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U.S.-Israel War with Iran; Trump vs. Netanyahu; Ukraine Targets St. Petersburg; OpenAI CEO Meets with White House and Congressional Officials; California Governor's Primary; Veteran "60 Minutes" Correspondent Scott Pelley Fired from CBS. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired June 03, 2026 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): 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 6:00 in the evening.
And we are following the worst exchange of strikes in this region since the Iran-U.S. ceasefire 56 days ago. Authorities say one person has been killed
and 63 injured in Kuwait after an Iranian strike on the airport there just two days after it reopened.
Well, that comes as Donald Trump touts progress in peace talks and says he'd like to meet Iran's supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. In an interview
with "The New York Times." That's when he said that.
And we are awaiting more reaction from the United States. The secretary of state, Marco Rubio, testifies before Congress any moment now, this time
taking questions from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANDERSON: Right. We begin with the -- some of the most intense strikes since the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran began. It unfolded when the
U.S. fired a Hellfire missile on an oil tanker heading to an Iranian port.
Around the same time, Tehran said blasts were heard around Qeshm Island, which is near the Strait of Hormuz. A short while later, Kuwait said it was
intercepting missile and drone attacks from Iran as sirens sounded there and in Bahrain. Kuwaiti officials say one person was killed and more than
60 wounded.
I want to show you this video just in to CNN. It shows the scene in Kuwait airport where the victim of the attacks, an Indian national, was killed.
Bear in mind, the airport only reopened a few days ago following damage from the beginning of this war.
Well, it is unclear where negotiations stand between the U.S. and Iran right now. CNN's team has just entered Iran to get the view from within the
country. CNN, let me remind you, operates in Iran only with the permission of the government there. But it does maintain full editorial control of our
reports. Here's Fred Pleitgen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We've just entered Iran and we're currently driving toward Tehran. I would say that
the drive is probably going to take well north of 12 hours. And we come here at a pretty decisive time as the United States and Iran are trying to
inch closer to a memorandum of understanding that would at first, end the hostilities between the United States and Iran.
But also pave the way for negotiations for a broader peace agreement that could then happen maybe a month, maybe two months down the line. At the
same time, the security situation, especially in the Persian Gulf area, between the U.S. and Iran remains fragile and it remains volatile.
Just overnight, there have been attacks that went back and forth. The United States hitting some targets on some islands in the Persian Gulf. The
Iranians responding with ballistic missile strikes targeting American installations in places like Bahrain and Kuwait.
So all of that, of course, makes for a very difficult situation, as the two sides say they are committed to try and reach some agreement to end this
war.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, let's connect you then.
That's Fred, of course, in Iran.
Let's connect you to Kuwait, scene of these deadly Iranian strikes overnight. Bader Al-Saif is a regular guest on this show. He's professor of
history at Kuwait University, joining us from Kuwait City.
Your analysis and insight is always very valuable. So thank you once again for joining us today. A staggering human toll where you are; one death,
over 60 injured.
What are you hearing and seeing on the ground there?
Let's start there.
BADER AL-SAIF, PROFESSOR OF HISTORY, KUWAIT UNIVERSITY: Becky, it's been a sleepless night for many of us in Kuwait. We've sustained a lot of missiles
and drone attacks, close to 30.
And, you know, every life lost is a disaster and a tragic incident for us. This is something that we would like to not see happen in Kuwait or in
anywhere else in the region. The airport has been open for some time, by the way.
[10:05:00]
What's been new in the last two days was the reopening to international airlines. And that was the target, I guess, with the Iranians coming in for
the third time in this week, attacking us with these targets, interceptions. But unfortunately, the airport was hit.
But our resolve is strong in Kuwait. Within hours, flights were resumed from other terminals. And that's the spirit that we're going on with life
continued. Normal people went to work. It's final exam season for many high schoolers. They also went to their exams and life continues.
And --
(AUDIO GAP)
AL-SAIF: -- to produce a firm stance and to make sure --
(AUDIO GAP)
ANDERSON: Bader, we are having technical issues. I'm going to put this next question to you and see if we can reestablish this -- can you hear me
now?
AL-SAIF: I can hear you.
ANDERSON: Good. OK. Thank you.
And thank you. I think our viewers will have got most of what you just said. Look, you know, I mean, clearly you're talking about sort of, you
know, life being, you know, normal. There is a new normal, of course, in Kuwait and around this region. Kuwait has borne the brunt of Iran's recent
attacks.
The UAE, where I am, bearing the brunt of the attacks since the conflict began, of course. But you know, this isn't a question of who got how many.
I mean, this is worrying stuff.
