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Connect the World
Israeli Society Divided Two Years After October 7; New Israeli Attacks Reported in Gaza; Indirect Israel-Hamas Talks Enter Second Day in Egypt; U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi Testifies Before Congress; Gold Hits $4000 an Ounce for First Time Amid Uncertainty. Aired 09-10p ET
Aired October 07, 2025 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:00:00]
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Israel marks two years since the October the seventh attacks as ceasefire talks continue in Egypt. Could
Trump's Gaza plan end the war in a matter of days? It is 04:00 p.m. in Tel Aviv, 05:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi.
I'm Becky Anderson, you're watching "Connect the World" from our Middle East programming headquarters. Also, this hour, Pam Bondi in the hot seat
the Attorney General facing questions on Capitol Hill about the Epstein files and the DOJ's decision to target President Trump's political enemies.
And the president debates using a 19th century law, if courts keep blocking us, troop deployments to U.S. cities. The stock market in New York opens
about 30 minutes from now, and stock futures inching higher ahead of the bell after the S&P and the NASDAQ hit record highs again on Monday.
More at 09:30 a.m. Eastern Time. We start in Israel today with people there pausing to reflect and mourn as they mark two years of heartache and war.
Memorial sirens rang out for the second anniversary of the October the seventh attacks of 2023 in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv and at the side of
the nova music festival, one of the worst sites of the onslaught by Hamas.
In total, more than 1200 people were killed that day, and more than 250 hostages were taken by Hamas and others. 48 of those captives remain in
Gaza, 20 of them believed to be alive. On this anniversary, of course, happening at a crucial time for negotiations to end the Gaza war and to
bring those hostage's home.
The families of the missing are hopeful, but they are not letting up in their own fight to reunite with their loved ones. As CNN's Jeremy Diamond
reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For two years, they have been fighting, for sons taken hostage, for daughters killed at a
music festival, and for the future of a country at a crossroads. Two years later, Hamas' October 7th attack and the war it unleashed still define this
small country. Vicki Cohen knows that all too well.
DIAMOND: Hello, Vicki, hi.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Her son is still being held in Gaza, and she is at the forefront of the hostage family's movement, demonstrating in front of
the prime minister's home, inside parliament and in weekly Saturday night protests.
DIAMOND: This is another Saturday night.
VICKI COHEN, MOTHER OF ISRAELI HOSTAGE: Yeah, but it feels different.
DIAMOND: Feels different know.
COHEN: Yeah.
DIAMOND (voice-over): On the night we join her, the whole country is buzzing about a possible deal to free all of the hostages.
COHEN: It's a mix of feelings. It's excitement, its expectation, it's also fear.
DIAMOND (voice-over): This video shows the moment that changed everything. Her 19-year-old son, Nimrod, conscripted for mandatory military service,
being pulled from an Israeli tank on the Gaza border and taken captive.
DIAMOND: This is the Rubik's cube that was in the tank.
COHEN: -- one that was found in the tank. Used to take it wherever he goes.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Heading to another rally, Cohen cannot help but feel hopeful. But she is determined to keep fighting.
COHEN: We will still fight and do everything we did before, till it's settled till it's final, till they are at home.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Cohen wasn't always at the forefront of the protest movement, but she ramped up her fight after losing faith in her government.
COHEN: -- so many other families realized that we need to be more polite, less polite, and be more aggressive with the fight --
DIAMOND (voice-over): She soon realized she had real power.
COHEN: I heard for so many people who told me, I heard you, and you are asking and you are calling for us to come, and we will come. We are coming
because of you. This is so important.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Israelis are where Vicki found her voice, and where she found a community to fight alongside.
DIAMOND: Saturday nights in Israel have represented a chance for the hostage families to raise their voices week after week, with the support of
so many Israelis. Vicki and her son are just about to go on stage.
[09:05:00]
DIAMOND (voice-over): Today, I was filled with excitement, anticipation and great hope, but also, she tells the crowd concern. The Israeli Prime
Minister was speaking while Vicki was on stage.
COHEN: Did Netanyahu say something.
DIAMOND: Yeah. He said that he hopes they can be returned during Sukkot.
COHEN: -- just --
DIAMOND: Said the goal is to limit negotiations to a few days. He doesn't want it to be dragged out.
SIGAL MANSURI, DAUGHTERS KILLED ON OCTOBER 7TH: They thought they were going to be safe here.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Sigal and Menashe Mansuri are also still fighting.
