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King Charles Strips Andrew of Royal Titles and Mansion; Two Deceased Hostages Returned Thursday; Growing Questions Over Trump's Calls to Resume Nuclear Testing; Trump's Absence Puts China's Xi Jinping Center Stage at APEC Summit; Hurricane Leaves a Trail of Devastation Across Caribbean; Mounting Evidence of Massacre by Rebel Forces in Sudan; Trump Urges Republican Leaders to Scrap Senate Filibuster; New Film "Inside Amir" Focuses on Hope Among Iran's Youth. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired October 31, 2025 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:47]
ERICA HILL, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Thanks so much for joining me here for the second the second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Erica Hill in New
York.
King Charles stripping his brother Andrew of his royal titles and evicting him from his royal mansion. The U.S. Military's top general arriving in
Israel to monitor that fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and leaders of Asia Pacific countries meeting as the threat of Trump's tariffs
loom.
A brother banished, a prince stripped of his titles. We begin this hour in London, and it is one of the deepest splits in the British royal family for
decades. King Charles has now begun the process of stripping his brother Andrew of his royal titles and also evicting him from the royal estate in
Windsor. This means Andrew will no longer be Prince Andrew, but will go by the simple name of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.
It follows the publication of a posthumous memoir written by Virginia Giuffre, who accused Andrew of sexually assaulting her as a teenager.
Andrew has denied all allegations against him.
A short time ago, I asked my colleague Nic Robertson in London why the decision from King Charles was coming now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It's partly the book and partly because there was an e-mail that came out or a series of e-mails
that were found recently, and one of them appeared to include Andrew sending a message of support to Jeffrey Epstein after he'd been charged
with the crimes he was -- that he was put on trial for or at least sent to jail for. That seems to be part of it.
I'm sort of struck, actually, listening to what Virginia Giuffre's family member was saying there, because I was just outside Buckingham Palace
earlier on today, and there were a couple -- there were young parents there, and they had a small child with them, their young daughter, and they
were explaining to her what was going on, why there was all this sort of interest. And they were saying, because there's a bad prince and a bad guy.
That's what Virginia Giuffre's family said there in describing how ultimately Andrew is getting what Virginia would have wanted, that paying
the price for what she alleged against him.
But why now? I think part is what that explanation I just gave you of talking to the child, that there was a feeling among the population in the
U.K. that these allegations against Andrew were powerful, that they didn't believe his denials and that they wanted something done and more
information like those e-mails got put in the public domain that perhaps the palace didn't know about. And then, as you mentioned, Virginia
Giuffre's book her book herself. That not only had those allegations of three accounts of sexual assault of her at different locations by Andrew,
but also photographs of Jeffrey Epstein at Windsor during royal related events.
And I think perhaps that also has pushed the king to this particular position. It is, you know, more than 100 years since this has happened,
since a prince has been stripped of prince and not just stripped of Duke of York, stripped of Earl of Inverness, stripped of Baron Killyleagh, all the
different titles and effects that he had. They've been stripped away and forced out of this massive home on the Windsor Estate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Well, America's top general is in Israel today there to monitor the ceasefire with Hamas. A U.S. official says Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman
General Dan Cain is visiting the military's truce coordination center. He's the latest in a series of high level American officials to visit Israel
over the past few weeks to try to keep this U.S. brokered truce in place. It also comes one day after Hamas returned the remains of two more deceased
Israeli hostages. They have been identified is Amiram Cooper and Sahar Baruch.
Last hour, I spoke with CNN's Salma Abdelaziz about the latest return of these deceased hostages and also what it could mean for the continuation of
the fragile ceasefire.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Well, I think we did get a statement from the families and from the community of Nir Oz where both
of these deceased hostages come from.
[10:05:00]
And of course, this was the hardest hit community, the hardest hit kibbutz during the October 7th attack. And the hope is, of course, that this brings
some closure to those families.
You mentioned the two individuals. Amiram Cooper, 84 years old. He was one of the founding members of Nir Oz so his death had a huge impact of course.
