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Deputy A.G. Todd Blanche Says Photos Released From Jeffrey Epstein Files "Horrible," But Not Enough Evidence To Prosecute; British Prime Minister Keir Starmer Wants Former Prince To Testify To U.S. Congress; U.S. House Speaker Under Pressure To Pass Spending Bill To Avoid Lengthy Government Shutdown; Rafah Crossing Partially Reopens After Nearly Two Years; Iran's Foreign Minister: "We Fully Agree" On No Nuclear Weapons Deal; United States Allies Working To Arrange Iran Talks In A Bid To Stave Off Military Strikes; Trump's A.I. Push Exposes A Divide In The MAGA Movement; Cancellations Mount At Kennedy Center In Wake Of Trump Rebrand. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired February 02, 2026 - 10:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:00:33]
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi. This is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to the second hour of the show from our Middle East programming headquarters. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi,
where the time is just after 7:00 in the evening.
The latest Epstein document release, sparking more questions, providing few answers, as the Justice Department signals that, "Horrible photographs are
not enough to prosecute."
The U.S. government shutdown is underway as Democrats push for changes to immigration practices with a glaring focus on President Trump's Minneapolis
crackdown.
And the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt is opening for the first time in nearly two years to allow a small number of Palestinians to
leave or re-enter the enclave.
We're following multiple stories in Washington with huge implications. Let's begin with the U.S. Justice Department, where officials there are
downplaying criticism over the latest release of documents tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The DOJ released millions of new pages over the weekend, including documents that failed to properly redact victims' names, according to some
Epstein survivors, and additional files that contain disturbing content.
Despite this, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche says the DOJ is not considering any new charges against anyone because, "There was nothing in
there that allowed us to prosecute anybody."
Meantime, the Trump administration faces a big test on Capitol Hill this week, Republicans under pressure to give final approval to a deal between
President Donald Trump and Senate Democrats that temporarily extends Department of Homeland Security funding for two weeks, and it comes amid
more protests across the United States over the weekend calling for an end to the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.
Well, CNN's Kara Scannell is across the fallout of the Epstein files release, and she joins us now.
Kara, this was some three million documents. Obviously takes some time to wade through all of those. Explain for us, if you will, both key takeouts
and why the Justice Department insists it will not further prosecute anybody.
KARA SCANNEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Becky, more than three million documents were released on Friday. This was now several weeks after a deadline DOJ
had in order to make all of these files public, and one of the reasons they said that there was such a delay is that they were spending a lot of time
ensuring that no survivors or Epstein victims' names were released, and the victims are speaking out, saying that that just did not happen, that the
redactions were not good, that a number of survivors' names were made public in these documents.
But the key takeaways from this, the CNN team had been going through them over the weekend, including it over the weekend, you know, and they found
that, you know, there were some, as we already know, some of these heavily redacted documents that were included in the document dump, and then there
were some others that had some salacious allegations.
We did see e-mails between FBI agents in 2025 where they had compiled essentially all of the tips that they had received relating to President
Donald Trump. It was about two pages long. They were salacious. They were unconfirmed, unsubstantiated, and in some instances it looked like the FBI
did take steps at various points to try to follow up on them. At other times, it is not clear what happened once they got that allegation.
But Trump has not been accused by any law enforcement over all of the years of Epstein's abuse, of having done anything wrong.
Also, another popular name in the files, as we saw during the earlier releases and continuing in this one, is former President Bill Clinton. His
name has come up numerous times. Our team had done some analysis, and they found that Bill Clinton had been on Epstein's private plane at least 16
times.
Now, the Clintons has always denied any wrongdoing. He said he never knew what Epstein was up to, and he did confirm that he did take flights with
him, but said that, you know he did -- he cut ties with him in 2006 and did not know what transpired after that.
Clinton himself has also not been accused by law enforcement of any wrongdoing, but with all of the information and the famous names that have
come out, we have seen President Trump say that he wants certain Democrats, including Clinton, to be investigated. Attorney General Pam Bondi had said
that she was going to order the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. This is the office that had handled the investigations to open an
investigation now, based on the material.
[10:05:23]
And now, the Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Dana Bash yesterday that there will be no further investigations. Here's exactly what Blanche
said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TODD BLANCHE, U.S. DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL: There's a lot of correspondence, there's a lot of e-mails, there's a lot of photographs,
there's a lot of horrible photographs that appear to be taken by Mr. Epstein or people around him, but that doesn't allow us necessarily to
prosecute somebody. The Attorney General wants that more than anything, but that doesn't mean we can just create evidence, or that we can just kind of
come up with a case that doesn't -- that isn't there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCANNELL: What we are also hearing, though, are from the survivors of Epstein who say that the way that the Justice Department rolled this out
revealed a number of their names multiple times in these filings.