S. MANSURI: We just know that they went to a festival and they never came back. And we do know that their last couple hours were --
MENASHE MANSURI, DAUGHTERS KILLED ON OCTOBER 7TH: Hell.
S. MANSURI: Were hell.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Two years after their daughters were slaughtered inside this bomb shelter, they are fighting for answers and accountability.
M. MANSURI: We're looking for is the truth.
S. MANSURI: We want to know the truth in a legal way, in a decent way, in a respective way. We want to know what led us to October 7th. We want to know
how come the IDF didn't respond for so many hours.
DIAMOND (voice-over): The couple helped found the October Council pushing for an independent commission of inquiry to investigate Israel's failures
that helped lead to October 7th.
DIAMOND: But two years later, can you believe that you still have to fight for all this? Did you think this fight would last?
S. MANSURI: No.
DIAMOND: This long?
S. MANSURI: No, you know what? It's even more than that. I didn't think that we'll have to fight for this.
DIAMOND (voice-over): But the Israeli Prime Minister has refused, claiming the commission would be biased.
S. MANSURI: When you have nothing to hide. You just how come you so against it? I mean, why are you trying to fight it?
DIAMOND: Do you believe that a state commission of inquiry will ever be set up while Prime Minister Netanyahu remains in office?
M. MANSURI: No.
S. MANSURI: Most likely, and unfortunately no.
M. MANSURI: Country, the State of Israel, need to have the truth about what happens.
S. MANSURI: Along the border where Hamas militants stormed into Israel. The devastation wrought by Israel's subsequent attacks on Gaza is unmistakable.
Here the fight for Israel's character and its future are also on display.
SAPIR SLUZKER AMRAN, ISRAELI ACTIVIST: We came to the fence today, as close as we can to Gaza to say that not all Israelis support the genocide. Not
all Israelis are supporting the starvation of Gaza.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Others have come to see and revel in the destruction.
RAFAEL HEMO, ISRAELI CITIZEN: It is not -- supposed to be next to us here.
DIAMOND: So, you want Gaza razed to the ground?
HEMO: No Gaza.
DIAMOND: No Gaza?
HEMO: Only building. I see couple buildings there, or it's healthy. I want this flat. If you ask me -- to be in the base here, you're welcome.
DIAMOND: Some would say that's genocide, or that's ethnic cleansing.
HEMO: -- no genocide.
DIAMOND (voice-over): For Vicki Cohen, whether Israel prioritizes a deal to free the hostages or a forever war in Gaza will also define its future.
COHEN: It's a fight of something bigger than to release the hostages. It's something very basic that of the Jewish community here in Israel, that we
care for each other, we don't sacrifice the lives for the land --
DIAMOND (voice-over): Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, official October the seventh commemorations in Israel won't take place until next week. The government plans to recognize the
anniversary according to the Hebrew calendar. Meanwhile, condolences and statements of support have been pouring in from around the world and in the
U.S. later today.
President Trump will meet with Edan Alexander, who is an Israeli-American hostage who was released by Hamas in May. Meanwhile Israelis do mark
today's tragic anniversary, indirect ceasefire talks, of course, between Israel and Hamas have entered their second day.
Egyptian state media report negotiations began Monday, amid a positive atmosphere, they say. U.S. President Donald Trump tells CNN that Hamas,
quote, has been agreeing to things that are very important. Trump's 20- point plan aims to set conditions for a lasting peace in Gaza.
Implementing parts of it, though, of course, face resistance from both Hamas and by hardliners in Israel. Inside Gaza, Israeli attacks continue
despite President Trump's call for Israel to stop the bombing. Health officials in Gaza report more than 67,000 deaths now there since the war
began?
Well, Israeli Opposition Leader Yair Lapid spoke a short time ago with my colleague, Oren Liebermann at a Tel Aviv Commemoration of today's
anniversary. This is part of their conversation.
[09:10:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YAIR LAPID, ISRAELI OPPOSITION LEADER: The fact that the President Trump has put all his weight into the -- threw all his weight into the arena,
saying, I'm going to make this happen, is a cause for optimism. One would think that the Israeli government should have done this long time ago, but
as it is right now, there is more --
It's a somber day today, but I don't want to wallow into self-pity of any kind. So, we are hopeful. We want to see what's going on in Egypt coming
through, and we want this to happen. And there's more than a hint of optimism in the air, even in this sad day.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: The issues, however, are the same issues, questions about disarmament, questions about governance of
Gaza, prisoners. Are those issues any closer to being solved? Do you believe?
