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Connect the World

Opening Ceremonies Hours Away in Milan and Cortina; Son of Nancy Guthrie Issues Plea for Her Return; U.S. & Iran Hold Pivotal Indirect Talks in Oman; Iraq's Leadership Watching U.S.-Iran Talks in Oman; U.S. to Provide $6 Million in Humanitarian Aid to Cuba; Storm Leonardo Dumps Torrential Rains in Southern Portugal. Aired 9-9:45a ET

Aired February 06, 2026 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[09:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Well, we are counting down to the start of the Winter Olympics. The opening ceremony just hours away. It

is 03:00 p.m. in Milan, in Italy. It is 06:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson. This is "Connect the World".

Also coming up this hour, the U.S. and Iran negotiating on Iran's nuclear program while a massive U.S. military buildup is still in the region. And

the Guthrie family releases a new plea for the whereabouts of their mother, telling the kidnapper, we want to hear from you.

More on that is coming up. Well, stock market in New York opens about 30 minutes from now, after a very turbulent week, the futures look a little

better today. Keep your eye on Amazon stock after the retail giant reported mixed fourth quarter earnings and a huge capital expenditure forecast.

And crypto in the spotlight is investors bet the recent massive sell off may have hit a bottom, but these are just bets. Of course, more at 09:30

New York time when the bell on Wall Street rings to open the trading day. Well, indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran are underway right now in

Oman.

Iranian media reporting that Iran's Foreign Minister has conveyed Tehran's proposal on how to quote, manage the situation through Omani channels.

Situation and inverted commas being soaring tensions that threaten to escalate beyond verbal threats. U.S. President Donald Trump's top envoy,

Steve Witkoff and his son, sorry, his son in law, Jared Kushner, are leading the U.S. delegation.

You see them there with Oman's Foreign Minister. Well, these negotiations commencing today, despite a prolog of terse rhetoric, a venue change and

gaping differences, quite frankly, between the two countries, including what should even be discussed. CNN's International Diplomatic Editor, Nic

Robertson, following these talks from Jerusalem, Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, the very latest, Becky, seems to be that these round of talks that were sort of a shuttle

type of diplomacy, where the mediators there, the Oman is spoke first with the Iranians, then with the Americans, then back again with the Iranians,

then back with the Americans.

That appears to have wrapped in the last half an hour or so, the early indications are that there will be another round of talks in a few days.

That's what some Iranian media is reporting. But the Iranian Foreign Minister is, I believe, is speaking right about now. That's what we were

expecting.

So that sort of augers well for him to put the positive view, if there is one, and this is, I think, what's being anticipated. I would put his view

very quickly and immediately, which I think generally indicates, from an Iranian perspective, at least, that they've got something to say to define

how things have gone, which generally might indicate that, you know, the talks haven't fallen off the rails.

And I think that's appears to be where right, of course, the Iranian Foreign Minister said he was going in to use diplomacy to secure Iran's

national interest, but quite prepared to defend Iran's sovereignty. So soft and tough talk going in, perhaps to match what we'd heard from the U.S.

side.

The big question going into this, Iran indicating that it was prepared to talk about the nuclear issues, but from the U.S. side, very clear from the

secretary of state and from others that they wanted Iran to discuss not just their enrichment of uranium, their stockpiles of uranium, but their

long-range ballistic missiles, their proxies in the region, and how they treat their population.

So, a lot to come out of this yet, but it appears those hours of talks, perhaps five or six hours of shuttle diplomacy there, have sort of hit the

pause for now, expecting more in the future.

ANDERSON: Good to have you, Nic. Thank you. Our International Diplomatic Editor, Nic Robertson reporting there, keeping an eye on those talks were

while he is in Jerusalem.

Well, Mina Al-Oraibi is the Editor-in-Chief of "The National" based here, and expert on politics in this region. She joins me now. To the Iranians

signal they were only willing to talk about the nuclear file. Americans have telegraphed that they want zero enrichment, the curb on ballistic

missiles, which goes outside of the nuclear file, an end to regional proxies.

[09:05:00]

Do we understand what the framework of these talks actually is, as we hear they are now ongoing for some hours? And to your mind, I mean, you've got a

good sense of the pulse of things here. What likelihood of any progress at this point?

