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US. Senate Votes To End Shutdown, Sending Bill To House; Greene Refutes Trumps Claims On Direction Of Food Prices; Deadly Car Explosion Kills 10 In India, Dozens Injured; Al-Sharaa Assumes Role Of Global Statesman Less Than A Year After Leading Syria Takeover; U.K. Suspends Some Intel Sharing With U.S. Over Strikes; World's Biggest Climate Conference Underway In Brazil; Ronaldo Says He Has One Or Two Years Left In The Game; Trump To Lay Wreath and Speak at Arlington National Cemetery. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired November 11, 2025 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: I'm Amanda Davies in London @amandadcnn on social media. Hope to see you there, and see you next time. Goodbye.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is "Connect the World.")
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to the second hour of the show from our Middle East programming headquarters. I'm Eleni Giokos in Abu Dhabi where
the time is just after 7:00 PM in the evening.
Now, the U.S. House expected to vote on a funding plan to reopen the government as soon as tomorrow. The Trump administration extends its pause
on Syrian sanctions as Ahmed al-Sharaa becomes the first Syrian leader to visit the White House.
Indian Prime Minister Modi vows to bring those to justice behind a deadly car explosion in Delhi that left 10 people dead on Monday.
The six week long US government shutdown is a big step closer to ending today. The U.S. House will vote on a funding plan to reopen the government
as soon as tomorrow after the Senate passed the measure Monday night. That Senate vote happening only after eight Senators broke ranks with Democrats
to vote for the plan despite failing to get a guaranteed extension of Obama health insurance subsidies.
President Trump saying he'll sign the measure. He's calling it a win for his party and telling Fox News that Republicans, quote, "Broke Senate
Democratic leader Chuck Schumer in the process."
Senate Senior White House Reporter Kevin Liptak joining me now, this hour. Good to see you, Kevin. So the President is saying that the Democrats
loses, but I guess, there are no winners in this ultimately. Give me a sense of the political damage that both sides have incurred.
KEVIN LIPTAK: , CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah. And I think, you know, at least for now, the President and his advisers really do believe
that their strategy has been vindicated. And, you know, this is all sort of wrapping up the way that they predicted when the shutdown began, which is
that if they waited Democrats out, if they refused to engage in these negotiations, that the Democrats would eventually fold.
What you also saw the White House doing was really kind of trying to turn up the pain, whether it was cutting food assistance programs or firing all
of these federal workers or threatening to withhold back pay.
The question, of course, is what the political fallout of all of this will be. And, you know, polls have shown that most Americans blame President
Trump and Republicans for this shutdown. And so how this all unfolds over the coming year ahead of next year's very critical midterm elections will
be something, to watch.
And I think for Democrats, their calculation is that if health care, prices go up because those Obamacare subsidies, have not been extended, that
President Trump will continue to catch the blame. And so while, many Democrats are quite frustrated with members of their party, who agreed to
this plan and agreed to open the government. They seemed to believe that if these subsidies aren't extended, that that will end up being a winning
political topic for them. In the end, even if it will be sort of a disaster for many Americans who rely on Obamacare to receive health insurance.
And at the end of the day, that I think is the big issue here is this question of affordability, whether it's on health care or housing or
grocery prices. Clearly, this is an issue that President Trump is having to grapple with, and his approach to it so far has been to kind of deny that
it's an issue.
You heard that just last night in the interview that he conducted, with Fox News saying that polls showing, an increasing amount of economic anxiety
were fake polls. But on the other hand, you see him taking all of these other steps that would appear to address the issue or at least try to,
whether it's, saying that he'll send out rebate checks from tariff revenue or raising the idea of doing these 50 year mortgages, which would, in
theory, bring down the monthly, payments.
Both of those issues, or ideas have, some serious issues behind them, but it does demonstrate that the President, even as he dismisses this as a
political tool, is recognizing that there are areas that he does need to focus on this issue ahead of next year's --
GIOKOS: Kevin Liptak, absolutely, I mean, it's not only the political fallout, it's the economic fallout as well. Thank you so much, Kevin, for
breaking that down for us.
I want to turn now to our panel to break all of this down. We've got CNN's Stephen Collinson back with us from Washington. We also have Justin
Wolfers, a professor of economics and public policy, joining us from Michigan. Welcome gentlemen. What a day to be talking with us from
Washington. We also have Justin Wolfers, a professor of economics and public policy.
[10:05:00]
Joining us from Michigan, welcome gentlemen. What a day to be talking about this. I mean, we possibly on the cusp of seeing record breaking government
shutdown, something we haven't seen in U.S. history. And, Stephen, I want to start off with you because as Kevin says, it's a win in some ways. But,
again, the big challenge for President Trump will be is going to be health care. And that's a headache that is going to come very quickly.
