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Connect the World
U.S.-Israel War with Iran; Disney Sues Trump's FCC over "Retaliatory Campaign" against ABC; Tupac Shakur Murder Trial Resumes; Microsoft Executive Killed in Alleged Murder-for-Hire Plot; Critical Primary Races Today in Florida, Alaska, Wyoming; Interceptor Missile Shortage Crippling Ukraine's Defense; Top Humanoid Robotics Company Unitree Set for Record- Breaking IPO. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired August 18, 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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CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to the second hour of the show. I'm Christina Macfarlane.
Iman Sultan visits Abu Dhabi following president Donald Trump's repeated threats to bomb Oman if it gets in the way of U.S. efforts in the Strait of
Hormuz. More on how those comments are resonating in the region.
Under pressure, Disney is going to court to defend its ABC television stations from the Trump administration. The company is suing the FCC over
their, quote, "retaliatory campaign."
And we head into the second day of a trial on the killing of the legendary hip-hop singer Tupac Shakur. During the first day, a witness who was a few
cars in front of Tupac when he was shot testified. We'll have more details on what's happening today.
MACFARLANE: We start this second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD with Iran's latest demands to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The parliament speaker
laying out Tehran's requirements a few hours ago. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOHAMMAD BAGHER QALIBAF, SPEAKER, IRANIAN PARLIAMENT (through translator): Let me be clear.
Until America implements its commitments under the memorandum of understanding -- including lifting the blockade, releasing frozen assets,
lifting the oil sanctions, ending threats and military operations on all fronts and implementing the other conditions America had agreed to under
the understanding -- the Strait will not be reopened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: This comes after a maritime monitor reports another ship was struck while transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, hit by an unknown
projectile.
Oman so far hasn't responded to U.S. president Donald Trump's threat to bomb the country if it interferes with U.S. efforts to reopen the strait.
Oman and Iran have been in ongoing talks about overseeing traffic through the strait. I want to bring in senior White House reporter Betsy Klein.
And, Betsy, tell us what more you're hearing from the White House this hour related to that.
BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christina, yesterday, that memorandum of understanding that had been reached between
the U.S. and Iran officially expired with no nuclear deal, no clear strategy to end this war.
And traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, that critical oil thoroughfare, still severely restricted. Now the Strait of Hormuz remains one of the thorniest
remaining issues in this conflict. Prior to this war, no one had full control over the Strait of Hormuz.
And then on Friday, president Trump suggested that it would become a U.S. territory. He posted a map today, you can see there on the screen, that
says "New U.S. Territory," circling the Strait of Hormuz and maritime law experts, of course, have been skeptical of this move.
And it comes at the same time that Iranian officials are laying out their new demands for reopening this strait. They say that the U.S. blockade must
end. They want the release of frozen assets as well as removal of oil sanctions and the end of military threats and operations in this strait.
Now yesterday we heard from one of the president's top negotiators, Jared Kushner. He said that discussions between the U.S. and Iran were more
robust than they had ever been. He also said that the conversations were positive and active.
Now president Trump directly contradicting that just moments ago.
In a new post to social media, he says, quote, "There are no talks or conversations going on or scheduled with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The
naval blockade remains in full force and effect. The Hormuz Strait is open and operating. All water mines have been removed or detonated."
Now all of this is still a -- very much a political problem for this White House. The president has said that political calculations are not factoring
into his thinking, including those upcoming midterm elections, just a couple of weeks away now.
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But the president's approval rating stands at just 33 percent in a new Reuters Ipsos poll. We have also seen the price of gas at its highest since
July. And all of this is weighing on Republicans, both here in Washington and across the country, as the president suggests that he is not in a rush
to get this conflict completed, Christina.
MACFARLANE: Yes. Betsy, we appreciate the update. Thank you.
Let's turn to elsewhere in the Middle East, where Hamas officials said all the right things. That's coming from a U.S. Middle East negotiator and
president Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. He's been telling FOX News the U.S. expects Hamas to start disarming soon.
Kushner has been in the Middle East talking to Hamas officials and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. CNN's Jeremy Diamond joining us from Tel
Aviv.
So what else has Jared Kushner been saying about those meetings, Jeremy?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jared Kushner has indicated that, if Hamas begins handing over its weapons and filling in
tunnels in the next 60 to 90 days, then we could be seeing real progress on this demilitarization effort and reciprocal steps by the Israelis.
But Jared Kushner is also making clear that, basically, the onus is now on Hamas to a certain extent, saying that, if Hamas doesn't follow through
with its commitment, then it will be clear that they are not genuine about seeking demilitarization and ultimately bringing more peace and stability
to this region.
And that seems to be part of the pitch that Jared Kushner made to the Israeli prime minister as they sat down yesterday in Jerusalem.
