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White House Asked Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle to Resign; French School Protests Enter Fourth Week; Hackers Heat French Supermarket Fridges, Spoiling Food and Causing Fires; Six Flags Closes Nine Rides after Fatal Incident; U.S. Police Field Threats against Data Centers; Emirati Equestrian Discusses Olympic Dreams; Ukrainian Football Team to Play Home Matches at Stamford Bridge. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired October 13, 2026 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[10:00:00]

PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: I mean, look, this is a big job. She was a little bit emotional off the top, a little bit unsure of

herself, 100 percent we give her grace for that. There is a lot of pressure there.

But how do you think she did?

I will note she went to two friendly outlets right off the top but was asked a hard question by FOX News and didn't answer.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: It reminded me of the first time I was on live television here at CNN. It is very scary. I'm going to be

honest. It's very stressful. So, you know, I think that's what viewers just saw.

If you at home felt that was awkward, you're right. And that's because it is a very stressful experience your first time.

Now, that said, Katie Zachariah has been on CNN and FOX News and Newsmax many times. She is an expert at defending the president on television. But

it's very different up there at the podium.

And you said six minutes. I timed it at 5.5. I think you were being generous, saying six minutes of questions. Importantly, she did give us

some information about Kimberly Guilfoyle. I think we're going to see that resignation come very shortly. And that resignation would only be as a

result of journalism.

"The Wall Street Journal" and other outlets reporting on these scandals involving Guilfoyle and that is what's pushed the president to call through

Zacharia for the resignation of his Greek ambassador. So that is a striking moment.

Otherwise, though, Zacharia just wanted to give a speech. She just wanted to get the president's talking points out in this key period before the

midterm elections.

It's obvious the president wants a telegenic spokesperson to be out there making his points on his behalf, even when they are wildly exaggerated. She

claimed that there are record crowds at the president's rallies, when, in fact, the cameras are showing lots of empty seats at some of those rallies.

But he'll be out again today in Alaska. We're going to continue to hear from the president every day and we'll see how often Zacharia ends up

having briefings or not.

NEWTON: Yes. As you said, just -- you counted it at 5.5. We give her some grace for that. It is the first day. But she also did perhaps, yes, perhaps

shrewdly took the opportunity. Right. She knows that all of these news networks and on social media and other platforms are going to be running

her comments live off the top.

Because it is her first one. So she took that opportunity.

Stephen, I'm wondering what you make of the substantive note there, the fact that she got to announce the news that the Trump administration would

be taking action on Kimberly Guilfoyle. Now they haven't, quote-unquote, "fired" her. They've asked her to resign. I'm not sure what the difference

is there.

But we know that the president does not like this. He just doesn't like to have to do that because it really kind of does have an underlying taint to

his administration

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And especially what he doesn't like is the media forcing his hand in something, as Brian was

saying. This was, you know, journalism that exposed this alleged corruption.

It is also rather embarrassing moment for the Trump family. Of course, Kimberly Guilfoyle was the former girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr., the

president's oldest son, and has been in that orbit and knows what goes on inside the Trump orbit very well.

So I think that is an uncomfortable moment for the president. But in the past, we've seen there are signs that, for all the allegations that he is

profiting off the presidency, he doesn't really like it when somebody else appears to try to do the same thing. So that is an interesting note as

well.

I think the timing of this press conference was also shrewd, because they knew that the president was going to go out and talk to the cameras on the

way to his helicopter. And that means that it was always going to be very short.

And that almost gives them cover to get out of the press briefing room after what was not really, in any sense of the word, a briefing.

I remember around the world, there were times quite recently where foreign ministers and prime ministerial office, they put on the White House

briefing and, even more, the State Department briefing to find out what the United States thinks about a key issue, where it's pushing its foreign

policy.

That -- those days are clearly gone, as you can see from that briefing.

NEWTON: Brian, I do want to ask as well about the incredibly contentious time with the media. The first question she was asked about whether she

would expand to, I forget if they used the word alternative media or other outlets.

And yet there is a court case pending right now with CNN and others. There is question about whether or not the media pool, as it exists, in some way,

shape or form, was making decisions that went counter to the interests of the Trump administration. All of this before the courts.

Do you think her reasoning will be to continue to try and court the media, all of the media, as difficult as that is?

Or do you think she will be much more combative going forward, given her pedigree as a real MAGA supporter here?