Give me a sense of how he's going to tackle this and the messaging we've heard thus far, whether he's already allayed fears of what's to come.
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: As the Democrats pick through the ashes of this climb down, a lot of them are starting to argue
that the President now is on the hook with the rest of the Republican Party for this health care issue, and it's one they're going to push very
aggressively heading into the midterm elections next year.
The immediate question is what to do about these Obamacare insurance policyholders who are getting massive policy premium hikes right now. And
they're having to decide whether to keep those premiums -- keep those insurance policies that they can't really afford, or give up health care
altogether. Nothing that the White House has come up with so far seems to address that issue.
In fact, if you look across the span of President Trump's two White House terms, it's a story of repeated promises of great, beautiful, affordable
health care, which never materialize. And so far the ideas that the President has thrown around about how to address this Obamacare issue
really fit into that template. And it's going to be a big political problem for Republicans.
GIOKOS: Yeah. And I just want to play how Trump has responded to this anxiety that people are feeling. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS HOST: And why are people saying they're anxious about the economy? Why are they saying that?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't know that they are saying. I think polls are fake. We have the greatest economy we've ever
had. We have -- we will have over $20 trillion come into our economy, and it's largely because of my election, but it's also largely because of
tariffs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Well, Justin, do you think that the President has a plan to deal with this particularly in regard to these health care subsidies? I mean,
has he miscalculated just how important these health care subsidies are to so many Americans?
JUSTIN WOLFERS, PROF. OF ECONOMICS & PUBLIC POLICY, UNIV. OF MICHIGAN: Look. I just want to start on that clip. Literally every single word the
President said was wrong. We don't have the greatest economy ever. We have enormous anxiety among voters. The cost of living is rising, and people are
understandably upset. I just want to be crystal clear. There's not a word coming out of the man's mouth that is correct.
Your important question is health care is a very different market. It's very different for a range of reasons. One, we're talking literally about
people's well-being at a very fundamental and human level.
And secondly, that this is not the sort of thing like the market for apples and oranges where you can just let it rip and the market will take care of
it. Markets don't deliver health care or health insurance in useful ways, which is why every government around the world gets involved.
President Trump has promised his health care plan in two weeks now for 10 years in a row. He simply failed to take the idea seriously. And the
problem is it's a very serious issue for Americans and they are noticing.
GIOKOS: Yeah. I mean, it's a really good point. And also numbers tell a very different story in terms of the state of the economy, Justin. And I
want you to give me a sense here because I'm sure you've crunched some of the numbers.
I've been looking at just how much of a consequence this government shutdown has been and the, you know, the impact per week ranges between $7
billion and $15 billion in terms of impact because of the government shutdown. Take me through what this means. You know, once we step out of
this and we're trying to get the economy back on track and get workers back to work and looking at back pay?
WOLFERS: Yeah. So one of the most difficult problems in all of economics is figuring out what's big and what's small because any number, whether it's
millions, billions, or trillions, sounds really big and sounds like it's a big deal.
It turns out the shutdown is measured in billions, which for an economy as large as America is not actually that big. So I'm not here to ring the
alarm bell and say that the shutdown destroyed America's economy at all. It is mere billions of dollars. It's waste. It's painful waste. It's pointless
waste.
And the idea that we, for instance, threatened people on food stamps, otherwise known as SNAP, with hunger if the Democrats didn't roll over is,
at a very personal level, disgusting. But in terms of macroeconomics, it's not a big deal.
But if you want to talk about macroeconomics, then you start thinking about trillions of dollars. And it's quite possible that what the President's
doing with tariffs is far more destructive. What the President's doing with uncertainty where no business knows where the rules are and what they're
going to be tomorrow, that's much, much more damaging than the shutdown, which I think is just a symptom of government dysfunction.
[10:10:00]
GIOKOS: Yeah. And it's a really good point, from a macro perspective perhaps not that impactful, but, you know, so many millions of Americans
have been caught in the crossfire of this. Stephen, I want you to come in here, and we're seeing some division in MAGA, notably prior loyalist.
Majorie Taylor Greene, who has now split with Trump on a number of issues. I want you to take a listen to what she told CNN's Kaitlan Collins and then
what Trump had to say about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: When the President says there's virtually no inflation and that grocery prices are going down, do you agree with him on
that?
REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): No. I go to the grocery store myself. Grocery prices remain high, energy prices are high.
REPORTER: Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is a big ally of yours, said that she would rather see you focused on nonstop domestic policy meetings here at
the White House instead of nonstop foreign policy meetings. What's your response to her saying that and also saying that grocery prices are up and
not down as you've said?
