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U.S.-Israel War with Iran; UAE Suspends All Trade and Financial Transactions with Iran; Iranian Leader Praises "Unbreakable" Bond between Iran and Iraq; U.S. Ambassador to Israel Slams West Bank Settlers Besieging Palestinian American Family; Ousted Ukrainian Defense Minister Calls for Wartime Elections; Trump-Backed Candidates Face Mixed Results in Primaries; Ossoff's Feud with Trump Highlights His Social Media Savvy; OpenAI Announces Stricter Security for AI Testing; Trump Postpones 50 Percent Tariff on Some Canadian Imports. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired August 19, 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 in London.
Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Ghalibaf, praised the unbreakable bond between Iraq and Iran. This ahead of a planned visit, which Iran says
should fortify the security of both countries.
Ukraine's ousted defense minister called for wartime elections in a new bombshell address. It's the biggest internal challenge since (INAUDIBLE)
Zelenskyy since Russia's invasion.
And senator Jon Ossoff's escalating feud with president Trump is drawing attention from everyone, including Gen Z voters. More on how this young
generation is changing political campaigns.
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MACFARLANE: We begin with what could be more blows to Iran's already struggling economy nearly six months into this war. The Iranian foreign
minister is now blaming the U.S. blockade for shortages in some areas and rising prices.
And new today, one of Iran's biggest trading partners, the UAE, says it's cutting economic ties with Tehran, suspending all trade and financial
transactions until further notice. That's after accusing Iran of launching two ballistic missiles toward the country, a claim Iran denies.
CNN's Paula Hancocks is covering all the latest developments from Abu Dhabi.
So Paula, how much more economic pressure could this put on Tehran, given how important that trade between the UAE and Iran has been to date?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christina, this could have a real impact on Iran. We know that the UAE is the second largest commercial
partner for Iran, second only to China. So to lose that trade would be significant.
Back in 2024, the figures of UAE exports to Iran are put at more than $6 billion. So it is a sizable amount of trade that goes on between the two.
What we've heard from the ministry of foreign affairs spokesperson -- we had a statement and I'll read part of it to you.
They say, quote, "In light of regional escalations that undermine regional and international peace and security, all trade commercial exchanges and
financial transactions with Iran have been halted until further notice."
Now the UAE defense ministry did say that there were two ballistic missiles fired toward the UAE last night, Tuesday evening. We understand they fell
in water off the coast of the UAE, only one of them within the territorial waters.
But also last week we did see a couple of Emirati tankers that were targeted as they were transiting through the Strait of Hormuz as well. And,
of course, remember, the UAE was by far the most significant to be hit during the war itself.
It had more incoming missiles and drones than even Israel, which, along with the U.S., had started this war against Iran. So this could have a
significant impact. We have seen there's been a centuries-old trade relationship between the two countries.
We know, for example, that in Dubai, in some of those ports, you've got wooden dhows that go over with the likes of electronics and rice, mobile
phones. And they come back with things like pistachios and saffron.
This is not all the above board trade, if you like, the formal trade. There is an informal trading relationship between the two countries as well. So
if this is put into place and is -- this boycott is followed to the letter by Emirati officials, which is certainly what they're saying at this point,
this could have a very significant impact on Iran.
And it comes at a time when president Trump is trying to isolate Iran economically. It comes at a time when we are expecting more movement from
the Trump administration to try and increase the economic pain on Tehran.
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And it also comes as we hear from Iran's foreign minister, that there has been an economic impact when it comes to the naval blockade, for example,
that the U.S. Navy has in place preventing ships from approaching Iranian ports or being able to leave Iranian ports.
Abbas Araghchi saying that that the blockade has contributed to shortages in some areas and price increases. And we heard from state media earlier
this week that some working class families, they say, are finding it impossible to even afford the basic necessities, saying that inflation is
increasing at, quote, "alarming levels."
So this is just an additional economic impact on Iran at a time when the Trump administration is trying to turn, trying to strangle the economy and
have an impact in that respect, rather than something more direct. Christina.
MACFARLANE: Yes, it's very interesting coming just a couple of days, really, after president Trump made those comments about increasing that
economic pressure. Paula, we appreciate it. Thank you.
Now Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, is praising what he calls the unbreakable bond between Iran and Iraq. He's visiting Iraq
today, saying the trip will help strengthen security and cooperation between both nations.
