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U.S. Government Shuts Down with No Deal in Sight; Hamas "Carefully Reviewing" Trump's Proposal; Disruptions at Jaguar, Asahi Reveal Companies' Vulnerability to Cyberattacks; Palestinian Chef Teaches Survival Cooking. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired October 01, 2025 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Welcome to the second hour of the show from our Middle East programming headquarters. I'm Becky Anderson in
Abu Dhabi, where the time is just after 6 in the evening.
A U.S. government shutdown has begun after the funding battle on Capitol Hill reaches deadlock. Democrats and Republicans blaming each other. We're
going to hear from lawmakers in Washington shortly.
Well, the world is waiting for Hamas' response to president Trump's Gaza peace plan. Its leaders are said to be giving it careful consideration.
And cyber crime on the rise. We speak with Interpol's former head of digital crime to look at the rising tide of attacks and how they affect our
national security and also our businesses and lives.
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ANDERSON: Well, it is a day of finger pointing in Washington and a whole lid of uncertainty with the U.S. government now shut down and no sign any
deal is in sight to reopen it.
It happened after Democrats and Republicans failed to reach agreement on a short-term funding bill. Democrats insisting that Republicans extend
expiring health care subsidies.
Well, the potential fallout could be huge, with the Trump administration threatening to permanently eliminate tens of thousands of federal jobs and
a host of services either cut back or closed.
Well, party leaders on both sides blaming each other, with the Democratic senator, Senate leader, saying protecting health care benefits is essential
to reaching a deal. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), MAJORITY LEADER: Republicans thought that they could barrel us into a shutdown because they didn't want to protect the
health care of the American people.
Well, now they've seen they can't bully us. They can't barrel us. They don't have the votes to push their partisan bill through that did nothing
to protect American health care. So the solution now is for both sides to sit down and come to an agreement that protects American health care.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Bring in Brian Todd from Reagan National Airport outside Washington.
And what is the impact of the shutdown there, Brian?
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, we're monitoring the impact of the shutdown on travel in the United States. And we're here at Reagan
National Airport keeping a close eye on it. We have to keep an eye in the coming days on places like this.
This is the north security checkpoint here at Reagan National Airport, where TSA screeners, you see them in the blue shirts over there, they have
started to come in this morning without getting paid, as have air traffic controllers.
Now things have gone very smoothly this morning, I have to say. The lines have not backed up and things have been very smooth. And no, really no real
complaints from passengers about anything.
But we have to say that this is the kind of thing that plays out over time. And past shutdowns have shown us that, after several days of TSA screeners
who are not getting paychecks, they start to have trouble affording public transportation to get to work. They start to have trouble affording gas,
affording child care.
When that happens to enough people, then you start to have backups and you start to have people calling in sick. That has happened in past shutdowns.
So when that does happen, that's when the delays start to happen. That's when the airport disruptions start to happen.
So we're going to have to really see what kind of an impact this is going to have in the coming days. We just have to stress that sometimes this
takes days to play out.
We should also point out that in the -- one of the last shutdowns in 2018 and early 2019, it lasted about 35 days. Air traffic controllers, about 10
of them, decided to call in sick and that shut down air traffic at LaGuardia Airport in New York. And it also delayed air travel in other
airports in the East Coast.
We do have to say that, this time, though, the air traffic controllers union has told air traffic controllers not to do sickouts, not to call in
sick, to do their jobs and protect the airspace. So you have that as a factor as well.
We do have to report, though, that the Department of Transportation has furloughed more than 11,000 workers from the Federal Aviation
Administration. That's more than a quarter of the FAA's workforce.
Now critical safety services that the FAA provides, like air traffic control, hiring and training, that's going to continue. But other things
like audits, air traffic performance analyses and support, administrative support, those are going to cease.
[10:05:03]
What effect that's going to have on the traveling public, again, that remains to be seen, Becky. But again, you see it here. We'll take you over
to the to the checkpoint here. You got people coming in and it's been pretty smooth.
And these screeners have done their jobs and processed people through. Interestingly, one air -- excuse me -- one of the employees here at Reagan
National Airport told me, an employee who monitors these lines told me that she told several of the passengers that the screeners were coming in today
and not getting paid.
And the passengers gave the screeners a round of applause. So at least a bit of a positive atmosphere so far, Becky.
ANDERSON: All right. We are going to get to a press conference on Capitol Hill, where the House Speaker is speaking as we get to it. Stand by.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), HOUSE SPEAKER: -- limit the harm to the American people. But the longer this goes on, the more pain will be inflicted
because it is inevitable when the government shuts down.
The sad thing about it is that every single bit of this was entirely avoidable. Democrats could have worked with us in a bipartisan manner to
avert this unnecessary and very harmful shutdown.
