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New Russian Attack On Kyiv Ahead Of Ukrainian Delegation Meeting In New York; Leaders Of India And Russia Meet With China's Xi Amid U.S. Pressure; Israel Recover Body Of Hostage Ilan Weiss; 11-Year-Old Mass Shooting Survivor Shares Her Terrifying Ordeal; Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook Files Lawsuit To Keep Job; Airlines Lease Planes To Meet Demand, Keep Costs Down; Burning Man Hit With Massive Dust Storm. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired August 29, 2025 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:25]
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD.
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome to the second hour of the show from our Middle East programing headquarters. I'm Eleni Giokos live in
Abu Dhabi.
Israel recovers the body of one hostage and the remains of another as it declares Gaza City a dangerous combat zone.
Russia launches its second biggest air assault since the start of the war, as Ukrainian officials head to the U.S. this Friday to lobby Trump
administration officials.
And this hour Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook's bid to keep her job goes to court in the face of President Trump's push to dismiss her.
Welcome to the show. And we're closely following the latest push to end Russia's war on Ukraine. A Ukrainian delegation is set to meet with U.S.
officials in New York today to discuss options on reaching a peace deal. The high stakes meeting comes two weeks after President Donald Trump's
summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin, and just a day after Moscow launched a massive attack on Kyiv, killing at least 23 people, according to
Ukraine.
CNN's Melissa Bell has more on what's being called Russia's second biggest air assault on Ukraine since the war started over three years ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kyiv under attack once again with Russia unleashing over 600 air attack weapons
on the Ukrainian capital, killing more than 20 people, including at least four children, in what appears to be the second biggest aerial attack since
Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine.
Video from a Kyiv resident shows her apartment in complete shambles after the drone struck one floor below hers. Her father had to knock down doors
to get out and prevent her from suffocating from the smoke.
Footage from the ground shows families huddling for safety as missiles fall on buildings across the city.
Search teams still digging through the rubble around buildings hit in the strike. With the full extent of the damage still being assessed, families
are still searching for their loved ones.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): When I came out, everything was covered in dust and smoke. I looked up, the roof was gone and the floors
from the fourth to the first were completely destroyed. As of now, my wife hasn't been found.
BELL (voice-over): Some of those damaged buildings belonged to the European Union and the British Council. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
calling the strike a clear response from the Kremlin to calls for ceasefire talks and for diplomacy between the two countries. Russia says it is still
interested in peace talks, but its so-called special military operation is still ongoing, a conflict that continues to shake Kyiv residents.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): God forbid anyone ever has to go through this. You know, my worldview has changed. You realize that you
survived, that you're alive, and that alone is already something.
BELL (voice-over): Melissa Bell, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Oleksandr Merezhko joins me now from Copenhagen, Denmark. He's the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee in Ukraine's parliament.
And sir, thank you so much for joining us. We've just seen, you know, some of the images, the harrowing images of this air assault on Ukraine, which
is now being said to be the second largest since the war began. And this is just two weeks after we saw President Trump and President Putin meeting in
Alaska, a show of diplomacy.
But for you, for Ukrainians, what does this air assault say to you about President Putin's ultimate plan and commitment to end the war?
OLEKSANDR MEREZHKO, CHAIR, FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT: Well, it's a very clear signal and demonstration of Russian war criminal
Putin that he rejects all peace initiatives, ceasefire initiatives put forward by President Trump. Putin demonstrates by these assaults, by these
attacks against civilians in Ukraine that he is not interested in any kind of peace, in any kind of agreement, and in diplomacy, which might create
conditions for a ceasefire.
I would like to remind that Putin, as a result of these attacks, was (INAUDIBLE) a mission of the European Union, British Council, the building
of British Council was heavily damaged.
[10:05:11]
And before that there was a damage delivered against one of their American enterprises in Ukraine. And it demonstrates in itself that Putin is waging
war not only against Ukraine, but also against Europe and against the United States.
GIOKOS: I want to talk about this meeting with Ukrainian officials and U.S. officials in New York today. But I quickly want to ask you this, because
this, as you say, this airstrike and these strikes really do show what President Putin has been all about. Frankly, every time we see diplomatic
talks, even President Trump has come out on X saying that he's not happy with Putin's response and how aggressive he's been in Ukraine.
My question to you is, do you believe that President Trump is being hard enough on the Russians? Do you believe that sanctions would work to push
President Putin into a corner?