Iranian state media say Ghalibaf described the relationship as built on brotherhood, resistance to foreign interference and a shared destiny. This
visit comes as tensions remain high across the region. Here's more of what was said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GHALIBAF (through translator): Regional Islamic countries should have deep relations and security ties with each other so that sustainable economic
cooperation can develop. And the Islamic Republic of Iran is ready for this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Well, for more on this, I want to bring in Ali Rizk. He's the security and political analyst and a contributor to "Responsible
Statecraft," an online publication focused on U.S. foreign policy.
Thank you for joining us. So, look, from what we're hearing there, Iran is working very hard. It seems to maintain its influence in Iraq, despite the
new government's closer relationship with the United States.
Has Tehran's grip on the country weakened, do you think?
ALI RIZK, SECURITY AND POLITICAL ANALYST, "RESPONSIBLE STATECRAFT": I think it has weakened but only to some extent. You have to remember that
there are deep, deep religious ideological bonds which exist between Iran and Iraq.
And you have also a prevailing sense of Shia victimhood, I would call it, not much unlike the sense of Sunni victimhood, which we saw after the
toppling of Saddam Hussein. And that ended up leading, in the end, to the emergence of ISIS. And many people joined ISIS because of that sense.
So I think now many people are sensing, many Shias in the region are sensing that they are now the targets. And so that's leading to a hardening
of Shia stances and possibly also driving many people into the arms of Iran.
Many Shias, whether they be in Iraq, Lebanon, elsewhere, so, yes, I think that the Iraqi prime minister, Ali Zaidi, he has brought the Iraqi
government, who has brought Iraq closer to the U.S. But I think not necessarily at the expense of Iran.
It remains far too important. And I think that ideological, religious element I referred to is a very important factor, which we must focus on,
especially at the -- in this current period.
MACFARLANE: Yes. But it is interesting to see the actions the Iraqi government are taking in this moment. They have actually given armed
resistance factions until September 30th to disarm, a move that could deal a significant blow to Iran-backed groups.
I mean, how likely is Iran to push back against that effort, do you think?
RIZK: That's the big question. And I think that -- it's interesting; this visit, it was, by the way, upon an invitation by Iraq. It was actually the
Iraqi parliament speaker who extended this invitation to Mr. Ghalibaf.
So that shows -- and I think there are two elements here. Number one is that the new Iraqi government needs Iran's assistance if it wants to see
through this process of disarming all of those factions, which Washington is demanding to be disarmed. So that's one element to the to the story.
Another element is the potential of Iraq, maybe, maybe playing a mediator role between the United States and Iran.
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And here, you know, it's interesting that Mr. Ghalibaf himself, who led the talks previously, that led to the memorandum of understanding in Islamabad.
He's the one visiting now. And the Iraqis invited him.
So are the Iraqis at the same time looking to play some kind of a mediation?
It wouldn't be the first time, by the way, they did play -- Iraq has played such a role before. And from my own personal information, Mr. Zaidi also
proposed an initiative to the Lebanese Hezbollah that he was willing to host talks between Hezbollah and Washington as well.
And we heard what president Trump said during his meeting with his Lebanese counterpart, when he said that, if need be, that he'll hold talks with
Hezbollah. So there's that factor as well, the potential of Iraq playing in the mediation. In the end, I think that the Iraqis needed this visit just
as much as the Iranians also needed this visit.
MACFARLANE: At a time when relations are becoming strained with Oman, as we've seen this week -- and, you know, we know Qatar has played a role as a
mediator -- how do you think, then, that both sides, the U.S. and Iran, will view Iraq as a potential mediator at this moment?
RIZK: I think that the party that stands most to gain from that would be Iraq itself. And that's why I do think it's quite plausible or possible
that this is one of the objectives behind extending this invitation to Mr. Ghalibaf, to Iraq, to present itself. That would elevate Iraq's status as
well as a major mediator.
It would boost Mr. Zaidi as an important partner for both Washington and Tehran.
Now will Iraq be more successful when other mediators haven't been that successful?
The countries which you referred to, like Pakistan, like Qatar, like Oman, I, unfortunately, failed to see what makes the Iraqi case so special,
whereby the Iraqis could be successful where others have failed.
Now I might be mistaken. Perhaps the fact that Iraq has special ties to the United States -- it also has special ties with Iran, extra special ties,
so to speak -- maybe that could increase the likelihood. And I think that's what the Iraqis are pinning their hopes on.
MACFARLANE: Yes. And as you know, there are a lot of variables that could influence things. We've seen that Iran has also been increasing pressure on
Iraq's Kurdistan region as well, a key U.S. partner in the region.
Can you just explain what their role is here in all of this?
RIZK: Look, there's always been a rather complicated relationship between Iran and Iraqi Kurdistan. Now if we're referring to the strikes which
targeted the prime minister of the -- or the president of the Kurdistan region in Iraq, now Iran denies that. The authorities in Iraqi Kurdistan
say that it was Iran. It's unclear, indeed, what happened.