MINA AL-ORAIBI, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, THE NATIONAL: Well, the talks actually happening was seen as a moment of progress, because a couple of days ago,

we thought they might get called off altogether when they were slated to happen in Turkey, and then it was moved over, then it would happen in Oman,

and they're going ahead.

So, at a time when there was so much tension, when there was talk that there's going to be a military action that the Americans may strike, the

fact that the hawks happened while indirect, while different framing between the Americans and Iranians, they happen. So, in some ways, that

success, minuscule success, that success.

The way that the talks happened, you had two rounds indirect. So, the Omanis are shuttling, speaking to the Americans, speaking to the Iranians.

Iranians have always said they only want to talk nuclear, and then behind closed doors, they'll say, we need a grand bargain of some sort.

So, I think they have conceded that at some time in the future, they will expand it beyond nuclear. Now it's quite interesting, because the Americans

have said nuclear includes getting some of the enriched uranium out of the hands of the Iranians, and the fact that the Iran is even willing to have

negotiations with that as a pretext that Washington has said is, in a way, also a concession.

They're under huge pressure internally in Iran, and so in some way, it's given them a bit of breathing room to say we're now in talks with the

Americans, we might be able to get some sanctions relief. It's also important to see, of course, who was in these talks, and the fact that

you've had Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, very senior, of course, U.S. officials now, but also you had the head of CENTCOM, which, of course, is

the regional military head.

ANDERSON: Yeah.

AL-ORAIBI: So, the fact that he's in the room is important. And then on the Iranian side, you have the Foreign Minister Araghchi, but you also had one

of the senior officials when it comes to economic affairs. So, they're clearly coming with asks regarding some sorts of sanctions relief that will

ease the domestic pressure inside of --

ANDERSON: Which you would expect, of course, that's going to be part of the Iranian playbook. I'm glad you brought up Brad Cooper being in the room,

because there are some key American players in this round of talks, if it becomes more than one, who weren't there last year, certainly not

telegraphed as being there last year.

AL-ORAIBI: Right.

ANDERSON: This was about Iran and Steve Witkoff, to all intents and purposes, taking messages back to the U.S. President, but his son-in-law,

Jared Kushner, is there, and CENTCOM Commander Brad Cooper. I just wonder, you know, I'm sure our viewers will get, you know, get wind of what we're

going out here.

But the message seems to be, we have a huge armada. Do not forget that off your coast, and it's ready.

AL-ORAIBI: Right. And that was the message very clearly put out by President Trump. And the fact, as you said, that Brad Cooper is there is a

reinstatement, not only that we're ready to act militarily, but also that Iran's activities in the region are part of the problem. And again, this

was a major concern for many regional players here, that speaking to Iran only on the nuclear file, while important, is not sufficient, right?

And so, the Iran is saying, no, no, this is just nuclear. But actually, Brad Cooper is there also thinking in a CENTCOM setting of not only where

Iran has struck, but also where their proxies are active.

ANDERSON: Yeah.

AL-ORAIBI: And so that's an important indicator too, that perhaps the talks will include --

ANDERSON: Let's briefly talk about the sort of region here, because those talks that were scheduled to be today in Istanbul would have included a

number of regional players, and it sort of opened a lens to the Arab and Islamic players around who were not involved in the original 2015 Obama

JCPOA nuclear talks.

And there was much consternation in this region at that time that those who are affected by Iran's behavior were not, didn't have a seat at the table,

specifically talking about ballistic missiles, specifically talking about proxies. They were going to be in Istanbul. They are now not in Oman.

There's a message there. Isn't that? Can we just give our viewers a sense of where we believe the region stands at present? You know, what's its

position?

AL-ORAIBI: It's really important that you mentioned the 2015 talks, because actually, what happened in that decade, Iran became incredibly powerful.

Iran's proxies, the Houthis, were able to really, you know, get so much control over Yemen, but also be able to lob missiles over and threaten

shipping in the Red Sea.

You had the Syria war where Iran and its proxies, but also, of course, Hezbollah played such a role in keeping Bashar Al-Assad in power. Now, of

course, Bashar Al-Assad is gone, and Syria is no longer in the orbit of Iran. You've got elections now in Iraq, where President Trump has come out

forcefully, saying it will not be acceptable to have noted Maliki, the former prime minister, come in.

So, Iran is on the back foot compared to in 2015 where it actually expanded its influence. And so, I think for the regional players and officials that

you and I both speak to here, it's very clear that the setting has changed.

