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Connect the World
Dozens Injured After 6.8 Magnitude Quake Strikes Japan; Trump and Netanyahu to Meet for First Time Since Iran War Began; Trump, Foreign Leaders Pay Tribute to Senator Lindsey Graham; Soaring Heat Expected as France and Spain Battle Blazes; Ukraine Launches Nearly 400 Drones in Attack on Moscow Region. Aired 9-10a ET
Aired July 28, 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: An alliance under strain amid tensions over the war with Iran. What will the Israeli leader's visit to
the White House reveal today. It is 09:00 a.m. in Washington, 02:00 p.m. here in London. I'm Becky Anderson.
This is "Connect the World". Also coming up this hour, Volodymyr Zelenskyy also paying Donald Trump a visit today. Is the White House changing its
approach to Ukraine? More on that coming up. Plus, power lines down and transport disrupted in Japan. They are assessing the damage after a
powerful earthquake hits the City of Kumamoto, and hundreds of thousands of people evacuated as fires ravage France and Spain.
I'll get you to the scene as the heat shows no signs of easing. Stock market in New York opens about 30 minutes from now, and if the futures are
anything to go for, it is a mixed picture out there. Investors, remember, are bracing for a big week of tech earnings, including Amazon, Meta, and
Microsoft.
More on that at the bottom of this hour. We begin with breaking news: a powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake rocking southern Japan. At least 50 are
said to be injured. And we are now hearing from national police that several employees are unaccounted for at a shopping mall near the
epicenter.
The building collapsed in an explosion after the quake. Let's get you more, CNN's Hanako Montgomery monitoring the situation. Hanako, what is the very
latest, and as we understand it?
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Becky, as you mentioned, there is a mall in Kumamoto Prefecture. One of the prefectures hit very hard by
this powerful earthquake and subsequent aftershocks. We've seen this mall partially collapse, and the footage looks very, very scary.
Now, authorities have told us that around 20 to 30 individuals remain unaccounted for. We know, according to local media reports, that those
individuals are likely employees who work at the small. But again, they are still unaccounted for. They can't be reached. Now, also, local media
reports show that there could potentially be more information as we kind of continue with this breaking news coverage.
More information about potentially any customers who might have been inside that mall as well. We do know, according to Japan's public broadcaster,
that around 200 people were evacuated from the mall after that initial powerful earthquake and before the explosion.
But again, they still don't know. They still haven't been able to confirm whether there were any customers inside the mall at the time of the
explosion. Now we do know that rescue efforts are still underway. The Japanese Defense Minister has said that self-defense force troops will be
deployed to assist with those efforts.
We also know that because the mall's first floor was partially collapsed, it's very difficult for the authorities to get inside and actually conduct
rescue operations. So, they're trying to assess how they can go about rescuing those individuals. But again, Becky, it's still very much unknown
how many people exactly are stuck inside this mall and how many people need further rescuing, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yeah, it's good to have you, Hanako, and more, of course, as we get it, monitoring the situation there. Well, two world leaders in the
midst of war head to the White House today for meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will sit down with
Trump to discuss efforts to end the war with Russia.
And the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returns for his seventh meeting during President Trump's second term. He last visited Washington in
February, just before the U.S. and Israel launched a joint military campaign against Iran. Well, now five months on, and as we enter the sixth
month.
The two leaders go into this meeting with differing goals about how to approach what has become an ongoing stalemate with no clear end in sight.
Nic Robertson, following developments for us today, he is deployed in Jerusalem. Netanyahu very quick to point out that this is his seventh
meeting since Donald Trump was re-elected, the first in-person meeting since the war with Iran those started February the 28th.
[09:05:00]
It was before the war started that we know that Netanyahu and Trump sort of completed the planning for this joint campaign. What is, as we understand
it, Benjamin Netanyahu taking in today? And perhaps more importantly, what does he want to leave Washington with this trip?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, he's carrying in the burden of dropping polls here in Israel. There are elections in three
months' time, is vital for him that he continues to have a strong and publicly positive relationship with President Trump.