Were there some Iranian hardliners, so to speak, who went ahead with this attack without the necessary approval or without the more moderate camp
being on board?
That's possible. We have to wait and see. But there is a rather complicated history.
As I said, Iran, on more than one occasion, has launched attacks on the Kurdistan region. Irbil, as you well know, in Iraqi Kurdistan, is known to
be -- is known to have some Mossad stations, Israeli intelligence. And Iran has always viewed with suspicion those ties between Iraqi Kurdistan and the
Mossad.
Now are there some -- is there some information that the Iranians have, perhaps, that some preparations are being made to have Iraqi Kurdistan or
certain Kurdish groups in that region to be used this time as a land operation?
I can only guess. But perhaps some in Iran have got that information or do have fears that such plans might be pursued.
MACFARLANE: Which is why we might be seeing this move, this pressure from the U.S., on this issue. We'll obviously keep a close eye on this visit. A
lot at play in this moment. Ali Rizk, appreciate your analysis. Thank you.
RIZK: Thank you.
MACFARLANE: And America's ambassador to Israel is doubling down on his criticism of a group of violent West Bank settlers. Mike Huckabee says the
settlers have besieged a Palestinian American family in the town of Qusra. CNN's Jeremy Diamond went to meet members of the family in Qusra.
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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: With a military escort leading the way and armed Israeli soldiers manning a checkpoint, the
journey to Loui Ridi's home in the Occupied West Bank feels more like entering a restricted military area. That's because it is.
The Israeli military declared it a closed zone to non-residents last week after radical Israeli settlers made Ridi's home their latest target of
conquest, establishing an illegal outpost outside his gates and preventing anyone from coming in or out.
And yet, despite all the extra security, this is what Ridi found within an hour of arriving. Four Israeli settlers squatting right outside his home.
LOUI RIDI, WEST BANK HOMEOWNER: That's terrifying. That's truly terrifying that they're able to sit there, not fearing anyone will be arresting them.
They are trespassing. They are illegal here under the international law, under the Israeli law. And the Israeli military are here to remove them.
But they are still there.
DIAMOND: For over a week Ridi, a Palestinian American, has watched from Ohio via security cameras as Israeli settlers besieged his West Bank home.
You made it.
RIDI: I made it.
DIAMOND: Now he's finally joined his brother, who's been trapped here under siege.
RIDI: It's a lot of emotion because I've been talking with him 24/7, watching him on the cameras that -- fearing for his life.
DIAMOND: Ridi is now in the same boat with an American flag draped over his shoulder, he's hoping that his presence and this flag will protect him.
RIDI: This flag is the most powerful flag in the world. My fear, the settlers taking this house. The first thing they do, they raise their own
flag. So they have to take this flag down so they can raise the settler's flag.
That's why I'm asking the U.S. officials and the embassy to protect me and protect that flag.
DIAMOND: So the Israeli military now has a regular presence outside of Loui's house. You can see one of those Israeli military vehicles right down
there. And in fact, two Israeli soldiers are currently patrolling right outside the gate to this home.
But that presence alone isn't enough to stop these settlers from trying to take this hilltop. They are clearly undeterred.
Do you feel like if the military wanted to, they could get rid of --
RIDI: Absolutely. Absolutely. If they really want it and they give the OK from top ahead, they could have done it probably within the first hour.
DIAMOND: The next morning Ridi comes face to face with this new reality. An Israeli settler trespassing in the restricted area.
RIDI: He's a terrorist. He needs to be removed from here. That's my house.
DIAMOND: Rather than detaining him, Israeli soldiers prefer to negotiate until the settler walks away.
YASMIN, LOUI RIDI'S DAUGHTER: Did you bring food and water, Baba?
DIAMOND: Ridi's 10-year-old daughter, Yasmin, is keeping tabs from Ohio.
YASMIN: Why couldn't you just say I live -- this is basically my house, so I don't need to know this stuff.
RIDI: Exactly. That's exactly what I've been telling everybody.
DIAMOND: But there's only so much he can promise his daughter.
Were you able to tell your daughter that you're going to be safe?
RIDI: Maybe if I tell them that just to ease their mind. But truly, I'm not feeling safe.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: And Jeremy Diamond joins us now from Jerusalem.
I mean, Jeremy, your reporting there really highlights how emboldened these settlers still feel after days of the military being on the ground there.
How are Israeli officials reacting to this?
