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Unprecedented Student Protests Are Rocking France; Spanish Lawmakers to Hold Key Vote on Housing Crisis; Yemeni Forces Attack Houthis near Bab al-Mandeb Strait; Flydubai Suspect's Likely Target Was Israel's Ben Gurion Airport; Mass Protests in Barcelona over Housing Crisis; Students Protest as Cornell Faculty Weigh No-Confidence Vote; Trump Draws Backlash after Political Rally; Plague Concerns in Russia after Lab Worker Dies. Aired 10- 11a ET

Aired October 06, 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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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Welcome to the second hour of the show from our Middle East programming headquarters here in Abu Dhabi. I'm

Becky Anderson, where the time is just after 6:00 in the evening.

And we begin with dramatic pictures out of France, thousands taking to the streets today, protesting what they say is a crisis in the country's

schools. It's the biggest day of school protests in decades, with demonstrations in Paris and other cities across France.

Today's protests are the latest escalation in weeks of demonstrations and they are turning more confrontational with arrests and clashes, as you see

here, and further reports.

At the heart of these protests are concerns over staff shortages, crowded classrooms and deteriorating school buildings, with students, teachers and

parents demanding access and action.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MANAS NADEL, FORMER PRESIDENT, UNION SYNDICATE LYCEENNE: The strategy of the government since the beginning, without giving any answer, any

political answer, any real discussion to the social movement, they are just creating violence.

And the methods used by this power to repress this movement is unknowingly violent and only -- is only -- it's only going by violence. So the violence

is, I think, created by the power itself.

MELISSA MAZOUNI, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: So we've been on the street since 5 am and so now we're collecting like trash and stuff in order to really

block the door. And so, we're doing that. We want change. We want representation (ph). We want to be heard.

OCTAVE MARTY, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: We, to them, we are young enough to be kicked, to be gassed but we are not old enough to be listened. So that's

pretty crazy. I mean, we should be listened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: All right, let's get you to Paris. And Melissa Bell standing by.

Melissa, what is the latest there?

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The latest is that this particular protest, this march, this Tuesday, in which we've seen

unions of teachers, angry parents, other public sector workers join the students' movement, looks huge.

We've had the figures from the unions that suggest there are 260,000 people on the streets of France, excluding Paris, this afternoon. The government's

figures are more like 86,000 but that is a huge turnout for one of these events.

What's happened, essentially, is that there's been an escalation in the violence, so much so that you heard it there from the students' mouths.

There are their initial demands, their demands for greater funding, classes that are fit for purpose, teachers that turn up or are replaced if they

don't.

The ability to go to class and be able to learn in good conditions. But that's been turbocharged now by this huge anger, not just from the students

now but also from the unions about that, what they describe as that police violence.

And we've seen a lot of confrontations over the course of the last week, especially between the police and the students, with hundreds of people now

wounded, amongst them police men and women, Becky, teaching staff but also students, with some of those really dramatic cases where one child has lost

the use of an eye.

The other, a hand as he tried to pick up a crowd dispersal grenade. That anger about the police response and the lack, they say, of a government

response to their demands really fueling this protest further, this Tuesday, Becky.

ANDERSON: So what can we expect from the French government yet?

You say, you know, these students demanding a response. We've seen the very sort of, you know, visible response from the police and authorities on the

streets.

What next from the government?

BELL: Well, look, there was this meeting between the education minister and the students on Friday that led to nothing. They said the government's

simply not willing to listen to them.

The problem the government has is that, even now, Becky, it's trying to balance its books for 2027 in that budget or getting them closer to being

balanced, if only to calm those jittery markets about French debt.

[10:05:00]

So at this stage, they feel they have spending cuts to make, rather than the kind of hikes that are being demanded by these students. Now the

students are saying, is that they're calling for another demonstration on Thursday to keep up the pressure.

And a 10 billion euro package of urgent money, they say that they need for the education system, Becky. So for the time being, very difficult to see

how the government defuses this or even makes some steps toward meeting demands. And no sign that this anger is going anywhere, Becky.

ANDERSON: And what impact then, Melissa, on French politics and politicians?

I mean, we are seeing a breakdown in support from a younger generation, who, you know, even from those who can't even vote yet but, you know, a

systematic kind of breakdown in how a generation feels about mainstream politics and politicians.