TRUMP: Yeah. So, I don't know what happened to Marjorie. She's a nice woman, but I don't know what happened. She's lost her way, I think..
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: All right. So Marjorie Taylor Greene then responding to that, telling CNN in a statement, I haven't lost my way. I'm a 100 percent
American first and only -- what do you -- when you hear all of this, what do you see playing out here, Stephen?
COLLINSON: Well, first of all, it's a really interesting political thing because Marjorie Taylor Greene was one of the President's most vociferous
reporters, a very controversial figure. Yet it appears that she's far more in touch with the insecurity that many Americans are facing in terms of
health care costs, grocery costs, and everything else than the President is.
She is obviously living in the real world where these issues, are something everyone talks about every day. The President is, pursuing this presidency
that seems increasingly fantastical in many ways, building boardrooms, renovating bathrooms, threatening to, invade Nigeria after he saw something
on a Fox News report, all of these scattershot issues.
There's no more dangerous position for a politician to be in when they lose touch with the pain that voters are feeling. That's especially the case
with the presidency because even, under Presidents who are more in touch with Americans, it's a very gilded cage. So this, I think, is something
that's going to be a real problem for Republicans as we head into the midterm elections.
Trump has is a billionaire. He has a cabinet of millionaires and billionaires. And it seems for all his attempts to cut the price of drugs
and to talk about how great the American economy is doing, he just isn't getting the information for whatever reason that many Americans are getting
and how they're and that's the way they're processing their situation. And you can see that in polls, and you saw it reflected in last week's off year
elections in The United States.
GIOKOS: Yeah. It's an important, point you make. And, Justin, I want you to give me sort of an understanding of whether you think President Trump and
the Trump administration is sort of losing touch with what the American experience is because, you know, they keep saying, well, inflation is not
that bad and, you know, prices have gone down. And the numbers and the data say something completely different.
I mean, ADP numbers came out for the week of October 25 showing the job creation was down more than 11,000 on average, per week, and it's showing
some weakness in the labor market. So the data -- you cannot dispute the data that we're seeing here.
WOLFERS: Yeah. So the problem isn't losing touch with the American people. It's literally losing touch with reality. The claim that prices are falling
at the drugstore, at the grocery store, in our everyday lives is just on its face flat out false.
You and I can see it. I can point you to any number of data collections that show it. I could point you to any number of stores whose annual
reports suggest that their prices are continuing to rise. This is literally undisputable.
The President in an earlier clip said the economy is booming because I brought in $20 trillion worth of investment. That is quite literally a
number that he made up out of whole cloth. I would challenge your viewers. Go to the White House website. See if you can find out where he made this
up. It is implausible. It's impossible. It's not true, and it's made up. And this utter detachment from reality, which I think sort of began with
the 2020 election, but now has become an increasing part of their economic policy.
If you can't see the reality and the facts in front of you, you can't design the right policy to correct the real problems that exist.
GIOKOS: All right. Stephen, very quickly, tomorrow, the vote goes to the House. I mean, it's very likely we'll see the end of this, shutdown. And
I'm just wondering how the Democrats are sort of positioning themselves for what's to come.
[10:15:00]
COLLINSON: Well, the House Democrats, they're all against this deal that was struck by the eight, moderate Democrats in the Senate. But what they're
going to do is try to spin this to their advantage. They're going to say, look -- see, now the problem is health care. Republicans don't get it. The
problem is rising prices. President Trump isn't going to do anything about it.
I'm reminded, from Justin's comments about something the President said during his first term. He said that people, his supporters, don't believe
what you're seeing and reading on TV. That's not what's happening. This denial of reality is something that is embedded in his administration, and
I think it's going to continue. You would think that gives the Democrats, to your question, a big political opening.
GIOKOS: All right. Stephen Collinson, Justin Wolfers. Great to have you with us. Thank you so much.
And still ahead on CNN, families mourn after a deadly blast rocks a major tourist site in Delhi. We'll bring you the latest on India's response.
Once labeled a terrorist, now White House guest, Syria's President is recasting himself as a global statesman. What does his meeting with
President Trump mean for Syria's future? That's coming up after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: The fallout from Monday's deadly car explosion in Delhi is being felt across India. Airports, rail stations, and government buildings are
all on high alert. The blast killed at least 10 people and injured dozens more in a major tourist district in the city.
Earlier today, Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, said that all those responsible will be brought to justice. CNN's Mike Valerio has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE VALERIO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is being investigated under one of India's anti-terrorism laws. We're starting to hear, because
the hours go on from more and more officials, notably from Prime Minister Modi as well as India's defense minister that anybody who is responsible
for this will be brought to justice, paraphrasing their comments, lightly for the sake of our conversation.