The Kuwaiti economy has been one of the worst hit in the region, as it's been forced to stop exporting nearly 2 million barrels of oil a day.
Despite the energy sector making up more than half of GDP and more than 90 percent of government revenues, the OECD now says the Iran war could be as
bad for global economic growth as the COVID pandemic.
Can you just explain, you know, how challenging this has been for Kuwait?
I understand that, you know, things are, you know, carrying on as normal. And that is good.
But you know, effectively, how does a country like yours bounce back at this point?
AL-SAIF: Like it bounced back in '91 when it was liberated from Iraqi occupation. And like it bounced back after Iranian aggression in the 1980s,
Becky. And like it bounced back after the war on terror in the early 2000s.
Look, we're not remiss to the problems and the challenges that have unfolded because of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. And we have one
of the oldest sovereign wealth funds that has been used as a buffer financially. And obviously, we will need to reprioritize a lot of our
projects.
But I think the way that Kuwait is looking at this, this is a moment and an opportunity to come closer together to not only our Gulf neighbors but in
the region at large, to come up with different visions of how to move the region forward.
We can't be hostage to a conflict that's been draining the region for decades between the U.S. and Iran. And let's add on top of this, the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict that looms large over all of our businesses, all of these are intractable. Conflicts need to be addressed head-on,
Becky.
We can't keep going back and forth on the same issue. If we don't address root causes, you're going to end up going back to the same point again.
ANDERSON: Yes. And we hear this, you know, reflected around the region, not least today. The UAE's top diplomatic adviser, Anwar Gargash, in
response to what has happened overnight, calling for, and I quote him here, "a firm, unified and cohesive Gulf stance."
What do you make of that?
And what could that kind of Gulf response look like at this point?
We know this is not a monolith, this region. We know that there are different narratives out there.
What are your thoughts?
AL-SAIF: Look, Mr. Gargash is right to put out this sentiment. We commemorated a few days ago the 45th anniversary of the GCC, the Gulf
Cooperation Council, that holds the six Gulf states.
But we can't restrict ourselves to timid projects. We've been successful in putting together an interconnection authority, for example, that ties our
electricities together. We're working on a railway network that's going to connect all six capitals. And now they're actively looking at connecting
pipelines as well.
But I think a key component of all of this, Becky -- and this speaks to what Mr. Gargash has been alluding to -- is our defense doctrine. Despite
the differences, we are being attacked. And when one city is attacked, the others are attacked.
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We signed up for a joint shield, a peninsula shield force in 1982, a year after the creation of the GCC. And we've created a joint defense agreement
in the early 2000s. That needs to be activated and we need to have an interoperability system that protects us all, an early warning system that
pushes us together.
And that's the only way forward. If we're not treating this threat from Iran in a unanimous manner, we're not going to be able to withstand it. And
Iran likes to deal with us bilaterally. We shouldn't offer it this chance.
We should look at it clear-eyed, with a very clear agenda on how to move forward with all the files that are pending between the two sides of the
Gulf.
ANDERSON: And as you make these points -- and they are good points and well made -- it occurs to me that we have, frankly, heard remarkably little
from the U.S. or Iran on the details of this memorandum, memorandum of understanding or this MOU.
Rafael Grossi was here yesterday in the UAE visiting the Barak plant, which was targeted -- the nuclear plant, the civil nuclear plant, which was
targeted here recently. Thankfully, the actual plant itself wasn't hit. No radiation leak from there. It was an electricity generator outside of the
plant.
But he was there yesterday and was showing some pictures in a show of support for the UAE and the region. He also spoke about how what he
believes any deal might look like going forward will be fundamentally different to Obama's nuclear deal, what we know as the JCPOA, cut in 2015.
Because Grossi said, because of the dialogue around highly enriched uranium and because Iran now has its Fordow and Natanz plants.
What's your sense of the U.S. position in particular here and where the U.S. narrative stands at this point?
AL-SAIF: That's a very good question, Becky, because I think if you ask American officials, they're not going to give you a clear answer because it
lies up at the top with Mr. Trump. And it keeps becoming a moving target with him.
And look, as you've mentioned so far, a lot of the discussion has been on the nuclear program and the enriched uranium. Fine. But it shouldn't stop
there. It's much bigger than that.
And that's our worry in the Gulf, that the MOU will only go back to these specific issues, which was the framework that the Obama administration
worked on back in 2015.
So I hope that they have that longer lens and longer view of how to handle other files when it comes to Iranian regional behavior, when it comes to
also Israel's regional behavior, all of these are connected.