MEREZHKO: Well, first of all, I believe that President Trump has enough power, enough opportunities and tools to put maximum pressure on Putin and
to make him negotiate in earnest. What should be done? President Trump himself mentioned these tools, like secondary sanctions against those
countries which provide lifeline to Russian war machine. He also mentioned tariffs, which should be applied against Russia and its allies.
So all the tools are at the disposal of President Trump. And now the question is when he will use tools to put pressure on Putin, on Russia, and
to bring them to the table of negotiations?
GIOKOS: Yes. So in terms of the Ukrainian delegation in New York meeting with U.S. officials, what do you think the messaging is going to be? And
again, we go into these talks under the shadow of these aerial assaults.
MEREZHKO: Well, at present, I'm very skeptical about any kind of tangible result which can be produced now because Putin, as of now, he is not
interested in in earnest negotiations, negotiations in good faith. He is only dragging his feet. And his goal is to win the time and to avoid
imposing sanctions against Russia. That's his goal. That's why he will continue to create this imitation of negotiations. He will continue to
pretend that he's negotiating, but in reality, he's not negotiating. He is only using it as a distractor.
GIOKOS: But in terms of the Ukrainian side and the messaging to U.S. officials, what more can Ukrainians and the Ukrainian delegation a message
-- send a strong message to the U.S. about, as you say, continued support, but also, to ensure that they get that that President Trump ultimately is
more cohesive with President Putin?
MEREZHKO: Yes. We need to persuade to convince President Trump to enhance support of Ukraine by providing military assistance to Ukraine, including
air defense, because what we saw yesterday, it's a problem, huge problem, because we don't have enough air defense in order to defend our civilian
population. Additionally, we need serious sanctions, including secondary sanctions and tariffs against those countries which are buying huge
quantities of Russian oil and gas and thereby feeding Russian war machine.
I'm sure that President Trump, as a person who is committed to peace, will take this into consideration and will finally deliver on his promise
because his initial promise was with regard to unconditional ceasefire. And he promised in case if Putin rejects this proposal, he promised a severe
consequences.
GIOKOS: I want to talk about the fact that Russian president is going to be meeting with President Xi, Chinese president, as well as the Indian Prime
Minister Modi. What do you make of this alliance? What message do you think that sends?
MEREZHKO: The truth is that people -- China right now is Russia's ally because they have an agreement about strategic partnership without limits.
And China, by buying Russian oil and gas in huge quantities, thereby China is giving money for Russia to continue to wage war against Ukraine.
[10:10:10]
China is considered to be the decisive enabler of Russia's war against Ukraine according to the documents of NATO. And it's true. And the only
thing we can -- which should be done by President Trump also is to impose necessary sanctions on those Chinese companies which buy Russian oil and
gas.
GIOKOS: All right, Oleksandr Merezhko, thank you so much for your time and your insights.
All right. Well, as we've discussed, the key gathering in China this weekend brings together three major world leaders, each under pressure from
the United States. China's Xi Jinping will host more than 20 leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi at a regional security summit.
CNN's Ivan Watson reports on what's at stake.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Three world leaders whose countries dominate the map of Asia are about to meet in
China for a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. But looming over this Eurasian gathering will be the elephant not in the room.
YUN SUN, CHINA PROGRAM DIRECTOR, STIMSON CENTER: For this particular summit U.S. may not be at the table, but U.S. is always present.
WATSON: India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi will make his first trip to China in seven years.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We did it with India.
WATSON: Days after Trump slammed a 50 percent tariff on Indian exports to the U.S.
China and India's relationship cratered after a series of deadly clashes first erupted along their disputed border in 2020.
JOE BIDEN, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So welcome again, Mr. Prime Minister. We have a big agenda.
WATSON: For decades, Washington has been grooming India as a democratic counterbalance to China. But that suddenly changed in July when Trump
called India a dead economy and announced his punishing tariffs, insisting it was a penalty for buying Russian oil.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: India needs the support of the United States and with that support no longer assured or in fact almost gone, Mr. Modi had no
option but to go and cut a deal with President Xi.
WATSON: Meanwhile, Russia's president will stand with his old friend Xi Jinping again shortly after Trump rolled out the red carpet for Vladimir
Putin in Alaska.
TRUMP: Thank you very much, Vladimir.
I'm very disappointed with the conversation I had today with President Putin.
