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U.S. to Announce New Ukraine Support Package; U.S. Closes Kyiv Embassy; Russia Says Long-Range Missile Launches Will Be Deemed "New Phase of War by the West"; Hong Kong Activist Jimmy Lai Takes the Stand; Trump Names Dr. Oz to Head Medicare/Medicaid; U.S. Envoy Tries to Bring Ceasefire Negotiations to a Close; The Impact of the Trump-Musk Bromance; NATO Members Norway and Denmark Updated Wartime Prep Guides; Greek Pottery Workshop Joins UNESCO List. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired November 20, 2024 - 10:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to our second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Eleni Giokos in Dubai.
Embassies in Kyiv inform people to stay at home after warnings of a significant attack on the Ukrainian capital. This comes as we get word that
the Biden administration is sending anti-personnel mines to help defend the country from Russian attacks.
The U.S. envoy leading negotiations for a ceasefire in Lebanon is on his way to Israel after he says progress was made in discussions in Beirut.
And Hong Kong media tycoon and pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai has appeared in court for the first time on charges including colluding with
foreign forces.
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GIOKOS: The U.S. is taking further steps today to ramp up support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia. The Biden administration announcing
yet another major policy shift in Joe Biden's final weeks as president.
He is now agreeing to provide anti-personnel mines to Ukraine for the first time. That's as Russia continues to make gains in Eastern Ukraine. And
South Korean intelligence confirms the presence of thousands of North Korean troops on the battlefield for Russia.
The U.S. Defense Secretary also revealing a new infusion for Ukraine's military in the form of a security package worth up to $275 million.
Now Russia launched attacks on cities across Ukraine overnight, including the capital, Kyiv. The threat prompted a number of embassies to close for
the day, including the United States'. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reports from Kyiv.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, the U.S. embassy in Kyiv closed for the first time since the invasion of
February 2022. Diplomats not coming to work. Many warned to shelter in place because of the fear, they say, of an air assault.
Very untypical, this kind of warning to Americans and their diplomats, to essentially take cover. And not something that Kyiv itself would find that
abnormal.
Look in the streets around me here. There's no signs of life really changing at all, despite the specific nature of this warning indeed.
But it is a sign of the escalating tensions between Washington and Moscow since Ukraine has started using, in the last 48 hours, U.S.-made and
supplied ATACMS, longer range missiles, to hit targets inside of Russia.
Is it likely that there will be a direct attack on this building?
Well, that would be an extraordinary escalatory move by Russia in just the closing months of the Biden administration. And I'm sure Vladimir Putin,
frankly, would not want to take a move like that when he knows presidents like Donald Trump may engage in more favorable discussions with him.
But other European embassies, we're hearing, are at least restricting their services, some closed to visitors. And it may be, I think, a reflection of
how there's increased anxiety in all of NATO's ranks about what may follow the stark move by President Joe Biden to allow the ATACMS to be used.
Overnight, we're hearing that Ukraine's defense intelligence says it's hit further targets inside of Russia. But still, it's Russia on the front foot
across the eastern battle zone here, making incremental progress over the past months.
But you do get a real sense here in Kyiv of the heightened tensions between Washington and Moscow because warnings like this are just so rare -- Nick
Paton Walsh, CNN, Kyiv, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Well, let's get more from Washington. Now. We've got CNN's Jennifer Hansler at the State Department to give us more analysis on the
move by the U.S. to close its embassy today in Kyiv. In fact, many other European countries doing the same as well.
Could you give me a sense of the threat and the risk that the U.S. is putting down as a major probability to take this decision?
JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER: Well, it's certainly a reflection of just this heightened threat environment that Ukraine is in
right now. The U.S., in their security alert, said that they had received specific information about a potential huge air assault on the Ukrainian
capital city.
And out of an abundance of caution, they were closing down the embassy today. Now we should note this is a temporary move and it is done out of
caution. But it just goes to show how concerned they are in this moment for a potential massive Russian assault.
And we have to look at the context here as well. This is a day after Ukrainian forces used those U.S. long range missiles, the ATACMS, for the
first time on Russian soil after President Biden reversed his policy decision and allowed them to do so.
So there is already this heightened tension between Washington and Moscow after this decision to allow Kyiv to do so.
[10:05:04]
We saw further steps for the U.S. to support Kyiv. They are going to allow them to use anti-personnel mines for the first time, which are a
controversial weapon of war that Washington has held off on allowing Kyiv to use.
So there is a lot going on here. And the U.S. is looking at this entire posture and deciding it is safer and it is better to take this measure to
close the embassy today than for people to actually get hurt.