What is the consequence in France?

BELL: I think there's a political one that's extremely serious. We've seen, over the course of the last couple of weeks, the far left turn out so

many barricades. There is this collapse of the center parties in the polls. looking ahead to the 2027 presidential race.

It now looks set to be a fairly vicious battle between the far left and the far right, who seized upon this as growing sign of the government's

inability to keep the peace, to keep the schools running. to function, to fund itself.

So this is likely to exacerbate many of those tensions and, in fact, to put further pressure on the government as it scrambles for answers, even as it

tries to make its candidates heard in time for 2027.

ANDERSON: Yes. Melissa, good to have you. Thank you.

Melissa will continue to report from there and more, of course, as we get it.

France not the only major European country gripped by turmoil. Violent clashes between protesters and police erupted Monday night in Barcelona.

That over Spain's housing crisis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON (voice-over): Tens of thousands of people took to the streets, demanding an end to skyrocketing rents. Protests have been growing ever

since an 87-year-old woman was recently evicted from her home in Madrid. Her rent had soared from about $600 to nearly $3,000 a month. CNN's Pau

Mosquera has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After two days of deliberation, the much anticipated outcome.

PEDRO SANCHEZ, SPANISH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I have decided to convene an extraordinary cabinet meeting this very morning to dissolve

the Spanish parliament and call a general election to be held on Sunday, November 29.

MOSQUERA (voice-over): Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez cornered, forced into the decision after right-wing parties in parliament struck down

a last ditch effort on Friday to tackle the country's housing emergency.

The face of that crisis is Maria del Carmen Abascal or just Maricarmen, as she's known across Spain. An investment fund bought her flat, more than

quadrupled her rent. And at 87, Maricarmen was kicked out from the place she called home for more than 70 years.

For many, after years of price hikes and rent rises, that was the final straw. Sanchez is hoping to capitalize on the anger and frustration over a

housing crisis, the measures he tried to pass and the economy where his party has done well.

That would shift the gaze away from the corruption scandals that have plagued some of his close allies.

And migration, which exploded this summer when thousands streamed across the border in Spain's northern Africa exclave of Ceuta. But it's still a

gamble. He trails the center right popular party in opinion polls.

ALBERTO NUNEZ FEIJOO (through translator): Finally. Finally, Spain will speak its mind.

MOSQUERA (voice-over): And one crisis after another has left the far- right Vox party as potential kingmakers.

SANTIAGO ABASCAL, LEADER OF VOX PARTY (through translator): We must reverse the migrant influx, which is having so many negative consequences

for Spaniards' parties.

MOSQUERA: But for those who have been camping here at the heart of Madrid, it's been a bit of a mixed feeling. Some do like Sanchez, others would

prefer a new leadership.

But what everyone really wants is a quick solution to housing emergency.

[10:10:00]

And with this election, that feels a long way off -- Pau Mosquera, CNN, Madrid.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Still to come, Yemeni troops celebrating what the Yemen government says is a successful move to retake

territory in the country, captured by Iran-backed Houthi forces.

What the Houthis are saying about that and the wider impact of what is or has certainly been an escalating conflict.

And later, could near disaster, bring two nations closer together?

We look at some tentative, positive signs from Israel and the UAE.

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ANDERSON: Yemeni government forces are reporting significant gains as they move to reclaim territory taken by Houthis in recent fighting. Video

released by Yemen's military shows Saudi-backed government forces rolling through territory near the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait.

That is that vital chokepoint for oil tankers and other vessels in the Red Sea. A spokesperson says they reclaimed the strait and control of a key

roadway. A Houthi-run news agency denying those government troops are advancing.

Joining me now from Washington is Firas Maksad, managing director for the Middle East at Eurasia Group and friend of this show.

I want to provide some context as to what is going on and why it is so important.

Firstly, what is your take on what we've seen over the past 48 hours, Firas?

FIRAS MAKSAD, MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA MANAGING DIRECTOR, EURASIA GROUP: Good to be back on the show.

It is early hours in what is expected, Becky, to be a multi-front, multi- phase campaign. It seems that the Saudi backed government forces have prepared and packed a punch.

They are making progress, pushing further north, first taking the crucial areas right around the Bab-el-Mandeb, that strategic waterway for global

shipping, and then pushing further north toward Mocha.

