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Benjamin Netanyahu And Marco Rubio Meet Days After Israeli Strike In Qatar; Qatar: Israeli Strike Confirms Intentions To Reject Peace; IDF Ramps Up Strikes On High-Rise Buildings In Gaza City; Donald Trump: Political Violence A Problem On The Left, Not Right; Social Media Fire With Division In Aftermath Of Kirk's Killing; Trump Administration: Framework Of Deal Reached With China On TikTok; Stars Call For End To War In Gaza. Aired 10- 11a ET
Aired September 15, 2025 - 10:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[10:00:43]
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN London, this is CONNECT THE WORLD.
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to the second hour of the show from Middle East programming headquarters. I'm Eleni Giokos in Abu Dhabi, where
the time is just after 6:00 p.m. in the evening, and we're following a day of high stakes diplomacy in this region.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as Arab leaders meet in Doha to discuss last week's
strike on the Qatari capital.
And new updates in the investigation into Charlie Kirk's killing. The FBI director says DNA evidence matches the suspect.
Plus, the Trump administration says it has reached a framework of a deal with China to keep TikTok in the United States.
Welcome to the show now, the top U.S. diplomat is in Jerusalem today, meeting with Israel's Prime Minister in a show of American support as
Israel fends off increasing international criticism in for its actions in Gaza and beyond, the IDF is set to launch a ground operation in Gaza City,
and just days ago, targeting Hamas leadership in an attack in Qatar.
Benjamin Netanyahu and Marco Rubio both maintaining Hamas is responsible for ongoing hostilities and saying the group must disarm to bring an end to
the fighting and to get the hostages home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: You don't have such sovereignty when you are effectively giving a base to terrorists and a place where they
can ply their gruesome trade. So, it's the right of every country under international law to defend itself beyond its borders against those who
would kill their citizens, murder them en masse. That is what guided Israel.
MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I don't know of anyone who would not rather see a negotiated settlement in which Hamas agrees to no longer be a
terrorist group, lay down their arms, free the hostages, by the way, not just the hostages that they're holding from Israel, but frankly, the people
of Gaza that they're also hosting hostage -- holding hostage as human shields.
So, that would be the ideal outcome, one we would all like to see. It's one that's been worked on.
But I think we have to be prepared for the fact that savage, you know, terrorists don't normally agree to things like that, but we'll continue to
pursue that route.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Last hour, I talked to CNN's Jeremy Diamond in Jerusalem about the Rubio-Netanyahu meeting and what both of them are saying about the Israeli
attack in Qatar last week.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Publicly, the U.S. Secretary of State really avoided condemning that Israeli strike in Qatar, largely
bolstering the Israeli Prime Minister's general position about the importance of defeating Hamas and the fact that the U.S. aligns with the
goal of carrying out strikes against Hamas leaders.
The Israeli prime minister, for his part, was quite unapologetic about that Israeli strike in Doha last week, comparing Qatar hosting Hamas's leaders
to Afghanistan hosting and harboring al-Qaeda members in the wake of 9/11.
The big difference, of course, between those two cases is that both the United States and Israel have tacitly approved a Hamas presence in Doha in
order to conduct much of that back channel diplomacy that we have seen lead to two cease fires so far in the course of this war, and which was also the
reason why Qatar was in the process of mediating yet more discussions sponsored by the United States to try and reach a new cease fire and
hostage release deal in Gaza at the moment when Israel carried out this strike.
And so, their discussions will, of course, focus on the diplomatic fallout from those strikes, but beyond that, also what comes next inside of the
Gaza Strip, as we've been learning that Israeli forces are preparing in the coming days to move forward with their ground operation into Gaza City.
The Secretary of State on that point saying that the United States supports Israel's goal of eliminating Hamas, but he made clear that how that aim is
achieved might need to be done through military means, but that it would be something that he would be discussing privately with the Israeli prime
minister.
[10:05:02]
And so, that is what we are waiting to see, what kind of influence the U.S. brings to bear on that military operation, and of course, on the resumption
of any future negotiations to try and reach a cease fire in Gaza, once again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Jeremy Diamond reporting there.
Now, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will also head to Qatar. Arab leaders are holding an emergency summit there today to address Israel's attack on
Hamas leaders in Doha last week.
And as you heard in Jeremy's report, Rubio did not condemn the Israeli strike and said the U.S. and Qatar will still work together to find peace.
I want to bring in our Senior White House Reporter Kevin Liptak. Kevin, good to see you.
