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Connect the World
Jordanian Security Agency: At Least 7 Killed in Church Shooting; French Authorities Prepare for Weekend Protests; Trump Defends Ramaswamy's Ad, Urges Republicans to Own it; Trump Claims Musk Restored Starshield Access, But Ukrainians Say Restrictions Still in Place; Duchess of Sussex: "Deeply Distressed" Over Child Sex Abuse Image Allegations Against Father; New York Bans Horse Drawn Carriages in Central Park. Aired 9-10a ET
Aired October 23, 2026 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: I'm Eleni Giokos. We want to start with breaking news, a pair of shootings in the Middle East. The
Jordanian Public Security Agency says at least seven people were killed when gunmen opened fire inside a church in Karak Province. The attack
reportedly took place during a funeral, and the gunmen are said to be at large. More details to follow on this shortly.
And our other breaking news story today, Israel's Prime Minister ordering the closure of the West Bank after two Israeli soldiers were killed in a
shooting attack. It happened at an Israeli military checkpoint near Hebron. Three other soldiers suffered minor injuries. The IDF says both gunmen were
shot and killed. The attack comes just four days before Israel holds elections for the first time since the October 7th attacks.
We've got Paula Hancocks with us to talk about what happened in Jordan. And we are gathering more information. We know that the death toll is at least
seven right now. We know some eyewitnesses have described what that was like to state media in Jordan. Take me through what we know.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, at this point, Eleni, we understand that at least seven people have been killed. This is what we're hearing
from the Public Security Agency. It was a shooting at a church in Karak. This is a province that's about 90 miles south west of the Capital Amman.
We understand as well from the security agency that forces are following up on the incident, and they're also saying the gunmen are being pursued. Now,
that, as far as we can tell, would suggest that they are not yet in custody. According to the security agency, they say they are unidentified
gunmen.
So, of course, this gives us no indication as to who the gunmen are, to the motivation behind this shooting. But what we hear is that one witness did
tell state media that they did see one of the attackers carrying an AK-47 Kalashnikov Rifle, and that the shooting continued for several minutes.
It is a very long time when it comes to shooting, either suggesting that the gunman had preparation, they had a lot of ammunition. There may have
been a number of them, or that there was a gunfight with security agency as well at this point, it is unclear. We're still getting the information in,
but it's rare.
It is rare to see this kind of attack happen in Jordan against the Christian community. The fact it was at a church, we can only assume that
it was targeted against the Christian community or potentially against individuals that were there even that, we don't have clarity on at this
point.
GIOKOS: Yeah, we don't know who's behind this. We know that the gunmen right now are at large. I'm just getting messaging from my director, could
you repeat that, please? OK, I'm sticking with you, Paula. OK, so we just saw live images actually from Karak, and you could see you know security
personnel gathered there as we're trying to ascertain what happened, who was behind this?
You know where the gunmen are right now? And importantly the safety and the people that were gathered at the funeral? And this is an important moment
because we know that this is a very rare occurrence for a church to be targeted in Jordan.
HANCOCKS: Absolutely, I mean the Christian community is not one of the communities that is generally brought into to any internal violence that we
have seen in the past in Jordan. Now, as I say, we don't know if it was specifically the Christian community targeted. The fact that it was at a
church would suggest that that was the case.
Now we are waiting for more information we understand will be coming within the next half hour or so from the authorities themselves as to exactly what
is happening. But what we do know is that in Jordan there have not been significant shootings in at least the last several years.
When I was looking back, there was at least a decade ago when there was a significant shooting, when you did have gunmen ambushing Jordanian police,
and at that point there were some 10 killed, but that was back in 2016.
Now, of course, we have seen pockets of violence that have broken out in in recent years, but not specifically targeting the Christian community at
all, which is you know a minority in Jordan, and of course gun rules are fairly stringent within the country itself.
[09:05:00]
You do have to go through security clearance to have access to arms, or at least to legally have access to arms, be over the age of 21. But of course,
if you are going to carry out this kind of attack, there are in every country other way of getting hold of arms.
GIOKOS: Well, Paula, thank you for staying on top of the story. A lot more information coming in, and we'll bring it to you as we have it. Paula
Hancocks for us. And I want to bring in Hassan Barari, Professor of International Relations at the University of Jordan. Joining us from Amman,
thank you so much, Professor, for your time.
I mean, this is a herring story. The death toll currently standing at seven. What are you learning of this incident in Karak?
HASSAN BARARI, PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, UNIVERSITY OF JORDAN: Well, thanks for having me. Listen, this is really a tragic and deeply
disturbing incident, and this is also unprecedented in the history of Jordan. We've never seen such an attack on the Christian community in
Jordan. So, this is one thing that I need to underline here, that this is unprecedented.