Telling the Israeli prime minister that if it -- if Hamas is proven to not be genuine with this agreement, then Israel will have the United States
support to go in and, quote-unquote, "finish the job" in the appropriate way.
Now we are also told by sources that the Israeli prime minister told Kushner that Israel will not withdraw any of its forces from Gaza or allow
reconstruction to begin in the Gaza Strip until the complete disarmament of Hamas.
And that raises ongoing questions about the extent to which there would be reciprocal steps involved here, should Hamas begin the process of
demilitarization.
What kinds of steps would the Israelis then be required to take under this agreement?
And we're hearing different things from different officials, depending on the audiences to which they are speaking, as the United States and board of
peace officials really seem to be trying to cobble together an agreement.
But again, both sides offering different interpretations of what that agreement actually looks like. But the bottom line is Jared Kushner saying
that his meeting with the Israeli prime minister was very good and that he believes he was able to address some of the concerns that the Israelis have
had about this agreement as it relates to Hamas.
Jared Kushner telling FOX News that it was -- that while it's very hard to trust Hamas, that Hamas officials said all the right things in his meeting
with them this past Sunday in Cairo.
MACFARLANE: Jeremy, turning elsewhere in the Middle East, the U.S. is criticizing Israeli strikes on the Syrian air base that happened earlier
today.
Is Israel saying anything about this?
DIAMOND: There has been no comment from Israeli officials as of yet about these reported Israeli strikes on a Syrian air base near Idlib in
northwestern Syria.
But the U.S. ambassador to Turkiye, who also serves as the U.S. envoy, special envoy to Syria, says that these are confirmed Israeli strikes.
And ambassador Tom Barrack is also criticizing the Israeli government for carrying out these strikes, calling them a, quote, "unnecessary escalation"
that does not advance regional stability.
Ambassador Barrack pointing out that the Syrian government has repeatedly sought deescalation with Israel and saying that basically this is a step
backward from the Israeli government.
The Syrian foreign ministry also described these strikes as a, quote, "unjustified aggression" and a blatant violation of Syria's sovereignty.
These are the first Israeli strikes that we have seen against Syrian military assets since last March. It's not clear what Israel was targeting
here or why it decided to carry out these strikes.
But it obviously puts, you know, efforts toward de-escalation between Syria and Israel and, perhaps even ultimately the goal of normalization, that
much farther away.
MACFARLANE: Yes. All right. Jeremy Diamond, thank you very much.
Let's turn to Jasmine el-Gamal, who's a former Middle East adviser at the U.S. Defense Department and CEO of Averos Strategies, a geopolitical
analyst group. She also hosts the podcast "The View from Here" and she joins us now in London.
Jasmine, great to see you. Look.
[10:10:00]
So many things for us to get into here. I want to begin, I guess, with the rhetoric that we've heard in the past 24 hours and the fact that Donald
Trump is facing criticism for his comment to bomb Iran (sic) but also questions as to why he would choose to do such a thing. Just take a quick
listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MARK KELLY (D-AZ): Oman has been a security partner of ours and are critical in any kind of negotiation we're going to have with the Iranians.
So if Donald Trump thinks he's going to find a way out of this -- and I certainly hope that he does -- I think the -- Oman is a critical negotiator
with Iran. So it doesn't make a ton of sense. I mean, it looks like he's trying to just make more, more enemies. And that's not a strategy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Well, why Donald Trump chose to threaten Oman is still kind of unclear today.
The question is, how damaging could this be for the Trump administration?
Because we're at a time when the U.S. are failing to make inroads in negotiations with Iran. And this appeared to be the only diplomatic channel
that was working.
JASMINE EL-GAMAL, MIDDLE EAST ANALYST AND FORMER PENTAGON MIDDLE EAST ADVISER: Well, I guess I would argue with you there. I would say that it's
fairly clear why president Trump is saying what he's saying about Oman and that is he's incredibly frustrated.
This war with Iran has not gone the way that he thought it would or that he was told that it would by its proponents. And it's been, you know, it's
going nearly to six months now with no seeming end in sight.
And so understandably, the president is frustrated. I -- many would argue that it's due to his own decision making that we are at this point in time.
But it is not a credible threat in any sense. It doesn't appear to be a credible threat, I would say.
The reason I say that is because he's made these kinds of statements before. He's talked about bombing Oman before. He's talked about bombing,
you know -- I don't remember the exact terms but when he talked about erasing civilization in Iran, you know, he's prone to these kinds of
bombastic statements when he's feeling frustrated.
And I think that's what you saw there.
MACFARLANE: Yes. And I think a reflection of his frustration could also be seen perhaps in the image that Donald Trump posted on his social media
earlier today, showing the Strait of Hormuz labeled as new U.S. territory.
I mean, even given that, how do you think this will be -- or an image like that will be received, especially by, you know, Gulf allies?