And I should note, under State Department rules, whenever they receive information of a threat like this, that they tell the embassy community
about, they are required to tell U.S. citizens in the country as well, which is why we saw the security alert go out.
We should also note that an embassy spokesperson said this specific threat was related to the potential for this assault to involve both drones and
missiles on Ukraine's capital city of Kyiv -- Eleni.
GIOKOS: Yes, I mean, so many changes, frankly, this week from the Biden administration when it comes to policy, the use of U.S.-made longer-range
missiles into Russia.
Of course, the anti-personnel mines as well now on the table, $275 million worth of more aid and support for Ukraine. Things are definitely shifting
and changing from the U.S. side. Give us a sense as to why this is happening at this juncture.
HANSLER: Well, U.S. officials have said this is all in response to Russia's changes on the battlefield, specifically the introduction of North
Korean troops into the conflict. They have brought over tens of thousands of troops from North Korea to fight, specifically in Kursk, where Ukraine
launched that surprise assault earlier this year.
And the U.S. has said this was a turning point, this was a game changer and they were adapting their policy in order to respond to this. U.S. officials
have argued that this has been their approach all along, that they would watch what happens on the battlefield and they would adjust and adapt how
they supported Ukraine in response to that.
And they said that this really was the key turning point, having these North Korean troops involved in the conflict here. But, of course, there is
a lot that has come out in response to all of these changes.
We saw Moscow updating its nuclear doctrine yesterday, saying that they would consider an attack from a non-nuclear power with the support of a
nuclear power to be a joint attack.
U.S. officials have downplayed the significance of this change. They are calling it nuclear saber rattling. They are saying it's just rhetoric and
they are urging Moscow to turn down the temperature here. They have not adjusted their nuclear posture in response to that change -- Eleni.
GIOKOS: All right, Jennifer Hansler, thank you so much for that update.
Now in a sign of deteriorating cooperation between the U.S. and Russia, the Kremlin says a special hotline meant to defuse crises between the two
nations is not currently in use, not even for emergencies.
Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov disclosing that development to Russia's Tass news agency earlier today. CNN's Fred Pleitgen joins us now with the view
from Moscow.
Good to see you, Fred. Communications obviously have been difficult.
So how big of a change is this?
What does this ultimately mean?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, communications have actually been non-existent at the highest level between
the United States and Russia pretty much since before the beginning of the war in Ukraine in February of 2022.
All of this comes from the press secretary of the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov. He actually was also asked about a potential attack on the U.S. embassy in
Kyiv and that closing. And he refused to comment on all of that.
But then quickly, the talk was about that communication line between the two presidents, of course also known as the red telephone.
Which was initiated actually in the Cuban missile crisis in the 1960s to prevent accidents between these two nations and prevent possible nuclear
strikes happening because of a wrong calculation on one or the other side.
So definitely this is an important line. And Dmitry Peskov was then asked whether that line of communication is open. And he said, no, it is not
open. It's not unclear since when that has been.
But then he also reiterated on the fact that there have been no communications between Vladimir Putin and President Biden since before the
beginning of Russia's invasion, full-on invasion of Ukraine.
So the fact that this communications line is currently not operational, probably not something that has just happened over the past couple of days
or the past couple of weeks but something that probably has been ongoing for quite a while.
It probably could also be revived very quickly as well. But, of course, the reason why all of this becomes so important just now is because the
Russians just updated their nuclear doctrine to include those many more scenarios, like the one that Jennifer was just speaking about.
Now saying that if there is an attack from a non-nuclear nation, like, for instance, Ukraine, with the help of a nuclear nation like the U.S., using
long distance weapons, that that could trigger a Russian response using nuclear means.
Now, of course, the Ukrainians did not waste very much time and immediately launched some of these ATACMS missiles deep into Russian territory. And so
therefore, the question is what the Russians are going to do next.
[10:10:00]
So far, there is a lot of anger that we're seeing here in Russian state media from politicians as well. In fact, I was just reading that the head
of Russia's foreign intelligence service came out and said that there will be punishment.
Unclear how much that is. But we're also, of course, hearing, as Jennifer was just saying there as well, that right now the U.S. is not changing its
posture at all and believes that this is something that the Kremlin has been talking about for a long time, changing its nuclear doctrine.
And certainly something that didn't come as very much of a surprise to the United States -- Eleni.
GIOKOS: Fred Pleitgen, good to have you on. Thank you.
I want to take us now to Hong Kong, where we heard from Jimmy Lai, the jailed media tycoon, who is on trial today. He took the stand in his own
defense. He is facing multiple charges linked to his support for Hong Kong's democracy protest movement through his media business.
