Return to Transcripts main page

Connect the World

Diplomat: Hamas was Due to Respond to U.S. Proposal for Gaza Ceasefire but Israeli Strike Disrupted Plans; Analyst: Israel's Doha Strike to Damage U.S. Reputation; NATO: Alliance Shot Down Russian Drones in Polish Airspace; Trump on Qatar Strike: "Very Unhappy About It"; Protests Sweep France as New Prime Minister Takes Office. Aired 9-10a ET

Aired September 10, 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're watching a special edition of "Connect the World". I'm Becky Anderson from the Qatari

capital. Countries around this region, expressing solidarity with Doha today. The President of the UAE, Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan,

arrived in Doha earlier to show his support in the wake of Tuesday's Israeli strike targeting Hamas negotiators on Qatari soil.

The attack seen as a grave violation of Qatar's sovereignty. And a major threat the already flailing efforts to find an end to the war in Gaza and

bring Israeli hostages' home. Well CNN's Jeremy Diamond is standing by in Jerusalem. Jeremy, just bring us up to date on what we understand happened

on Tuesday.

The details of this strike by Israel on a residence here, not very far away from where I'm standing today in Doha, which was housing a senior team

negotiating for Hamas with the Qataris, who, of course, are lead mediators here try and find an end, a solution, get an agreement for a ceasefire and

a hostage deal. What do we understand happened?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Israeli military carried out this strike using 10 fighter jets firing directly at these

residences where the Senior Hamas Leaders were believed to be but it appears as of now, the evidence is growing that Israel failed in its

attempt to assassinate Hamas' Senior Leaders, including Hamas' Chief Negotiator Khalil al-Hayya.

Hamas has said that the strike failed, that five Hamas members who were there were killed, but none of them were the senior leaders that Israel was

targeting with this strike. Israeli officials are also beginning to acknowledge that they are growing increasingly pessimistic that this strike

appears to not have struck its targets, not have been successful from the Israeli point of view.

But that doesn't change the damage that this strike has already done to the future of the ceasefire and hostage release negotiations and also, of

course, the international fallout that we are continuing to watch about 24 hours after the strike actually took place. Let's talk first about the

United States, where we saw that, you know, kind of wishy-washy statement from the White House Press Secretary, suggesting that a strike on Qatar

doesn't serve Israeli or U.S. interests, but that a strike on Hamas does.

But President Trump, then later in the day, signaled that he was quite unhappy about this strike, indicating that there was nothing positive about

it. And then, of course, we have the Qatari and Hamas' perspective. I mean, even if Israel didn't manage to kill Hamas' Chief Negotiator, it

nonetheless targeted him at a moment when he was sitting down to review this latest American proposal to reach a new ceasefire and hostage release

deal.

So that will impact talks going forward. And then, of course, there are the Qataris themselves. We heard directly from the Qatari Prime Minister

yesterday, who was quite visibly upset about Israel having taken this action, making clear that while, on the one hand, Qatar will never abandon

its historic role as a diplomatic mediator.

On the other hand, he acknowledged that it's very difficult to see a viable path forward, at least to the current negotiations that were unfolding

given this Israeli strike.

ANDERSON: Let's just bring our viewers up today on what we understand to have been happening in the sort of last 48 hours. The Qatari Prime Minister

himself in negotiations, discussions with the senior Hamas negotiating team here in Doha on Monday night, late into the night.

We then understand the Qatari team, and they're working on this U.S. initiative, a new Trump initiative, which would get all hostages released

in the first instance, and then would move on to working through negotiations for an end to this conflict, giving Hamas, frankly, very

little sort of iron in the fire on what would happen next.

[09:05:00]

Monday night these negotiations were going on. We understand the Qatari Prime Minister was putting a lot of pressure on Hamas to respond positively

to this initiative. Qatari negotiators, as we understand it, then spent the wee hours of the morning on the phone to senior Israeli negotiators.

And the understanding was that by late afternoon on Tuesday. Qatari negotiators would be going back to Hamas to get that response. Again,

putting pressure on them to respond positively to this deal that was supposed to happen late on Tuesday afternoon into the evening at 03:46.

We now know the residents that the Hamas negotiators were staying in was bombed by what Israel describes as a precise strike. Six killed in that

strike, five from Hamas, albeit relatively low-level operatives, as we understand it. And one Qatari security official who was detailed to that

property.