Unclear from the reporting right now if whether they've retaken Mocha city itself or they're approaching the vicinity. The key here is that the

Iranian-backed axis, which these Houthi rebels in Yemen are part of, has overplayed its hand.

It's clearly not acceptable, not by the United States and not by other forces in the region, that Iran is going to get to control that strategic

waterway, Bab-el-Mandeb, at the edge of -- the southern edge of the Red Sea, together with its attempts to continue threatened shipping in the

Strait of Hormuz.

So a U.S.-backed, Saudi-backed offensive on the ground in Yemen, early days. But so far (INAUDIBLE) --

Yes, Nadia (ph).

[10:15:05]

ANDERSON: These Saudi-backed government forces in this fight against the Houthis, who, of course, are backed by the kingdom, have been, you know, is

a -- is an important point here.

The kingdom, of course, faces a massive threat from Yemen's Houthis. The kingdom has warned that group, don't push us. You won't like how we

respond.

I wonder if you can just explain what we believe the extent of Saudi's involvement is here. And reports that Saudi has made a number of requests

to the United States for support in this fight. I know that you met the Saudi foreign minister last week while he was in Washington.

Can you just explain what we understand to be that discussion between the U.S. and Saudi about Washington's support or lack thereof at this point?

MAKSAD: Well, I actually think that Washington's role continues to be crucial, despite the fact that the U.S. is quite reticent to be involved

directly in the fighting in Yemen. You mentioned the Saudi foreign minister being in Washington last week, clearly, in an effort to coordinate here.

Saudi Arabia keen not only to be a beneficiary of U.S. battlefield intelligence, which is crucial for the Royal Saudi Air Force for its

targeting purposes, but also for the continued flow of precision guided munitions, (INAUDIBLE) and the whole litany of support that CENTCOM is

currently providing to that campaign.

Now the Saudis would like the U.S. to do more, particularly to help neutralize the ballistic missiles and missile launchers that can be

targeting vital energy infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.

And the Saudis make the case that this is not only a Saudi national interest, it's also an American national interest, to ensure that the

prices of oil do not skyrocket, therefore impacting the global economy. The U.S. economy included.

The U.S. very much still at this stage, wanting to play the support role. I think if there is a decision and if this campaign on the ground continues

to go well, there might be Saudi -- I would say U.S. support for phase two, which is pushing further north toward Hodeidah.

And the -- potentially as the Saudis and the Saudi-backed government in Yemen are stating, liberating Sanaa itself. We're still early days. We're

far from that.

But what is happening in Yemen is very much in keeping with U.S. preference, first, to have to play a supporting role so allies can do the

heavy lifting. Therefore, the meeting of the Islamic coalition in Saudi Arabia yesterday, the Mecca Defense Accord, making it very clear that they

support the kingdom.

And then the U.S., again, continuing to support, should there be a need.

ANDERSON: I just wonder, how does that agreement announced yesterday by Turkiye and Pakistan, you know, wrapped up in these sort of, you know,

Mecca Accord, on the deployment of joint forces to support Saudi Arabia, what do you make of that move, that announcement?

MAKSAD: It is part and parcel of the geopolitical changes that are now shaping the Middle East and will continue to shape the region for quite

some time to come, as that Iranian-backed axis, Houthis included, retract and creates a vacuum as its ability to project power diminishes as a result

of a weakened Iran.

We have the Islamic coalition, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, on one hand; the Abrahamic coalition, Israel and the UAE, India, Greece involved

further afield. Those are the forces shaping the region.

And as America signals to its allies that it's now looking to do less in the Middle East, as it's doing less in Europe, it's the same signal to the

Europeans. Those coalitions are going to step forward, whether it be the Abrahamic or the Islamic, as Iran and its allies continue to lose influence

and power.

ANDERSON: And we have seen the renewed support by the UAE for Riyadh when it comes to action on the ground.

What does that look like?

And how significant has that coming together of the UAE and the kingdom over the past week or two after, you know, quite a significant period when

relations have been, frankly, tested, what do you make of this renewed support that you're seeing from the UAE?

