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U.S. Pulls All Bombers From U.K. Air Base After New Threat; Republicans Seek To Shore Up Support For Iowa Senate Nominee; Scientist At Siberia Plague Lab Dies Of Unknown Infection; Mark Thompson To Remain CNN Chairman After Skydance Deal; President Lula Da Silva, Sen. Bolsonaro Face A Runoff Vote; Cornell Facing Growing Calls For Accountability. Aired 10- 11a ET
Aired October 05, 2026 - 10:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:00:21]
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Well, welcome to the second hour of the show from our Middle East programming headquarters. I'm Becky
Anderson here in Abu Dhabi, where the time is just after 6:00 in the evening.
Less than a calendar month to go to the U.S. midterms, and one of the big talkers on the campaign trail is the conflict here in the Middle East.
We'll look at what President Trump's supporters are saying.
A major leadership announcement as the merger of Paramount Skydance and Warner Brothers Discovery is set to take effect. Mark Thompson will remain
CNN's chairman, resolving months of uncertainty in what has been this politically charged merger.
And calls for accountability grow louder in the case of the alleged sexual assault. The university president has been speaking about the case. Some
words are not enough.
Well, this hour, big questions around the sudden U.S. military move in the U.K. An official tells CNN the United States has withdrawn its long-range
bombers from a British airbase after an unspecified new threat. The planes have returned to their home bases in the United States, and it comes just
days after a number of people were arrested in connection with an alleged Iranian plot targeting that very base.
CNN's Matthew Chance following the story for us, joining us now. What more do we know about what is going on in the U.K.? This unspecified threat on
that base, Matthew.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, it's a good question, and unfortunately, there's not a very good answer. You know,
we're very much in the dark about specifically what has been going on to lead the United States to pull its strategic bomber force so suddenly out
of RAF Fairford, which is a long-standing U.S. military base, which they use as a sort of forward operating base, if you like, so they can carry out
strikes in places like the Middle East. This airbase was central in the U.S. attacks on Iran's nuclear infrastructure earlier in the year. Since
then, it's been used less, but nevertheless, an important forward operating base for U.S. military assets.
The British military of defense are not commenting, so they don't comment on the operations or the capabilities of other nations. So, staying very
tight-lipped. But on local media here in the BBC and places like that, there have been reports that these jets, these warplanes, were scrambled in
a hurry as a result of a new threat, and U.S. officials have told us there was a real-world incident at play when these jets, when these warplanes,
these bombers were scrambled.
Even before there had been time for the strategic tankers needed to refuel these bombers on their way back to the United States, had got into the air.
And so, it gives us a sense that there was something immediately urgent at play when these bombers took off.
That, though, has been played down by the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He's basically not ruled it out, but he said, look, you know -- you
know, there was a rotation of planes. It could be something to do with that. It's not said one way or the other, and certainly the conflict in
Iran doesn't seem to be required to use this kind of weaponry so much as it did in previous months. So, it may be maybe part of a planned rotation as
well.
But the impression we have been given by U.S. officials and others is that this was an unexpected redeployment and a very quick redeployment from this
RAF Fairford base in Gloucestershire in Britain, with their warplanes going back to the United States. So, a lot of mystery shrouding it, Becky.
ANDERSON: More as we get it into CNN. Matthew, stay with me because I want to turn now to an escalating conflict here in the Middle East, and what the
Yemeni army is calling a, "Battle for liberation." Its new offensive against the Iran-lined Houthi rebels. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAJID AL- NUZAILI, SPOKESPERSON, YEMENI ARMED FORCES (through translator): This decisive battle aims to reclaim all state territories, establish full
national sovereignty, and end all manifestations of the brutal coup in areas of our country forcefully controlled by the Houthi militia, which has
harmed the unified social fabric, violated established tribal customs, and extended its damage beyond Yemen to its regional and international
surroundings.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[10:05:07]
ANDERSON: Well, Yemeni forces are responding to the Houthis' lightning offensive last month that captured much of the country's Red Sea coast,
giving them control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which is of course this key choke point for oil tankers and other shipping to the sort of southwest
of Saudi Arabia. Both sides reporting weekend attacks. The new phase of fighting has already forced tens of thousands of people from their homes,
raising fears that one of the world's most challenging humanitarian crises, that of Yemen, will get even worse.
Matthew, you've been tracking developments in this story for us. You were recently in Saudi Arabia as fighting between Yemen's Houthi rebels and
Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces was intensifying. What do you make of this latest move?