But I want to take you to the scene. Let's play about five seconds of this clip, what people saw at the tail end of rush hour in Delhi yesterday.
Let's watch this.
(VIDEO PLAYING)
VALERIO: So that is the scene outside just a couple meters away from the, Red Fort Metro Station. Six vehicles torched, three auto rickshaws also
torched from that explosion. Now let's listen to somebody who was in -- at the scene. Take a listen to how they describe it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (via translator): When we reached the spot, we could find only bodies. We went there with about 10 ambulances and found about four to
five bodies and brought them to the hospital.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[10:20:00]
VALERIO: And I think it's important to note that even though we are hearing from more and more officials, even at the top of India's government that
are militating towards this being a deliberate act, still police and authorities at the top levels of India's government have not blamed an
individual. They have not pointed blame towards a specific group of any sort.
In terms of the ripple effects of this story, this is affecting so many cities in India, airports, rail stations, heritage sites, and landmarks,
all in a heightened state of security after this.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Well, Syria appears to be entering a new era of international relations after the new President's landmark visit to Washington. On
Monday, Ahmed al-Sharaa became the first Syrian head of state ever to visit the White House, winning praise from President Trump who expressed
confidence in his leadership.
The U.S. also says it will extend its pause on most sanctions against Syria for an additional 180 days, and Syria is now joining the global coalition
to counter ISIS. Dareen Khalifa, is a senior adviser at the International Crisis Group with expertise in Syria, and she joins us now live from Cairo,
Egypt.
Dareen, great to have you with us. I mean, look, optic -- from an optics perspective, you had, al-Sharaa playing basketball with heads of military
in The United States. You see him in the Oval Office. You've got praise from President Trump. So this is a complete shift in terms of the man that
was a year ago and to what we see now, and he's sort of being welcomed with open arms. What is your sense of what you've been seeing over the last few
days?
DAREEN KHALIFA, SENIOR ADVISER, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: Well, thank you so much for having me, and you're absolutely right, it is incredible to
watch all these shifts. It is like decades of geopolitical transformations have happened in The Middle East since the fall of Assad last December.
You know, I have known Ahmed al-Sharaa for almost six, seven years now. I've known him in his previous life when he was in Northwestern Syria. I've
interviewed him numerously. So I'm not very surprised by the things he's saying now as I've witnessed and heard a lot about his transformation,
evolution, and I've seen him implement some of the things he's saying today.
What really does take me by surprise is how fast he's been able to win, well, hearts and minds internationally. He's been really able to churn
Syria's relations with former foes, not just the U.S., but also the Russians, the Chinese, regional Arab countries. It really is incredible.
And to see that not only is he the first Syrian President to ever visit Washington, but to receive an invite from President Trump. And we've seen
the photos, it was a very positive vibe. Everyone was smiling. President Trump once more praised the Syrian President and vowed to support Syria's
transition and to help Syria. So it is quite remarkable to see what he's been able to achieve in his international relations in the last few months.
And, also, just to say that I think it's --.
GIOKOS: Yeah. I mean, it's been -- I think charm offensive say it's like a roadshow, isn't it? It's this charm offensive. It's this roadshow that he's
been on, and, you know, I'm really curious because you said you've known him for six to seven years and, I want you to sort of break that down for
me and help us understand, because I think some of the U.S. allies are still treating al-Sharaa with incredible suspicion.
KHALIFA: Yeah. No. Absolutely. I mean, namely, the Israelis are very suspicious, rightfully so. They haven't been following closely his
evolution over the years, his break from Al-Qaeda, his break from ISIS, the fact that he's been fighting them on the ground for almost a decade now. So
these are things -- I would say it's a bit more than a charm offensive even though it comes across as that.
But a lot of the things and that's why I pointed out to having known him and followed his transformation over the years because a lot of the things
he says today are things he's been working on for years. So when he says we're ready to fight ISIS alongside the global coalition, it is -- these
are things he has told us in private and has also, acted on in public in Syria. So he has fought ISIS for many years. He has fought Al-Qaeda
offshoots in Syria for many years.
Yeah. So he has acted on a lot of the things. He said -- he's been asked repeatedly about his views on 9/11, and he always points to the fact that
him and his group have always opposed transnational of jihadist operations. That he himself was a teenager at the time, and was not in a decision
making position of any sorts.
But generally speaking, there are things that he has changed his position on, but there are things that are consistent and have been -- he's been
consistent on over the years, including, fighting ISIS, including distancing himself and his group -- from transnational jihad group, from
these groups.