So, Rubio was in lockstep with Netanyahu and frankly, showing a united front. And yet, listen to the Secretary of State touting the U.S. relations
with the Gulf, which is still outraged by Israel's strike on Doha.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUBIO: We've been engaged with them. We've been engaged with them consistently before what happened and after what happened. And ultimately,
the point we'll make to everybody is that some fundamentals still remain that have to be addressed, irrespective of what has occurred.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: So, how's the Trump administration balancing these two seemingly contradictory positions?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, and it's a delicate balance for the Secretary of State this week, as he's in the Middle East,
and even when the president was first responding to this attack in Qatar last week, you saw a very careful calibration. On the one hand, saying that
he did not think that it advanced America's interests or objectives for the region, but also saying that Hamas is worthy of taking out wherever they
happen to be.
Now, beneath that, there was a deep frustration in the White House about how exactly all of this proceeded, and specifically that they weren't given
much of a heads up, that they essentially didn't have time to both intervene with the Israelis or to provide any kind of heads up to the
Qataris that this was happening.
Now, as Rubio heads over there later to Doha. I think his objective will be to try and reassure them that this won't happen again, but it's not
specifically clear what assurances he can make.
You know, President Trump, when he was speaking last week to the Emir and Prime Minister of Qatar, did tell them that this would never happen again,
but this attack occurred without any buy in from the United States. So, it's not precisely clear what sort of rationale he can give to the Qataris
to say that this sort of thing is done and that it won't happen again, particularly when you hear Netanyahu saying that he could potentially take
this sort of action in the future.
And so, I think Rubio will have a lot of work to do in reassuring the Qataris.
I think there's also some work to do in reassuring other Arab governments, whether it's the Emiratis or the Saudis, that the U.S. has some measure of
control over what Israel is doing in this war.
You know, today is five years exactly since the president signed the Abraham Accords during his first term, it was here at the White House.
Leaders from the UAE, from Bahrain, were here to sign these normalization agreements with Israel. And the president has made pretty clear that that
is one of his proudest accomplishments of his first term, but he also wants to see them extended, namely, to Saudi Arabia, which would be the biggest
prize in all of this.
But it's been pretty explicit when you listen to the way some of these Gulf leaders are talking that the Abraham Accords are in, you know, serious
question as the war in Gaza continues apace as Israel begins to strike in countries that are top U.S. allies, like Qatar, how those accords can
blossom in the future, I think, remains a very open question.
And so, clearly, Rubio has a diplomatic balancing act to do as he heads to Doha later this week, but it's not precisely clear, just given what he was
saying in public, what he was talking about alongside Netanyahu that any of those assurances will necessarily land with a lot of credibility in some of
these Gulf nations.
GIOKOS: Yes. And of course, the Arab leaders are watching very closely the messaging from Rubio and Netanyahu today ahead on that trip to Doha.
So, Kevin Liptak, we appreciate your time.
More now on, the Arab and Muslim leaders meeting in Qatar to discuss a response to last week's Israeli strike in Doha targeting the Hamas
leadership there. Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in Doha ahead of the summit, Iran has called on Muslim countries to boycott Israel.
Joining me now is Fawaz Gerges, Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics. Fawaz, always great to have you with us.
Appreciate it, because I think this is such a pivotal moment. And as Kevin Liptak says, today is five year anniversary of the Abraham Accords.
[10:10:01]
In the meantime, last month, you called out the Arab states on Gaza, and you said that they were napping, nowhere to be seen, burying their heads in
the sand. Clearly, a lot has changed since then.
Arab leaders, of course, meeting in Doha. Do you believe this is a turning point? Do you think this is going to be our rhetoric, or do you think we're
going to see action?
FAWAZ GERGES, PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS: Well, thanks for having me. As usual, it's -- I'm delighted.
I mean, I think, as you mentioned, the challenge facing the Arab state, not just the Arab state, Islamic states, including Turkey and Iran and other
states, is to go beyond rhetoric into action, beyond condemnation of Israeli aggression, into taking concrete steps to convince Israel that the
Arab state, the Islamic State, could really take on Israel and apply punitive measures in order to have deterrence.
What are some of the measures that we're talking about? For example, recalling Arab states from Israel. You have several Arab states in Israel,
stopping normalization between Israel and the Arab state.
Today is the fifth-year anniversary of the normalization between Israel and some Arab state, and also stopping economic and political relations between
the Arab state and Israel, and threatening to take further action if Israel does not really stop its war against the Palestinians.
My take on it, and I could be wrong. I doubted very much whether the Arab and the Islamic State will basically take any concrete actions against
Israel. Why? Because they lack the political will. They lack unity. And most importantly, I think they do not really want to upset Donald Trump,
that pattern.
So, what you're going to see is really a higher level of rhetoric and condemnation of Israel, but hardly any concrete material decisions or set
of actions on the part of the Arabic and Islamic State.