STELTER: Right. Certainly. Her predecessor, Karoline Leavitt, recognized the value of engaging with old-fashioned outlets.

[10:05:00]

With newspapers, with the major networks, with the mainstream media as well as with pro-Trump outlets. Leavitt encouraged more of that. And she was,

you know, more than happy to take questions, even from journalists she considered adversarial. We'll see if Zacharia wants to do that or not.

This Briefing Room, yes, it's practically important. It's also symbolically really valuable. It is a statement that the American government is open for

business and willing to take questions. Today, only for a few minutes. So maybe not a great symbol, maybe not a great statement.

But it's a symbol of a healthy democracy when it's functioning well, when it's working well. I think in this case, I'm starting to think Zacharia

only had one job today and it was to get the Guilfoyle news out, to get it out early in the day, to share what the president wants to have happen with

this scandal.

You know, that's going on with the Greek -- with the ambassador to Greece. And maybe that was the actual intention of this briefing just to get that

bad news out. So the president did not have to do it himself.

NEWTON: Interesting, Brian.

And Stephen, before I let you go, there was also the fact that she did not answer the question on Ukraine.

How important is it for this person to really be -- when I say this person, I mean in this position -- to be able to clarify for Americans information

that they need, in value, especially three weeks going into the midterms?

COLLINSON: Well, traditionally, it's been a very important role. You're not just explaining America to the world from that podium. You're

explaining the world and the U.S. responses, to it, to American voters.

One thing I do wonder is, if Democrats win back the House or the Senate and they have the power to investigate the president and begin this rigorous

oversight that they have promised, there is going to be a daily political battle going on.

The administration is going to need a very articulate spokesperson to lead that battle, to push back against Democratic demands for subpoenas, to

argue, to try and create a sense that the White House is unfairly under siege.

Is that going to be the job of the White House spokesperson?

President Trump will obviously take that on himself. He considers himself his best spokesman. But often he seems to harm himself in his interactions

with the media, especially when you get into a crisis situation.

So I think that's going to be something to watch. You need someone from the White House podium, who's going to drive the political argument every day.

And for a new White House press secretary with very little experience, that would be quite a challenge going into a very contentious and toxic

political environment.

NEWTON: And Brian, to follow up on that, I do want to point out that she is a trained lawyer, despite the fact that, in the press conference, she

was asked a personal question.

Well, you have four kids.

How can you possibly handle it?

I think all of us understand exactly how we handle our personal lives with great partners. And I think many Americans and people around the world will

relate to that. And yet she still got the question.

Do you think she will bring something different to this role, though, given the fact, again, we go back to her -- she lived in Beijing for a few years.

She's a trained lawyer. She is definitely a party loyalist and has those bona fides as well.

Brian, do you think that that, you know, that will really be able to make the point, to not just Americans writ large but to the GOP base, that she

can handle touting the Trump record at that podium?

STELTER: Yes. And one of the best assets she has, I think, is she's not a creature of Washington. Now I love creatures of Washington. I grew up near

Washington. I love -- but you know what I mean. She is not someone who has lived in D.C. for decades and brings that baggage or experience.

Instead, she's been in California. She's been doing political debates, appearing on TV from the West Coast. And I do think that's valuable and it

can bring a different perspective into the into the West Wing of the White House.

That is valuable. Now that said, it really does matter who is in the president's ear when it comes to policy and also to communications. He has

been advised, it seems, in recent months, to ban news outlets from the White House, to use words like treasonous, to urge the Justice Department

to open investigations of news outlets.

It is figures in his inner circle who are urging him to do that.

Will Katie Zacharia be one of those as well?

Or will she be more like Karoline Leavitt and be willing to take questions from all comers?

That's an open question after this first briefing.

NEWTON: Yes. And it is such a good question, though, about which route she'll go down and whether or not she will be a spokesperson or an actual

confidante and advisor to the president in the months ahead.

(CROSSTALK)

STELTER: Yes, exactly.

NEWTON: Yes.

STELTER: But as always, Paula, if I can just add, what matters most is what the president himself says. Last night he lied about Minnesota,

claiming the entire state is under attack.

He stoked fear in Ohio, telling Ohioans that their state might be next. What matters most is what comes from the president's own mouth. And right

now, he seems to be flailing, trying to figure out what to say ahead of the midterms.