DIAMOND: Well, we still have yet to hear anything from the Israeli prime minister directly. He hasn't commented on this issue at all. The Israeli
prime minister's office has kind of suggested that this is a done deal, that the Israeli military has deployed to the area and is taking care of
the situation.
But as you can see from our report, we are continuing to see these settlers violating this closed military zone order on a daily basis. In fact, just
today, I received more videos from Loui, showing the settlers coming on to this zone.
Soldiers ultimately go and see them, tell them to leave. But none of these settlers seem to be deterred, in part because they aren't being arrested
for violating that order.
We have heard from the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, who has previously already called these settlers "terrorists" for continuing to try
and intimidate people out of their homes. He commented on it again, once again yesterday. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HUCKABEE: From the U.S. definition of terror, when acts are conducted that cause people to change their behavior.
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And put them in fear for their lives, when things are done to people for the express purpose, whether they're done to a nation, whether they're done
to a specific individual or to a family but it causes them to be afraid to live their lives, that's terror.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAMOND: And so very strong language, as you can hear there, from the U.S. ambassador to Israel, who we should note has long been a proponent of
Israeli settlement in the West Bank.
But even for Mike Huckabee, the actions of these radical, violent settlers in Qusra, for example, seems to cross a line. But it is important to note
that this is not some isolated incident or phenomenon.
We have seen these settlers carry out similar actions to what is happening in Qusra elsewhere in the West Bank. Israeli settler violence has only been
rising in recent years.
And, in fact, it appears to be intensifying at the moment as many of these settlers try and solidify their gains on the ground ahead of the Israeli
elections in late October.
Which could potentially see this very right wing government, which has been allied with the Israeli settler movement, could potentially see this
government thrown out of power and replaced with one that would be far less sympathetic to the settlers.
MACFARLANE: Yes. All right. Jeremy Diamond, appreciate your reporting. Thank you.
Health authorities say at least six people have been killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza just one day after U.S. envoy Jared Kushner pressed Israel's
leader for restraint in the enclave.
The Israeli military says it, quote, "struck several Hamas commanders."
The strike was launched one day after Kushner pressed prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to pull back Israel's near-daily attacks in Gaza, which
have killed more than 1,200 people since a ceasefire took effect in October.
OK, when we come back, could Ukraine be headed to the polls in a middle of a war?
We look at a potential political shakeup that's sparking strong reactions in Kyiv.
Plus, president Trump's endorsements faced a test in Tuesday's primaries. Which of his choices prevailed and which ones failed to deliver, the
results are in.
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MACFARLANE: It's a political shakeup looming in Ukraine. The ousted defense minister says it's time for new elections, even though the country
currently bars them during wartime. Mykhailo Fedorov made his intentions known in a video posted on YouTube. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MYKHAILO FEDOROV, FORMER UKRAINIAN DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator): We're facing a systemic governance crisis. The old system lives by its own
rules. Too often it protects itself, fears change, makes decisions slowly.
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And may punish the initiative while rewarding loyalty.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): Well, Fedorov has support within Ukraine. Protesters turned out in Kyiv, backing his call for new elections. Nick
Paton Walsh is joining us for more on this story.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: And Nick, in your latest analysis, you said this call is likely to come to nothing. Just explain why that is.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Practically come to nothing because, ultimately, we looked into the issue
of how quickly could Ukraine hold elections when the prospect was floated by president Donald Trump almost a year ago now.
And most of the experts involved in electoral reform, the technological implementation of a vote, said, first, you need peace and then you need
about 3-6 months to get a vote up to a kind of European norm, to a standard that Ukraine could hold its head high about.
Remember, if a flawed vote occurs, if there are irregularities or a large chunk of the population abroad, perhaps, or who are fighting on the front
lines can't vote, then you end up with a result that there will always be challenges toward, will be considered illegitimate. The next president will
have a kind of shadow hanging over them.
Russia will exploit that. They're already calling Zelenskyy illegitimate because he's outstayed his term. It's martial law that permits him to do
that. And frankly, most countries in wartime implement such measures.
So the complexity here is exactly how would you get a vote to happen now?
Mykhailo Fedorov, who's made this call, has a reputation of being something of a genius innovator. So he might be able to present a case where you
could find a digital way through.
He's modernized so much of Ukrainian society through technology to get a vote to happen in these extraordinary circumstances. But then you've got
pensioners who don't use smartphones. You've got Ukrainians abroad.
Do they use consulates?
You've got the possibility that any error in this will be wildly exploited. There'd be Russian misinformation in wartime, Russian nightly assaults
against much of Ukraine. So many things that ultimately mean any vote is likely to be undermined by something somehow. And that's exactly what
Ukraine doesn't need.
