I have been discussing that over the past weeks on the show. Can you just explain your thinking, at present?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Yeah, I think Donald Trump's personal and business life informed us about what he's doing now.
Throughout his time as a real estate tycoon in New York. He pushed of every single constraint that was built around the normal practice of how people
in business behave.
And he simply transferred that, I think, to government, every arena of American life. He's trying to inject his persona and his power. So, we're
talking about how he's trying to effectively take over the independent central bank of the United States, one of the core anchors of American
prosperity, and to force it to lower interest rates.
That's what's behind his decision to try to fire one of the Federal Reserve Board members, Lisa Cook. He's trying to exert power in democratic run
cities and states like Illinois and Chicago and Washington D.C., where, you know, he's rejected by a majority of the population.
Just this morning, we learned that the administration is taking over Union Station in Washington, D.C., the main railroad station. Trump was involved
in another cultural war spat this week. There's a small restaurant called Cracker Barrel, which is very popular in American rural and red Republican
states called and they changed their logo.
They took away the logo of an old white man in a barrel, and the White House and various conservative groups said this was woke, if you like. It
was part of a left-wing conspiracy the firm called the White House and told them it was taking back the new logo and was going back to its original
one.
[09:20:00]
So, from the trivial to the most serious areas of American life, Trump is trying to impose his will.
ANDERSON: What did you make of that quip about being a dictator? I mean, we know that he, you know, he makes these off the cuff comments. It's why he
makes news so often, of course, and that is Donald Trump's style. So, what did you make of it?
COLLINSON: So, to your point, I think what he does is he says provocative things that then everybody in the United States starts talking about, and
then he's at the center of lots of conversations. I think that's part of it. But at the same time. Look at who Donald Trump admires in the world,
Vladimir Putin, Recep Erdogan in Turkey, Xi Jinping of China, with whom he's waging a low-grade trade war, but he rarely stops praising the
strength of Xi.
Look at many of the steps that Trump is taking militarizing law enforcement in the United States, as I said, trying to influence the policy of the fed.
So, there is no doubt, and from his public pronouncements, another thing Trump said yesterday in that cabinet meeting that you referred to was that
I am the President of the United States, and I can do exactly what I want.
That is not true. That is exactly the kind of talk that the United States was set up to, you know, against 250 years ago, the idea of one single
monarchical ruler. So, while he talks about it flippantly, I think there are grounds for concern that he means it seriously.
ANDERSON: It's always good to have you. Stephen, and you can find Stephen's analysis as ever @cnn.com and on your CNN app. Thank you Stephen. The U.S.
Federal Reserve is responding after President Donald Trump announced that he is firing Fed Governor Lisa Cook, in turn.
Cook's attorney says she is filing a lawsuit challenging the president the fed is has this to say about it, quoting now as always, the Federal Reserve
will abide by any court decision. The Federal Reserve reaffirms its commitment to transparency, accountability and independence in the surface
-- service of American families, communities and businesses.
While Trump says he has enough cause to fire Cook. Her attorney says that is not the case. The president has been open about his irritation with the
fed of course, the institution is supposed to act independently to set monetary policy for the U.S. President Trump is upset that Fed Chairman
Jerome Powell hasn't cut interest rates.
Well, our White House Reporter Alayna Treene standing by for us in Washington. I think it's important that we just have a look at this fed
statement. And what Team Trump might make of it? I mean, what do you expect to happen next?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: I mean, I think the statement from the Federal Reserve, unsurprisingly, is quite diplomatic, Becky. They try
to stay nonpartisan. They try to stay out of politics. But of course, what is happening the president's decision to try and fire Lisa Cook, one of the
Federal Reserve's Governors, is -- as unprecedented.
No U.S. President has ever done something like this before, and so we're in uncharted territory here, and it is forcing, I think, the fed to weigh in
on issues like this, not necessarily things that they like to do, given their independence and their focus on trying to kind of remain separate
from the executive branch.
But as for the other part of your question is, you know, how do we expect the president and the White House to respond? Look, I've had many
conversations over the last 24, 48 hours regarding the firing of Lisa Cook, and they tell me this is something that he had said and threatened he would
do.
I would remind you that a couple days ago, the president said that he was really pushing for her to resign. This is all based on, I should note,
allegations of mortgage fraud, allegations that are still unproven. But then, once he did move forward with this decision, people here at the White
House are saying, look, he said he was going to do it.
He's moving forward with it. And pretty much the word I'm getting is that he is committed to sticking with this. He's already making plans with the
help of his treasury secretary as well as commerce secretary, on who to replace her with. And it's such a key part of all of this, of course, is
what is the president's ultimate goal here?
I mean, something I know, and this has been long before he even made this decision about Lisa Cook. The importance of this is he has been so
frustrated for months now with how the Federal Reserve has operated. Of course, we've seen the public pressure he is putting on the Chairman Jerome
Powell, to lower interest rates.
But all of this comes back to his idea that he wants to fulfill one of his key campaign promises, which to have a thriving economy, and he believes
that the fed is getting in the way of that.