You see the tight security there around his arrival. The 77 year old had not been heard from since his arrest almost four years ago. He could face
life in prison if convicted. Kristie Lu Stout reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As a father figure to Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement, Jimmy Lai has been on a
collision course with the Chinese authorities for years but he never let that faze him.
JIMMY LAI, "APPLE DAILY" FOUNDER: I think it's a good idea anytime, any situation that you are in to fight for your freedom, because without
freedom you have nothing left.
STOUT: Last year, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called him, quote, "one of the most notorious anti-China elements bent on destabilizing Hong
Kong."
The former media mogul finally getting his day in court on Wednesday, taking the stand in this high-profile trial which began nearly a year ago.
He faces a possible life sentence for multiple counts of colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security along with a separate charge
of sedition.
And for 77-year-old Lai, life would most likely mean life. He has already been in custody for nearly four years.
His arrest after sweeping national security laws imposed by Beijing, which China said restored stability to Hong Kong after months of antigovernment
protests in 2019. At that time, Lai had lobbied foreign governments to apply pressure on China.
But his lawyers deny that happened after the new laws came into effect. In 2020, Lai was marched out of the offices of "Apple Daily," the pro-
democracy newspaper, which he founded.
Today, most of Hong Kong's political opposition have either fled the territory or are in prison like Lai, who, after a lifetime of speaking up
for democratic freedoms, may be getting his final chance to speak publicly before spending the rest of his days behind bars -- Kristie Lu Stout, CNN,
Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: For the latest, I'm now joined by senior international correspondent, Ivan Watson, there in Hong Kong.
Ivan, Jimmy Lai, of course, representing himself today. Give us a sense of some of the messaging and, importantly, what the Beijing department is also
saying, ministry is also saying about the potential of this trial and, of course, the wider impact it's going to have in Hong Kong.
And frankly, this movement that, you know, reached massive levels around four years ago and seems to have died down, a very clear message clearly.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It died down or been absolutely crushed.
And the fact that you have the most outspoken Hong Kong critic of the Chinese government now facing potentially life in prison for these three
serious charges of colluding with foreign forces and sedition, I think it underscores the dramatic changes that the city has seen just over the
course of the past four years.
Jimmy Lai has pleaded not guilty to those charges and he testified, responding to his own lawyer, saying that he believes that the core values
of Hong Kong are the same values that "Apple Daily" reflected.
And they were of rule of law, freedom, pursuit of democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly. He was asked about the
lobbying that his newspaper did, pursuing sanctions, for example, against Hong Kong officials and his own direct contacts with administration in
2019.
And he described meeting face to face with then vice president Mike Pence, not asking for any specific actions but asking for Pence to speak up on
behalf of Hong Kong. Lai was vocal at the time, saying that the only person who could save Hong Kong and its freedoms were then U.S. president Trump.
[10:15:04]
Now this, of course, infuriated the Chinese government and that fury was reflected again today by the ministry of foreign affairs. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LIN JIAN, SPOKESPERSON, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY: Jimmy Lai is the main planner and participant of the anti-China and Hong Kong rebellion as well
as an agent and frontrunner of the anti-Chinese forces.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: Lai made clear that there were certain red lines that he imposed at his newspaper, that it would not hire anybody who supported Hong Kong's
independence from Mainland China.
And he also insisted that he never gave money directly to any American politician, rather donated to think tanks and religious organizations. He
was visibly thinner after nearly four years of incarceration, swearing on a Bible. He is a devout Catholic -- Eleni.
GIOKOS: Yes, I want to take a step back. I mean, the international community is watching this very closely. The crackdown on dissent in
general and just the people that have been caught in this.
What implications does this have for U.S.-China relations and generally relations overall?
Ivan, this, of course, is being watched very closely and I believe not only locally but from an international perspective.
WATSON: Sure. And in fact, the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, he raised that this week in his one-on-one meeting with the Chinese leader, Xi
Jinping, on the sidelines of the G20. He raised Jimmy Lai's case to him in front of journalists and, in part, perhaps because Lai is a British
passport holder.
The president-elect, Donald Trump, has also said, without providing an example of how, that he could probably get Jimmy Lai released very quickly.
It's a question of whether or not or how that could actually happen.
I have to say, that as a longtime resident of Hong Kong, journalist based here, seeing Lai, hearing his words today and on Tuesday seeing 45 pro-
democracy defendants, who were all sentenced to a combined total of some 245 years in prison, for their alleged national security crimes, it's
almost like a blast from a former Hong Kong.