But instead, they did something that is rather shocking to us. They prioritized taxpayer funded benefits for illegal aliens over keeping the
government open for American citizens.
They themselves position that as a binary choice, and it's patently absurd. Listen to what the Democrats are demanding. They demanded in exchange for
our simple, clean 24-page bipartisan continuing resolution, the same one that Chuck Schumer and the Democrats voted for just a few months back in
March.
In exchange for that, they rejected it and they demanded something else. They wanted us to add over $1.5 trillion in new federal spending, paid for,
of course, by hardworking American taxpayers simply for funding the government a current by current Biden level -- spending levels. We are not
going to do that. We can't do that. We won't do it.
Almost two weeks ago, the House did our job. In the House, we passed a common sense, nonpartisan bill to keep the government open. Republicans did
our job. We had one Democrat join us there, so it was bipartisan.
But every other Democrat in the House voted to shut the government down. And last night, 44 Democrats in the Senate did the same thing.
This is a clean resolution. It would simply by Congress a few more weeks, seven weeks, to finish the job. Why do we need that time? So, that
appropriators and both parties can finish their work.
They've been restoring regular order. They've passed 12 separate bills out of committee in the House and the Senate has done its work as well; three
bills of the 12 passed in each chamber. They don't line up exactly.
So, there's a conference committee constituted the first time in years that that's happened. We just need more time because we ran out of clock at the
end of the fiscal year, September 30th.
This is very important to note. Democrats themselves have voted to pass a clean bipartisan C.R. just like this 13 times in the last few years, during
the four years of the Biden administration, 13 times this happened. Republicans did the responsible thing, even when we were in the minority,
to keep the government open.
And today should be no different. There is nothing new in this legislation. There's no poison pill, there's no partisan tricks, there's no gimmicks
whatsoever. The only difference today is the man who is sitting in the Oval Office.
Rather than work with President Trump and Republicans to get this job done, as our party has done repeatedly in the same situation over the years,
Democrats want to play political games with the lives and the livelihoods of Americans.
The simple truth is Democrats in Congress have dragged our country into another reckless shutdown to satisfy their far left base. That is the
truth. Whether or not the government remains open or reopens is entirely up to them.
There's still time for Democrats to pass this clean bipartisan bill that's sitting before them. And we encourage our Democrat colleagues to do that. I
certainly pray they'll come to their senses soon and do the right and responsible thing.
The reason they will have one more opportunity today is because of the sound leadership is being provided in the U.S. Senate by our colleagues who
are standing here with us.
This is a joint press conference, as you know, between leadership, Republican leadership in the House and the Senate, and I'm delighted to
yield to my good friend and an extraordinary leader in the Senate, Leader John Thune.
SEN. JOHN THUNE (R-SD), MAJORITY LEADER: All right.
Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker and our House colleagues, for doing the work. You sent us a clean continuing resolution.
Unfortunately, we are here this morning in a government shutdown that the Democrats wanted. Chuck Schumer, at the behest of a bunch of liberal, far-
left activist groups, has walked his Democrat colleagues into a boxed canyon.
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There's no way out, folks. There's no way out. This could have been avoided. It's totally unavoidable.
And everybody's now asking the question, how does this end?
Well, it ends when the Senate Democrats pick this bill up passed by the House of Representatives and vote for it. It's on the floor of the Senate.
We're going to vote later this morning on this 24 pages.
Does this look partisan?
Does this look dirty to you?
It's 24 pages to fund the government. Nothing more, nothing less. Nothing else. The House kept it simple. We kept it simple in the Senate.
This is something, as the Speaker noted, that, 13 times in the past, Senate Democrats have done when they were in the majority and Joe Biden was in the
White House. This is a very straightforward issue. It's not complicated.
They want it to end. Vote with us to open up the government by voting this out of the Senate today, putting it on President Trump's desk, and he will
sign into the law.
The president, House Republican, Senate Republicans, we're all united on this. And what's interesting now is some of the Democrats are joining us.
Our vote last night was a bipartisan vote. There were three Democrats that came over and voted with us because they know this strategy is a losing one
and it hurts the American people.
It's not about who wins or who loses or who gets blamed in all this. It's about the American people. And they have taken the American people hostage
--
ANDERSON: Well, Democratic strategist Meghan Hayes and former Trump administration official Matt Mowers joining me now.
Matt, let's start with you.
What do you make of what you just heard?
MATT MOWERS, FORMER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, I think the Speaker and Majority Leader Thune laid it out pretty clearly. I mean, the
fact is you had a Republican House, every Republican senator minus one and passed this bill.
And you've got a Republican president who says he'll sign the bill. Now you know, we have to also look at something else in context here, which is that
this is an identical bill that Chuck Schumer and others voted for earlier this year in March.
