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Russia and Ukraine Hold First Direct Talks in Istanbul Three Year Since War Started; Vatican Offers to Help Bring Peace to Ukraine; U.S. President Trump Touts Investment Deals Linked to Middle East Tour; Cassie Ventura's Cross-Examination Continues; Growing Need for Aid in Gaza; Newark Controller Details Job Trauma in Interview. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired May 16, 2025 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:33]
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: And welcome to what is the second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD from our Middle East programing headquarters this
Friday. I'm Becky Anderson. Time here is just after 6:00 in the evening.
U.S. President Donald Trump has just wrapped up his big trip in the region. He left with many deals under his belt and strengthened ties between the
U.S. and the Gulf.
Well, for the first time since Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine, both countries are having direct talks in Istanbul, but notably absent are
both of the presidents.
Sean "Diddy" Combs racketeering and sex trafficking trial resumes today. His ex, Cassie Ventura, back on the stand for what is expected to be the
end of her cross-examination.
What is our breaking news this hour, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has just spoken to U.S. President Donald Trump and several
European leaders. That call coming off the back of the first face-to-face talks between Russia and Ukraine in three years, though neither Zelenskyy
or the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, were in attendance. Well, a source tells CNN that Russia came in and demanded Ukraine cede more of its
own territory.
CNN chief international security correspondent Nick Paton Walsh live in Kyiv.
Nick, what do you make of these talks that wrapped up just a few hours ago?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, the story today is of progress, but also of how little progress
there's really been. We're clearly seeing now the first international diplomatic fallout from this quite junior low-level of Russian delegation
that's gone to these talks that were originally Vladimir Putin's suggestion.
Ukraine defense minister saying that, yes, they're working towards a prisoner swap, a thousand prisoners, civilians on either side, to be
swapped, quote, "in the coming days," and that there are potentially talks in the making here about both the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
and the Russian President Vladimir Putin, potentially meeting. Now, that's not new. That's something that Zelenskyy suggested had to happen days ago,
and that Putin rejected.
Also, too, according to the Russian side, who predominantly agree with the Ukrainian account, they are saying that at next meetings, potentially both
sides will present their different ideas of what a ceasefire might look like. Well, we know the Ukrainian one. It's unconditional 30 days starting
now. And of course, unconditional ceasefires don't involve sides laying out the conditions they might have for a ceasefire.
So clearly minimal results from this first meeting. Yes, it is important that both sides are talking directly, but put it in the context of a
Saturday ceasefire demand from European allies and Ukraine being ignored. Putin suggesting this meeting, Zelenskyy saying he'd go in person, Putin
potentially refusing that. Trump acting as an intermediary, and then nobody going apart from this lower level delegation.
And then, of course, the quite maximalist demands you just mentioned there, Becky, a Ukrainian source saying the Russians want more land to be given to
them without a fight as part of this particular deal. That call between Zelenskyy, the European leaders who stood alongside him here on Saturday
demanding that ceasefire, France, U.K., Germany and Poland, to Trump clearly a bid to move the consequences along for Russia stalling this
process clearly.
They've demanded massive sanctions, in the words of French President Emmanuel Macron. Will Trump go along with that? Well, he seems to say he
needs a meeting face-to-face with Putin for any progress here at all. Frankly, taking the wind out of all pressure on Moscow, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes. Nick, I want to play out how Zelenskyy and Trump framed Putin missing the meeting yesterday, respectively. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: All of you know that this week we had a real chance to take important steps toward ending this war if only
Putin had not been afraid to come to Turkey.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think it's time for us to just do it. I said, you know, they all said Putin was going and Zelenskyy
was going. And I said, if I don't go, I guarantee Putin is not going. And he didn't go. And I understand that.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: When do you think you'll meet the president?
TRUMP: As soon as we can set it up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: He was asked when he thought he would meet President Putin. You can't really hear the response to that.
[10:05:05]
Nick, what is your assessment?
PATON WALSH: Yes, I mean, it is fascinating, isn't it, to see these two different versions of events. The Trump who seems to be on the phone with
the Europeans on Saturday and maybe during their meeting in Tirana today, the picture of which was posted by the Ukrainian president, who appears to
be offering the Europeans the feeling of support that they think they want. And then the public Trump we saw there discussing Vladimir Putin and
essentially saying, it's all right. It doesn't matter that he didn't show up. He didn't expect him to. If Trump hadn't turned up himself.
And really, however you interpret that offering a bilateral meeting, it seems, without conditions there and essentially asking Putin if he'll
accept that invitation. Now, that is not necessarily projecting the strength that the European allies in Ukraine feel that needs to be deployed
if you're going to put pressure on the Kremlin to come to the table and make concessions. And it also, I think, puts this entire peace process at a
point where, well, we know the Russians have been dictating the schedule.
