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Connect the World
CNN International: Ukraine: NATO is Taking Over our Security Assistance; Musk, UAE Announce Plans for Dubai Loop; 28 Injured after Car Plows Into Demonstrators in Munich; Elon Musk: U.S. Should Leave Countries to their Own Business; Wave of Firings Underway in Some U.S. Federal Agencies. Aired 9-10a ET
Aired February 13, 2025 - 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)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Well, you join us here on the closing day of World Government Summit, where leaders have been working all
week towards more effective policy and smarter innovation for their people of tomorrow. It's 06:00 p.m. here in Dubai. I'm Becky Anderson and you are
watching a special edition of "Connect the World".
We've been here all week, and we found one theme, connecting almost all conversations here in Dubai, doesn't matter what people are talking about.
Donald Trump's new administration and its impact having so much cascade effect across so many stories as we come to air tonight.
European Leaders and Ukrainian residents are this hour reacting to an apparent shift in U.S. policy towards the Russia Ukraine conflict. It's
04:00 p.m. in Kyiv. And in Rafah Hamas recommitting to releasing hostages this weekend after Israel and the U.S. President threatened an even more
intense war if the ceasefire in Gaza broke down.
Plus, firings pick up speed at U.S. federal agencies impacting Americans far beyond the Washington beltway. Well, it's 09:00 a.m. in the U.S.
Capitol and in New York. Of course, the stock market there expected to open. It will open about 30 minutes from now, and as we look at the futures
market, things looking pretty flat.
It has to be said on the indications for the open investors trying to process what are all these headlines? Yesterday's inflation numbers came in
hot, but the Fed, indicating it was not in a hurry to cut interest rates in the U.S., considering what are these wider uncertainties and the concept of
talks to end the war in Ukraine, impacting oil prices.
Well, NATO Defense Ministers meeting in Brussels today, facing what for them is a harsh new reality. U.S. President Donald Trump jump starting
talks to end the fighting in Ukraine without their input, calling his Russian counter-part by phone to discuss peace nearly three years after
Vladimir Putin's invasion of its sovereign neighbor, and saying negotiations will start immediately, while seeming to criticize Ukraine for
a conflict it didn't start. Have a listen to the U.S. President.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you view Ukraine as an equal member of this peace process?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I am -- interesting question. I think they have to make peace. Their people are
being killed, and I think they have to make peace. I said that was not a good war to go into. And I think they have to make peace. That's what I
think.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, that's U.S. President. He also said he'll probably meet Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia, and that they will visit each other's
countries, effectively ending the pariah status that Russia's President has had in the U.S. executive branch since the invasion began in 2022.
Well, President Trump later spoke to the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said they discussed ways to achieve peace. Well, NATO
Secretary General meantime says, whatever form peace negotiations take must involve close participation from Ukraine itself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK RUTTE, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: We all want peace in Ukraine rather sooner than later. We all want Ukraine to be in the best possible position
when those talks start, to make sure that they can be concluded successfully. We cannot have Putin again trying to capture a square
kilometer, a square mile of Ukraine in the future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Rutte speaking as NATO Ministers today face another harsh reality, the insistence from the new U.S. Defense Secretary that all of
them must hike defense spending to 5 percent of their gross domestic product. Now Pete Hegseth calling the product -- protection of Ukraine an
important European responsibility and imploring that Europe step up. Ukraine's Defense Minister saying that's going to happen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUSTEM UMEROV, UKRAINIAN DEFENSE MINISTER: NATO is taking over our security assistance and training, so it is already in process. It is settled. We're
thankful to NATO and the leadership of NATO.
[09:05:00]
So, at this stage, a message is that we're continuing. We're strong, we're capable, we're able, we will deliver.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: All right, that's the Ukrainian Defense Minister on the U.S. part, Pete Hegseth, seeming to rule out Ukraine one day joining NATO,
calling that prospect of that happening unrealistic. CNN's Natasha Bertrand is in Brussels with more now on what the U.S. Defense Secretary is saying
and reaction from other NATO Ministers.