EL-GAMAL: Well, look, I mean, he did the same with Greenland. And we went through that whole, you know, that whole play as well back then. It's meant
to provoke. It's meant to provoke some reaction, move the needle somehow. Some would argue that's not the best way to move forward in a negotiation.
The Gulf allies are going to -- our Gulf allies are going to continue doing what they've been doing, which is trying to reach the president behind the
scenes and let him know that, A, what he's doing is not helpful and, B, what everyone needs to do in the region right now is turn down the
temperature.
And so you are seeing diplomatic efforts ongoing. They've never really stopped, whether it's the Qataris, the Turks, the Pakistanis or the Omanis.
Those conversations have been ongoing, both amongst one another and with Iran as well. So you'll continue to see that happening behind the scenes.
When I speak to Gulf officials, you know, the message is the same. This is the region that we are living in. We are bearing the brunt of this and we
will have to find a way to coexist and move forward.
And so that's what you'll see happening behind the scenes, trying to get president Trump to understand that diplomacy really is the only way through
this.
And echoing General Caine, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, leaning on military action over and over again and expecting a different result, you
know, is not very -- General Caine didn't use these words -- but it's not very rational.
MACFARLANE: Yes. And I mean, of course, Iran are watching all of this very closely. And we saw today that Iran are doubling down, issuing a list of
demands that the U.S. need to fulfill before Tehran opens -- reopens the strait, calling again for the U.S. to commit to the terms of the MOU.
But as we saw yesterday, of course, that 60-day deadline passed without any agreement. And we heard Donald Trump saying that he was in no hurry.
Where does that leave us with the MOU?
Does it -- does it render it meaningless?
Is it dead?
What's the view?
EL-GAMAL: Right. So the MOU, the time period has passed in which the two parties were supposed to negotiate on broader issues like the nuclear
program and so on.
[10:15:07]
And it is unclear whether there will be a new MOU negotiated between the U.S. and Iran. I think the U.S. focus right now is on getting the strait
opened and relieving that economic pressure.
As you know, the U.S. midterms are around the corner and president Trump is now facing a 33 percent approval rating, really by far the lowest of his
two terms, I believe. And so the pressure is on the U.S. in that sense.
However, the pressure is also on the Iranians now. The Iranians are maximizing their demands. They are saying that they will go on the
offensive now and not just remain in defensive mode but they have also been under severe economic pressure.
In fact, they started this war going into it under economic pressure and heavy protests from within the Iranian population. So it remains and
continues to be this war of timelines, this game of chicken, to see who will blink first.
Both sides are obviously trying to maintain maximum pressure on the other while both hurting, to various degrees, themselves.
And so this is where, again, you will see those diplomatic efforts that I talked about earlier, really trying to bridge that gap between the two
sides and try to get them back in some form, whether directly or indirectly, to the negotiating table, to try to come to an end to this war
that's hurting everyone in the region.
MACFARLANE: And a quick word, if we can, on Israel, before we wrap up. I mean we were hearing from our correspondent there that, you know, these
meetings have happened but seemingly not much has changed.
Is it any great surprise that Jared Kushner has effectively failed to make any inroads with the Israeli prime minister, who is up for election in a
matter of weeks?
EL-GAMAL: Yes. You know, watching these talks unfold, I'm reminded very much of the Biden administration and the Biden team, which fell into the
same trap, where they would negotiate an agreement between Hamas and Israel.
And then -- and then Israel -- prime minister Netanyahu, namely -- would say, well, I don't want to do this. These are the terms that I am willing
to negotiate under or move forward under. And then those would become the new negotiating terms.
And we're seeing that happen again. You know, I have the 20-point Trump plan open in front of me. And I was rereading it before I came on. And it
is very, very clear in that agreement that the process of Hamas' demilitarization is supposed to be just that, a process.
And in turn, the Israelis are supposed to allow this international security force to come in to Gaza, to allow the national committee for the
administration of Gaza to come in and to start withdrawing from Gaza.
Now neither -- none of that is happening. And now the new line from prime minister Netanyahu is we want full demilitarization before we make any
moves. And I anticipate that Hamas will continue to balk at that.
So I see a rough turn ahead, as really we've seen, on and off for the last several years, two years now, as it relates to these negotiations around
Hamas' arms and Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
MACFARLANE: Yes, all of which is a tragedy, really, for Gaza and the people in Gaza. Jasmine, always great to have your perspective on this.
Thank you very much.
EL-GAMAL: Thanks for having me.
(CROSSTALK)
MACFARLANE: Riyadh hasn't commented -- thank you.
Riyadh hasn't commented on a Houthi claim that it targeted Saudi Aramco's Jazan refinery near the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, a key maritime chokepoint.
CNN can't independently verify the military group's reports.