CHANCE: Yes. Well, first of all, it's very distressing to see those images of airstrikes in in Yemen, in the Houthi-controlled areas, in particular,
and there's been a huge flow of refugees coming out across the Red Sea in camps in the region as well, as a result of the upsurge in fighting.
But look, I mean, Saudi Arabia, and you're right, I was there not long ago, last week, is in a situation where it feels it's being pinched from both
sides, the Iran war earlier in the year cut off many of its exports of oil from the Strait of Hormuz. Remember, Saudi Arabia is the world's biggest
oil exporter and is fundamental to the global economy.
Also, with the Houthis' lightning advance in recent weeks as well along the Red Sea coast, it means that their shipping through the mouth of the Red
Sea, through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, has also been threatened and cut off as well.
And so, the sense you got in Saudi Arabia is that they had no choice but to double down on military action and try and push back the Houthi advance.
Obviously, using the internationally recognized Yemeni government as a sort of proxy force to do that, and that indeed seems what they're trying to do
to alleviate pressure on their exports and to push back some of these Iranian-backed Houthis from the advances they've recently made.
What the Saudis really want, Becky, is for the United States to get involved and to use its massive military power to intervene on their behalf
and pound the Houthis and get them out of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and free up those trade routes, but, you know, for various reasons that's a red line
at the moment that President Trump isn't willing to cross.
ANDERSON: Good to have you, thank you for that. I want to press on with this story. My next guest writes on X, and I quote here: The Yemeni
government's announcement of a military offensive to retake Houthi- controlled territory is significant, but for now it remains just that-an announcement. The real test is whether it is followed by concrete political
and military steps capable of shifting the balance on the ground, and that starts with the anti-Houthi coalition getting its own house in order,
unifying command, coordinating forces, resolving competing agendas, and agreeing on what comes after any territorial gains.
Well, Hisham Al-Omeisy is a conflict analyst and senior Yemen adviser at the European Institute of Peace. He was also information resources director
at the U.S. Mission to Yemen some time ago, and joins me from Washington.
So, let's just start with that recent post. I mean, just explain what do concrete political and military steps actually look like to your mind, and
do the Yemeni armed forces have the capability?
HISHAM AL-OMEISY, SENIOR YEMEN ADVISER, EUROPEAN INSTITUTE OF PEACE: Not yet, Becky. The fact is that I've asked a lot of people to curb their
enthusiasm and start to manage expectations, and partly because the anti- Houthi coalition camp remains to be fragmented, they need to unify their command centers. They need to resolve the issues that they have between the
various factions within the group.
This is partly why Hudaydah fell in the first place, why Taiz just fell yesterday, because of these competing agendas, which the Houthis are really
good at exploiting, and territorial gains that they've made the Yemeni government in the past few hours and Bab el-Mandeb would mean nothing if
the Yemeni government cannot maintain control of those areas and pushing forward to the north.
You have to remember, Houthis managed to launch a lot of attacks in the Red Sea and stopped a lot of ships even before taking control of Bab el-Mandeb.
So even say the Yemeni government controls Mocha and Bab el-Mandeb and the better part of the west coast areas, Houthis are still manage -- they can
still launch ballistic missiles and drones from the mountains of Taiz inwards through the mountainous regions.
[10:10:09]
So, the Yemeni government needs to dislodge the Houthis from a lot more territories than just Bab el-Mandeb to curb that threat, and that would
require a lot of organization -- a lot of organization, a lot of backing from the Saudis, also from regional powers. It also requires a lot of
funding, a lot of munitions, a lot of pipelines of logistics that needs to be established for a sustained campaign to annul the Houthi threat.
ANDERSON: The chairman of the Yemen Presidential Leadership Council, who's the effective head of Yemen's governing body, a man by the name of Rashad
al-Alimi, has said that the decision was based on National Defense Council decisions and came. And I quote him here: after completing the necessary
procedures and measures, you say that wording here matters, again, just expand on that for us.
AL-OMEISY: Well, gladly. One of the things the Yemeni government has suffered from over the past few years is legitimacy. They wanted to expand
their local footprint and local backing of the various political factions, tribal factions, community leaders, and when he used the National Defense
Council, he wanted to establish that kind of authority that it was not a unilateral decision by him, that it was a consensus based on the
intelligence and the military community in Yemen to give it this aura of state authority, so that this is a campaign backed by all these various
groups in Yemen that, in the past, and it's not a secret, have been fighting, have had competing agendas. By citing the NDC, he's basically
saying this is a unified decision that has been arrived at with a consensus from all these factions.
And this wording matters because he wants to give that legitimacy, gives the action legitimacy, especially when he needs mobilization of troops and
tribal forces on the ground to back the offensive to retake territories from the Houthis.