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: We also heard Secretary Hegseth this morning say that he believes that President Trump is
the only person in the world who can convene these parties, Ukraine and Russia to find a durable and lasting peace.
Now, members of NATO, NATO allies here, particularly those eastern flank NATO allies, including Lithuania and Estonia, they are extremely skeptical
of that, to say the least, and they are very concerned that by Trump having these conversations with Putin directly, it leaves Ukraine and Europe out
of the picture when it comes to finding some kind of negotiated settlement here.
Here's a little bit of what the UK Defense Secretary said about this earlier today, again, kind of pushing back on this notion that Ukraine
cannot be directly involved in these conversations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN HEALEY, BRITISH DEFENCE SECRETARY: There can be no negotiation about Ukraine without Ukraine, and Ukraine's voice must be at the heart of any
talks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Let's get the view from Russia, Senior International Correspondent Fred Pleitgen joining me from Moscow. Fred, it's good to have
you there from Moscow today. We're hearing platitudes frankly, is the way I think we can describe it today. About this, Donald Trump Putin phone call
from Russia's Foreign Minister, explain.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, there's some platitudes however, at the same time, Becky, one of the things that we
do feel here in political Moscow, among top officials here in the Russian capital, is that they are nothing less than ecstatic about that phone call
that took place between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In fact, Dmitry Peskov, the Spokesman for Vladimir Putin, he came out earlier today in a conference call with journalists and said the Kremlin is
impressed with Donald Trump's position on the Ukraine conflict, on the war in Ukraine. And the Russians really are already kicking into high gear.
They say they're already designating people for possible peace talks. They're already getting ready for a possible face-to-face meeting between
Vladimir Putin and President Trump, but at the same time, I was able today to go to a press conference of the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov,
and I asked him whether he had a lot of hope now that relations between Russia and the United States could normalize.
And he used that to rip into the Biden Administration, also into the U.S.'s European allies, saying that Russia shouldn't have been sidelined on the
international stage in the first place. Here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: Yesterday after the phone call between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Are you more hopeful now that there can
be real and fundamental change and improvement in U.S. Russian relations?
SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: What struck me was that now the entire world is in a state of shock, viewing the phone conversation and the
news about it as something extraordinary. This shows to what extent the staff of the Biden Administration, led by their president and their
European satellites, have abandoned dialog and diplomacy as a method of communication with the outside world.
Opting instead for threats sanctions and the arming of the regime in Kyiv to wage war against the Russian Federation. Judging by the surprise and
shock caused by the phone talks between Trump and Putin, it seems that everything happening in Ukraine and the actions of Zelenskyy's Nazi regime
have been taken for granted.
This is how you should communicate with Russia. Perhaps that is why many in the West, including the Leaders of the European Union, were shocked when a
simple, normal conversation took place between two polite, educated individuals.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: And that was the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, speaking at a press conference there with me earlier today. There are two
things that have really caught the eye of the Russians Becky. On the one hand, it's those comments also by the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete
Hegseth essentially saying that the U.S. would not put any troops on the ground in Ukraine.
There would be no NATO membership for Ukraine, and also that any sort of mandate for foreign troops inside Ukraine would not have the participation
of the United States. Obviously, that all music to the ears of the Kremlin, but also the fact that the Russians are picking up on what they believe is
essentially the Ukrainians getting side lined in any sort of talks that could take place between the United States and Russia. We were just
watching Russian state TV here where that was exactly of the points they were making.
[09:10:00]
So right now, the Russians certainly believe that they are in a prime position with this new administration in Washington to get talks going, not
just to end the Ukraine war in a way very favorable to Russia, but also to get U.S. Russian relations back on track with the Trump Administration as
well, Becky.