So instead, I think what Fedorov has done here, ultimately, is throw the idea out that there needs to be a challenge or some kind of scrutiny to
president Zelenskyy but not really, I think, is there a practical way that may indeed occur through the ballot box, Christina.
MACFARLANE: But he has support though, right?
I mean, his ousting led to major protests across the country, which are still continuing.
So why does his message continue to resonate so strongly with Ukrainians?
WALSH: I think, ultimately, nearly five years into the war, many Ukrainians are obviously tired of the conflict, worried about seeing the
remaining military-age males, who haven't been drafted, dragged off to fight and quite likely die in this war.
Maybe some associate president Zelenskyy with the war and, perhaps rightly, think, given the technical challenges of him leaving power, that when he
goes, that spells peace.
And perhaps the fresh face and ideas of Fedorov appeal to many Ukrainians who have seen, you know, one corruption scandal circulate around Zelenskyy
and, most recently, a personnel scandal indeed involving Fedorov, who basically faced off with the army.
The military chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, lost initially, was dismissed and then found Syrskyi removed, demanded his old job back as defense minister,
didn't get it and then launched this speech, demanding elections.
The problem here is, Christina, as you heard, that complex explanation of Ukrainian politics, it's all a distraction from Zelenskyy's task of trying
to win this war or indeed end this war. It's a gift to Russia, who can now try and poke at these weaknesses within Ukraine's body politic.
And a century now, what we've gone from in a month is Ukraine having an innovative defense minister, who was bringing in drone warfare, new
challenges, new ways of putting out government military contracts, anti- corruption. He's left.
And he's now done the worst thing he could possibly do for Zelenskyy and possibly Ukraine, which is establish an opposition, kind of new column in
politics, demanding change, demanding some kind of electoral process, even though, practically, it's going to be exceptionally hard to have a
legitimate one.
Just be honest about all of that. Those values are obviously something many Ukrainians want to hear voiced daily. They'll applaud that. But then
there's the practicalities of fighting a war and the nasty decisions that Zelenskyy has to make every single day that often involve people losing
their lives.
And so I think while many will see this as a sign that Ukraine indeed has a healthy democracy, that surviving during this war, it also presents a
challenge to those trying to win it and end it. And that may indeed not, in the longer run, be what Ukraine needs. Christina.
MACFARLANE: Yes, certainly with Russia watching on. Nick Paton Walsh, appreciate it. Thank you.
OK. Coming up, from Georgia senator Jon Ossoff to New York mayor Zohran Mamdani to Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed.
[10:30:00]
We'll take a look at the social media star power in the Democratic Party and Gen Z politics. Next.
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MACFARLANE (voice-over): Welcome back. I'm Christina Macfarlane in London and you are watching CONNECT THE WORLD. These are your headlines this hour.
Ousted Ukrainian defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov is calling for wartime elections. This marks the biggest internal challenge to president Volodymyr
Zelenskyy since Russia's invasion in early 2022.
In his address on YouTube, Fedorov said Ukraine faces a, quote, "systemic crisis of governance." Ukrainian law currently prohibits wartime elections.
Fresh evidence suggests Iran is losing some control of the Strait of Hormuz. Many ships have chosen to ignore Iranian threats and cross the
strait with the promise of protection by the U.S. Navy.
Data shows more than 80 percent of vessel traffic has used a route maintained by Oman in recent weeks.
Israel's leader is now confirming his country bombed a Syrian military airbase on Tuesday. Benjamin Netanyahu says Turkiye was planning to deploy
forces from the air base in northwest Syria.
The Israeli prime minister has been openly critical of Turkiye, accusing its president of supporting Hamas. Both Turkiye and the United States are
condemning Israel's attack.
MACFARLANE: Tuesday's primary elections in the U.S. put president Trump's political influence to the test with mixed results. Three notable Trump-
endorsed candidates fell short of winning on Tuesday. They include congressman Cory Mills and Catalina Lauf in Florida and Wyoming candidate
for governor Megan Degenfelder.
And in another closely watched race, Trump-backed Byron Donalds won Florida's Republican primary for governor on Tuesday. Now he'll now face
Democrat Dom (ph) Jolly in the November general election.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BYRON DONALDS (R-FL), GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: David Jolly represents everything that folks hate about Washington, D.C. Liberal David Jolly is
the change that Florida cannot afford.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Well, the feud between U.S. senator Jon Ossoff and president Donald Trump is intensifying. Ossoff is using his Senate campaign to fire
barbs at Trump over the war with Iran, rising costs and corruption.