Qatar hosts Hamas here at the request in the past, sort of 15 years by the U.S. Administration, because it has this role in mediation, has this

opportunity, along with the Egyptians, to mediate between Hamas and Israel. In return, of course, part of this is a sort of guarantee from the United

States that they are safe and secure here.

And the Al Udeid base, a huge U.S. base, is here in the country. It's the biggest in the region. This attack went under the radar. It went

undetected. Do we understand how that happened and what the U.S. knew or didn't know about this pending strike? And what happens next with regard

U.S.-Qatari relations at this point?

DIAMOND: Well, it certainly seems like the United States got notification fairly late in the process. It was only yesterday morning, in the hours

before this strike actually took place that the United States learned about it. Interestingly, the Israelis communicated that to the United States

through military channels and not through the kind of high level political and diplomatic channels that the U.S. and Israel maintain.

That in and of itself, suggests you know that it would take some time for it to get from the military channels all the way up the chain of command,

and then for that information to then make its way to President Trump and senior White House officials. And that seems to be why, by the time Steve

Witkoff was directed by the president to call the Qataris to give them a heads up.

The strike had just happened, according to Qatari officials. You know, in terms of the U.S.-Qatari relationship, we heard President Trump clearly,

you know, on the phone yesterday with the Emir of Qatar signaling that he wants to move forward with this, you know, mutual defense pact between the

two countries in order to give the Qataris some assurances going forward.

But really the primary fallout here, I think, is going to be diplomatic. It's going to be as it relates to these hostage and ceasefire negotiations

and really the question of, where can things go from here, after there's been so much trust broken and sovereignty violated by these Israeli

strikes.

ANDERSON: Thank you, Jeremy. And the Israeli Prime Minister in the wake of these strikes, suggesting this action could actually open the door to

peace, a counter argument from the Qatar Prime Minister late yesterday, who described Netanyahu as narcissistic, he described Israel as a rogue state

in the region, as a bully.

And he said that these strikes were intent on sabotaging the latest efforts to find a deal. Let's bring in Alayna Treene, who is at the White House. It

does seem as if President Trump and his administration, Alayna, are sort of trying to distance themselves from this attack.

He has certainly said that this action doesn't square with both America's and Israel's goals here. Can you just explain what we understand to be

going on behind the scenes at the White House, and why it is that Donald Trump is seemingly trying to distance himself from the action by Prime

Minister Benjamin Netanyahu?

[09:10:00]

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: There are two key reasons. To that, Becky, and you're right, there is, on one hand, growing frustration

in this building behind me with advisors. But then there's also that public frustration that they are really trying to convey.

And there's two reasons, like I said, for that. One is that they were not given a big, heads up on this. Actually, the president wasn't even informed

himself by Israel before these strikes happened. He actually learned about it from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine.

And then, as Jeremy laid out, he then quickly directed Steve Witkoff, his Middle East envoy, who has a strong relationship with the Qataris, that

this was coming. But they made very clear yesterday, through the White House Press Secretary, through the President's own words, that this was a

strike, and the decision to do this was made by the Prime Minister Netanyahu, not by Donald Trump.

The other part of this, though, is, of course, which you also mentioned, which is the timing of this strike on these Hamas leaders in Doha. It comes

just days after the United States laid out a number of steps that they believed were crucial to the ceasefire proposal that included wanting to

release, having Hamas release 48 of the remaining hostages being held in Gaza in exchange for a ceasefire as negotiations between Israel and Hamas

continued.

And the reason that is so significant that proposal, so this is the first time we actually saw the United States kind of reinsert themselves into

these talks ever since they abandoned ceasefire negotiations back in July. Now, the president had been very clear throughout the day on social media,

but he was also, he gave public remarks to reporters when he was walking into a D.C. restaurant last night. I want you to listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I'm not thrilled about the whole situation. It's not a good situation, but I will say this,

we want the hostages back, but we are not thrilled about the way that went down today. So, I was very unhappy about it, very unhappy about every

aspect. And we got to get the hostages back, but I was very unhappy about the way that went down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So, as you could hear him there saying, I'm very unhappy with the way it went down. He also said he was planning to make a statement later

today. We'll see what that amounts to, but I can tell you to hear that rhetoric from the president, you know, on Sunday, he was addressing this

and talking about a ceasefire.

He was very optimistic. I know from my conversations with White House officials about the potential for that, and of course, we were waiting to

see what Hamas would say and respond to that U.S. proposal. Now it's very much unclear whether or not this could happen. I know that people in the

White House believe that this could go one of two ways.