And I think we can't really jump into premature conclusion now. We have to wait for the investigation, and we have to work in Jordan to bring those
responsible to justice. So, we have to wait. I think the Jordan is a stable country, and we know that there might be some non-state actors in the
region that want to fuel sectarian tension in Jordan. And I think Jordanians are actually aware of that.
GIOKOS: Yeah, and that's a really good point because we don't know what the motivations are? We don't know you know why the gunman specifically chose
this funeral? And of course, who is behind it and why? So, a lot of unanswered questions right now. But I think at this point it does thrust
into focus you know the safety of churches in Jordan. I mean, is there a sense of you know concern at this point that you're perhaps hearing of.
BARARI: You know, no, not really. There is no concerns about the security of the Christian community or the holy places or the church, for instance.
We know that Jordan is a very stable and very secure country. And having said that, Jordanians have enjoyed a high degree of coexistence between
different kind of sects in Jordan, whether Muslims and Christian, or even among the Muslim themselves.
Jordan is a place for prosperity and security, and this is something that everyone knows about it. So, this is unprecedented. We really don't know
the motors behind those people, and we don't know who sent them and what for purpose. So, as I said before, we have to wait for the committee.
I know that there is a press conference by the government maybe in one hour from now, and the government will let us know about the updates and the
latest information about the incident. So, I think we have to wait a little bit before we pass our judgment.
GIOKOS: Yes, Hassan, correct. And I visited Jordan many times, and you know the sense that you get it is very cohesive as a community. I think this is
why it is so shocking to see this transpire. You know, while the authorities are looking for these gunmen, you know, clearly there's going
to be a lot of movement to investigate the reasons and also to find the gunman post this shooting. Are you hearing anything on that front at this
stage?
BARARI: And yet, I mean, all we know that they run away and so they fled the scene after they commit their crime and their massacre. So, but as I
know that the security apparatus are actually chasing them somewhere. I mean, they don't tell us exactly about the update matter. I'm sure that you
know, given the past experience of Jordanian security apparatus, they're good at that. They're going to chase them and they're going to arrest them
soon.
GIOKOS: All right, Hassan. Thank you so much for your insights, and as you say, a press conference is anticipated by Jordanian officials, so we can
get more clarity in terms of this devastating incident. Seven people killed, from what we understand right now, according to officials in Karak
after a shooting at a church. And we're waiting for more information; gunmen still at large and currently being pursued. Hassan Barari, thank you
so much.
All right, I want to move on to the shooting in the West Bank. We've got Jeremy Diamond following the story for us from Tel Aviv. Jeremy, you know
more information has been coming in. You know, initially we heard of five people that were injured; two were critical. Now we know those two critical
patients have now died.
Take me through what we know in terms of who they were? And how this, you know, what we're learning about the investigation as it stands?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Eleni, two Palestinian gunmen opened fire at an Israeli military checkpoint in the West Bank
earlier this morning, killing two Israeli soldiers and wounding three others.
[09:10:00]
This attack took place near the City of Hebron, which is where these attackers were apparently from. That's a city in the southern part of the
West Bank. And the Israeli military is now responding, as is its political leadership, with the Israeli Prime Minister ordering not only a full
closure of the City of Hebron, but also a shutdown of the West Bank entirely, which would mean closing gates that allow Palestinians to go in
and out of certain cities and reinforcing checkpoints across the West Bank.
As well as preventing the small number of Palestinians from the West Bank who have permits to travel into Israel. We've seen the Israeli military
enforce these types of shutdowns in the past. But this one obviously comes in the context of this attack that killed two Israeli soldiers, and also
just days before Israel is slated to hold its first election since October 7th.
And the Israeli Prime Minister certainly trying to project strength here with this move to project a sense of force, and that force is being brought
down in particular on the Palestinians in the City of Hebron, where the Israeli Prime Minister said that the military would forcefully evacuate the
neighborhood of Hebron, where these attackers came from.
Evacuating the residents, going house to house, removing weapons found there, and then quote destroying all terrorist infrastructure, according to
the Israeli Prime Minister. Now we have seen Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, two Palestinian militant groups operating in the West Bank, they
have praised this attack, but they have not yet claimed responsibility.
So, it's not clear whether these two Palestinian gunmen from Hebron had any affiliation with any particular militant organizations in the West Bank.
But certainly, we are beginning to see this Israeli operation unfolding with counterterrorism operations taking place in Hebron. Again, a
widespread closure of the City of Hebron, and the Israeli military now making preparations to widen that closure to the rest of the territory of
the West Bank.