ANDERSON: Good to have you there. It's 05:10 in Moscow thank you. After days of uncertainty, Hamas says Saturday's release of three Israeli
hostages is back on following positive talks with key mediators Egypt and Qatar. Israeli military vehicles were seen near Gaza on Wednesday as the
defense minister warned that the war will resume at a different intensity if there is any delay to releasing these hostages.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond following this for you from Tel Aviv. And look this entire sort of concern sparked after Hamas said that Israel had violated
the terms of what it is phase one of this cease fire deal. Now an Egyptian source telling CNN that Israel has committed numerous violations to the
agreement. What do we understand to be those alleged violations, Jeremy?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, that's right. This Egyptian source, Becky, is pointing to 19 violations that Israel has
committed of the ceasefire agreement, referring to an internal Egyptian government list that has documented a number of alleged infractions by the
Israeli government of the ceasefire.
They point to the restrictions on the delivery of aid and reconstruction material and equipment. They say that only four pieces of heavy equipment
that could move rubble in Gaza, for example, have been allowed in so far. They also point to the firing and killing of civilians in Gaza.
They say that 22 people have been killed and 59 injured outsides of the buffer zone where Israeli troops have been staying and where Palestinian
citizens are forbidden to enter. They also say that Israeli surveillance aircraft has been flying above the skies of Gaza at non-authorized times
during these no-fly periods that have been agreed upon by Israel and Hamas.
They say that there have been 105 incidents of surveillance aircraft that have been spotted during those agreed no fly periods. And this, of course,
only serves to buttress the allegations by Hamas of a series of Israeli ceasefire violations. I have asked the Israeli military for comment, in
particular, on this idea of the firing of weapons at civilians in Gaza, as well as about these over flights.
I have yet to get a response from them. It is important to note, of course, that the Israeli government has also accused Hamas of a series of ceasefire
violations. Some of those have had to do with delays in Hamas providing the list of Israeli hostages the night before those releases have taken place,
as well as some of the scenes that we have seen inside of Gaza of unruly crowds surrounding these hostages in particular that incident involving the
29-year-old female hostage Arbel Yahud, Becky.
ANDERSON: Good to have you, sir. Thank you. Well, of course, Gaza and Ukraine discussed here as leaders gathered on what is the final date of the
World Government Summit in Dubai. And of course, the conversation never strays too far from the new leadership in the White House, President Donald
Trump's right-hand man, Elon Musk, made a virtual appearance announcing new plans for an underground road system for the city called the Dubai Loop.
Have a quick listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELON MUSK, TESLA CEO: It's going to be like -- like a walk -- like a worm hole, like -- you know, you just worm hole from one part of the city boom,
and you're out another part of the city.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, that's Elon Musk. Khalfan Belhoul is the CEO of the Dubai Future Foundation, joining me now. Look, you also talked a lot about DOGE.
You talked a lot about AI and we'll hear more from Elon Musk the discussion with the AI Minister here a little later this hour.
But I wanted to get you very specifically to speak to what has been described as sort of Las Vegas style underground road network, described by
Musk himself as sort of worming around the city. Tell me a little bit more about this, because this very much speaks to the policy and investment
being made in automation and the future of mobility here.
KHALFAN BELHOUL, CEO, DUBAI FUTURE FOUNDATION: First of all, Becky, always great to see you. It's a bit sweet moment when the summit ends. A lot to
take in, specifically from the announcement that His Excellency, Omar and Elon have jointly announced what Elon called the 3D mobility, if you will,
and claimed that, which we truly believe is the case, is obviously a more efficient mode of transportation, given that it does not get involved in
any weather-related issues.
[09:15:00]
And creates a seamless, kind of non-interrupted transportation mode, which I think is obviously, I mean, something new. We've been toying around with
Elon this idea for the past months. And I think this sets another example of how Dubai and the UAE really set a lab for the world --
ANDERSON: -- across so many sectors and so many industries.
BELHOUL: Yes.
ANDERSON: We talk here about the sandbox that is the UAE for new technology, advanced technology AI and the like automation, of course,
involved in that. The UAE also today announcing that it will begin what it describes as mapping air corridors for air taxis and cargo drains. Again,
speaking very specifically to this policy of investment in advanced tech and mobility.
BELHOUL: Yeah.
ANDERSON: What do you make of that? What do you know about this?