It's actually a very similar budget bill to one they passed several years ago, even when Joe Biden was president. The only thing that's changed is
that, after the March vote, Chuck Schumer got so much flack from his left wing.
And he is so concerned about both his own political future and avoiding a primary challenge for his reelection next year in New York that he's
willing to actually move his entire Democratic Party and his Democratic colleagues to do something as extreme as shut down the government.
At a time when now people are going to ask if you're a service member who woke up today and don't get a paycheck, that's because the Chuck Schumer
and the Democrats.
If next week we run out of what's called WIC funding, it's called Women, Infants and Children, it's the funding that goes toward low-income families
to provide subsidies for food. That expires and runs out of money in about a week.
If those women can't get food, it's because of Chuck Schumer. That's the type of thing that the Speaker, the majority leader, were putting forward
at that press conference and they hit the nail on the head.
ANDERSON: That's Matt's position on this.
Meghan, you're a Democratic strategist. Let's just get your response to what we've just heard. We heard Chuck Schumer just earlier on.
And what's your thinking here?
MEGHAN HAYES, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I think, look, the American people send Congress, their members of Congress, to keep the government open. That
is what they should be doing.
However, this could have been avoided. Like they said, they could have negotiated and extended the subsidies for health care. They did not need to
cut Medicaid as much as they did in the big beautiful bill.
A Republican pollster, Trump's own pollster, warned that they are going to pay a political penalty for cutting health care; eight in 10 Americans
believe that these tax credits should be extended; 90 percent of Americans believe that these -- that people should be insured.
And that we should have as many people on health insurance as possible. So where I do agree that this could have been avoided and that they should be
working together, Republicans also need to come to the table and negotiate with Democrats on keeping the most Americans possible covered with health
insurance.
That is paramount to our economic sustainability in this country.
ANDERSON: Matt, the blame game going strong on both sides. Look at the White House websites. Bright red ticker calling this a Democrat shutdown.
Republicans do, though, control all three branches of government and will have to lead the U.S. out of this.
So are Americans going to buy Trump's branding on this?
Doesn't the buck ultimately stop with Donald Trump here?
MOWERS: Well, but again, you had a Republican majority in the House vote for it. You need 60 votes in the Senate, right?
That's the way it's devised. All but one Republican voted for it. And then they actually had to get three Democrats to vote along with the
Republicans. So it does require the Democrats to come along. The power is in their hands as individual Democrat senators to deal with that.
And, you know, to Meghan's point, you've had Republicans both in the House and the Senate as recently as today.
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You had the vice president, JD Vance, say they want to have that discussion about what they're calling the ACA health care extenders. Essentially, it
stabilizes the Affordable Care Act market. It's actually something that was devised under president Trump in his first term.
It's continued onwards, to stabilize those prices. They want to work with other members to actually get that done.
But it's got to be done in a way that they can have an actual discussion about that issue, not tied to something as simple as keeping our troops
paid and making sure that, you know, low-income families have access to the services that they need. And that's the issue. And that's the key
(INAUDIBLE) right now.
ANDERSON: OK. Well, ahead of any further discussions, the government remains closed.
Meghan, take a look at this "The New York Times" poll from yesterday. Just before the shutdown began, about a quarter of voters said they would blame
Republicans. About 20 percent said they blame Democrats; 33 percent blame both groups equally.
Democrats are facing pressure to show some fight. They've had, you know, their voice has been sort of pretty non-existent over the last nine months,
many will say.
But do the numbers not show that it will be a very uphill battle, this one?
I mean, how does your party message effectively here?
HAYES: I think that the Democrats need to message that they are fighting for health care and they are fighting for working families to have access
to health care.
But again, nobody -- the American people don't understand the nuance and the ins and outs of what a clean CR is versus not a clean CR. All they know
is that the prices are still rising. They're still paying expensive prices for groceries and housing and they want to be able to afford health care.
And so when they get their premiums and they get their bill for their premium next month, that it's doubling, that will be a problem for both
Democrats and Republicans. It is in both of their interests to come to the negotiating table to figure this out and reopen the government and do it
immediately.
This is absurd that we that we send members to Washington to keep the government open and to keep and to lower costs and we are not doing that.
ANDERSON: And, Matt, why would Republicans not just renew the subsidy, knowing that millions of Americans will face steeper costs without it?
MOWERS: Republicans have said they would renew the subsidies. But the fact is that Chuck Schumer now decided he wanted, instead of having that debate,
having that discussion, he'd rather play politics with keeping the federal government open.
And again, it's because of his political ambition. It's because of his concern, after catching flak from the left wing of his party, from having
to work with the president in March. So this is a political calculation, I'll tell you.