GIOKOS: Yeah, I mean, you also mentioned you know two militant groups, Islamic Jihad and Hamas, praising but not taking responsibility for this
incident. As we're seeing investigation in terms of who is behind it? What was the motivation, which I think is going to shed a lot of light into this
incident today, at a time where we've seen a lot of increased tension in the West Bank area.
DIAMOND: Yeah, absolutely, and we have seen, of course, over the course of the last few months, you know, the West Bank has become an absolute tinder
box as Israeli settler violence against Palestinians has ramped up to the point that Israeli military and security officials have been privately
warning about the type of incident that we have seen today, warning that the Israeli government's failure to crack down on that settler violence
would only further inflame tensions in the West Bank and potentially trigger the kind of attack that we have now seen today.
So, that is indeed the backdrop, certainly to what we have seen today. Again, we don't know the particular motivations of the two men who carried
out this attack. One of them was seen with a pistol, another with an M-16 style rifle again, opening fire on this Israeli military checkpoint,
killing two Israeli soldiers and wounding three others, Eleni.
GIOKOS: All right, Jeremy Diamond, thank you so much. We will check in with you as we get more information. All right, I want to take you now to Paris.
One person has been killed and at least four more injured in a drive-by shooting in the west of Paris. The French Prime Minister says a suspect has
been arrested and security forces have been mobilized.
The local mayor told French network BFM TV that the shooters seem to be firing at random and that a 12-year-old girl is among the injured. The
shooters' motives are so far unclear. France's Interior Minister is announcing security measures today as France prepares for further unrest
over the weekend.
Now, this follows, of course, nationwide unrest last weekend after protests over education and the cost of living spiralled into violence. The
government has imposed curfews in Paris until Sunday, and authorities have banned protests in the major cities of Marseille as well as Lyon for
Saturday.
The president also announced that non-trade union protests will be prohibited. That is in the coming days. We've got CNN's Melissa Bell
following the story closely for us from Paris and joins us now. Melissa, I want to start off with this drive-by shooting. And as we've just said, you
know, a 12-year-old girl is also has been injured. What is the latest? What are we hearing from authorities about this?
[09:15:00]
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Just on that 12-year- old girl, one of the four people who's in critical condition this hour, Eleni. She was shot eight times, so it's actually remarkable that she's
still clinging to life.
What we understand about what went on this morning in this small Town of Cap, this is a sort of suburban town to the southwest of Paris, is that a
man who was driving his car used an automatic weapon, stopping at several locations to shoot at random strangers, killing one, leaving those four
others in critical condition.
What we know for the time being is that he stopped in several locations outside a clinic. He stopped outside a playground, and in these different
locations, sort of shot his weapon at these random strangers. We know that an anti-terror investigation has been opened. They believe that this may
have been racially motivated. That's part of the investigation as it begins, Eleni.
We also know that this is a 39-year-old man. We know nothing more of his motives. Simply that he was armed with this automatic weapon and took on
these strangers in this small town at about 10:30 a.m. This, of course, in the context of France being under extreme tension ahead of what we expect
to unfold tomorrow, Eleni.
GIOKOS: Yeah, I want to talk about the protests actually, and we're seeing temporary bans on protests as well as curfews. Are people still planning on
protesting? And how is the government preparing for that?
BELL: They are massively, I think. The big question is whether the security forces this time can sort of outweigh the determination of protesters to
make their anger and feelings known. Certainly, the government's taking no chances.
They're putting out on the streets of France some 70,000 security personnel, that includes policemen, gendarmes, also some parts of the
French military, to try and keep order after the events of what we saw last weekend unfold. The trouble is, of course, that this is happening last
week.
These protests have been happening in a situation of very extreme political polarization, where six months from a political election, a presidential
election. And on Saturday, tomorrow, that is, even apart from the protests that are planned here in Paris and in other French cities, the far-right
national rally will be holding the re-election of its president, Jordan Bardella.
It will be announcing and launching the start of its six-month political campaign. They believe for the Elysee Palace. In that context of that
gathering that will happen in the City of Orleans to the south of Paris, there are huge anti-protests, anti-national rally protests that are being
planned in the city.
So again, another part of the country that will be under extremely high tension, likely and certainly the focus of security forces as they try and
keep the streets of France calm. But this has been a week of curfews installed, imposed in several towns, of many rallies, gatherings, protests
banned.
Only those in the name of unions will be allowed to take place. So, the government really tries to do everything it can to keep the streets under
control this Saturday. But a lot of fears about what might actually play out, Eleni.