When at times that relationship has been strained, not least over Lebanon, a little bit over Syria, somewhat over Gaza. And Prime Minister Netanyahu
really took a political hammering at home when President Trump called a ceasefire on the war with Iran back in April.
Prime Minister Netanyahu feels that there's unfinished business, feels that Iran still poses a nuclear threat, believes that under the current
leadership, it's unlikely to get that problem alleviated. So, he goes into this meeting wanting to get from the president strong commitments,
undoubtedly about the U.S. continuing to press as hard and aggressively as it has in the past about making sure that whatever nuclear deal the United
States gets with Iran.
It's robust while witnessing at the same time President Trump in an absolute quandary about what to do about Iran's leverage over the Strait of
Hormuz and how that weakens the U.S. position. No easy options for the U.S. President. So, President Trump won't be looking to face a tough time from
Prime Minister Netanyahu either.
I mean, I think you know when you listen to what President Trump says, how he describes you know Prime Minister Netanyahu describes him as a great
wartime prime minister? He seems to indicate that he wants to get away from a war time, and perhaps this is no longer the era of Prime Minister
Netanyahu, and that's not the image Netanyahu is going to want to come away with.
And is also not going to want to get caught on the spot with President Trump, as so often visiting leaders do in the White House, when the
president is thrown a question about what about Prime Minister Netanyahu's displeasure with you selling or potentially going to sell F-35s to
President Erdogan in Turkey.
Just yesterday President Trump said, no one tells me what to do. If that comes up, that's not going to reflect very well on the prime minister. So,
the other thing is going to want to take away is an untarnished version of a great and strong relationship with the U.S. President.
ANDERSON: Good to have you, Nic. Nic is in Jerusalem, and more on that meeting as we get it today. We also want to look at the current state of
the U.S. and Israel's war on Iran. Let's bring in Danny Citrinowicz. He's a Senior Fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies, Former Head
of the Iran Branch in the Israeli Military Intelligences Research and Analysis Division.
He joins me from Rehovot in Israel. Always good to have you. So, Danny, to your mind, what does a win for Netanyahu look like out of this meeting with
Trump in Washington today?
DANNY CITRINOWICZ, SENIOR FELLOW AT THE INSTITUTE FOR NATIONAL SECURITY STUDIES: Yeah, thank you very, very much, Becky, for having me again.
Definitely, Netanyahu politically want to have the endorsement of Trump, given his complex situation in the Israeli polls right now.
And I think regarding Iran, definitely wants to push President Trump away for any agreement with Iran, and hopefully maybe to push him towards an
extension of the war. The problem that Netanyahu has that the surrounding of the president, including J. D. Vance, the Vice President, and others,
are not so supportive of Netanyahu plans.
And they believe that Netanyahu is trying again to push U.S. to unnecessary war against Iran. So, I think, from Netanyahu's standpoint, if we can
convince President Trump that negotiation with the Iran is futile and probably will show him information telling him that Iran is continuing the
force build-up on the conventional side, the nuclear side, it will be a win for him, and of course, it's the political endorsement.
He will get it, and of course, he will try to explain to President Trump that there is no need to withdraw the Israeli forces from Syria and
Lebanon, on the contrary, because Netanyahu is afraid that he will be, if he will be forced to do so, then it will harm his military or security
posture in Israel.
So that's more or less what I think he's hoping to get from this meeting.
ANDERSON: We are 90 days away from that election back home. I just wonder: is there anybody running against him who has a solution for this conflict
that looks any different to Netanyahu's at this point?
[09:10:00]
CITRINOWICZ: I think you are touching a very important point. I think that when you are looking at all the candidates today to replace Netanyahu, I
don't think they are offering anything dramatically new in terms of Israel foreign policy. In terms of domestic policy, definitely they're offering
something new, especially regarding the ultra-orthodox policies.