And we need to also look at the proxies, the sleeper cells, the missiles program. There is a whole agenda of issues. And it's going to be a busy
program. I don't think an MOU will encapsulate all of these issues. But it's a start because a truce and a ceasefire is better than an ongoing war.
Though, let me tell you, I mean, the notion of a ceasefire, as you have seen with Kuwait's example the past few hours and in the past week, isn't
strictly held.
I understand it's a tit-for-tat and they're not going to go back into war imminently as we can tell from now. But that's going to put you at the
brink of danger at any moment. So I hope that a breakthrough happens on the MOU very soon.
ANDERSON: Yes. It's good to have you. I'm sorry about, you know, the experience for everybody there overnight, not least those who lost a family
member and, of course, those who were injured. It's always good to get you on and to get your wider insight as well.
And if you're here anytime soon, let us know and we'll have you on the show in person. Bader, thank you.
Well, amid U.S. efforts apparently to secure a peace deal with Iran, president Donald Trump had an eyebrow-raising interview, it has to be said,
with the "New York Post."
And earlier, I suggested it was with "The New York Times," and I apologize for that. This interview that I want to discuss now was with the "New York
Post." CNN's Stephen Collinson joins us now to do a bit of a deep dive on that.
Stephen, Donald Trump, in this interview in the past 24 hours, signaling optimism on talks and went so far as to say that he is willing to be
getting along with Iran's supreme leader, his new -- the new supreme leader and wants to meet him. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We seem to be getting along quite well.
QUESTION: Would you like to meet him or meet any of the Iranians in person?
TRUMP: I've never thought of it. Actually, it's a very good question. I'll think of it. Yes, I'd like to meet him.
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I like to meet everybody. I'd like to meet him. We probably will meet at some point, depending on how it all works out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Stephen, what does that tell you about his mindset, if anything?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, I've been covering Trump now for about a decade and I'm not sure the most delicate way to put
this but sometimes the president just says things, I think, in interviews to fill up the air time.
You know, the idea that he's having any kind of interaction with the supreme leader seems very unlikely. It doesn't show a great deal of
understanding, I think, of the internal dynamics that are taking place in Iran. And it just seems to be something that the president is saying to
keep open this perception that talks really are going well.
I mean, he's been saying for weeks that a deal is imminent, that Iran is desperate to get a deal. And it might be time to consider, whether by
looking at the trees here, everyone is hanging on the president's every word, we might be, you know, losing sight of the forest.
And that forest is the fact that Iran is saying completely different things about the imminence of a deal with the United States, seems to be quite
happy to keep hanging this out. The signals coming out of Washington about, yes, a deal is possible. It's going to come soon.
And the signals coming from Tehran seem completely opposite.
And I think that glaring difference is only being, you know, thrust into greater relief by what happened overnight, this attack on Kuwait, the --
you know, is this a ceasefire at all that is in place between the United States and Iran?
It doesn't seem everyone is saying about this conflict is reflecting what is actually happening.
ANDERSON: In that same interview with the "New York Post" overnight, Donald Trump, Stephen, also confirmed that he did call the Israeli prime
minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, effing crazy in their tense phone call on Monday. I just want our viewers to get a little more of what he had to say.
Stand by.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I wouldn't say angry. I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon. You know, at some point, I said, maybe we
got to stop this, got to stop it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: How do you read that in the context of these two leaders, years- long and, it has to be said, at times quite turbulent relationship?
COLLINSON: Yes. And let's face it, these two leaders went into this together. I think there are all sorts of ways, things you could read into
that.
I mean, who wouldn't have loved to be able to listen to that telephone call?
Clearly there is some frustration in Washington amid the administration that the Israelis expanded their operation in Lebanon. The president
managed to curtail that somewhat, it seems, earlier this week with his emergency diplomacy.
But that doesn't take away from the fact that these forces in the Middle East, the Israeli issue with Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iran's determination to
keep Hezbollah as a threat to Israel in Lebanon, all of that is tearing away at the atmosphere that could prejudice the hopes for the U.S. getting
a deal.
What the United States wants, the Trump administration wants, is to get a deal with Iran and to get out of this situation. it doesn't want to link
this with all the other conflicts that are boiling around the rest of the Middle East.
The problem with that is that neither the Israelis nor the Iranians seem to share that view. They understand that everything is connected, that all
these historical and territorial and geopolitical grievances will not be solved just by a U.S. deal with Iran.
And that is the very difficult position that the president has got himself into after launching this war. And if you think about what Iran is doing,
it's stringing these talks along. It doesn't seem like it really wants to give up the leverage of the Strait of Hormuz.