It is something that we have heard repeatedly. There was criticism of Congress when they had released their tranche of files, and in the earlier
release in December from the Justice Department, Epstein survivors had said that they -- it was sloppy, that there were peoples. There were even, in
some instances, minors whose names were not redacted from these files. And they are pretty upset about it.
One Epstein survivor, Danielle Bansky, spoke about this. Here's what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANIELLE BANSKY, JEFFREY EPSTEIN SURVIVOR: It's a rabbit hole, and I think that, you know, we just have very little faith in the DOJ at this point to
continue to do the right thing.
And it is just a trove of victims' information. And so, what are we protecting is the point for me and for so many other survivors, because at
this point, we are hearing that this is it, but we have what half of the files that they know that they have, so if you're not protecting survivors,
then what -- who are you protecting?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCANNELL: And that is something that, you know, ties back into what the Deputy Attorney General was saying is that they don't have any evidence
that substantiates additional investigations against these famous names, these individuals, and so it sounds like DOJ is now trying to put a pin in
this investigation, but we expect to hear more from the survivors about how this release was handled, Becky.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you, Kara, thank you.
And fallout from the files in the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Keir Starmer calling on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, to
testify before U.S. Congress about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
The latest released by the DOJ included images which appear to show the former prince. He has long denied any wrongdoing.
CNN's Salma Abdelaziz is live in London for us on this. And political pressure ramping up against Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor at this point,
what's the latest as we understand it?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A crisis that's completely engulfed London as well and pushed former Prince Andrew deeper into what is an
absolute crisis that has caused him to be stripped of his royal titles, pushed out of the royal residence.
Well, what's new in these documents? What did we not know before? There's three things that I really want you to take away from them, Becky, and I
want to start with those images, because this is what's being spread all over the media today is these images of the man, of course, formerly known
as Prince Andrew and he is on all fours, crouching over a female. It could be a woman, it could be a girl. Her face is obscured, as you can see there
in another image, he appears to be touching her stomach. There's a person in the background with their feet up on the table. It is difficult not to
look at these images and cringe.
Do they show wrongdoing? No. Is there any criminal activity, per se in there? No. But does it send shivers down your spine? Absolutely, and that's
what's going to be happening when people look at those images.
The other thing that I want you to take away is some of the exchanges that we've been able to go through in this e-mail trove. And these exchanges
between Epstein and former Prince Andrew essentially show him the closeness, first of all, of their relationship, the closeness and access he
had even to Buckingham Palace.
But they also showed that these conversations continued well after former Prince Andrew had said his relationship with Epstein had ended, and after
he had become an accused sex offender, making it ever more difficult for Prince Andrew to continue to deny his involvement or knowledge, but
continue to deny is exactly what he has been doing.
The final thing to take away is, again, that language that we're seeing in these e-mails, in one of these exchanges, Mountbatten-Windsor replies that
he would be delighted to see a woman that Mr. Epstein is suggesting. Mr. Epstein then describes her as a 26-year-old Russian that is clever,
beautiful and trustworthy.
[10:10:01]
So, all of this language, all of these e-mails and all of this continued allegations that are swirling around him have already stripped him of his
royal titles. He is supposed to be moving out of the Royal lodge at some point. But what more can happen? What more can take place?
Well, the pressure right now around former Prince Andrew is for him to testify, is for him to go to the United States and testify against Epstein.
We find in these e-mails that that pressure has actually been building for years, Becky, not just from victims, not just from the Justice Department,
but now from members of the Democratic Party, so that pressure can only continue to mount here.
ANDERSON: And one not insignificant development, a labor veteran and former British ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, has quit the
party over reports of Epstein links, just explain.
ABDELAZIZ: Yes, that right now is the breaking news. Just in the last few hours. We've heard that Prime Minister Keir Stammer has said that there
should be an investigation launched into Lord Mandelson.
Just yesterday, Lord Mandelson over his relationship, or over this accusation of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, did resign from the
Labor Party. He denied the accusations against him. He denied what's in the documents, which is essentially that he was given large sums of money by
Mr. Epstein. He denies that that took place, but he did say that it was a matter that needed to be investigated by himself, and he didn't want to
bring further embarrassment to the party, and that's why he was resigning.
But now there's talk of stripping his title completely from the House of Lords, something that's entirely unprecedented. We also understand that a
member of the cabinet might be giving an update in the House of Commons in a couple of hours time.
Now, Lord Mandelson had already been kicked out of office as the ambassador to the U.S., as you mentioned just over these allegations earlier. So,
this, again, just adds to the controversy around him and the questions around his relationship with Mr. Epstein.
ANDERSON: Good to have you, Salma. Thank you.