[10:25:00]
GIOKOS: Yeah. When I look at this, I sort of like to take myself out of out of it and know for a fact that you've got President Trump who's very
transactional and clearly wants something out of the relationship. Of course, Ahmed al-Sharaa, clearly, wants to talk about sanctions and
security and what -- you know, whether Israel will withdraw.
I mean, from the Trump perspective, Abraham Accords, we know the list that they had discussed in Saudi Arabia earlier this year. How do you think this
is all going to land that's a win-win for both sides?
KHALIFA: Well, I think they do -- they both do have a lot in common. They're very transactional. They're very pragmatic. I think they got along.
They hit it off quite well. But, you're absolutely right to point out that President Trump wants things from him, including he had pointed to Syria
potentially joining the Abraham Accords, the peace deals between Arab states and Israel.
And the Syria President, despite being very forward leaning in general about relations with Israel, and potentially just signing security
arrangements or entering into agreements, with Israel, he has said that Syria is nowhere -- not at all ready to join the Abraham Accords and is
nowhere near normalizing or full normalization in its relations with Israel.
I think there is a wide spectrum of policy options in between full on normalization and joining the Abraham Accords and being in a state of war,
which were -- was where we were at last summer, where Israel was bombing Damascus. So I think President Sharaa still offer to President Trump in
terms of -- well, we all know that President Trump likes to make deals, likes to add to his list of peace agreements that he's been able to achieve
in the last few months. So he's able to give him something.
And I think in the next few weeks --
GIOKOS: All right. Dareen -- oh, I'm sorry. I think we've lost her. Dareen, Khalifa there for us, thank you so very much. OK. We've -- you're back. OK.
Well, thank you so much. We appreciate your insights. Great to have you on the show.
All right. Breaking news into CNN. The Kingdom -- The United Kingdom is suspending some of its intelligence sharing with the United States because
of the Trump administration's strikes against alleged drug boats. To date, there have been 19 strikes that have killed 76 people, with the Pentagon
often providing little detail on why the boats were targeted outside of claims that they are being used to traffic drugs.
CNN National Security Correspondent Natasha Bertrand joins me now. This is really big news. What more can you tell us?
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. So, essentially, what we're learning is that the U.K. decided just over a month
ago, right, around the time that the U.S. started launching these military strikes on these vessels, trafficking drugs in The Caribbean to suspend
intel sharing with the U.S. on this particular subject.
It's important to note that the U.K., prior to the U.S. military undertaking this campaign in the Caribbean, had been a pretty important
partner for the US, particularly the coast guard in helping to locate and, interdict vessels suspected of carrying drugs in The Caribbean. The U.K.,
of course, has a number of territories in the Caribbean. They have intelligence assets down there, and so they were a very key partner in
helping the US, identify and intervene when these boats were traveling.
Well, now we're learning that the U.K. is deeply uncomfortable with the U.S. military's, strikes on these boats, thinks that they are actually
blatantly illegal and that they violate international law, and does not want to share, intelligence with the U.S. that could be used by the US
military to target boats and kill everyone on board.
Essentially, they believe, in line with much of the international community as well as legal experts that these people onboard these boats, are
civilians. They are not, in fact, enemy combatants that the U.S. is currently in an armed conflict with, as the U.S. has argued, over the last
several months.
So this is a very significant rupture, of course, because the U.S., and The U.K. are extremely close allies. The U.K. is arguably the U.S.'s closest
ally, and, of course, their intelligence sharing partnership is extremely deep. And so while I think the U.S. is not going to be deterred by this,
they are likely going to continue to strike these boats, it's certainly a very loud message that the U.K. is sending that they don't believe that
these strikes are legal.
GIOKOS: Yeah. I mean and as the U.K. suspends some of its intelligence sharing with the U.S., you're also learning about how the U.S. is
conducting these strikes. What have you heard?
BERTRAND: So it's a bit of a hodgepodge in terms of how the US military is actually carrying out these attacks. They're using MQ 9 Reaper drones,
which are not manned. They are remotely piloted by U.S. military officials, to launch hellfire missiles at many of these vessels. They are using
fighter jets to hit these vessels, and they're also using gunships, which are -- ships that -- planes that can get very, very close to the target and
essentially hit them with giant guns.
[10:30:00]
So they are basically using every asset at their disposal, down there to hit these drug vessels, which, you know, experts are saying could be a
waste of resources and very, very expensive to go after these very small boats that typically are not carrying that many, narcotics and could just
as well be interdicted by the U.S. coast guard as they have, repeatedly, in the past.
GIOKOS: Yeah. I mean, that's really interesting. I mean, what we've also seen is, the Pentagon is not offering a lot of information or evidence why
boats are targeted. You know, how much are we hearing from the Pentagon in terms of why these specific boats have been targeted?