WATSON: But Trump's on again, off again overtures to the Russian strongman unlikely to impact Russia and China's so-called "no limits" partnership.
Analysts say the glue that binds these once hostile neighbors ever closer is their shared perception of the U.S. as a threat.
SUN: For Washington, the traditional term that has been used is how do we break the Russia-China collusion? Well, it's a Catch-22 because your desire
to break their collusion is the reason that they collude as a first place.
WATSON: In 2022, just days before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Putin and Xi called for the creation of a new world order.
The U.S.' biggest global competitor is now capitalizing on Trump's chaotic diplomacy.
SUN: The message here that we have seen China emphasize is China represents credibility. It represents stability. It represents policy predictability.
WATSON: Expect Xi to use this summit to present a Chinese-led alternative to a world long dominated by the U.S.
Ivan Watson, CNN, Tianjin, China.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Israel's military has recovered the body of one deceased hostage and the remains of another from Gaza. The recovered body has been
identified as 56-year-old Ilan Weiss, who was killed in the Hamas led attack on October 7th. Weiss' wife and daughter were also abducted later
and released in November 2023. The remains of the other hostage are yet to be identified.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond joins me now.
Jeremy, great to see you. What more do we know about these two hostages?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, indeed, the Israeli military announcing today that it has recovered the bodies of two hostages
held inside the Gaza Strip. Only one of those hostages has so far been publicly identified. And that is 56-year-old Ilan Weiss from Kibbutz Beeri,
which, of course, many of our viewers will recall, was one of the hardest hit kibbutzes on October 7th, during Hamas's attack.
Ilan Weiss was declared dead back in January of 2024 by his kibbutz. But over the course of the last 23 months, his body has been held as a
bargaining chip by Hamas until it was recovered by Israeli forces operating inside the Gaza Strip.
[10:15:03]
The remains of another hostage were also recovered during this very same operation, but those remains are still undergoing forensic examination,
although there are indications that the Israeli military already has a sense of who that hostage is, given the fact that they said that the family
has been notified, but publicly at least, they have yet to actually announce who that individual is.
Of course, we know that as that -- the result of this is that there are now 48 hostages still believed to be held inside the Gaza Strip, 20 of whom the
Israeli government has said they believe are indeed still alive. But we know, of course, that the conditions in which they are being held are quite
terrible at the moment. We have seen the images recently of Israeli hostages who have clearly been starved over the course of their captivity
and urgency growing among the Israeli public to secure their release.
GIOKOS: Yes. In the meantime, Jeremy, Israel and Israeli government officials rather have been barred from a major London arms expo by the U.K.
government. Could you give us a sense of the response by the Israeli government and what we've seen in terms of Israeli presence at this expo?
DIAMOND: Well, you know, this is really just another indication of the extent to which Israel is becoming increasingly isolated on the world
stage, including by many of its traditional allies. The United Kingdom now barring Israeli officials from attending this major arms fair in London
next month, with the British government saying that the decision to escalate Israeli military operations in Gaza is wrong, and that seems to be
the reason why they are banning them from attending this fair.
The Israeli government, for its part, slamming this decision, saying that it plans -- that it plays into the hands of extremists. It is, of course,
the latest step that we have seen the United Kingdom take as the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has indicated that his government will
recognize a Palestinian state as soon as next month, unless the Israeli government meets certain conditions, which so far there is no indication
that it will.
It is, however, important to note that, although Israeli government officials have not been invited, private Israeli arms companies will still
be able to attend according to the British Defense Ministry. But of course, this is part of a broader picture, as we are seeing, of Israel becoming
increasingly isolated, including by many of its traditional allies -- Eleni.
GIOKOS: All right, Jeremy Diamond, thank you so much for that update.
Run, hide or fight. A young survivor of the Minnesota school attack shares her advice for other children who might be confronted by a shooter. 11-
year-old Chloe's exclusive interview with CNN is just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:20:05]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sadly, again, tonight, it's a sporting event that will attempt to offer much needed relief to all those in mourning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: University of Minnesota fans honored the victims of the shooting at a school in Minneapolis with a moment of silence ahead of the first
football game of the season Thursday. Meanwhile, the families of the two children killed in Wednesday's attack are sharing more about them. Ten-
year-old Harper Moyski is described by her parents as bright, joyful and deeply loved. And the father of eight-year-old Fletcher Merkel says
Fletcher loved his family, friends, fishing and sports.