ANDERSON: Can I just ask you where you believe the current thinking is with regard Riyadh in all of this, Saudi Arabia backing this operation to gain
control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and they've been taking incoming fire, of course, from the Houthis and not least on their oil infrastructure
and in Riyadh. If they manage to secure that strait, will this operation continue in the rest of the country? I guess I'm asking, what you expect
Saudi support for this action to be?
AL-OMEISY: That's actually an excellent question and a question that has been troubling a lot of people. Is this operation just to raise morale and
just capture Bab el-Mandeb, or they will push further into other areas. The Houthis need to be dislodged from the heartland of Yemen, not just those
territories. To secure Saudi border, of course, also they need to capture strongholds in the northern part of the country, which the Houthis are of
control of.
So, the appetite for the Saudis is it just to make gains to have leverage in upcoming negotiations, which has been the scenario over the past 15
years, on and off, or is it to completely dislodge the Houthis from all territories?
That one, the other one, the second one, is going to be quite the ambitious endeavor, and it will require a longer period of time and a lot of
resources. I mean, I quite honestly don't think the Saudis have the appetite for it, especially without being backed by the United States and
other countries.
So, for now, what is more likely is they will take --
ANDERSON: Let's about the potential gap. Go on.
AL-OMEISY: Yes, they will take the territories in the Red Sea.
ANDERSON: I'm sorry, I jumped in because very seamlessly I wanted to ask you about U.S. -- yes, sorry, you and I are struggling because of the delay
on the sound here.
What about potential U.S. support for any action at this point? We haven't seen it to date. I'm told that there's been intel support, but do you
expect U.S. support to be extended outside of that?
AL-OMEISY: I doubt it. We're heading towards the midterms. The U.S. administration has established a red line that no significant action will
be made before November. They'll probably provide logistical support, intelligence support. But the Saudis need a lot more than just that,
especially if they want to capture territories beyond the Red Sea coast. The Saudis need also support from Turkey, from Pakistan, hence why they
established that defense pact.
[10:15:04]
But Pakistani and Turkey support, I don't think, will extend into the territories of Yemen because foreign boots on the ground will garner very
negative reactions, which the Houthis will in turn use to mobilize people on the internal front of Yemen to fend against a foreign invasion or what
they call it. So, it will be counterproductive.
ANDERSON: And we do expect to get more detail on that sort of Mecca Pact, the involvement of Turkey and Pakistan in support of any sort of Saudi
action. We expect to hear more on that this week.
Finally, I have to ask what your assessment of any Iranian involvement or support by Iran for Yemen's Houthis is at present.
AL-OMEISY: It's quite massive, actually. You have to remember, Houthis are the last standing proxy for Iran. They've lost Hezbollah. They've lost
Assad. So, they've channeled all their remaining resources towards the Houthis, and the Houthis also, while making use of those resources, Iranian
resources, and support. They've also expanded their pipelines to get additional resources from China.
So, while the Iranian pipeline is significant and it's increasingly massive, the Houthis have also outsourced from other areas drones,
components, missile components, weapons, they're pragmatic that way, and they'll continue to do that.
Remember, you have to remember that they also establish relationships across the Red Sea with the Shabab in Somalia, which is an AQA group, and
they'll continue to do that with other groups as well as they build that base to recapture the remaining of Yemen and continue to threaten Saudi
Arabia.
ANDERSON: Hisham, good to have you. This is a developing story. We will continue to report on it as when we get more. Thank you very much indeed.
Well, the war with Iran looming large over the U.S. midterm elections, high gas prices adding to voter concerns about the cost of living. Of course,
Republicans now having to fight in states that Donald Trump won comfortably just two years ago, as Democrats see a path to winning back control of
Congress. Here's what some Trump supporters in Ohio said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need to have a more prudent foreign policy. That we do need to focus a little bit more on America. That the Iran war has
probably gone on a little too long. This probably shouldn't even started.
I'm a veteran. My husband, he's in the Air National Guard, so I don't really approve of any unnecessary wars.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not for invading all these countries, and I'm not for all that. But he's our president. He's who's appointed to, I said I'm
going to support him as leader.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, the Senate race in Iowa is being seen as a microcosm of all the issues at hand. Very much Trump territory. New polling shows no clear
front runner. My colleague Jeff Zeleny visited Iowa to speak with the Republican nominee Ashley Hinson. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Congresswoman, how are you? Good to see you.
REP. ASHLEY HINSON (R), IOWA SENATE CANDIDATE: Glad to have you here.
ZELENY (voice-over): We're back in Iowa to see Ashley Hinson, who's suddenly emerging as exhibit A for how Republicans are trying to thread a
delicate needle with the president here in Trump country.