Well, return to the threat of another U.S. government shutdown now. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson faces a tough road ahead as he tries to sell a
funding deal to his fellow Republicans that Democrats have pushed for. CNN's Annie Grayer is on Capitol Hill where she spoke to my colleague John
Berman a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNIE GRAYER, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: That's right, John, there are a lot of dynamics at play and some key hurdles to overcome. So, let's start with the
Democrats.
Over the weekend, the top Democrat in the House, Hakeem Jeffries, told Speaker Johnson that he couldn't rely on Democrats to pass this, which
meant that Johnson now has to navigate a number of key procedural hurdles with his very narrow Republican majority. So that starts with the Rules
Committee, as you mentioned, at 4:00 p.m. And there are two conservatives on that panel who have sometimes blocked legislation from their own party.
So, we're going to see if Republicans can stay united on that committee.
But assuming it passes there, John, it will head to the floor on Tuesday where Johnson is going to have to pass a procedural step for this bill with
all Republican votes. Now, right now Johnson has a two- seat margin, but that could go down to a one vote margin if Johnson swears in the new
Democrat from Texas who won his special election over the weekend. So, there is a very narrow road that Johnson has to walk. But he's hoping that
because President Trump has come out in support of this deal, that that will be enough to carry this over the finish line.
Now, once these procedural steps are passed with likely just Republican votes, we are expecting some Democrats to vote for the final package here.
I reported on a call that House Democrats had yesterday where some of the top Democrats in the House, Steny Hoyer, Jim Clyburn, said that ultimately
they do support this deal. It's just a matter of how they get there.
But, remember, this is just to get the part of the government that's closed down, reopened. Then we have a two-week sprint to try and come up with a
longer term solution for how to fund the Department of Homeland Security. And there are a lot of different demands from Democrats and Republicans on
how to do that over restrictions on ICE.
Take a listen to Jeffries, some of the demands that he has on this issue.
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): This is an extreme administration unleashing brutality on the American people using taxpayer dollars.
So, we absolutely, as a condition of moving forward, in my view, I think this is a broadly held perspective shared by Democrats in the House and the
Senate need judicial warrants.
GRAYER: So, as you can see, John, a lot of dynamics at play before the government can reopen. But the earliest we are expecting it could happen is
on Tuesday.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: I want to update you on a case out of Minnesota. A 5-year-old Ecuadorian boy and his dad are back in Minneapolis after being released
from a detention facility in Texas. Now this return home does not ensure that they won't eventually be deported, and it comes amid a national
firestorm surrounding their immigration case. They were taken into ICE custody last month in Minnesota. The family's attorney says they are in the
U.S. legally as they pursue a claim for asylum.
Well, as the case plays out, we want to share with you part of a note a democratic U.S. lawmaker sent to Liam, it says, "I hope you will judge
America not by your days at Dilley the detention center, but by the millions of Americans whose hearts, you touched, even as a young boy, you
have moved the world."
[10:15:17]
Well, coming up after the break, a key lifeline for Palestinians in Gaza has just been reopened, but the respite could be pretty limited. We will
explain what we mean on that after this.
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ANDERSON: After nearly two years, the Rafah crossing, a crucial lifeline for Palestinians in war torn Gaza has partially reopened. That is,
according to an Israeli security official, the numbers allowed through will be limited, and going across has historically been expensive.
Well, let's get the latest developments on this. The borders opening, its significance. CNN's Nic Robertson is live from Jerusalem. Nic, what do we
know at this point? Certainly Egyptian media reporting only 50 people will be crossing in both directions daily. So, is it clear just how significant
a moment this is at this point?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It's significant in as much as this border crossing, important border crossing between Egypt and
Gaza hasn't been open for almost 20 months now. The Israel controls that area of the border still. It is something that is supposed to herald the
sort of next phase of the Gaza cease fire, that cease fire plan President Trump put forward in October last year, and Israel had said it was a
condition that this could be opened once they got all their hostages dead and alive back, and that has happened.
But the scale that this is happening at, the number of people that can cross appears to be very limited. As you say, possibly 50 in each
direction. Those coming out will be we understand, medical cases along with a couple of families representatives with them to take care of them while
they're getting medical treatment in Egypt.
But the numbers today, and actual the sort of video, if you will, from the border, hasn't really been forthcoming. There's not a great coverage of
this, so it's sort of shrouded in a lot of uncertainty and lack of detail and the sort of rough numbers we're getting so far today, maybe about 20
casualties have been able to come out of Gaza.
So, let's put that in the context of the bigger statistics for the number of people in Gaza waiting for medical treatment outside of Gaza. According
to Gaza health ministry, that's about 20,000 people, 400 of those, they say really have life threatening medical conditions, and about 4,000 of them
are cancer patients who can't get adequate and proper treatment inside of Gaza. So that builds the picture.