We are also hearing directly from some of the children who survived the attack, including 11-year-old Chloe, who spoke exclusively with our Shimon
Prokupecz.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHLOE FRANCOUAL, SHOOTING SURVIVOR: It doesn't feel like a dream anymore, like it actually happened. People are hurt in the hospital right now.
People passed and the doctors couldn't do anything about it. And like, yes, so it's real.
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just days ago, 11-year-old Chloe Francoual posed for photos to mark the
start of sixth grade at Annunciation Catholic School. Today, she's a survivor of the latest school shooting in America.
C. FRANCOUAL: When I got to school, we just like -- we grabbed our stuff from our lockers to, like, actually, like, do classes. We grabbed stuff for
like, huh, what do we do? What do we do? Like, wait, what section are you in? What section are you in? Oh, my gosh, you're in the same section as me.
Oh, I'm so happy that we're going to be in a class together. And then we walked to church. First thing we did was that we -- our new Father, he's
new. Like, this was his first day of mass. This was our first day of mass and this was his first day of mass at the school.
So, then he's like, I'm so excited that we're -- we get to do mass together, and then, first, after he did a little speech, we sang a song.
After we sat down, our teacher, our ELA teacher kind of did a, like a prayer for us. And then our Spanish teacher did a prayer for us. And in the
middle of that Spanish teacher's prayer we heard a gunshot.
PROKUPECZ: Hi, how are you?
(Voice-over): We met Chloe at her home with her parents. Her father, Vincent, telling CNN that Chloe wanted to share her experience.
C. FRANCOUAL: We didn't know it was a gunshot. It sounded like a firework. And everybody, like, looked out the window, and then we heard another bang.
And then everybody started covering their ears. And then we heard a bang, bang. The third one, everybody started ducking, and then the fourth one,
everybody started going into action. And then Miss Noelle (PH) was like, she was like, what's going to happen? Like she's like, open eyes, like, oh,
my gosh, what is happening?
She ran where the altar servers come out of, so she ran into the altar servers' place, and then we heard the fourth bang. Everybody, like,
everybody started, like, screaming and everybody started screaming and, like, getting hurt. This was when, like, it actually happened. And it
started going really fast. After that, it was like bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. And then everybody like, was like running, ducking, hiding.
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): The first mass of the new school year turned into chaos as a gunman opened fire outside.
C. FRANCOUAL: Some kids, they hid under the pews the whole time. Some ran off to the pre-K room. That's what I did. And in the pre-K room, everybody
started to help, especially the kids and all the older buddies. We all started to help, like putting tables on the doors, locking the doors,
putting all the stuff on the doors as much as we could. For some reason, nobody could stay quiet. We had to talk about it.
So, it was kind of struggling. We heard one more gunshot and then we heard some footsteps. We thought it was the man, but it was the police. We
smelled smoke after they kicked open the door and they led us outside where we saw everybody hurt.
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): Her father at times overcome, listening to his child described the scene.
When you hear her describe some of this, it must be so hard for you.
VINCENT FRANCOUAL, FATHER OF SHOOTING SURVIVOR: Yes. It's dreadful. Yes, it's just -- I mean, what she went through when she, you know, when she
told the counselor that she thought she was going to die, it's just way too much for me.
[10:25:10]
And, so, as I mentioned, she seems to rebounding much more than we do. It's just you see it on TV. You see stuff on a movie, and, you know, I told my
wife a year ago, I say, you know, so I'm from France, and sometimes we think like to move back and all that. But they said, you know, you drop
your kids at school and you don't know if you're going to get them back.
PROKUPECZ: What do you want your dad to know, Chloe?
C. FRANCOUAL: Well, I want him to know that everybody is safe. I want him to know that the people who passed, they're all up in heaven, and they are
always with us even if we can't see them and I want him to know that --
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): The two children murdered were friends of Chloe's.
What do you want people to know about your friends and the friends that passed?
C. FRANCOUAL: I want them to know that like these people who passed, like everybody knew their name. Like there was an eight-year-old. He went to --
there was an eight-year-old who passed, he went to the Dominican Republic with all of us. And he also -- he also was like really sporty, I think. And
he was really sweet, actually.
The girl, she was 10-years-old. She was in fifth grade. She was kind of everybody's friend. She was like everybody's friend. She was nice.
Everybody knew her name. She was really kind to everybody and it was really like heartbreaking when we found out that both of them passed because
everybody, like, knew them. Everybody was like friends with them.