Either the strike completely ruined the chances for this proposal, or it could be a necessary or something they see as something necessary to

helping this move forward. All to say, there's a lot of frustration with how this was handled. They weren't able to weigh in on this strike before

it happened.

And they do not feel like they had enough time to properly give the Qataris a heads up. So very interesting to see how this ends up unfolding over the

rest of today, Becky.

ANDERSON: Yeah, that's interesting. A lot of anger, a lot of shock here and around the region. Words like the shameful, cowardly, treacherous, a

criminal act is how many of the countries in this region of the Gulf and around the wider Middle East are describing Israel's action yesterday on

this Sovereign State of Qatar.

Alayna, thank you. Earlier, I spoke with a regional analyst about the long- term consequences of Tuesday's strike. He says the impact will reach far beyond the current diplomatic efforts in Gaza.

HASAN ALHASAN, SENIOR FELLOW AT MIDDLE EAST POLICY OF INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES: The Hamas leaders were convened to do how,

presumably, to discuss President Trump's latest ceasefire proposal. They were reportedly being encouraged by the Qataris to accept it.

And so, I think bombing Hamas' leadership, just as they were gathered to discuss that very proposal, bombing them in Qatar, which is obviously which

has played a very important role in supporting the ceasefire negotiations, and ironically, has actually been instrumental in helping Israel and

allowing Israel to obtain the release of many of its hostages by brokering hostage and prisoner swaps with Hamas.

I think is a clear message on the part of Israel and the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, that Israel is not really interested in the

success of these mediation efforts. I think beyond what Israel may be trying to achieve vis a vis Gaza, I think this attack is going to have

repercussions for the way that the U.S. has seen, not only in Qatar, but probably the wider region.

[09:15:00]

Meaning that if the White House's claims are true, that the U.S. only know about this rather late in the game. Then at best, the U.S. would have been

incapable and impotent to stop an Israeli attack on one of its closest defense partners in the region.

ANDERSON: What are you hearing and what's your sense of the atmospherics now in this region? What do you expect to hear and happen next?

ALHASAN: I think there is a broader pattern here of unrestrained Israeli military aggression throughout the region. It's not just limited to Qatar,

although Qatar may be the latest victim of this, we see this pattern of unrestrained Israeli military aggression and the occupied Palestinian

territories in Gaza and the West Bank, where Israel is poised to annex and lay full military control over those territories.

We see it with constant strikes and refusal to vacate Southern Lebanon. We see it in Israel's growing territorial occupation of parts of Syria. We've

seen such unprovoked Israeli aggression in multiple parts of the region, including the war in Iran and so on.

So, I think there is a broader pattern of brazen and unrestrained Israeli military aggression that I think is seen by everyone, including the Arab

Gulf States, as a threat and destabilizing element for regional security.

ANDERSON: And it is for that reason that the country of Qatar and those around the region will be wondering how and whether this Trump

Administration, Donald Trump himself, is able to rein in to -- for want of a better term, Benjamin Netanyahu, at this point, you know, to be a

reliable security guarantor for Qatar and for this region.

And that is what these U.S. allies see in Washington. You would need to be sort of in control, to a degree, of what is going on around this region. I

spoke to Alon Pinkas earlier on, the Former Consul General of Israel in New York. I asked him to analyze, then one of the biggest questions surrounding

the Israeli attack in Doha, just when was the Trump Administration informed? Have a listen.

ALON PINKAS, FORMER ISRAELI CONSUL GENERAL IN NEW YORK: The spectrum of pre notification is pretty broad and wide, meaning that there is a technical

notification when Israel informed CENTCOM in order to fulfill the IFF, the Identify Friend Foe, in terms of airplane flight paths.

And so there could have been a very dry, very technical pre notification to CENTCOM without divulging, without telling the revealing what the actual

target is. The second possibility is that the U.S. was notified when the planes were in the air. It does take time to fly from Israel to Qatar.

Particularly since apparently it did not -- the planes did not fly over Saudi Air, which means airspace, which means that the only other flight

path goes through Syria, Iraq and down south, above the Gulf, into Qatar. And then there were reports that the U.S. actually did know about it.

So, I don't know, but it sure as hell put Mr. Netanyahu in a bind, because, you know, his sense that he could do whatever he wants with immunity and

impunity, because Trump likes him, or Trump supports him, or Trump has Israel back, may be now tested and he may not like the result.

ANDERSON: That's an interesting perspective from Alon Pinkas. I think there are those in this region who say that has been tested a number of times,

and indeed, critics of Benjamin Netanyahu in this region will say he has been tested and he has got the results that he wants.