This is a tiny trickle of something that was expected to happen some time ago and is fraught at the moment with logistical challenges of a
complicated system that involves at least three checks. There's the Israeli part of the border people cross. Then there's an E.U. administered part of
the border that people cross, that involves Palestinian officials, and then an Egyptian part of the border that then has to be crossed.
[10:20:23]
So, looking at the pictures today of the vehicles waiting on the Egyptian side for people to cross out of Gaza, these medical cases and their
families. There was -- there were four small mini busses. I think that tells you a lot there, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes, Nic, it's good to have you. Thank you very much indeed.
Iranian state media reporting that senior U.S. and Iranian officials may meet and hold talks in, "The coming days after the weekend, Mr. Trump said
the Iranians are seriously talking, but reiterated threats to use force if the two countries can't reach a nuclear deal.
CNN Senior International Correspondent Frederik Pleitgen spoke with Iran's foreign minister in Tehran over the weekend in an exclusive interview about
the tensions with the United States right now. And a quick note that CNN does is in Iran and only operates there with government permission.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABBAS ARAGHCHI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: I'm not concerned about war. What I'm concerned of is miscalculations and military operation based on
misinformation and disinformation campaigns. It is obvious to us that there are certain elements, certain parties, who wants to drag President Trump
into this war for their own benefits, and I think President Trump is wise enough to make a correct decision.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: How can a meaningful negotiations process be jump started right now?
ARAGHCHI: A meaningful negotiation should be based on trust, and unfortunately, we have lost our trust to the United States as a negotiating
partner. We need to overcome this mistrust.
There are now some intermediators, some friendly countries in the region, who are trying to build this confidence. It is difficult, but they are
trying. So, I see the possibility of another talk.
If the U.S. negotiation team follows what President Trump said, to come to a fair and equitable deal to ensure that there is no nuclear weapons.
PLEITGEN: So, if this confidence is built, if you get to that stage you are ready and willing to sit down directly with the American side, with someone
like Witkoff, and talk?
ARAGHCHI: You know, the question of directly and indirectly is something else. That is the form of negotiation. And we have to -- we have to --
PLEITGEN: That's what they say they want.
ARAGHCHI: Yes. But we have to take care of the substance of negotiation. And that is more important.
PLEITGEN: Yes. And President Trump says that negotiations are already going on. He has said overnight that there is negotiations taking place.
How does that work right now, with this confidence building, with -- with countries in the region also helping? ARAGHCHI: That is true,
intermediaries. As I said, there are some
countries who convey messages and who are trying to build confidence and to -- to prepare the ground for a meaningful negotiation. And we are working
with them, and we are exchanging messages.
PLEITGEN: Would you say that these talks that are going on right now are fruitful and can lead to a de-escalation of the situation, to a point where
real talks can take place?
ARAGHCHI: I think so far, yes, fruitful.
PLEITGEN: Things like enrichment; things like ballistic missiles; things like proxy forces in the region. I know that the United States has talked
about wanting to negotiate about that, as well.
Is that completely out of the question for you, or is that something you could at least talk about?
ARAGHCHI: President Trump said no nuclear weapons. And we are fully agree. We fully agree with that. That could be a very good deal. Of course, in
return, we expect sanctions lifting. So that deal is -- is possible.
Let's do not talk about impossible things.
PLEITGEN: What do you think the consequences would be if there was a full- on military confrontation between Iran and the United States?
Because I know your military has changed its doctrine, that if there is a major attack, it would be considered existential for the Islamic Republic.
What would that mean for -- for the region here?
ARAGHCHI: If war starts, that would be a disaster for everybody. In the previous -- in the previous war, we tried hard to limit the scope of --
scope of war between Iran and Israel.
This time, if it is between Iran and the U.S., since the U.S. bases are spread all over the region, then inevitably, you know, many parts of the
region would be involved, engaged. And -- and that could be very dangerous.
[10:25:09]
Our missiles were tested in a real war last time, and we were able to, you know, understand their problems, their weak points, and their strengths.
So, we learned many lessons from those 12 days of war. And I think we are now very well prepared.
But again, being prepared doesn't mean that we want war. We want to prevent a war.
PLEITGEN: President Trump says he's also concerned about the rights of those who are in custody. As you know, he said that he believes that he
prevented hangings from taking place here in Iran.
Can you guarantee the rights of those who have been detained and whose cases are being looked into right now?
ARAGHCHI: Of course. First of all, there was no plan for executions or hangings, so there were no plan as such. And right now, I can, you know,
affirm that the right of each and every person who is arrested and detained would be observed and guaranteed.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Frederik Pleitgen with the Iranian foreign minister there. Fawaz Gerges, is a professor of international relations at the London School of
Economic and Political Science joining us now live, and it's always good to have you Fawaz.