[09:10:00]

Iran is on the back foot. And they don't want to break Iran, but they want to contain Iran. And so, if these talks in Oman lead to that, then I didn't

hear from -- officials. Oh, if we're not going to be in the talks, in the room that we don't support it, actually, you have a general sense of it's

good the talks are happening.

Let's see if the Iranians come to the table with a pragmatic approach that wants solutions, and also from the American --

ANDERSON: It's to a degree you could suggest that there was a concession that the regional players sort of stepped away from this, a concession to

Iran, to a degree they wanted to keep this very contained.

AL-ORAIBI: Right.

ANDERSON: And so maybe that will work to the benefit just on the Iraq file, because there's nobody that knows more about what is going on in Iraq and

its influence, and why it is that the Americans are so sort of exercise about Al-Maliki. Can you just explain at this point?

AL-ORAIBI: So, we've had elections, 11th of November in Iraq, and yet there is no agreement on who the prime minister becomes. We've had two sessions

in Parliament being held back and choosing the president, because once the president is chosen, they name the prime minister.

And it's usually important, because, of course, Nouri al-Maliki's second term as prime minister witnessed the decision to pull back the Iraqi army

and allow ISIS to take over Mosul, Iraq's second city. And of course, at one point, almost control a third of the territory that was ungoverned by

Iraqi forces.

And it was a heightened time of sectarianism. Iraq has turned a page from that moment, and there's a lot of fear that we'll go back to that era. So,

the U.S. had almost stepped away from Iraq. There's no ambassador there. There's no acting envoy. Until recently, that was Mark Savaya, who now

apparently is not even an envoy.

So, there was almost a vacuum that the Americans are not interested. The U.N. ended their mission in Iraq in December. So, there was a sense that

actually Iraq was forgotten. And yet now the Americans realize that actually a lot of the sanction busting that Iran has been able to do is

because of Iraq.

And that the corruption Iraq, it's been very interesting to see American officials talk about corruption, the corruption Iraq is crippling the

country, not allowing opportunity for its people, but also can benefit nefarious actors in the region name check Iran here.

And so, it's hugely important that whatever happens with Iran, Iraq not only can't be forgotten, but has to be a stable Arab country as a good

relationship with the region. And I'll say that the talks happening in Oman is good because it's an Arab country that has ties.

Turkey has good ties with Arab world, but it's not the same as having it in an Arab capital.

ANDERSON: Very good point. Always good to have you. Thank you very much indeed. Mina Al-Oraibi for you. Well, a Russian General is in hospital

after being shot and seriously wounded in Moscow. That's country -- that's according to the country's Investigative Committee, which is opened a

criminal case into what it's calling an attempted murder of a high-ranking defense official.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen is live in Moscow this hour. Fred, what more are you learning at this point?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Becky, well, there have been some eyewitness reports now about how, allegedly, all of

this happened. This was in the north west of Moscow. We have some video of the scene where this Lieutenant General was gunned down in the early

morning hours.

Seems to be a fairly new residential development on one of the main highways from the northwest into the Russian capital, Moscow. And

essentially, he was shot inside that building. It's unclear whether or not he lives there, or whether or not he was there for some other region

however, or some other reason.

However, the Investigative Committee says they have launched an investigation. They still don't know who's behind this, the Russians,

however, and this comes in the form of Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, already pointing the finger of blame at the Ukrainians, accusing

Kyiv of trying to derail recent talks.

Of course, we know that in the region where you're at in Abu Dhabi, there have been those major trilateral talks between the U.S., Russia and

Ukraine. Sergey Lavrov, now, because of this accusing the Ukrainians of trying to derail that again, the Ukrainians themselves have not said

anything yet.

The general himself, Vladimir Alekseyev, very important military figure here in Russia. He's the Deputy Head of Russia's Military Intelligence. The

GRU was part of a lot of very important operations for the Russians, and of course, is also very much involved in what Russia still calls its special

military operation in Ukraine.

Of course, the war effort in Ukraine. For the Russians, this is not the first time one of their top military leaders was targeted here in the

Russian capital. We had, of course, a bomb attack, a car bomb, attack on a Russian General about a month ago, that Russian General was killed, and

then in the late stages of 2024 also here in Moscow, and also a car bomb, another top Russian General killed in that as well.