GIOKOS: You know, it's so interesting you're saying stopping normalizations. Let me ask you this, do you do you believe that we should
see a suspension of the Abraham Accords as they stand right now?
Because you've also said that, you know, the Abraham Accords have survived two years of the war in Gaza. But can they survive this, where America had
promised security guarantees, has not publicly -- I mean, President Trump said that he's not happy with the strike, and, you know, they weren't
warned. But what we saw with Rubio Netanyahu today is a united front. But can the Abraham Accord survive this?
GERGES: Well, I mean, to tell you that Israeli leaders are pleasantly surprised that the normalization process has survived almost two years a
brutal Israeli war against the Palestinians, massacres and even genocide. They are really pleasantly surprised.
So, the question is, will Israel attack on Qatar change the equation? Will Israel annexation -- apparent annexation of the West Bank changes the
equations?
We know that some United Arab Emirates officials have made it very clear that if Israel annexes the West Bank, that would be a red blood, they would
quit the Abraham Accords.
So, but the reality is, if you look at what's happening in the occupied West Bank, Israel has been basically building more settlements. You have
now an approved plan by Israeli government to divide the occupied West Bank from East Jerusalem and bury -- and bury a Palestinian state, as one of the
extremist members of the Israeli government has said.
My -- as an academic, as a -- as a -- as a watcher, with all humility, I don't take words very seriously. Actions speak louder than words. After two
years of more than 60,000 Palestinians who have been killed, including 20,000 children, including multiple, I mean, 9000 women, destruction of
basically Gaza, not to mention hundreds of Palestinian including children have been killed in the West Bank, I have not seen a single -- one single
concrete action on a part of the Arab state in order to send a message to other Israel and the United States.
In fact, Israel has been doubling that Israel attacked Qatar last week.
GIOKOS: Yes, indeed. And there's been so many -- I mean, there's been just so many issues that I think refer to what you were saying, the Arab league
has been ineffectual every time they meet.
[10:15:10]
I wonder in your mind, what is that red line. The UAE has condemned what we're seeing in terms of annexation in the West Bank. But what is do you
believe the red line for Arab states?
GERGES: Well, I mean, I think ethnic cleansing. Ethnic cleansing the Palestinians from Gaza is a red line for Egypt. It represents an
existential threat to the Egyptian regime. It represents an existential threat to Jordan.
But the reality is, what you have now is that the United States has given Israel a green light. I mean, you listened to the press conference between
Rubio, the American Secretary of State, and Israeli prime minister, unwavering American support to Israel. No daylight between the United
States and Israel.
Rubio said, and no one -- no one mentioned this, there could be no diplomatic solution in Gaza, means that Israel will continue its concise
military operation in order, not only to bring the hostages back, but to eliminate Hamas.
So, the United States now is on the same wavelength as Benjamin Netanyahu and please, please don't buy into these nuances the Trump and Benjamin
Netanyahu could not have maintained his war against the Palestinian in Gaza and the West Bank. Benjamin Netanyahu could not have dared to attack Qatar
without either a green light or a yellow light from the Trump administration.
What the Trump administration is trying to do is to walk back its green light to Israel, because the operation has failed, and the Trump
administration -- Trump does not like losing.
GIOKOS: May we ask you this very quickly, Fawaz, we are running out of time. Just strategically, is the U.S. losing favor in this region?
GERGES: Excuse me?
GIOKOS: Is the United States losing favor in this region? Is the United States losing favor in this region?
GERGES: Big times, the Gulf States in particular, believe that the United States has their back. The Gulf States believe that the United States would
rely on the United States for the security they rely on the American security umbrella.
What Benjamin Netanyahu did in Qatar sent -- I mean, shockwaves through the capitals of the Gulf state. The question is, do they have other options? Of
course, they do. Will they recalibrate and diversify their security realignment, probably they will do.
But in the meantime, in the short term and the midterm, they will continue to rely on the American security umbrella, and that's why Israel could do
whatever it wants in the next one or two or three or four years.
GIOKOS: Fawaz Gerges, thank you very much for your insights. Always great to speak to you, as we said, Arab and Muslim leaders meeting in Doha, and
of course, we'll bring you in updates on that meeting as it when it happens.
Right. The former chief of Israel's military, Herzi Halevi says more than one in 10 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed or wounded since the war
began nearly two years ago.
Now, that figure, about 230,000 people is very close to casualty numbers long reported by Gaza's health ministry. Figures Israel has repeatedly
disputed.
And as Israel pushes deeper into Gaza City, the images tell their own story, building after building after building reduced to this to rubble.
Entire blocks flattened, captured in video after video.
Here's CNN's Jeremy Diamond with a closer look at the reality there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREM DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Palestinians rush in and out of this apartment building in Gaza City, grabbing what they can.