The result being no pressure on him and his government going to take a very short break at this point. I'm Becky Anderson with "Connect the World" live

today from the capital of Qatar, Doha. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:20:00]

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR: You're watching "Connect the World". I'm Eleni Giokos in Abu Dhabi. And we're following major developments, of course, in

Russia, and focusing on Poland. NATO planes shooting down Russian drones that violated Poland's airspace on Tuesday, according to the alliance.

And of course, NATO officials, Prime Minister Donald Tusk is calling Russia's move an act of aggression, and says this is the first time that

Russian drones have breached airspace, NATO airspace. And of course -- says that the drones pose a real threat to the safety of Poland's citizens.

Here's more from the Polish leader.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TUSK, POLISH PRIME MINISTER: You're most likely dealing with a large-scale provocation, but at the same time, we're in consultation with

our allies. I am in constant contact with the NATO Secretary General. This is so that we can respond to this type of threat as effectively as we did

tonight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: All right, we've got Nick Paton Walsh standing by for us. Nick, I think many people asking this whether this was a mistake, whether it was

deliberate. And what does this ultimately mean in terms of NATO's move?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I mean, behind me here is a meeting of what's called the E5 top European

defense officials. The Polish Defense Minister meant to be had to rush back to deal with the crisis in his own country.

The French Defense Minister actually now the prime minister, but still a message here of unity they're trying to give out. The UK Defense Secretary

John Healey, calling this a new level of hostility from Russian President Vladimir Putin. And saying that the actions taken by NATO jets, Dutch

aircraft scrambled to intercept these drones marks the first defensive action of its kind since Russia invaded Ukraine.

What we know is that during the night, 19 intrusions were recorded by Poland into their airspace. That may not mean 19 separate drones, but

certainly four of them shot down, according some initial Polish official reports, and indeed, damage done to civilian infrastructure from that

debris falling.

Extraordinary to see some of the video, the noises we've come accustomed to hearing over Ukraine now, now over NATO territory. Russia's Ministry of

Defense referred to for answer on this by the Kremlin have said they did not intend to target Polish sites. That's not the same as saying they

didn't intend to send drones into Polish airspace, but they're also saying they're open to dialog with Poland on this matter.

Polish airspace closed during the bid to counter these drones. Extraordinary to even imagine, frankly, this moment of NATO's eastern flank

security being in doubt this far into Russia's invasion of Poland. A significant escalation by Moscow, whether they tried to suggest this was

potentially a navigational error or the result of GPS jamming or something, as they may do in the days ahead, clearly a designed move here to test

NATO's response.

So far, when I stepped out of here, we have not heard of concrete measures potentially from NATO to respond to this, or the UK Defense Minister did

say they would be instructing UK forces to look at ways of bolstering Poland's air defenses.

[09:25:00]

But a real moment of test here, certainly for the White House as well. I should remind everybody that on Sunday, when asked after the her pretty

horrific record assault against Kyiv. President Trump, was asked if he was ready for the next wave of sanctions against Russia.

He said he was. He said he talked to Vladimir Putin very soon. He said Indeed that European leaders were going to D.C. to talk with him about

that. None of that has happened now on Wednesday, and he said those visits would occur by Tuesday. So, a lot of questions now as to Trump's response,

whether there will be a unified NATO response, including the U.S., to this extraordinary, unprecedented violation of Poland's airspace.

I should point out there are many concerned that this may just be the beginning, that Russia may be trying to test and see what pushback it gets

from NATO, from trying something like this, and then may again, try to violate Poland or other eastern NATO members as airspace.

And indeed, I should also point everybody that this was part, it seems, these drones launched as part of another substantial attack against

Ukraine. 400 drones launched that same night. The fact that some of them straight into NATO airspace a remarkable sense that the Kremlin feels

buoyed, feels potentially after the summit in Tianjin that it had in the beginning of this month, that it has increased support from China and

possibly India.

And certainly, we've seen over the past 48 hours, with 24 pensioners killed in a single strike in Donetsk by a Russian aerial bomb. Moscow upping its

aggression rather than the opposite, Eleni.

GIOKOS: Yeah. I mean really good points there, whether it was deliberate or a mistake, it's certainly testing NATO and its response, and of course,

Russia watching very closely to see how unified NATO members are. Nick Paton Walsh, thank you so much for that analysis.