Certainly, the Kremlin has already reacted to this. They are saying they understand that their top military brass is, of course, at risk because

they are in that conflict with Ukraine the same time. They also said that they wished that this general survives and wish him a recovery as well.

Again, once again, the Russians right now saying there is an investigation going on. They have talked to eyewitnesses, they're going through CCTV

footage, but so far, they have not apprehended any suspect, Becky.

[09:15:00]

ANDERSON: Good to have you, Fred. Thank you very much indeed. You are bang up to date on what is going on there. Nancy Guthrie's family is making a

new desperate plea for her return since she vanished from her Arizona home. This time it is coming from her son, who is the brother of NBC News Anchor,

Savannah Guthrie. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAMRON GUTHRIE, NANCY GUTHRIE'S SON: This is Camron Guthrie. I'm speaking for the Guthrie family. Whoever is out there holding our mother. We want to

hear from you. We haven't heard anything directly. We need you to reach out, and we need a way to communicate with you so we can move forward.

But first we have to know that you have our mom. We want to talk to you, and we are waiting for contact.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Look, there are still no suspects named as he searched for 84- year-old Nancy Guthrie enters a sixth day. The FBI is now offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to her recovery. And CNN's Marybel

Gonzalez is following the story for us from Pima County in Arizona.

I mean, this is an awful, awful time for the family. What more can you tell us about this investigation at this point?

MARYBEL GONZALEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Becky. Yeah, just a heartbreaking time, and we can't even imagine what the Guthrie family is

going through, but they're certainly showing us how desperate they are to find their mother, to establish contact with any possible abductor or

abductors who may have their mother and know where she is.

Now, as you mentioned, the FBI is upping also this urgency by offering that $50,000 reward. We know that they are also working with local law

enforcement. We heard an update from the Pima County Sheriff yesterday. He said that there's still no suspects in this case, no person of interest

identified either, and no idea on where Nancy could be at this hour.

Those purported ransom notes that the Guthrie family references in their videos on social media. The FBI says they can't confirm yet if those are

legitimate, but they are taking them very seriously, and so is the Guthrie family. Now those ransom notes were sent to several media outlets, and at

least one of them, it states that she, Nancy is OK, but she is scared.

That is, according to someone who has seen one of those notes. They also say that the in the letter, they are demanding millions of dollars in

Bitcoin, and that it details information about this case that only someone who is close to it or privy to the details of this case would be aware

about.

Now we also heard from authorities a timeline of the last time that Nancy was seen. We know that she was dropped off here at her home by family, but

at around 01:47 a.m. on Sunday, we know that her doorbell camera was disconnected, and then about 20 minutes later or so, there was a motion

detected on that doorbell camera, but there was no footage to show what may have triggered that alarm.

Now, another key thing that we've learned in this case is that authorities were able to confirm that they found blood outside of Nancy's home and

specifically on her porch, and that after analyzing these blood samples, they were able to determine that that blood belonged to Nancy.

Still, though investigators are insisting that they are operating as though Nancy is alive, despite not yet having any sort of proof of life, Becky.

ANDERSON: Marybel, thank you. Well, we are back after this quick break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:20:00]

ANDERSON: U.S. forces have struck another alleged drug trafficking boat in the Eastern Pacific. U.S. Southern Command says that two people were killed

in the vessel, which the military says was operated by terrorists. At least 119 people have now been killed in U.S. strikes on boats as part of what is

known as operation southern spear, which aims to curtail narcotics trafficking.

Now the Trump Administration has made but little evidence that the boats actually carried drugs. Well, the U.S. will be providing millions of

dollars in humanitarian aid to Cuba as it attempts to choke off the country's oil. The U.S. State Department announced $6 million worth of aid

that will be distributed through a network of Catholic charities.

The Trump Administration has disrupted oil supplies to Cuba from Venezuela and accuses the government of hoarding oil. Last week, it threatened

tariffs on nations that export oil to Cuba. Well, torrential rain swamped Southern Portugal and some restaurant terraces were completely under water.

Have a look at this. People stack sandbags in front of doors to protect their homes and shops. Authorities say at least that one person was killed

after his car was swept away on a flooded road near a dam. Leonardo is the latest storm in a wave of half a dozen winter storms to hit Portugal and

Spain since the start of the year.

Well, U.S. President Donald Trump is wading into Japanese politics. He's endorsed the country's prime minister ahead of Japan's legislative

elections, calling out a quote, strong, powerful and wise leader. This comes as Prime Minister Takaichi is expected to meet with Trump at the

White House next month.