NEWTON: Yes. And we will see what he has to say again.

[10:10:00]

He's on the road and we will see him quite frequently. Brian Stelter for us, Stephen Collinson, always grateful to both of you for parsing that

first press conference for us. Thanks so much.

Now you are watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Still to come for us, we have a lot of news. Protesters in France say they will not let up until their demands

are met to improve the condition of their schools. You'll hear from one of the thousands turning out today. That's next.

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NEWTON: A nationwide protest movement is barreling ahead in France for a fourth straight week. Crowds are airing their grievances about French

schools and demanding more resources to fix those problems.

The discontent is putting sustained pressure on a debt-laden government, just as parliament opens budget discussions for next year. CNN's Paris

bureau chief Saskya Vandoorne brought us the view from one of the protests last hour. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN PRODUCER: Today, we're expecting up to 200,000 protesters across France. That's not as many as last Tuesday, when we saw

250,000 protesters. But it's still a very high number.

And it's not just high school students that are taking to the streets. You've got trade unions, teachers, university students. And as you said,

Paula, Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who was outside Paris in front of a high school earlier today.

Now at the heart of this movement is a feeling among young people that the French education system has failed them, that they've somehow been

forgotten. So they're asking for more teachers. They're asking for fewer students in classes. And they're asking for billions more in funding.

Last week, the government did start making some concessions. The French education minister announced that there would be 3,000 substitute teachers

deployed this week. But for many students here, they say that this doesn't go nearly far enough, Paula.

Now I'm joined by university student, Clara.

Clara, why do you think people keep turning out every week here?

CLARA MARTINET, UNIVERSITY STUDENT: Because of the inequality around the country. Some high schools have terrible situations -- rats, leaking

ceilings, not enough teachers. This has to stop. It has been going on for way too long. We need to do something and we need to keep turning out to

show our discontent and hopefully turn the tide.

VANDOORNE: And what do you think about these 3,000 substitute teachers, who are being deployed across France?

MARTINET: Not enough. It's not enough. And it's a cover-up, some, something -- for example, English teachers are being sent away, miles away,

and they're forced to teach another subject. It just doesn't make any sense. The conditions are very blurry. There's no indication whatsoever.

It's a mess. It's a mess.

VANDOORNE: We've seen extreme levels of violence as well during these protests.

[10:15:02]

Do you think that has galvanized support for the movement?

MARTINET: Definitely. I think the world needs to needs to see that the French police is mutilating, assaulting kids; A high school student, A 14-,

15-year old, who are now going to be disabled for life because of this form of violence. And this is intolerable. And this needs to stop. This needs to

-- this needs to stop.

VANDOORNE: And so, Clara, are you going to keep coming out?

I know there's another protest planned on Saturday.

MARTINET: Yes, absolutely. We need to -- we need to make our voices heard more and more and keep turning out. Yes.

VANDOORNE: Thank you so much, Clara.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Our thanks to Saskya Vandoorne there.

Now staying in France, hackers have targeted hundreds of supermarkets across France. They raised the temperatures of fridges and freezers as high

as 50 degrees Celsius. And that was in stores including Intermarche and Carrefour.

Of course, this spoiled the food and even led to some fires. CNN's Anna Stewart has been following all of this from London.

Anna, you and I got to talk because I certainly did not see this one coming.

I mean, how widespread was this, you know, was this attack?

And what more do we know about the motives behind it?

Was it just so puzzling?

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The motives are really puzzling. But we are talking about a really widespread attack that impacted hundreds of

supermarkets in France. It's thought it may have impacted supermarkets elsewhere in Europe as well.

Essentially, anyone that was using a specific software with fridges that are connected, that hadn't been updated, which I'll get into -- but the

impact really here is fires and a lot of spoiled food. You can imagine. In fact, you're looking at pictures there of so much food that had to be

thrown away.

And the Intermarche CEO, speaking to BFM TV, which is a French network, said tens of millions of euros nationwide could have been lost in a single

day. So what a massive attack that is. We don't know the motive. We don't know who did it.

We do have a good idea of how this happened. A Danish company that provides software for appliances like this fridge said that an update for the

software had been released in August. And the fridges that have been affected in France and elsewhere hadn't had that update.

So a vulnerability in the software that connects all these fridges so they can be maintained at a distance, maintenance can be across issues, but that

vulnerability meant that these ones were unfortunately attacked, Paula.