LAPID: Yes, I think the 20 points plan that President Trump and his team put on the table is tangible and doable. And I think everybody understands
this, and the fact that countries like Turkey has moved themselves into this arena is also positive in terms of the hostage deal. So, yes, it is.
It is more doable than it was, I don't know, two weeks before ago.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, opposition leader there, Yair Lapid is speaking to Oren. My next guest, spent years in Israeli politics. He's a Former Israeli Justice
Minister who participated in the Oslo Accords Peace Process and the Informal Geneva Peace Accords. Yossi Beilin says he is optimistic about the
current ceasefire plan.
He joins us now from Tel Aviv. and it's good to have you sir, you've been deeply involved in peace negotiations over the years. I know you share Yair
Lapid's optimism. What is it about this current plan that you believe could just lead to a breakthrough here?
YOSSI BEILIN, FORMER ISRAELI JUSTICE MINISTER: Perhaps there is a major component of in the system, and this is President Trump's efforts. I mean,
he is trying to do a lot in order to promote the efforts towards arrangements, the end of the war, the release of the hostages, and then
another force which will govern Gaza, whether it would be an international -- national or other.
I for one, believe that the simplest thing would be to invite back the Palestinian Authority to Gaza, it was taken from them in June 2007 and
there is no reason in the world not to give it back to them and demand that they will keep their law and order with the help of others. But apparently
this will not happen very soon.
ANDERSON: Yeah, and that is not acceptable to the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, nor is it, frankly, acceptable to Arab leaders without
there being some significant reform. And we can talk about that going forward, because Trump's plan, of course, does allow for a reformed
Palestinian state, at -- sorry, Palestinian Authority at some point in the future.
Let's stick to what we know at present about what is going on in Sharm El- Sheikh. The Egyptian Foreign Minister, says the goal is to implement the first stage of Trump's plan to release the hostages and to stop the
fighting. It's the second stage where things, of course, get tricky.
So, two questions to you, will negotiators get commitment from Hamas to disarm? Do you believe?
BEILIN: I don't know. It's very difficult to understand. What is their motivation? You are not speaking about a state or about a pragmatic
organization that you can imagine what they want, you can compromise or insist on some other things. There are people who are ready to sacrifice
themselves for very strange targets, like an Islamic empire in the Middle East or something like that, and we don't know.
I mean, this has also to do with the leverage. I mean, is there a real leverage of Egypt and Turkey and Qatar on these people.
ANDERSON: Yeah.
BEILIN: Or they just felt that what they had to do is to say yes, but and now we are negotiating about something which will be very difficult to
conclude. I'm optimistic, because I think that President Trump will not easily give up, and this is the change, but it won't be easy.
[09:15:00]
ANDERSON: Yeah. Let me just put this to you, because I know there is no love lost between you and Benjamin Netanyahu. You are frankly a staunch
critic. And do you believe that Israel under Netanyahu's leadership would commit to a withdrawal from Gaza? I know these are difficult questions. I
briefly want to get your sense.
BEILIN: No, I mean, this is not a difficult question, because just to withdraw from Gaza is not such a big deal, and at a certain point,
especially if there is a serious replacement of Hamas, then Israel will be very happy to withdraw from Gaza, I presume so. But for the lunatics in the
government who want to build their settlements and things like that, but this is not they are not representing the majority.
So yes, I mean that the idea of leaving Gaza is not such a big deal. The big question is about the other that the vision, which is part of the
Trump's plan, speaking about statehood.
ANDERSON: Yes.
BEILIN: And these things are rejected by Netanyahu regretfully.
ANDERSON: Well, let's talk about that. Because part of this process, as you rightly point out, is to get a sort of comprehensive plan, a peace deal
together, and that includes the day after the guns go silent. This plan lays a vision for that. The details on the implementation of that plan
still to be hashed out.
What we do know, though, in the first instance, is that Gaza would be governed by a transitional board of peace led by Donald Trump himself and
the Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. You've come out in strong support of Blair's potential role, despite many Palestinians being opposed,
likening it to British colonialism. Can you just explain where your support lies and why?
BEILIN: And you don't have too many people who are so much knowledgeable about the region? He was after being a prime minister. He was in Jerusalem,
representing the Quartet, and he knows all the main players in our region, and the efforts to get peace and the frustration of not having peace yet.
I know him very well, and I really appreciate him. I think that there is criticism against it, which are connected -- which is connected to the role
of Britain in Iraq. But I think that there is no many Tony Blairs in this world. And if he is ready to fold the sleeves and to get to this very
difficult job.
