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U.S.-Israel War with Iran; Trump Tripling Effort to Clear Strait of Hormuz of Mines; U.S. Navy Secretary Ousted; Journalist Killed in Lebanon during Israeli Strike; Ukraine Cannot Defer Help until Iran War is Over; Palestinian Schoolboy Killed by Israeli Settlers; Paramount's Unsettling Potential Takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery; Political Candidates Caught Betting on Their Own Campaigns; Epstein Files Fallout. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired April 23, 2026 - 10:00   ET

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

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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Welcome to our second hour of the show from our Middle East programming headquarters here in Abu Dhabi. I'm

Becky Anderson. Time here is just after 6:00 in the evening, just after 10:00 in the morning, of course, in Washington.

And we are following a new U.S. threat on small boats in the Strait of Hormuz.

And ahead of today's talks between Israel and Lebanon, outrage mounting over the killing of a Lebanese journalist by Israel. I'm going to speak

with The Committee to Protect Journalists about what happened on the ground.

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ANDERSON: Well, I want to start with the U.S. president's new warning about the Strait of Hormuz.

Donald Trump posting this on his social media platform a short time ago that he has ordered U.S. forces to, quote, "shoot and kill any boat" that

is laying mines in the strait.

He also writes that U.S. minesweepers are clearing mines from those waterways right now, according to him, at a tripled-up level.

And the U.S. Defense Department announcing its forces have seized another vessel in the Indian Ocean that it says was carrying oil from Iran.

Now all of this coming a day after Iranian forces seized two vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. This video broadcast on Iranian state media appears to

show one of the seizures. The White House says Iran's actions do not violate the ceasefire.

I want to bring in CNN military analyst Col. Cedric Leighton and Sina Azodi, who is the director of the Middle East studies program at George

Washington University.

Good to have you both on board today.

Colonel, a lot of fast moving developments right now, certainly militarily speaking. Let's start there.

How does the Navy de-mine the strait?

And does Donald Trump's order, to your mind, mark an escalation in hostilities?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, Becky, I think it could be interpreted as an escalation but it's actually kind of normal

procedures because the Strait of Hormuz should not, under international law, be mined.

So if they, you know, there is mining going on, as the Iranians have said, then the mines need to be swept up.

How do they do it?

Well, normally in the past they would have used minesweepers. Unfortunately, those minesweepers have been decommissioned. They were based

in Bahrain and they were supposed to be used for events just like this.

But being decommissioned, that makes it a bit more difficult. They can use what are known as LSTs and other ships to do minesweeping duties. It's a

little bit more cumbersome.

But, according to some of the officials in the Pentagon, what they're talking about is taking about six months to actually remove the mines from

the Strait of Hormuz. And that assumes that there're not going to be other mines that are going to be added to the mix out there.

ANDERSON: So I just wonder -- that does beg the question of what the U.S. can actually achieve in the short term then

LEIGHTON: Yes, it's -- and that's a real problem in the short term. It might be really difficult to open the Strait of Hormuz just from a

technical perspective. But you know, clearly the effort has to be has to be made in order to do this to, you know, to keep the backlog really down and

hopefully eliminate it at some point.

But it definitely will take some time to do this.

ANDERSON: Sina, let me bring you in.

How do you believe Iran will read Donald Trump's new threat?

SINA AZODI, DIRECTOR, MIDDLE EAST STUDIES PROGRAM, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: Well, I think Iranians have a very difficult time reading

president Trump because, every few hours, every few days, he changes his tone. He changes his attitude.

One day he says that, you know, the ceasefire will not be extended. And the next day the president decides that he will indefinitely extend the

ceasefire. I think for the president, this strategy works but it is extremely hard for Iranians to decipher what the what the next move of the

president is.

Now I think that with the current tit-for-tat operations, to seize tankers.

[10:05:00]

I think both sides, they're trying to test the limits and show that they're not backing down. But in terms of minesweeping, I think Iranians have

achieved what they wanted to achieve and that was to create risk to the global shipping.

As the colonel correctly pointed out, for the next six months, it's going to cause trouble, which means that global markets, oil tankers that will

cross the Strait of Hormuz from the Persian Gulf will have difficulty. All you have to do is one tanker gets struck and then you're going to have

problems there.

ANDERSON: Col. Leighton, the U.S. says it's boarded another vessel in the Indian Ocean. That after Iran seized two ships Wednesday, as Sina said. You

know, this is what feels like tit tit-for-tat action. But it's really serious stuff.