And the president is in a box. He can't get a deal. An escalation of the war would cause all sorts of damaging political and economic consequences
for him. And he sees Benjamin Netanyahu pursuing his goals in Lebanon.
So in many ways, it looks like the president is feeling trapped. He can't influence his fate here. And that's a very uncomfortable position for him
to be in.
ANDERSON: Very briefly -- and we were discussing this just in the past couple of days -- it does feel like the clock is ticking domestically for
Donald Trump, not least the World Cup starts. And I know it sounds crazy to be talking about these days but they matter to the U.S. president.
The World Cup starts in 10 days or so. It's his birthday, for which he would like, you know, to see the back of.
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This so that he can celebrate in style and get applauded, one assumes, for his birthday; got a UFC fight coming up. You've got Independence Day, the
250th anniversary.
Do you -- do you also sort of, you know, see this framing as sort of, you know, Trump wanting to move on, not least because of what he would hope to
celebrate with all of these dates set in the calendar at this point?
COLLINSON: Yes, I think it's a very good point. The president has long been looking forward to the World Cup and the 250th anniversary of
independence, to preside over these great events.
You know, you see often how he thrusts himself to the fore in these kind of things. We saw it the Latin American football tournament a couple of years
ago when he presented the cup. And he didn't want to get off the stage.
I think a lot of people expect the same kind of thing at the World Cup. Not just these big events, of course but we're racing toward the midterm
elections in November, where the fate of the Republican Congress is on the line.
And any, you know, prolonging of this war, an increase in gas prices, the pain Americans are feeling, the sense that the president is not in control
of world events, that's also very damaging.
And I'm sure that when the president is basking on the international stage in the coming weeks, the fact that people will be pointing out that this
war is still going on.
And, in fact, Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, said yesterday at a congressional hearing that nuclear talks with Iran, if they ever take
place, would be 30, 60, 90 days or potentially more.
So I think the realization is dawning that there isn't going to be a quick, sharp deal that Trump gets to get out of this. And this is going to be with
him probably for the rest of the year and maybe much longer.
ANDERSON: It's fascinating. It's good to have you. Thank you.
Well, the other conflict that continues, of course, is that between Russia and Ukraine. Russia says it downed hundreds of Ukrainian drones, including
over St. Petersburg, as a major economic forum there got underway.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy says long-range strikes hit key targets, including this major Russian oil terminal. The attacks came a day
after Russia launched a deadly large-scale barrage against Ukraine, killing at least 23 people in the cities of Kyiv and Dnipro. CNN's Clare Sebastian
following this for us. She joins us live.
Now these strikes by Ukraine -- and it was a significant barrage of drones used to attack St. Petersburg, coming against the backdrop of what is --
you know, certainly was in the past -- one of Vladimir Putin's key global events or events that put Russia on the global stage, that being the St.
Petersburg international economic forum, Clare.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look, I think there's no nuance here in the timing when it comes to these strikes happening on the first day,
the opening day of the St. Petersburg international economic forum, which was -- back in the day, of course, it was known as the Russian Davos. It
was a big global event.
The Kremlin says it still is. It's a big banner set piece event. Very important. Putin will speak there on Friday. So the message, I think, is
clear.
There was even a unit of Ukraine's unmanned systems forces that posted this quip, saying, we really wanted to send a delegation to the forum in St.
Petersburg but there is a nuance. Our representative, our representatives fly one way only.
Now look, we know that long-range drone attacks are now a critical part of Ukraine's strategy to try and strike military targets, energy facilities,
all those kinds of things. But I think with this, the message is clear that anyone in Russia or wanting to do business in Russia cannot ignore this
war.
And I think perhaps irony as well in hitting an oil terminal, inflicting economic damage on the opening day of a forum that traditionally has been
designed to talk up Russia's economy.
But they didn't just hit the oil terminal. There's also a video that emerged from the head of the Ukrainian unmanned systems forces, showing
what he says was a hit on a Russian warship moored just off St. Petersburg, a ship that was apparently conducting operations near NATO countries,
escorting Russian shadow fleet vessels.
That's the video that you see there. So you know, a powerful set of strikes. And Ukraine is, you know, being pretty clear about why it is doing
this. The Kremlin coming out today saying it is to prevent such strikes.
This is Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, that the special military operation continues. That's the Kremlin, of course, continuing its efforts
to paint Ukraine as the aggressor in this war rather than Russia. But certainly this is not the backdrop with which they would have wanted to
start this big, important economic forum. Becky.
[10:25:00]
Yes. Good to have you, Clare. Thank you.
Well, the chief of the WHO, the World Health Organization, has said that the response is now catching up with the Ebola outbreak in the DRC.