They dictated the idea of this meeting, who would attend. The Ukrainians felt they kind of had to go along with it, really, in order to show the
White House that they weren't themselves an obstacle to peace. And instead, here we have Putin frankly reassured that Trump doesn't expect progress
until the two of them meet.
I should just throw something else in there, Becky. The U.S. ambassador to Kyiv, Bridget Brink, resigned recently and has just written an
extraordinary article in which she refers to how she couldn't go along -- I'm paraphrasing here -- with the idea of the Trump administration leaning
and putting pressure on Ukraine rather than on the aggressor Russia, and explains that's the reason why she resigned and condemns what she refers to
as the appeasement currently part of U.S. policy in all of this.
Remarkable words to hear from a serving U.S. diplomat here -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes, it's fascinating, isn't it, Nick? Thank you.
Well, when might that meeting between U.S. President Vladimir Putin happen and where, well, the Vatican is offering to help bring peace to Ukraine,
suggesting the Holy See as a venue for talks. That, according to Italian media outlet RAI, citing the Vatican secretary of state.
CNN's Christopher Lamb is in Rome for us.
Explain just what this offer is and how unprecedented this offer might -- is. I'm getting my words mixed up here.
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, I mean, Becky, you may remember, of course, at the funeral of Pope Francis, that extraordinary
image of President Trump and President Zelenskyy in Saint Peter's Basilica having talks and apparently those were quite productive, according to
President Zelenskyy.
Look, the Vatican has for a long time sought to play a kind of mediatory role or to offer the space for some kind of peace talks between Russia and
Ukraine. That's something that Cardinal Parolin has emphasized today. He said that the Vatican is there to help. Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday, speaking
to leaders of eastern churches, saying that the Holy See is ready to bring enemies face to face to mediate.
He, of course, has emphasized peace from the word go in his pontificate, saying he wants to be a bridge builder, and he's already spoken to
President Zelenskyy, who has himself been warm in regards to Pope Leo's overtures to try and help with this conflict.
Now, of course, the problem for the Vatican has been the difficulty in engaging Russia and opening a dialogue with them, and particularly the
Russian Orthodox Church. That's become very difficult for the Vatican. So the Vatican hoping to help. But the key thing is, of course, bringing
Russia to the table. And that's something the Vatican has struggled to do.
ANDERSON: Fantastic to have you, Christopher. Thank you very much indeed. Chris Lamb is in Rome.
Right. Donald Trump on his way home from the Middle East, of course, after wrapping up a three-nation tour of the Gulf focused on business
partnerships with large doses of geopolitics thrown in. The U.S. president's last public appearance at the Abrahamic family house here in
Abu Dhabi, a complex that houses a mosque, a church and a synagogue.
Well, before that, he talked with business leaders claiming credit for trillions of dollars in deals that he says Americans will benefit from
after he leaves office.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I'll say, I did that, and everyone will say, but somebody is going to be cutting a ribbon. And, well, we're going to be finished long before
that. But somebody is going to be taking the credit for this. You remember, press. This guy did it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, during this tour, President Trump announced he is lifting U.S. sanctions on Syria.
[10:10:02]
And then he met that country's president in Saudi Arabia. And he also hinted at progress on a nuclear deal with Iran. One thing he could not do
was get the Russian president to go to Turkey to meet his Ukrainian counterpart for those direct peace talks that started and ended pretty
quickly there today. And throughout his trip, the war in Gaza has raged on, with hundreds more Palestinians reported killed this week as the people of
Gaza now face starvation.
Well, we've got a lot to discuss here with Nickolay Mladenov. He's the director general of the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy here in Abu Dhabi,
importantly served as the U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East peace process for some years.
I just want to get your sort of, you know, first take, key takeaways from the trip here.
NICKOLAY MLADENOV, DIRECTOR GENERAL, ANWAR GARGASH DIPLOMATIC ACADEMY: Well, key takeaway for the whole region is that there is a new partnership
emerging between the Gulf and America. And part of that partnership is built on a more traditional understanding of what diplomacy is about. It's
about being able to talk to everyone and seek solutions behind closed doors, rather than in the media spotlight all the time.
But it also looks at the future. And I think this was most visible in actually in all parts of the trip, but particularly visible here in Abu
Dhabi, that the partnership entails building the infrastructure for the new economy of the future. The focus on A.I. in the UAE was enabled by the fact
that, you know, America and the UAE have built a lot of trust over the years, and this is not just at the political level of the leadership. It's
also trust in -- all the way down to how data is protected.
The infrastructure is there, the trust is there, and obviously the technological advancements that have happened in the UAE over the last few
years are now putting the country to become sort of a, I don't know, a nexus for the economy of the future. Now, that is a UAE perspective, but if
you broaden it out, you can also see that the rest of the region is heading in that way, in that same direction.