But this isn't the first time that the Iran-backed Houthis have claimed an attack on the Jazan refinery. Clashes have intensified near the Bab-el-
Mandeb Strait in recent weeks after the Houthis declared a blockade of Saudi shipping in the Red Sea.
All right. Still to come on CNN, the fight between Disney and the Trump administration is heating up. And now it's headed to court. We're following
those developments.
And we'll take you to the trial of the murder of rap legend Tupac Shakur, where we'll hear harrowing testimony from a woman who heard the moment the
gunshots were fired.
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MACFARLANE: Disney is going to court to defend its ABC television stations from what it calls the Trump administration's pressure campaign. The media
company has filed a lawsuit alleging that Trump's Federal Communications Commission is violating its First Amendment rights by targeting ABC's
programming.
The FCC is investigating ABC's "The View" and has also challenged the licenses of eight stations owned by Disney. Disney says the actions are
part of a retaliation campaign by the Trump administration because it disapproves of ABC's programming content. CNN's Brian Stelter has more on
the case.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: I've just reread the lawsuit that was filed this morning in D.C. district court. It opens with some strong
words.
It says, quote, "Government censorship is deeply un-American."
And that's what Disney is alleging here, that the Trump administration is using the tools at its disposal to pressure ABC to change its content,
whether that's late at night on Jimmy Kimmel's anti-Trump late night show or whether it's during the day on the hit daytime talk show, The View or
whether it's on other ABC programs.
The network says it is feeling pressure from the administration and that that amounts to a violation of the First Amendment, not just because of
President Trump's words, where he often maligns ABC and degrades the coverage and calls for its licenses to be revoked but especially and more
importantly through the government's actions.
Earlier this year, the FCC opened a probe of "The View" over an alleged equal time violation and then a couple months later, the FCC called up
ABC's station licenses for a highly unusual, almost unprecedented renewal process several years ahead of schedule.
That process is widely seen as a form of retaliation against ABC for not firing Kimmel and not changing the programming in other ways. And Disney's
message in this lawsuit this morning is very clear. It says that the Trump administration is bullying ABC but that the Trump administration will come
for all the other media companies as well.
Quote, "If the administration gets its way, the message to every media company in the country will be unmistakable: tell only the stories the
administration deems favorable or face the coercive machinery of the federal government."
So Disney is saying it's suing the administration reluctantly, not trying to get into a fight with the president but because it needs to defend its
stations against the First Amendment threat.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: And this is how Disney stocks stand almost an hour into trading. As you can see, they're in the green. Stocks are up just hours
after the news of this lawsuit against Trump's administration's FCC.
You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Still to come, a trial gets underway for one of the suspects behind an elaborate murder-for-hire plot that left
a Microsoft executive dead. The details when we come back.
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MACFARLANE (voice-over): Hi, welcome back. I'm Christina Macfarlane in London and you are watching CONNECT THE WORLD.
The White House is awaiting Oman's response to U.S. president Donald Trump's threats to bomb the country if it intervenes in U.S. efforts to
reopen the strait. Oman and Iran are in talks over the strait's future. Earlier today, Iran's speaker laid out four demands the U.S. must meet to
reopen the strait.
Florida is the headline on a busy primary Election Day in the U.S., with voters also going to the polls in Alaska and Wyoming. Some of the results
will determine who moves on to the November general election and who could have a big impact on the battle for control of the U.S. House.
Russia launched a barrage of overnight strikes in Kharkiv, killing at least 10 people and injuring another 17. That's according to Ukrainian
authorities. President Zelenskyy says Ukraine will definitely respond to this Russian aggression.
MACFARLANE: Ahead of day two of Duane Davis' murder trial, defense attorneys say he's shaken off his jitters and is feeling hopeful. Davis is
the only person ever charged in connection with the death of the hip-hop legend Tupac Shakur and prosecutors are not accusing Davis of firing the
shots but of orchestrating the killing.
Davis has pleaded not guilty. The jury heard opening statements and harrowing testimonies yesterday. Witness Ingrid Stokes was just a few cars
ahead of Shakur when she heard gunshots.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: While you're waiting at that light, does anything happen?
INGRID STOKES, WITNESS: Well, me and Celine (ph) were going to change seats. I was going to drive. I'm the more aggressive driver after what --
she was nervous with them coming back in front of us so much.
So I -- me and Celine (ph) were literally head down, taking our seat belts off when we heard the gunshots, when it's -- all hell broke loose.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And, to be fair, you didn't see those gunshots?
STOKES: No. No, no, no.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson is a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor. He joins us now live to talk more about the case.
Joey, it's so great to see you. Look, as we heard, we heard, I believe, from four witnesses on day one of this trial. But as we saw there, none
said they could accurately identify the shooter.
And that also included a police officer, Garry Dale, who actually rode with Tupac to the hospital and even asked him the question directly but was --
you know, said in court that Tupac refused to answer, saying he'd take care of it.