[10:20:04]

MAKSAD: A very important piece of the puzzle, the visit by the UAE vice president, together with a delegation of senior intelligence security

officials last week to Saudi Arabia before the launch of this offensive in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE don't see eye to eye on a whole host of issues. Yemen having been a flashpoint between the two, early this year, where a

Saudi-issued ultimatum had the UAE vacate its forces from Yemen.

But nonetheless, the UAE continues to play an influential role, particularly in the southern part of that country. And the forces of the

Southern Transitional Council and those allied with them can bring a lot of power to that force needed to eject the Houthis further north.

The broader strategic picture here, Becky, as the Abrahamic coalition, which the UAE is part of, and the Islamic coalition, Pakistan, Turkiye and

Saudi Arabia, as they compete in the new Middle East, there are areas of convergence.

And pushing back against an Iran and its allies, having the Houthis control a strategic waterway, is in none of their interests.

So in many ways, as far as the U.S. and U.S. interests are concerned, it's a welcome sign of the ability of these two camps to coordinate and the

ability of the Saudis and the Emiratis to at least manage their differences.

ANDERSON: Yes, and that's been, you know, not least, one hears, the result of pressure from Washington in asking these two countries to sort of, you

know, come together in support of each other at a time when this region is tested, to say the least.

You know, this is a conflicted space at this point and continues to be so. Always good to have you. Always a pleasure. Thank you as ever, for the

support that you provide as we continue to report on this region. Firas, thank you.

Investigators say that they are still trying to pinpoint a motive in the attempted hijacking of a flydubai plane last week. But they believe they

know what the suspect was intending to do.

Israeli sources say the alleged would-be hijacker of the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv likely wanted to target Israel's Ben Gurion airport. What is

absolutely clear is that the attack was thwarted, as we know, by the actions of the captain and several passengers.

All of them now hailed as heroes. Multiple investigations are ongoing in this region to figure out exactly what happened and how to avert similar

disasters in the future. And as CNN's Paula Hancocks reports on the collaboration between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An attempted hijacking meant to destroy and divide --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sit down.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): -- could end up bringing the United Arab Emirates and Israel closer together.

Israel's transportation minister met the UAE ambassador to Israel Sunday. The photo posted a clear message of cooperation. But behind the smiles,

there are increasing questions about who is ultimately responsible for security clearance of the crew.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sit down. Sit down.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): The investigation into the attack on a flydubai aircraft heading to Tel Aviv from Dubai is a joint endeavor.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: I spoke to the president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed. And he agreed that

Israel would join the interrogations.

MARC SIEVERS, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO OMAN AND MIDDLE EAST POLICY ANALYST: Well, I was tracking it on social media.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): Former U.S. ambassador to Oman and Middle East policy analyst Marc Sievers says that is key.

SIEVERS: Most countries are very eager to assert their own responsibility for investigations and not conduct them jointly with other countries. So I

think that's an indication that the Emiratis were very keen on resolving any doubts in the minds of the Israelis and being a full partner.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): Six years ago, Israel signed the historic Abraham Accords with the UAE and Bahrain normalizing relations. Other Arab and

Muslim majority countries followed.

Flights between the UAE and Israel have become symbolic of those accords. Last year alone, 1.5 million passengers flew from Tel Aviv to the UAE.

Emirati flights are among the very few that continued to fly to Israel once the war in Iran began.

During that war, Israel sent an Iron Dome air defense unit with an Israel Defense Forces team to help protect the UAE --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): -- which found itself under intense Iranian missile and drone fire.

[10:25:04]

Estimates of how many Israelis currently live in the UAE range anywhere from 500 to 3,000.

HANCOCKS: Have you ever felt unsafe here in the UAE?

HANCOCKS (voice-over): One Israeli resident tells me of her concerns following the incident. She asked for her identity to be hidden for fear of

repercussions.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I do feel safe here, probably safer than I would feel living in the U.K., for example. I do feel safe

here.

Did I have to sometimes undisclose (sic) that I'm Israeli?

Yes.

HANCOCKS: What, if anything, do you think this does to the broader relationship between the UAE and Israel?

Do you think this has an impact?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I think it will have a positive impact, to surprise you. As an Israeli, I feel like the UAE are doing their

maximum to find the answers for this incident.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): The Israeli prime minister visited the Emirati leader just days before the flydubai incident, the first such visit

admitted by the Emirati side.