Is this type of action at sea our new normal and what are the risks here?

LEIGHTON: Yes. It's not really normal to do this at sea, you know, unless there's a, you know, a hot pursuit or there's piracy involved, like, let's

say off the coast of Somalia or something like that. Or the vessel is under sanction.

Now you can make the argument in the Iranian case, that vessels going to and from Iran are potentially under sanctions. But it is a bit abnormal to

go outside of the region, outside of the Persian Gulf region, in order to conduct basically what amount to hot pursuit actions. So that is an

escalation of sorts from the U.S.

They've, of course, done that by sinking the Iranian naval vessel off the coast of Sri Lanka early in this war. So that, you know, is an indication

of an attempted escalation. And I think what we're seeing is basically an attempt to go after all Iranian vessels or all vessels that are destined

for Iran.

And that is part of their enforcement of the U.S. Navy's enforcement mechanism. But it is unusual and could potentially pose some legal problems

as well.

ANDERSON: I note your use of the term "piracy" there. This Gulf region where I am would argue what Iran is up to at present -- or does argue that

what Iran is up to at present is piracy -- holding the region and the world economy hostage.

And to that point, Sina, Iran says it has collected its first revenue from the Strait of Hormuz tolls and it uses that term in its announcement.

At this point, is there still a pathway for diplomatic negotiations or do you see a period now of more of this brinkmanship at sea?

AZODI: I think that we are in a contest or a battle of wills, meaning that, as I pointed out, I think both sides are trying to bring more

bargaining chips to the table. The Iranian position, is that as long as the U.S. blockade continues, they will not enter negotiations.

Domestically, there are different factions in Iran who are pushing for different directions. One faction mistakenly thinks that because they

didn't lose the war in the first round of fight, they can continue the fight, which I think is a great mistake for Iranians.

The other faction thinks that they have to take the win from their perspective and, one for all, achieve a political settlement. But this

issue of the double blockade that the U.S. has imposed has made things very difficult for those in Tehran who are pushing for a ceasefire.

ANDERSON: Just give me your take on what you expect in the next 48 to 72 hours, Colonel, first, briefly.

LEIGHTON: So what I would say, Becky, is that in the next 48 or so hours, what you're going to look at is an escalation of what we're seeing right

now: more ship seizures, potentially; the possibility of the Iranians taking some more tankers if they can get them.

Same thing for the U.S. And I don't see an immediate offramp but at some point it will be necessary for both sides to come to the table one way or

the other. But I don't think we've achieved that point yet.

ANDERSON: Sina.

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AZODI: I absolutely agree with what the colonel said. I think that, for the next few days, both sides will try to survive and do not say avoid, say

uncle. And then because both sides want to think or to appear that they entered the negotiation table with more leverage.

But I also think that both the Iranian side and the American side have a vested interest in reaching a political solution. I think that president

Trump has realized that the war wasn't that easy as he was sold. I think he wants to bring an end to the conflict because of the impact on U.S.

economy.

Airfares have gone up. Price of gas has gone up and we are in an election season. We are already seeing the signs of the Democrats gaining more seats

or Democrat candidates being elected more.

And the Iranians are -- also has vested interests. They need sanctions relief. They need to rebuild their economy. They cannot continue to fight

for a prolonged period. So both sides for different reasons, of course, have a vested interest in ending the conflict.

ANDERSON: Thank you both.

And just a note for our viewers, as Sina was talking there, I'm listening and looking at that map. And I think it's just worth keeping that tracking

map of Hormuz up just for a moment.

When I consider where we are here in Abu Dhabi, just below the Strait of Hormuz down to the left hand side there and you look at the amount of

shipping there in the Persian Gulf and in the Sea of Oman, it seems remarkable to me that, you know, eight weeks ago, that was a functioning

waterway.

So much of the world economy depends on those little red and green dots there, which are all laid up, waiting on what happens next. It really is a

moment in time, this.

Thank you both very much indeed for joining us.

Well, all of this just a day after a major shakeup in the U.S. military leadership. Secretary of the Navy, John Phelan, was ousted from his

position on Wednesday, effective immediately. Sources telling CNN his firing comes amid tensions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Let's get you the very latest from CNN's Brian Todd. He's live in Washington.

What do you understand happening here?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, we've got this reporting from five of our distinct colleagues: Haley Britzky, Zachary Cohen, Kristen

Holmes, Kaitlan Collins and Natasha Bertrand.