Besides the American people being ticked off for having their government closed because of Chuck Schumer, the other people who I think are going to
really turn on Chuck Schumer soon are his colleagues in the Senate and in the House who had to vote for this.
I mean, you've got an incumbent Democratic congresswoman, Mikie Sherrill, running for governor in New Jersey right now, who is now going to have to
answer for why the government shut down and why she contributed to that shutdown.
You're now going to have a bunch of vulnerable Democrats running for reelection in the Senate and the House next year are going to answer the
same thing.
It's going to be interesting to see how long those folks hang tight with Chuck Schumer on this, this kind of risky political strategy that he's
played out. And it's also risky strategy that's playing out poorly for the American people.
ANDERSON: I've got 60 seconds. So I'm going to close this out with Meghan.
Where do you see this going?
I mean, is this going to end anytime soon?
HAYES: So I just want to make one correction that Matt made here, that the Democrats were trying to work with the Republicans. They put a vote up
three separate times to get these health care subsidies. And Republicans voted it down all three times since March.
So it's not necessarily true that they're trying to get the health care subsidies extended. So now we've -- now we're in a government shutdown,
which is detrimental to all of the American people because of health care.
And so I just think, look, they need to come to the negotiating table. They owe it to their voters on both sides. They owe it to the American people to
get the government back open and to make health care affordable, as well as bring down costs of other things.
That is what Donald Trump ran on and he is not doing it. And we are now in this situation where Democrats are holding them responsible.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you both. Thank you very much indeed. Differing perspectives on a story that has an impact on all Americans.
Thank you.
When we come back, we are going to take a closer look at the details of Trump's peace plan for Gaza with veteran Middle East journalist Mina Al-
Oraibi and we'll break down how this plan, this proposal initiative is being received in this region.
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ANDERSON: Mediators from Qatar, Egypt and Turkiye met with Hamas representatives on Tuesday night in Doha to discuss U.S. president Donald
Trump's peace proposal. According to a person familiar with the talks, Hamas negotiators say they will give a response after they've consulted
with other Palestinian factions.
Now yesterday, I spoke to Nickolay Mladenov, who was the U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East peace process from 2015 to 2020. This was
his take on the latest plan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICKOLAY MLADENOV, FORMER U.N. SPECIAL COORDINATOR FOR MIDDLE EAST PEACE: We need a plan that actually outlines the key principles on which the
details will be built. And this is what this plan does.
And I think it -- again, it responds to the main needs of people. There is an answer to the question of how to restore a political dialogue between
Israelis and Palestinians, very, very importantly. It puts to rest the question of annexation of Gaza or displacement of people.
It talks about reconstruction and aid to the people in Gaza and it looks at how to end the war.
So, you know, could it have been better?
I'm sure it could have been better. But it is a reflection of where we are today.
ANDERSON: Given your experience and access to leadership thinking around this region, what the strategic calculus is here for those Arab and Muslim
leaders who've signed off on this?
MLADENOV: I think the strategic calculus is that this is a good basis on which to engage. And engagement is perhaps the key word going forward,
because, if you look at the plan itself, it does provide the principles for going forward.
But how these principles are implemented really depends on the dialogue and the diplomacy that will take place after Hamas agrees to this proposal.
And I think this is something that unites all the Arab countries right now -- Egypt, Jordan, the Gulf countries; you know, other countries like
Pakistan and Turkiye as well, who have signed up to it, that engagement is critically important.
And ultimately, isn't this what diplomacy is about?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Mina Al-Oraibi is the editor in chief of "The National," a UAE daily newspaper here in the Emirates. She joins me now live from al-Ula
in Saudi Arabia.
It's good to have you, Mina. Steve Witkoff described this plan as having got a lot of buyin this region and in Europe, adding, "Do we have some
details to work out?
"Yes. But everyone is going to be pushed by Donald Trump."
As we wait on a response from Hamas, you've had the time to digest this 20- point plan.
What do you make of it?
MINA AL-ORAIBI, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, "THE NATIONAL": It's a very important starting point to actually get to a ceasefire but also have a day-after
plan on Gaza. Most officials have said that, just getting to a ceasefire without details of what the next day looks like would mean a failure of a
ceasefire.
So in that sense, it's encouraging. It also comes after a week of diplomacy at the U.N. that included a Saudi-French initiative to get a recognition of
a Palestinian state. Now we know that the United States was not in favor of such a move.
[10:25:03]
Neither, of course, was Israel. However, it created a momentum that it's time to get a Palestinian state and that momentum actually pushed Americans
to have meetings with Arab and Muslim majority country leaders to say to them, OK, how can we come up with a solution?
The plan, as everybody has been saying, is lacking in a lot of detail. But it has enough to say no annexation and no deportation of Palestinians from
Gaza. What then happens will really depend on the Palestinians themselves.