But everything that's connected to Iran and to the Palestinian issues, you just need to hear Bennett and Eisenkot actually repeating more or less what
Netanyahu was saying. So, I'm not saying they're not going to be dramatic changes if we'll have a change of guards in Israel, but I think that we
have to be very modest in our expectation because I don't think that nor Bennett, no Eisenhower will bring something else in terms of Iran or the
Palestinian issue.
Hoping they will, but according to their own state, that like Bennett even yesterday talked about again tackling the Iranian regime. I don't think
they will bring something new.
ANDERSON: I just want to concentrate for a moment on the Gulf states because this is an important element in all of this. For Gulf states, and
this is you in a post on X, which I thought was really important. For Gulf states, stability is not an abstract concept.
It is the foundation of their economic model, and a prolonged confrontation with Iran does not serve the region's interests, you wrote. You say this
highlights a broader point, Danny, that is often misunderstood in Israel, that Gulf foreign policy is not binary. And as we consider where this is
all headed, can you just flesh out your point here? Because I think it is a really important one.
CITRINOWICZ: Yeah. definitely. I wrote it mainly about the new policy of the UAE regarding Iran because in Israel people think you know UAE is
working with Israel countering Iran, and I don't think that the UAE have a lot of trust in Iran. But we have to remember one thing.
That at the end of the day, all of the countries in the region, including Saudi Arabia, including the UAE, even if they believe that there is a need
to weaken the Iranian regime, they don't want to push the Iranian regime into the corner. For them, they suffered a lot from this war.
They lost a lot of money, a lot of investment because of the instability created by this war, and they want to attend that stability, even if that
means interacting with the bear, meaning working with Iran, knowing that Iran won't change, but you have to work with it because you have to create
this kind of stability.
Now it doesn't say anything about UAE willingness to enhance the relations with Israel or even Saudi Arabia returning back normalization if Israel
will do something on the Palestinian route. But it does say that they will continue interaction with Iran. For them, it's extremely important.
I think that we have to accept this fact, knowing that this is major interest of them to return back stability to the Persian Gulf.
ANDERSON: Really important stuff. Your perspective always incredibly valuable. Danny, always a pleasure. It's going to be an interesting day in
Washington. We will monitor what comes out of that. We thank you very much indeed for joining us. Well, President Trump will be joined by Prime
Minister Netanyahu and the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today as they pay their respects to U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham.
Starting soon, an Armed Forces Honor Guard will carry Graham's casket into the rotunda at the U.S. capital, where a ceremony of tribute will be held.
The casket will later be taken to Washington National Cathedral for an invitation-only funeral service. CNN's Annie Grayer, joining us now from
capital -- from the capital.
It is important to point out that both Zelenskyy and Netanyahu there today to honor the late senator. He supported more action for Ukraine and was a
big supporter of the prime minister in Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu. There are actually two days of services to honor the late senator. What's
planned, and who else will be there?
ANNIE GRAYER, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, leaders from around the world and from both parties are coming to Washington today to honor the life and
legacy of Senator Lindsey Graham. And on the steps behind me, we are expecting Graham's casket any moment where he will be then carried into the
capital, and there will be a small ceremony with a bipartisan group of lawmakers.
And the expected speakers include Vice President J. D. Vance, the Republican Majority Leader John Thune, and a Republican Congresswoman from
Graham's home state of South Carolina, Sheri Biggs. Then from there, Graham will head to the National Cathedral, where President Donald Trump is
expected to make remarks, as well as Fox News host Sean Hannity.
And world leaders are expected to attend, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. And Graham
was a leader on the world stage.
[09:15:00]
He had relationships with leaders from multiple countries as evidenced by who was coming to attend his funeral today, in fact, just days before his
death, Graham was in Ukraine meeting with President Zelenskyy, and Republicans who are so shocked by Graham's passing are also grappling with
what his loss means for their party because Graham was such a key part of the president's inner circle.
And he presented a voice that Republicans thought the president needed to hear, which is to be pro Ukraine and to support Ukraine in its war against
Russia. To balance some of the more isolationist views in the right wing of the Republican Party, Graham had a direct line to the president.