They get this from six sources familiar with the matter, saying that Navy Secretary John Phelan was ousted fairly suddenly from his post by --

essentially by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

According to two sources familiar with the matter, telling our correspondents, Hegseth had a conversation with president Trump and then

informed Phelan that he needed to resign or be fired. That's according to two sources familiar with the matter.

It came down, apparently, to Hegseth being a bit frustrated with the pace of shipbuilding reform that Phelan was overseeing, that it wasn't going

fast enough for him.

But also, according to our sources, Phelan had been seen at the White House kind of on his own in recent days. And that also concerned the Defense

Secretary that maybe Phelan was trying to bypass him in the chain of command. That's according to our sources.

But a fairly abrupt removal there, because, according to our sources, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and then he, Hegseth meets with president

Trump and relays his concerns that the pace of shipbuilding reform was not going fast enough for him.

Now, of course, the timing is critical because of the blockade of the Iranian ports and the traffic snarled at the Strait of Hormuz. What we're

told, according to some analysis that we've researched, is that the Navy Secretary's job is not necessarily that germane to the actual deployment of

the forces.

It doesn't -- you know, that person's job is more to kind of oversee things like shipbuilding, getting the force ready for deployment, other things

like that.

So as far as the timing being maybe not so great here, that's correct. It's not great, given everything that's going on in the Strait of Hormuz and the

positioning of naval forces all around that area.

But the Navy Secretary's job is really more to get the force prepared. So as far as the actual imprint that this will have on the operations, on the

water and on the ground in that region, it could be fairly minimal. Becky.

ANDERSON: Thank you. Brian,

I want to bring back Col. Cedric Leighton and Sina Azodi just to get your views.

Colonel, just how much does this firing of the Navy secretary.

[10:15:00]

In the context of this broader shakeup, led by Hegseth, actually impact naval operations?

I know Brian sort of, you know, provided a bit of a caveat there.

Your context?

LEIGHTON: Yes, Brian, is absolutely right in the sense that the job of the Navy Secretary, Becky, is to organize, train and equip the Navy forces. So

that includes the U.S. Navy and the Marine Corps. Now where it will have an impact is down the road.

So when you have the organize, train and equip function of a service, what that is supposed to do is it's supposed to get the -- that particular

service-- in this case, the Navy -- ready for combat.

And what we're seeing now, of course, is the work of previous generations of naval secretaries that is now being basically employed in the Persian

Gulf region.

But given a few years from now or even in some cases a few months, depending on the acquisition cycle, there could be things that were in the

pipeline because of Secretary Phelan that might not achieve fruition or might be, you know, somehow, you know, moved off to the side because of the

turmoil in the Pentagon.

So there is an impact but it's an impact that is somewhat muted because it's a long-term impact as opposed to an immediate impact, as Brian was

saying.

ANDERSON: And Sina, Tehran is very likely to have clocked this discord within the Pentagon.

How do you think they are assessing what is going on?

AZODI: I think it goes back to Tehran's perception that it is extremely hard to read Washington's thinking and decision-making process and the

chaos that actually is happening in the country.

That's their perspective because the Iranians think, from the beginning of the second Trump administration, the important question for them has been

whether the president Trump has been the president of peace or the maximum pressure campaign.

So we have seen that the president decided to go to war. But this, I think, again, goes back to their perception of chaos in Washington.

But as the colonel said, I think that this, in the immediate term, this ongoing conflict will not affect the U.S. Naval operations in the Persian

Gulf. But in the long term, it will affect U.S. policy, shipbuilding, as it was in the reporting, which that really doesn't affect Iran's immediate

thinking at the moment.

ANDERSON: It's good to have you both. Really appreciate your time. Thank you very much indeed.

Folks, you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. Time here in the UAE is just after 6:15. A second round of direct talks between

Israel and Lebanon are set to start soon. We're going to take a look at what is at stake -- after this.

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ANDERSON: We are keeping a close eye on the new round of ceasefire talks between Israel and Lebanon, set to start in Washington in the coming hours.

At the center of the negotiations, what to do about Hezbollah's continued military presence in southern Lebanon, a major hurdle toward achieving

lasting peace.

For now, Israel says its forces will remain in the region, they say, to protect communities in northern Israel from the Iran-backed Hezbollah

attacks.

Now this comes as Lebanon's prime minister accused Israel of committing war crimes on Wednesday, raising tensions ahead of today's talks. CNN's Oren

Liebermann following the story for us.