GIOKOS: Yeah, and that's a really important point. I mean, we've seen not only protests, but it's been rioting. We've seen looting. I mean, are
businesses bracing for more of that? How are businesses preparing for that?
BELL: Absolutely. We've seen not just the shops being boarded up. They did last week, by the way, on the Champs Elysees, which wasn't meant to be part
of the sort of trajectory of the march of the protests. But of course, luckily, they had because that's as far as the rioters went, so again
you're seeing shops being boarded up.
We're also seeing, and I think this is interesting, Eleni speaks to the situation and the tense situation that we're in now. A lot of people sort
of taking things into their own hands. Shopkeepers saying that they're going to stay in their shops and guard them.
We've spoken to one man who sells sort of tasers and the kind of weapons that are allowed in on European streets, saying that he's had a tenfold
increase of his business just in the last week, as people prepare to be able to defend themselves, to defend their businesses ahead of the kind of
unrest that they hope they won't see repeats of. But certainly, that they were shaken by last Saturday, Eleni.
GIOKOS: Right, Melissa Bell, thank you so much for that update. We're keeping a very close watch on three major stories we're tracking today, the
shooting in Hebron, where two Israeli soldiers were killed. We're tracking the story in Jordan, where at least seven people have been killed in Karak
Province after a shooting at a church. And then the drive-by shooting in Paris as well. One person dead and multiple people wounded. We've got more
news for you right after this. Stick with CNN.
[09:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: Welcome back. You're watching "Connect the World". Now 11 days to go until the U.S. midterm elections, and President Donald Trump picks up
his week-long campaign blitz later today, when he hits the trail in Fort Myers in Florida. It comes fresh off a stop in Iowa Thursday night, where
Mr. Trump held a rally for Republican Senate Nominee Ashley Hinson.
But the president instead turned the focus on the Ohio governor's race, defending a controversial campaign ad by Republican Nominee Vivek Ramaswamy
that has drawn backlash from both parties.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: It's like a big story about he must take that ad down immediately. He must no. The mother
is calling the daughter a terrible person and a liar; everybody should be so lucky. Why would you shield somebody from that?
Why would -- why would we do that? So, I told him, leave it up, and look upstairs and say thank you, God, very much. I appreciate it. So, but that's
a hot story today. They want him to take down an ad. I only wish I could have had an ad like that against somebody, but as it turned out, we didn't
need it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: I want to get in latest with CNN's Alayna Treene. She's live at the White House. Alayna, good to see you. I mean, how much is the president,
would you say, risking political backlash from Republicans nationwide by throwing his support behind this controversial ad?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I mean, look, it's been so far our really our only barometer has been the public response and
backlash to this ad. And I should be clear with some of the context here. Obviously, we have covered and we've seen a lot of different politicians
and campaigns draw family members into their messaging and into their ads.
And in times like this, also criticizing perhaps a family member who is running for office or involved in politics. What's different here, and
what's really at the heart of the controversy surrounding the specific ad that the president is defending, is that Amy Acton was abused as a child by
her stepfather.
And her mother remained married to him and stood by him even though he was charged, and they've since been estranged. And so that's really what people
are kind of sounding the alarm on and saying that they don't agree with this. And I should note as well, a lot of Ohio Republicans have come out
firmly against this ad from Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign.
You heard from the Republican Governor Mike DeWine, who Ramaswamy is running to replace him, saying that this ad is deeply troubling. That
Ramaswamy's campaign should take it down.
[09:25:00]
You've heard as well from a Republican Senator who was running in a very tight race for re-election. Someone who President Trump has endorsed and
has been kind of commending repeatedly throughout all of his stops on the campaign trail, Jon Husted. He also distancing himself from this.
A number of other examples I can add to this. But to your point about could this be, you know, could this create backlash for the president
specifically? I think the answer is yes, but we don't really know yet beyond what we've seen publicly.
I will say as well, I think it creates a question, Eleni, of what this means for the future of the Republican Party? And what they want their
politics and their party to represent moving forward? We're starting to see a lot more questions about that because, of course, after these midterm
elections, which, as you mentioned, are just 11 days away now.
There's going to be a lot of questions that the party grapples with about what they want the future of the party to look like beyond Trump, because
he's going to be a lame duck president in his final two years in office. A lot of attention turning to 2028.
And people are now questioning, are these the type of ads that we want to be running where you know morally, you involve yourself in some of the --
in some of this -- for the politics of, and I think that's a question people are asking themselves.