CNN's Hanako Montgomery has the very latest on what are these upcoming Japanese elections.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Japan has caught the Takaichi fever. On social media, videos of the country's first

female prime minister get millions of views. Recent polling shows strong approval ratings, and unlike her recent predecessors, she's managed to tap

into young voters, some who obsess over her hand bag, shoes, even her stationary.

YUHOO OISHI, TAKAICHI SUPPORTER: I use the same pan as Sana-chan. You see her working hard all the time. Her smile is so cute.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): But while her charisma and star power are obvious, her policies as prime minister is less clear. In her short time in office,

her vague economic agenda has rattled markets, and relations with the country's biggest economic partner, China have soured since she made

comments that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan could trigger a Japanese military response.

She's done well in diplomacy, courting leaders from Italy, South Korea, the UK and even the U.S., President Donald Trump.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Prime minister in history --

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Now, she's turning that momentum into a high stakes gamble, calling for a parliamentary election at a time when her long

ruling conservative party is deeply unpopular.

MONTGOMERY: There are thousands of people here at this campaign rally to watch the Japanese Prime Minister speak. Sanae Takaichi has called for an

election just three months into her job, and she says that if her party loses, she would step down as premier. But judging by the sheer number of

people out here to support her, this is a political gamble that she thinks is going to pay off.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's a drummer. I'm a rock and roll musician. Ms. Takaichi is the same age as me, and when she became prime minister, seeing

her work so hard made me feel like life was worth living.

MONTGOMERY: We're in Nara Prefecture right now, which is where the Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is from, and where she started her political

career. And we've traveled back to her hometown to meet some of her old friends and to understand why she's so popular among the Japanese public.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): -- has known Takaichi for more than 30 years, in part, thanks to the sports car.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's a passionate person. That's why her car is red hot too.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): He fixed up her beloved Toyota Supra, a car that helps her image as a cool girl. Takaichi is clearly a local legend in Nara,

and it's not hard to find traces of her here.

MONTGOMERY: We got some cookies here with Takaichi's face on them and the British Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Iron Lady, Takaichi's role

model.

[09:25:00]

And here you have Takaichi with the U.S. President Donald Trump.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): In the same neighborhood is Takaichi's district office. Here we meet her secretary of 16 years.

MONTGOMERY: Why do you think she is so popular among the general public?

MAMORU KINOSHITA, NARA SECRETARY FOR PM SAMAE TAKAICHI: First, her consistent approach to policy, never wavering, steadfastly upholding what

she says from start to finish. It's fundamentally sound. What particularly resonates with younger people is that she writes policies in her own words,

making them easy to understand.

MONTGOMERY: Do you think her comments on a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan were an accident, or do you think that was on purpose?

KINOSHITA: I do not consider it a gaffe. Naturally, it was simply a scenario. If Taiwan had warships and if those ships were attacked, it would

fall within a hypothetical assumption. Her response was fully consistent with previous answers.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Voters will soon decide whether her star power alone can revive her party, or if her meteoric rise will end as quickly as

it began, leaving Japan at its most politically uncertain in years. Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Nara.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, still to come, U.S. job cuts are surging as AI cuts into those numbers. So, what that means for a whole new generation of workers

out there. That is just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. You're watching "Connect the World". Let's get you some headlines. An Iranian state media

says that indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran have concluded in Oman. And that the two countries have agreed to continue discussions, quote, at

another time, the exact topics they covered are unclear.

It was the first official meeting between the two sides since the U.S. bombed Iranian nuclear sites last year. Russian authorities say a high-

level Russian General has been shot and seriously wounded in Moscow. State media report Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev is in the intensive care

unit in serious condition.

The country's Investigative Committee says an unknown attacker fired several shots at the general in a residential building. Well, the brother

of the NBC News Anchor Savannah Guthrie in the States, is a message for those suspected of abducting their 84-year-old mother.

In a social media post, Camron Guthrie said, whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you.

[09:30:00]

There are still no suspects named as the search for their mother enters its sixth day. Well, let's get the opening bell on Wall Street. It will be rung

today by Once Upon a Farm co-founder, Jennifer Garner, once upon a time, married to Ben Affleck, of course. I'm told this is an organic food company

focused for kids.