Speaking a little earlier to reporters, he said there are currently 344 confirmed cases there.
Well, CNN recently gained access to a hospital fighting to contain that virus at the epicenter of the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
As my colleague, CNN's Clarissa Ward, reports, the community there is still coming together and working around the clock to face this crisis. Have a
look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're at a hospital in the rural community of Rwampara. This area has been one of the hardest
hit by the Ebola outbreak.
So at the moment, the hospital has 17 suspected Ebola patients. They're rapidly running out of capacity. But if you look over here, you can see a
huge amount of activity as people from the community and the NGO, ALIMA, are furiously working to erect these Ebola treatment centers.
The doctor from ALIMA told us they're hoping that these facilities will be completed in the next two to three days. And that really is going to be a
game changer for this rural hospital, because it will give them the capacity to receive another 34 Ebola patients.
And it's really interesting; if you take a look at the way these treatment centers are being built, they are incorporating a lot of the lessons that
have been learned from previous Ebola outbreaks.
So I want to show you what each room here looks like. You've got the tap outside, of course; make sure that people are washing their hands the whole
time. Each room has its own bed. Each patient has, crucially, of course, as well, their own toilet.
But the really interesting part is right here. This paper will come off. And it's transparent glass, which allows the doctors to get up close and
see the patients without endangering themselves.
This is what it looks like from the doctors' perspective. This is the entrance they come into. They can see through, see the patients. It's
pretty incredible.
It's interesting because, despite the fact that this community has been ravaged by this virus, the mood here among these people who are all local,
who are taking pride in the fact that they are participating in building and contributing and protecting their community.
They have been singing, they have been laughing. They have been joking around. And honestly, against the backdrop of so much misery, it's been
really wonderful to see.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: That's Clarissa Ward reporting for you.
Well, just ahead on the show, as one of the world's top AI companies battles for dominance against rival Anthropic, OpenAI's chief heads to
Washington. We'll find out who he is meeting there and why after this.
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ANDERSON: Well, as Florida sues OpenAI and rival Anthropic gives it some major competition, the head of the artificial intelligence pioneer has a
big day in Washington.
A source confirms OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is having high-level meetings today at the White House and on Capitol Hill. Altman's visit comes a day after
president Donald Trump signed an executive order designed to tighten cybersecurity.
Well, it is the latest in a string of AI headlines, including highly anticipated IPOs like Anthropic, which we discussed here on the show
yesterday.
And we are, of course, keeping an eye on these tech stocks. And these continue to drive markets in whichever direction those markets are going.
Today, most of them are trading slightly lower. In fact, Nvidia and Microsoft are trading down 3 percent and 2.5 percent respectively. I want
to bring in our AI correspondent Hadas Gold for you now.
Hadas, I want to talk about why it is that Sam Altman is going to Washington today.
What is he hoping to get out of these meetings?
And who is he meeting?
HADAS GOLD, CNN AI CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So Sam Altman will be both at the White House and he'll be at Capitol Hill. And though this was planned
before that executive order was signed yesterday, that will obviously be one of those conversations.
That executive order was one of the first times we're seeing from the Trump administration tiptoeing not so much into regulation -- they made it clear
this is not mandatory -- but into the government having a much more involved aspect to these new AI models that are coming out.
Especially when we're seeing some of them, like Anthropic Mythos, are having some crazy cybersecurity capabilities. It's like having millions of
hackers or cybersecurity defenders working for you.
This executive order that was signed yesterday asks these AI companies that create these frontier models, these advanced models, to voluntarily submit
these models to the government for review period of up to 30 days before they release them to others.
Now Sam Altman praised this executive order in a post on X but the conversation he will be having today with the White House will likely go
into the nitty-gritty details of this executive order.
A lot of it is about definitions and also where they go from here, because the White House has announced this national framework on AI and there's a
lot of work left to do. He's expected to talk about safety policy, where the models are going next and cyber capabilities, especially with all of
these officials across Washington.
We also understand that he's going to be meeting with bipartisan members of Congress on Capitol Hill.
Especially those members who have introduced legislation about AI, including senator Bernie Sanders, who has introduced this American AI
Sovereign Wealth Fund Act, which wants to give the public a 50 percent ownership stake in major AI companies.
And Senator Sanders is also pushing for a moratorium on AI data centers. Obviously, you can't have any of these AI models without data centers. They
are so hungry for more data centers. They're talking about sending data centers to space.
And so Sam Altman will be talking with senator Sanders and others, obviously probably trying to get them to pull back a little bit or at least
modify this legislation in a way that OpenAI thinks that they can live with.