He was the center of so many key legislative battles on Capitol Hill. As the Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. He ushered through so much
legislation. He was always there at the finish line, trying to get things done. And he and there is just such a huge legacy that he leaves on Capitol
Hill.
Of course, his sister is now filling his seat in the Senate. But Republicans know that it will take more than just one person to fill the
late Senator Graham's legacy, especially on the world stage.
ANDERSON: Yeah, fascinating. All right, good to have you there. Thank you very much indeed. You're watching "Connect the World" with me Becky
Anderson. Coming up, excuse me, wildfires ravaging parts of Spain and France. We're going to have the details on how crews in both those places
are battling the blazes and the intense heat. More coming up.
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ANDERSON: Extreme heat expected to continue fueling these wildfires in Spain and France this week, with no rain in sight, I'm afraid. In south of
France, authorities say places outside the City of Bordeaux stabilized overnight. The government there distributing millions of face masks to
pharmacies and warning people about air pollution now spiking to six times the level considered safe.
Authorities in Spain say firefighters there are making progress with fires near the capital described as improving little by little earlier today. But
at least 63,000 people in central Spain have already been forced to leave their homes. Well, CNN's Pau Mosquera joins me now live from Cebreros in
Spain.
Tell us what you are seeing there and what local people are telling you.
PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, what you can see here around me is the result of the largest wildfire ever recorded in Spain. This is
Bordeaux, the wildfire that started last week in the south and part of Avila Province. Just have a look to the landscape.
I mean, have a look to the ground. This completely block chart. There's no sign of plant life. Also, you can see that there are some trunks in here,
but are completely burned.
[09:20:00]
And actually, if you also have a look -- a layer of haze is actually the smoke that it's coming from some active fire fronts. And actually, I don't
know if we can get to see it on camera and get it on your screens, but there, south from where we are, there's a thick column of smoke, which
means that there are some flames in that area.
This is quite a dramatic situation, Becky, but because just this wildfire has already engulfed around 50,000 hectares of land. As I said at the
beginning, this is the largest one ever recorded on the country, but despite everything that I'm showing you, authorities they are like
cautiously optimistic because it seems like overnight firefighters have been able to prevent the flames from spreading around.
But this doesn't mean that it's under control. It's far from that, and this is why the next few hours, Becky, are going to be crucial as to try to
contain the blaze, because from tomorrow and on, the fourth heat wave of the summer is going to impact the Iberian Peninsula, which means that the
temperatures are going to climb again.
And most thermometers here in the area of Ebola, Madrid, are going to climb up to 40 degrees Celsius, which is around 100 degrees Fahrenheit. And you
know, the higher the temperature, then the lower the humidity, and the greater the risk for wildfires like these ones to continue spreading
around, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yeah, Pau, good to have you there. Really important stuff. Thank you. Let's get you a sense then of what does happen next. Pau talking there
about the fact that the temperatures are forecast to rise there and in other parts around the region.
CNN's Meteorologist Derek Van Dam in the house. So, what are you seeing, Derek?
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is fascinating, Becky, to watch his live shot as he's just walking around. It looks like the moisture has just
been almost taken away from the atmosphere there, everything is so dry, so parched. Of course, you've got the burn landscape, but everything around it
just screams, you know, fire danger, right?
And we've got all these hot spots that are ongoing across western portions of Europe. And we're really focusing in on the larger wildfires west of
Bordeaux and west of Madrid. But unfortunately, I don't really have a lot of great news to hand off to the people who are watching from this part of
the world because the heat is going to continue.
It's going to build. We're going to stay dry for the most part. There is a cold front that will come through and temporarily cool the temperatures
across southwestern France, but I don't think it's going to be significant enough to make a big change in our weather pattern.
Let me show you what this what Pau was talking about this fourth heat wave. Well, it's this heat dome that's building across the Iberian Peninsula, and
I've stopped it here on Wednesday, and you can see the dark shades of red across central portions of Spain.