ZELENY: As you know, President Trump won just two years ago here by 13 points. It was the third time he won in Iowa. How would you assess his
popularity now versus those times?
HINSON: Well, certainly, in a midterm everything narrows. And I think that's true no matter who's in the White House.
ZELENY (voice-over): It's a remarkable balancing act to watch. From loyalty in the Oval Office earlier this week --
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You're doing a fantastic job.
HINSON: We're working hard and I appreciate your agenda.
ZELENY (voice-over): -- to creating some distance back home in Iowa.
HINSON: I've called for an immediate and successful end to the war in Iran so that families can get some relief at the pump and the checkout line.
ZELENY (voice-over): Yet she didn't vote that way, like two of her fellow Iowa Republicans in congress who switched their votes to help pass a
resolution directing the president to end the war.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, two, three.
ZELENY (voice-over): But even at her own campaign stop in Waterloo.
HINSON: There you go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
ZELENY (voice-over): She saw that speaking out against an unpopular war can be unpopular with some Republicans.
VOTER 1: Just saying stop and just walking away is not the answer.
HINSON: No, successful ending.
VOTER 2: When you stop, it almost sounds like --
HINSON: A successful end.
ZELENY (voice-over): In the final month of the race, Republicans are on a red state rescue mission, pouring $20 million more in Hinson ads this week,
which could bring the Iowa tally to more than $100 million, with far bigger investments in Ohio and Texas.
ZELENY: Why is this race so difficult?
HINSON: I don't think it's difficult. I'm out there in all 99 counties. I run every race the same. So, for me, it's always been going out and earning
every vote and running like I'm ten points behind, which I don't think I am. I think I'm going to win on November 3rd.
[10:20:14]
ZELENY: I mean, you were saying that same thing two months ago, running like you're 10 points behind. But now, some Republicans actually are
concerned you may be. And the Senate Leadership Fund is, you know, invested $20 million more dollars this week.
HINSON: When I talk about issues that are affecting families, we do need to bring prices down. We need to figure out how we provide relief to working
families.
ZELENY (voice-over): She's locked in a tight race with Josh Turek, a Democratic state lawmaker and two-time gold medal Paralympian. We met
earlier this year.
JOSH TUREK (D), IOWA SENATE CANDIDATE: Seat number 51, it's right here. It's Iowa, and this isn't pie in the sky.
ZELENY (voice-over): A year ago, Hinson tightly embraced Trump as she launched her senate campaign.
HINSON: I am running to be President Trump's top ally in the United States Senate.
ZELENY (voice-over): But her tone has steadily shifted.
HINSON: I have a record of delivering that shows that I don't care about party labels.
ZELENY (voice-over): Now, airing TV ads stressing bipartisanship.
HINSON: Working across the aisle isn't always easy, but it's how you get results.
ZELENY: How do you square that?
HINSON: Yeah, I am a bipartisan fighter and nothing changes about who's in the white house or who has the gavel. I'm still going to operate that way.
I think you can agree with somebody, or you can be a thorn in their side and always do what's right for your state. And that's what --
ZELENY: Have you gone too MAGA?
HINSON: Huh?
ZELENY: Have you gone too MAGA?
HINSON: I think I am pro-Iowa and I'm pro-American, and that's what I will always support.
ZELENY: In the final month of this campaign, Republicans are trying to defend their own turf. Democrats are trying to pick up four seats to win
control of the U.S. Senate.
It is clear the battle for the balance of power in Washington runs straight through Trump country.
Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Des Moines.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: CONNECT THE WORLD. Still to come, a mysterious death in Siberia is triggering a scramble to prevent a disease outbreak. What we know is
just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, the World Health Organization is in contact with Russian officials. We're told after a researcher at a lab in Siberia that studies
the plague died of a mysterious illness. The 28-year-old scientist was diagnosed with pneumonia of an unknown origin, according to Russia's Agency
for Infectious Diseases, and a local official suggests that the victim may have died of the plague. But the agency is downplaying any link between her
death and her place of work. Unofficial reports say nearly 200 people are now under observation.
William Schaffner is a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University. Joining me now from Nashville, Tennessee. Good to have you on
board, sir. Thanks for joining us.
First, what do you make of the incident from what you have read and what has been reported, this deceased woman had been diagnosed with a pneumonia
of unknown origin, which is of course not necessarily the plague, correct?