Oren, set the stage on today's talks happening as Israel is still actively operating inside Lebanon.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF AND CORRESPONDENT: You'd be forgiven for thinking there wasn't even a ceasefire in Lebanon, as we see

Israel and Hezbollah continue at least a low level of fighting right now.

This will be the second round of direct talks between ambassadors in Washington. The first one was last Tuesday. So this is round two. And that

in and of itself is a bit of an accomplishment as the Trump administration tries to push forward toward a larger agreement, despite all the

difficulties that faces.

And there are many. Those talks are set to start in several hours but I wouldn't expect any major announcements coming out of that except for

perhaps hailing that these talks are ongoing.

We're not expecting a more permanent ceasefire or a larger, broader peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon. That's clearly what president Donald

Trump is looking for and he's tried to get the two countries' leaders to agree to meet in person in Washington.

Right now, I think the most that can be expected is an extension of the ceasefire. Lebanese officials have told us they're trying to get a one-

month extension. The fragile 10-day ceasefire is set to expire in just a matter of days here. So, of course, there's a key question where this goes

from here.

Lebanon wants to see that ceasefire extended and perhaps that creates more space for more diplomacy and for the Trump administration to try to make

more progress here. Right now, these are effectively talks about talks instead of able to deal with the real issues and try to get some consensus

here.

That might be a more permanent end to the fighting that we see across the Israel-Lebanon border.

ANDERSON: Can we just ensure that our viewers are up to date on what we know about the killing of the Lebanese journalist, Amal Khalil?

LIEBERMANN: So this all happened on Wednesday. Israel carried out a series of strikes on a town in Lebanon, about 7-8 kilometers from the Israel-

Lebanon border, according to Lebanon's national news agency.

These journalists, Amal Khalil and Zeinab Faraj, were on their way toward southern Lebanon to do journalistic work when the vehicle they were in was

struck in an Israeli airstrike, according to the national news agency.

When that happened, they then took cover inside of a building, seeking refuge from further airstrikes. But an Israeli airstrike hit the building

itself. Rescue workers were able to get to Faraj, who was injured in that strike.

But Lebanon's national news agency says rescue workers were temporarily prohibited or restricted from getting to Amal Khalil. When they were able

to get to her, they understood that she had been killed in the airstrike.

Lebanon's prime minister said this was a war crime. In a statement, he said targeting journalists and obstructing the access of rescue teams to them

and then the renewed targeting of those teams after they arrived constitute described war crimes.

So it is in this difficult scenario that they are set to host talks between Israel and Lebanon. The Israeli military acknowledges they did strike

vehicles that they say were coming from Hezbollah military infrastructure and then struck the building itself as well. They say the incident is under

review.

This is now the fourth journalist killed in Lebanon since the start of the war with Iran some seven weeks ago -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Yes. Thank you.

Well, I want to bring in Sara Qudah now, who's with the nonprofit Committee to Protect Journalists.

Sara, it's good to have you. And you'll have just been listening to what Oren just laid out there on what we understand to have happened.

What more does the CPJ know about the timeline of this killing and what has raised the most alarms for your organization?

SARA QUDAH, COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS: So there's so many elements to this attack. First of all, that both journalists are civilians.

[10:25:00]

They were unarmed. They were doing their jobs and reporting on what's happening or the aftermath of the first strike. And then the building was

attacked, as mentioned, and they were both trapped.

The second element is that the Red Cross was blocked from rescuing after rescuing the first journalist. The Red Cross was blocked from rescuing

Amal. She stayed under the rubble for seven hours and she was not killed in the strike. Khalil was last heard from at approximately 4 pm or 4:10 pm

local time.

And she called her family and she called the Lebanese military, so it was reported. And it was known for the IDF that Amal is trapped under the

rubble and she was alive. Yet the Red Cross was blocked for seven hours.

And when they reached her after seven hours, she was already dead. So this kind of obstruction of rescue efforts may really amount to a war crime. And

it is alarming for us to see that a journalist has been calling for help and it was known, her place, her location, and that she is still alive, yet

no one was able to get to her and rescue her.

ANDERSON: So do we have any further detail on her condition and whether she might have survived if the Red Cross weren't prevented from reaching

her?

QUDAH: Well, this is a very difficult question to answer to, if she would survive. But we know that she was not killed in the strike. She made a

phone call to her family and then to the Lebanese military asking for help. So she was alive.

And if maybe if the Red Cross was able to get to her in time, she would be alive now, maybe severely injured but she might be alive until this moment.