And this new partnership can be a very good and strong partnership for good. It is constructive, it helps build the economy of the future, and it
certainly creates opportunities to resolve many of the outstanding conflicts around.
ANDERSON: So, Nickolay, are we seeing this U.S. President Donald Trump turning the page on U.S. policy in the Middle East?
MLADENOV: I think he's writing a new page. And how that page is to be written still remains to be seen. But what we see as the outlines for now
is really a focus on a new style of diplomacy, one that people will call transactional very often, but one that actually is more traditional.
ANDERSON: Yes, no, I get your point. Except I will disagree with the fact that it's more traditional, you know, it's about partnerships out of the
spotlight of the media, because Donald Trump, of course, loves to be in the spotlight. I mean --
MLADENOV: True. He loves to be in the spotlight, but you see that all the negotiations that are taking place, whether it's on the Russian-Ukrainian
situation or on Gaza or on the Iran deal, are situations that are not happening through public statements.
ANDERSON: Yes, no, good point. Good point.
MLADENOV: They're happening behind closed doors and looking for opportunity.
ANDERSON: So if this is sort of, you know, this new relationship and there was an opportunity, there was a real opportunity to sort of pivot Gulf
relations into a new era. If what we're seeing is investment and sort of partnerships as central to the deepening of ties with Washington, and at
the same time ensuring that the Gulf nations are extracting some benefit and value in their own national interest. And I think we can absolutely
deem this trip a success.
Let's talk very specifically about some geopolitics, because I think people expected the business stuff. They expected this sort of economics on this
because Donald Trump, you know, had flagged that he wanted a lot of money from this region. But the geopolitics headlines were really fascinating,
weren't they? Starting with Syria. Just how significant and consequential could the decision to lift sanctions?
MLADENOV: That is extremely significant. And I'm sure that it will take a little bit of time for these sanctions to be lifted. But Syria needs all
the support that it can get to make sure that it heads in the right direction for its people, bringing the country together, making sure that
the economy is restructured and developed, that civil society is empowered and that really you have a state that is not the remnant of an Assad
dictatorship, but it is a state that is built with the consent of all the people in Syria.
So lifting the sanctions is a significant way forward. But you talked about geopolitics and economy. I'd like to bring them together because I think
one of the most significant messages from this trip, was the breadth and the depth of the relationship between the United States, the UAE and the
Gulf. It's not just about investment. It's not just about money. It's about technological partnerships. It's about health.
[10:15:02]
It looked at, you know, diversified economy. It looked at space. All of these things show really the strong trust and depths that has developed
over the years.
ANDERSON: Yes. Would you go so far as to sort of say that we're seeing a new paradigm here where sort of --
MLADENOV: Absolutely.
ANDERSON: In international affairs, where you see the sort of converging of geopolitics, as we might have called it in the past, geoeconomics, and then
this new leg of geo tech sort of coming together?
MLADENOV: It's exactly that. It's three trends coming together. It's geopolitics, it's geoeconomics, and it's geotech. And all of them, sort of
come together against a backdrop of processes that have been happening for quite a long time. This didn't start with Donald Trump. It's been going on
for some time. We see how the global economy is shifting in a different direction.
If you just look at the data between 2003 and 2023, the global number of bilateral obstacles to the free trade, to free trade, to free movement of
capital and goods has grown from about 250 to over -- to about 3,000.
ANDERSON: Wow.
MLADENOV: So we see the economy -- the global fragmentation of the economy is changing. We see populations that are shifting. You know, sometimes in
the next 50 years, Sub-Saharan Africa will be 4.5 times bigger than China. We see how the economy itself is shifting because of the A.I. and the new
the new infrastructure that is required for that. And in a way, this partnership between the UAE, the Gulf and America actually creates the
opportunities. It creates a global good that can be beneficial to this new environment.
ANDERSON: It's fascinating.
MLADENOV: It's away from, you know, away from sort of the geopolitics in terms of backing one camp against another camp, but really bringing
together a movement of countries that is not, you know, in the past they used to call them nonaligned. Now --
ANDERSON: Although I would -- yes. Although I would argue that, you know, at the heart of the America first policy with Donald Trump is this great
race to be number one and the lens is U.S.-China. I mean, let's not forget that there is still that lens there, that sort of which underpins much of
what Donald Trump is up to at the moment.
MLADENOV: But who doesn't put their country first?
ANDERSON: Yes. Good point.
MLADENOV: Who doesn't put their country first?
ANDERSON: Yes. And I think it's interesting because I've been speaking recently here about how, you know, the Saudis are pretty unapologetic about
their Saudi first policy. So was UAE. I mean, you know, just as America first is, you know, framed with just that title by Donald Trump. You're
absolutely right to point out who doesn't put their national interests first.