Some even toss belongings out of their windows. They don't have long. Israel has marked their 12 story building for destruction, claiming it was
being used by Hamas.
Where should we go? Where? Like so many others here, Uhm Ayad (ph) is utterly distraught, terrified of the homelessness that now awaits her
grandchildren. This is my house. It's going to be gone and I will never get back to it. What do I do now? There's no money. There's no work, no food,
no water. There is nothing.
Her grandson cannot contain his emotions. Tears come streaming down his face. Soon after, Israel unleashes its promised destruction. Homes gone in
a cloud of dark smoke. These residents are among the latest to be displaced in Gaza City.
[10:20:02]
The Israeli military is leveling high rise buildings and dropping leaflets ordering all of the city's residents to clear out. Some have fled to the
city's western coast, where a sprawling tent city is growing more crowded by the day. Those with the means to do so are heading south.
They are being forced into a shrinking sliver of the strip. One military evacuation order after the next aiming to push Gaza's population of more
than 2 million into about 23 percent of Gazan territory. Many are arriving in Al Mawasi, an area already overwhelmed with hundreds of thousands who
were previously displaced.
Here, those who can find and afford a plot of land like this to erect a makeshift shelter are considered lucky. Due to the large number of those
displaced, there is no place to settle in, this man says. People are living in the streets. You see people in the streets. There is no more space for
displaced people.
It's very difficult to be living in our homes and suddenly find ourselves in the open on a piece of land, under the sun or in a tent among the sand
and the insects, this woman says, and life is very difficult.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: And still to come, as investigators search for a motive behind the assassination of Charlie Kirk, we're learning more about the alleged
shooter, that coming up after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: We're following major developments in the murder investigation of Charlie Kirk, the FBI confirms that it now has DNA evidence linking the
suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson to the murder weapon. FBI Director Kash Patel spoke to Fox News about this breakthrough in the case.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KASH PATEL, FBI DIRECTOR: And I can report today that the DNA hits from the towel that was wrapped around the firearm, and the DNA on the screwdriver
are positively processed for the suspect in custody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Patel went on to say the suspect in Kirk's killing left a note which may potentially indicate his motive for the shooting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATEL: The suspect wrote it out saying, I have the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I'm going to take it. That note was written before the
shooting. Evidence of existence we now have learned existed before the shooting was in the location in the suspect and partner's home, but we have
since learned that the note, even though it has been destroyed, we have found forensic evidence of the note, and we have confirmed what that note
says, because of our aggressive interview posture at the FBI.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: While federal and local authorities work to determine an exact motive in Charlie Kirk's killing, U.S. President Donald Trump appears to be
doubling down on the blame -- on blaming what he calls the radical left for political violence in the U.S. in the wake of Charlie Kirk's death. Take a
listen to remarks he made on Sunday to reporters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[10:25:07]
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The problem is on the left. It's not on the right, like some people like to say, on the right.
The problem we have is on the left.
And when you look at the agitators, you look at the scum that speaks so badly of our country, the American flag burnings all over the place. That's
the left. That's not the right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: CNN Senior Reporter Edward-Isaac Dovere joins us now for an update. Edward, great to have you with us, and this follows Trump's rather striking
comments on Fox. Just take a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How do we fix this country? How do we come back together?
TRUMP: I'll tell you something that's going to get me in trouble, but I couldn't care less, the radicals on the right oftentimes are radical
because they don't want to see crime. They don't want to see crime.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Worried about the border.
TRUMP: They're saying, we don't want these people coming in. We don't want you burning our shopping centers. We don't want you shooting our people in
the middle of the street. The radicals on the left are the problem, and they're vicious and they're horrible and they're politically savvy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: So, what does it say Isaac that the U.S. president is saying he couldn't care less about the country coming back together?
EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Look, it's a striking thing for a president to say, any president. It is even going further than what Donald
Trump has done to identify one side of an argument that he says is the side that he'll defend, and the other side he calls, in this case, scum, or
belittles them in all sorts of ways.
This is a disconnect from what is actually happening here, from those people who have really looked at this, not only the Charlie Kirk shooter,
but shooters, unfortunately, in all sorts of political violence and other violence that's been going on in this country just within this year.
And what we see over and over again is that the terms right and left don't really apply all that well, there is political violence or people being
radicalized online, people who feel like this is just a normal, acceptable way to behave, and are steeped in all sorts of online memes and video game
culture and all sorts of things which are the case of this shooter.
If it were the case that he could be so easily classified politically, I think we would already be able to see that being done, but he does seem to
be at least a little bit mixed up, and again, the Republican or Democrat, left, right, that's not what's going on here.