And in his latest appearance Tuesday, Ossoff stood with senator Mark Kelly, who has had his own disputes with the White House. Here's what Ossoff had
to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JON OSSOFF (D-GA): I don't think anything illustrates the times more aptly.
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Than that the draft-dodging crook president, who has plunged our nation recklessly into a war he knows not how to end or to win, tried to imprison
this man who embodies American heroism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Senator Ossoff's feud with president Trump is the latest viral moment of the Georgia senator's reelection campaign, as some Democrats look
to him as a 2028 presidential hopeful.
He's part of a rising talent pool of younger Democrats who have dominated social media this year, including New York mayor Zohran Mamdani and
Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, though I should note those two candidates are much further on the progressive left side of the party.
And it's all part of a broader conversation about how Democrats should win attention and votes in a Trump-dominated era. And I want to discuss that
now with Aaron Parnas. He's an independent journalist who breaks down the news for a largely Gen Z audience across his TikTok/Instagram podcast and
Substack.
And for me, Aaron, I should say. Good to have you with us. Look, we have spent all week covering the fallout of Jon Ossoff's comments about Natalie
Harp, which has dominated the headlines and taken the internet by storm. Let's just have a quick listen to that speech from Sunday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OSSOFF: And while the sailors on the Lincoln fight his war, while he fruitlessly drains our munitions and oil reserves, the president sleeps
through his meetings. He golfs and trade stocks. So he doesn't want to do the job. He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their
apparently defenseless flying palace --
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OSSOFF: I've heard this particular aide referred to as his security blanket. And I think we could say that about any number of the senior aides
in the White House. They're not telling him what he needs to hear. They're telling him what he wants to hear. And the nation is at war and we cannot
afford that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Aaron, Ossoff is reportedly very meticulous with his every word.
So what do you think his goal was here?
And do you see this as a victory for the senator?
AARON PARNAS, INDEPENDENT JOURNALIST: Of course it's a victory. I mean, Jon Ossoff, after making that comment about Natalie Harp, ended up going
viral for days on the internet.
But I want to make something very clear. It's very interesting in all of this. Jon Ossoff all he said was that Trump is interested in flying on a
plane with Natalie. That is all he said. And the internet ran wild with various conspiracies about the president's relationship with Natalie Harp.
And someone who no one knew -- or the average American did not know who Natalie Harp was before Jon Ossoff's statement now knows exactly who
Natalie Harp is and finds it odd that she has such a close relationship with the president.
So it is a net victory for Jon Ossoff. He got major engagement online, major viewership and really dominated the headlines for several days now.
MACFARLANE: That's an interesting and different take. Look, senator Ossoff has been steadily gaining traction by turning his campaign rallies into
viral social media moments, too. Let's just take a listen to this quickly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OSSOFF: I never want to hear these two pretend they give a damn about working people again. Because while hundreds of thousands of Georgians lose
their health care, Mike Collins builds Trump a ballroom.
They worked harder burying the Epstein files than they ever worked to lower your grocery bill.
The president and his family are enriching themselves to the tune of billions of dollars and the president is trying to build a monument to
himself. I think it's obscene. I think he's a failed president and he's deeply unpopular in Georgia.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: How much do you think that anticorruption message is breaking through for young Democrats?
And do you see him as a possible 2028 contender, even though some might say he doesn't fit into that progressive Gen Z mold?
PARNAS: Well, I think Jon Ossoff is an interesting senator in that everyone likes him. Progressives like him, moderates like him. He has
extremely high approval ratings within the Democratic Party on Capitol Hill, in Washington, D.C.
He is revered by senators across the political spectrum within the Democratic Party and really doesn't make too many waves, does his job, goes
back home to Georgia and rinse and repeat every week.
I think at the end of the day, this anticorruption message is not just resonating with young people; it's resonating with folks across the
political spectrum, folks across the age range. Right now, young people especially want leaders who are going to work for them.
[10:40:00]
And that means reducing the cost of groceries, reducing housing costs, making it more affordable to go to college. And when we hear how a
politician may be enriching themselves in Washington, D.C., instead of lowering costs for us, yes, that that does resonate and it resonates a lot.
So I think Jon Ossoff, if I had to predict, will have a resounding victory in November. But it's also in part because, on the other end, you have a
Republican candidate who really hasn't run that great of a race. And so Jon Ossoff will have a mandate heading into 2028, should he want it.
MACFARLANE: And he reportedly doesn't use any social media, which, of course, is in stark contrast to mayor Zohran Mamdani, who is seen as the
social media king in many -- in many -- to many Democrats.