I mean, if you see Gaza, you see the situation right now to rebuild it would be a very, very difficult challenge. And I would like to see somebody
like him doing it.
ANDERSON: It will, of course, as you have pointed out in your writings, will of course, depend on whether there is support regionally for that
position. It does, at least in principle, appear that there is in this region, despite the fact that he is a very controversial figure. His legacy
of the Iraq War of 2003 of course, is one of those reasons for controversy.
Yossi, it's good to have you. Thank you very much indeed. And we are in a bit of a holding pattern. I know many people around the region, where I am,
here in the Gulf and beyond do hope that this plan comes off, because frankly, I think people can't see beyond this an opportunity for peace
without this plan.
So, it's good to have you. Thank you for your insight and your analysis. And we'll chat again. Still to come, how President Donald Trump may use a
19th century law to deploy National Guard troops in U.S. cities. He calls war zones. That is after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:20:00]
ANDERSON: Right now, in Washington, D.C., the Attorney General Pam Bondi is testifying before Congress for the first time since she was confirmed. Now,
Bondi is expected to take questions on a number of controversial decisions at the Justice Department that she runs, not least her role in withholding
the Epstein files and the department's decision to indict Former FBI Director James Comey.
Our Senior Justice Department Correspondent Evan Perez is live on Capitol Hill. Just walk us through what we've been hearing so far and what more we
can expect, if you will.
EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR U.S. JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, right now we just have the Republican Chairman Chuck Grassley, who has just begun his -- who
has just delivered his opening statement, and really he's laying out where Republicans want this hearing to go, which is to look at some of the
efforts that Pam Bondi, the Attorney General has made to what they call stop some of the weaponization that occurred during the previous
administration.
Of course, those are things that included the investigations of President Trump, and the revelation just yesterday from Mr. Grassley and some of the
other Republicans that their phone records, at least three or four days of records of their calls made in and out were subpoenaed by the FBI as part
of the January 6th investigation.
This is part of a theme that they've been driving at, which is the idea that the Attorney General is trying to reform the Justice Department.
Democrats, of course, have other things on their mind. You, of course, mentioned the Jeffrey Epstein files, which Bondi at one point, certainly
earlier this year, thought was important to get out there, and no longer think so.
She's no longer trying to release any additional records. They say that there's nothing left for the public to know about that case. Democrats, of
course, don't agree. And there's also the question of the President of the United States threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act, which is a law
that is probably one of the most powerful things that the president has at his disposal.
The ability to send the U.S. military into streets of these cities where he says as crime is out of control, and where there are protesters who are
standing outside of facilities for the immigration authorities. And right now, we know that in certain cities the president has sent some troops, but
they're limited in what they can do if he invokes the Insurrection Act.
Of course, he is allowed to use them to do law enforcement, and that would be a huge, huge change for the United States. We're also expected to hear
additional questions about these attacks on so called drug boats that have been occurring in the Caribbean. There's a lot of concern even among
Republicans, about whether the President of United States has exceeded his authority to carry out extrajudicial killings of people who are accused of
carrying drugs in these boats.
We're expecting a fiery day, today in this hearing room for the next few hours, as Republicans and Democrats have their first time the ability to
ask questions of the Attorney General, Becky.
[09:25:00]
ANDERSON: Good to have you. We will be listening in for news. Thank you too. President Donald Trump's latest move then to address what he says is
out of control crime in some U.S. cities. As Evan reports, Trump now suggesting that he may invoke the Insurrection Act to send those National
Guard troops to cities he calls war zones if the court system blocks his deployment of these troops.
Now, this centuries old law gives a U.S. President the power to deploy armed forces to suppress rebellions and civil unrest. CNN's Alayna Treene
following this story for us from the White House. And it is there the White House where it does appear that the folks are intent on targeting what are
Democrat led cities amid weeks of protests against the federal government's immigration enforcement campaign in those locations.
There are two stories here that collide. Just explain.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: There are. And I think you know, what's interesting, really, is that at first, we've seen the president, you
know, take his crime crackdown specifically to Washington, D.C. He federalized the police force, he sent in the National Guard, and then he
also had sent in the National Guard to deal with protests on his immigration raids in Los Angeles.
But what we're seeing now is, for all of this on a much bigger scale, and really this has become a key priority and focal point of the Trump
Administration. And what we're seeing as well is that a lot of what the Trump Administration is trying to do here in sending the National Guard to
these heavily Democratic cities is being met with pushback from the courts.