PROKUPECZ: How would you describe the things that you're feeling right now? I guess dealing with the level of trauma, I guess. So, I don't -- how would
you, as an 11-year-old girl, having experienced this?
C. FRANCOUAL: I felt scared and I still feel scared. And it's just, like I feel kind of like paranoid now since now I really like every time -- every
time I see, like, a window open, I want to close it because just I don't want it happening again. And what's scary to think about is that what if
another person comes and I know it's not going to happen, but just --
PROKUPECZ: There's a fear.
C. FRANCOUAL: There's a fear. I feel like -- I really hope they don't do mass at the church anymore, or I really hope they don't do mass in general
because I think they know that people will have like, really bad flashbacks of it and they're like scared to like walk in and they're like looking
around like shivering, like shaking. And I think that they -- the school knows that.
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): Vincent knows recovery from this event will not be easy, but believes talking about it is helping.
How proud are you of her?
V. FRANCOUAL: It's just, you know, this is therapeutic. You know, this is - -
PROKUPECZ: Just remarkable.
V. FRANCOUAL: She's, you know, it's just therapy, and I'm proud of, like, beaming of proud, you know.
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): Today, this 11-year-old has thoughts about guns in America.
C. FRANCOUAL: I would say to ban guns, but the problem about banning guns is that it's a problem because it will make people mad, because guns are
for like hunting, not for like hurting. It's for hunting animals for like getting food, but like, but so it will create a lot of hate if I say to ban
guns. But I would say to like probably to like restrict everything that just happened.
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): And this advice for other kids for the next school shooting.
C. FRANCOUAL: Run, hide or fight, because I don't want them to be like -- I don't want them to be in shock like everybody else. If they were closest to
the window, I would say duck, like don't look at it duck, like don't be in shock for two seconds, go in action right away. But if you got hurt and
you're alive, be so grateful.
[10:30:03]
Be grateful of everybody. Be grateful that you get to see your parents again. Be grateful of all the teachers, of all the kids, of all the big
buddies, of everybody.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Well, earlier, a professor of psychology spoke to CNN and talked about how traumatic events like this week's shooting can impact the
children involved. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBIN GURWITCH, PROFESSOR OF PSYCHIATRY AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES, DUKE UNIVERSITY: We know that children are going to have a variety of reactions.
We heard from Chloe that she keeps replaying things in her mind. That's very typical after they've been through a traumatic event. We may see
problems with sleep, problems with concentration and attention and learning new materials. So I think we need to be patient and give a little bit of
grace. If our students may struggle in school in these first few days and months afterwards, or if students are worried in other places, we may see
that happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: We're going to have a very short break. We'll be back right after this. Stick with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Eleni Giokos. Here are your headlines.
A Ukrainian delegation is set to meet with U.S. officials in New York today to discuss options for ending the war Russia began more than three years
ago. The talks come a day after Russia launched a massive air assault on Kyiv, killing at least 23 people, according to Ukrainian officials.
Authorities continue to search for a motive as they pore through hundreds of pages of writings from the shooter in Wednesday's deadly attack on a
Catholic school in Minnesota. They say Robin Westman had a deranged fascination with prior mass shootings. They also confirmed to CNN that
Westman had recently visited the church, pretending to be interested in reconnecting with the Catholic faith.
A deputy to U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. will reportedly become interim director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
prevention. Jim O'Neill is a former biotech executive. This happening after the ouster of CDC director Susan Monarez, who for reportedly clashing with
Kennedy over his vaccine policies.
And this hour, a federal judge in Washington is hearing Lisa Cook's request for a temporary restraining order over President Donald Trump's attempts to
fire her from the U.S. Federal Reserve. And he claims he's firing her with cause for committing mortgage fraud. She says the president's actions are
unlawful and violated due process under the U.S. Constitution and federal law.
[10:35:06]
Katelyn Polantz joins us now with more on this.
Katelyn, good to see you. I mean, many people have been asking the question whether Trump has legal authority to fire Lisa Cook. But tell me what we
can expect around today's hearing.
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's exactly the question that the judge has been asking this morning so far in the last
30 minutes of this hearing that began just after 10:00. Lisa Cook's lawyers are still arguing her side to the judge in Washington's federal court. And
one of the arguments is that mere allegations of mortgage fraud, which is what Donald Trump says is the reason for firing her, that is not enough to
reach a standard for cause.