President Trump skipped Israel entirely, while Gaza faces another round of devastating airstrikes. I spoke to Qatar's prime minister on Wednesday
about the situation. This is what he had to say, Nickolay.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOHAMMED BIN ABDULRAHMAN AL-THANI, QATARI PRIME MINISTER: From our perspective, we were seeing it as a breakthrough that will help in bring
back the talks on track and bring us a ceasefire and opening up a humanitarian corridor for the humanitarian assistance to come to the people
of Gaza. Unfortunately, Israel reaction to this was a mass bombing the next day, while sending their delegation and statements coming out of the
Israeli government that this delegation is coming to negotiate a hostage deal without ending the war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: He doesn't see Israel as an honest broker in this. Do you see this admission as a missed opportunity for U.S. diplomacy?
MLADENOV: Honestly, no. I'm sure that Gaza was part of the discussions both in Saudi and Abu Dhabi and in Doha, certainly. But what I think is
important to understand that really the diplomacy now needs to happen between the United States and Israel. That is where the focus needs to be.
Israel has come forward with some ideas on how to change the delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza that have been criticized by --
ANDERSON: The agencies hate that, by the way.
MLADENOV: By the U.N. and others. But these ideas are not final. And I think, you know, the role of diplomacy now is to engage with everybody and
to put together a mechanism that actually works on the ground. And secondly, certainly, you know, the fact that you still have hostages in
Gaza, you still have hostages in Gaza, and Hamas is still in control of parts of the Gaza Strip are a significant obstacle to achieving, you know,
a lasting solution to Gaza.
And lastly, I think a really important challenge for diplomacy now will be is to really think very carefully what is the governance mechanism that can
be put in place in Gaza at the end of hostilities that actually serves the Palestinian national interest, protects Israel from a resurgence of
violence and gives the devastated people of Gaza a way forward.
[10:20:10]
And, you know, there have been many ideas on this. Nothing has materialized to date because a lot of the focus still remains in the humanitarian aspect
of it.
ANDERSON: And rightly so. Yes.
MLADENOV: But I'm still hopeful that that conversation will be happening very, very soon. And you know --
ANDERSON: And I think we will be remiss if we didn't suggest that, you know, even though there hasn't been a sort of concrete solution that these
conversations aren't going on behind closed doors. As you say, there have been many sort of, you know, solutions offered up and those discussions you
and I know continue.
MLADENOV: And are continuing as we speak.
ANDERSON: Yes. Yes.
MLADENOV: And I think what's important to know is that they need to be sort of, you know, they really need to focus on the core issues.
ANDERSON: Yes.
MLADENOV: The core issues remain the hostages and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
ANDERSON: The president made a point of saying the days of American officials, quote, "giving you lectures," he said to the region are over.
From your vantage point, does this signal a permanent shift in U.S. foreign policy? This is, after all, a one-term president, unless he decides to run
again against the Constitution.
MLADENOV: I remember when Donald Trump in his previous term came to the U.N. General Assembly and pretty much had the similar message back then, in
the GA, and that was applauded by many.
ANDERSON: I remember.
MLADENOV: The majority of representatives in the room. And I think it's a very strong signal that we need to acknowledge that, you know, despite the
fact that there are universal treaties and there are universal values that need to be respected, human rights, et cetera, regions and countries have
their own specific histories, and they have their own specific cultural contexts to which we need to be absolutely sensitive.
I've always, you know, whether, you know, when I was working in Iraq or Israel, Palestine or anywhere else, I always believe that, you know, from
an outsider's perspective, our role is to help, but we cannot replace the local capacities. And I think the message that President Trump sent was
very strong in that sense. It doesn't mean that, you know, America or the world should stop helping countries solve their problems, but it has to be
done in a different way.
Not in a prescriptive way, but in a way that you actually listen and understand more of the local context and culture. And here, again, the Gulf
is bringing sort of a very new, very dynamic approach to mediation that will be very helpful, I think, down the line in this process.
ANDERSON: Always good to speak to you.
MLADENOV: Always good to see you.
ANDERSON: A lot of sense. Thank you very much indeed.
Well, coming up, Cassie Ventura's cross-examination continues in the trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs and what the court hoped will be her final day of
testimony. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:20:00]
ANDERSON: Cassie Ventura's cross-examination resumes today in the Sean "Diddy" Combs' racketeering and sex trafficking trial. Now the court has
taken a number of steps to ensure that her testimony is fully finished on Friday with prosecutors expressing concern that the heavily pregnant
Ventura could give birth as soon as the weekend. Combs' former girlfriend has so far testified for almost 15 hours over three days with yesterday's
proceedings focusing on text exchanges between the pair talking about so- called freak-offs.