We saw that in Oregon over the weekend in Portland, a federal judge who was a Trump appointee, I should say, essentially saying he cannot federalize
the national or, excuse me, send in the Portland National Guard to the state or other national guards from other states.
But now we're seeing what he's trying to do in Portland as well, in Chicago, arguing that protests on ICE facilities are getting so out of the
hand that the National Guard is needed. All to say, though, again, a lot of this is getting caught up in the courts, Becky, and because of that, and
you heard Evan talk about some of this, the president is open to the idea, he said, of invoking the Insurrection Act.
In 1807, law that would allow him to federalize the National Guard and give them far more power than the power that they have now in these different
cities, as Evan mentioned, they would have law enforcement capabilities if he were to do that. I want you to listen to how he framed it yesterday when
talking to reporters in the Oval Office.
And also from Stephen Miller, the President's Deputy Chief of Staff, who is really an architect of a big part of this Trump agenda item.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I think that's all insurrection. I really think that's really criminal insurrection.
STEPHEN MILLER, WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF: It is domestic terrorism, it is insurrection, and no amount of insane hyperventilating
lies from Pritzker or Johnson or any other democratic official will change our minds on that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TREENE: So, I get very impassioned comments from Stephen Miller there. But look, I mean, the Democratic leaders in these different cities are arguing
that there is no such insurrection happening in their cities, and that the Trump Administration is heavily exaggerating. What they are arguing is
violent crime.
We heard that from the Illinois Governor, JB Pritzker, talking about the troops that are headed toward Chicago. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. JB PRITZKER (D-IL): Trump's deranged depiction of Chicago as a hell hole, war zone and the worst and most dangerous city in the world was just
complete BS.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TREENE: -- I do think it's worth noting as well, this idea of potentially invoking the Insurrection Act. I mean, that has not been done in over 30
years. The last time we saw that was in response to the Rodney King protest in California back in the 90s. All to say, from my conversations with
people in that building behind me, Becky, they are willing to have a legal fight over all of this.
They believe that this is good politics for the Republican Party. They believe that the president should have the authority to do this, despite
what the governors are saying. And so, this is likely to be a very big legal battle that could really shape a new kind of era of what this could
look like in the United States.
ANDERSON: Yes, a lot of politics going on here, and as you rightly point out, some very deep and important legal issues as well. Alayna, thank you.
Let's get you up to speed, folks on some of the other stories that are on our radar right now. And the Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to
trio of scientists for their groundbreaking work in the field of Quantum Mechanics.
[09:30:00]
John Clarke, Michel Devoret and John Martinis will share the $1 million prize for demonstrating the quote, bizarre properties of the quantum world
and experiments done back in the 1980s. Rescue teams in Indonesia have now ended their search for victims trapped beneath a collapsed school building.
61 bodies have been recovered from the school in the province of East Java. The building collapsed during afternoon prayers. Well, the bell is being
rung on Wall Street. MSG Sports and the New York Rangers today celebrating their centennial season. Madison Square Garden Sports is a company managing
professional sports teams.
They have rung in the trading day. And we will get you more on that after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson and Abu Dhabi for you. The U.S. government shutdown causing turbulence at airports. Possibly the most
dramatic impact has been seen in Hollywood. Staffing shortages of Burbank Airport -- control tower there to close on Monday, leading to hours of
delays for travelers. And this message for a surprised pilot.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just getting a heads up, you said everything is closed for like getting our clearances?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Clearance is closed, ground is closed, local is closed. The tower is closed due to staffing, please contact SoCal on the 800 number
in the green book for your clearance.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, passengers at Denver, Newark also suffered delays, with flights forced to wait on the ground until controllers were available to
handle them. The U.S. transportation secretary says that the number of air traffic controllers calling out sick is on the uptick.
Let's get you CNN's Aviation Correspondent, Pete Muntean. Perhaps the most fundamental question here, Pete is, is U.S. airspace safe at this point?
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: That's the insistent message from the Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy, who just said on Fox he does not
support controllers not coming into work. The FAA is telling me, so far so good here early Tuesday morning on the East Coast.
They are saying there are not concerns about controllers calling out sick anywhere in the U.S. today for the FAA to implement flight delays in the
name of safety, but we know how quickly that can change, just like it did last night, and you can understand the burnout that these controllers are
facing when you consider that all 11,000 of them are still required to work without pay during this shutdown.