[09:25:00]
And he's not able to control it, and this is potentially a way of him to kind of gain more influence over how the fed is operating by potentially,
you know, trying to put his own people on the board of governors, to replace Lisa Cook. All to say this is likely headed to the courts.
We've already seen Lisa Cook, her attorney a blow is saying that he's going to be filing a lawsuit today, pushing back and challenging on this decision
by the Trump Administration. So, this isn't the end, and we could potentially see this get very nasty. But I do think the bigger picture of
why this is happening, and of course, really seeing the president continue to push the bounds of his executive authority are so crucial to the overall
reasoning for why he actually moved forward with this.
ANDERSON: Good to have you. Alayna Treene is in Washington for you. Thank you. Let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories that are on our
radar right now. And Denmark's Foreign Minister has summoned the top U.S. diplomat there over a reported covert influence campaign in Greenland
that's been linked to Donald Trump.
Denmark's national broadcaster cited unnamed sources for that report. President Trump, in the past, has suggested the U.S. by the semi-autonomous
Danish territory. SpaceX says every major objective was met in its 10th starship test flight. The massive launch system's two reusable parts
splashed down as planned in the U.S. Gulf and the Indian Ocean.
The success comes after a -- of missteps for the craft, which could one day take humans to Mars, Elon Musk says. With the NAACP is suing Texas over
plans to redraw the congressional maps to benefit Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The lawsuit argues that the maps will lead to an even further discriminatory effect on black and other voters of color in the Lone Star
State. Well, you're watching "Connect the World" with me Becky Anderson. Lot more to come, taking a very short break back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. You're watching "Connect the World". These are your headlines this hour. U.S. President
Donald Trump is set to convene what is Special Middle East Envoy is calling a large meeting on Gaza today.
The post war future of the enclave is ostensibly what is in focus. It comes amid a looming Israeli offensive on Gaza City, and no response from
Israel's government on the latest ceasefire proposal accepted by Hamas. The U.S. has imposed a 50 percent tariff on Indian imports.
[09:30:00]
Donald Trump doubled the rate he put in place just a few weeks ago in order to punish India for buying Russian oil. Holding the opening bell on Wall
Street about to ring. There it goes. It is just shy of 09:30 a.m. Eastern Time, 05:30 of course, here in Abu Dhabi. That is the bell on Wall Street.
And as we wait for these markets to settle somewhat.
That's the picture? That's the DOW. And as expected, we were looking at the stock futures markets earlier today. And these markets, really, it seems
feeling a little nervous at present as President Trump fights with the world's most powerful central bank. He's also continuing, of course, with
his tariff plans, dealing that punishing blow to India because it's buying Russian oil, which helps Moscow fund its war with Ukraine.
Rana Foroohar is Global Business Columnist at the "Financial Times". She's based in New York. She's also CNN's Global Economic Analyst and a good
friend of this show. She joins us now live. Good to have you. Is team Trump trying to oust Fed Governor Cook, so it can nominate another rate cutting
ally to fill one of these seven Fed Governor seats? Is that? What's going on here?
RANA FOROOHAR, CNN GLOBAL ECONOMIC ANALYST: Yeah, that's absolutely what's going on, Becky, you know the Trump team has made no mystery of the fact
that they want interest rates to come down. It would make their lives easier. It would temporarily probably juice the economy in the markets a
little bit, although probably not as much in the -- as in the past, because I think markets are pretty frothy as they are.
Borrowing costs might come down short term that would allow them to, you know, talk about lower mortgage rates, lower interest rates on cars or
credit cards. But Becky, here's the thing. I think that by politicizing the fed, that the team Trump is actually going to have the opposite effect on
long term interest rates.
I think rates are going to go up because risk is going to go up in the U.S. And investors know that a political fed is not an effective fed, and that
makes them very, very worried.
ANDERSON: I've been watching these markets long enough to build a sort of - - build a kind of case for exactly that. And I think you're right. I mean, I think there was a real case to suggest that, which means this national
debt at what $37 trillion and growing, it seems by the day, is just going to get more expensive for the treasury, not less.
FOROOHAR: Yeah.
ANDERSON: Be that as it may, there's really good article today on cnn.com. Wall Street is whistling past the graveyard as Trump infiltrates the fed.
And the point being, we've seen very little reaction really, on these markets to what is going on and what's going on with the fed, what's going
on with regard interest rates?
Of course, the markets today hanging on to see what Nvidia's earnings might do. I mean, if they fall short of expectations today, there's going to be a
real fear that this sort of AI bubble out there. So, you can understand why investors are placing massive bets. But what are you -- what is your sense
of why it is that Wall Street hasn't done what you and I you've been following these markets for years, might have expected them to do.
FOROOHAR: Yeah, it's a great question. I think that right now, there is still no really good, safe alternative, investors feel to the U.S. markets.
If you look at China, China has a lot of problems. China has its own debt crisis. China has a housing problem. China is also, frankly, an autocratic
country, and unfortunately, the U.S. seems to be becoming more so by the day, but that doesn't make China more investable.