Well, let's bring in CNN's legal analyst, Joey Jackson.
What can we expect from today's cross-examination, Joey?
JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes. So she, this witness is very, I mean, it's sensational, right? She provides a lot of information that's helpful
to prosecutors. Like what? Remember to racketeering charge. That means in English that he ran a criminal enterprise. He being Sean Puffy Combs, that
he ran it for the purpose of sexual exploitation and gratification. And what do criminal enterprises have? They have sex trafficking. They have
assault. They have guns. They have drugs. They have a number of other things.
Why am I saying this? Because she gives you all of that color, right? In addition to that, therefore the sex trafficking charges, what do they mean?
It means that you ultimately had intercourse and were moving people around and interstate commerce between state and state, and you were doing it by
force, right, by compulsion, by coercion. And she indicates, because of the beatings that he gave her, because of his control of her relationship,
because of the fact that he was who he was, that it was coercion.
You also have, in criminal enterprises, you guessed it right, sexual trafficking. And then, of course, there's the element of the prostitution.
And so from a defense perspective, you have to refute that. And that's what cross-examinations are all about. Well, how do you do it? Number one, you
have to speak to the issue of humanizing Sean Combs. We've had this videotape with him beating her played over and over and over again.
So the defense has to indicate, right, and have her accept he was a charming guy. You said that, did you not? In fact, he was very engaging. He
was very good to you at times. He was loving to you. That humanizes him, makes him not such the monster. Pivoting from there. The other issue that
relates to coercion is demonstrating that she could have left this 11-year relationship at any time. Why and how? She was a model. She was an actress.
She was a singer.
She was tremendously talented by her own right. She was well-resourced in her own right. And so therefore he wasn't compelling her to do so. And then
finally, right, you're going to talk about not only those issues, but the critical issues relating to the enterprise. Right? What does she know about
how he was conducting his business? Certainly was a legitimate branding business. It was a business that certainly was one that was generational.
And if you look at the coercion issue, final point, that is, listen, the end of the day, there were these text messages and e-mails showing that not
only is it related to these sexual escapades and freak-off parties, was she a participant, but in fact, she helped to orchestrate it? So that defeats
the issue of coercion. It defeats the issue of your compelling, and it makes her and him having a freaky sex life. But morality is not on trial.
Criminality is. And so that's what the defense needs to do in its pushback, in its cross-examination.
ANDERSON: From what you've heard to date, how would you assess this is going?
JACKSON: So, you know, it's always an open question, right? The issue is really, you know, we can hear things at the jury sometimes doesn't hear.
Right? We can view things that the jury doesn't view. Why do I say that? Because at the end of the day, remember there are 12 jurors. And with those
12 jurors, they have to be, right, unanimous. Every one of them has to find guilt. If any one of them says, hey, I'm not convinced, you have a hung
jury, doesn't mean he gets off. It means you have to do it again. Will the government do that?
Then you have six alternates, of course. So whenever we talk about how it's going, it really doesn't matter what you think, what I think, what
reporters think, what the media thinks. It matters what the jurors are thinking. And again, I think the core issues, if you can pound away on the
fact that, look, this issue with this violence and everything else, it was really triggered by his drug use and they both used drugs, right?
If the jury buys that and says that that was -- because of that and not because he was just this beast of a human being, and it was a one-off, then
perhaps you get them to overlook that domestic violence, for sure. But that's what's not on trial, right? Racketeering is on trial. Sexual
exploitation is on trial. So that's number one. Number two, if you get the jury to say it's a long term relationship, and that might have been
immoral, it may have been something, you know, no one else would subscribe to, that's on the jury.
But it was how they lived their life. And she was enthusiastic about it. And she was on board with it, and she was all with it. Then, you know what?
Hey, that's not a crime. And so really, it depends upon what the defense is able to do in terms of painting the picture of a couple that had a complex
relationship, it was predicated upon really salacious things.
[10:30:05]
But were those salacious things criminal? And that is what the essence of the case is all about, an enterprise that was really done for sexual
exploitation. And if the jurors say, hey, you guys are just some strange individuals who live life that way, may not be my choice, may not be
anybody else's choice, it was yours, that takes it in the realm of a sex case, right? That is not coercion, not sex trafficking. Just pretty freaky.
And so that's what they really have to hone in on, the defense does, if they have any hope of defeating these charges.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you, sir.
It's 10:30 in New York. It is 6:30 here in Abu Dhabi. Thank you, Joey.
We are following a major strike in New Jersey, causing massive disruptions for some 100,000 daily riders at one of the nation's largest rail services.