GIOKOS: In the meantime, J.D. Vance hosting the Charlie Kirk show today, talk to us about the -- how the right is uniting around Kirk as a martyr.
DOVERE: Well, again, I wouldn't say the right but I would say that the MAGA world, the Trump supporting world, and it has been a huge response from
Charlie Kirk's widow saying over the weekend on the live stream that she felt like this would just be the beginning of more Turning Point USA.
Charlie Kirk's organization is reporting a huge influx of people who are interested in joining or starting chapters on their campuses, and we will
see what this builds to over time.
What we do know is that Kirk's funeral is expected for Sunday in Arizona, and we are anticipating that Donald Trump himself will be there, and it
will be at a stadium that holds 60,000 plus people.
So, this is going to be a big event. There is a lot of holding up of Charlie Kirk going on across that MAGA political world. There was even just
last night in Washington at the Kennedy Center, usually a place for music and performances. Instead, they had what was essentially a political rally
to commemorate Kirk's life and death.
So, that is how this is going. While, as you said, the vice president is going to take the step of hosting what was Kirk's podcast to embrace it
that way. Of course, he flew the body, the casket, back on Air Force Two to Kirk's home in Arizona last week, and was there for that.
GIOKOS: Yes. Edward-Isaac Dovere, great to have you with us. Thank you so much for that update.
Now, as we've been discussing, Utah governor Spencer Cox pointed to the radicalizing impact of the internet as a potential factor in Charlie Kirk's
killing. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. SPENCER COX (R-UT): Clearly there was -- there was a lot of gaming going on. Friends that have confirmed that there was kind of that deep,
dark internet, the Reddit culture, and these other dark places of the internet where this person was going deep.
And you saw that on the -- on the casings, I think I didn't have any idea what the -- what those inscriptions -- many of those inscriptions even
meant, but they are, you know, that certainly the meme-ification that is happening in our society today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: CNN Chief Media Analyst Brian Stelter, joins us now live.
[10:30:02]
Brian, good to have you with us.
So, we are seeing a kind of twofold influence from social media.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Yes.
GIOKOS: First, the potential radicalization for the suspect in the aftermath, a lot of divisiveness as well as misinformation that's being
spread about the motive.
What is the impact here on the content creator culture in the United States? Because it speaks volumes, not only the divisions in the U.S.
(CROSSTALK)
STELTER: Oh, yes. Anxiety and the fear is palpable.
GIOKOS: But also, how inflammatory it is? Yes?
STELTER: Yes, absolutely. Let's take it in those two different directions. First is what we're learning about the alleged killer's social media
footprint. In that case, I'd say social media is the wrong word, but he was doing in the deep, dark internet, in the words of the Utah governor, was
not really social media. It was anti-social media. It was much more private. It was happening in chat rooms on Discord, apparently, it was
happening in ways that are almost inscrutable to outside observers.
You know, he was not posting messages for millions to read it. He wasn't posting for a very public audience, he was apparently, chatting with his
friends online.
Now, there is a lot more to learn about the suspect, but when you hear about those memes, right? And that form of communication, it is almost
impossible to understand it from the outside, because, as Edward was just saying, it's steeped in so many layers and levels of irony and meta
reference. So, there is that. And then, and I think a lot of parents are trying to understand that and figure out what is happening in those chat
rooms on a day like today. And then, as you mentioned, we have this reaction to Kirk's death that is happening in social media forums. And yes,
there are layers of misinformation about the suspect, so many people trying to assign a political motive, when that might not even be possible in a
case like this. And so, a lot more to learn.
But I think what we're seeing is a difference between online and offline energy right now.
(CROSSTALK)
GIOKOS: Yes.
STELTER: In America today, most people are going about their daily lives not having ugly, vitriolic online debates, not reacting to Kirk's murder by
cheering for it, the way some ugly posts coming from the left are doing on online forums. So, you know, unfortunately, the incentives, the algorithms,
they reward really ugly behavior online that we're not seeing in the real world.
Thankfully, we are not seeing that happening offline, and it's a good reminder, as the Utah governor said, take a break from these screens, get
offline and reconnect with the real world around us.
GIOKOS: Yes. So, I mean, you know, you only have to go into social media to take a look to see there have been, I mean, unbelievable responses to the
assassination of Charlie Kirk. You know, some really showing empathy and, you know, sadness. And on the other end, you have mocking, as well, as you
know, cheering on and celebrating his death.
In fact, that sparked a spate of firings and disciplinary action in the corporate world. And I think there is also something that's becoming a lot
more formalized, and I wonder how this is going to play out where, you know, depending on what you post, which we've spoken about before, you've
got to be very careful on social media, because it could cost you your job. Tell me what we are seeing right now.