BELHOUL: So, what I know is this is an inevitable mode of transportation and mode of moving items as well. This is inevitable. We've we see drones
around us already, and it's inevitable that we need to expand on this. This is a another 3d mode of transportation
But at the same time, this is probably earlier days when it comes to the announcement that you hear, it's the announcement is again a true
reflection of how fast the country moves when it comes to testing new ideas, it's the stakeholders sitting together.
ANDERSON: Yeah --
BELHOUL: Yeah, so it's the stakeholders sitting together, whether it's ARTC, which is research oriented the civil aviation and TII the sitting in
a room talking together and trying to make sure that those corridors are safe and executable.
ANDERSON: And we talk about Dubai speed, the speed of -- of getting things done, apart from the traffic at the moment, which can be a bit often, which
is why I'm assuming the Dubai loop will help this.
BELHOUL: -- Yes --
ANDERSON: This is sort of sense of Dubai speed of getting things done. I want our viewers to understand, because it speaks very much what you've
just been alluding to. This is this ability to be agile and flexible in decision making, this ability to get regulation change to accommodate new
policy and the sort of regulation that would be needed, for example, for these air corridors.
Again, we've talked about air taxis here for -- and drone taxis here for a number of years. And there will be viewers who say, listen, you know, we've
heard a lot about these initiatives. When is it going to happen? Well, it will only happen when you get policy in place, safety and regulations in
place, and that's clearly on the way at this point.
BELHOUL: Absolutely. So, I think you nailed it. And I think it's, I mean, maybe I'm used to because I'm in the core of that business through the
Dubai Future Foundation. And we don't joke when we say, sometimes decisions are a WhatsApp away. That's because we can reach the decision makers to
open up regulations across board, mobility, applying blockchain for transactions, testing 3d printing technologies for construction.
So, I think this agility is very much needed. We have it. But the key point here is, how do you create this agile environment? But at the same time
within this journey, you create a safe environment to test. You cannot jump from a crazy idea all the way to execution in the public space. So that
journey in the middle is what matters, and how fast you go in that journey. And this is what we have.
ANDERSON: And we've heard a lot of talk this week here. We've heard similar talk from JD Vance at the AI summit in Europe, and from Europeans talking
about the balance, and this is very specifically in AI between safety and innovation. There will never be a sort of balance between safety and
innovation when it comes to what we're doing in the air and below the ground.
BELHOUL: Yes.
ANDERSON: And obviously, this is advanced tech, and safety is absolutely, you know, paramount. But the conversation, it's important that we open that
sort of lens and say, you know, safety regulation shouldn't nozzle innovation, and it's what you talk about a lot at the Dubai Future
Foundation.
Your Head of that, of course. And there's a series of initiatives, including the very grand museum of the future. Why does the UAE focus so
relentlessly on the future, and where is that future for this country and this region head it?
BELHOUL: Well, I mean, obviously having the museum of the future is an example to the world on how the UAE thinks. And thankfully, Becky, this
museum has been sold out since it opens its doors. We can find a way for you if you want.
ANDERSON: It's been a number of times. It's been hard to get in --
BELHOUL: But it's doing extremely well. But I think it's a message to the world on how we actually see the future. And when people ask me, what's
next for the Dubai Future Foundation, I say we continue to remain on the edge. We continue to foresee what's happening next.
And we continue to double down on the winning bets like what has been announced today, and learn from the moment that can be pivoting. It doesn't
mean that everything we do will get right.
[09:20:00]
Yes, we push to be number one. Yes, we strive to be number one. We are ambitious. We are a small country, but with massive ambitious as you know.
We will get some things right, and we want to get things right, but it's how you actually convert that into a learning curve and flip it into an
opportunity and move fast.
ANDERSON: And I'm really pleased that I'm going to close it out here, but I'm really pleased that, you know, you accept and admit that there is a lot
out there, a lot of initiatives which will never see the light of day, right?
BELHOUL: -- absolutely.
ANDERSON: But this is about identifying those that can work and can work, to the --
BELHOUL: And double downing on the ones that and triple downing on the ones that actually make sense, and take the learnings from the ones that you
didn't. And you need to stay humble as you go through this journey.