I want to -- I wanted to get you on tonight to really help make sense of the big picture in this region right now. And I say this region, of course,
I'm broadcasting from Abu Dhabi in the UAE.
I want to start with Iran, reports that a meeting between Iranian and U.S. officials, specifically Steve Witkoff, could happen in the coming days.
What do you make of that?
FAWAZ GERGES, PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL SCIENCE: Well, it's really very difficult to make a
great deal of sense of the, you know, possible potential meeting between Iran's foreign minister and Steve Witkoff, President Trump's envoy, because
we don't really know what's happening behind closed doors, Becky, as you know.
And I think it seems to me, the interview, your interview with Iran's foreign minister, he seems to be confident that both Iran and the United
States could reach a deal on the nuclear program. He came across as very confident and Iran's top security official yesterday, he said that there's
a framework for talks between Iran and the United States is being developed by Turkey, Qatar and Russia, because third powers are playing a mediating
role.
My take on it is that unless Iran and the United States make painful compromises in order to resolve their crisis, that the odds against -- are
against a diplomatic breakthrough. The divide is so huge, in particular because President Trump has expanded his demand from Iran.
It's not just about the nuclear program. President Trump, who is coordinating with the Israelis now he wants to get rid of Iran's ballistic
missiles, and also he wants to end Iran's support for its regional allies and proxies, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis and Iraqis militia.
So, we have to wait and see. But it seems that there is momentum now on the diplomatic side, we have to wait and see what happens in the next few hours
and next few days.
ANDERSON: Well, the Turkish foreign minister met with Araghchi the Iranian foreign minister, in Istanbul on Friday. I think we've got some images of
that. Turkey followers has offered to host in person talks between the U.S. and Iran in Ankara.
And I just wonder, can you break down for us the significance of Ankara Turkey taking this leading role on this file, if indeed that is what
happens.
GERGES: You know, for your own viewers, Becky, historically, Roman was the key mediator between Iran and the United States, and the last round Roman,
the Romani Foreign Minister played a key role in mediating between Iran and the United States, and it failed because the United States and Israel
decided to attack Iran in June.
Turkey now is the key player. First of all, because we know the relationship between President Erdogan and President Trump very close.
Trump basically looks at Erdogan. He likes Erdogan. He admires Erdogan as a strong man.
So, what Turkey is trying to do in terms to give your viewers a kind of a glimpse of what's happening, the Turkish leadership is trying to create a
framework where the nuclear program is separated from other questions.
So, Turkey is telling the Americans, telling President Erdogan, telling President Trump, let's focus on what matters.
[10:30:08]
That is the nuclear program.
It seems to me that the Iranian leadership is prepared to make some very painful concessions on the nuclear program. While its ballistic missiles is
really a red line. Why? Because if Iran gets rid of its ballistic missiles, it really gets rid of its deterrence.
It basically, it gets it becomes naked in the face of any major external threat. So, my take on it, the Turkish leadership is playing a major role
in separate -- in separating the various questions. The nuclear program from the ballistic missiles and the Iran support for its regional allies.
Again, we have to wait and see whether both the United States and Iran are willing to make the compromises in order to bridge the divide between them.
Final point on this point, the United States wants zero enrichment -- uranium enrichment in Iran. While for the Iranian leadership, they have to
have some enrichment, because they have spent 40 years, they spent blood and treasure in order to have this particular right.
ANDERSON: Yes. So, if these talks do happen at the back end of the week in Ankara, Steve Witkoff, who is the president's sort of envoy on mediation,
he will have just gotten a very much busier week than he already had.
He is here in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, Thursday, trying to broker some sort of solution to the Russia, Ukraine war. Before that, as we understand it,
he will be in Tel Aviv, speaking to the Israelis on the phase two of the Gaza file, as it were.
And you heard Nick's report on the Rafa crossing, partially reopening after two years. Nothing happens in isolation, as you and I have discussed for as
long as we've known each other, which is about 25 years in this region.
Can you just situate that Gaza file as it were, and Steve Witkoff's sort of responsibility for getting phase two sort of in progress, within the
broader context of what is going on in this region at this point?
GERGES: Well, I mean, I think, it's very difficult to really, I mean, have clarity Becky, because there is so much dust and there is so much
misinformation. But I think, the Gaza deal is very important for Donald Trump, because his reputation is online. This is his biggest thing. He
keeps saying. Peace in the Middle East has never been before me for the last 3,000 years, and that's why pressure was exerted on Netanyahu in order
to basically open the Rafa border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, even though it's very limited, even though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
will do his best to really make any kind of free movement impossible in terms of limited access.
But the reality is, the Americans want to move to phase two of the ceasefire, even though Israel violate the ceasefire on a daily basis.