So there was a lot of information to digest on day one.
What stood out to you from a legal perspective?
JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, Christina, good to be with you. A lot of smoke, very little fire.
What am I talking about?
I think if you look at the prosecution's case, they're really leaning in to the confession -- at least they call it a confession -- of the person who's
on trial, Mr. Davis, Keffe D.
And why are they leaning into that "confession," quote-unquote?
Because of the fact that he spoke with -- Keffe D did -- law enforcement in 2008.
[10:30:00]
And his narrative was that, indeed, he was involved. Indeed, he was the shot caller. Indeed, he orchestrated procuring the weapon and getting the
white Cadillac and was intimately involved.
However, in the context of when he said that, of course, he was under investigation in a federal drug charge for which he could have gone to jail
for the rest of his life.
So you could imagine that the defense will seize upon that to give the indication that, of course, he would say that because, as we look at him
there, the defendant, he'd say anything he needs to say to get out from under it.
So prosecutors are really using his own words in addition to a memoir that he wrote in 2019. Oh, he didn't write it, the defense says; a ghostwriter
wrote it and he knows little about it. And in fact, Keffe D -- we're looking at him -- says, I wasn't even in Vegas at the time, not yet.
And still prosecutors are using that in addition to all of his media interviews, to say that he was the guy. Additionally, prosecutors are
saying he'd be motivated to do it.
Why would he be motivated to engage in this type of retaliation?
Because of the fact that Tupac and his crew, at a Mike Tyson fight at the MGM Grand that evening, they beat up his nephew. So prosecutors are saying
he was enflamed and incensed by that and went after him.
But the issue now becomes, do you have specific eyewitnesses, outside of the confession that Keffe D made, that could support, substantiate and
corroborate that he engaged in this activity?
And interestingly enough, Christina, when you saw the trial yesterday, the defense put up a graphic in their opening. And the graphic legitimately
spelled B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T. And yes, it spells what it says, which I won't say. And they're essentially using that, the defense is, to say that that
confession was B.S.
This was a guy who was simply making money, their client. He was a guy who was puffing, getting street cred as a result of it. You can't believe the
hype.
And by the way, the defense says, where's the gun?
Where is the getaway car?
Where's the prints?
Where's anything of a physical type of variety that would attach him to the crime?
And my client wasn't even there. And so that's the interesting dynamic.
Last point, Christina, and that's this: the witness that you just saw, that you played the clip on, she was actually in a car with her
girlfriends. And she said that shots rang out and all hell broke loose -- her words -- but she did not see who was in the car.
And then there was another witness -- as we look at Tupac there -- who was an actual bicycle cop who was bringing Tupac to the hospital after he got
shot. And he asked Tupac what happened. And Tupac would not say who did it.
And why do I bring this up?
Because at the end of the day, do you have actual witnesses that could connect Keffe D to this murder?
Whether they do or don't, that's going to have a lot to do with the outcome of this case.
MACFARLANE: Yes. And related to Keffe D's previous statements, as you were saying there, Joey, I mean, defense -- the defense attorney raised a key
question here, which is, if Duane Davis admitted to his role in Tupac Shakur's 1996 killing and he did it again in 2008 and 2009, why did it take
to 2023 to charge him?
It's kind of an important point.
JACKSON: Oh, it's a significant point. And they leaned into that point and saying, well, there's a reason why it took so long because they have
nothing and they never had anything -- they being law enforcement, prosecutors, authorities.
And that they're trying, the defense says, to make all of this hay about nothing. And in fact, the defense says you don't even have a witness to put
my client, Keffe D, in Vegas, much less put him in the car of that white Cadillac where the actual shots were fired. And so those are the competing
dynamics here.
The prosecutors really arguing that Keffe D's own statement should be trusted and relied upon to convict him. And the defense saying that, if
that's all you got, it's B.S. There's nothing more. And in effect, you have nothing of the nature of eyewitnesses or physical evidence. Let my client
go.
And so we'll see what happens as the trial develops and prosecutors continue to connect the dots to establish whether or not Keffe D is guilty.
But you got to get actual evidence to establish that and not only rely upon his words, because he's a street hustler, so to speak, is the defense
argument.
And he was making all kind of money saying this narrative.
What else is he going to say?
MACFARLANE: And Joey, just while we have you, I mean, one interesting quirk of this trial is that jurors are legally permitted to ask questions
under Nevada state laws.
How unusual is that?
And how would that actually work?
JACKSON: So it's very unusual. But I have to tell you, Christina, they need to bring that to New York, where I practice, because the bottom line
is that you don't get the opportunity to actually ask questions in New York.
[10:35:00]
And you should be able to. And jurors in general should be able to do that. It's interesting because you showed the clip of Ms. Stokes before. And in
that clip of Ms. Stokes, what she was essentially asking or saying, was that all hell broke loose.