There is agency with the Palestinians. What the Israeli government is willing to do -- and I think that's also an important point and, as you
said, regionally, we're here at the Munich conference in al-Ula.
This is a closed door event that has a lot of leaders and diplomats from the region that are discussing what this plan will actually look like once
it's fleshed out.
But as you reported rightly, Becky, it also really depends on Hamas agreeing and, frankly, with Qatar and Turkiye both being instrumental in
this, in addition, of course, to Jordan, Egypt, there's a real push to get Hamas to accept this plan.
ANDERSON: Yes, you make a very good point. The inclusion of the Turks, the Turkish chief of intelligence in Qatar this time, I think, is notable.
We've got new reporting in to CNN just in the past couple of hours that Donald Trump has signed an executive order upgrading security guarantees to
Qatar to, I think, best described as Article 5-like security guarantees.
The order states, and I quote here, "The United States shall regard any armed attack on the territory, sovereignty or critical infrastructure of
the State of Qatar as a threat to the peace and security of the United States."
Look, this is highly significant.
I wonder what message you think this sends from Donald Trump about how he views Qatar?
And let's extend this to the wider Gulf. As he pushes forward with this Gaza peace plan, after all, this peace plan is about pushing for wider
peace and stability in this region. The throughline for that, of course, being an end to the conflict in Gaza and the West Bank.
AL-ORAIBI: When Israel struck Qatar earlier this month, there really was a sense that a line was crossed. Here was an ally of the United States that
was negotiating and working on negotiations, being a mediator, to try to bring a war to an end.
And, of course, before this executive order that's come out from president Donald Trump, you had also Benjamin Netanyahu sitting in Washington,
calling the emir of Qatar to frankly apologize for striking Qatar. That was not going to cut it.
For the Qataris and the wider Gulf region, that attack on Doha was an attack on the GCC. That was not going to be allowed to slide. And so this
statement and executive order from the Americans is a way to say to Qatar that your security is a red line for us and that we will make sure you are
protected.
I think it's very important to have made that move from the United States in order to get Qatar to feel that not only do the Americans have their
back but also they can really get involved in this plan and not be concerned that Israel, during negotiations, might strike again.
Let's not forget the Israeli officials, after the initial strike on Doha, said that they were willing to do it again. So if we're going to enter a
period of negotiations that includes Hamas representatives, nobody wants to think that a strike might happen on Doha.
So I think it was just a very important measure of goodwill, good faith to show to the Qataris that the strike that happened will not just be allowed
to become a norm, first of all, but also to show Qatar its importance to the United States.
And as you said, this is an indicator for the entire Gulf because the entire Gulf region came together and rallied around Qatar as soon as the
attack happened. And many said that an attack on Qatar is like an attack on the entire Gulf.
ANDERSON: And this Gulf region, of course, welcoming, stopping short of supporting of full support for this for this peace plan, it has to be said.
It changed between the point at which it was presented to the Arab states, of course, last week.
And, after it was discussed with Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington -- and there are reports that a number of Arab states are actually furious about
the fact that the proposal had changed.
When you look at it quite significantly, it has to be said, there is a piece in this proposal that hasn't changed, that is drawing quite a lot of
controversy, it has to be said, and that is on the postwar governance, Mina.
It describes two points here, a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee and an international body called the Board of Peace, chaired by
Donald Trump and others, including British prime minister Tony Blair.
Your thoughts on that?
AL-ORAIBI: Well, the technocrat part is something that many Palestinians, ordinary Palestinians that we speak to, make clear is absolutely necessary
in terms of what does governance look like, especially at a time you're not going to have elections in Palestine.
[10:30:07]
The political setup in Palestine at the moment within the Palestinian Authority, in very dire need of reform and Hamas not being an acceptable
party. So having a technocratic group that can at least lead the initial stage of governance, I think, for a lot of people makes sense.
The issue of the Board of Peace is interesting. I mean, it's a way of showing that president Donald Trump is personally invested in this and you
are going to need political will and leadership at the very top to not allow this to fall apart yet again.
We've had other plans that have been proposed and then languished. So this becomes a way to try to show that this plan will not languish. Of course,
former prime minister Tony Blair is a controversial figure for many people.
His track record, especially when it comes to the Iraq War, is one that raises eyebrows. However, he's done a lot of work and, of course, he had
the role as The Quartet's envoy and he's done a lot of work through his institution to build ties with different governments in this region.
And also wants to be shown that he can be an actual doer on the ground. But I think that the controversy around his role may mean that it won't be such
a direct role. We'll have to wait and see. This is one of the details that I think will be fleshed out. But the board itself, having senior-level
political leadership, will help.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you, Mina. You're in Saudi today. You were in New York around UNGA last week. You're busy, so we appreciate your time.