Abbe Lowell, the lawyer for Lisa Cook, said to the judge just a few minutes ago, it's not that she did it, and not that there was any investigatorial
charge. This is not an allegation at this time that is substantiated in any way by the federal government even if there are criminal referrals going
over to the Justice Department.
The judge, though, responded that Congress made a deliberate choice not to define what for cause is, a question already being posed of how much power
is within the presidency in determining what for cause is, when somebody can be fired, when that's a legitimate firing. So a lot here on the legal
front that is going to be discussed today.
The hearing is still ongoing and we don't know if there will be a decision on whether Lisa Cook can even continue showing up to work as a Federal
Reserve governor, though Donald Trump did say earlier this week she is fired.
One of the other big arguments here I will note is that the independence of the Federal Reserve could be at stake, something that her attorneys are
arguing could be devastating to the economy if politics can come into play in decisions of whether or not a Federal Reserve governor can remain in his
or her job.
GIOKOS: Yes. Yes, exactly. And whether the president can intervene and have that authority to fire someone from the Federal Reserve because it sets
precedent. But I'm just wondering about an actual investigation on the go and whether that would change things in the way the judge would view this
firing.
POLANTZ: Well, that's something that is being fleshed out right now by the judge. We're going to have to see exactly what the judge decides on the law
here. And there's a very big possibility that it will not be this judge Jia Cobb her word that will be the final word here. It's very likely there
would be appeals to determine as well what exactly is enough to be a cause for firing somebody in an independent agency like the Federal Reserve by
the president.
So that is something that is going to be still a question right now. We know there are two criminal referrals about Lisa Cook. She is saying that
these are unsubstantiated allegations at this time. She hasn't even had a chance to respond.
GIOKOS: All right, Katelyn Polantz, thanks so much for staying on top of this important story for us.
All right. We've been following the latest international diplomatic ultimatum to Iran this week. Germany, France and the U.K., known as the E-
3, now threatening to reimpose sanctions on Iran if it doesn't come back into compliance on its nuclear commitments.
We have just heard directly from the U.N. ambassador from one of those nations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA WOODWARD, U.K. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: We hope Iran will take the necessary steps to address the international community's serious concerns
over its nuclear program. We urge Iran to reconsider this position, to reach an agreement based on our offer and to help create the space for a
diplomatic solution to this issue for the long term. Otherwise targeted U.N. sanctions focused on tackling Iranian nuclear proliferation return at
the end of this 30-day period.
While we have been left with no choice but to take this course of action, we remain committed to diplomacy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Well, Iran says the move by the U.K., France and Germany to reimpose U.N. sanctions is illegal and unjustified and will complicate any
diplomatic efforts to reach an agreement over its nuclear program.
All right, after the break, I've got an in-depth look at a business that's on the up and up despite keeping a low profile. We'll be back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:42:00]
GIOKOS: Now let's talk about a rental market that's flying high. You may rent a house, lease a car or large appliances as well as furniture but did
you know that commercial airlines can rent airplanes? And they do in a big number.
According to industry experts and the latest numbers available from the International Air Transport Association, more than half of the global fleet
is leased rather than owned, and airlines rent planes for many of the same reasons that you and I might rent a big ticket item, to meet passenger
demand with low upfront costs and less debt.
I spoke with the CEO of AviLease, an aircraft leasing company headquartered in Saudi Arabia and owned by the kingdom's Public Investment Fund. I began
by asking Edward O'Byrne about his company's footprints and what's led to the rapid growth it has seen since its establishment in 2022.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EDWARD O'BYRNE, CEO AND BOARD DIRECTOR, AVILEASE: In less than three years, we built a fleet of 200 aircrafts, 15 airline customers globally, 30
countries. So it's a true business. We're now top 17 in the business, and we're aiming to become top 10 in the industry, which basically entails
doubling the balance sheet of the company.
GIOKOS: You work with 48 airlines around the world. Give me a sense of the airlines that you work with right now, and also to those that say you've
grown really fast.
O'BYRNE: Yes. So --
GIOKOS: Is that a concern?
O'BYRNE: Yes. So I mean, it's a great question. So largest positions are in the KSA today we have 20 percent of our fleet in the KSA, Saudia Group,
Flynas, maybe soon the upcoming carrier Riyad Air. Internationally names like Southwest, American Airlines, Air France, in India, IndiGo, so you
name it, right? Any of the big carriers our portfolio is actually very strong quality book.