A Hong Kong that did have newspapers and TV stations that reflected different political views, that criticized the authorities; a Hong Kong
that used to have street protests and demonstrations.
That's all gone over the course of the crackdown of the past four years, a crackdown that was denounced at the time by the U.S. government, by other
Western Democracies as well. And that continues to be criticized by those governments.
The responses from the Hong Kong government as well as the Chinese government are similar to four or five years ago. They call this criticism
"meddling" in Hong Kong's internal affairs.
The Chinese foreign ministry says this kind of criticism is basically blasphemy, that they're doing nothing more than upholding the rule of law
and ensuring stability in this city.
But you are right to raise the big question here.
With an incoming Donald Trump, who has always held a very tough line against Beijing, could some of these questions rise up again in the coming
years?
And that's something we'll watch closely.
GIOKOS: Yes. Brilliant point. We really appreciate your analysis on much. Ivan Watson, thank you so much for joining us.
Well, coming up next, a controversial TV host and a former wrestling executive will tell you what role Donald Trump wants each of them to play
in his new administration.
And we also take a look at the impact of the growing friendship between the U.S. and president-elect and Elon Musk. We'll bring you an update on this
story right after the short break.
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[10:20:00]
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GIOKOS: Welcome back.
Donald Trump is continuing his trend of unconventional picks for his roles in his new administration. TV personality Dr. Mehmet Oz is set to become
the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
That's the agency that oversees health insurance for more than 150 million Americans. Oz is known for his controversial views on issues including
COVID 19. Lynda McMahon is Trump's pick as the next Education Secretary. She's a transition co-chair, best known as the former head of WWE
wrestling. She's also a major Republican donor.
I want to get more on the transition from Mark Preston, who is in Washington for us.
Mark, good to see you. Let's start off with Lynda McMahon. And, I mean, she basically has a mandate and Trump's wish is to dismantle the education
system as it stands right now.
Is there a sense that she's the right person for this job?
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, what's interesting about Lynda McMahon is that she is a loyalist who served in Trump's first
administration. There's not very many people that you can say who have worked for Trump previously that are going to work for him again in his new
administration.
He can be polarizing even within his own ranks. But Lynda McMahon was a small business administrator. She was very successful in helping her
husband, Vince McMahon, build the World Wrestling Entertainment company.
Now the question is, does she have the background to go and to basically dismantle the Department of Education as Trump and his loyalists are saying
they want to do. That remains to be seen.
But what she has been doing, though, is that she has helped to lead a think tank that has been working on these issues in the leadup to the election in
the event that Donald Trump was elected.
So I think that she probably has her thumb on some of the things that they want to do. But we're talking about a major overhaul of an agency that,
what they would do is to break it down, spread it across other government agencies and then take the main core and try to put it out in middle
America.
It sounds a lot easier than it is, than it's done but we certainly will see some changes to the educational system here in the U.S.
GIOKOS: Yes and, importantly, you don't want to create any disruption because, you know, this affects kids that are in school. So that's going to
be an interesting one. I want to talk about Dr. Oz.
I mean, it was it's been very difficult to avoid him over the past few years. You know, wherever you are in the world, you'll either see a lot of
his adverts or you'll see him on air, you know, in one of his shows.
But again, the question then becomes, he's another controversial pick, many people say.
What about his credentials to lead one of the most important departments in the United States?
PRESTON: Well, he certainly -- I mean, look, he is by training a surgeon and was successful at that. But the question goes beyond that, though. It's
not necessarily what his background is.
But what has he been talking about?
What has he done that would cause you to question perhaps what his intentions are?
Now the Federal Trade Commission has sued a couple of companies that he has been part of, making claims about health supplements. As you noted in the
opening, you know, he had his thoughts on COVID as well. That turned out to be wrong.
So he will be taking over the largest health insurance program in the United States, that basically takes care of the health care for people over
the age of 65; also has, you know, young children as well. I don't know exactly what he has planned for that agency. But I will say this.
The Trump, of his first term, when he first came in in 2016, is entirely different than what he is now.
[10:25:06]
His people that that are in positions of power, they actually know what to do in government. So we could actually see some major changes in government
this time.
GIOKOS: Thank you so much. Good to see you, Mark.
The defense has just rested in the murder trial of the man accused of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley. The defendant, Jose Ibarra,
faces murder charges along with several other charges. Riley was last seen alive, jogging on the University of Georgia's campus last February. Ryan
Young is following the case from Atlanta for us.
Ryan, give us the latest.
RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Excuse me.