The bigger picture, again, the bigger picture, which is, is whether Iran, whether a deal between the United States and Iran is achieved. My take on
it is that it all depends on whether President Trump basically listens to regional players like Turkey and Egypt and Saudi Arabia and Oman and Qatar,
as opposed to listening to Israeli prime minister. Because the Israeli prime minister, this is his golden opportunity for the United States to
attack Iran and to really have regime change.
And that's why the addition of Iran's ballistic missiles to the negotiating table complicates the efforts of reaching deal between the United States
and Iran.
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Yes. And reportedly that is the sort of Israeli stipulation on this. It's good to have you. Always a pleasure. Thank you very much indeed.
Faraz Gerges is in London.
Well, you are watching CONNECT THE WORLD. There is a lot more news ahead. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:36:37]
ANDERSON: Welcome back. You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. Here are your headlines, folks.
The U.S. Deputy Attorney General, tells CNN, no new prosecutions are planned after the release of 3 million documents that are part of what are
known as the Epstein files. Todd Blanche says there is not enough evidence in the documents to file any charges. Some significant information
involving Epstein's inner circle was redacted.
The partial U.S. government shutdown is expected to last at least through Tuesday. That's when the House is set to vote on legislation to fund most
of the government through September. Passage isn't certain, with a razor thin majority. House Speaker Mike Johnson, can only afford to lose two
Republican votes.
Well, after nearly two years, the Rafa crossing between Egypt and war-torn Gaza has partially reopened, according to an Israeli security official, it
will be operated by the E.U. The crossing will allow a small number of Palestinians to leave or re-enter the enclave.
Well, new CNN reporting has unveiled a growing rift in the MAGA movement, as two camps emerge with opposing views on A.I. On one side, increasingly
influential tech leaders and their allies. On the other, voters who are increasingly concerned by artificial intelligence and the job disruptions
that it could bring.
Steve Contorno has been following this for us, and he joins us now live.
You have done some deep reporting inside MAGA world. What have you learned, Steve?
STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Well, these are tensions that really frustrated President Donald Trump last year, as he was trying to move ahead
with his A.I. agenda, and that included trying to pass legislation through Congress that would essentially override all 50 states existing A.I.
regulations, and say we can only have a national A.I. plan.
And there was some deep divisions between the tech community and some pretty loud MAGA voices over this plan and actually boiled over into a
fairly blunt conversation that took place in November, in J.D. Vance's office between Trump's A.I.'s czar, David Sacks, and one of those loud
Trump allies who is critical, Mike Davis.
And now that ultimately ended with them making peace. But this rift continues into 2026 and it will be one to closely watch, because now this
fight is going to move to Congress, where lawmakers are closely watching how the public is reacting to A.I., including Republican lawmakers. And we
are seeing poll after poll consistently show that people are becoming less and less comfortable with this new technology.
50 percent of people polled by poll -- Pew last year in the United States said that they were more concerned than excited about artificial
intelligence that is up from 37 percent just a few years ago. And we are starting to see this play out across the country, where conservative
communities are beating back A.I. projects like data centers.
We are seeing Republican governors like Ron DeSantis of Florida say that we are not going to follow Trump's lead on A.I., and we are going to put up
our own regulations.
You are seeing lawmakers, including Republicans, say that they want to blame A.I. for why power bills and electric rates are so high right now.
[10:40:03]
So, this is all creating a very difficult political environment for tech companies and A.I. advocates who, at first, were very emboldened by this
alliance that they had built with Donald Trump, but now run the risk of pushing Trump down a path that could really hurt him politically, and maybe
some people fear, lead to a break in this alliance, and Trump ultimately bailing on A.I. in favor of rescuing his poll numbers.
ANDERSON: Good to have you, Steve. And viewers in the United States can get Steve's deep dive report online for CNN subscribers at all access. Thank
you, Steve.
Still to come, U.S. President Donald Trump, announcing plans to close the Kennedy Performing Arts Center for two years. How members of the Kennedy
family are reacting?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: It's the most distinguished venues for culture and arts will shut its doors for two years, beginning July the 4th. That announcement from
U.S. President Donald Trump over the weekend, who says the Kennedy Center will undergo a massive renovation, citing what he called the building's
"tired, broken, and dilapidated state," as the key reason.
The president didn't mention is the recent wave of cancelations by artists and performers. Trump's name was added to the complex above John F.
Kennedy's name, and he was named chair by the center's board.
We'll CNN's chief media analyst Brian Stelter joins us to discuss this.
And you have been looking at this. See, the Kennedy family reacting today to the closure for those of us outside of D.C., can you just paint a
picture as to why this is such a significant moment, Brian?
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Yes, it's the premier arts institution in Washington, D.C. This is the home of the National Symphony
Orchestra and many other events.