BERTRAND: Well, what we're told is that they're essentially gathering intelligence from across the intelligence community that's going into these
targeting decisions that links these particular vessels to particular criminal organizations, cartels, or their affiliates. It's a very, very
broad criteria for targeting these boats.
But what's important to remember here is that the administration has acknowledged two lawmakers in pretty much every briefing that they have
provided to Congress that they don't necessarily know the individual identity of every single person on board those boats before they actually
strike them. Instead, they are saying that they are affiliated. They have intelligence that they are broadly affiliated with these cartels, with
these criminal organizations, but they don't actually know who exactly is on them.
And that is deeply problematic, of course, when you talk to experts, when you talk to, you know, people like, the British officials who have decided
to stop sharing intelligence here because there is never a guarantee that everyone on that boat is going to be, you know, anything more than a
fisherman, for example, as we have seen some, individuals claim.
So that is part of the reason why there's so much ambivalence here is that the U.S. military is carrying out these strikes without necessarily having
a lot of hard evidence and at least not -- if they do, providing it to the American public about who is actually on these vessels.
GIOKOS: All right. Natasha Bertrand, great to have you on the story. Thank you so much.
All right. Ahead on "Connect the World," the planet's biggest climate summit is trying to figure out how to reign in dangerous global warming.
And my upcoming guest wants COP30 to be remembered as the most -- moment humanity turned the tide. My live interview coming up right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:35:00]
GIOKOS: Welcome back to "Connect the World." I'm Eleni Giokos. Here are your headlines. The U.S. House, Senate will be voting tomorrow, to end a
six week long government shutdown. That vote coming after the Senate approved a funding plan to reopen the government Monday night. President
Donald Trump says he approves of the measure and would sign it.
Authorities in Pakistan say a deadly blast outside the high court in Islamabad was a suicide attack. Officials say 12 people were killed and 20
others were injured. It was a deadliest attack in the Pakistani capital since 2008. A faction of the Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, says those responsible for Monday's deadly car explosion in Delhi will be brought to justice. The blast killed
at least 10 people and injured dozens more in a major tourist district of the city. The fallout has airports, rail stations, and government buildings
across India on high alert.
The biggest climate conference in the world is underway, but the biggest polluters have not sent high level delegations to COP30 in Brazil. Still,
the world leaders who have shown up are seeking a plan to halt catastrophic climate change, and the stakes are high. Last year was the hottest on
record, capping a decade of unprecedented heat and extreme weather.
My next guest says, quote, "Even if current emission pledges were met in full, global temperatures would still rise by more than 2.5 degrees Celsius
this century." And I want to bring in professor Patrick Verkooijen. He is the CEO of the Global Center of Adaptation and Chancellor of the University
of Nairobi. And he's live from COP30 in Belem in Brazil.
It's really good to have you with us. And I have to say, it's just this -- we need to be realistic of what we're seeing right now. And when we look at
the numbers and you say them so eloquently that even if we meet the pledges that we put on the table, temperatures are still going to rise 2.5 percent
-- 2.5 degrees Celsius. We're still going to -- we're going to still miss our targets.
I, firstly, want you to tell me what you've been hearing at COP30, whether you're feeling hopeful that governments around the world are committed to
fighting climate change?
PATRICK VERKOOIJEN, CHANCELLOR, UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI: Well, thank you so much. But that is exactly the big question for there's the climate summit
here in the coming two weeks. What do we know? Ten years ago in Paris, the world agreed that we would not warm up to more than 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Where are we today? Ten years later, we're already crossing that threshold.
Well, the world also agree that finance would flow in large numbers from the global North to the global South. Well, actually that money is not
there, or at least not there enough. And now the big question for this climate summit is, are we as an international community, are we adapting to
the climate crisis?
More droughts, more floods, more storms, more heat waves, what is needed from the international community is a strong, say, Marshall plan to
safeguard the world to the escalating climate crisis. There are many people here in Belem in Brazil asking the question, is this COP going to deliver?
Well, that's the big question which needs to be asked in the next two weeks.
GIOKOS: Do you do you feel -- do you feel it's going to deliver without high level delegations of the -- from the biggest polluters in the world,
the most industrialized nations?
VERKOOIJEN: Well, it's obviously a major setback that United States is not present here in Belem, in a sense, as a party to the to the climate
convention. President Trump pulled the United States out and as the second biggest emitter and as the largest historical emitter, of course, that's a
big miss for this, for this summit.