NEWTON: You know, I'm going to add to this, Anna, something that's alarming but it is related. I mean, Anthropic put out on a blog post

yesterday that AI agents can possibly self-replicate themselves. And actually our smart fridges are start -- you know, our smart stoves could

start to turn against us in some way.

But this is related to this attack, right?

Because how do you protect yourself in this environment?

And I'm wondering if a whole new cybersecurity architecture needs to be created here.

STEWART: So the internet of things, which is how appliances -- and we're talking about doorbells, nanny cams, your hoover -- all sorts of things are

connected in our homes right now -- have always been really vulnerable. And there's always been a big security risk, particularly when you don't know

who's manufactured some of these products.

If they come from China, for instance, and whether or not they are secure. Now the big issue now is not only do we have those vulnerabilities that can

be used, as it has been here, but what happens when you have self-improving AI, which could hack into widespread appliances in your home?

Your doorbell, your thermostat, for instance, your nanny cam?

This is a big problem and something that companies will have to grapple with. And there was a warning actually today by the director general of MI-

5 here in the U.K. Take a listen to what he had to say

NEWTON: And let's check if they have that clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEN MCCALLUM, DIRECTOR GENERAL, MI-5: Today AI is already supercharging the cybersecurity contest between attackers and defenders. It can produce

propaganda and radicalizing material tailored to the individual.

We've caught terrorists seeking to exploit AI to improve their reconnaissance and attack methodologies, with AI-enabled drones adding a

new twist. Not yet realized but the misuse case to which I'd attach greatest weight is AI's potential to change the stakes on existing or even

new bioweapons.

These risks are real. The U.K. intelligence community, MI-5, GCHQ and MI-6, is working closely with the U.K.'s globally respected AI security institute

to take them on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEWART: So responsibility here, not just for companies but also governments to ensure that we are protected not only from cyber attacks

we've seen today with these French fridges but, in the future, the potential for much wider spread attacks if AI gets involved. Paula.

NEWTON: Yes. Chilling all together. We had our own tech glitch there with that clip but I will note that, in fact, people are looking for leadership

from governments. The U.K., certainly with their institute, has been at the forefront of this. But we are still looking for more leadership from the

United States and China. Anna Stewart for us.

[10:20:00]

I guess I'll thank you.

Should we thank you for that synopsis?

(LAUGHTER)

NEWTON: A bit chilling all around when it's hitting the groceries and our stoves and fridges. Anna Stewart for us in London, grateful to you. Thanks.

And still to come for us, protests over data centers across the United States are reaching a boiling point. Why police are cracking down on what

they call terroristic threats. That's next.

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NEWTON (voice-over): And welcome back. I'm Paula Newton in New York and you are watching CONNECT THE WORLD. These are your headlines this hour.

The new White House press secretary held her first press briefing last hour. Katie Zacharia announced that Kimberly Guilfoyle was asked to resign

from her position as U.S. ambassador to Greece. Zacharia also touted the president's energy level as he makes a cross-country campaign blitz ahead

of the midterms.

Hackers have targeted hundreds of supermarkets across France. They raised fridge and freezer temperatures as high as 50 degrees Celsius. It caused

fires and, of course, spoiled food. Here you can see the empty shelves and a pair of supermarket officials are investigating the source of that cyber

attack.

Ukraine is accusing Russia of violating U.S. president Trump's so-called energy ceasefire. This comes as president Trump seemed to suggest neither

Ukraine nor Russia explicitly signed off on the ceasefire before he announced it. Kyiv says it supports the ceasefire but Russia has declined

to say whether it backs the proposal.

NEWTON: Six Flags have shut down nine rides at parks across the United States following a deadly roller coaster incident in Georgia. Witnesses say

a man fell from the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags in Georgia, near Atlanta. Police have not released details about how the man died or the

number of people injured on Monday's ride.

CNN's Isabel Rosales filed this report a short time ago in speaking with my colleague, Sara Sidner.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: It comes at a time where roller coaster safety is under scrutiny.

You'll remember that nearly two weeks ago Six Flags Magic Mountain over in California announced that it will be permanently closing its world-famous

X2 roller coaster following a CNN investigation that revealed documented reports of serious injuries, even deaths associated with that ride.