Engineers at New Jersey Transit went on strike earlier today. Negotiations between the state run commuter rail service and the Brotherhood of
Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen failed to reach an 11th hour deal to prevent this strike. Transit officials now urging commuters to work from
home, drive or take the bus if they can. The two sides aren't expected to return to the negotiating table until Sunday.
When we come back, a look at the realities on the ground in Gaza, where children spend all day searching for food. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. Your headlines.
And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has spoken to the U.S. president and several European leaders after Ukraine and Russia wrapped up
their first direct peace talks in years, in three years in fact. The meeting in Istanbul, which was surrounded by confusion and uncertainty in
the lead-up, lasted a little under two hours. Neither of the country's leaders attended the talks, and a Ukrainian source says the Russian
delegation lacked a mandate to make important decisions.
U.S. President Donald Trump is on his way back to Washington after a whirlwind tour of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and here the UAE. At his final stop
here in Abu Dhabi, the president met with business leaders and touted the billions of dollars in investment deals that the U.S. had signed during the
trip.
Israel carried out an intense wave of bombing in northern Gaza today. More than 50 people were killed. All week Israel has ramped up its bombardment
of the enclave. Local officials report 250 people have been killed in the last 36 hours alone.
[10:35:03]
Well, meantime, a controversial U.S. backed organization says it will start delivering aid to Gaza more than two months into Israel's blockade. Critics
so fear that the Israeli government will have way too much control over this program, and that it won't be enough to meet the enormous needs of
civilians.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Amid the crush of bodies clamoring for food, children are being put to an unthinkable test,
who will manage to fill their family pot and who will have to wait another day to eat.
This is how Gaza's children are being forced to live as Israel continues to block the entry of food. A total siege that is now in its 11th week. A boy
burnt by the small prize of lentil soup he has managed to win. Girl scooping what remains with her bare hands. But before it all, a search for
food for them and their families with no guarantee of success.
I wake up every day, then we go find a kitchen. If we don't find food, then we go to another kitchen and another kitchen, Mohammed explains. If we
don't find anything, we go all day without food.
Nearly all of Gaza's population now experiencing crisis levels of food insecurity or worse, with 56 percent at the emergency or catastrophic
level, meaning very high rates of acute malnutrition and large gaps in food consumption. Unless aid gets in, more than three quarters of the population
are projected to fall to those emergency levels.
TOM FLETCHER, U.N. UNDER-SECRETARY GENERAL FOR HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS: Every single one of the 2.1 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip face the risk
of famine. One in five face starvation.
DIAMOND: As this manmade crisis worsens, Israel and the United States approving a new tightly controlled mechanism to get aid into some parts of
Gaza. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says it plans to launch its operations within two weeks. Until then, it called on Israel to allow aid
in through existing mechanisms. Israel has yet to publicly agree.
A person involved in the planning said Israel has agreed to allow some aid into Gaza in the coming days, but Israel has yet to say so publicly. The
U.N. says it won't participate, saying the new plan will make things worse, facilitating forced displacement and putting civilians at risk.
In Gaza, people are running out of time as charity kitchens like this one run out of food.
14 pots were not enough, the manager of this kitchen says. Those who didn't get food will not eat anything today and will come back tomorrow and might
not get anything again.
Cases of acute malnutrition are spiking and people are being pushed to the brink, like Raida Ahmed, who fainted yesterday from a lack of food.
I swear I can't walk anymore. There is nothing to eat, she says.
As for the children who stand waiting for a chance to be fed, too many are now learning what it means to go hungry.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, some global efforts trying to bring attention to what is going on inside Gaza. Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal are among a group of
famous figures to add their names to an open letter signed by more than 350 actors and filmmakers condemning the movie industry's silence over Israel's
military campaign in Gaza and the April killing of Gazan photojournalist Fatma Hassouna. The letter was published to coincide with the start of the
Cannes Film Festival.
New York University is withholding the diploma of student Logan Rozos, who condemned the war in Gaza while delivering a graduation speech.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOGAN ROZOS, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY STUDENT: I want to say that the genocide currently occurring is supported politically and militarily by the United
States, is paid for by our tax dollars, and has been live streamed to our phones for the past 18 months, and that I do not wish to speak only to my
own politics today, but to speak for all people of conscience.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, NYU is taking disciplinary action over the speech, saying it violated the school's rules. It comes amidst the Trump administration's
crackdown on students engaging in pro-Palestinian demonstrations, with NYU cited earlier this year by the Justice Department for, quote, "incidents of
antisemitism."
[10:40:05]
Right. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson for you. There is a lot more news ahead so please stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, a veteran air traffic controller speaking out publicly for the first time about the communication blackouts at Newark Liberty
International Airport. Jonathan Stewart supervises the facility in Philadelphia that handles flight in and out of that busy airport.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JONATHAN STEWART, AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER: I mean, it's an adrenaline rush, and you have to -- you play God because you cannot fail. You cannot make a
mistake.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Stewart spoke with the "Wall Street Journal" about the serious challenges that air traffic controllers face.