GIOKOS: Yeah, I know. I mean, it's posed so many questions just seeing that ad, and then you know the context of that ad. But look, President Trump has
been trying to tighten voting rules. And in fact, the Supreme Court has sided with Republicans in New Hampshire around student ID restrictions. I
mean, do they see this as a win? And what kind of impact would that have?
TREENE: Definitely, Republicans see this as a win. This is something Republicans in the state had pushed for, and citing in their argument that
student IDs cannot be the only thing used in some of these elections for review by election officials. Them arguing that perhaps this could lead to
more voter fraud if you only rely on student IDs.
It does play into President Trump's broader message about his perceived voter fraud issues across the country. Many of those, of course, false
claims of voter fraud in the past, but also his push to want more stringent and strict voter ID laws across the country.
I will note, though, for you, your part about you know your question about how much this will actually have an impact. Sure, it might impact New
Hampshire, but I don't think it's going to impact the midterms overall. New Hampshire, for example, if you look at the Senate race there, Senator
Jeanne Shaheen is running again to protect her seat.
And she's ahead by 31 or so points in that race. And so, unclear the impact it will have on the specific elections. But it could be a signal of you
know Republicans and certain voters being more willing to want to move towards some of these voter ID laws in this case, student IDs that we know
many Republicans across the country and in different states are calling for.
GIOKOS: All right, Alayna Treene, thank you so much for that update. Good to see you. We're going to go to a very short break. We are tracking a lot
of breaking news stories for you. We'll bring you more news and updates right after this. Stick with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:30:00]
GIOKOS: Welcome back. I'm Eleni Giokos in Abu Dhabi, and you are watching "Connect the World". Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered
the closure of the Occupied West Bank after two Israeli soldiers were killed in a shooting attack. It happened at a military checkpoint near
Hebron. Three other soldiers were wounded. The IDF says both gunmen were shot and killed.
Authorities in France are preparing for protests this weekend, with the interior minister announcing security measures today. Curfews are in place
in parts of Paris, and President Macron has said that non-trade union protests will be prohibited over the weekend.
And we are following a shooting in Jordan. The country's public security agency says at least seven people were killed when gunmen opened fire
inside a church in Karak Province. It happened in a predominantly Christian town. One witness telling state-run television the shooting continued for
several minutes.
Ukraine is reporting new Russian strikes across the country as questions grow about the status of a satellite service that's crucial for Ukraine's
air defenses. U.S. President Donald Trump claims Elon Musk has restored Ukraine's access to Starshield, a military-grade version of the Starlink
internet service.
But Ukrainian officials say restrictions remain in place, hampering Kyiv's war effort. Mr. Trump and some of his officials have denied ordering
restrictions to be placed on Ukraine's use of Starshield, while Musk has pointed to the Trump Administration. Here is Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy's take.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who do you think did it?
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: I don't know. It can be. I mean, technically, it can do I think SpaceX, but the decision comes by themselves
or from some institutions. I don't know. It does -- it's not clear for me. But technically, it can do only one company.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. Is it up to speed? I don't understand. Is it up to? Is it back up to speed or not?
ZELENSKYY: No, we had enough speed to destroy Iranian Shaheds 400, 500 kilometers per hour. It's yeah, it's more than 300 miles. Now we had
maximum 100 miles.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: All right, we've got CNN's Clare Sebastian following the story for us. Clare, you have some new developments for us.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Eleni, we're hearing of some activity at Moscow's airport, specifically Sheremetyevo, which is the
biggest and busiest airport in the Russian Capital. Where authorities there have said that they have evacuated passengers to safe locations, including
those on-board aircraft. That comes after an air alert was issued earlier over the threat of a Ukrainian drone attack.
Now, the Moscow Mayor has been reporting basically all-day small groups of drones he has claimed shot down heading for the capital. That's after
another overnight drone attack from Ukraine that he reported involved some 155 drones, most of which he claimed were shot down quite far away from the
capital.
Look, it's pretty normal to see disruptions at Moscow airports amid these drone attacks. We're hearing that disruptions were not just at Sheremetyevo
but the other airports in Moscow as well. But an evacuation is pretty unusual, and obviously this comes not only as we see the escalation of air
attacks from Russia to Ukraine, but also the significant difficulties that Ukraine has had with its defenses, with Starlink, with deliveries of
Patriot interceptors.
Questions earlier in the week about U.S. intelligence sharing and early warning. So, this would suggest that Ukraine still sees attacks, deep
strikes on Russia, as one of its best forms of defense. And I should note, we heard from President Zelenskyy at the very beginning of September
warning about an escalation in Ukrainian drone attacks, warning that Russian airspace would be quote effectively closing as this country
escalates drone attacks.