So, we really do see the peak of the heat wave experiencing tomorrow, but it doesn't abate much, even though we have that weak cold front kind of
cooling things off across central and northern parts of France, where other wildfires are ongoing. We continue across the Mediterranean regions.
And it's very visible here on the forecast high temperatures going forward. We're nearing 40 degrees. Many of the locations, the remote locations in
some of the valleys and into the central parts of Spain, could easily hit 40 degrees through the course of this week.
But there's a drop in our temperatures on Thursday and Friday for Bordeaux. That's because of weak cold front that will bring maybe a sprinkle or two
from the sky. We could take whatever we can get, right? I don't want to diminish that positive part of the story, but it won't be much.
We're talking about on the measurement of about a couple of millimeters, right? And we'll take what we can get, but the winds here are still going
to be gusty, 20 to 40 kilometers per hour across some of these hard-hit burn areas, and that will only make it more challenging for the
firefighters.
And you got to keep in mind when cold fronts come through, even though they drop the temperature somewhat, maybe increase the humidity levels, bring
our small chance of rain, it often changes the direction of the wind. So, what was the forward flank of the wildfires that the firefighters fight on
the ground may have to be adjusted and changed as that wind comes from a different direction the next day.
The other big story we're monitoring, Becky, part of our changing climate across the planet is the flash flood threat that is ongoing across some of
our largest population densities on the east coast of the United States. Flash flood likely today in and around the tri-state region.
This includes New York City. We all have seen this movie play out before. It is not a good scenario when you have two to three-inch rainfall rates
per hour, up to a half a foot or more of rain. The atmosphere has primed and loaded to produce heavy rainfall. We already have flash flood watch is
in effect.
[09:25:00]
Chances of severe weather on top of that. So really, really an active day here across the northern hemisphere really, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yeah, it's good to have you, mate. Thank you very much indeed. And stick with CNN. We are all over that story. And as we get more, we'll
get it to you, of course. Let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories that are now on our radar. And the city that never sleeps may just
be stopped in its tracks.
Flash flood warnings have been issued across the New York tri-state area after an incoming storm threatens to drop months' worth of rain in just a
few days. Experts say urban areas are most at risk of significant flooding due to port drainage. Well, at least 30 people were reportedly killed when
armed men attacked a village in northwestern Nigeria.
Eight kids among the dead, and several others were injured. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack in Kaduna State. Ukraine launched
nearly 400 drones overnight in an attack aimed at the Moscow region. The Mayor of Moscow says most were shot down by Russian air defenses.
This video, geolocated by CNN, shows damage to a logistics center just south of the city. Well, ahead on "Connect the World" with me Becky
Anderson, as we watch for the Wall Street Opera. A new forecast says the UK economy is facing more challenges.
While, our upcoming guest says the war in the Gulf has a lot to do with it. That is ahead.
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ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in London. You're watching "Connect the World". A powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake has hit southern
Japan. At least 50 people are said to be injured. Several employees unaccounted for at a shopping mall near the epicenter of the quake, and
others are reported missing at a paper factory that was also damaged.
More as we get it. Your other headlines, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House today amid
the ongoing war with Iran. A source says the prime minister is expected to offer fresh intelligence on Iran's nuclear program and military rebuilding
in an effort to keep the war going, even as President Donald Trump seeks de-escalation.
Also, at the White House today, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is meeting with President Trump this hour to discuss the ongoing peace process between
Russia and Ukraine. A White House official telling CNN that now is the time to end that war.
[09:30:00]
Well, ringing the opening bell on Wall Street today, land management company EagleRock. Second day of the trading week, expecting to see a mixed
open a few seconds from now. We need to let the Dow Jones settle a little bit after this bell dings. Do remember that we have a slew of Big Tech
earnings this week.
Keep an eye on the capex numbers. Those big AI bets will be what investors are looking for reporting on. More on that, of course, as we get it
Wednesday and Thursday this week. It's Tuesday today, and oil traders do appear to be increasingly hopeful for a renewed ceasefire in the U.S.-Iran
war.