ANDERSON: There are reports that Khalil had received a death threat attributed to the IDF back in September of 2024.

Have you gotten any clarity from the Israeli government on that?

QUDAH: We did contact the Israeli government. They -- the only answer we received was that the case is still under investigation and they have no

further comment on it yet.

We did also communicate with the union of journalists in Lebanon and they have confirmed that they have seen the threats that Amal received. And

other colleagues of her also confirmed that they have seen or known of these threats.

ANDERSON: How do you assess whether then this was deliberate targeting with that in mind?

QUDAH: We do not -- we do not confirm that it is a deliberate targeting. We say that it is apparently deliberate targeting because the second strike

that hit the building hit the building where she was sheltering in, it was known that those two journalists are sheltering in these -- in this

building.

But what we know is the IDF, the Red Cross and the Lebanese military all knew that those two journalists are trapped under the rubble in this

building. So it's not the attack itself as a matter of the rescuing process.

ANDERSON: Understood. Oren pointed out that this is not the first incident of journalists killed just in this latest conflict in Lebanon. And Israel

has killed at least 260 journalists in Lebanon, Gaza, Iran and Yemen since 2023.

I understand your role is to advocate for journalists.

But what do you believe can be done in terms of accountability here?

Do you believe Israel is operating with impunity?

QUDAH: Yes, we do believe that Israel is operating in impunity and they are -- they are not abiding to the international human law that is

protecting journalists because they are civilians and doing their jobs.

We feel that today there has to be a call from the international community to hold Israel accountable to these crimes and to these killings.

Journalists are civilians. They should not be targeted. This is very clear in the international law. The international law is there and clear but it

is not being abide by Israel.

So what we are looking for now is from the international community and the international leaders to hold Israel to account and to open independent

investigation in all these killings, not just Amal.

[10:30:00]

And the previous journalists who were killed in Gaza, in Lebanon, in Iran and in Yemen.

ANDERSON: While I have you, Sara, I just want to get your insight and thoughts on another case that I know that you have been closely following.

The journalist Ahmed Eldin has just been acquitted after being held in Kuwait for more than six weeks. That was after sharing videos related to

the Iran War.

Have you been in touch with him?

And what do you understand to be the latest there?

QUDAH: We have not been in direct touch with Ahmed because he was not yet released. He is acquitted, as you said. So we are in touch with the legal

team who did confirm the news. And we are waiting for his release safely from the prison.

ANDERSON: Sara Qudah, it's good to have you. Thank you very much indeed for joining us.

The views there of the Committee to Protect Journalists.

I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. We will be right back.

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ANDERSON (voice-over): Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. These are your headlines.

And a second round of direct talks between Israel and Lebanon is expected to get underway in Washington in the coming hours. The hope is of extending

what is a fragile ceasefire between the IDF and Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Well, that comes as Lebanon's prime minister accuses Israel of committing war crimes on Wednesday, raising tensions ahead of today's talks.

The U.S. Defense Department says its forces have seized another tanker in the Indian Ocean. It is described as a sanctioned, stateless vessel that

was carrying oil from Iran earlier this week.

The U.S. military boarded another stateless oil tanker that it says had been sanctioned for transporting Iranian oil, while Iran itself says it has

received its first revenue after imposing tolls on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Movement through the vital waterway remains at a trickle amid the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports but a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied

natural gas usually passes through that very narrow shipping lane.

I want to take a moment to spotlight what is happening in other conflict areas that we have been following for years, frankly, that are now getting

a lot less attention because of the Iraq war.

[10:35:07]

And I want to start tonight with Ukraine. The European Union has approved a loan to Kyiv worth more than $100 billion that was previously held up for

months by Hungary's former prime minister Viktor Orban, who was, of course, defeated in last weekend's elections. Now that is a welcome lifeline.

But when it comes to American support, President Zelenskyy told my colleague Christiane Amanpour he thinks meetings with Washington are on

hold while it focuses on Iran.

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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: I don't see now the -- you know, the opportunity to meet today or tomorrow until the question -- the case of

Iran will not be closed or some fundamental ceasefire or something like this.

We are producing about -- around a little bit less 1,000 of drones and interceptors. We have money per day, per day, but we can produce 2,000. But

we don't have for this funding. So, it's really the question of our life, of the surviving, of defending. So, we need this money very much., right?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: That's President Zelenskyy speaking to Christiane.