We didn't see any activity, any airlines pulling out of Russia at that point, but this certainly is a new event for this very big, very busy
international airport, Sheremetyevo in Moscow, Eleni.
GIOKOS: Yeah, thank you for that update. I mean, really significant, as you say, in the wider context of tensions just not letting up. I want to talk
about what's happened with Starshield because there seems to be confusion over whether it has been restored. What do we know at this point?
[09:35:00]
SEBASTIAN: So yeah, confusion persists is what we know, Eleni. Trump has said that it's been switched back on, but he wouldn't confirm reporting by
CNN and others that he was the one that made the call to Elon Musk to tell him to switch it back on. Multiple Ukrainian officials, though, are telling
us the opposite.
And look, it's not in Ukraine's interest to emphasize this that they have gaps in their defenses, lest, of course, Moscow tries to exploit them.
We've heard, for example, from a source in the Ukrainian Defense Ministry that there are instances they said earlier today of signal loss that are
still being observed for any military ordnance. They said traveling above 100 miles an hour.
Case in point, the new jet-powered drones that Russia has been using in greater numbers over the past few months. They travel at two or three times
that speed, so you can see where the gaps are as a result of this. A commander on the front line saying that it makes coordination difficult and
noting to us that they had lost a lot of assets. He said more than usual.
So, look, it's 10 days now since the first interruptions in Starlink were noted by Ukraine. It's still very confusing. It has sparked backlash not
only in Ukraine and internationally, but bipartisan backlash in the U.S. And of course, it leaves Ukraine even more vulnerable as we see Russia
escalate these attacks.
GIOKOS: Yeah, I mean, look, I also want to talk about you know what we've you know in terms of seeing talks and momentum and diplomatic talks where
there's any momentum that has been created in St. Petersburg, Oslo. So, I mean, what are you hearing on that front?
SEBASTIAN: Yeah. So, look, on the face of it, no. We did see one chink of light. Today there was a prisoner swap, a fairly large one, 270 on each
side. That remains really the only functioning channel of communication, of diplomatic communication, really between Moscow and Kyiv, so that is
certainly no small thing. Most of course for the families affected.
Look, yes, Russia has agreed to trilateral talks, but as for the core issues, particularly when it comes to territory, we see no movement there.
And I want to bring you a comment from President Putin that really exemplifies this. He took a trip to the Bolshoi Theatre on Thursday night.
And he was asked specifically about President Zelenskyy in an interview with Fox News earlier this week, specifically saying he would agree to
freeze the front lines where they are. Take a listen to Putin's response to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT: I think that it is not their territory, but the historical territory of Russia. All the more so considering that
the people who lived there voted, first for independence and second for the reunification with the Russian Federation, which I'd like to emphasize.
Therefore, I think that speaking about territorial losses would be inappropriate here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEBASTIAN: So, look, he, Putin is suggesting there that he wouldn't agree that Ukraine agreeing to freeze the front lines, essentially accepting the
temporary loss of most of the Donbas region, that Putin would not see that as a concession on the Ukrainian side.
I think you can see the overwhelming gulf between the two sides. And I think that you know really concentrates the mind as we look towards
potential trilateral talks that could happen as early as mid-November, Eleni.
GIOKOS: All right, Clare Sebastian, thank you so much for that update. Good to see you. I want to take us now back to our top story. The attack near
Hebron comes as Israeli voters gear up to head to the polls in four days.
Anshel Pfeffer is the Israel Correspondent for "The Economist", and also wrote the book "Bibi: The Turbulent Life and Times of Benjamin Netanyahu".
I spoke to him a short time ago about the looming election and the prime minister's order to shut down the West Bank. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANSHEL PFEFFER, ISRAEL CORRESPONDENT, THE ECONOMIST: There's not going to be an internal closure of all the West Bank because Israel doesn't even
have enough soldiers to carry that out. So, these are just the usual kind of empty statements that we're used to hearing from Netanyahu, especially
now on the eve of election when he's appealing frantically to his right- wing base. We're seeing he's doing very, very badly in the polls.
Another thing is that being on top of the violence. I mean, it's not something that the government has been trying to do for months now. The
government has been basically, in many ways, certainly ministers in the government have been stoking the violence by giving encouragement to the
settlers to the settler attacks.
So, any talk of this government being on top of the violence in the West Bank is a misunderstanding of what the government's interest is. The
government wants to see a tense situation. It wants to see. It wants to see violence breaking out because it thinks that this is one thing that can
perhaps help them in the election.