Energy markets eager for any news that that Strait of Hormuz could reopen fully to shipping the price of Brent, the global benchmark. Let me show you
that down again today below 90, along with U.S. oil. It's just a few days since Brent, let's remember, was trading above $100 on the barrel.
So, sort of whiplash for those involved in these markets, all price volatility has been a big problem for business and governments all over the
world. And it is a key reason why analysts are saying these are difficult times for the world's fifth largest economy, the UK, looking at weak growth
for at least the next couple of years.
That's a forecast, at least from the EY ITEM Club, which uses the same models as the British Treasury. And the Chief Economic Adviser at the ITEM
Club is Matt Swannell. He joins me now from London. Let's just sort of pass through this report and these numbers. Why do you say the war in the Gulf,
very specifically, will quote slow the UK economy for two years, Matt?
MATT SWANNELL, CHIEF ECONOMIC ADVISER AT THE ITEM CLUB: So, the thing we'd have to remember is that energy prices are significantly higher, and they
have yet to feed through to household energy bills. We only see that in July and December. Now households make up about 60 percent of the economy,
and that will really hit them hard.
We'll also see some job losses, unemployment reaching 5.7 percent and that will take some time to unwind. On top of that, we don't think there'll be
any relief from interest rate cuts until the middle of next year. So, we put all of that together, combined with a government that is relatively
constrained on fiscal policy, and we think it all points to a relatively modest growth outlook, not only this year but next.
ANDERSON: And you know that is on top of what had been a sort of 10-year plan revealed by the Former Treasury Minister here, Rachel Reeves, a couple
of years ago, the 10-year plan for growth didn't look particularly sharp at the best of times. You're saying it is now under pressure.
The growth outlook over the next year or so, then you say, is likely to be challenging. We've got a new British Prime Minister already facing a
prolonged cost of living challenge. So, at this point, what are his options? And perhaps importantly, from your point of view, what should
policy look like going forward?
SWANNELL: The important thing at the moment is the public finance of the UK need careful management. Debt has picked up a lot. Interest rates are
particularly high, and the UK has had a relatively modest track record on growth. That means that the government needs to retain a plan for credible
management of the finances to not worry the bond market and allow it to continue to spend the fiscal space that it has.
Looking further forward, what it really needs to do is take advantage of some of the strength of the economy, households' balance sheets are in
health, businesses are in good health. And there really is an opportunity to leverage growth there, perhaps a little bit further out, once we see the
effects of the oil price shock start to unwind, and that's really where the government needs to be focused now. Credibility and clarity, is all
important.
ANDERSON: What are the industries that actually one might prioritize here in the UK? And I'm here in the UK for a couple of weeks. I mean, what is it
that can spur growth? I mean, you've talked about consumer spending. But what does the UK do today, and what might it do, going forward as
priorities to provide an engine for growth in this country?
SWANNELL: So, I think we need to look at it in two ways. Firstly, where I've really suffered over the last couple of years, that consumer-facing
services, particularly restaurants, bars, hotels, the hospitality industry. So, the changes we've seen there to provide them with some relief is
important, and we can really try and sort of generate some more consumption in that sector of the economy.
[09:35:00]
But looking more into the medium term, the government really needs to take advantage of these sorts of highly technologically advanced sectors where
the UK is outstanding, and also leverages its professional services capabilities and its broad range of intellectual capital as well.
ANDERSON: The UK is still one of the world's top economies, of course. It still has to find a way to pay for a boost in the -- U.S. Very
specifically, this Trump Administration will be watching to see what it does. How important is that U.S.-UK relationship in 2026?
SWANNELL: It's a very important part of the UK's growth strategy, and particularly its trade strategy. The UK exports a lot of services, in
particular, to the U.S. So, remaining in a close relationship that allows some of the UK's highest performing sectors to operate within our largest
export market will be really important to helping the UK generate growth, not only this year but for many years to come.
And I think that's something that's one of the positives that the UK can rely on-a close relationship with the one of the global economy's strongest
performers over the last few years.