SIEVERS: This one has been, you know, publicly acknowledged. And I think that's an indication that they feel comfortable with the relationship.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): A relationship that will be tested during this investigation. Serious security lapses are clear; who is to blame, less so

-- Paula Hancocks, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, still to come, Donald Trump sparks some fury after commenting that Iran could take out Los Angeles or San Diego. The latest

from the president's campaign rally after the break.

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ANDERSON (voice-over): Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD. You are more than welcome, wherever you are

watching from. These are your headlines.

Yemen's Saudi-backed military says it's taken back key territory from Houthi rebels, including control of the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. Well, this is

part of a new offensive to counter recent gains by the Iranian-backed Houthis. A Houthi run news agency denying that government troops are

advancing on them.

Well, in France, thousands of people are taking to the streets today in the biggest day of protests in decades over the country's struggling education

system.

We're watching dramatic scenes in Paris, for example, where authorities are putting out a fire that was set in the middle of the street. Protesters

have blocked hundreds of schools, demanding the government address staff shortages, crowded classrooms and deteriorating school buildings.

[10:30:00]

The demonstrations mark what is the latest escalation in weeks of student protests.

Well, a Russian researcher's death from an unknown infection has prompted quarantine for dozens. The researcher worked at an institute in Siberia

studying the plague. Russia's infectious disease agency has downplayed any link between the victim's work and her death.

The U.S. secretary of state says Russia should share more information about that incident.

ANDERSON: All right, we are watching two major European countries then gripped by turmoil this hour. In France, protesting students, teachers and

parents demanding more cash basically for schools and education.

And in Spain, violent clashes between protesters and police erupted in Barcelona, for example, today over Spain's housing crisis. Again, not a new

story.

These are live pictures from Paris. And let's just have a look at what we are seeing there. And while we look at these images, if we can bring them

in now, I want to bring in Arancha Gonzalez Laya. She is a former foreign affairs minister of Spain and a veteran diplomat.

And I do want to start, because we are seeing images out of Paris, police lined up against protesters. And this has been weeks now of protests. The

education system there, students, unions and teachers, say has faced years of overcrowding, staff shortages, declining resources.

I just wonder how deep you see that crisis in France as we look at these images today.

ARANCHA GONZALEZ LAYA, FORMER FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER OF SPAIN: -- has a lot to do with the breaking down of the social contract in the country,

much like the housing crisis in Spain or in Germany or in Italy.

As the younger generation believe that social progress is no longer assured by the institutions that govern the country and, therefore, a desire by

these young people to start demonstrating outside the normal political channels to express their desire for change.

This is what will be in the ballot in the elections that Europe will face in the super electoral cycle that will start with the Spain and that will

see France, Italy and Poland, among others, go to the polls in Europe, and where a big part will be around social justice, which is what this young

generation are demanding.

ANDERSON: You know, you are the former minister of foreign affairs for the Spanish European Union and cooperation under Pedro Sanchez. So very

specifically, I want to speak to those elections that you have just suggested are the first of what will be a series.

Sanchez has called for snap elections. His critics, perhaps his supporters will say that he is attempting to capitalize on the unrest at present. This

idea that the social welfare contract has broken down for this younger generation is not a new concept.

I mean, I'm not a young European, although I live in the UAE today. I'm born and brought up in the U.K. This social contract breaking down is not

new.

Why is it that Europe's mainstream parties haven't been able to get their arms around this and offer something new to this generation?

LAYA: Well, I think the European leaders have given a response to many of the questions that this new younger generation are putting on the table.

Let me take the example of Spain, where the government has made massive investments, whether it's in education, whether it's in policies that would

help with the inclusion of these youngsters into the labor market.

But it's true that governments in Europe, like governments around the world, are having to face consecutive crises of an incredible magnitude,

Becky.

The reality is that a lot of what we are seeing in Europe today is an affordability, has in the background an affordability question, too,

affordability that has a lot to do with increasing food and energy prices that Europe did not cause, that have a lot to do with what's happening in

the region where you are sitting but that have a global impact.

So the efforts are there but they are insufficient for the scale of magnitude that each one of our economies is facing. And this is what the

young generation are asking for: move faster, do more.

ANDERSON: Absolutely. Yep, yep.