[10:25:05]
WILLIAM SCHAFFNER, PROFESSOR OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY: Yes, that's correct, Becky. We still need more information about the
illness that carried this laboratory technician, this investigator away. They were working in a plague laboratory. So obviously, the plague
bacteria, causing which can cause pneumonia, particularly if there is a laboratory accident, is under suspicion as the cause, and we still need a
lot more information about the infection prevention, the infection control activities that should have been in place in order to actually prevent such
an infection to keep the technicians healthy.
But nonetheless, in the meantime, the contacts of that person are basically in quarantine at the moment, are being monitored carefully, and should they
become ill, fortunately, we have antibiotics that can treat this infection if we get it early.
ANDERSON: I'm sure there will be viewers wondering why, and so it's a question I should be putting to you: why it is that there is a lab in
Siberia on the border with Mongolia, or certainly you know as far out as that, looking into the plague?
SCHAFFNER: Well, investigators want to know more information about any pathogen, any germ that can cause illness, with the interest of treating it
better and potentially preventing it.
It may be located there because plague continues to occur in that part of the world and in Africa, and indeed we even have a few cases in the United
States in the desert Southwest each year.
So, plague continues to be a matter of international interest, and so, and a number of investigators around the world are working with plague.
ANDERSON: Important stuff, William. Thank you for that.
The Russian agency that handles infectious disease has downplayed a link to the victim's work, saying, and I -- and I quote here: No microorganisms
associated with the employee's professional duties were detected in samples taken from the patient.
Again, what do you read into that? And there will be concerns that there is a lack of transparency here. If there are really no microorganisms from her
professional duties associated with her death, doesn't that actually, to a degree, deepen the mystery and the concern?
SCHAFFNER: Well, it does deepen the mystery. But let's put this into perspective. People develop pneumonia all over the world, including in the
United States, and we don't always identify the germ that causes the pneumonia. There are some challenges with that clinically. And this could
potentially have just been a background case of pneumonia rather than a laboratory-associated plague infection.
But nonetheless, they are dealing with it as though it might have been plague, which is very important, because even if it is plague, I think the
public health authorities in Russia will confine this, and it will be a very limited public health event.
ANDERSON: So, in an effort to ensure sort of people feeling confident about transparency of information here, what do you hope to hear next as an
expert?
SCHAFFNER: Well, I think we would all like to hear much more information as the information becomes available. What was indeed, if we know the cause of
death in this woman, I think it is very likely that she will have a postmortem examination and autopsy, which ought to give us a much better
idea of what the events were that caused her pneumonia and her demise.
ANDERSON: Thank you very much indeed. An important story.
Well, still to come, a mega media merger for CNN's parent company set to take place tomorrow, and a major leadership question has just been
answered. More on that after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:32:13]
ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD from our Middle East programming headquarters.
These are your headlines this hour: Israeli sources say the co-pilot accused of trying to hijack a Flydubai plane bound for Israel probably
acted alone.
The sources note that this is an initial assessment, which could change as the investigation continues. That investigation is ongoing here in the UAE.
The suspect reportedly was removed from his previous job over concerns of extremism.
Well, the United States military has withdrawn its long-range bombers from a British airbase after an unspecified new threat, according to a U.S.
official. This comes just a week or so after a number of people were arrested in connection with an alleged Iranian plot targeting that very
base.
An investigation is underway in Japan after an American Marine was arrested on suspicion of murder and robbery after a woman's body was found in an
Okinawa hotel room.
Police tell CNN, 39-year-old Anna Yagi died after being strangled. The case has sparked outrage across Japan, with the local governor saying U.S.
efforts to maintain discipline among its troops stationed there are "completely ineffective". The Marine has denied the allegations.
Mark Thompson will remain as CNN's chairman after a merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN's parent company, that is set to
take place tomorrow.
In a memo to CNN staff a short time ago, Thompson wrote, and I quote here in part: "I have real confidence that Paramount Skydance's leadership both
understand and will fully support the principle and practice of the kind of independent news that CNN has always stood for. That is why I will be
leading CNN into this new chapter."
CNN's chief media analyst Brian Stelter has been following this story. He joins us now live.
So, we know who our boss will be going for, which is always not a bad thing. What does this move, though, signal about the Skydance's team
confidence in CNN leadership?
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Yes, this shows Skydance opting for stability, rather than shaking things up on day one, sticking with Mark
Thompson, who is been running this proverbial ship for the past three years.
And frankly, there is been a palpable sense of relief among journalists at CNN today because, yes, look, I know we are here on CNN's air talking about
this, but we are really talking about one of the biggest news outlets in the world.
And so, the consequences of CNN and who owns CNN matter much more broadly for that reason, and when Paramount won control of Warner in that bidding
war back in February, there were serious concerns about what it might mean for CNN.