In Gaza, Palestinians say the ceasefire brokered there last October is one in name only, with health officials reporting 791 people killed and more

than 2,000 wounded since that truce took effect.

Mourners gathered in Gaza City on today to bid farewell to the latest victims of Israeli airstrikes. Five Palestinians, three of them children.

This is what their loved ones had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): He was gone in a second. A piece of shrapnel hit his head.

Why?

What is his fault?

Oh, my love, Abdullah, get up. Abdullah is very small and very thin. He's very thin.

What is his fault?

What is his fault?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There is no ceasefire, no truce, nothing at all. There is nothing. The enemy is hitting. They hit anywhere

they see. There is no safety in the area.

What do you say to the world?

We tell the world, please stop the aggression on Gaza. Stop the war on Gaza. Enough, enough. We are dying. Enough. Enough suffering.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: One of the key figures in the U.S. president's board of peace, Nickolay Mladenov, tells Reuters that work is underway for a plan to disarm

Hamas, to then unlock Israel's withdrawal from Gaza and put in place new governance and infrastructure there. But he says time is of the essence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICKOLAY MLADENOV, BOARD OF PEACE: I do not think we have months. We have a matter of days; maximum, a couple of weeks. That is my assessment

because, otherwise, we will lose the momentum of what we have and then every decision will become even more difficult than it is now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: And in the West Bank, a rising number of attacks on Palestinian schools and children in recent days. Two Palestinians, one of them a 14-

year old boy, have been shot and killed. That's according to the Palestinian health ministry and multiple eyewitnesses. My colleague, CNN's

Jeremy Diamond, filed this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Gunshots crackle outside a boys' school in the occupied West Bank. Just as the camera pulls

away, the fatal shot rings out; 14-year-old Aws Al-Naasan has been struck. You can see him on the ground, motionless, as his friends shriek and carry

him away.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Allahu akbar.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Allahu akbar.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Aws was killed by an Israeli settler, according to eyewitnesses and the Palestinian health ministry. The school's principal

says at least five armed settlers approached the school fence in the village of Al-Mughayyir at around midday, including this man dressed in

military fatigues, advancing slowly along the hillside.

The video shows he fired at least eight rounds toward the school. Activists and residents of the village identified him as a known settler who has

attacked them in the past.

The military said it dispatched forces after rocks were thrown at a vehicle carrying Israeli civilians, including the reservist. A military official

said military police were investigating and that the reservists had been suspended; 32-year-old Jihad Abu Naim was also shot and killed.

He lived next door to the school. His and Aws' bodies were laid to rest Wednesday as their families mourned.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking foreign language).

[10:40:00]

DIAMOND (voice-over): The latest victims of near-daily Israeli settler attacks targeting Palestinians in nearly every corner of the West Bank. A

day later, Aws' classmates return to the spot where their friend was killed, where blood now stains the ground and where they won't soon forget

this loss.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson. We will be right back.

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ANDERSON: Well, CNN's parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, is poised to officially clear a major hurdle in Paramount's mega merger deal.

Now according to preliminary results, WBD shareholders, who were voting today, have approved the $110 billion Paramount bid. The offer of $31 a

share is enticing. A year ago, WBD was trading at just $8 a share.

But Paramount's CEO and Trump ally David Ellison's ambition to acquire WBD is controversial in Hollywood and beyond. Let's bring in CNN's chief media

analyst, Brian Stelter.

One you are keeping a keen eye on.

What's the latest and just how much might this reshape the media and entertainment ecosystem, Brian?

What are your thoughts?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Well, number one, when it comes to this vote, maybe for investors, for shareholders, this was a no-brainer

because, as you said, the stock has more than tripled in the past year on the expectation that this deal will go through.

Looking at the stock price right now, WBD near $28 per share. Paramount actually falling quite a bit today. But the market's down overall. So that

does make sense.

But WBD is now poised to join Paramount because this today, this vote was one of the last remaining hurdles. WB shareholders had to sign off on this

deal. And now they have. Paramount believes it will be able to complete this deal in the next four or five, six months.

There is a ticking clock here because Paramount has agreed to pay even more to WB shareholders if this deal is not approved all around the world by the

end of September. So between now and the end of September, Paramount has to get regulators in the U.S., the U.K., the E.U. and other markets to all

sign off.

And Paramount is already making efforts in that direction. But as you mentioned, this is a very controversial deal. There are thousands of

Hollywood stars and directors and writers who have signed a petition opposing the deal. Some of them even gathered outside the WBD headquarters

in New York City this morning to hold a protest.