And this week you'll have seen, of course, he's gone viral for speaking several languages to promote his new program for free Broadway tickets for
high schoolers and his Mandarin especially impressed the internet. Let's take another look at it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D-NY), NYC: (Speaking foreign language).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: I saw he posted a bloopers reel today, this morning, to prove that that wasn't AI.
What do you make of Mamdani and the Democratic social movement right now?
And are there lessons here for the broader Democratic Party?
PARNAS: Well, whether it's Mayor Mamdani or Senator Ossoff or Abdul El- Sayed or any number of Democrats who are doing social media right or really any politician doing social media right -- it's not a political, Republican
versus Democratic issue -- they're meeting voters where they're at.
At the end of the day, we have never had a mayor in New York City -- whatever you make of his politics -- but we've never had a mayor of New
York City who has used social media to really meet the moment and really meet voters where they are, which is online.
Most young Americans don't have a cable subscription. Most young Americans have never read a newspaper. Instead, they scroll TikTok, they scroll
Instagram, they scroll social media.
And so hearing someone who speaks their language, hearing, in this case, those who speak Mandarin and someone who appeals directly to them, I mean,
it's the definition of meeting voters where they're at.
And I think that politicians across the political spectrum need to be authentic in the way they present themselves, which Mamdani is, in the
sense of even this blooper reel, and really lean in to some of these new media forms to get their message across.
MACFARLANE: Yes, there's certainly much that could be learned here in the runup to 2028. Aaron, so great to have your perspective on this. Thank you.
Thank you very much for joining us.
PARNAS: Thanks for having me.
MACFARLANE: Now, is OpenAI doing enough to stop its models from going rogue?
We'll take a look at its latest announcement next. Stay tuned for that.
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[10:45:00]
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MACFARLANE: OpenAI is cracking down on the security of its testing environments. It comes as recent breaches prompted safety concerns on rapid
AI development.
In July, OpenAI said a model escaped its testing environment and hacked another AI company without human supervision. As a result, the ChatGPT
maker announced it is expanding how it monitors and responds to the models.
The company says it is working to ensure AI systems don't go rogue again. Our AI correspondent Hadas Gold has been following the story from the
beginning. She joins us from Kansas City.
So Hadas, what more can you tell us about the plan here to shore up those testing environments?
HADAS GOLD, CNN AI CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, OpenAI is doing more than just shoring up its testing environment. It says it's actually pausing work
on training and developing some of its models over these safety concerns so they can ramp up this security.
So that they can know that when they're testing and developing these models, they hopefully will not go rogue, escape their testing environments
and hack into other company systems.
This change is not just because of the Hugging Face hack. It's also because of just the sheer capabilities they're seeing in some of their new models,
where they said these models are getting so good at autonomous cybersecurity that they need to take some action.
To make sure that, you know, the environment they're going to be working in is safe enough for them.
So a few things that they're doing, one of the key ways that OpenAI's agents were able to escape their environment was because of a bug in the
testing environment that essentially gave them a hole and a way out.
Now OpenAI says they're going to do a much better job about isolating those testing environments. They're known as sandboxes. They're essentially
digital labs. They say they're going to be really raising the security standards on those labs.
The other thing they're going to be doing is doing better monitoring. Some of these agents, they were working for days or weeks without humans knowing
what was going on. They were creating their own message boards.
And it was actually Hugging Face, the company that got hacked, that was the first one to notice that a hack was going on until they connected with
OpenAI. And they figured out what was actually happening.
So now they're going to have a new monitoring system that is supposed to alert to any security incident within 30 minutes. They're also going to be
working more on alignment. This is -- alignment is when you train a model to actually do what you want it to do, to do what you intended it to do.
Because in these situations, when these models escaped and went rogue and hacked other companies, the human testers didn't necessarily tell these
agents to do that. In OpenAI's case, the agents were taking a cybersecurity test and they decided on their own that the best way to ace the test was to
escape and find the answer key and cheat.
Human testers never told them to go after Hugging Face or anything like that. And so they're trying to do better alignment training, which is when
you train your models to do what they're told to do and discourage unsafe behavior and be more honest about their actions.
And OpenAI, in a briefing with reporters, said that everything that they're doing is intended to try and prevent something like the Hugging Face hack
from happening again because not only is, you know, you don't want your AI agents going rogue, potentially hacking into some critical infrastructure.
But hacking into another company is a crime and they don't want their agents to be committing crimes in the future.
MACFARLANE: The consequences are pretty severe. Look, it's interesting to see OpenAI announcing as well it would roll out ChatGPT for teens. That
while it's facing kind of scrutiny about protection for children on the platform.