ANDERSON: The closing ceremony here, we learned that the UAE, in one significant global index, is running fifth in the world when it comes to AI
these days. And if that's just a sort of data point, as it were, to the ambition of this country, I think is a very good one at this point,
obviously, more to come. There's always more to come. These two announcements are classic World Government Summit.
BELHOUL: Yes.
ANDERSON: As Dubai, you know, has been hosting this now for more than a decade, and we've been here supporting you through the sort of programming
in order to understand what's going on here. I wonder what will happen over the next 10 years. It didn't surprise me that these two announcements came
out today.
BELHOUL: Well, I'll tell you one thing. First of all, I mean, your support is immense here. You all do a fantastic job in positioning the summit as it
is. But if there's one message I'd want to maybe wrap up with, as much as we talk about AI and the importance of AI, I think there'll be an
inflection point. And Elon kind of alluded to it where, I mean, and I think he's not far off when he says all the jobs will be taken by AI and AI will
be super smart that we don't need to do anything at all.
And I don't think he's far off of that, but I think there'll be an inflection point where there'll be so much appreciation to this human
interaction that people will be so hungry for physical convenings like the World Government Summit and events and concerts and sports events, there'll
be so much appreciation and premium for human capital.
ANDERSON: It's really interesting that you make that point, and we're going to discuss that more on this show as I speak to my colleague Anna Stewart
about what we heard from Elon Musk here today. I mean, so many people have so many concerns about where this is headed. But in crisis, as it were, in
sort of this moment of crisis in one's mind, there is also opportunity.
BELHOUL: Absolutely.
ANDERSON: It was a pleasure. Thank you very much.
BELHOUL: Just to see you always --
ANDERSON: -- congratulations on what's been a terrific event.
BELHOUL: Thank you so much. Good to see you.
ANDERSON: Well, as leaders gather for the Munich Security Conference, a car has plowed into a group of demonstrators, going to bring you what we know
on this developing story, that is ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, in Munich, at least 20 people have been injured after a car plowed into a group of demonstrators.
[09:25:00]
Police have detained the driver and say they do not consider him a further threat for those injured were taking part in a demonstration linked to a
strike by the Verdi trade union. World leaders including Ukraine's President Zelenskyy, are due to arrive there in Munich for what is a
security conference tomorrow. Sebastian Shukla joins me now from Munich. What is the latest from authorities there?
SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN PRODUCER: Yeah, hi, Becky. I'm here at this intersection where you can still see that white vehicle behind me, which is
the left in the remnants discarded of the attack which took place around 10:30 this morning against that peaceful protest. It was a trade union
group actually protesting for higher wages.
And you can see the debris that has been left behind by this, including those tin foil first aid blankets and very concerningly, one single shoe.
And if it's even more possible, that one push chair, which is there of the victims, we know that there have been 28 injured. We spoke to police
earlier.
They told us that some of them have been severely, if not gravely, injured, and we have no further update on that. As for the perpetrator of this,
Becky, we know it's a 24-year-old Afghan migrant living here in Germany, and it's just another incident which has taken place in Germany at a very
fragile time when the big nationwide discussions about immigration.
But also, as you can see, there are police everywhere around this crime scene now, but not just here, everywhere across this city, there are police
officers. Some extra 5000 of them have been deployed ahead of the Munich Security Conference, where we're going to be having in a matter of hours.
Heads of states, presidents, prime ministers arriving, including the U.S. President J.D. Vance, along with the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio,
too. So, one of the questions already being asked here is it, does Munich have enough security and police officers around to patrol these streets,
and is the security conference going to be safe too, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yeah, I'm sure. J.D. Vance wishes he was U.S. President, not quite yet. VP, of course, but thank you. Yeah, you making a very good
point. It's an important time. Very briefly, this isn't the first such attack in Germany have alluded to that. People are asking why police cannot
get a handle on this, Sebastian?
SHUKLA: Yeah. Becky, this is -- it's another attack which comes after Aschaffenburg attack, which is also perpetrated by an Afghan migrant here,
but it's coming at a time where the national debate as an election loom here, which has thrust immigration to the very forefront of the entire
election campaign.