And the other deceased hostage, just 25 years old, he was killed during an attempted rescue. So this brings an end, if you will, and those bodies now
will be laid to rest. But it's also bringing some relief in terms of the ceasefire.
And allow me to explain that. If you had seen the events earlier this week, you would be forgiven for thinking that the ceasefire had broken down
entirely. One Israeli soldier killed in Rafah, punishing Israeli strikes that killed at least 100 Palestinians, among them at least 46 children.
That shattered any semblance of safety, any semblance of recovery inside the enclave over the last few weeks.
But very quickly, it seemed that the warring parties recommitted to the ceasefire deal. Essentially the next morning, saying that they remain
committed to that agreement that was brokered, of course, by President Trump. And this happening, the handover of these two deceased hostages
shows us that it is working, that the diplomatic machinations, that the mediation behind the scenes, that all of that continues to move and
continues to push.
But what negotiators are going to tell you, Erica, is unfortunately, these spats of violence will continue unless this ceasefire deal is moved into a
more permanent or semi-permanent truce, because this is becoming the new reality in Gaza. A truce without peace. You still have 50 percent of the
enclave that is occupied by Israeli forces. The other 50 percent is, of course, held by an armed Hamas, a Hamas that is supposed to disarm under
the terms of this deal.
There are still huge efforts underway to put together a stabilization force. This would be an Arab-led force that would be on the ground to
provide a transition, a peaceful transition period. But none of that has actually come to fruition. So, yes, there is some sense of relief that the
ceasefire is holding today. It is fragile, but it is durable. It seems to bounce back after these huge outbreaks of violence.
But the loss of life that we're seeing on the ground is simply something that cannot be addressed until these negotiators are able to move the
political parties into a phase two of this deal and those huge obstacles remain in the way.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: And our thanks to Salma for that.
Well, with President Trump back stateside, there are still a number of questions that are frankly unanswered at this point about the timing and
the substance of his announcement that he wants the U.S. to resume testing nuclear weapons. Those comments, of course, coming just before his much
anticipated meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Mr. Trump saying he wants the U.S. to be on par with Russia and China's nuclear efforts.
It's important to note to this did also come days after Russia announced it had successfully tested a nuclear powered torpedo.
CNN's senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak joining me from Washington.
So in terms of these questions, very important questions, frankly, what more do we know this morning?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Frankly, not a lot. The president himself has not come out to clarify whether he meant testing of
an actual nuclear warhead, which the United States hasn't done since 1992, but also, very importantly, that Russia and China have not done for
decades, or whether he meant testing of the delivery systems, which the U.S. routinely does and which is what Russia was just doing in the days
before the president made this announcement, and which seems to have been what caught the president's attention.
And I think, you know, in a lot of ways, the president could be leaving this ambiguous, ambiguous for strategic reasons, perhaps not laying out
exactly what he intended to kind of keep his adversaries off guard. When you listen to what American officials have been saying, it's clear that
they were not anticipating this. We heard from the vice president, J.D. Vance, who is taking questions at the White House yesterday saying that
testing is important to ensure that the weapons are, quote, "working properly," although he was very quick to clarify that, yes, the weapons, as
they exist now are working properly. There's nothing wrong with them.
And then we heard from the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth overnight, who is still in Asia, saying that the Pentagon would now work very rapidly to
begin this testing program. We should note historically it's not the Pentagon that tests nuclear weapons in the United States. It's the
Department of Energy. It's this long standing tradition that says that the weapons will be under civilian control.
And so how this all proceeds going forward, I think, sort of remains to be seen. You know, the president has had a somewhat complicated relationship
with nuclear weapons, even dating back to his first term in office.
[10:10:00]
You remember that was when he sort of taunted Kim Jong-un of North Korea, which is the only country at this point that is testing actual nuclear
warheads, although they haven't done it since 2017. He mocked Kim Jong-un for having a, quote, "bigger nuclear button." And then earlier this year,
the president talked about the N word, which is the nuclear word, saying that it should never be uttered.
And then coming this week, he used that word when he says that the testing should resume. And so I think a lot of ambiguity in what the president is
doing here, precisely, has led to all of these concerns that if the United States begins testing a nuclear warheads again, that that will just lead to
Russia and China resuming their own testing, essentially going back to some of the Cold War era detonations that led to this very expensive and I think
very dangerous tests to develop the most powerful atomic weapon.