ANDERSON: This is happening, of course, as we wait for OpenAI to file to go public after Anthropic, of course, has filed its IPO on Sunday. And
these two are massive competitors. We are also on a hair trigger for SpaceX to file its own.
Is there enough capital for all three of these tech giants to succeed in their IPOs this year?
I mean, does OpenAI, in any way, do you believe, risk falling behind at this point?
GOLD: Yes, it's a big question. Everyone's been waiting for these huge IPOs. We're talking about potentially trillion dollars IPOs each. And it's
going to be a wild few days of trading when we first get this one to drop. SpaceX is expected I believe sometime next week.
Anthropic's filing was their confidential S-1. So it's not fully, you know, an IPO just yet. And OpenAI, we are expecting anytime soon. This will be
the first time that retail investors will really get to have a piece of this AI boom.
And a lot of critics have been questioning whether the funding is outpacing real world demand. And actually, these filings and through going public and
earnings reports, will finally get to have a look under the hood at what's actually happening at these companies.
[10:35:00]
What does the financing look like?
What are the business practices?
Now analysts are saying that these three IPOs represent the largest concentration of pre-IPO capital ever brought to the market simultaneously.
So can the market handle it?
You know, some experts are saying yes, it can. "The Economist" just published something that says lots of investors -- there's lots of
investors out there. It's an extraordinarily deep and liquid market.
Of course, we'll have to wait and see how the market reacts to these IPOs. As for OpenAI, I think a lot of people were expecting them to go right
after SpaceX and then Anthropic to file. I think some people were shocked when Anthropic filed their S-1 before OpenAI.
And Sam Altman was actually asked about this directly and he brushed it off, saying that they'll go public when they're ready. He alluded that
there's still planning to this year and some people actually suggest that it's smart for OpenAI to wait to let Anthropic absorb some of the initial
shock, maybe some of the regulatory, you know, inquiries.
Because it could give OpenAI chance to see how the market reacts to them, see how the regulatory industry reacts to them and then maybe they can
quietly restructure things. They can gauge the appetite instead of being, you know, the first to walk into the battlefield.
ANDERSON: Yes. Keeping a keen eye on these IPOs, not least because, from this region, the Gulf wealth is and will be heavily invested, there is no
doubt as this region builds its AI investments and capabilities. Been fascinating to watch that happen here in the UAE.
Good to have you. Thank you very much indeed.
Well, the fight over AI is now a major issue in New York City congressional race. Alex Bores, a former Palantir engineer, is running for Congress to
represent the heart of Manhattan.
Now he's also been the subject of attack ads backed by AI companies. CNN's Katherine Koretski spoke with Bores about why he believes that he is being
targeted. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEX BORES, FORMER PALANTIR ENGINEER: The AI lobby is intentionally saying they're going to make an example out of me.
KATHERINE KORETSKI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): That's Alex Bores, a state lawmaker running for Congress in New York's 12th District. He's an AI
user, a former Palantir tech engineer and has proposed and helped pass legislation that put guardrails on AI.
Now an AI-backed PAC is spending millions to make sure he doesn't win.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Alex Bores' mind is in many places. Too bad none of them are in Manhattan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KORETSKI: AI is expanding quickly but so is the backlash. A recent Quinnipiac poll found that 80 percent of Americans are either very or
somewhat concerned about AI and that sentiment is starting to shape political races. And that's clearer than ever here, where millions of
dollars on both sides of the AI debate have been poured into this race.
Why do you think that you are being used as the example here for everyone else?
BORES: Because I have the knowledge to pass these laws and I've actually done it. It's not that I have the craziest idea, it's that I was able to
pass the strongest AI safety bill in the country.
KORETSKI (voice-over): He's talking about the RAISE Act, the landmark New York state law, that requires AI companies to do things like publish
information about their safety protocols, including how they assess the safety risks of their models and their risk mitigation techniques.
Opponents of Bores, including Kennedy family member Jack Schlossberg, has slammed Bores on social media for his involvement with AI companies.
JACK SCHLOSSBERG, KENNEDY FAMILY MEMBER: I don't know about you. I think we have enough members of Congress who are owned by Big Tech.
KORETSKI: Bores beat back against such accusations. He's also not anti-AI. He uses it for debate prep. He's even used it to clean up old statutes on
the books in New York to identify things that might be outdated or dangerous.
BORES: Those of us that think about AI safety are often the ones that see the power of AI. And that's why we know it needs regulations. It's an
incredibly powerful tool already. That's why we need to be shaping it and not leaving the decisions to five billionaires.