A lot of investors just simply don't trust what's happening in that market. If you look at Europe, which is kind of where I thought more money was
going to go, there's still a lot of political wrangling. Can Europe really come together? Can it commit to a fully integrated fiscal union?
I mean, will it at some point become a kind of United States of America in the good sense? And the jury is still out on that. At the same time, you've
got Europe facing Russian aggression. You've got Europe sort of pulled between China and the U.S. temporarily, which, again, doesn't make it a
great picture for investors.
So, they look around, they you know, some of them are invested in gold, you know, but that's not an incredibly liquid market. I mean, there's only so
much gold in the world. I do expect the prices to go higher, and they say, what are my alternatives? That said, Becky, the world changes.
[09:35:00]
It may change slowly, but I suspect that if you and I were having this conversation in certainly in five years, maybe even two or three years,
there would be a very, very different picture. If nothing changes, if you still have 50 percent tariffs on India, if you still have a political fed
that makes the U.S. look like Zimbabwe, frankly.
Other countries are going to create new pathways, new trade routes, new relationships, and the U.S. is going to get left behind, and then it's
really going to be in a pickle.
ANDERSON: To your first point, though, which is a good one, and what Donald Trump is doing on tariffs, of course, supports your contention that other
markets away from the state are looking a bit risky at present. So, if that is, you know, that is the sort of receive wisdom from investors.
And perhaps it isn't as big a surprise as we've been suggesting about why it is that these U.S. markets have held up. It's always good to have you,
Rana. Thank you very, very much indeed for joining us. Well still to come, the world of golf, keeping a close eye on Keegan Bradley as the captain
prepares to announce his final picks for Team USA's Ryder Cup squad. Will he select himself? More on that is after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, it is now official. Two of America's biggest superstars, pop Queen Taylor Swift and Super Bowl Champion Travis Kelce are engaged.
The happy couple posted these images to social media on Tuesday, which have since gone viral. CNN's Lisa Respers France has the very latest for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LISA RESPERS FRANCE, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Two years in the making, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, dropped the bomb with concurrent posts on
Instagram in signature poetic style with a simple nod to their so high school celebrated romance.
Alongside fairy tale engagement photos with the caption, your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married. And within moments,
reaction to the monumental Taylor and Travis news exploded across the screen as Swifty celebrated the spectacular engagement ring designed by
Travis in what appears to be the shape of a football field, an old mind brilliant cut rectangular diamond.
There was the elaborate floral garden forest setting and Taylor's engagement outfit, a strappy striped Ralph Lauren silk blend dress, which
is now sold out online. The landmark event coming on the heels of Taylor announcing her new album, the life of a showgirl.
[09:40:00]
TAYLOR SWIFT, SINGER-SONGWRITER: It just comes from like the most infectiously joyful, wild, dramatic place.
FRANCE (voice-over): 11 days before Travis Kelce sees an opener with the Kansas City Chiefs. And 13 days Taylor's favorite number after she appeared
on his podcast, new heights. An appearance showcasing the happy couple that set a podcast audience record.
SWIFT: That effervescence has come through on this record.
FRANCE (voice-over): Taylor and Travis mania now reaching a fever pitch with anticipation of a storybook ceremony as romantic as some of her recent
lyrics. With Swifties hoping for a royal wedding and a happily ever after, just like her song suggests. Lisa Respers France, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: So now we know. Cadillac has revealed the Formula One team for its inaugural season, signing Grand Prix winners Sergio Perez and Valtteri
Bottas on a multi-year deal. Both drivers returning to the grid after being dropped from their previous teams at the end of the 2024 Season.
Between them, Perez and Bottas have racked up more 16 wins, more than 100 podium appearances, more than 520 race starts. Watch out for those two.
Well, in just over an hour, Keegan Bradley is set to announce his final captain's picks for Team USA's Ryder Cup.
Numerous candidates have worthy resumes, but perhaps the biggest question will, will he pick himself to join the team? Amanda Davies joining me now,
it's quite tough. Do you reckon he will?
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: I love this as a story, Becky. You know how special, how emotive, epic a Ryder Cup is.
ANDERSON: Yeah. Absolutely.
DAVIES: And Keegan Bradley on paper, a 39-year-old American brought in to change up the face of the U.S. Ryder Cup team. He is currently the 8th
ranked American in the world, and he has to choose six players to join the six automatic qualifiers in his team. But the idea of playing, calling the
shots, being the cheerleader for the rest of the team, when you know it is such a cauldron of an atmosphere.
And by the way, this is a U.S. team needing to win back the Ryder Cup trophy from Team Europe on U.S. soil at Bethpage in a couple of weeks'
time. It's fascinating. You kind of want to be in his position, but don't want to be in his position. I'm not sure he wins either way.
ANDERSON: Yeah. Absolutely.
DAVIES: But yeah, nobody really is making a call, because it's just really a great one to watch, and you can argue it no iron -- or maybe there is.
ANDERSON: Yeah. Yeah. Well, listen, we'll find out what an hour or so from now, which is great. Looking forward to "World Sport" is up next with
Amanda. We are back top of the hour for you.
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[09:45:00]
(WORLD SPORT)
END