And, you know, the president, I'm not sure, wants to return to those days, but it is clear that he thinks that there is some strategic value in saying
that the U.S. will resume these tests. When you talk to nuclear engineers, they say, no, this isn't actually necessary. We can simulate all of this on
a computer, although there are some conservatives, namely the president's former National Security adviser, Robert O'Brien, who has called for a
return to testing, not necessarily to ensure that the weapons themselves are still viable, but to essentially send a political message to American
adversaries around the world that this remains still a significant deterrent.
I think the final question that I would just point out is that the testing site that the U.S. used so many decades ago, it's a huge swath of land in
the desert in Nevada. It's bigger than the state of Rhode Island. It is not equipped to begin immediate nuclear testing. It would take potentially
years to get that site back up and running. And so while the president says he wants this to begin immediately, even if this does go forward, it could
be a long time before we see those tests resuming out in the desert -- Erica.
HILL: Yes. Certainly not as simple as just flipping a switch somewhere and all those questions would be great if we could get some more of those
answers. I know you're continuing to push the White House. Thank you, Kevin.
Leaders of Asia Pacific nations, including China's Xi Jinping gathering in South Korea for the annual APEC economic summit. Of course, one glaring
absence, President Trump. As the threat of U.S. tariffs continues to loom over this year's meetings, Xi is expected to take a leading role in the
discussions at the summit. A lot of focus as well on the future of China and Japan and their relationship. The newly elected Japanese Prime Minister
Sanae Takaichi taking -- having a history of sharp criticism of course of Beijing,
CNN's Mike Valerio has a closer look at what to expect.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're not only looking at who Xi Jinping is meeting with, but we're also examining how he is positioning
himself at this APEC Summit. So we're going to talk about Japan first. A very anticipated meeting between Xi Jinping and Japan's new prime minister,
Takaichi. It was an anticipated meeting because Takaichi has a history of critical comments towards China and specifically has a history of wanting
to forge stronger ties with Taiwan when it comes to areas of, quote, "mutual defense."
So the latest meeting or the meeting that was held between Takaichi and Xi on Friday. According to state media here in China, Xi says China to work
with Japan for constructive, stable bilateral ties that meet requirements of a new era. That's a couple lines that's flashing through Xinhua state
media.
Certainly, as our Tokyo reporter Hanako Montgomery, was reporting earlier today, one of the goals that Tokyo was looking for was to establish a new
constructive means of dialogue with the government here in Beijing, and it appears as though at first reading that box seems to have been checked
between the two leaders.
As for how Xi Jinping is positioning himself, you know, at a speech that he gave to leaders earlier in the day on Friday, he's certainly trying to
position himself as a vanguard of free trade. And when we think about this meeting, how it is as a metaphor trying to stabilize the ship of global
trade, he also now that President Trump has left and given Trump's trade policies, Xi Jinping is trying to position himself as a marker of
stability, a force of stability in the world, saying in part to this meeting earlier, quote, "The world is undergoing rapid changes unseen in a
century, and the international landscape is marked by both changes and turbulence, with rising instability and uncertainty affecting development
in the Asia Pacific. The more turbulent the times are, the more we must stand together in solidarity."
So you don't even have to really read between the lines there of Xi saying that Beijing is certainly a greater force of stability from their point of
view, as opposed to D.C.
[10:15:06]
An interesting wrinkle in that conversation when we're talking about and looking at, will more nations perhaps listen to that argument and come, or
I should say, not come closer to Beijing, but forge stronger ties in the trade arena with Beijing? We have Mark Carney, the prime minister of
Canada, saying that he would like to double Canada's non-U.S. exports over the next decade and also meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping to
potentially start a new rapport after years of tense relationships between Ottawa and Beijing.
Mike Valerio CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: We are keeping a close watch on Hurricane Melissa this hour while the storm is losing strength as it moves away from Bermuda into the North
Atlantic, what it has left behind is devastating. Pummeling islands across the Caribbean this week, hitting Jamaica as a massive category five
hurricane, leaving behind this trail of death and destruction. Dozens of casualties have been attributed to the storm across the region.