STELTER: Yes, this is a networked movement involving Kirk's friends and his supporters to try to call out people for posting ugly messages about Kirk
and try to get them fired from jobs. We have seen hundreds of these firings over the weekend, some from schools and universities, other from private
employers that most people have never heard of.
Just this morning, Washington Post opinion staffer Karen Attiah said she's been fired for her posts about political violence in the wake of Kirk's
death. Now, the comments that are being labeled offensive here run the gamut. There are some that are actually celebrating Kirk's death. I
personally find that grotesque. And then, there are other people who are expressing a lack of sympathy, maybe performing a lack of sympathy, saying
they are not mourning his death.
Now, Kirk's friends and supporters are going after a wide array of these commenters. In some cases, these people are claiming they are being doxed,
they are being victimized, they are being harassed, and as I said, some are losing their jobs as a result.
It's a real argument about whether cancel culture is appropriate in this situation. You know, the free -- the free speech group FIRE, put it really
well, I thought. And they said, we should remember, we don't win an argument by ruining someone's life, we just ruin someone's life. And that
is some of what we're seeing in the aftermath of this attack. An attempt to get even or take action by ganging up on people who are posting those
comments online.
GIOKOS: Yes.
Brian Stelter, always good to speak to you. Thank you so much.
And still to come, condemnation after Russian drones breached the airspace of two NATO members. We have the details on that story after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:36:59]
GIOKOS: Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD. Here are your headlines.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met today in Jerusalem. As sources say Israel's ground offensive
into Gaza City will soon start.
The meeting, coming just days after Israel's attack on Hamas leaders in Qatar, which prompted an emergency meeting of Arab leaders today in Doha.
FDA -- FBI Director Kash Patel gave new details on the suspect in Charlie Kirk's murder. Patel told Fox News that Tyler Robinson had left a note
saying he had the opportunity to take out Kirk and that he was, "going to take it." It is unclear what format the note was in, but Patel said it was
left before Wednesday's shooting.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says a framework for a deal on TikTok has been reached during trade talks with China. Bessent added that the
details will be revealed when U.S. President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping speak on Friday. The deadline to sell at least part of TikTok to a
U.S.-based business has been extended after Congress passed a law to ban it.
I want to go now to our Clare Duffy, who is in New York, for an update on this. I mean, a big shot -- big news today, frankly, that a deal might be
in the works here, and we'll get details on Friday. Tell me what we know right now. I'm really interesting that without sort of more information, we
have a little glimpse of what could transpire in the next few days.
CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS AND TECH WRITER: Well, yes, Eleni, this law passed last year, technically went into effect earlier this year, about
nine months ago. That requires TikTok to be sold off from its China-based parent company, ByteDance, or face a US ban Trump, of course, has delete
repeatedly delayed enforcement of that law, most recently until later this week. September 17th, is the most recent deadline for TikTok to find new
ownership. And now, it appears that a deal may be near the finish line.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent saying that the U.S. and China have agreed on a framework during these trade talks in Madrid. Take a listen to what he
said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT BESSENT, UNITED STATES TREASURY SECRETARY: We have a framework for a TikTok deal. The two leaders, President Trump and party chair Xi, will
speak on Friday to complete the deal, but we do have a framework for a deal with TikTok.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DUFFY: Now, President Trump also took to Truth Social earlier today, to allude to the fact that they have reached a deal here, and also to the fact
that TikTok's 170 million American users are likely going to be very happy to hear this. But I do want to caution that this isn't necessarily a done
deal yet.
As you hear Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent say there, President Trump and President Xi are set to meet on Friday to finalize the terms of this deal,
and you have to imagine that the success in that meeting is going to hinge on them being aligned on a larger trade agreement.
You'll remember Eleni back in. April, the White House had a TikTok deal nearly finalized, but that fell apart when President Trump announced new
tariffs on China.
[10:40:07]
So, I do think this announcement is a promising step towards a deal, but I imagine that TikTok's American users won't necessarily be celebrating until
this thing is signed and sealed.
GIOKOS: Absolutely. And I mean, important, they use the word framework. So, not so much deal. So, I think we just need to read between the lines here.
But the reality is, markets are going to be, I guess, wondering who is going to be involved, which company is going to buy parts of ByteDance. And
there is going to be a lot of speculation that in the lead up to the actual announcement.
DUFFY: Yes, there's lots of questions around, you know, in particular, how this deal is going to respect the U.S. national security concerns that have
been at the heart of this effort to ban TikTok or force a sale of the platform.
Now, that deal back in April that the White House had nearly finalized would have involved a coalition of U.S. tech companies and investment
firms, taking majority control of TikTok's U.S. operations, leaving ByteDance with a less than 20 percent stake in the company, which is what's
required by this law.