Those protesters are urging state attorneys general in the U.S. to sue to block the deal on antitrust grounds. And some of those state level

attorneys, they are looking closely and thinking about doing that.

Why?

Well, partly because they believe the Trump administration is giving the green light to Paramount for political reasons. There are a lot of

activists who are very critical of Paramount's close ties to president Trump and the Trump administration.

However, if you talk to Paramount executives privately, they'll tell you they're doing what they have to do in order to win regulatory approval of

this mega merger.

[10:45:06]

So as you said, bringing together all those brands, we're talking about CNN and CBS News potentially together in the future, HBO Max and Paramount+ as

well -- this is a form of media consolidation that we've seen many times before.

But this deal, it's one of the biggest in history. It's a giant leveraged buyout with foreign financing. And like I said, several more months of

regulatory scrutiny now that shareholders have weighed in, Becky.

ANDERSON: Your description is spot on. Good to have you, Brian. Thank you.

I'm going to take a break. Back after this.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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ANDERSON: Political -- oh, sorry. Let me start that again.

Three candidates for political office in the United States have been suspended from the prediction market Kalshi for betting on their own

campaigns.

Kalshi says, although the trades were relatively small, they violated the site's rules on insider trading. It banned all three from its platform for

five years.

The announcement comes amid bipartisan concern about the rise of political insider trading and the possible threat it poses to the integrity of U.S.

elections. This is a fascinating story. CNN's Marshall Cohen with the very latest on it from Washington.

What do you make of what we are seeing here?

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Becky, it is fascinating and concerning. They're calling it political insider trading. And let me

explain what's going on.

This is the prediction market industry. It's blown up in the last year. And it's sites like Kalshi, where you can bet on almost anything from sports to

entertainment, the Grammys, the Emmys, the weather and also elections.

And that's exactly what happened here. Kalshi said that it did an internal investigation and found that three candidates for federal office running in

the 2026 midterms this year actually placed bets on their own races, which, of course, is a violation of Kalshi rules.

And it brings into question the integrity of our election process. Becky, let me read for you something from the announcement from Kalshi, head of

enforcement, Robert DeNault.

He said, quote, "Regardless of the size of a trade, political candidates who can influence a market based on whether they stay in or out of a race

violate our rules."

And he said any trade that is found to have violated the rules will be punished.

And that's exactly what happened here. Kalshi announced fines against these three candidates and five-year suspensions.

Now look, I should make clear two things. Number one, CNN has a partnership with Kalshi. We use their data to cover major political events but we don't

use their markets to place any bets, number one.

Number two, the legal experts I spoke to said this probably isn't officially insider trading that could be prosecuted by the DOJ. The

definition of insider trading is pretty narrow when you look at the technical legal statutes.

But still, this raised a ton of questions about the integrity of the election and whether these markets need more regulation, Becky.

ANDERSON: This is, I mean, amazing. And we will continue to follow this. This isn't going to be the last time we talk about these prediction markets

anytime soon. Thank you.

[10:50:00]

Well, a Democratic lawmaker is demanding answers about the possibility of a pardon for the convicted sex trafficker, Ghislaine Maxwell, the accomplice,

of course, of the late sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.

House Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi sent a scathing letter to the Department of Justice over the matter; specifically, its reported willingness to

pardon Maxwell.

He wrote, and I quote, "Even with access to testimony and documentation detailing the abuse of more than 1,000 women and children, the department

has brought no charges beyond those against Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell."

CNN's Kyung Lah takes a closer look for you at the allegations against other men connected to Epstein.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They're the faceless figures in Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking ring, women and

girls whose stories fill the Department of Justice files. Some explaining they were raped, others lent out to Epstein's friends and another given

sexual instructions for other men and trafficked.

Epstein went to jail for sex trafficking. So did accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. But the Trump administration says evidence doesn't show other men

participated in the abuse. From the FBI.

KASH PATEL, FBI DIRECTOR: There is no credible information, none. If there were, I would bring the case yesterday that he trafficked two other

individuals.

LAH (voice-over): To the DOJ.

TODD BLANCHE, ACTING UNITED STATES ATTORNEY GENERAL: Anybody with evidence, come to the FBI and tell us.

LAH (voice-over): Victims did tell the FBI but the files show little sign of any follow-up by investigators. A CNN Review of the DOJ's own publicly

released Epstein files finds more than a dozen times where victims told the FBI that Epstein facilitated sexual encounters with his rich and powerful

network.