[10:35:01]
There were questions about Larry Ellison and his private conversations with President Trump. There were controversies about David Ellison and his
hiring of Bari Weiss at CBS News, and there were apprehensions about the financing from Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds. So, many reasons for
concern and uncertainty about CNN's future.
The fact that David Ellison has retained Mark Thompson, kept him in the chair, that is a sign of stability for this digitalization moving forward.
And here is more of what Thompson wrote in that memo. He said, "I am convinced that from David Ellison on down, Paramount Skydance leadership
really does believe in news alongside entertainment as a top strategic opportunity for our new company. They have seen our digital strategy and
are as excited about it as we are."
And that's an interesting line there, because one of the big questions now going forward is, of course, about editorial independence, and then beyond
that, about the business strategy.
Will CNN and CBS News be merged in the U.S.? Will there be cost savings from that? And even more importantly, perhaps, will there be a continued
effort to grow the digital subscription businesses that networks like CNN need in order to offset declines in other areas of the business.
So, Thompson signaling that he believes Skydance will have his back in that regard going forward.
ANDERSON: And as you rightly point out, editorial independence a key sticking point in getting this merger approved by governments, an
independent board. The answer to that offered by David Ellison. Does this guarantee that editorial independence, or what is the oversight at this
point?
STELTER: Right now, we don't know how that board is going to be constructed, and Skydance has not yet appointed the five members. There
will be five people who will sit on that board, and they'll be able to resolve disputes and issue editorial principles both at CNN and CBS News.
Now, this is a government-mandated board, basically court-mandated in the U.S. I am skeptical of it. I know many people are skeptical of how
effective it will be, but that has remains to be seen, because it has not been set up yet.
But Thompson wrote in his memo today that he will lead CNN as "independent editor in chief with the same responsibilities and prerogatives that I have
now."
That was important to Thompson when he came on board in 2023. He wanted that editor in chief title to signify that he was ultimately responsible
for the content, and that the parent company could not interfere.
So, this has been an issue in the past with past owners of CNN. It will be tested again now. But so far at least, the Ellison family saying and doing
the right things, and we will watch for that to actually be implemented over time.
ANDERSON: And very briefly, then, CNN and CBS, both under the same organization or, you know, owned by the same organization, will act
independently as independent brands. Is that clear at this point?
STELTER: For now, that's right. I do expect there will be efforts to bring them closer together over time, but there had, frankly, been concerns in
the media world for six months about Bari Weiss maybe taking over at CNN, and that's not happening here at the start of this new merged company. She
will remain just on the CBS News side of the house.
To me, this is a recognition by David Ellison that he needs CNN to be stable and profitable. He actually needs the profits from these channels in
order to pay down the tremendous debt that this new company will have.
ANDERSON: Going to be fascinating times not just for us internally, but for the sort of, you know, the wider media landscape going forward. After all,
this is a mega media merger. They don't get much bigger than this across this sort of film, media, and entertainment world.
(CROSSTALK)
STELTER: That's right.
ANDERSON: And that includes, of course, the news brands of CBS and CNN.
Good to have you, Brian, and thank you for all your reporting on this. You have been straight down the middle, mate, and that's been fantastic to
have.
Thank you, as you would expect from Brian Stelter.
Brazil's presidential race will go to a runoff later this month. Neither of the top two candidates secured 50 percent of the vote in Sunday's general
election. Right-wing Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, recognize that name, won 47 percent of the vote just days ago.
Polls showed that he was trailing sitting President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the leftist incumbent seeking his fourth non-consecutive term in
office, he took second place with just shy of 45 percent of the vote.
CNN's Cecilia Dominguez has the very latest.
Flavio Bolsonaro, then, who is the son of the former president of Brazil, actually outperforming his father's first-round showing from 2022. What
does that tell us about the strength of the Bolsonaro movement at this point?
CECILIA DOMINGUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, Becky, Brazil finally heads to a runoff election in 20 days, and Flavio Bolsonaro from the Liberal Party
came in first this Sunday. And in the end, the final difference between Bolsonaro and Lula was just under two percent.
[10:40:06]
And that close result was pretty much what the polls had predicted. They were showing a very tight race with the latest polls pointing to a
technical tie.
Bolsonaro was actually in second place, as you said, in those polls. But he ended up doing much better than expected and came in first. And the result
was also reflected in Bolsonaro's speech after the count was over. He said he was very happy. He called it the end of the Workers' Party era, and said
he would put Brazil back at the center of the stage.
Lula also spoke and made it clear that the campaign is already started again today. And now, Becky, that's really what the next 20 days will be
about.