Yes. Really disturbing and in fact I'm still watching the closing arguments right now by the prosecution. We have a team on the inside of the court as
well. This is not a jury trial. This is a judge trial.
So what we know right now is this prosecutor is making these closing arguments, talking about the large amount of evidence that is in front of
this judge. What we know is that, in fact, she's describing the torn gloves that was on Jose Ibarra's hand at the moment of the attack.
And she believes that's what also led to some of the evidence that pointed in his direction. Let's go through this case.
This young lady was 22 years old. She was jogging when, according to prosecutors, she was attacked. They believe Jose Ibarra is the man who not
only tried to attack her, killed her with a rock but then tried to sexually assault her, actually dragged her off a running trail.
There are text messages between her and her mom, there's a 9-1-1 call, where she called for help and that lasted about a minute and eight seconds.
And there's also physical evidence that's left behind. In fact, take a listen to the prosecutor describe some of the evidence they found in this
case.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHEILA ROSS, SPECIAL PROSECUTOR: My friend, do me a favor. Show me your hands.
My friend, how did you get those injuries?
And his first response is that of a monstrously guilty individual.
What scratches?
You all don't see any scratches. We don't see any scratches.
So in order to find him not guilty, you would have to disbelieve your own eyes.
"What scratches?" he says.
All of those scratches. And there were more scratches than that because when Daniela Stewart -- those photos are in evidence here -- when she
photographed him and made him take his shirt off, there are scratches on his back, his back.
And you know what that's consistent with?
That is consistent with him asphyxiating her, being on top of her, compressing her chest and smashing her head in with that rock.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNG: Yes, it is hard to hear that part of the evidence. He used a rock and Sheila Ross described it like a hammer, making eight punctures in her
skull. So you understand the force that this young lady faced before dying.
She was a nursing student. she was someone who was loved in the community, someone who was making a way in this world. But unfortunately, it was ended
in that running field after she was just going out for a jog.
And then we were told part of her clothing was also pulled up. So she was wearing running tights and her chest was exposed and it looked like the
pants were pulled down as well.
Sheila Ross is talking to Judge Haggard as we speak. We thought we would hear more from the defense but their testimony and their rebuttal to all
this evidence really lasted less than half of a day.
We really got no reason for Jose Ibarra to be in that area at the time or for some of the things they caught him on video doing afterwards, which was
dumping stuff in a Dumpster, having those scratches, trying to evade people on the way out.
And we looked at some of that surveillance video. So this case is quite damning in terms of the amount of evidence, in terms of the DNA and in
terms of the physical evidence that they now have. It'll be interesting to see how long this judge, who's a no nonsense judge, by the way, takes to
make this decision.
But once again, this is not a jury trial. This is a judge who will make the decision in this case. Laken Riley's family has been in court, her friends
have been in court. This has been tremendously hard on the people in this area.
There has not been a murder at this campus in quite some time. Many people asking what happened and why. And we still don't have any sort of motive or
reasons for why this attack happened.
GIOKOS: An absolutely harrowing, devastating story. Ryan Young, thank you so much for bringing us the latest on that.
And still ahead, Donald Trump joins his buddy Elon Musk to watch the latest SpaceX launch. What their friendship could mean for the aerospace company.
And the U.S. envoy heads to Israel as he says he will try to bring negotiations on a Lebanon cease-fire deal to a close. That is coming up
next.
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[10:30:00]
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Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD.
I'm Eleni Giokos.
Aiming to bring ceasefire deal negotiations between Israel and Hezbollah to a close, that is U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein's stated goal as he travels to
Israel Wednesday. He's spent the last two days in Beirut trying to broker a truce before he departed.
He said the Biden administration was also communicating with the incoming Trump administration on the matter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMOS HOCHSTEIN, STATE DEPARTMENT SENIOR ADVISER FOR GLOBAL ENERGY SECURITY: We are going to work with the incoming administration. We are already going
to be discussing this with them.
They will be fully aware of everything that we're doing, as is -- as President Biden said, there will be a transfer, an orderly transfer of
power. And I don't think that will be an issue here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Right. Firas Maksad is a Middle East expert. He joins me now.
A lot of movement and, of course, we've been waiting to hear any kind of news, whether they'll be able to broker some kind of ceasefire. Let's start
off with Amos Hochstein's potential progress that he made in Beirut, if any, over the past two days.
FIRAS MAKSAD, DIRECTOR OF OUTREACH, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: Amos Hochstein made incremental progress in Beirut. In fact, I was discussing this issue
with senior members of his team, who stayed behind here in Washington, D.C., last night.