What more can you tell us about that?
GOLD: Yes, I mean, we already know a lot of teens are using AI. It is the most popular option for teens using AI. And for ChatGPT this new -- or for
OpenAI, this new ChatGPT for teens is not just about keeping them safer online.
But they're also trying to use it as a learning tool so that, you know, when a teen asks the AI a question, a math question, it doesn't just spit
out the answer. Frustratingly, likely for a lot of teens, it's actually going to try and walk them through the problem so that they figure out how
to work it out on their own.
So anybody who already notifies OpenAI in their account, they're under the age of 18, will be automatically added to the system. But they are also
going to be using age detection software.
So even if somebody lies about their age, they will use things, you know, like the hours that they're on it, the way that they talk. You know, a lot
of teens use emojis, things like that.
And if they suspect that somebody is under the age of 18, they will be enrolled into this type of ChatGPT as well. You can petition OpenAI to
change that. So a few of these things that ChatGPT teen will include will include nudges to take breaks after 90 minutes within a three-hour window.
There will be options to set quiet hours where you can't use ChatGPT options; to also set study hours, so everything will be very much focused
on learning. There will be improved protections on the bot side, that the bot will not express personal feelings to the user to try and prevent those
AI relationships from developing.
[10:50:00]
Or any need to rely on the AI with for relationship, reminders about uploading sensitive images and information and additional protections
around self-harm and eating disorders and other dangerous activities.
And also more alerts for parents. So these are things that parents can opt into, to link their accounts to the teen accounts. And if the AI notices
that the teen is having a hard time or discussing some sensitive topics with ChatGPT, the parent can actually be notified.
These changes come as OpenAI is facing a string of lawsuits that allege that, you know, young people were using ChatGPT, relying on it and then
ended up engaging in some sort of self-harm. OpenAI has denied all of these claims.
They're even facing lawsuits from some state attorney generals (sic). Florida's attorney general has sued OpenAI, saying that they're just a
safety risk for minors. And so, you know, they do want to keep their teens safe, their users safe. But also there's a measure of self protection going
on here as well for the company.
MACFARLANE: Yes, a lot of important detail. Hadas, appreciate it. Thank you.
And after a short break, from ice hockey sticks to alcohol, Canadian imports have been saved from a crushing 50 percent U.S. tariff. We'll
explain how we got here.
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MACFARLANE: President Trump has postponed a 50 percent tariff on some Canadian goods. He spared roughly $20 billion worth of Canadian imports
just hours before the measure was set to go into effect. For more, let's bring in CNN's Paula Newton, live from Canada, Ottawa.
Paula, we know these tariffs have only been postponed for just three days. So the jeopardy is not over yet.
What happens once that deadline is up?
PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: I mean, look, I think with most of these things, Christina -- and this is true for U.S. negotiations
and the Trump administration in any country they're dealing with, this was decided in the Oval Office. It was decided by president Trump.
Now prime minister Carney and president Trump have been in close contact for the last several days. And they seem to have gotten some kind of a
deal. But as you mentioned, this is really only a reprieve. The president basically saying that he thought they had a deal that kind of preempted
anything that Canada said.
But more importantly, here, if we want to look at what the president actually said, he's the one who got to break the news later last night, to
say, look, there is three days here we still have. I have a pause on the tariffs that I was going to bring in.
What is key here, though, Christina, is that he also mentioned the Keystone Pipeline. And Canada was able to come to the table with something the Trump
administration really wanted. This isn't the first time that the prime minister has dangled that in front of the White House as well.
And what does it mean?
It means more energy security for the United States. I think everyone here in Canada was on edge, though, Christina, because they need a deal. And I
think if everyone can remember this slogan, the industry specialists have been saying this to me for months now.
If you're going to be dealing with what you believe is free trade with the United States, that free trade now includes tariffs.
And so Canada has come to the table basically saying that they'll accept something. We have no details yet. The prime minister still has to bring
this back to his provincial premiers, with industry specialists and hopefully they can get this over the line by Friday.
But Christina, it does also say a lot about the U.S. administration and the fact that, going into midterms and talking about affordability, there were
tariffs.
[10:55:00]
There were main tariffs on a lot of items that are making things much more expensive for Americans. And that was the key, really, to getting the Trump
administration over the line.
MACFARLANE: Yes. I mean, certainly a sigh of relief for now for Canadians. But the difficult relationship over tariffs continues in many ways. Paula,
thank you for breaking it down. And thank you for giving us the update.
That is it for CONNECT THE WORLD. And stay with CNN. We have "ONE WORLD" up after this quick break.
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