And now we have this. I want to push in the camera a little bit closer here so you can see in that incline over there you can still see a car that's up

on the incline. Now to be specific, that is not the car involved where this man lost his life but the car that was following up behind it.

[10:25:00]

And understandably an employee saw that there was an emergency situation happening and likely hit the pause button on that.

This is the car where people were being evacuated down the service stairs. So what happened here?

Well, witnesses say that a man fell from the roller coaster.

One witness telling our CNN affiliate WXIA that she witnessed this man hitting the car three different times before falling down into the roof of

a haunted house attraction down below.

Police have not said -- have not given out this man's identity, how he died or how many people have been injured but detectives are looking into the

circumstances surrounding this incident.

Now this roller coaster behind me, Goliath, according to the Six Flags website, is what's known as a hyper coaster made of steel going up to

speeds of 70 miles per hour and that incline up to 200 feet. I want you to listen now to a mom who saw the aftermath of all this chaos. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Two of my children had just been on that ride maybe 20 minutes before. Whenever you go to amusement parks, whenever you get in

a car, whenever you live your life, it's always subject to risk, so you just never know when something's going to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: And I do want to share this new statement we have now from the Swiss roller coaster manufacturer behind Goliath. This is Bolliger &

Mabillard.

They said the following, "We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident. Our thoughts are with the family and those affected. We are actively

investigating the incident and have no further comment until we have a better understanding of what transpired."

We also heard back from Six Flags who told us that there's nine roller coasters across six different Six Flags parks that are now temporarily

closed. They say, Sara, out of, quote, an abundance of caution.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Isabel Rosales reporting there.

Now rising government bond yields, cyber attacks and growing expectations for the AI boom, the International Monetary Fund is warning that all of

these topics are potential threats facing global markets.

The IMF's Global Financial Stability Report is especially concerned about government debt and high energy prices and says, even though the economy

remains resilient, the big question is, for how long?

One of the key voices at the fund's research department offered her take at the IMF World Bank meetings in Thailand.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KOEVA BROOKS, ADVANCED ECONOMIES UNIT, EUROPEAN DEPARTMENT, INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND: The base of global growth is getting narrower.

And so you could say that there is some fragility or vulnerability embedded in that. And indeed, we have -- we are seeing a fairly small number of

countries that are benefiting from this AI-related boom.

And the bulk of the economies are affected by the energy shock and such. And that is the dominating factor for many of those economies that are not

plugged in the AI supply chain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Now outrage against data centers is growing across the political spectrum in the United States. Some are concerned that centers will strain

water supply and drive up electricity costs. Some have taken their grievances further. CNN's Kyung Lah has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shame on you.

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rage against data centers is boiling over.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get your hands off me.

LAH (voice-over): Beyond community protests like this --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Amy (ph).

LAH (voice-over): -- into criminal cases that law enforcement has labeled terrorism.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're being placed under arrest for making terroristic threats.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I did not make any terroristic threats.

LAH (voice-over): CNN obtained more than 100 police reports from across the country on data center backlash in the past year. They include more

than a dozen bomb threats.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It says bomb a data center.

LAH (voice-over): Calls for assassinations.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You need to be lined up blindfolded and (BLEEP) shot.

LAH (voice-over): And violent threats on social media, "Unalive them. Luigis unite." Government agencies are warning of a broad range of threat

actors and an increased threat environment targeting data centers. And police are cracking down investigating all sorts of comments on social

media, even some that lack any imminent threat.

Police in El Paso, Texas, investigated this woman after she told a local official, "I hope you rot in hell and die" over a data center project.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's my First Amendment right. Just because I said I hope?

That's insane. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You just said a terroristic threat.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not a terroristic threat.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It could be.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That is not a terroristic threat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I said it's a borderline. You're kind of borderline.

LAH (voice-over): She didn't face charges.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Afternoon, sir.

LAH (voice-over): But this man, Harley DeLander did. This is him talking to police.

HARLEY DELANDER, DIXON, ILLINOIS RESIDENT: These punks right here came by because I'm trying to organize a community protest against a representative

who's trying to push in a data center.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The issue is some of the communication, the Facebook posts, some of the comments --

DELANDER: I never made a threat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Well, we disagree and our state's attorney disagrees.

[10:30:00]

LAH (voice-over): DeLander was angry about a data center possibly coming to this field near Dixon, Illinois.