She asked the question and the -- excuse me, a juror asked the question of her.
And the question was, do you know where the shots came from?
And, of course, she indicated she did not. So I think the issue of a jury asking questions gives us a sense of what they're evaluating and looking
at. And I think, quite frankly, it's a great practice and it lets you know what they're considering viewing, evaluating and really looking for in a
case.
MACFARLANE: Yes.
And just finally, what do you make of Keffe D's attorney's comment there, that, you know, the jitters are out, the evidence has gone cold. It's gone
stale now. You know, that kind of statement so early in this trial.
Is that just posturing at this stage?
JACKSON: Well, it is posturing because, of course, that's what trials are about, right?
They're about the posturing in a case. And you want to, of course, exhibit that confidence. And you want to say, if you're the defense, that they have
nothing, that is prosecutors do not have the goods to establish that your client is guilty.
And so they're really leaning in to the fact that there's no live eyewitnesses who can put him there. There's no physical evidence, there's
no murder weapon, there's no anything, really, from a defense perspective that would suggest that he's guilty, other than these words, which are mere
puffery, bravado and him just making money.
And actually, they're all fiction, says the defense, so that he could actually support himself, not admissions of an actual crime. But yes,
indeed, they are posturing. Let's see if that posturing leads to a not guilty verdict, which, at the end of the day, is what the defense is
looking for.
Prosecutors, of course, want their conviction for first degree murder with a deadly weapon.
MACFARLANE: All right. Well, Joey, stay with us. I just want to bring our viewers up to speed on another case that's grabbing headlines.
The defense has begun in the case of the trial of Lindsay Clancy, the 36- year-old mother accused of killing her three young children.
Witnesses called to the stand repeatedly described Clancy as a caring and loving mother, pointing toward, as her own defense attorney argues, that,
at the time of the incident, she was suffering from severe postpartum psychosis.
Speaking on Monday, Lindsay Clancy's mother described to jurors how her daughter changed in the months after giving birth to her third child. Take
a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She would mention that her -- this wasn't her mind. She would say to me, I've never -- this isn't me. I've never been like this
before. And I would agree because she wasn't.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Joey, I know you're still with us.
What do you make of how this trial is going, the overview here?
JACKSON: You know, I think there's a legitimate argument, Christina, to be made that there should not be a trial here. Now obviously we're keeping an
open mind.
But this seemed to be a loving mother of three, who just legitimately one day decided to strangle her children. And so you ask why she would do that.
And even in the prosecution's case, you saw witnesses who described her as, again, a loving mom, who wanted to have a family, who spoke about her
children very well, who enjoyed her life and, all of a sudden, just went south and killed her kids and jumped out of a second floor window of her
home.
And so the question becomes, why would anyone do that?
From a defense perspective, they're saying, because it was the cocktail of medications that were given to her by her doctors, who really misprescribed
her, in addition to the fact that she just was suffering this postpartum psychosis and just could not control it.
Why is all that relevant?
It's relevant because they are trying to -- they, being the defense -- establish that she could not appreciate the nature of her actions. And as a
result of that lack of appreciation for her actions, she didn't know right from wrong and therefore cannot be criminally responsible.
That's the core argument. And I believe by putting on her mom, by putting on her sister, by putting on her mother-in-law -- and we're going to hear
moving forward from psychiatrists and psychologists, as we did in the prosecution's case, the defense is really establishing -- or attempting to
-- that something went drastically wrong.
She didn't know what she was doing and therefore she's not guilty by reason of insanity. That's the core issue in this case.
MACFARLANE: Yes. And that is such an interesting point as we watch this play out. It's distressing as it is to watch, we'll wait to see where this
goes as those witnesses are called to the stand. Joey, so great to have you with us. Thank you for breaking this all down.
JACKSON: Thanks.
MACFARLANE: And now, prosecutors say a Microsoft executive who was gunned down on the road in 2022 was a victim of a murder-for-hire plot. Jared
Bridegan was driving home with his 2-year-old daughter in Florida when he was stopped to avoid a tire in the road.
[10:40:05]
He got out to move it and was shot and killed by a gunman. Investigators say it was part of a months-long murder plot set in motion by Bridegan's
ex-wife and her new husband. His trial begins on Monday and hers is set for next month. Isabel Rosales is following this from Atlanta.
So, Isabel, what more are we learning about the shooting and who is responsible here?
ISABEL ROSALES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christina, we're learning that this is certainly a complex web, this murder case involving
four people. Really, you have the Microsoft executive who's the victim, his ex-wife, his ex-wife's husband and also the alleged triggerman. So a lot of
people involved here.