And so, I think it's likely that we'll see a similar deal here when we -- when we learn more about what this framework is, but we know that there
were a number of American owners who had raised their hands with interest in purchasing this very popular platform. And so, I do think lots of
questions heading into this Friday meeting, but I wouldn't be surprised if we see something similar to that deal framework that we know was close to
the finish line back in April.
GIOKOS: Yes. Clare Duffy, thank you so much.
And ahead on CONNECT THE WORLD, thousands gathered in London for anti- immigration protests organized by far-right activist Tommy Robinson, leaving 26 people and police officers injured. We'll be back on that story
right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: 25 people were arrested during far-right anti-immigration protests in London. Saturday saw thousands flocking for the Unite the Kingdom
demonstration organized by far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
Demonstrators carried the union flag as they marched to the political district of Whitehall. Thousands of counter protesters were kept separated
by police. This follows some of anti-immigration protests across the country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANDRA MITCHEL, ANTI-IMMIGRATION PROTESTER: They need to stop illegal migration into this country. It's tearing us apart. You know, we've got
people here, the veterans, our veterans that fought for us and for our freedom, lying on the streets with nowhere to go.
KATHY, COUNTER DEMONSTRATOR: The way immigrants and asylum seekers are blamed for what's wrong here. It's totally wrong. It's totally wrong, and I
think it's racist.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Well, high-profile speakers attended both events, including Elon Musk via video link.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELON MUSK, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, SPACEX, TESLA, AND TWITTER: Whether you choose violence or not, violence is coming to you.
[10:45:03]
You either fight back or you die. You either fight back or you die.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: 26 police officers were injured during clashes on Saturday.
Romania has condemned Moscow's quote irresponsible actions after alleging that Russian drone breached its airspace during an attack on neighboring
Ukraine, Saturday.
Two F-16 fighter jets detected the drone while monitoring the border with Ukraine. The incident comes days after Poland, a NATO member, along with
Romania, shot down Russian drones that violated its airspace.
The British Foreign Office says it has summoned the Russian ambassador following the incidents.
Meantime, Ukrainian frontline troops lost the ability to control their drones, earlier today. They were around thousands of Starlink Internet
users affected by a brief global outage, and Ukraine has relied on Starlink throughout Russia's invasion to run its fleet of attack drones. Most users
are now believed to be back online, and it's not yet clear what caused the outage.
Last hour, our chief international security correspondent Nick Paton Walsh, gave us more details on the outage.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: For about two hours this morning, the Starlink Internet service that Ukraine's armed
forces are so heavily reliant upon to pilot and communicate between their drone units that form the bulwark of their defense.
The Starlink went down and became inaccessible for so many that would have impacted Russia's Armed Forces too, who also use it. There was a similarly
brief outage recorded amongst stateside users as well, but that cause great fear in Kyiv is that if they lose Starlink, they lose so much of their
connectivity across a front line where they are short on manpower and deeply reliant on drones to hold the Russians back.
This was short lived, but it's not the first time. In late July as well, another outage happened slightly longer, it seems back then, and there were
deep concerns that if this keeps occurring, it could seriously damage Ukraine's defenses.
I spoke to many soldiers, though, on the front line then, and they were playing down how significant it was. They said they already had work
arounds potentially and that they'd known of this risk, and were essentially trying to future proof for themselves.
Ukraine public that it's looking for potential alternatives, possibly some political sensitivities about this entire service being under the control
of its owner, Elon Musk, and his own political affiliations.
But while these two outages appear to have been short, they certainly highlight how vulnerable Ukraine is to technological problems like this,
given how central drones are to its defense.
GIOKOS: We are going to very short break. We'll be back right after this. Stick with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT, CBS: I have never loved my country more desperately. God bless America. Stay strong, be
brave, and if the elevator tries to bring you down, go crazy and punch a higher floor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Well, that was late night, host and comedian Stephen Colbert, accepting the Emmy Award for his show in the outstanding talk series
"Category". It is a bit of sweet triumph after being canceled by CBS, the same network that aired the Emmy Awards.
The Emmys are the biggest celebration of American T.V. every year, and this time, the show was packed with firsts and surprises from the studio's
historic winning streak to the breakout star of "Adolescence" becoming the youngest male actor ever to win an Emmy.
[10:50:10]
CNN entertainment correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister was there rubbing elbows with the stars. She joins us now live from Los Angeles.
Elizabeth, great to have you on the ground there. So, you saw the highlights, all the best moments. What were they?
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it was a huge night for a lot of new shows. You know, often what we see with the Emmys is
it's the same shows winning year after year. But this year, we had a lot of shows that were in their first season. So, one of those is "The Studio".