And I was told that the level of optimism was ebbing and flowing throughout the night, particularly as Amos Hochstein went back to the American embassy
and continued his negotiations over the text with senior advisers of Nabih Berri, the Lebanese speaker of parliament.
So there is currently cautious optimism. Certainly optimism in the fact that these negotiations are continuing and that Amos Hochstein is moving on
to Israel to discuss this with Israeli officials.
But it's just that. It's very cautious optimism and certainly there is a recognition that, right now, Israeli prime minister Bibi Netanyahu has a
sense that he's winning and he has escalation dominance.
And it really is going to come down to him, whether he chooses to push forward further in Lebanon or to try and consolidate his gains through the
text being completely considered in front of him.
GIOKOS: Yes, yes. We also know that the leader of Hezbollah, Naim Qassem, has also spoken. And interestingly, this is what he said, saying that these
ceasefire negotiations are a test of Israel's seriousness.
What do you make of the messaging from Hezbollah's side?
MAKSAD: Yes, Hezbollah here very clearly on its back foot. I think the question and the consideration for Hezbollah's leadership -- and let's be
honest, for Iran; that is the main sponsor and supporter and trainer of the group -- is whether they're better off trying to reconstitute their
influence, their power in Lebanon through an agreement.
And the various ambiguities that they've tried to build into this text, particularly when it comes to the enforcement mechanism or that this
agreement will not serve that purpose and they're better off trying to reconstitute and rebalance.
[10:35:00]
I think they've put forward a text now that they can stomach. We are -- things in there we can talk about. It has to do with Israel's right to take
out preemptively some of the perhaps cross-border smuggling of weapons.
Also, they're uncomfortable operating under the suggested mechanism, under American leadership and an American general that reports to CENTCOM. And
they've tried to negotiate some of the authorities and composition of that mechanism.
So the choice for them is to capitulate through an agreement, that perhaps one has enough ambiguity, or to try and reconstitute under fire. But it's a
tough position for Hezbollah to be in, no doubt.
GIOKOS: Yes. No, absolutely. I mean, look, this Lebanese government official had said that this is a U.S. proposal, which is quite significant.
And it basically goes back to Resolution 1701, which was the initial resolution by the U.N. that was put in place after the 2006 war.
And then basically trying to ensure that both parties adhere to that resolution.
Do you think that that is the right approach in reupping this resolution, in order to create this ceasefire or to get parties to agree to the
ceasefire?
It worked once before.
Can it work this time?
MAKSAD: Well, I'm glad that you asked that question.
And I don't know if it's the right approach but it's certainly the most realistic approach, given the constraints and the position of both sides.
But let's be clear on what's on the table and what's not on the table.
What's not on the table is the full disarmament of Hezbollah. Even though the U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 that you just referenced calls
for that, it's very interesting to actually go through the text that has been leaked now of the proposed -- the U.S. proposal.
The enforcement mechanisms deal with Hezbollah south of the Litani. The mechanism that's been put in place, chaired by the U.S. and France, the
U.N. also being part of that and the Lebanese armed forces, all are focused on Hezbollah pushing off the Israel border south of the Litani River.
There are references to 1701 and the need for Hezbollah to disarm, the need for the Lebanese state to expand its authority. However, those are not part
-- are not mentioned in the enforcement mechanism.
So I think what we're talking about here is a deal that is mainly focused on south Lebanon in terms of realistic enforcement. And let's be honest,
there's a 60-day enforcement period. That really is going to be the test.
So even if we do see an agreement emerging from Tel Aviv today, that 60-day period is going to be crucial. We might be going to see violations that
then cause the whole thing to unravel.
GIOKOS: Which we've seen time and time again, frankly, since 2006. It's an interesting time. We wait to see, as you say, the negotiations are
ebbing and flowing. We hope for the best on a potential cease-fire being brought forward.
Firas Maksad, good to have you with us. Thank you so much.
And this is just in to CNN. The U.S. has vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an unconditional ceasefire in Gaza, because it does
not call for an immediate hostage release.
A senior U.S. official told CNN the resolution, as it stands, would have given Hamas no reason to negotiate. This is the fourth veto of a Gaza
resolution by the United States and will likely draw sharp criticism.
All right, moving on. The close relationship between Donald Trump and Elon Musk was once again on full display Tuesday as the president-elect traveled
to Texas for the latest test flight by SpaceX, which Musk owns.
But the coziness between the two is already raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest when it comes to Musk's businesses. Our
Stephen Collinson argues that Trump's friendship with Musk bought him a lot of credibility.