KORETSKI: But not all AI groups are anti-Bores. A super PAC that has donors with ties to Anthropic has spent nearly $2 million on ads in the
race so far.
Do you think it's appropriate for you to be taking money from those PACs?
BORES: There is a super PAC that has pledged to spend $10 million against me. I am more motivated than anyone in the country to get rid of all of
this outside spending. If I could wave a wand and do it, I would.
KORETSKI: If everyone said no more money from PACs, no more money in politics, you'd be willing to give up all your campaign funding?
BORES: All of the outside funding?
Absolutely. In a heartbeat.
KORETSKI: If elected, Bores says tech companies should help pay for the power grid and pay dividends to workers whose jobs were eliminated by AI.
BORES: AI has a role for good but, because of its power to harm, we need to make sure there's guardrails.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, New York's primary is later this month but it is still too soon to call many of Tuesday's races. It was a big day in the States. We're
waiting for results from some of the most consequential races in America. A live report from California just ahead.
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[10:40:00]
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ANDERSON (voice-over): All right. Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson, from our Middle East programming
headquarters. These are your headlines.
Kuwaiti officials say at least one person was killed and more than 60 were wounded in Iranian strikes. Bahrain also targeted in retaliation for a U.S.
attack, Iran says, on an Iranian military station. It's some of the worst regional violence since this ceasefire was agreed between the U.S. and
Iran.
Well, Russia says it downed hundreds of drones in a Ukrainian attack over its territory. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said those long-
range strikes hit key targets, including the St. Petersburg oil terminal, one of Russia's largest oil transfer facilities in the northwest.
Well, this hour votes still being counted following Tuesday's primary in California. In the governor's race, Trump-backed Republican Steve Hilton
and the Democrat Xavier Becerra lead the wide field of 61 candidates.
And in the Los Angeles mayor election, CNN projects incumbent Karen Bass will advance to the November runoff. But it is still not clear who she will
face. Let's get you the very latest from CNN's Arlette Saenz. She joins us from Los Angeles.
And let's start with the governor's race.
What's the latest on that?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, California voters are still waiting to learn who will face off in this November matchup for governor
and whether it will be a Democrat versus a Republican or a Democrat versus a Democrat.
The early results that have come in over the last roughly 12 hours have shown that Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra are in the
top two spots, followed by progressive Democrat Tom Steyer.
But right now, Becerra is in a strong position to advance to the general election because many of the votes that are coming in and being counted
after Election Day are typically leaning more Democratic.
The question then would be whether it's a Republican -- or a Democrat in Steyer -- who Becerra would face off against. Steyer is hoping that some of
those late-returning Democratic voters, who were very slow to return their ballots, that some of those will break his way in this final stretch to
potentially lift him into that matchup.
But still, lots of questions there. We've heard from both Hilton and Becerra last night, trying to preview some of their general election
messaging.
Becerra presenting himself as this real foil to president Donald Trump, while Steve Hilton has said that the Democratic-led California is ready for
change, that he is ready to provide to these voters.
All of the campaigns have cautioned their supporters that this could take some time to determine those results. California is notoriously slow with
counting their ballots due to the sheer size of the state and also the universal mail-in ballot voting.
[10:45:00]
That allows voters to return their ballots on Election Day and have them postmarked Election Day and then need to be received by election offices
within seven days.
So still a lot of uncertainty. This is a vote count that could go on for days, maybe even weeks, as the candidates have been preparing their
campaigns and their supporters for several days now.
ANDERSON: I want to ask you about the mayoral race. Before I do, very briefly, I mean, is Steve Hilton, he -- Hilton, sorry -- says that
California is ready for change. It needs to lean into the Republican Party.
Is it genuinely ready for change, do you believe?
SAENZ: That's the big question and California has typically in recent years voted strongly for Democrats when it comes to the governor's races,
when it comes to presidentials.
But he is trying to tap in with -- into some of the frustration that people are experiencing here in California when it comes to the incredibly high
cost of living here, high gas, high issues when it comes to housing.
So it's very unclear whether that's actually something that would happen, given the Democratic nature of the state typically. But Hilton believes
that he can try to offer an alternative to that if he does make it into that general election.
ANDERSON: And an adviser to the former British prime minister, David Cameron -- of course, he's a Brit; it would be interesting to see how he
does. We'll keep an eye on that one.
Break down this mayoral race for us and why it has captured so much national and even international attention, Arlette.
SAENZ: Yes, there has been so much focus on this race for mayor and that is for two reasons.
One, there is the incumbent Democratic mayor, Karen Bass, who is right now breathing a sigh of relief as she has advanced to that general election
matchup. Question is who she will face off against.