Right. That's the bell on Wall Street. We are going to give the markets a little time to settle, but we want to get you the DOW JONES out of the gate

up about two thirds of 1 percent and we did expect that the futures market had been indicating that. Do keep an eye on the cryptocurrencies today in

the futures market at least or certainly in pre-New York trade those Bitcoin markets, the crypto markets at least, have been moving higher.

And we are seeing about a 6 percent rise on Bitcoin and about a 5.6 percent rise on Ethereum, after what has been a massive decline on those two key

crypto coins. So, keep an eye on those. Investors may feel they've hit the bottom. It's only a bet, though. Isn't it?

More unsettling news for the U.S. labor market as private sector data shows that the worst January for job cuts since the great recession in 2009 has

come in, and the continuing impact of AI on the jobs market. Experts warn AI could wipe out as many as half of all entry-level white-collar jobs in

the next few years.

All of this will inevitably have an effect on a new generation, many of whom will be students at the moment, who may be or will be soon, looking

for work. Let's get to CNN's Tech Reporter Clare Duffy in New York. And Clare look, we've been talking about the potential impact on youngsters now

for some time, but it does seem this is going to be swinging.

And the impact, particularly on students at present, is going to be tough, isn't it?

CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: Yeah, Becky, given these warnings that we've heard about, a eyes impact, especially on entry level jobs. I was

really curious how high school students are thinking about this. And as it turns out, this is something that is very much top of mind for them right

now.

There are some students who are considering altogether changing their career plans to something like health care because they feel like it's more

AI proof. But I spoke with three high school students who had really sort of differing perspectives on this, and I'll just walk you through what they

told me.

Savilla Ruby Brodhead, she is a junior from California. She's hoping to be a dancer or a theater actor. She says she hasn't used AI all that much

because she is worried about it negatively impacting her critical thinking abilities, but she is worried about what it could mean for her future

career.

She told me, my concern is for acting, because there was that issue with using actor's faces and voices for AI, especially seeing how much AI visual

art has been used and that it's putting actual artists out of work who are already struggling enough. She says, I hate it.

I also spoke with Lincoln Vonk, he's a sophomore from Georgia, had a somewhat different perspective on this. He is hoping to be either a

politician or a business owner, and he said he's already experimenting with how AI could be used in that future career, using AI chat bots to help

draft mock bills in a mock legislative activity.

He said, I use AI to better understand different facets of an issue. I've used it for religious questions before to understand different

denominations of my faith. If you want to be competitive in a space, you have to be on top of AI. But he also told me that he's worried about AI

making it harder to discern what's real and fake, especially on social media.

And then finally, I spoke with Karissa Tang. She's a senior from California. She is hoping to be a project manager or entrepreneur. And she

told me, whether we see the good or bad in it, we know AI is going to impact the way we live. I think many teens are concerned about AI's impact

on employment.

And interestingly, as she's looking towards college next year, she told me she's planning to study both business and then also potentially philosophy

or religious studies. And this is something that I've heard from experts as well. Many students are looking to study in college something a little more

technical and something on the humanity side, as a way of, sort of hedging their bets, because we don't yet know which of those areas AI is going to

have the biggest impact on, Becky.

ANDERSON: This is going to be one to watch. Thank you very much indeed. Well, in Pakistan, at least 31 people have been killed and the 169 injured

after a suicide bomber set off an explosion. And I want to warn you that some of the images that we are about to show are graphic.

The attack happened in a mosque in the capital Islamabad during Friday prayers. And these images are coming up now. That's according to

authorities, and nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack.

[09:35:00]

Sources tell CNN, the Pakistan's Taliban or TTP was to blame -- the TTP is denied this. The toll makes this the deadliest attack in the country since

the Peshawar Mosque blast in January 2023. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz has been following the latest on this, and she joins us now.

What do we know and what could have motivated this attack? Is it clear?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A truly brutal and horrifying attack on Friday prayers in a mosque in Islamabad. We do have images to show you.

They are very graphic, so I have to warn our viewers, but it gives you a sense of just the horror in the aftermath in this attack.

What we understand from eyewitnesses is that they were quite literally praying, prostrating when they heard the sound of gunfire ring out. Shortly

afterwards, an explosion took place. We understand now, of course, from Pakistani authorities that they say this was a suicide attack.