I want to get you up to speed now on some other stories that are on our radar right now. A Korean airplane charted to bring some 300 South Korean

nationals back from Atlanta is now unlikely to depart today. South Korea's Foreign Affairs Ministry says the delay is due to circumstances on the U.S.

side.

The passengers were detained in an ICE raid on a Hyundai plant in Georgia last week. Footage shows the moment a suspected drone attacked a second

boat in the Global Sumud Flotilla. Sirens blared before flames erupted on the deck of the Alma, which was docked in Tunisian waters Tuesday night.

Activists who are seeking to deliver aid to Gaza by sea, say all passengers and crew are safe. Soldiers are enforcing a curfew in Nepal after

antigovernment protests led to at least 22 deaths and hundreds injured. The country's prime minister has resigned following days of demonstrations that

saw government buildings set on fire.

The protests have been largely held by younger people who are unhappy about nepotism and government corruption. Right, coming up on "Connect the

World", new details are emerging on how much the Americans knew about Israel's brazen attack in Qatar. We are live in Doha. Stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:30:00]

GIOKOS: Welcome back. I'm Eleni Giokos, live in Abu Dhabi, and you're watching "Connect the World". Now these are your headlines. NATO planes

shot down Russian drones in Poland's airspace on Tuesday, according to alliance officials. Poland's military says it happened as Russia was

attacking neighboring Ukraine.

Russia's Defense Ministry says no targets in Poland were planned for the attack, and it wants to discuss the matter with Polish officials, according

to Russian media. Nationwide unrest broke out across France today as protesters blocked roads, set fire to trash cans outside schools and

clashed with police.

The interior ministry says nearly 300 people have been detained so far. The pre planned demonstrations come the same day the country's new Prime

Minister Sebastien Lecornu, takes office. Today marks 30 days since the Trump Administration's federal takeover of police Washington, D.C.

Trump's emergency order is set to expire later today, unless Congress extends it. Either way, federal agents and National Guard troops will

remain in the city, though city leaders could be able to deny requests to help with operations such as immigration enforcement. Now sources tell CNN

Israeli officials are beginning to doubt the success of the strike in Doha that's meant to assassinate Hamas' lead negotiating team.

The main target was the Chief Negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya. He has not been listed among the dead. Instead, the operation killed five lower ranking

members and a Qatari diplomat tells CNN that Hamas was expected to respond to the U.S. ceasefire Tuesday evening, before Israel strikes derailed that

plan.

Now, as we've been reporting, the Americans were informed, but two Israeli sources say it was intentionally last minute, knowing the United States

would immediately notify Qatar. CNN's International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson is live in Doha for us with the latest.

Nic, always good to see you. What do you make of the Americans response to all of this so far with President Trump, of course, relaying his

disappointment at how, what he says has played out?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, and the way that the White House is trying to distance himself from timely knowledge of

Israel's actions that they were informed by the Pentagon and then informed the chief negotiator who contacted the Qataris too late to save the life of

a Qatari Security Officer at the Hamas residential complex here in Doha.

So the distance that the White House is putting is framing this, the frustrations that seem to be coming from the White House about President

Trump's position and what he thinks of Israel's actions really speak to the high degree of concern here, not just by the Qataris, and the anger shown

by the prime minister last night, calling it the actions state terrorism, describing Israel as a bully in the region.

But the words we've heard today from the president of the UAE, who is here as well. He's described this as treacherous, as criminal. The strong

language of support coming from Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince. It all speaks to the potential damage that Israel's actions are having to President Trump

and his relationship with his allies and there in this region, particularly in the Gulf.

And their willingness and ability to rely on him for their diplomatic, political interests, not just that, more pertinently, for the Qataris,

their security as well. This is seen as a huge breach of that trust. And for that reason, I think we understand, therefore, from the White House,

President Trump is trying to put distance with it between himself and Prime Minister Netanyahu.

But the analysis would be in the country, in these countries here, the Gulf countries and Arab countries writ large, is that it is President Trump and

his relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that can determine what the Israeli Prime Minister is prepared to do.

And the analysis would be that in this case, he wasn't leaning heavily on Prime Minister Netanyahu not to take this type of action. That what's being

witnessed in the region is that the Israeli Prime Minister takes military action, informs the United States, and then deals with the consequences,

which tend to turn out favorably for him.

[09:35:00]

No consequences publicly, at least, would be the perception here, and that's the sort of diplomatic moment we're in.