And within Germany, there is a growing movement now, that there needs to be more done to tackle this issue of illegal migration, and it's something
that's been seized upon by the far right here the alternative for Deutschland, and many see them as being able to drive that policy now from
the major parties to try and grow a groundswell of consensus about what should happen to these migrants.
And we saw the head of the Bavarian assist the party for the CDU Angela Merkel's old party here earlier, where he gave a press conference where he
said, without any uncertain terms, that this looks like an attack. That is not the words yet that the police are using specifically, but that gives
you an idea about how, again, with days to go now to this election that the issue of migration will be catapulted to the fore again, Becky.
ANDERSON: Seb, good to have you. Thank you. Well President Trump's most controversial Cabinet picks are becoming reality in the United States as
the Senate gets ready to vote again today. In just hours, they will decide whether to confirm vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, as Head of the
Department of Health and Human Services.
He will be if given the role controlling a $1.7 trillion budget. Another of Trump's choices, Tulsi Gabbard, was sworn in as Director of National
Intelligence on Wednesday. And at this moment, the Senate Judiciary Committee considering the nomination of Kash Patel to be the FBI Director.
The committee's top Democrat says Patel has already directed the purge of FBI employees, even though he isn't in the job yet, and he testified he
wasn't aware of any plans. Well, a spokesman for Patel denies the accusations. He is expected to be confirmed by the committee along party
lines.
The vote in the full Senate will happen in the coming days. Elon Musk took some time out of his schedule to make a virtual appearance here at the
World Government Summit in Dubai earlier today. We are going to take a look at how he is shaking up the conversations and in fact, what he said in
order to do that, after this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MUSK: Human intelligence will be a very small fraction of total intelligence. And digital intelligence will be more than 99 percent of all
intelligence in the future. So hopefully the computers are nice to us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[09:30:00]
ANDERSON: Firstly, I'm sorry. I didn't -- The markets just opening in New York. We are keeping an eye on those stocks, much more from the world of
business and tech is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Right. Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson. I'm in Dubai today. You see the Burj al-Arab behind me here. You're watching a special edition of
"Connect the World" on the closing day of WGS as it's known. That's the World Government Summit. Let's get you to some of the action here earlier
on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MUSK: With the new administration, there's less interest in interfering with the affairs of other countries. I think we should, in general, leave
other countries to their own business. Basically, America should mind its own business rather than push for regime change all over the place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Somewhat of a surreal moment, Elon Musk streamed into the summit here today to say America needs to back off, get out of people's business,
pull back from the world stage. Not a new idea from what is this America first camp in the U.S., but it is new to be hearing it from a tech mogul
turned Advisor to the President.
CNN's Anna Stewart, here with me in Dubai. You were at the session listening in, that wasn't the only I don't know whether I want to call it
shocking, because, you know --
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Nothing will shock us anymore.
ANDERSON: Exactly. Exactly. But look, there was lots discussed. Questions asked of -- about DOGE, questions asked about AI. Where do you want to
start? Let's start with DOGE.
STEWART: Let's start with DOGE. And we got a lot of the Musk's philosophy and the logic behind it, and the philosophy I just don't even think we have
time for. So, we'll get to the logic. But the idea of cost cutting, of getting technology to drive innovations, huge job cuts in the federal
government, which we know about.
But the plan being from Elon Musk that there will be $1 trillion save in terms of government spending. He says that will be -- that will result in
inflation being zero between 2025 and 2026 and interest rates being lower.
[09:35:00]
Therefore, you know, the great American public will be very, very happy, but --
ANDERSON: About the tariffs?
STEWART: But the way, let's talk about the tariffs, but the way to get there, some of the things he said were pretty controversial. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MUSK: I think we do need to delete entire agencies, as opposed to leave part of them behind, because if you leave part of them behind, it's easy.
It's kind of like leaving a weed. If you don't get remove the roots of the weed, then it's easy for the weed to grow back. But if you remove the roots
of the weed, it doesn't stop weeds from ever growing back, but it makes it harder.