At the same time, Europe is here. China is here, Africa is here, South America is here. So there is now a sort of a conversation. What can we do
to safeguard lives and livelihood even despite U.S. federal government present. And why is that important? Because it's in the self-interest of
nations to invest particularly in climate resilience.
Think about it. If you say a country like Kenya, every single year, you lose 3 percent of GDP because of climate impacts. If you were to invest a
dollar, a pound, or a Kenyan shilling in agriculture, in infrastructure, in health care systems, this has a much higher return. So it's simply smart
economics to invest in jobs and prosperity.
GIOKOS: So let me ask you this --
VERKOOIJEN: So that is basically the bottom line. Yes.
GIOKOS: So, Patrick -- yeah. Patrick, look, the world is very distracted. I mean, we're worried about, the trade war. You've got investment going in,
and, you know, wasteful expenditure going into wars, for example. President Trump is focused on trying to shore up his economy, and it seems climate
action is falling by the wayside.
[10:40:00]
The biggest outcome of COP29 was the big focus on the loss and damage fund. You know, money still needs to flow into that. The move movement away from
fossil fuels still needs to be committed to while in an age of building data centers and, you know, frankly, increasing our energy consumption, how
all those issues being tackled while the most vulnerable countries, as you say, are dealing with the brunt of global industrialization?
VERKOOIJEN: And that's precisely right now. For the most vulnerable nations present mainly from Africa, that's a most vulnerable continent and the
small island development state, the litmus test of success of the climate summit here in Brazil are three things. Finance, finance, finance. And as
you said, development finance, with other words, taxpayers' money is not there in large enough volume. So where does the money have to come from?
It has to come from the private sector. The good news is that only on climate resilience, i.e. climate adaptation, there is a $4 trillion economy
to be captured if businesses were to invest. So the question is to this COP, to this summit, what is the signal we need from Brazil for the private
sector to step in and to step up? Because at the end of the day, that's where the solutions are, that's where the innovations is, and that's also
where the finance at scale has to come from.
GIOKOS: Yeah. Patrick, great to have you on. Thank you so much. We appreciate you being on the ground there, feeding back everything that
that's happening at COP30.
VERKOOIJEN: All right. Let's get you up to speed on some other stories that are on our radar right now.
A British journalist is expected to be released from ICE detention and allowed to return to The U.K. Sami Hamdi, a Muslim journalist and
commentator, was visiting the U.S. on a speaking tour when he was detained by ICE in San Francisco International Airport last month.
300 Mexican soldiers have gathered in the state of Michoacan, and they've, the first to arrive for a major operation to fight violence and organized
crime launched by the Mexican President. It comes less than two weeks after the assassination of a local mayor who was outspoken against crime.
And coming up, football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo teases his retirement plans. Becky Anderson interviewed the famed player on his legacy and his
new home, Saudi Arabia.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: There are many rumors about retirement, but football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo does not seem to be slowing down. This year, the
Portuguese player became the first billionaire footballer he signed a record breaking deal with Saudi club, Al-Nassr, and he says he still has
some years left in him.
[10:45:00]
But when, Ronaldo spoke with our Becky Anderson at the TOURISE Summit in Saudi Arabia, he said the 2026 World Cup will be definitely his last. Becky
asked how soon he plans to retire, and this is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CRISTIANO RONALDO, FOOTBALL LEGEND: Well, the soon for me means in 10 years. So did people -- did people realize that when I say soon, it's in
six months, one year. No, I'm joking. When I mean soon, it's I'm going to back in the days and tell you, I'm really enjoying the moment right now. As
you know, in the football, when you reach some age you count the months very quick.
So the moment is good, as I tell you before, I feel very good in this moment. I score goals. I still feel quick and sharp. I'm enjoying my game
in the national team and Al-Nassr. But, of course, let's be honest, what I mean soon is probably one, two years. I'm still -- I'll still be, at the
game.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: So you expect this World Cup to be your last dig?
RONALDO: Definitely, yes. Because its -- I will be 41 years old, and I think will be -- at the moment and in the big competition that's too -- I
don't know yet. As I've told you before, I'm enjoying the moment. But when I mean soon, it's really soon, because I give everything for football. I'm
in the game for the last 25 years, I did everything. I have many records in the different scenarios in the clubs and also in the national teams. I'm
really proud. So let's enjoy the moment, live the moment.
ANDERSON: Well, you're a phenomenal athlete. I mean, there will be those who wouldn't bet against you for 2030, when, of course, Portugal will be
host hosting the World Cup, your home country. 2034, the World Cup hosted here in your new country, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. How special is it
for you to see both those countries on the footballing world stage?