That can perhaps push more Israelis to vote for the far-right, which was something that Netanyahu is interested in. So, we have to differentiate
between the tough talk and what the government is really trying to do here.
[09:40:00]
GIOKOS: Yeah, exactly. And as Jeremy was talking about in terms of implementing this, how that would work out? Look, it is four days away from
the elections. Does this incident, and of course, as you say, these statements about shutting down the entire West Bank have an impact? And
importantly, the shutting -- and even the entire West Bank what that would mean for people living in those areas?
PFEFFER: I think would mean a lot more hardship for Palestinian citizens because let's be clear, this is a closure or a shutdown, not for Israelis
but for Palestinians. So, it would certainly mean a lot more hardship for them.
On the one hand, anything happening in the days before the election is connected to the election. But I don't think there's really any chance at
this point that whatever moves the government tries to make, or at least says it's making, because it's not really making them, will have much of an
effect.
I think almost all Israelis who are planning to vote on Tuesday have a pretty clear idea what -- who they'll be voting for, which of the political
camps. But you know, you can expect this type of reaction to continue until the very last moment of voting on Tuesday night.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: All right, we're going to a very short break. We'll be back with more news in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: Welcome back. Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has released a statement about allegations against her father. It's related to an
investigation into Thomas Markle regarding child sexual abuse images. Materials were allegedly found at the 82-year-old's home in the
Philippines.
The Duchess has been estranged from her father for years. Anna Stewart is with us from London. Anna, we've now heard an official comment from Meghan
Markle, the Duchess of Sussex. What is she saying about these allegations against her dad?
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, she's finding the allegations deeply distressing. But first, let's get into those allegations. This story broke
last night in the Sun Newspaper with Thomas Markle's son saying that he had discovered in his father's home in the Philippines hundreds, if not
thousands, of images of child sex abuse.
He found them in storage boxes, on computer hard drives, on an old phone. He says he had no choice but to alert authorities. He spoke to the
Philippines officials out there. CNN has spoken to the Philippines Justice Department, and they have confirmed that an investigation is now underway.
He also says he reported this to the U.S. FBI hotline, the U.S. National Center for Exploited and Missing Children, and also state police in
Pennsylvania, which is where Thomas Markle was living at that time. We believe he's actually now in a rehab facility in Florida.
Now, her father has denied these allegations. Thomas Markle Sr., spoke to "The Daily Mail". He says he was shocked and hurt. It's something he could
never do. What he's been accused of, and his oldest daughter Samantha Markle is also defending her father against these allegations.
[09:45:00]
CNN hasn't been able to get hold of any of the Markle's at this point for comment. And then we get to Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and the
statement she released today. So, she says she is deeply distressed at this news that's come to light in the last 24 hours. She says her thoughts are
very much with the children who may have been harmed.
She also adds an interesting bit of insight. She says that she received a letter from a unit of the Met Police back in 2018. Now we think this was a
few months after she got married to Prince Harry, which was in May. She says in that letter allegations were made against her father.
She says she was given assurances that these were being investigated. Now we actually don't know what allegations these were that she is currently
referring to back from 2018. But she says this is why she became estranged for her father. She says that she hopes it can be understood that any
distance from her father.
And her choice to not allow him to have contact with her children was for one reason she says it was to protect them. She says she hopes justice will
be served, and that the priority remains the safety and protection of innocent children, Eleni.
GIOKOS: All right, Anna Stewart. Thank you so very much for that update. We're going to take you to a very short break. We'll be back right after
this. Stick with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: Welcome back. We are around 20 minutes into trade. Let's take a look at how the markets are faring in New York. And as you can see, it is
all red. S&P down four tenths of a percent. DOW losing over 1 percent. NASDAQ slightly in the red as well. And it really has to do with concerns
around where oil prices are going right now.
Currently sitting at a six-month high. I want to check in on Brent Crude and WTI, the U.S. benchmark. As you can see, it's up 3 percent over $102 a
barrel, and this is a pretty shocking number. Seeing Brent Crude sitting at $115 a barrel, that is up 2 percent.
We're talking about six-month highs and major concern around renewed escalation here in the Middle East, as there's major concern that Iran
wants to embark on a further asymmetrical war, and the U.S. potentially looking at starting striking once again. And what that would mean for the
region? What it means for the Strait of Hormuz?
As we're also seeing the Bab Al Mandeb Strait, that other critical choke point through the Red Sea, being restricted as well, given that you've got
the Houthis attacking Saudi Arabia, attacking some of those critical oil infrastructure nodes in the country.