[10:35:00]

And you're right. I mean, Europe is saddled with massive debt. It is suffering from an inflation crisis not, what, four years after COVID, when

again, you know, the inflation issue was so swingeing, rising rates and affordability crisis.

The question at this point is what you do about it though, isn't it?

I mean, these are the situations where we see perhaps, you know, understandably -- I'm not saying I agree with it but perhaps people will

understand why you see the extremes in politics, you know, coming to the fore and gaining traction, both at the extreme of the left and on the

extreme when it comes to right-wing parties.

The AfD in Germany is a classic example of that.

So what to do next?

You're a politician, you know.

What's the answer?

LAYA: We see two kinds of answers in Europe, Becky. We see the answer of those who say, let's go back to the past. It was a very happy place. Let's

go back to our little countries, our nation state. Let's renationalize competences.

Let's keep migrants out. Let's retrench between our borders, behind our borders and let's return to this happy past which we had.

And then there is another offer on the market, which is, let's look at the future. Let's be honest about the challenges that we face. Let's build this

future together. Yes, it's going to be difficult but, yes, we have the strength that we need to move forward.

In Europe, Becky, we are very sorry but we are not short of talent. We are not short of capital. We are not -- you know, we have a large market. But

it's true that it takes -- it takes, you know, a much more future-looking, appetizing offer for the young generation and build the trust.

And maybe trust, which is in a scarce commodity today, we have to start to build it by acknowledging that there are certain things that will have a

fast answer but that there are things that we will have to be patient about medium- to long-term. And that what will matter is a sense of direction.

ANDERSON: Yes, you can't build trust until you earn it. So that's a good place to start. I hear what you're saying. You know, I am -- I am very

sympathetic to, you know, the narrative.

My worry is -- and I think you will, I'm sure, likely share the concerns that what we are seeing today could be just the tip of the iceberg in

Europe if the issues aren't dealt with.

You know, we're living in a very slow growth environment in Europe. That doesn't help. But your point is very well made. It's a continent full of

talent. It is just how you garner that talent and support them through what could be difficult times with the future-facing policy for the future and

its generation.

It's good to have you. Thank you very much indeed. Appreciate your time today. Important stuff.

All right. It is 4:37 in Paris. It is 6:37 here in the UAE. We'll be back with more after this.

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[10:40:00]

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ANDERSON: All right.

To New York's Cornell University in the fallout over an alleged gang rape on campus in 2024, a wave of criticism is growing, along with a show of

dissent, on multiple fronts.

Crowds gathering for a huge campus protest Monday. Meanwhile, some faculty members have introduced a resolution for a vote of no confidence against

the university's administration.

Why?

Well, that is for its handling of the original complaint, which resurfaced with a lawsuit from a former student. CNN's Brynn Gingras is in New York.

She's following the case and she has the very latest on the investigation.

Brynn, pressure clearly growing on Cornell. We also have some stunning audio that's been coming out, apparently recorded by the accuser. So just

bring us bang up to date on what we know at this point.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we're starting to get all these trickles of information right. And it kind of just reminds you again of the

breadth of this investigation that was done and yet still wasn't turned over in certain places.

And the blame game still going on, Becky, at this point. So this audio, like you said, was recorded by Jane Doe. Her attorney confirms to us that

she recorded some conversations that she had on the phone with some of these fraternity members.

This one being released by ABC News, saying it happened three weeks after the alleged incident at the Chi Phi fraternity house in 2024. This is with

one of the fraternity brothers, Jane Doe on this call, recording it. Take a listen to this to what he said.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

WINSTON LEE, CHI PHI FRATERNITY BROTHER: I'm so sorry about all like the backlash you're getting from this, by the way. Oh, dude, I'm so sorry. No,

I'm very like, I feel so bad for you, dude.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

GINGRAS: And we're not releasing the audio of Jane Doe's response but she did say, "I was completely and totally intoxicated. And then given multiple

sedatives. And then I was surrounded by upwards of eight to 10 men. This is classified as a gang rape."

That's again, according to ABC.

And then it appears that this fraternity brother, who she recorded the call with, changes his tune about this phone call. Take a listen to what ABC

released.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

LEE: Can I, can I ask like, what's the purpose for why you decided to call me?

(END AUDIO CLIP)

GINGRAS: Again, dribs and drabs of information that are coming out. But as you said, Becky, there is more and more calls for something to be done.