A suicide bomber detonated an explosive device at that mosque. Now also that indication of the gun fire followed by a blast gives you a sense that

this was coordinated. But so far, there is no clear claim of responsibility here. Pakistan's government says that an initial investigation found

Pakistan's Taliban to be behind the attack, but Pakistan's Taliban has denied this and said it has no connection whatsoever to this attack.

Now there's a few things we need to watch for here. Of course, this is going to overwhelm Islamabad. Already, dozens of people have been killed

and wounded. Hospitals and clinics are being flooded with victims. There's been calls for blood to be donated for those victims.

Now, there has been an increase in militant attacks across the country in recent months, in recent times, but Islamabad, as this heavily fortified

capital, has been largely spared. So, this is going to give people the sense that the violence across the country is spreading. It's also

important to note that Pakistan and Afghanistan, that border has been extremely tenuous.

There has been clashes there last year. So, it is important here to understand the wider context of why that increase in militant attacks is

happening. And then when you're talking about this specific community. This is a Shia Mosque that is a minority community. The majority sect of Islam

in Pakistan is Sunni.

So, there will be concerns about minority tensions there. With this being a Shia Mosque, it is also just a few days away from Ramadan now, Becky, so

there's a sense that this is a time when these communities come together. This is going to absolutely shatter any sense of security, of safety, and

bring a season of mourning at a time when people should be preparing to come together.

ANDERSON: Yeah. Salma, thank you. We are back after this short break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BAD BUNNY, HEADLINER OF THE SUPER BOWL LX HALFTIME SHOW: They don't even have to learn Spanish. They use it's better if they learn to dance. But I

think there's no better dance than the one that can come from the heart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[09:40:00]

ANDERSON: Well Music Super Star, Bad Bunny keeping his cards close to his chest about what to expect from the Super Bowl Halftime show this Sunday.

The Puerto Rican Rapper making history is the first Spanish language artist to headline the iconic event. But as we just heard from him, you won't have

to understand Spanish to enjoy the show.

Well, the first medals of the Milan Olympics will be handed out this weekend, and thanks to the soaring the price of precious metals, sorry,

they'll be worth more than ever since the 2024 Paris Games, gold up 107 percent and based on the price alone, a solid gold medal would be worth

$2,300.

Silver has gained 200 percent putting on paper value of a medal at almost $1,400. However, Olympic gold medals haven't been made from pure gold since

the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm in Sweden. This year's gold medals contain about six grams of the pure stuff.

The other 500 grams is actually silver. It was only a week ago today when American skier Lindsey Vonn crashed. Can you believe it? On Tuesday, she

announced she had ruptured her ACL, but still planned to compete at the Winter Games. Well, Patrick Snell joins me now, and heavy fog delaying

training. But as I understand it, Vonn was able to get out there.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yeah.

ANDERSON: This is one of those. I can't believe it stories.

SNELL: Yeah.

ANDERSON: How does she look?

SNELL: I tell you what, Becky, she looked to my eye, at least, very impressive indeed. Look, there were other competitors out there who crashed

earlier on this day, Friday. She didn't. She stayed on our skis.

ANDERSON: Yeah.

SNELL: And I tell you what, we always come to expect the unexpected, don't we with Lindsey Vonn 2010 Olympic gold medalist competing on a ruptured

ACL. But I tell you what, she got it done in a minute, 40.33 seconds. So, all being well, Becky, she's going to be good to go for Sunday at the

Winter Olympics in her quest to try and pull you.

And I tell you what, even if she has any sort of podium finish, it's going to be the most remarkable story. It already is, Lindsey Vonn. She said, a

week ago today, didn't she? She said, my Olympic dream is not over. She tried to reassure her fans over social media.

And so far, at least, it appears she was right. She's courageous. She's got -- I've just got a good feeling about it all being well, she's going to

make more global headlines. We'll know a lot more on Sunday, when she takes to the ice and the snow again. Back to you.

ANDERSON: Absolutely. Amazing. And she, you know, she's not going to just want to turn up, is she?

SNELL: Yeah.

ANDERSON: That's not going to be good --

SNELL: That's -- Olympics --

ANDERSON: This is one of these terrific stories. It's absolutely not Lindsey, yeah. He's a hashtag, not Lindsey.

SNELL: Yeah.

ANDERSON: Patrick -- "World Sport" after this. I'll be back in 15 minutes time.

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[09:45:00]

(WORLD SPORT)

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