The Kennedy Center is usually filled day after day with performances. But many of those performers have hesitated, given the Trumpy makeover of the
institution. Trump installed himself as chair of the board last year. He placed his friends and allies all around the board, and then, in December,
the board decided to rename the facility in Trump's honor. Now, they call it the Trump Kennedy Center, although, legally it is still the Kennedy
Center.
Trump's involvement has really been a turn off to many arts patrons, even as Trump and his allies have portrayed the president as the long-needed
savior of the facility. They say the building is in disrepair, they say the finances are a mess, and Trump is badly needed to come to the rescue.
But there is been this back and forth, this tug of war over the cultural prestige of the facility, with many artists, many performers, saying they
don't want to be a part of it for as long as it's the Trump Kennedy Center.
Last week, for example, the acclaimed composer, Philip Glass, said he is not going to premiere a new composition there. He doesn't feel the place is
in the same values -- as the same values as he has.
[10:45:01]
So, there has been this rejection of the Trump Kennedy Center by many in the arts and entertainment world. And now, you have Trump saying, hey,
let's turn off the lights altogether for two years. Let's renovate the building. Maybe he sees an opportunity for a big construction project. We
know the president likes those. He is doing that right now at the White House, demolishing the East Wing, building a ballroom.
But this does seem to have a direct connection to the fact that many art patrons don't want to be there anymore, and many performers don't want to
be there anymore. So, Trump is turning off the lights for two years and undergoing a renovation.
ANDERSON: Well, we'll see. We'll see what happens with that.
The Melania documentary premiered this weekend. We had a lot about it, because Amazon has put an awful lot of money into marketing it. Let's just
watch a little bit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MELANIA TRUMP, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: Hi, Mr. President. Congratulations.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (via telephone): Did you watch it?
M. TRUMP: I did not. Yes, I will see it on the news.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, this documentary -- I love that line -- raking in $7 million this weekend.
Brian, there does seem to be a real partisan split over whether that makes this a hit or a flip. Just talk to us about reaction there to Melania's
debut
STELTER: Yes. Success or failure depends on the yardstick you are using to measure the Melania movie. If you hold up the yardstick that says
documentary film, that's not a concert film, then, this was a smashing success. Most documentaries open in theaters, and they might make half a
million-dollars or a million-dollars, if they are lucky.
Same too, with the overall box office totals. If you look at all the movies that came out last weekend, money was number three overall. That's pretty
high ranking. That's a better result than box office prognostic -- prognosticators had predicted.
But this film is no ordinary documentary, right? This looks like a blockbuster because of the marketing budget. Amazon paid $40 million to buy
the rights, another $35 million to market it. So, if you judge it based on the amount of money Amazon spent, then, this movie badly underperformed. It
only made $7 million. This film is not going to earn back its keep in the theaters.
Now, Amazon says this movie might eventually make money because it's going to go to streaming. It's going to be available on Prime Video. But experts
are very skeptical of that as well.
And by the way, the film did come out in many markets around the world. Amazon has not released any figures for how it performed outside the U.S.,
because it sold very few tickets outside the U.S.
So, there is a lot of evidence this film was a bomb, if you look at it that way, but there is also some evidence that it was a success in red states,
in Texas, in California. And like I said, by the standards of a documentary, it's on a concert film, it actually did pretty well in the
U.S.
So, this is very much now a red state, blue state divide. People arguing whether it was a success or a failure, and there are answers in both
directions for that question.
ANDERSON: We didn't discuss whether it was any good. But let's leave that to another day.
All right. Brian, thank you.
Still to come on CONNECT THE WORLD:
Records, broken artists speaking out a minefield for, well, a very confused share at the 68th Grammy Awards. We will have details on that after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, there is a huge night for rap at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards. Kendrick Lamar took home five trophies, including Best Record Song
and Rap Album of the Year, making him the most awarded rapper in Grammy history, topping Jay Z.
Bad Bunny also made history for the coveted Album of the Year. It's the first Spanish language album to receive that honor.
[10:50:03]
But the music industry's biggest night also struck a powerful chord, with major artists speaking out against the Trump administration's immigration
operations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BAD BUNNY, MUSICIAN: Before I say thanks to God, I'm going to say ICE out.
We are not savage, we are not animals, we are not aliens, we are humans, and we are Americans.
BILLIE EILISH, SINGER-SONGWRITER: As grateful as I feel, I honestly don't feel like I need to say anything, but that no one is illegal on stolen
land.
OLIVIA DEAN, BRITISH SINGER-SONGWRITER: I'm up here as a granddaughter of an immigrant. I'm a product of bravery, and I think those people deserve to
be celebrated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Joining us now with all the details, Lisa Respers France.
And let's just focus on Bad Bunny there. His win and his -- and his speech, a big moment as he prepares to headline the Super Bowl halftime show this
weekend, and that is much anticipated, of course.