DELANDER: Once the data center is built here, this land is gone. Concrete is -- it outlives people.

LAH (voice-over): DeLander called for a protest at the home of the man he believed supported the data center. Writing, "Someone put the fear of God

in him and his family. Make him scared to close his eyes at night."

DELANDER: It was surprising when they told me that they were going to arrest me. I was kind of in disbelief.

LAH: You did post his home address.

DELANDER: Yes. Oh, yes.

LAH: Do you regret it?

DELANDER: I regret how strongly I worded it.

LAH (voice-over): DeLander was charged with multiple felonies but he ended up pleading guilty to a petty charge. That's less than a misdemeanor. He is

still stuck with this.

DELANDER: So this is a GPS ankle monitor. I still believe that I didn't do anything wrong. I don't think people should be arrested over strong words,

strong language.

LAH (voice-over): And that's the dilemma for law enforcement. How far to take these cases.

While 13 shots were fired into the home of an Indianapolis council member, the majority of cases, CNN found, do not involve violence. Still, records

show law enforcement is carefully monitoring the angry backlash, including the groups organizing the protests, like the one aboard this bus.

Amy Kremer's anti-AI group, Humans First, is on a nationwide tour. They call it a data center revolt, hosting protests in more than 30 cities.

AMY KREMER, CHAIR, HUMANS FIRST: Big tech by design is shoving this infrastructure down our throats. People feel like they are not being

represented. Decisions are being made without input from the citizens in the community and it's not right.

LAH (voice-over): Why would police care about Kremer?

In 2020, she helped lead the Stop the Steal movement.

KREMER: We're not going to let them steal an election.

LAH (voice-over): Organizing the rally before the January 6 attack on the Capitol. Her target this time, data centers.

LAH: The United States Capitol Police --

LAH (voice-over): We showed Kremer this email. U.S. Capitol Police Intelligence services sent an alert to other law enforcement about data

center protests organized by her group.

LAH: So the Capitol Police --

KREMER: Wow. Wow, Wow.

LAH: -- are watching you. What do you think about that?

KREMER: I assume that they're watching me, everything I do. Watch me. I don't care. I'm not violating any laws. I didn't do anything wrong on

January 6.

LAH (voice-over): Kremer calls herself a loyal Trumper. But on this issue, she objects.

KREMER: He just posted "Let Data Reign." I disagree with the president on this. You know, when he says let data reign, I say let Americans reign. Big

Tech is coming in and totally disrupting their lives and impacting their lives in ways they could have never imagined.

LAH (voice-over): With the clock ticking to the midterms, AI and data centers are scrambling politics. LAH: Is this a Republican issue or a

Democrat?

KREMER: I think it's an -- it's an issue that affects all Americans. And so they all need to govern on it.

LAH: There are instances of people taking it too far because of this raid.

DELANDER: Oh, yes.

LAH: Do you excuse that violence?

DELANDER: I don't excuse violence at all. But at a certain point, when voting only gets you so far, you know, you got to start asking yourself

what else is there?

LAH: A CNN poll recently found that nearly nine out of 10 Americans are more concerned than excited about data centers. And with the midterms now

less than a month away, politicians are certainly hearing it, in many cases distancing themselves from previous support -- Kyung Lah, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: As you just saw there, the U.S. has those protests. But the China situation is much different. China is pressing full steam ahead. Block

after block of centers are cropping up in a city at the edge of the Gobi Desert, in fact. And China's access to cheap land and green energy is

helping close the gap in the AI race.

And you can read Simone McCarthy's full story, fascinating story, I will say, on all of our digital platforms.

You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD. We'll be right back with more news in a moment.

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NEWTON: "Inside the Middle East" sat down with Emirati equestrian Ali Khalfan Al Jahouri fresh off his Asian games performance. He tells CNN what

it means to represent the UAE on the global stage and why horses remain so close to the nation's identity. Yara Enany has our story.

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YARA ENANY, CNN PRODUCER (voice-over): Ali Jahouri has worked with horses almost his entire life. Now age 51, he is dreaming of Olympic glory in an

equestrian discipline that very few people in the UAE know about.

ALI JAHOURI, DRESSAGE EQUESTRIAN: Dressage is one of the most difficult sports, I will say that the mother of equestrian in riding. Dressage is not

very famous in UAE but it was my country, you know, they want to have team doing this sport.