Here's CNN's Pete Muntean with more on that interview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: This new reporting from the "Wall Street Journal" comes after I spoke to a controller in the Newark Air
Traffic Approach control facility at the time of that first systems meltdown 18 days ago. That case brought all the equipment and staffing
problems there to light, and he told me at the time that losing radar and radio is about the worst possible thing that can happen to you on the job.
Five controllers took trauma leave because of that incident, leading to the FAA imposing rolling flight delays. More than a thousand Newark flights
canceled. And this new reporting by the "Journal" says the controller they spoke to experienced a near miss a few days after this saga began on May
4th. In his interview, controller Jonathan Stewart said he averted a collision when two planes were pointed head on.
He also took an apparent stand against United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby. After that first Newark systems blackout, Kirby says controllers, quote,
"walked out on the job." The controller I spoke to said that was a gross misclassification, and I want you to listen now to this new controller, who
told the "Journal" that Newark controllers love their job, but are stressed to the limit.
STEWART: To say that someone would basically game the system and take trauma leave when they were not traumatized is insulting at best. And just
quite frankly, misinformed. No way, shape or form was that what happened. Nobody walked off the job of their own free will.
MUNTEAN: One more interesting detail here, Stewart said because of the blackouts, he did not have faith in his radar scopes, so he resorted to
writing down flight numbers in a notebook.
We reached out to the FAA and NTSB about that near collision he describes in this new interview with the "Journal."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Pete Muntean reporting for you.
Well, it is the second round of golf's second major of the year, the PGA Championship being played at Quail Hollow Golf Course in Charlotte, North
Carolina. Justin Thomas has had to putt one out of the drink, as it is known, on day one, and the stars at the tour generally struggled in the
first round, including Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to be his best major championship.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[10:45:04]
ANDERSON: Johnny Vegas is the surprise leader after the first round.
Let's get there live. We're getting, where the second round is underway in Charlotte, Carolina. Patrick Snell is there.
I love, just the name Johnny Vegas to me means at some point this guy is going to, like, should be cleaning up on these tournaments. There is no
better name than Johnny Vegas. This is a super group, of course, with Rory, Scotty and Xander teeing off in a few moments. So just to bring us up to
speed.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yes, Becky, or how about Vegas, baby? What a great story line he is. The man from Venezuela. A four-time winner on the
U.S. PGA Tour. And what a story it would be if he could go on to win a first career major at the age of 40.
But let's get into that star-studded trio you referenced. Headlined in so many ways by Rory McIlroy, coming off the back of completing the career
major, becoming the sixth man in history to do just that when he finally got his hands on the coveted jacket. There were hundreds around his star
studded match on Thursday, trying to catch a glimmer of him up close and personal.
And by his own very high standards, Becky, I will say he did disappoint. He's trying to win on this course here at Quail Hollow for a fifth time in
his career, his storied career, dating back to 2010. But in the end, he would have to settle for a three over par tally of 74. That meant that at
the end of day one, he was, get this, he was 10 shots behind the leader Vegas after round one. But if there's anyone who can turn it all around, it
is Rory McIlroy, no question about that.
All right. We are both from England, Becky. We are absolutely craving a winner from England. I can shamelessly say that. And what a story line it
would be if Luke Donald, at the age of 47, could actually go on and win his first career major. He's also the European team's Ryder Cup captain as
well, so he's got a lot to balance in life. I can tell you that. He got 4:40 a.m. wakeup call. He was the first player teeing off at this
tournament.
And after his four under par round on Thursday, I actually asked him, Becky, I said to him, how do you juggle the responsibilities of being
European Ryder Cup captain, as well as keeping an eye on all the other possible players that you're going to be picking later in the year against
team USA. Have a listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LUKE DONALD, BEST FINISH AT PGA CHAMPIONSHIP T3 IN 2006: It's always fun. Bogey free in a major championship on a course that you wouldn't have
thought would be ideal for me. Second, go around, I'm sort of familiar with what's going on and what I need to do, and the time frames and all that
stuff, so I've been able to balance it quite well. It's been nice to play a schedule. I still love competing. I love being a competitor, but still
giving myself plenty of time to be prepared for New York.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNELL: Becky, the last English winner of this famous old tournament, Jim Barnes, the year, 1919 when he won it for the second time. On that note,
it's right back to you.
ANDERSON: Wow. We're due a win. Listen, before I let you go, is there one or two holes on this course --
SNELL: We are due to win.
ANDERSON: Just giving some of the golfers the fits.