You have to layer that on top of the fact that so many of them have been working mandatory overtime for years because of a nationwide controller
sorted.
[09:35:00]
So, it just makes sense that only a week into the shutdown, some controllers simply had enough. The FAA implemented these staffing delays.
They're now over at Newark Liberty International Airport, Denver International Airport and Hollywood Burbank International Airport.
Burbank is the real interesting one, because the staffing shortage there was so deep that the tower there went into what's called ATC-Zero, meaning
no air traffic controllers working. Pilots were asking controllers, as you heard in the lead in there, what to do, and it essentially turns into the
airport instead of a crossing guard, like the control tower, it turns into like a four way stop.
So, they just have to see and avoid other airplanes that are in the area. Remember this very same thing happened during the 35-day shutdown back in
2019 when controllers started calling out sick, that led to ground stops and delays in some of the busiest swaths of airspace in the country.
It was pretty quickly thereafter that lawmakers reached a deal ending this government shutdown. You know, Becky, it can be pretty ambiguous the
impacts of a government shutdown. But this is real people we are talking about working for the federal government without pay.
Controllers have gotten one paycheck just last Tuesday. That was their last full paycheck. They get one more paycheck, a partial paycheck next Tuesday,
October 14th.
ANDERSON: Pete, good to have you. Thank you very much indeed. Pete Muntean is on the story. Right, a new and dangerous deep fake scam spreading very
quickly and defrauding companies. Hackers using video deep fakes supposed as corporate executives to trick employees into sending money and sharing
sensitive information, all in a matter of seconds.
Well CNN's own Clare Duffy made herself into a deep fake to show just how real they can be.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, thanks for jumping on so fast. Can you remind me of our password for our shared drive? I need it for an interview starting
in 30 seconds.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: That is scary. Clare joining me now. It does look incredibly real. This isn't the first time that I have seen this. It is really
worrying just how much of a problem is this becoming, and how do companies and indeed regular folks like you and me protect ourselves from this?
CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: Yeah, Becky. I mean, as you can see there, this AI technology is advancing so quickly. It has gotten so good at
replicating people's faces that this has made a real problem where hackers are targeting businesses trying to use these deep fake video scams to
access sensitive information, passwords, money.
For example, one multinational company last year was scammed out of $25 million because a finance worker thought they were talking to the company's
CFO. So, I wanted to get a better sense of just how convincing this is and how it works. So, I worked with Ethical Hacker and Social Proof Security
CEO, Rachel Tobac.
She made that deep fake of me based on publicly available YouTube clips of my face, and we tried it out on the CNN colleague. And as you can maybe see
there, if you're watching closely, there are some jerky, unnatural movements. But a lot of times, what happens in these cases is the scenario
that the hackers set up is one where your boss is on the road.
They need something very urgently, and by the way, the connection is bad, so ignore any glitches you might see so you can understand why people have
started to get caught by these scams. Now, Rachel says there is advice for people like you and me, everybody out there to avoid becoming the victim of
these kinds of scams. Take a listen to what she told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RACHEL TOBAC, ETHICAL HACKER: You and the people around you have to be politely paranoid. So essentially verify that people are who they say they
are before taking action on their sensitive request. So before sending the wire transfer, giving a code, giving access to a password or a document, if
you do that after the fact, because it felt weird, it's already too late.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DUFFY: So, as you hear they're really important to make sure that you're verifying that you really are talking to the people that you think that
you're talking to on something like a zoom call at work. And this does seem to be the takeaway for much of the AI era, Becky, is that we all need to
slow down a little bit and start to question if the things that we're seeing really are as they appear.
ANDERSON: It's really good advice. Thank you very much indeed. And before we leave the world of business, as it were, I just want to get you this
breaking news. Gold has hit $4,000 an ounce for the first time, trading around that level right now. Look a high price of gold, people buying gold
is always a sign of some economic uncertainty in investors' minds.
It's odd, isn't it, though? Because that uncertainty is not mirrored in the stock prices at present, particularly in these AI advanced tech stocks
pushing these markets higher once again.
[09:40:00]
So, at the same time as we're seeing this sort of hedge investing in gold, so we continue to see investors looking beyond any uncertainty and buying
these U.S. equities. Interesting times as Confucius, would say. We are back after this quick break with more. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Right. You're watching "Connect the World" with me Becky Anderson. "World Sport" is up after this short break with all the NFL
action and more. I'll have more news on the second hour of this show in about 15 minutes time. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:45:00]
(WORLD SPORT)
[10:00:00]
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