And ultimately, by the end of this thing, we're looking at potentially three different trials. Prosecutors have laid out in court that, while the
killer of the victim, Jared Bridegan, his killer was a stranger to him, the actual killing in and of itself was deeply personal. Standing trial right
now, the first one up is the husband of the victim's ex-wife.
His name is Mario Fernandez. Prosecutors said that he hired somebody else, one of his tenants in one of his rental properties -- and that person's
name is Henry Tenon -- to kill Bridegan.
And he paid him $10,000 to do this over three different checks, signed off for reasons like landscaping and roof repairs.
The reason for this alleged murder-for-hire trial of this Microsoft executive, the state is saying, that this was all because of a -- of a
bitter relationship, a divorce that happened back in 2015 between Bridegan, the victim, and his ex-wife, Shanna Gardner, and that that it was so
contentious, they couldn't even talk to each other.
They were texting and arguing about everything. They shared twin children and they were arguing about schools, doctors' appointments and also
religion, because the victim here was a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. And his ex-wife did not want their
children to be that way, to become Mormon.
You mentioned this tire off of the top there, the tire that prosecutors allege was a trap set up for Bridegan, the tire placed in the middle of the
road. The killer had followed his routine. And when Bridegan got out of his car to remove the tire, that's when shots were fired.
And he died there on the side of the road. Listen to the state attorney, what she had to say about this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINA STIFLER, ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY: The killer placed that tire in the road seconds before Jared Bridegan got there. That tire was a trap.
The tire was the trap to get him to stop, to get him to get out of the car, to leave him vulnerable and exposed. That tire was as much the murder
weapon that killed Jared Bridegan as the firearm that fired those bullets.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROSALES: And she also talked about a key break in the case, a different tire found on a property owned by Fernandez, who was tied to Henry Tenon.
That similar tire to that one that blocked Bridegan's car.
Now on the defense side, Tenon -- Fernandez says that Tenon was hired to do work, he was not hired to carry out a murder and that Fernandez had no
motive, no reason to get rid of Bridegan. Obviously, a jury will determine whether that's the case. Christina.
MACFARLANE: Yes. Goodness, it really is -- really is a complex web, isn't it?
We will continue to watch it closely and see where it goes. Isabel, thank you very much.
And you are watching CONNECT THE WORLD. We've got more news ahead this hour. Do stay with us.
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[10:45:00]
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MACFARLANE: It's Election Day again in the U.S. and three states are holding primaries, including president Donald Trump's adopted home state of
Florida. The results will determine who moves on to the November general election and who could have a big impact on the battle for control of the
U.S. House and other key races.
CNN Steve Contorno is in Florida closely monitoring some of the contests there. We spoke last hour.
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STEVE CONTORNO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's been very interesting because, as many of our viewers know, governor Ron DeSantis has been one of
the more consequential governors in the U.S. in recent history.
And he ran for president against Donald Trump. But the succession plan to replace him has been somewhat messy. It should be straightforward on paper.
Representative Byron Donalds has the endorsement of president Donald Trump.
But DeSantis has not endorsed in this primary, even though his lieutenant governor that he appointed is running in this race. There are a handful of
other candidates who have not been convinced to stay out of this race by the president's endorsement as well.
And so you will see tonight the results reflect how much power and sway president Trump has in his adopted home state of Florida.
We've been talking to voters just outside of this polling location for the past few hours. It's been interesting to hear quite a few of them say they
did not listen to the president today. Take a listen to what one of them told us.
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CONTORNO: In the race for governor, how much did president Trump's endorsement factor for him or for you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dude, it didn't this time. I think Byron Donalds is going to win. I think he's going to make a good governor. But I had to go
with my gut.
CONTORNO: What is it about Byron Donalds that, you know, couldn't get him over the finish line for you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He wouldn't do an interview -- or not an interview, he wouldn't do a debate with -- and it just -- it just bugged me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CONTORNO: Now I have to tell you about one of the more colorful races that is taking place today. That's in Florida District 19, where the race to
replace Byron Donalds has attracted six people who have run for Congress in other states, pretty, pretty unusual down here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Our thanks to Steve.
Now Ukraine launched another overnight assault against Russia, with Moscow saying it destroyed nearly 800 drones. Several people were wounded and some
residents in the Moscow region were forced to evacuate.
Meanwhile, Ukraine faced another barrage of Russian strikes, killing 10 people in the Kharkiv region. Ukraine is facing a chronic shortage of
interceptor missiles, hindering its ability to defend itself, as CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reports in this exclusive.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Out in the quiet corn, a moment of absolute desperation. Ukraine has never
shown anyone these before, an American-made Patriot air defense launcher.
The interceptors they fire, the only thing that can take down Russian ballistic missiles that rain down on Ukraine, are under a huge global
supply shortage. But these here are sitting idle, doing nothing, when in Ukraine they could be saving lives almost nightly.
Why?