GIOKOS: Talk to me about demand globally and where you see potential for slowdown, potential for growth.
O'BYRNE: So if you look at the first six months of the year of 2025, basically passenger traffic has grown 5.7 percent. And Saudi Arabia
actually grew 7 percent. So it's very strong country. There are pockets of high demand. I think, where we're starting to see areas of weakness is in
the U.S.
GIOKOS: Because of inflation?
O'BYRNE: Well, so traffic in June has only grew 22.3 percent and low-cost carrier who are basically exposed to the sort of the more price sensitive
segment of the market have been hit the most, the hardest. So we're starting to see, I think, areas of weakness due to potentially inflation. I
don't want to take anything away from the rest of the growth. We expect, sort of call it 5 percent for the rest of the year.
But there are areas of weakness which we need to watch. There was an area of weakness here in the Middle East for a period of time around the Israel-
Iran conflict that's gone away, and now traffic is back to very sustainable levels.
[10:45:02]
GIOKOS: Are you worried about a prolonged, you know, increase in oil prices and the impact on oil? Or do you think most of that has been priced in?
O'BYRNE: No, I think, I mean, on the positive side, oil is priced in. And airlines, so long as oil is relatively stable, can live with that. And oil
has been quite stable in the $60 range.
GIOKOS: Your portfolio, the value is $7.2 billion. Right now it's Saudi backed by the PIF. Why Saudi Arabia are getting into this business?
O'BYRNE: For several reasons. It's a very attractive business. It's very profitable. Typically, you know, we deliver double-digit profit for our
shareholder. Today, after only three years, it's a 17 percent net income business on average across the industry. So we're almost there ourselves as
I believe. It's very resilient. We've seen that through COVID. You've got about 60 airlines that went bankrupt during COVID. One leasing company went
bankrupt during COVID. So very resilient to crisis.
And then for Saudi Arabia, which obviously is going through a huge transformation, economic and otherwise, it's a way to help consolidate the
ecosystem. So there's a lot of growth in Saudi Arabia today. There are north of 400 aircraft have been ordered by the local airlines to grow their
own fleets. That represents about $40 billion of CAPEX financing requirements between now and the end of the decade.
Those airlines need our financing, but frankly, it way exceeds our capabilities. So what I call my night job is to be able to attract capital
to the space, whether from Saudi, also internationally through first debt. We just obtained two ratings from Moody's and from Fitch. But we're also
now trying to attract equity coming from China. We have a Chinese partner, joint venture partner, where we have 25 aircraft with them.
We will announce soon a second transaction like that, similar, a joint venture, co-invest vehicles. And our goal is to help consolidate the
ecosystem in Saudi Arabia by bringing that capital into the kingdom rather than the capital coming out of the kingdom to invest elsewhere.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Right. Sotheby's is set to debut its first auction series in Abu Dhabi as it moves to cement its place as a global art and opulence capital.
The Abu Dhabi Collectors Week will showcase auctions across categories such as fine jewelry, collector cars, as well as real estate. Top highlights
include a rare 2010 Aston Martin 177, a 2017 Pagani Zonda 760 Riviera expected to fetch up to $10.5 million, and more than, get this, $20 million
worth of fabulous diamonds. The auctions start in December.
And coming up.
This is what Burning Man is supposed to look like. But some festival goers got more than they bargained for this year. We'll have the details after
the break. Stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: All right. One of the most famous festivals in the world has gone awry.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is what twilight looks like. This is what twilight looks like.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[10:50:03]
GIOKOS: All right. This was the scene at Burning Man, the weeklong festival held every year in the Nevada desert, where tens of thousands of attendees
build a city from scratch. But as you can see, a massive dust storm wreaked havoc on those plans, blowing away entire campsites as well as structures.
My next guest is at the festival in Black Rock City. Austin Mathieu is an artist and creator, and he's attended several Burning Mans over the years.
Austin, great to see you. Fantastic outfits. You match my pink shirts, I have to say. I'm also wearing a bit of pink. But you're rocking it better
than I am.
OK, so, Austin, you know, I want to talk about this dust storm and some of the images we're seeing about entire campsites falling apart. What has your
experience been and are you safe?
AUSTIN MATHIEU, BURNING MAN FESTIVAL ART CREATOR: I'm definitely safe. A lot of the structures that are made out of tarps and kind of put together
like tents and stuff like that, those definitely got flattened. I'm in a camper, so I hadn't had as much problems with things getting destroyed.