RONALDO: Well, for me, it's very important because I'm Portuguese and, they're going to organize the World Cup here in in Portugal, but also 2034
will be in Saudi, which is -- as I told you before, I belong to Saudi right now. It's the countries that I have in my heart. So I want to be part of
the this amazing project, this amazing tournament, and they can count with me because I'm always in their sights to work, to make football big and big
and big and help the new generations to love this amazing sport.
ANDERSON: When you move to the Kingdom, the world, of course, paid attention, Cristiano. Your move in 2023 wasn't without controversy, quite
frankly. You've got nearly 700 million followers, which means that you've got the ability to change perceptions. Personally, what do you believe are
the most common misperceptions about the Kingdom? And do you believe the country is seen differently because of you?
RONALDO: Well, let's start from the beginning. When I moved to Saudi, they -- the world called me crazy. But I'm -- I think I'm a good crazy. So they
find out that I was right because I believe in the project, as I said before, because I knew it's the passion of the Saudis for football it's
amazing. They're also I believe in the project of the tourism of the country.
They -- our big boss, MBS, they push a lot to the county to be good and worldwide and this is what I do. And, of course, I'm part of the project.
I'm just there to help with my experience, with my knowledge, with my science base. So I'm really glad to be there. As I told you before, my
family also, they are very happy here -- there. My wife, my kids, and the culture is brilliant, and I love the country as everyone knows.
ANDERSON: You've called the Red Sea your second home. You've raved about Alula. When you travel with the family, what do you look for in a
destination?
RONALDO: Well, I love I love Alula and also Red Sea. I have House there, so it's a place that I feel on peace. That's nobody asked me autograph there.
So for me, it's a big victory when I -- when nobody asked me nothing or picture or whatever, because I feel on peace. Whatever that, I -- it's a
country that they have beautiful things. People that don't know, they just know maybe Riyadh or Jeddah. But, Saudi, they have many, many, many good
places. So my family is happy.
[10:50:00]
I'm being in holidays in Red Sea. So it's great. As to mention before what to tell you, our life is very is very complicated. It's very difficult. One
year more that I'm not going to be with my family. My daughter will be is birthday tomorrow, so I'm here in the national team. That is part of the
life. I'm still happy. My kids know that the daddy is always next to them, so start of my job.
ANDERSON: As you look beyond the game, of course, your son, Cristiano Junior, kicked off his career in the Portugal under sixteens. How good is
he? Is he is he better than you?
RONALDO: I wish. Let's -- let me tell you something. We always -- the human beings, they -- we don't want nobody being better than us. That's -- and my
point, I wish if my kids will be better than me. I'm never going to be jealous of him. Trust me. But this is a big task. It's very, very
difficult. I don't want to make him pressure. Because what I want it's -- for him, it's to be happy. Doesn't matter if you want to play football or
play another sport, be happy, be free. Don't be with the pressure of your daddy because the pressure of your daddy, it's a lot.
And this is new generation, different generation. They are thinking different. They live different. That's as a father, I'm here to help him,
to be what he wants to be. I will be his support.
ANDERSON: Few people in history have reached your level of success. What do you want your legacy to be for your family, for young players, for the
hundreds of millions of people who follow you regularly on social media?
RONALDO: Well, it's a good questions. I know I will be in a book of one of the best players ever in a football. But apart of that, I want that people
recognize me that's inspiring man, that inspiring me to do with something. As you mentioned in the beginning in our conversation, that's being
professional, be series, resilience. For me it's the basic points to have success in their life.
So when I want that the young generation look at me and say, this guy is it's like a guy that that really wants big things in the life, a good man.
So this is for me is the most important.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: All right. Brilliant conversation. Cristiano Ronaldo there speaking to our Becky Anderson at the TOURISE Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
All right. We're going to a short break. Stay with us. I'll be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: Welcome back. Now some of Bob Ross's happy little trees are branching out to help paint a brighter future for public television. Three
original Bob Ross paintings are going up for auction today in Los Angeles, part of the largest release of his work ever offered to the public. The
sale is being organized by American Public Television and will raise money for local PBS stations in the wake of federal funding cuts, And they are so
beautiful.
[10:55:00]
All right. Moving on now. And it's Veterans Day in The United States. And just minutes from now, President Trump is set to lay a wreath and speak at
Arlington National Cemetery. He will lead the 72nd Annual National Veterans Day observance, honoring the men and women who have served and continue to
serve in the U.S. Armed Forces during war and peacetime. We'll have live coverage ahead on CNN.
Well, thanks so much for joining us for this edition of "Connect the World." We've got "One World" up next. I'm Eleni Giokos, I'll see you
tomorrow.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: More signs that the longest shutdown in U.S. history could soon be over. "One World" starts right now.
[11:00:00]
END