They're empty, out of ammo.
WALSH: This tube being empty is a sight really that would spark fear for ordinary Ukrainians and is the product of dozens of phone calls to any
ally, all sorts of deal making, President Zelenskyy told me, to try and find the interceptors to fill this up.
An extraordinary step they're taking by showing us the fact this particular Patriot battery is essentially out of action until interceptors arrive, a
sign of desperation.
WALSH (voice-over): Chief Engineer Dmytro says it is two-and-a- half months since this one fired and six weeks since he saw one fire at all.
DMYTRO, CHIEF ENGINEER, UKRAINE'S PATRIOT SYSTEM: You know, actually, this is a very heartbreaking sight when you have equipment.
[10:50:00]
But you're not able to intercept any missiles. This is very sad. When you know that ballistic missiles are flying over your head and you are not able
to do anything with it and you know that behind you there are citizens.
WALSH: And how does that make you feel knowing that you should help but can't?
DMYTRO: Like you learn how to walk but you're not able to walk or you know how to breathe but you're not able to breathe.
WALSH (voice-over): He knew the global supply crunch was coming.
DMYTRO: When we saw how many interceptors were launched in the Middle East, we predicted that we will be in trouble.
WALSH (voice-over): Ukraine has been reluctant to admit if they have zero interceptors left. President Zelenskyy telling me every morning he begs
allies for more.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: They do some things which I can't even share. It's not -- it doesn't mean that it's out of the law. No
but it's -- I can't speak about it.
WALSH (voice-over): Kyiv is rocked by a massive ballistic attack normally once a week. Racing to the subway and shelters where before they felt
protected, they are not anymore. It is America First in the queue and Ukraine left to anxiety in the rubble -- Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Kyiv,
Ukraine.
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MACFARLANE: And you are watching CONNECT THE WORLD. There's more news ahead with us on the show. Do stay with us.
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MACFARLANE: The world's largest humanoid robotmaker is forecast to have a record-breaking IPO on Wednesday. China's Unitree has already raised over
$900 million for its upcoming IPO. The firm has caught global attention, thanks to its dancing kung fu fighting androids. Look at that.
Just this week, it unveiled a new humanoid called Superman, which Unitree claims can jump as high as two meters. For more on this, I'm joined by
CNN's Anna Stewart.
So Anna, as we look at these curious pictures, just walk us through this upcoming IPO, why investors are so excited about Unitree.
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, perhaps I should run you through it. Looking at that humanoid, which apparently is faster than Usain Bolt.
This IPO is quite extraordinary.
So already, as you say, it's raised $905 million in terms of shares. That was 10 percent of the company. It starts trading tomorrow. And this means
that this company is now valued around $9 billion. That is huge. It's actually one of the few humanoid companies that's actually profitable.
There are lots of other humanoid companies. It's a really competitive space and we've seen a huge amount of innovation just in the last few years. So
it's competing with Elon Musk's company, Optimus; Agility, 1X, quite a few. They're all working in this space of can they be the fastest?
Can they jump the highest?
Can they dance?
Can they do kung fu?
But, of course, the big question is, can they ever do anything, you know, useful?
MACFARLANE: Well, that was exactly my next point. As much as I love a kung fu robot, who doesn't, what's the practical use here?
And are they actually going to make any money?
STEWART: So currently what we're looking at is they're all advancing how they move, their dexterity.
[10:55:00]
What they're able to do, their balance, for instance. But you're right, at the moment they are dancing or they're doing kung fu. Sometimes you might
see one making a coffee, for instance, at Museum of the Future in Dubai.
I've seen one that's been able to fill popcorn into a box but all very controlled. And you can't take your kung fu robot and drop it in a factory
and expect it to make a car. And you can't even take the coffee-making robot in Dubai to your house and hope they will find the kettle. It would
be absolutely no good in that situation.
And that's why there are many steps to come with these humanoids. They are not general purpose yet. Some people actually question whether humanoid is
the right shape for many areas, particularly in industry factories.
Is the human form a little bit limiting with just our two legs and two arms?
But also these robots need to learn a lot from the physical world. I've even worked on training one myself in Norway with a company called 1X. It
takes a huge amount of repetitive tasks of a real human having, for instance, fold a T-shirt for a robot to understand how to do it.
And we're talking hundreds or thousands of times of doing it. And even then it may only be able to do it in one certain location. So yes, a huge way to
go for all these companies. It will take a lot of money. And, of course, a lot of it rests on AI as well.
Can these robots not only perform the tasks but also have the autonomy and the understanding of what needs to be done?
MACFARLANE: Well, I'm afraid to say it slightly creeps me out. But I know this is the way that we, the world, is headed. So we shall deal with it as
best we can. Anna, thank you very much.
And that is it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Do stay with us because "ONE WORLD" is coming up after this quick break.
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