But, yes, there's definitely quite a few camps that are still in the midst of repairing themselves.
GIOKOS: I want to talk about how this, I mean, and actually, we saw some images from Burning Man last year of people battling to leave the event
with mud and, you know, all sorts of things, environmental factors coming in. How much of this affects the vibe, the energy? Because frankly, you're
there to have a good time and now you're fighting with Mother Nature essentially.
MATHIEU: Well, it's a very harsh climate here anyways. Like the dust is inevitable. So the rain is a different flavor of struggle, but it doesn't
really affect most people. In fact, I think some people kind of like the struggle because it kind of makes the party even more fun when you can get
out there and go full tilt.
GIOKOS: Yes, struggle is part of, you know, learning about survival skills, I'm sure. So you've attended multiple, you know, versions of this festival
since 2013. You're a creator. You're an artist. I mean, you're clearly must be a lot of fun. Tell me about all the people that come in from all over
the world to experience this and how it's evolved through the years.
MATHIEU: Right. Yes, it's definitely seems to be very international. I'm definitely noticing a lot of different languages out there, and I love it.
I think it's really fun to have all these cultures kind of mixing together in the same space, and I think it definitely has evolved. It seems a little
more kind of image driven, perhaps, like I think people are, you know, it's such a fantastic event that people want to come and take all those
Instagram photos and stuff like that.
GIOKOS: Yes.
MATHIEU: So I think that has evolved with the amount of technology we have and our ability to record ourselves.
GIOKOS: OK. So, I mean, clearly, I mean, a lot of us watching this, you know, have a lot of FOMO, but you also say you're a dust storm survivor.
What is the best way to survive a dust storm with your fabulous outfit and your cat ears? I mean, how do you do it?
MATHIEU: Well, it's essential to have something to breathe through, like a mask or a scarf or something to breathe. And most people will get some
sealed goggles because you really don't want to get the dust in there. It's quite caustic and actually kind of burns your eyes a bit. So it's -- that's
the two essentials. And maybe don't go too far from home because you can get a bit lost out there when the visibility goes down to zero.
GIOKOS: Wow. I mean, that sounds pretty scary. OK, now you have to tell me a bit about your outfit, and we're showing images of your first Burning Man
versus now. How have you evolved? And tell me about this cat situation because I Googled it and actually I saw that a lot of people opt for this
cat outfits, and there's like, a whole cat thing happening.
MATHIEU: Yes, cats are definitely a big theme here. I would say coming to these festivals has helped me evolve, and it's a great space to be yourself
and to act silly and put on costumes and clothes you'd never wear in the normal world, right? So it's a great place to, yes, sort of try on
different ways of being. That could be how you dress or how you behave or how you interact with people and stuff like that. So definitely improved my
overall kind of ability to be myself, I would say.
GIOKOS: OK, so, Austin, what do you normally wear when you're not at Burning Man? Like a suit? We should have gotten an image of what you
normally day to day.
MATHIEU: Jeans and T-shirt. I like to sort of blend in there, I guess. You know, I don't want to look like too much of a freak in the regular world
so.
GIOKOS: You know, in terms of -- because, again, I just go back to these images that we've been seeing difficulty coming in and leaving. Do you
think that's going to deter people from coming to Burning Man?
[10:55:02]
MATHIEU: Absolutely. Yes. I created a TikTok video, and a lot of the comments were like, I'm not coming. Like I'm selling my tickets. Like the
video was about the rain event that we had on Sunday. So it's definitely -- it does stop some people that are not really prepared to deal with how much
difficulty there can be at times here.
GIOKOS: All right, Austin, my friend, stay safe. Enjoy. Party hard for all of us. We'll be following you on social media. Good to see you.
MATHIEU: Pleased to meet you.
GIOKOS: All right. For tonight's "Parting Shots," a rare catch. Check out this two-meter neon orange nurse shark reeled in by a fisherman in the
waters of Costa Rica last August. Its unusual color come from -- it comes from a phenomenon which is known as xanthism, which causes animals to take
on an orange or golden tone. Researchers say it's the first time the condition has ever been recorded in the species, and you can also see from
the images the shark's eyes are white, with no visible irises, though scientists say sharks typically have black irises. Absolutely gorgeous.
All right, that's it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up next. I'm Eleni Giokos. Have a great weekend.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