And he writes, quote, "All of this helped improve Trump's standing in the election with young male voters, a constituency that Democrats are
struggling to reach. Trump has rarely seemed as at ease or authentic as he does in these venues, talking about authority and with authority about
wrestling, football and conspiracy theories."
And Stephen joins me now.
You know, we're watching these images, frankly, of Elon Musk and the president-elect. And you know, many people -- I mean, some people have even
called it a sort of bromance that is playing out.
But the question is, are they aligned enough on the serious issues to keep this relationship this cozy, this close, so that they can deliver on the
mandates that they've clearly worked on so closely together?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: There is a lot of talk in the U.S. about when this relationship is going to blow up, because both
of these characters are very abrasive.
They both tend to want to be the star in every room. But I think there are plenty of synergies between Trump and Musk, whereby that it makes sense for
them to carry on their relationship and to deepen it. Musk has got himself a foothold in the U.S. government. He's got the ear of the soon-to-be again
most powerful man in the world.
[10:40:04]
That could help him with his global business ambitions. He is a geopolitical player himself, not least because of his Starlink system,
which we saw was very important in the Ukraine war.
From Trump's point of view, I think he really does like being around the most powerful, the richest man in the world, who perhaps is one of the
people that is almost as powerful as he will be. And I think it does boost his ego.
But I think it does help him politically in a lot of areas. And it does almost become a force multiplier for him on the diplomatic stage. So, you
know, there are a lot of troublesome conflicts of interest that this relationship causes. But for now, it's to the advantage of both of them.
GIOKOS: Yes, absolutely.
I mean, I want to talk more about conflicts of interest and what that ultimately means for Elon Musk, now that he's going to be in charge of the
Department of Government Efficiency and how this potentially could play out.
COLLINSON: Yes, so it's not clear exactly what the Department of Government Efficiency will be.
It won't, for instance, be a government department with a budget that is set by Congress. So its effectiveness is perhaps in question.
What Trump wants it to do is to come up with a raft of recommendations to gut the government, to seek efficiencies, to lay off potentially federal
workers and to make the footprint of the government a lot smaller.
What the problem is, is that this potentially gives Musk the chance to get rid of regulations that are very important in governing the operations, for
example, of SpaceX, of Tesla, of some of his internet businesses.
And there are also conflicts that you see internationally. For example, Musk has certain kinds of relationships with the Chinese government, for
example. But every sign we get is that the foreign policy apparatus of the Trump team is going to be very hostile to China.
So the interests of Musk, the interests of the United States do not always coincide. So there is real potential for people on the outside to wonder
exactly who's making policy and what goes on in those private meetings between Musk and Trump.
GIOKOS: Yes, I think a lot of questions around that. I want to delve more into this relationship with China. And, you know Trump's plans, looking at
tariffs, the threat of tariffs, Elon Musk's relationship and obviously business dealings in China as well.
And whether and, ultimately, I know you spoke about this but and ultimately what this is going to mean down the line.
I mean, is Elon Musk have -- does he does he have the clout and the ability to sway Donald Trump on certain policy issues when it relates to tariffs
and how that could ultimately hurt certain sectors in the U.S. economy?
COLLINSON: Well, Trump has a reputation of being very swayed by the last person he talked to.
And if Elon Musk is constantly in the room with Trump -- he's been at Mar- a-Lago, the president's Florida retreat, for the last two weeks since the election -- it stands to reason that he's going to have a lot of influence.
The new Commerce Secretary pick, who was unveiled on Tuesday, Howard Lutnick, has talked about tariffs. He's in favor of increasing tariffs. But
he's also talked about them as a threat to try and change the behavior of U.S. trade adversaries.
So I think there is a lot of negotiation and a lot of wiggle room in exactly how and what sectors these tariffs will be applied.
But one question I think we should ask about Trump and Musk is, is the president-elect prepared to pay the political price for some of the things
that Musk might want to happen?
If he tries to water down tariffs, if Musk recommends the wholesale firing of thousands of government servants, that's going to boost unemployment in
the United States. It could really provide complications to basic services that a lot of Trump's voters like.
So there's a lot we don't know about exactly how effective and how deep this relationship will be in terms of policy.
GIOKOS: Fascinating times. Good to see you, Stephen Collinson, thanks so much.
Still to come, if crisis or war comes, Sweden wants people to be prepared. The Swedish civil defense minister will join us right after this. Stay with
CNN.
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GIOKOS: Welcome back.
Now Russia's Vladimir Putin has decided to lower the threshold for possible use of nuclear weapons in its war against Ukraine. It came after U.S.