Doing the math and figuring out where these two candidates can find more votes, because Lula needs to make up the difference and Bolsonaro needs to
hold on to his lead, and if possible, make it bigger.
And there are two numbers that could be especially important in that race. First, the candidates who were eliminated got a combined 7.8 percent of the
valid votes. Most of them are from the center-right and the right. So, now, the question is, who will they support, and more importantly, where will
those votes go?
And the other number, Becky, is abstention, because more than 21 percent of voters did not go to the polls on Sunday, and that could also make a
difference in such a close race.
You were asking about the strength of the Bolsonaro movement. I think, Becky, Jair Bolsonaro is not on the ballot. But the Bolsonaro movement in
Brazil is still very, very strong. And it shows that there is still a strong conservative electorate behind the movement, and that Flavio, his
son, was able to expand that support beyond his traditional base.
ANDERSON: Fascinating. Well, we will continue to monitor this, and more, of course, to come as we get that runoff. Good to have you. Thank you very
much indeed, Cecilia.
Well, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has called a snap election for next month, sparked by mass protests over the country's housing crisis.
Well, that announcement comes just days after the right-wing parties sank his government's emergency legislation, which was aimed at tackling
evictions and what are skyrocketing rents in the country.
The main Spanish opposition leader urging voters to opt for change, but the prime minister says this is a time for voters to decide the country's
future carefully.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PEDRO SANCHEZ, PRIME MINISTER OF SPAIN (through translator): You, the people of Spain, must decide what role you wish to play in it, and also
what role you want Spain to play in it. Whether you wish to join that far- right wave that leads to regression wherever it governs, or whether you want Spain to remain a bastion of openness, social justice, and
environmental responsibility.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: All right, that is the Spanish prime minister speaking there earlier. Coming up, tensions soar around Cornell University, where there
are new allegations of lost evidence in the case of an alleged gang rape. More after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:45:43]
ANDERSON: A shadow of scrutiny and doubt hanging over Cornell University in upstate New York. The Ivy League school is facing growing calls for
accountability over renewed allegations of gang rape at a campus fraternity.
New York's governor has called the original handling of the case horrifying, reopening a criminal investigation.
Well, President Trump has suggested the seven men accused will not -- excuse me, be treated fairly by New York's attorney general. Here is how
the attorney for the accuser, known only has Jane Doe responded on CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THOMAS GIUFFRA, ATTORNEY FOR JANE DOE: I don't think this is a political issue. I think, there are women from red states and blue states who are
getting assaulted on college campuses. I think, to politicize something like this is just wrong. There are Republicans whose daughters are getting
assaulted. There are Democrats whose daughters are getting assaulted.
It has nothing to do with politics.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, tensions on campus have been growing since Jane Doe's lawsuit was filed and the investigation reopened. Hundreds of people
gathered on Sunday to protest Cornell's handling of the case. Many students expressing their disappointment and saying their trust in the university is
lost.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AVA FARKASH, STUDENT, CORNELL UNIVERSITY: I don't feel like anything new was said that we didn't already feel or expect them to say. They are
basically just saying, like, we want to foster a place where sexual assault is not tolerated and where victims feel safe to come forward. It was
already supposed to be that, anyways. This is nothing. This is nothing new.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, U.S. national correspondent Jason Carroll joining us from New York.
And you have been listening to what we've been hearing from campers. You are also learning more about the handling of the evidence in this original
investigation. Just fill us in.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, of course, Becky.
I mean, as you know, there is been a great deal of criticism coming from the Cornell community about how this investigation was handled, asking for
more transparency in the investigation.
In terms of that transparency, much has come in the way of news leaks about what investigators have found. Now, this latest news thread comes from ABC
News, which is reporting that they have obtained what they say is a phone call between the Jane Doe and one of the Chi Phi fraternity members that
took place three weeks after she was -- this investigation started to take place. It was recorded secretly, or according to ABC News.
And according to some of the excerpts from that conversation, Becky, I'm just going to read just a few of them. Apparently, Jane Doe told this
fraternity member, this is the fraternity member who invited her to the Chi Phi house. "There is so much damage on my body and brain."
Also, apparently, saying at one point, "If I wanted to take this somewhere, what you all did would be classified as gang rape. You already knew when I
came in; I was 10 shots deep."
10 shots deep, referring to the amount of alcohol that she had allegedly consumed that night, in addition to being given the drug ketamine and
marijuana. So, this is just part of the evidence that, you know, folks out there in the Cornell community say they've been asking for more
transparency.