GIOKOS: Yeah, Nic, really good point. Then the big question about American security guarantees for the region and bringing into question, as you say,

that relationship. Nic Robertson for us in Doha. Thank you so much. And happening right now, we are awaiting a verdict in the trial of Former

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

He's charged with plotting a coup to remain in power after losing the 2022 election. Now, already two of the five Supreme Court justices have voted to

convict him. It could take just one more vote to secure a majority, and right now, court is back under way. Americo Martins has been reporting on

Brazil's politics for years.

He joins us now on the phone from London. Great to have you on the line. You've got court back in session, and of course, important here. You've got

two Supreme Court justices that have voted in favor of conviction. It's going to take one more for a full out majority. Give me a sense of what's

being said right now and where this is perhaps going.

AMERICO MARTINS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a pleasure to be here. We are having the third judge, Luiz Fux, voting right now as we speak. And he's

giving all the indications that he's going to vote for the acquittal of Former President Jair Bolsonaro. So, as you said, we had two votes to

convict him for this alleged attempt coup in Brazil.

He and other former generals in the Brazilian army, for example, are also on trial, but we are probably not going to have a decision today, because

the third judge, as I said, is elaborating his votes right now. In the Brazilian Supreme Court, they take long time to explain their votes.

They take hours sometimes. He is right now speaking, but he's giving very clear indications that he's going to vote for the acquittal of Former

President Jair Bolsonaro. He's, in fact, mentioned that he thinks the whole case should be thrown out, should not be considered by the Supreme Court.

One of the points that this judge, this justice of the Supreme Court, is making is that former president should not be trial under the Supreme

Court, but on a lower court, he says the Supreme Court does not have jurisdiction for this case. So, we are most likely going to end the day

with two votes against Bolsonaro, one vote in favor of him.

And we still have two other judges to make their votes, we're going to have a final decision, most likely, by Friday. This vote today, however, is very

important, because you are not going to have the full panel of five judges decide -- taking the same decision that would open the door for Mr.

Bolsonaro to appeal against a decision and most likely is going to be a lesser sentence is not going to be as harsh as you have a unanimous

decision.

GIOKOS: Yeah. And of course, according to the protocol, if there's one that dissents basically, he can ask for leniency or to be reviewed. Americo

Martins, great to have you with us. Thank you so much. We're keeping track of the trial against Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, important moment here. We're

taking you to a short break. We'll be back after this. Stick with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:40:00]

GIOKOS: The same day, he officially began the job. France's brand-new prime minister faces his first big test as massive pre planned protests rocked

the country. Already today, demonstrators have blocked streets, set fire to trash cans outside of schools, and at times, clashed with police who

responded with tear gas.

Some 80,000 officers have been deployed nationwide, and already nearly 300 people have been detained. CNN's Senior International Correspondent Melissa

Bell is live in Paris. Melissa, good to have you on. Give me a sense of the mood right now. You've got 300 people detained. You've got these protests

on the go and a new prime minister.

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, it's a lot. What happened was the nomination of this new prime minister last

night, Sebastien Lecornu, taking over officially today, against the backdrop of this. It isn't so much that there are many protesters.

In fact, the figures from the interior ministry at midday were about 30,000 across the country. So that is 2.5 policemen per protester, because the

authorities had taken no risks today in the face of what had threatened to be a fairly big movement named. Let's block everything, the idea had -- the

bin to bring the country to a standstill now.

Whilst the numbers of the protesters are not as big as we've seen in other big demonstrations here in France. There is a sense that their action has

been very difficult for the police to contain, and you've seen in few instances of those clashes a bit of tear gas. And this not just in Paris,

but in many other cities across France.

Because whilst there aren't that many of them, they're very determined. Very determined to block as much as they can and seek these confrontations

out. And that's what's happened over the course of the day. And I think that speaks to the anger that's at the heart of these protests.

Initially, this day of protests have been called from group -- by groups on the far right, Eleni. And then very quickly, it was kind of taken over by

groups from the left and far left, which represent I was speaking to one analyst who's been looking in to the composition this movement about 70

percent of those out on the street today.

And of course, this is a part of French politics that is particularly wound up about the nomination of this latest prime minister. It is the fourth

time in the last year and three months that the French President has named an ally and a centrist and to many on the left and the far left, that is

the cause of a great deal of anger, Eleni.

GIOKOS: All right. Melissa Bell, thank you so much. Live in Paris for us. We're going to a short break. "World Sport" is after this. And I'll be back

at the top of the hour with more news. Stick with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:45:00]

(WORLD SPORT)

[10:00:00]

END