LISA RESPERS FRANCE, CNN SENIOR ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: It is. People want to see what he's going to do. Is he going to be very political. And last
night, when he won Album of the Year, which, of course, as we know, it is the first time that a Spanish language album has won that coveted award. He
gave his acceptance speech mostly in Spanish, and we know that his Super Bowl performance, if he does most of the hits from his current album, is
going to be in Spanish.
And there's been some backlash to that, because, of course, the Super Bowl is viewed as America's biggest stage, the halftime show. And so, some
people have some feelings about Bad Bunny taking to that stage and speaking in Spanish and performing in Spanish. But he is true to himself as an
artist. He is true to his fans who have an expectation of him being outspoken. And we saw that last night, Becky, with, you know, his speeches
and what he had to say.
And by him, saying, "ICE out". That's a very popular phrase. Some of the celebrities had pens that said that, and that's a phrase that we hear at a
lot of protests. So, it really was a moment for a lot of people and for a lot of people who feel like they are very much a part of those who are
pushing back against the administration's current policies. Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes, and D.T. -- Donald Trump, not a fan, of course, of Bad Bunny.
FRANCE: Yes.
ANDERSON: Not showing up to the Super Bowl, whenever, otherwise, he might have done. There is more political fallout from the night this. This joke
by Trevor Noah has drawn President Trump's ire. Let's have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TREVOR NOAH, HOST, 2026 GRAMMY AWARDS: That is a Grammy that every artist wants almost as much as Trump wants Greenland, which makes sense. I mean,
because Epstein's Island is gone, he needs a new one to hang out with Bill Clinton. So, oh, I told you, it's my last year. What are you going to do
about it?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANCE: Yes. He was not happy.
ANDERSON: Well, Donald Trump, now saying, yes, he is -- Donald Trump now saying that I'll be sending my lawyers to sue this poor, pathetic,
talentless dope of an M.C. and suing him for plenty of dollars." Lisa.
FRANCE: Yes, you know, we know that the president is notoriously thin skinned when it comes to jokes aimed at him. He does not like them, and I
just think it's interesting his response. Ordinarily, when things like this happen, he has a tendency to, you know, make it, you know, take a nickname,
you know, give him some type of derogatory name, which gets the base all riled up.
ANDERSON: Yes.
FRANCE: But this time, it seemed like he was very stern in, you know, denying that he had anything to do with Epstein's Island and saying that he
was going to seek legal action. And we have seen that before. We have seen the president threaten to sue, and sometimes follow through with suing
people that have said things that he did not like.
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Yes.
FRANCE: And you know -- and you saw Trevor Noah's whole thing is like, this is his last time hopes in the Grammys. He was going to go for it. He was
going to make the joke. And he did.
ANDERSON: Politics aside. Let's leave this on a -- on a lighter note. What was your moment of the night?
FRANCE: There were a couple for me. I have to say, I loved the D'Angelo tribute that Lauryn Hill led. It was such a moment when Wyclef Jean, who
had been in the Fugees with her, came out, and they did their version of Roberta Flack's Killing Me Softly. It was just an amazing, amazing moment.
But just the performances, like we watch these award shows, and while the awards are important, the Grammys is always a night about performances. And
there was some incredible ones. I mean, the best new artists, all the nominees, performed, and they were great.
And I have to say, I love Sabrina Carpenter's performance as well, and I felt it was a bit of a snub that she didn't get a single award, Becky. So,
you know. But I -- it just -- it was, it was a night of really powerful performances and a reminder that, you know, music brings us all together no
matter what.
ANDERSON: Oh, and I'm so with you on that, Killing Me Softly moment. One of my favorite songs of all time.
[10:55:01]
You can't beat Roberta Flack singing it, but they did an amazing job.
FRANCE: They did.
ANDERSON: Thank you. Love the Fugees. Love the Fugees. My generation.
Right. For tonight's "PARTING SHOTS", a forward-looking narrative in what can only be described as a very UAE way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID BAULCOMBE, RECIPIENT, ALBERT LASKER AWARD FOR BASIC MEDICAL RESEARCH: What I'd like to do is to make the case for curiosity driven science. So,
the good news is that one approach to doing this does not require you to be a genius. All it needs is for you to have the intellectual agility to
notice the results that you get that don't make sense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, that was part of the inauguration of the World Laureates Summit, which gathered more than 100 leading scientists, Nobel Prize
winners and recipients of other notable awards to examine today's biggest scientific challenges.
The new event is taking place ahead of the World Government's Summit in Dubai. We will be on the ground, closely covering what is known as WGS all
week, starting tomorrow. So, do stay tuned for that.
That is it for CONNECT THE WORLD tonight. Stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