It's like a big company, like a big corporation America Incorporated, and just like with Twitter, there was a lot of stuff that was being done that
was unnecessary. You know, we quit a case of Twitter, we reduced the staff by 80 percent, but at the same time, improved the functionality and
capabilities of the site dramatically, and accomplished more in a year than they previously accomplished in five years. So, it's like a corporate
turnaround, but at a much larger scale.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEWART: There's a lot to get in there. And it's worth pointing out that it wasn't a journalist interviewing Elon Musk, it was the UAE's AI Minister,
so he wasn't pressed on some of the things he said. Of course, people will question, can you delete entire agencies without the approval of Congress,
as the executive branch have the power to do that?
Should Elon Musk, an unelected official, be leading this charge, and then this question about the corporate turnaround? Should you be comparing the
federal government to a corporation? Is Twitter the best model in its turn around? It may be cheaper to run. Is it better? You know, people --
ANDERSON: -- 80 percent of the staff there didn't he, even in the first couple of weeks?
STEWART: He did. But is the product any better?
ANDERSON: Not for me to comment on that, on AI Elon Musk's interpretation of AI safety stood out to me. Here is part of what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MUSK: What's the most important thing for AI safety? I think it's to be maximally truth seeking. And I think also curiosity is important. And I
think it was curious, and truth seeking, it will, I think it will foster humanity. And because it would be curious about how humanity would develop.
And so, I think that then it would probably, if it's curious, it would be curious about, OK, let's see how the humans do this foster the development.
And if it's truth seeking, we can avoid dystopian outcomes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And I still haven't worked out whether he just thinks on his feet and he's having these sorts of big thoughts, or whether there is a fully
baked sort of idea there, be that as it may. Ai, safety and the balance between that and innovation. The big topic here and in summits, AI summits
around the world. Is he in tune with other leaders, other governments, other big thinkers on this?
STEWART: On AI safety, we really don't, you hear that much at all. We were hearing kind of really big picture, as you say with AI, I mean, he's saying
that human intelligence will one day be dwarfed by machine intelligence. Money may have no meaning, Becky, we're looking huge, big picture at this
stage.
But he did take the opportunity today with this red dress to plug rock three, which is a new model of AI which he's going to come out with over
the next two weeks. He says it's going to be the best reasoning model of any AI that has been released. Remains to be seen, but -- which also
highlights the fact that we do have a billionaire here who runs private businesses, who is speaking both as a special government employee and as a
CEO.
ANDERSON: And a big announcement today from his boring company about a partnership to build what is going to be known as the Dubai loop, which is
sort of Vegas style underground, as he describes it, worming around transport system, new future mobility system.
So, you're making a very good point -- going on. Anyway, all good. It's always good to have you and thank you. And thank you for being here with us
this week in Dubai. And Anna Stewart in the House for you. I will be right back.
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[09:40:00]
ANDERSON: Well, you are back with me here in Dubai for a special edition of "Connect the World". That's the Burj al-Arab. And we are getting the
headlines, one of which is a wave of firings now underway in Washington, Donald Trump and Elon Musk charging ahead at full speed, it seems, in their
quest to drastically reduce the federal workforce.
Some employees at the Department for Education and the small business administration began receiving letters informing them, and I quote, the
agency finds, based on your performance, that you have not demonstrated that your further employment at the agency would be in the public interest.
The wider dose driven effort to fire federal workers receiving a vital legal boost yesterday. A federal judge allowing the presidents so called
deferred resignation offer to proceed despite a former pause for the White House saying that around 75,000 federal workers have accepted the offer,
which claims to trade the months of pay in exchange for willingly giving up their jobs.
Well, that is close to 4 percent of the nation's roughly 2 million civilian federal workers. Right, I'm going to take a break. I'll be back at the top
of this hour in 15 minutes time. Amanda Davies will get you some "World Sport" after this wrapping up the Champions League first round action. As I
say I'll be back top of the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:45:00]
(WORLD SPORT)
[10:00:00]
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