ANDERSON: Let's see how that New Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband then gets on with that U.S. relationship. The U.K. of course, needs an ambassador. It
would be good to see some news on that. Our man or woman in Washington would be service to the country. Good stuff.
Thank you very much indeed. Good to have you, mate. Well, we have seen animals interrupt sports before, of course, but I'm not sure if any were as
courageous as this little fella.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, concerns over the safety of AI have grown along with its ever-expanding presence in modern society, leading a coalition of Big Tech
companies to take a proactive approach, an alliance aimed at improving open-source AI safety and cyber security. CNN's AI Correspondent Hadas Gold
has more.
HADAS GOLD, CNN AI CORRESPONDENT: This new Open Secure AI Alliance that is being launched by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is in direct response to the
recent incident where an OpenAI test model broke out of its testing environment, broke out of its lab, and went on to hack a completely
different company's system.
That company, Hugging Face, ended up having to turn to an open-source model out of China to help diagnose the hack and help defend itself because it
said that it ran into problems trying to use frontier AI models. It didn't name them, but that would be closed models like from OpenAI or Anthropic
because of its own guardrails.
And the difference between open source and closed sources. Closed source models, those are the ones from places like OpenAI and Anthropic, where
they control the entire recipe.
[09:40:00]
You might be able to make some small modifications to it, but you get what you get from the companies. An open-source AI model is the kind where
there's a lot more customization available to its users and to the companies. They can go in, tinker with the weights, and really change how
the AI functions.
There is a huge debate now in the industry between open source and closed source. What is safe? What is useful for people? And a lot of the models
coming out of China are open source. So, when Hugging Face was hacked by this OpenAI test model, they ended up using an open-source model from China
to help diagnose and fix it.
And there is a concern amongst proponents of open-source models is that there is going to be sort of a shutdown of these models. That the Trump
Administration doesn't want to have Chinese open-source AI models in the United States and will somehow move to shut them down.
And so, Jensen Huang says that he is launching this Open Secure AI Alliance to develop new techniques and tools to help safeguard software and agents
because there's a lot of concerns that open-source models are not as safe as closed source models, and he says that they're going to be sharing
models and making research and tools in the open.
So, he says they can broaden the community of defenders as these agentic AI models get better and better. We're going to see more and more of these
incidences of hackings and the like, and so this alliance is being created to help give people more options to protect themselves. Hadas Gold, CNN,
Washington D.C.
ANDERSON: Well, fans in Detroit and Michigan on Monday night were hoping to catch baseball game. What they got instead may have been better, a wild
squirrel chase involving the grounds crew and players. Andy Scholes joining me now. That little fella has got legs.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Becky, any --
ANDERSON: I was -- and he was using. I'm assuming he said he was a boy squirrel.
SCHOLES: Any time an animal of any kind gets on any kind of playing field, I'm all for it. It's only fun, right? Because this guy, he went out there
in like the sixth inning, Becky, and was just kind of doing his own thing, moving around the field. And in the seventh inning, they were like, OK,
he's kind of getting in the way.
We've got to make a decision and go after him. Look how many dudes they sent after this squirrel. Leody Taveras, the Orioles' right fielder, even
tried to scoop him up, sent him flying. Poor little guy ended up being just exhausted, and the grounds crew was able to finally throw a talent on
McGinnity.
But look, look at this again. Leody trying to get him. He goes flying right there. Poor guy was just trying to watch some baseball, but ended up
getting captured there in the end. Hopefully he's OK.
ANDERSON: I'm sure he's all right. I'm sure he's all right. He's probably happy to get away from --
SCHOLES: I love the crowd. The crowd booed him.
ANDERSON: -- good stuff.
SCHOLES: They're like, leave the squirrel.
ANDERSON: Yeah, exactly. All right, Andy's got "World Sport" up after this break. We're back in 15 minutes for the second hour of "Connect the World".
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:45:00]
(WORLD SPORT)
[10:00:00]
END