We know the AG is investigating this as a criminal investigation at this point. But we also have learned that the, you know, faculty board that

oversees, you know, all the faculty members that report as a, you know, a governing body of the faculty, they have now called for a vote of no

confidence.

Apparently, 40 faculty members have signed on to this resolution and they're going to take it up at their meeting next week. There are about 75

voting members or so on this board, basically saying we don't have confidence in the way the university has handled this.

Now just to be very clear about what that could mean, they don't have control about firing the president, so to speak, that he reports to a board

of trustees but certainly puts a lot of pressure on this university to make some moves, whether it be firings or reforms or whatever it may be.

But we saw that protest yesterday with hundreds of people turning out, we expect more to happen today.

ANDERSON: Understood. Good to have you, Brynn.

GINGRAS: All right.

ANDERSON: Thank you.

All right. Well, there are -- and staying in the States, there are only four weeks left until the U.S. midterm elections. President Trump in the

middle of a multi-state blitz to rally supporters as the map of battleground states shows Democrats running strong even in what would be

considered red states, Republican states.

Speaking at a rally in -- sorry, Democrat states -- rally in Grand Island, Nebraska. Mr. Trump defended the war with Iran. He also drew criticism

after appearing to suggest that there could be strikes on a major U.S. city.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I want to see I want to see a tremendous victory. You want to see a tremendous victory because

it verifies all the things we did. And again, remember with the war, it's just artificial. It's a little bit high. It's a small price to pay for

keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe. They could take out a city. Let him take Let it Let him take out Los Angeles.

[10:45:00]

Let him take out San Diego. That's -- this is a very small price to pay and it's going to be over with very soon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, I'm joined by CNN senior politics reporter Stephen Collinson.

Let's start with those comments from the commander in chief and president, Donald Trump.

What do you make of them?

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I think it shows what happens when you put out an increasingly erratic and angry president Trump

on the campaign trail.

It's one reason why a lot of candidates on the Republican side don't seem to want him to come out and support them, along with his unpopularity.

Whatever his message was in Nebraska, supporting a Republican candidate, that's now been completely overshadowed.

I think the remarks are ambiguous enough that the White House has some reason, at least, for come out -- coming out with its response, which was

that, look, the president was clearly saying, if he didn't act, that Iran could take out American cities.

That's not currently true in terms of their capabilities. But he's creating a scenario for the future. But more fundamentally, it doesn't really matter

what the White House said he said in a political campaign. What matters is what everyone thinks he said.

And this will play into this narrative that Trump is wild and out of control. And I think there's a growing feeling of fatigue about that around

the country.

But more fundamentally, on a deeper level, I also think that this shows a president who's grasping for justifications for war that he started and

said would last a few days and has now last seven months and he doesn't seem to know how to get out of.

ANDERSON: Whilst polling can and has been, you know, in recent history, way off, I just want to concentrate for a moment for the benefit of our

viewers who aren't going to be keeping up with U.S. politics minute by minute.

You know, how are Democrats polling when it comes to taking control of the House, the lower chamber, and the Senate, the upper chamber?

And how significant is Donald Trump, the president, in these midterms?

COLLINSON: Well, he is the central issue. He -- his unpopularity, the war, gasoline prices, all of which he has caused, that's the key issue which

Democrats are running in on an amazingly, the president keeps saying, well, let's make the election about me just because he likes everything focused

upon himself.

And he seems to believe that he's the only way that the Republicans can win this election. Midterm elections are usually a referendum on the president.

And when the president's got an approval rating in the 30s, it's a bit of a no-brainer that Republicans fear they're not going to do very well.

Democrats only need a handful of seats to take over the House. Current polling suggests that, in that position, the Senate is a much more

difficult map for Democrats, since a lot of the seats that are up are in Republican territory.

But look, where Trump's campaigning -- Alabama, Ohio, Nebraska -- states which he won easily in 2020, what he's trying to do is shore up Republican

turnout there, because those races in the Senate are much closer than anyone thought they would be.

The battle is being fought in Trump country. There are a couple of seats that Democrats are defending, which are very close and could go against the

tide. Michigan, for example; Maine.

So, you know, at the end of the day, it's going to be very close. Democrats need a net gain of four seats. Right now they're probably up in about six,

I would say, which is enough to win the Senate narrowly.