These meetings are incredibly valuable when we consider what is going on at present, not least in this region. Thank you very much indeed for joining
us today.
Well, from knocking out airport systems to shutting down production lines, it seems like at present the hackers are winning.
So what can we do better?
I take a deep dive into that with an expert. Stay with us.
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ANDERSON (voice-over): Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. Here are your headlines this hour.
And the U.S. government is now shut down after Democrats and Republicans failed to agree on a short-term funding bill. Each party is blaming the
other for the impasse. President Trump says his administration can use the shutdown to cut jobs and services in a way that will hurt Democrats.
Well, in the Philippines, rescuers are searching for survivors after a 6.9 magnitude earthquake hit on Tuesday. More than 60 people were killed as the
quake brought down buildings and left infrastructure badly damaged. Officials there say a hospital in the coastal town of Bogo was overwhelmed
as medics received dozens of injured people.
[10:35:00]
Well, the sister of Britain's King Charles, Princess Anne, visited Ukraine yesterday. On her trip, she met with the president there, members of the
Ukrainian army and paid her respects to the victims at the Children's Memorial.
Buckingham Palace says the trip was made at the request of Britain's foreign ministry to show solidarity with those living through the war in
Ukraine.
ANDERSON: Well, E.U. leaders are meeting in Copenhagen today for talks focusing on that war. Discussions include a proposal to use frozen Russian
assets to financially support Kyiv. European security is also on the agenda, with the country's prime minister warning that the continent is
facing its biggest threat in decades.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
METTE FREDERIKSEN, PRIME MINISTER OF DENMARK: When I look at Europe today, I think we are in the most difficult and dangerous situation since the end
of the Second World War, not the Cold War anymore.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Mette Frederiksen was also suggests -- suggesting there that Russia is behind recent unexplained drone sightings in Denmark as well as
other hybrid attacks across Europe.
Well, President Zelenskyy himself has noted that global conflicts are fueling a frenzied race for new technologies and new lines of attack. Much
of that, according to global experts, is playing out in the digital space. And cybersecurity is ever more crucial, not just for governments but for
people like you and me; businesses, large or small.
Take Britain's biggest carmaker, for example. Jaguar Land Rover usually produces 1,000 cars a day in the U.K. But it had to shut its factories for
weeks after a cyber attack in early September. Experts say it's happening all too often and the damage runs deep.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAM RUBIN, SENIOR VP, PALO ALTO NETWORKS: But what I think people don't realize is how big of a global problem this is. Cyber attacks are costing
us as a society over $20 billion a day.
And these sophisticated attackers are targeting us, our organizations and they're trying to shut us down and trying to lock up our files and prevent
us from doing business or otherwise going about our daily lives.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, in addition to the disruptions and the financial consequences, of course, we're seeing cyber attacks that could cause real
human suffering.
Hackers recently targeted a British nursery chain, stealing digital photos of more than 8,000 kids, along with their personal information. Some of it
was reportedly released on the Dark Web.
Well, Craig Jones is a former director of cybercrime at Interpol. He joins us from the global cybersecurity forum in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.
It's good to have you today.
Given what I've just laid out there, how would you describe cybersecurity challenges in 2025, sir?
CRAIG JONES, FORMER DIRECTOR OF CYBER CRIME, INTERPOL: So I think cybersecurity standards haven't changed over the decades basically. There's
weaknesses and vulnerabilities in systems and networks. And that's people as well.
So what we're facing as a global community is a real existential challenge. We are unable often to protect our communities, our businesses and our
industries. And we're used to things being free in this space.
So when you add a cost into cybersecurity, companies and people are looking at that cost and deciding, well, where do we invest effectively?
ANDERSON: Right. So let's just lay out, lay the table before we talk about what can be done. I mean, European leaders meeting today in Denmark to
discuss strengthening cybersecurity.
We recently heard from Moldovan officials with concerns over cyberattacks during their elections.
Just how concerned should we be about cyber activity or cyber espionage before we get a bit more micro and talk about our businesses and ourselves?
What's the kind of broader picture here?
JONES: So we're seeing all the time attacks by states, on states effectively. And whether they're for disruption, whether they're for
espionage, whether for intellectual property, these are going on an hourly, daily and weekly basis.
And the challenge for those governments is how do they protect their critical assets?
And people hear a lot about critical national infrastructure but it's those assets of a country.
How do we protect those?
So when the disruption happens, like we saw recently at Heathrow and the airlines are not able to run effectively because the digital capability is
not working, then we see those real-world impacts.
ANDERSON: And we've just mentioned Jaguar Land Rover, the halt in production there. The government had to pledge a $2 billion loan to that
company.