The reality TV star Spencer Pratt has drawn a lot of attention in this race. He has gone viral with many of his campaign ads. Also ads, AI-
generated ads, that have been produced by supporters of his.
Pratt has really been trying to tap in to some of the frustration and anger with Los Angeles voters when it comes to the homelessness issues here in
the city, as well as the response to the Palisades wildfire.
Pratt saw his own home burned down during those fires. He believes that Bass' leadership during that period was not sufficient and really made that
a centerpiece of his campaign.
Question now is whether he will, in fact, be able to make it into one of those top two spots. Those early results right now do show him in second
place but there is a potential that he could see his lead narrow over Nithya Raman, a Los Angeles council member.
And that's part of due to -- partly due to the fact that there are still votes coming in. A lot of those votes could be very Democratic votes. Los
Angeles is one of those areas here in California that is especially slow with their vote counting.
So this is something that could still continue for quite some time as that second place right now really is too close to call.
ANDERSON: Got it. Arlette, always a pleasure. Thank you.
Folks, you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD from our Middle East headquarters here in Abu Dhabi. Coming up, turmoil at CBS, the U.S. broadcast network,
as "60 Minutes" correspondent Scott Pelley is fired. More on that is after this.
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ANDERSON: Well, in the U.S., CBS News has fired Scott Pelley, who is the veteran "60 Minutes" correspondent. That sacking came a day after Pelley
sharply criticized the show managers, including CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, who he described as, quote, "murdering the show." Well, CNN's
Brian Stelter has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Scott Pelley charged that the new leaders of CBS News have been trying to inject political bias and poison
"60 Minutes." Here's a part of his statement.
He said, "For my part, new management has instructed me to inject falsehoods and bias into a politically sensitive story." He said he's been,
"told to include assertions that are unverified."
Now Pelley said he managed to ignore those instructions or refuse those instructions. But he is explicitly now on the record, saying that Bari
Weiss and her leadership team are trying to add bias and infect the story of "60 Minutes."
Now for her part, Weiss has not directly commented on this claim but she has been saying for months that she wants to revive and reorient CBS News
to bring it into the digital age, that she wants to tell accurate and fair and honest stories.
So if she does respond on the record of Pelley, I suspect that's what she would say. But right now, this is a stunning war of words inside one of the
biggest news outlets in the country.
And it's been going on for almost a week now because last Thursday is when some of Pelley's colleagues were fired. Two "60 Minutes" correspondents and
the top producers were all forced out. So it's a total overhaul of "60 Minutes," leaving people wondering, is this happening for political reasons
or for cultural reasons?
Weiss'' team has argued it's for cultural reasons, that the show is archaic, that it's in desperate need of change and that they're bringing in
outsiders to make that happen. However, Pelley is suggesting it's for political reasons, saying it's apparently to Curry favor with the Trump
administration.
We all know President Trump watches "60 Minutes," rants about "60 Minutes." He sued the program in 2024. The former owners of Paramount settled in 2025
to make that lawsuit go away. So there's a political cloud hanging over all of this.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And in the last hour or so, Brian added to his reporting that Weiss, Bari Weiss has addressed the termination of Scott Pelley on a
network morning call.
She said, and I quote here, "I know I speak for myself and I hope I speak for everyone here when I say that I'm only interested in working in a
newsroom that is built on trust and mutual respect. We cannot do our work without it.
"That foundation was broken on Monday and, despite our attempts to engage with Scott Pelley and find a way back, unfortunately, we weren't able to do
so. And so we had to part ways."
She went on to say, "We did not want that to happen but that's the path that he chose."
Well, a 27-year-old drought finally coming to an end for this NBA team. We'll take a look ahead to the basketball finals. That is after this.
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ANDERSON: Well, it is a moment 27 years in the making. The New York Knicks are finally back in the NBA finals and will battle against the Spurs in
game one in San Antonio tonight.
While it's an historic moment for New Yorkers, it comes with a heavy price tag for those at least who want to witness tipoff live. For the basketball
games scheduled in New York next week in Madison Square Garden, get this -- the cheapest home tickets for the Knicks could set fans back $4,000.
That's just for the nosebleeds.
Matt Egan actually crunched the numbers and found it's cheaper for New Yorkers to actually fly to San Antonio to watch games one and two there
than to attend a finals game at their own Madison Square Garden.
And, of course, cheapest for everyone would be to just watch from home. Although that, of course, would make for an extremely late night/early
morning here in the UAE, where we will hope to be watching for in New York. Just stay put.
That's it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up next.
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