It's a show created by and starring Seth Rogen on Apple T.V., and it's really poking fun at Hollywood.
Now, I actually caught up with Seth Rogen on the carpet before the studio started to win all of its awards. So, let's take a look at what Seth told
me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WAGMEISTER: Does this mean that Hollywood actually likes to make fun of itself?
SETH ROGEN, SETH ROGEN, WINNER, OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES: Everyone likes to be made fun of, I think in some ways, honestly, I think
it's like, if it feels well observed, and I think, we try to observe it well.
And then -- and also, it's a show, I think, again, that is sort of, in many ways, a love letter to Hollywood. And I think we try to strike that
balance. So, it seems though people could feel that in watching it. Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WAGMEISTER: Hollywood does love a story about itself. Now, the studio walking away with 13 Awards last night, making history as the comedy to win
the most Emmys in a single year.
Now, on the drama side, a medical drama called "The Pitt," which here in America is on HBO Max. It stars Noah Wyle, who, of course, starred in
another medical drama. "E.R.", for years. But Noah Wyle winning for Best Actor in a Drama. It was his first Emmy win, coming 26 years after his last
Emmy nomination.
Let's take a look at his acceptance speech.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NOAH WYLE, WINNER, OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES: To my children, to my parents, to my step parents, and to my beautiful wife,
Sarah, who owns half of this not just because it's California law, because she earned it, and mostly to anybody who's going on shift tonight or coming
off shift tonight, thank you for being in that job. This is for you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WAGMEISTER: A really nice shot out there at the end for medical workers. And when "The Pitt" won for Best Drama, the producers behind the show also
giving their props and their love to medical workers.
Now, "Adolescents," which is one of Netflix's biggest shows becoming a huge breakout hit with tons of impact, while it's young star, as you said at the
top there, Owen Cooper making Emmy history -- Hollywood history. He is the youngest male Emmy winner of all time. His speech was so touching.
Everybody in the room loved it, and we have a little bit for you here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OWEN COOPER, ACTOR, ADOLESCENCE: Honestly, when I started these drama classes a couple years back, I didn't expect to be even in the United
States. Never mind here. But, I think, tonight proves that if you have -- if you listen and you focus and you step out your comfort zone, you can
achieve -- you can achieve anything in life, like, I was -- I was nothing about three years ago, I'm here now --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WAGMEISTER: Just 15 years old. So humble, really an amazing moment to win an Emmy when, as you heard him say, he was just in drama school, what seems
like yesterday.
Now, I also do want to talk about the host Nate Bargatze, who I interviewed just days before the Emmys. When I interviewed him, he had told me that he
had a plan to keep the acceptance speeches short, and you see there on the screen, this is a money counter.
Nate Bargatze said he was giving a $100,000 donation to the Boys and Girls Club of America. But every celebrity who went a second over their allotted
45 second speech, they would dock $1,000. While at the end of the night, they were actually in the negative. But the night ended with Nate Bargatze,
who, by the way, is the top selling stand-up comedian here in America. It ended with him giving a $350,000 donation, but stars, including John
Oliver, were poking fun at this all night long, saying we've got to rush to make sure that we keep it under the clock.
So, it was a really, really fun night here in Hollywood.
GIOKOS: Well, I know it definitely was. I'm glad you've got to experience it. Elizabeth Wagmeister, thank you so much.
Right. Some stars use their platform at the Emmys to shine the spotlight on Gaza and to call for an end to the war. Nominee Javier Bardem took to the
red carpet wearing a keffiyeh, a scarf or headdress traditionally associated with Palestinian people. He spoke to Variety.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAVIER BARDEM, EMMY NOMINEE: Here I am today denouncing the genocide in Gaza. I'm talking about the. IAGS, which is International Association of
Genocide Scholars, who study thoroughly genocide and has declared it is a genocide.
[10:55:09]
And that's why we asked for a commercial and diplomatic blockade and also sanctions on Israel to stop the genocide, Free Palestine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: And actress Hannah Einbinder, who won for her role in the T.V. series "Hacks", spoke out about the war in Gaza, both on stage and off.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANNAH EINBINDER, EMMY WINNER, OUTSTANDING: SUPPORTING ACTRESS FOR HACKS: I just want to say, finally, Go birds, -- ICE, and free Palestine. Thank you.
I feel like it is my obligation as a Jewish person to distinguish Jews from the State of Israel, because our religion and our culture is such an
important and long standing, basically like, Institution that is really separate to this sort of ethno-nationalist state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Well, thanks so much for joining us. For CONNECT THE WORLD, I'm Eleni Giokos. Stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