We also had operations at some 30 factories of the Japanese beer giant, Asahi, suspended after a cyberattack that caused a systems outage that
crippled functions at nearly every part of its supply chain.
[10:40:07]
What do these cases reveal about vulnerabilities in big business?
JONES: Absolutely. I think this is where we talk at that operational technology now. So operational technology runs those processes. Normally,
they're airgapped from being connected to software. So they run independently and autonomously.
Now we're seeing criminals attacking those operational technology systems because, as you've seen in the Jaguar Land Rover, they've stopped all that
production. And then there's that secondary consequence there.
Those industries, over 100,000 people in that Midlands/Birmingham area, those companies are now not producing. What that means now is people are
potentially being laid off. And even when they start production again, that's not going to come onstream for quite a while. So that impact is
absolutely massive at that time.
ANDERSON: As I understand it, between 23 -- January 23rd and January 24th, critical infrastructure worldwide sustained over -- and I couldn't believe
this when I saw the number -- sustained over 420 million cyber attacks, equivalent to 13 per second.
In your time at Interpol, you championed collaboration with the private sector and unity on a national, regional, global scale.
What's the current capacity to address cyberattacks at a national and transnational level?
JONES: So, you know, if you look at the intelligence agency, level of coordination between like-minded countries or that trust element is working
fairly well. They are sharing their information about the attacks.
But what we're missing out then is a whole tier of nations below that, that maybe don't have good capability or capacity. So at Interpol's role was to
help build out that capability and capacity with law enforcement, give them the tools, give them the information to help prevent, detect, investigate
and disrupt cyber crime activity.
And we did that very much with the private sector. And the private sector hold that information, which is very much needed by law enforcement.
ANDERSON: The FBI reports that cyber crime cost victims, individual victims, $16.6 billion in '24; $5 billion of that was people over the age
of 60 -- I mean, which I find so depressing and so worrying.
What can our viewers do to protect themselves online?
JONES: So there's some simple measures people can do. And it's very much like having a lock on your door. You know, you don't open your door all the
time. If someone rings your doorbell, you might check in the first instance. And if someone turns up on your doorstep trying to sell you
something or an offer too good to be true, it normally is.
It's the same. Maybe you receive an email saying, congratulations, you won a prize or actually there's a parcel waiting for delivery.
Why are you waiting for that parcel?
Did you enter that competition?
And that's where the criminals are seeking out those vulnerabilities and coming back to that scale piece that's now with AI. We're seeing that scope
increasing massively and criminals really are just why (ph) the internet with those emails, looking to attack the vulnerable people.
ANDERSON: For leaders at the global cybersecurity forum in Saudi, where you are now, I mean, some of these disruptive technologies, such as AI and
quantum capabilities, for example, I know are throwing up serious challenges and opportunities, it has to be said.
How are those there reviewing this risk landscape with these emerging technologies?
JONES: So I think this is where it's being very seriously taken. You've got thought leaders from around the world, not just from government but
also from the private sector; NGOs and experts, academia.
And those are the challenges they're addressing. When we take AI, as I mentioned, whilst it could be used for fantastic things, what we're seeing
is criminals starting to use that. And to start with, that was more on the volume side and using a crafted email.
But now they're seeing how can they use that to help them write code. So a criminal may not now necessarily need the skills of being a code writer.
They can just ask AI to do some work for them and then they can deploy that.
So that's really, really difficult. In terms of quantum computing, I've heard a number of different dates about when that will be available.
Who would it be available to?
And I think it's a bit like the cyber journey. That type of technology is probably going to be available at state level, first of all.
But what we've seen with the explosion of AI is that time to an initial idea and then something going into production. And then criminals being
able to get their hands on it has really drastically shortened. So this is where we need to identify those vital steps that we can take to minimize
that threat, if it's going to be posed in the future.
[10:45:00]
ANDERSON: It's good to have you on, sir. Thank you very much indeed for joining us.
Some news you can use there.
Still ahead, a shutdown standoff. The U.S. federal government has shut down after Congress failed to reach a deal on funding. We're following that and
getting reaction for you and more after this.
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ANDERSON: Well, the U.S. government shutdown is impacting financial markets this hour. Investors are worried that a long shutdown will hurt the
U.S. economy. On Capitol Hill, Republicans and Democrats are accusing each other of causing this shutdown after they failed to agree on a short-term
funding bill on Tuesday.
Now both parties are at odds over a number of issues, including enhanced ObamaCare health insurance subsidies. There's also deep uncertainty about
how long the shutdown could last, with the White House budget office telling agencies to prepare plans for mass firings.
CNN's Arlette Saenz joining us now from Washington.
What are you able to tell us from your vantage point there on Capitol Hill in halfway through what is the first day of this shutdown?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, it still appears that there is no clear end in sight for this shutdown, the first in nearly seven
years. Republicans and Democrats continue to dig in on their positions.