It could, though, be weeks before the full toll is clear. Authorities in Jamaica are right now racing to clear the way for their rescue and recovery
operations.
Journalist Jonathan Petramala shows us the plight of the country's third largest hospital.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JONATHAN PETRAMALA, JOURNALIST: So, again, everything here is destroyed. Damaged. It's gone. They're using a car to patch up and bandage up an
injury. Now, that's one thing that the hospital here in Black River says has not come quite yet because there are so many roads that are blocked.
It's so difficult to get here. They know that in the community, in this parish, in the surrounding area, that they're going to be a lot of
injuries, but they just haven't been able to make it into the hospital yet to get treatment.
And so they're preparing the best they can, but they have nothing here. And by nothing I mean no food, no water, no electricity. This is the generator
that went out. All the electrical components that the generator needs to energize the hospital was destroyed. This was the backup plan. This was
what was going to run the electricity and the water that they expected to have at least 72 hours of fresh water. But at this point, they have no
hours of fresh water.
And it's two days on past the hurricane. So the desperation continues to raise with every hour that passes. Now, they do have helicopters flying in
right across street from the hospital. They're bringing supplies to here in Black River, and then they're taking patients away to Mandeville. But this
is such a critical hospital for this area. According to administrators here, around 180,000 people or so that they manage and assist in this whole
area, in this region, the third largest in the country of Jamaica. And it is crippled from the force of Hurricane Melissa that blew onshore right
over the top of this hospital, taking with it all the roofs, destroying the seawall, bringing water in.
And now the staff is doing what good hospital staffs do, making it work, making miracles happen sometimes from the back of a hatchback car like
this.
In Black River, Jamaica, I'm Jonathan Petramala, for CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Still ahead here on CONNECT THE WORLD, accusations of a massacre in Sudan's Darfur region. What aid officials and the rebel group accused of
the atrocity are now saying about it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:20:47]
HILL: In Sudan, there is mounting evidence rebel forces committed a massacre as they took over the city of Al-Fasher on Sunday. Videos, some
actually taken by the rebels themselves, show what appeared to be summary murders of unarmed civilians by the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces, or RSF.
The apparent massacre in the country's Darfur region comes two and a half years into a civil war that sparked what major aid groups consider to be
the worst humanitarian crisis on earth.
Nada Bashir has more now, and I do want to warn you, this report does contain disturbing images.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With each passing day, more harrowing videos emerge from Al-Fasher, in Sudan's Darfur region.
In the wake of the retreat of the Sudanese Armed Forces and a violent takeover by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, civilians in the
besieged city have faced atrocities on an unthinkable scale.
Some of the footage we have obtained from Al-Fasher is simply too graphic for CNN to broadcast. Civilians gunned down as they attempt to flee, bodies
strewn on the ground, lying in pools of blood filmed by RSF fighters.
In this video, two men are stopped by an RSF vehicle. Within seconds, one of them is shot. The other is heard pleading with the soldiers. Moments
later, we hear another gunshot. As the camera pans back around, the man is seen lying motionless on the ground.
DENISE BROWN, U.N. RESIDENT COORDINATOR IN SUDAN: We have received credible reports of summary executions of unarmed men lying on the ground being
shot, and of civilians as they try and flee the city. There are still civilians who remain in Al-Fasher. We're not sure how many, it could be
120,000, could be more than that.
BASHIR (voice-over): The scale of these attacks are such that evidence of the RSF's atrocities are now visible from space. With indicators of bodies
and what appear to be large bloodstains detected by experts at the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab. In satellite imagery of Al-Fasher's Al-Saudi
Hospital, clusters of white objects consistent with the size and shape of bodies and reddish discoloration nearby appear to reflect reports of mass
killings in the area.
As documented by the Sudan Doctor's Network, which claims that the RSF, quote, "cold bloodedly killed everyone they found inside the Al-Saudi
Hospital, turning it into a human slaughter house."