But you would also expect the polls to narrow somewhat, going into the final few weeks. But it's getting very close. And I think the way to look

at elections is not necessarily at polling but where the parties both see the vulnerabilities and that is in Republican seats. And that tells you

where we are four weeks out.

ANDERSON: Yes. Well, the math on all of this is fascinating and, frankly, you know, massively important, not just in the States, of course, but

around the world. What happens in the States doesn't stay in the States. So we've got -- and I thank you, Stephen.

I just want our viewers to know what they can find on our digital platforms. Control of both chambers of Congress, then, are up for grabs

next month. CNN has, as Stephen was suggesting, identified 10 key Senate races that are likely to determine which party gains control of the Senate.

Our interactive map allows you to plot each party's path to winning.

[10:50:00]

That is on our home page at cnn.com/election and well worth a look.

Well, this is CONNECT THE WORLD. Up next, dozens have been quarantined after a Russian researcher dies from a mysterious illness. The very latest

on that is after this.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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ANDERSON: Dozens of people have been quarantined after a researcher at a Russian lab died of an undisclosed illness. She worked at an institute in

Siberia, which was studying the plague.

Now Russia's agency for infectious diseases has downplayed the link between the victim's work and her death. The U.S. secretary of state, Marco Rubio,

now pressing for more answers from Russia. Take a listen to what he said earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We're glad to be aware of it. We're watching it very closely, hour by hour. We have multiple agencies,

not just in the United States, but internationally, that are watching it.

We encourage Russia to be transparent and share more information with the world so that all of us could react accordingly and appropriately.

But we'll have to make those decisions on the basis of the information that we're learning and are being provided. And so far that's still quite

limited. But hopefully that will change in the next few hours and days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, CNN's Fred Pleitgen is following this story for us.

You travel in and out of Russia often in our Moscow bureau.

Rubio there calling for transparency and more information, Fred. There are a lot of questions surrounding this incident.

What are we hearing directly from the Russian authorities?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, very little so far and especially very little during the course of today. There

are several things that have happened today.

On the one hand, the governor of that state where all this is taking place, the Irkutsk state, he posted a video of people in that place asking him

what the situation is. And he said that the situation is normal. The city is functioning as normal.

Of course, talking about Shelekhov, where all of this is taking place and that the situation is under control, as he put it, the local authorities

have put out a statement saying pretty much exactly the same thing.

The Kremlin was also asked about the situation earlier today, Becky, in a scheduled call with journalists. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, he came

out and said, look, all questions will be answered by Russia's agency for infectious disease control, called Rospotrebnadzor.

So far, however, we've not really seen many updates coming from them throughout the course of this day. So from the latest that we hear is that

the quarantines are still very much in place.

Those are not for the city of Shelekhov itself but for some of the hospitals in that city, specifically, the one, of course, where that female

lab worker died of a pneumonic disease of unknown origin, as the Russians put it.

And so therefore, all that seems to still be in place while the Russians really trying to downplay the situation and the severity that some seem to

be indicating could be the case, Becky.

ANDERSON: And when might we expect to hear more?

I think -- I think people are still, you know, eager to hear more about the people who are under quarantine.

PLEITGEN: Yes, eager to hear more about the people who are under quarantine.

[10:55:00]

Eager to hear also, what, if anything, else may have been discovered so far. The Russian agency for infectious disease control say that there's no

indication from samples from the patient who, of course, died to -- in relation to the work that she was doing.

Obviously, in that lab that is meant to combat the plague and also other infectious diseases as well. What we know about the people who were

quarantined is that a lot of them are people who had contact with that patient who died.

But then also people who happened to be inside the hospital where that patient died. What they essentially said is they locked down the inpatient

part of that hospital, meaning that people who already were there are not getting out because they're getting monitored. And, of course, no new

patients are coming in either.

That is still the case. When exactly we're going to hear more on the situation, more details and possibly also what exactly this patient died

of, that really right now is still very much up in the air, Becky.

ANDERSON: Got it. It's good to have you, Fred. Thank you very much indeed.

And that is it for CONNECT THE WORLD. From the team working with me here in the UAE, it is a very good evening. You can find me online @BeckyCNN, both

on Instagram and on X. Stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD" follows this.

END