Because this Olympic sport, we really good supporting from highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed. He want to have one team represent UAE. So we start to

do that. And now we are improving year by year.

ENANY (voice-over): Ali has competed around the world and his love affair with the sport shows no sign of slowing down.

JAHOURI (voice-over): The sport chose me, not -- I didn't choose the sport. This kind of a relation, when you do with the horse, is coming from,

like I would say, it's coming from you, from inside you.

When you see this animal, you want it, like from I am a child. When I see this animal, it's I feel like I have relation. I want to be with this

animal. So it's coming from inside you.

ENANY (voice-over): Traditionally used for hunting and transportation in the desert, horses have long played a crucial role in Emirati culture.

More than a skill for surviving the desert, riding was an art, mastered and passed down through generations. Today, that tradition lives on in modern

forms like flat racing or other equestrian disciplines.

And for Ali and Lotus, they are planning on taking things to the next level.

JAHOURI: I'm thinking my horse is ready to move up. And also me, I want to do a Grand Prix, the high level. And also I want to have a bigger goal in

future to be one Emirati rider to be in Olympic.

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NEWTON: Now as Russia and Ukraine exchange fire in a war that seems only to escalate, a beloved Ukrainian football team is finding a temporary new

home in London. Christina Macfarlane went to Stamford Bridge to find out.

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CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR SPORTS CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): This team haven't been able to play at home since 2014. After being forced to flee their stadium following the annexation of Crimea, the

players have crossed the border hundreds of times to compete in one of football's most prestigious tournaments.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): How many hours have we been driving?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I'm not counting. I stopped counting after five hours

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Five, yes. We haven't even crossed the border into Poland yet

MACFARLANE (voice-over): Ukrainian side, Shakhtar Donetsk are used to going the extra mile to play their football.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Finally, we come to London.

SERHII PALKIN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICE, F.C. SHAKHTAR DONETSK: Travel issue is the biggest problem that we have because sometimes to reach our final

destination to play -- to play Champions League games, we can spend even two, three days.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): This season Shakhtar Donetsk have traded their destroyed Donbas arena for a stadium at one of the most famous clubs in the

Premier League.

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After failing to qualify for the Champions League this season, Chelsea's owners came to an agreement for the Ukrainian club to host its four home

matches at the bridge, which would include a clash against the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham when they face Real Madrid in January.

PALKIN: For us, London is the football capital of the whole world and Stamford Bridge is a great legendary stadium. And for us, it's very

important to be here and for our players, it will be additional motivation to show attracting beautiful football like in our DNA.

MACFARLANE: Well and there's a big Ukrainian diaspora here in London. I think there's something like 32,000 Ukrainians in London. Is this a chance

as well for you to connect with them?

PALKIN: For us, it's very important to give them this breath of air, you know, that Ukraine come here.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): Although the fans will be able to support the team in a home stadium, they won't be able to buy a home shirt.

MACFARLANE: So tell me why it's the away kit and not the home kit right now?

PALKIN: Because one month ago, we got a call from Puma, Puma Ukraine and they saying us, can you please take some part of your T-shirts and away

from our warehouse because we have chance that it will be demolished?

And can you imagine in two days, this warehouse was completely demolished by Russia and Puma lost everything.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): The opportunity is driving business too. Club sponsor, DTEK is Ukraine's biggest private energy firm. Its CEO, Maksym

Timchenko, believes now is the time to invest in Ukraine.

MAXIM TIMCHENKO, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, DTEK: It's very symbolic for us to be -- to have our appearance, appearance of company brand for the first

game here in such a legendary stadium.

To deliver our message to hundreds of millions of people in the world, that Ukraine is not only country where we're fighting, where we're surviving but

a country where we invest in the future.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): A season spent at Stamford Bridge will be a memorable chapter in the history of this Donetsk club. But the goal is

always to return home.

PALKIN: Even now, from time to time, I switch on T.V. and switch on video and watching how our fans supported us in Donbas arena. It was amazing. You

cannot compare emotionally with anything, you know, you have because home is home.

MACFARLANE: Do you believe you will return?

PALKIN: It's our dream.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): Christina Macfarlane, CNN, London.

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NEWTON: Our thanks to Christina Macfarlane for that report.

That's it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN. "WORLD SPORT" is up next.

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