So, all of that really playing quite a big role in terms of the numbers we're seeing behind me, and importantly feeding into the financial markets
as well. We'll check in on those numbers, but clearly, it is a Friday major uncertainty feeding through into the markets as a whole.
[09:50:00]
I want to focus on Brazil's election now, and Brazil's presidential candidates will face off today in their final televised debate before
Sunday's runoff election. Right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro led the first round by nearly two percentage points, but polls now show him in a virtual
tie with left-wing President Lula Da Silva. CNN's Julia Vargas Jones has more for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is one of the most popular campaign ads in Brazil's presidential election. This one too. Both
are AI-generated videos that have added to the cacophony of AI content in this presidential race. IRL, it has also spilled over beyond Brazil's
borders.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Such a pleasure to meet with President Lula.
JONES (voice-over): Both candidates making campaign stops on American soil. One boasting closeness, the other sovereignty.
LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SELVA, BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT: Brazilian democracy belongs to Brazilians.
JONES (voice-over): The incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva rose from the factory floor to become the defining figure of Brazil's modern left. At 80-
years-old, he is seeking his fourth term. His opponent is almost half his age. Senator Flavio Bolsonaro is campaigning as the political heir to his
father, Former President Jair Bolsonaro now serving a 27-year sentence for plotting to overturn his 2022 election loss.
When his supporters rioted in Brazil's Capital, much like Trump supporters on January 6th. This election is also a test of whether Trump-style
politics can return to power in Latin America's largest democracy.
JONES: The United States are looming so large in these elections, with supporters of Flavio Bolsonaro waving American flags in the streets. Some
are even asking for a U.S. military intervention. And it was in defense of Jair Bolsonaro that Trump announced those 50 percent tariffs on Brazil, so
why not endorse Flavio?
JAMES GREEN, PROFESSOR EMERITUS, BRAZILIAN STUDIES, BROWN UNIVERSITY: I think that they understand that this could backfire because when they
announced the original 50 percent tariffs, it gave a huge boost to his support. There's a very strong national sentiment in the country that goes
beyond the left, beyond the center.
It's across the board. Now, Flavio is using this to say, well, I have good relations with Trump, and therefore I can negotiate the end of these high
tariffs.
JONES (voice-over): And it's not just Trump drawing attention from Brazil. Lula's campaign is also taking on Meta, accusing the U.S. tech giant of
tilting its platform to war Bolsonaro, a claim accompanied nice. The dispute has now reached Brazil's electoral court and the streets.
All of this with the race already extraordinarily close. In 2022, Lula won the first round by just over 5 percent. The runoff became the closest
presidential election in Brazilian history. This time, Flavio won the first round by less than 2 percent, or just 2.2 million votes, setting up an even
tighter runoff. And while security, cost of living, and corruption are top of mind for voters, attacks have become quite personal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
JONES (voice-over): A Flavio win could pull Brazil politically closer to Washington, but ironically, Trump's tariffs have made it more complicated
than that.
GREEN: Flavio will carry out a very close relationship with the United States, encouraging collaboration and the subservient role that Trump seems
to want to have in all of Latin America. But he has a big problem because exports, Brazilian exports depend heavily now on China. It will be a
complex foreign policy, but it will basically revolve around Trump.
JONES (voice-over): Julia Vargas Jones, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: All right, I want to get you up to speed on some other stories that are on our radar right now. A deadly earthquake has struck Southwest China.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude seven quake struck the Tibet region at around 10:30 p.m. local time. State media says 16 people are dead
and 65 injured. A rescue team has been dispatched to the quake's epicentre.
A powerful typhoon is bearing down on Taiwan and has shut down much of the island. While the storm is not expected to make landfall, it is still
causing severe disruptions. More than 600 flights have been canceled for the coming day.
The intense heat wave that gripped Europe this summer led to more the death of more than 50,000 people. That is according to a new analysis, making
this year's heat the region's deadliest on record, the findings show that two-thirds of those fatalities are directly attributed to climate change,
driven by fossil fuel pollution.
[09:55:00]
The New York City Council has voted to ban horse-drawn carriages in Central Park. That brings to an end a 150-year-old tradition that is popular with
tourists, but has long faced opposition from animal welfare activists.
Right, the latest push to end carriage rides began after an 18-year-old tourist died during a ride last spring. Mayor Mamdani's office says until
April to develop a plan to help the drivers find new jobs, but for the carriage drivers, what is unclear is what comes next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And it's a tragedy for everybody in this business. It's a tragedy for the horses, and it's a tragedy for the City of New York.
But that being said, we are not done yet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: All right, we're going to a very short break. Stay with CNN. "Connect the world" continues right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