SNELL: Yes. Known as the green mile. The last three are absolutely daunting, especially if you have a major title on the line. And we saw
Justin Thomas having his issues there on Thursday when he hit a rock and the ball ending up on a tiny strip of grass between the rock and the creek.
But JT doing what JT does, he just kept his cool, whipped his sock and shoe off on the left foot, flip one onto the green even though he had barely any
space to make a back swing. Didn't miss the putt. Didn't make the putt, sadly. Had to settle for a bogey. But what a play in the end from JT.
Back to you.
ANDERSON: Good stuff, mate. Enjoy. Thank you.
Up next, I'm going to take a closer look at the memorable moments of President Trump's week in the Gulf and what it all says about the new U.S.
approach to the Middle East.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:51:57]
ANDERSON: Well, in tonight's "Parting Shots," wrapping up an historic week in this region that has completely repositioned Washington's relationship
with the Gulf, I began our coverage on Monday in Riyadh ahead of Donald Trump arriving. There was an air of anticipation ahead of President Trump's
first foreign tour of his second term. And boy, did he deliver.
In Riyadh, the president was met on the tarmac by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a rare royal greeting that set the tone for the rest of the trip.
They proceeded to the royal court for lunch with some of the world's top CEOs.
I was in the room, and let me tell you, the air buzzed with excitement about deal-making. And that's the main takeaway from this trip. Trump, the
self-styled dealmaker in chief, was focused on winning billions in pledges rather than lecturing the region on democracy or human rights, the long
pillars of U.S. policy, of course, towards the region.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: This great transformation has not come from Western intervention no less, or flying people in beautiful planes, giving you lectures on how to
live and how to govern your own affairs. No. The gleaming marvels of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were not created by the so-called nation builders, neocons or
liberal nonprofits like those who spend trillions and trillions of dollars failing to develop. Kabul, Baghdad, so many other cities. Instead, the
birth of a modern Middle East has been brought by the people of the region.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Perhaps the most striking moment of the trip came when Mr. Trump met Syria's new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, after announcing the lifting of
sanctions on Syria, giving Damascus a much-needed economic lifeline. All done, he said, out of respect to the Saudi crown prince, a nod to the
Gulf's growing influence on Washington.
Next stop, Doha for the first state visit ever by a U.S. president, a testament to just how much the U.S.-Qatari partnership has evolved through
the key pillars of mediation, defense and, of course, investment. The Qatari prime minister, who also serves as the foreign minister, telling me
relations have come a long way since Trump accused Doha of sponsoring terrorism in his first term.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AL-THANI: The United States for Qatar considered the most important strategic ally that we've been working together in different areas, whether
it's in security, defense, investments, trade, energy, education. There are -- it's not just, you know, it's not a one-way partnership. It's a two-way
partnership where I think it's mutually beneficial for both countries.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And finally, Abu Dhabi, where a landmark agreement has been reached to open an artificial intelligence campus. It will be the largest
outside the United States. The UAE's Ministry of Education telling me that this type of synergy on A.I. is the hallmark of Abu Dhabi's close
partnership with the United States.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH BINT YOUSIF AL AMIRI, UAE MINISTER OF EDUCATION: We are always in it for long term partnership and long term partnership, as it stands within
the context of the UAE, ensuring mutual benefit for both of our nations. There's no way that our relationship grows if there's no benefit that
impacts both sides. For us, economic diversification is key. Technology and A.I. will play a vital role to sustain the growth of our economy, and the
stability of the region is what it's going to put us in the forefront.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, President Trump closed the trip with a visit to the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi, a beacon of interfaith unity that
brings a church, a mosque and a synagogue under one home.
Well, I was actually given a tour by the site's president, Mohammed al- Mubarak, who escorted the president today. You see him here on the right.
[10:55:05]
Back when it opened in 2023, where we discussed the inspiration for the space, the document on human fraternity signed by the late Pope Francis and
the grand imam.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOHAMED KHALIFA AL MUBARAK, PRESIDENT, ABRAHAMIC FAMILY HOUSE: A document of world peace. It's a document of coming together. It's a document that
reminds us what humans are supposed to be doing, understanding each other, accepting each other, and looking forward to a much brighter future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And that theme of hope was clearly on show this trip. Trump repeatedly referencing his hope for a deal with Iran, though never too far
from threatening an alternative, or a deal for an end to the suffering in Gaza. Though not providing any real details.
But all in all, it was a different trip where statecraft was awash in pomp and ceremony. Some would argue this is Trump turning the page on the U.S.
approach to the Middle East. A more pragmatic policy with business and partnerships at its heart, though it does remain to be seen whether
Washington's bold promises will bear fruits in a region that certainly needs a more innovative path forward.
And that's it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