But here's what we can't find in the public files, much evidence of further Investigation after those women spoke to the FBI.

LAH: What does justice at the end of the day look like for you?

ANNIE FARMER, EPSTEIN SURVIVOR: Before we can even get to, you know, to prosecution, we need investigation, right?

And so, unfortunately, what we're seeing right now is that there's been so little investigation.

LAH (voice-over): Annie Farmer is an Epstein survivor. She says she was sexually abused by Epstein and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell when she was

just 16. She has Joined House Oversight Committee Ranking Member, Robert Garcia, in a public push for more accountability.

REP. ROBERT GARCIA, (D-CA) RANKING MEMBER, HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE: This is about some of the most powerful wealthiest people believing that they

can just get away with anything and they empowered Jeffrey Epstein to be that person.

LAH (voice-over): The files reveal how Epstein built a trafficking ring. The victims were teenagers or young women who needed money and influence to

start their lives. Epstein paid for gifts and exotic trips to his Caribbean island for parties. Victims told the FBI, at first, he seemed harmless. One

victim told the Palm Beach Police Department two decades ago how Epstein would groom his victims.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every girl that meets Jeffrey starts off with giving him a massage. The more you do with him, the more you make.

LAH (voice-over): In this 2021 report, a victim told the FBI she believed they trafficked me. She says Epstein sent her to Dr. Henry Jarecki, a

renowned psychiatrist, who could help her with college. This is Jarecki pictured here with Epstein in the files. Because she really wanted to

attend college, she says she gave Jarecki oral sex. There's no sign of an FBI investigation with Jarecki. He says he's never abused anyone.

A wealthy banker named in an FBI report is Jes Staley.

JES STALEY, FORMER CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, BARCLAYS: I have had a long- standing professional or had a long-standing professional relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. LAH (voice-over): A woman told the FBI that she met

Staley at Epstein's New York mansion. The woman says Epstein was paying for her to attend massage school and told her to give Staley a massage. Photos

show Epstein owned an elaborate massage room.

The massage ended in rough sex. She told Staley she did not want this. Federal investigators spoke to local cops about accusations against Staley

but the files don't show much follow-up. Staley said in court, he did have sex with one of Epstein's assistants but it was consensual.

LEON BLACK, FORMER CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, APOLLO GLOBAL MANAGEMENT: I love doing business. My whole life I've enjoyed doing business.

LAH (voice-over): Leon Black is a Wall Street titan. A woman said Epstein told her to massage Black who started becoming sexual. She then ran out of

the room. Another woman said Black raped her. Files show the DOJ spoke about Black with the Manhattan D.A.'s office which began looking into him.

But he has not been charged for anything.

An attorney for Black said he has never abused, assaulted or raped any girl or woman and the idea of doing so is repulsive and reprehensible to him.

SPENCER KUVIN, ATTORNEY FOR MULTIPLE EPSTEIN VICTIMS: It's just an absolute travesty the way that the entire thing is played out.

LAH (voice-over): Attorney Spencer Kuvin has represented multiple Epstein victims. One of his clients says Epstein and Maxwell loaned her to a

corporate executive in Palm Beach, Florida.

KUVIN: Girls were not people to him.

[10:55:00]

They were objects to be traded. He would utilize both underage victims but he would also utilize other women who were over the age of 18 to satisfy

men that he wanted to Curry favor with.

LAH: You're almost talking about an economic ecosystem based on the abuse of women.

KUVIN: It was.

LAH (voice-over): Moses Castillo is a former LAPD sex crimes detective. He says he'd expect to see more basic investigation and follow-up in the

files.

MOSES CASTILLO, FORMER LAPD DETECTIVE: It's actually policing 101. Police investigations 101, you check the flight. You check all the hotels. You

check this victim said this and that. Can you go out there and corroborate that?

So it's time consuming but it's not impossible.

LAH: We asked the Department of Justice about the documents in the files that stated allegations against other men. A spokesperson for the DOJ said,

quote, "The allegations contained in them were thoroughly investigated. Prosecutors at the time did not feel that the evidence was sufficient to

prosecute."

We also reached out to a spokesperson for Jarecki, who said that he has advanced dementia, is non-communicative and that silence should not be

construed as tacit approval.

We did not hear back from representatives for Maxwell or Jes Staley -- Kyung Lah, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: And Kyung Lah reporting for you.

And that is it for this edition of CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. Stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up next.

END