President Joe Biden gave the OK for Ukraine to use U.S.-made longer-range weapons to strike deep inside of Russia.
Foreign minister Sergey Lavrov says that Moscow views that as a new phase of war. Putin's decision sends a clear and threatening message to the West,
including the newest members of NATO, Finland and Sweden.
Both countries just sent out updated civil preparedness guides with instructions on how to survive in war. The Swedish guide advises people on
what to do in the event of a nuclear, chemical or biological attack.
Joining me now is Carl-Oskar Bohlin. He is Sweden's civil defense minister, who has recently visited Ukraine.
Minister, good to have you with us. Thanks so much for joining us. You know, we're seeing images of this pamphlet on how to survive an expansion
of war, perhaps nuclear threats and so forth. I want to start off with this.
it's pretty significant. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think the last time a pamphlet of this, like this was created, I think was, you know, during
World War II. Tell me what it contains. And tell me about the timing and whether you see the probabilities increasing dramatically.
CARL-OSKAR BOHLIN, SWEDISH CIVIL DEFENSE MINISTER: Well, unfortunately, you are wrong. The last iteration of this folder was sent out back in 2018.
So it's been six years ago.
And the new edition is updated to reflect the dire security situation that we find ourselves in. And that is in no way done to intimidate people or to
make people scared in any way but to give people the agency or he ability to handle a crisis or, in the worst case scenario, an armed attack against
Sweden.
GIOKOS: What we've southeastern transpire in the last few days, firstly, the United States has had a huge policy shift. U.S.-made longer range
missiles now able to be used into Russia. We saw that happening just yesterday. We're seeing various other policy shifts.
And I wonder what you make of these moves by the United States, whether you think it's the right decision or whether you believe that this is creating
a bigger environment for potential escalation.
BOHLIN: Generally speaking, I think that we should provide the measures for Ukraine to wage this or to combat the aggressor here in a just manner.
And to some extent, Ukraine has fought this war with one arm towed up on its back.
And I think it's just that Ukraine has good measures to respond to this unjust and unlawful and unprovoked attack that that Russia started back in
2014 but then leveled into the full scale invasion 1,001 days ago.
[10:50:00]
GIOKOS: I also want to talk about what Russia has said in response to the policy shift by the United States and it's lowered its threshold in terms
of the use of nuclear weapons.
What is the stance by Sweden right now in terms of the potential of this happening or whether you believe it is just a threat at this point in time?
BOHLIN: We've heard this rhetoric from Russia before. And I think it's important not to be intimidated, not to let Russia set the standards of
this conflict. We should always remember what started this.
This was started single handedly by Russia, trying to convert, subjugate an independent country to bend to Russia's will. And that is, of course,
unlawful and unjust. And Russia thought that this would be a swift campaign that would be over in three days.
But we're now counting 1,001 day. And that is due to the stamina and the heroism of the Ukrainian people, who is now fighting for the rules-based
world order. And I think it's our obligation to show them our relentless support in this fight.
GIOKOS: I want to talk about the change of administration in the new year. Donald Trump coming in and saying that he has an intention to find a way to
end this war.
Is there hope that that could potentially play out?
And what is Sweden's stance?
BOHLIN: We will stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes. And the important thing here is that we want a victory in this war from -- for the
Ukrainian side, a peace on Ukrainian terms to this conflict. And I think that it is important in this regard that the power of force is projected
across the negotiating table.
GIOKOS: Great to see you, Minister. Thank you so much for your time. Much appreciated.
All right. And this just in to CNN. U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has just announced Matt Whitaker as his U.S. ambassador to NATO. Whitaker
served as acting attorney general during Trump's first term. We'll have much more on this later on CNN. We're back right after this.
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GIOKOS: Welcome back.
A Greek pottery workshop is getting global recognition for keeping ancient traditions alive. Dimitris Kouvdis and his family are among the last in the
Mediterranean to use traditional techniques to create their gorgeous pieces.
Now UNESCO has included their workshop in its National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The family also uses clay from local soil and
fires the pots in a traditional kiln using processed olive pits as fuel. They also use natural lime to paint the pieces.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DIMITRIS KOUVDIS, CERAMIST (through translator): Your hands develop blisters. Getting in, having your hands burned from the mallet, stinging.
Where should I begin?
So many memories. The fire is burning you.
[10:55:00]
But above all it's a passion. You're trying to create something that fulfills you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Kouvdis says it is an honor for him to be recognized by UNESCO, especially now that mass production has overshadowed the old ways.
Well, that's it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN. "NEWSROOM" is coming up next.
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