Just moments ago, House and Senate Republican leadership held a press conference where they blamed Democrats for the shutdown. And House Speaker
Mike Johnson said that there is not anything that they can do to this bill to make it cleaner.
They are insisting that they will not make any changes to the seven-week stopgap funding measure and are saying that Democrats need to get on board
with that plan.
But Democrats are holding firm in their position that they want Republicans to come to the negotiating table on ObamaCare subsidies, on reversing cuts
to Medicaid and securing commitments from president Trump that he will not attempt to claw back any already-approved funding by Congress.
So this really leaves a major open question about how exactly this standoff is resolved and how long it might last. There will be a key moment in just
the next half hour. We expect the Senate to hold votes on funding measures, one promoted by Democrats, which includes all of the demands that they've
been asking for.
And the other is that seven-week stopgap bill. Last night, there were three senators who caucused with Democrats, who sided with Republicans: John
Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and Angus King of Maine.
Senate majority leader John Thune has said that he's been talking to Democrats who he thinks may eventually get on board with the GOP plan. I
asked him as he was leaving that press conference whether he expects any Democrats to flip in this upcoming vote.
[10:50:03]
He said we'll have to wait and see. But right now, there really does not appear to be a clear offramp for this standoff, as this shutdown is now in
its first day.
ANDERSON: Arlette, thank you for the very latest from there. And more as we get it, of course.
Coming up, through famine and suffering. Chef Yasmin Nasir is bringing a small bit of happiness in Gaza. We're going to meet the chef whose viral
videos are teaching Palestinians recipes adapted to the scarce ingredients that they have there. More on that coming up.
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ANDERSON: You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. The head of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency is sharing a new update about Gaza.
Philippe Lazzarini says, "On average, 100 people are reported killed every day in Gaza due to the Israeli military operation or shootings at the Gaza
Humanitarian Foundation food points.
"Meanwhile, others die of hunger or lack of medical care. The growing death toll is fueling a growing indifference."
Well, I want to spotlight someone who is far from indifferent to Palestinian suffering and who is making a real difference.
Yasmin Nasir is a trained chef, whose Instagram and TikTok videos are helping people in Gaza adapt recipes to make the most of the few
ingredients that they have on hand. She shared with me the story behind her unique recipes and the resilience that she sees from Gazans every day. Have
a listen.
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YASMIN NASIR, PALESTINIAN CHEF: (Speaking foreign language).
ANDERSON (voice-over): Chef Yasmin Nasir is a viral phenomenon, teaching people inside Gaza how to make creative recipes with the scarce ingredients
available.
NASIR: I think more or less like an engineer rather than a chef. I speak to the people in Gaza directly because I want the insights. I want to
respond directly to their reality and not just offer generic ideas. I either put social calls on different social platforms.
Can you please update me today what available ingredients do you have?
Once I did that social call and most of the answer came that they have dates available and they want something like a dessert. They want some sort
of a cake but they don't have eggs and they don't have any leaveners.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Soaking dates in water, adding a bit of flour and steaming it, creating sweetness out of almost nothing.
LEEN (PH), 3-YEAR OLD: (Speaking foreign language).
ANDERSON (voice-over): A small treat that's enough to make 3-year-old Leen's (ph) day.
LEEN (PH): (Speaking foreign language).
NASIR: (Speaking foreign language).
This is seitan.
It's very popular in the vegan diet. It's seitan chicken, made from flour and water. And you add whatever spices that you want to mask the flavor of
chicken itself. And, honestly, I don't know what type of flours they have in hand.
[10:55:00]
So what I do is I perform a test kitchen that takes several days. And I get like the cheapest type of flour in cost. And why I do this is because I
find it extremely sensitive to make them waste the only resources they have.
If we see a couple of videos of people that are lucky enough to have a cup or two or flour and a bit of baking soda and a bit of rice, it doesn't mean
that there's no famine. Even in famine, they gather around the smallest meals, Becky, turning survival into an act of resilience.
Let's be very honest. They are sick of alternatives. They don't want alternatives or substitutes to chicken or meat. They want chicken and they
want meat and they want eggs. But this should not be happening in the 21st century. Famine is not natural. It's manmade. And it's being used as a
weapon of war.
What I want the world to remember is that Gaza's families are not statistics. They're not numbers. They're mothers, they're fathers and
they're children who deserve dignity. Gazans just want to survive. They want to live. And it's our collective responsibility to make that possible.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (from captions): Thank you, Chef Yasmin, it turned out delicious. All of Gaza loves you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Kudos to Yasmin.
You've been watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. Stay with us here on CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up next. From the team working with me here
in Abu Dhabi and those working with us around the world, it is a very good evening.
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