When it comes to evidence, though, Becky, I should also point out that Jane Doe's attorney feels as though much evidence in this case may have been
lost. He is referring to phone records, which he says that allegedly the night of this alleged attack, that some of the fraternity members may have
taken pictures of Jane Doe on that night. He believes that there may be cell phone evidence of that.
CNN has learned that early on in the investigation, Cornell police, which has also come under criticism, drafted letters to some of these phone
carriers, asking them to preserve all available data in connection with this case.
[10:50:05]
It's unclear if those drafts were ever sent.
But I want you to listen to Jane Doe's defense attorney in terms of what he had to say about evidence and evidence that might be gone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIUFFRA: I'm confident, knowing this day and age and the group that we are dealing with, that there were other photos, there were videos. And you know
where I think those photos and videos are now? I think, they are in the bottom of Lake Cuyahoga, because once they knew there was a problem, they
cleared everything out and they got rid of it.
And the fact is that the investigators let that happen. They let that happen. We would have a lot more evidence. And frankly, I don't -- I'm not
even sure we have everybody who participated in this assault, because my client was blacked out during periods of time, and that's reported in these
statements.
We don't even know the people we have or the people we definitively know. If you ask me, I believe there were more.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: And Becky, one of the attorneys representing one of the Chi Phi members has grave concerns about the special prosecutor charged with
overseeing this case, Letitia James, because of a Facebook post that she posted before she was appointed, saying this of the -- about Jane Doe, "we
stand with you." And, of course, now, he is questioning how she could have made that type of statement and still remain objective. Becky.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you, Jason. Thank you very much indeed.
All right, it is 10 to 7:00 here in the UAE. I'm Becky Anderson from our Middle East Broadcasting headquarters with CONNECT THE WORLD. More news
ahead. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Europe may have a potato problem after this summer's drought and heat waves. My colleague, Anna Stewart visited a chip shop in London to
find out what that means for the future of chips or French fries, if that's how you describe them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's lunchtime at the Friars Delight, and the fryers are delightfully busy.
JOAO MAGALHAES, MANAGER, FRYERS DELIT: Lift it.
STEWART: Oh, makes -- it's really heavy.
MAGALHAES: Yes.
STEWART: There is a lot of potatoes.
MAGALHAES: Yes.
STEWART: All right, that was my job done. Whoa!
Well, that's kind of simple. That's the kind of cooking I could do.
STEWART (voice over): The business isn't so simple. Joao's been running this chippy for 36 years, and not for the first time, he is feeling under
pressure with costs rising.
MAGALHAES: Just the price of the fish, price of the oil.
STEWART: Price of the oil, price of the fish.
MAGALHAES: Yes, and the potatoes as well.
STEWART: And the potatoes.
MAGALHAES: Yes.
STEWART (voice over): Potatoes will likely get even more expensive.
CRAIG ELLIOTT, MARKET ANALYST, EXPANS: Last year we had a market that was characterized by pretty heavy oversupply.
STEWART: So, too many potatoes last year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Too many potatoes last year, which weighed heavily on prices.
Heading into this year, growers reduced their acreage, and then, we had a series of heat waves, which has possibly resulted in a pretty massive crop
loss.
STEWART: So, this is an average potato that I got from downstairs.
ELLIOTT: Yes.
STEWART: Are we less likely to see that as being for sort of normal size?
ELLIOTT: Market sentiment is that we are going to have smaller products this year. Yes.
STEWART: Because this makes a beautiful big chip.
ELLIOTT: Sure does, yes.
STEWART (voice over): 3.5 million metric tons of potatoes could be lost this year across Europe and the U.K., according to the Energy and Climate
Intelligence Unit.
Joao gets through six sacks of potatoes on a busy day, around 150 kgs, and they all need to be washed, peeled, look at that, and chopped.
[10:55:11]
STEWART: How are you going to feel if the potatoes are getting smaller? How are you feel if your chips are short? You might end up with little tiny
chips.
MAGALHAES: Most fishing chips use fish and chips. It's small chips anyway. I like these ones because it's more, you know, it's -- when you -- when you
eat them, you can feel the potatoes crisp outside, inside soft. Yes?
But if you have an alternative, what you can do?
STEWART: Let's serve that single chips too.
STEWART (voice over): For now, this hardworking chippy is absorbing increased costs, but the spud squeeze is to come as this year's harvest
comes to an end.
STEWART: The chips aren't just down; they could be getting pricier and on the short side.
Anna Stewart, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: That's it. It's time for me to go. Some fish and chips will be lovely tonight. And probably not going to get my proper fill here, though
in the UAE.
That's it for CONNECT THE WORLD. You can find me online @beckycnn on Instagram and X. Stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