The RSF has described the claims as baseless. But according to the U.N., nearly 500 people were killed in the assault.
NATHANIEL RAYMOND, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, YALE HUMANITARIAN RESEARCH LAB: We have seen over the past 48 to 72 hours, the proliferation of objects across
Al-Fasher that are consistent with human bodies, to the point where we can see piles of bodies across the city from space. They're moving neighborhood
to neighborhood. They are systematically wiping out those they find that have remained.
BASHIR (voice-over): While many remain trapped in Al-Fasher, thousands have fled the violence on foot in search of safety. The accounts of those who
survived the journey are distressing.
"They harassed the people and beat some of them. They separated the young men from the women. I don't know where they took the men."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There have been many tragedies. Men and women have been killed. We hope that the international community will
stand with us.
BASHIR (voice-over): The leaders of both the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces have faced Western sanctions due to their involvement in alleged war
crimes. But U.N. officials say the RSF has displayed a pattern of systematic and often ethnically-motivated attacks on a large scale.
According to a report presented to the U.N. by a panel of experts, the RSF and its allied militias have allegedly received support from the UAE in the
form of weapons, though the UAE has denied backing the paramilitary group.
The RSF has also been accused by the United States of committing a genocide during the ongoing civil war. The paramilitary group has acknowledged what
they have described as violations in Al-Fasher.
Its leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo saying in a statement that an investigation will be carried out to hold those responsible for criminal
acts accountable.
[10:25:07]
In a directive issued to its fighters, RSF leaders also called on all personnel to adhere to rules of conduct and to ensure the protection of
civilians. Evidence on the ground, however, tells a very different story.
RAYMOND: The Rapid Support Forces have surrounded the city in an earth wall called a berm, that's as high as nine feet, so the context here is these
people are inside what we call a kill box. They have been walled-in to be killed systematically.
BASHIR (voice-over): The fall of Al-Fasher could mark a dangerous turning point in the conflict, allowing the paramilitary group to consolidate and
strengthen its grip on the broader Darfur region. All the while, putting civilian lives at greater risk of violence, persecution and what aid groups
are already calling a humanitarian catastrophe.
Nada Bashir, CNN, in London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Joining me now is Kholood Khair, who is a Sudanese political analyst, the founder and director of the Confluence Advisory, which focuses on
peace, security, economy and governance.
I appreciate you joining us this morning. Nada's very important yet disturbing report there, and what we heard from a number of humanitarian
organizations. You know, I'm struck by even just one of the comments that the RSF leaders had been asking their militia to adhere to rules of conduct
and protect civilians, which is clearly not happening. It raises the question of just how much control any of these leaders have over their
militia.
KHOLOOD KHAIR, SUDANESE POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, not just the question of command and control, which has always been an issue for the RSF because
they have such a dispersed, almost franchise style setup rather than a military operation. But it's more a case of, you know, the RSF recognizes
just how badly all of this plays on the international stage, and more importantly, the fact that its own soldiers that are taking the videos that
so many of us are seeing, dozens and dozens of pictures coming out of El- Fasher and videos.
And so for them, this is a political ploy effectively to try and deflect attention away from the criminality of their troops and try to sort of
position themselves as a responsible entity.
HILL: And that's a tactic you've noted that has been used before, almost working towards some sort of international recognition or moving into
perhaps at least a dialogue, but that those efforts, in your view, are really more about political cover in many ways.
KHAIR: So the RSF times the worst of its atrocities with international talks. We have seen this now with the talks that were going on in
Washington, D.C. last week, almost exactly at the same time as the atrocities started to take place. We saw this in April during the London
conference. We saw it in 2023. In the summer, and then later in the autumn of 2023, coinciding exactly with the Jeddah talks, Jeddah One and Jeddah
Two.
So they recognize that, two things, one, no one has ever been held accountable, really, for war crimes in Sudan, let alone genocide. And they
are much relying on this. And secondly, that they will get kudos, they'll get a pat on the back for coming to these mediations without really being
ever held accountable for the violence that they mete out during those mediations and talks.
HILL: It is so disturbing what we are seeing here. The images, and just the sheer scale. Right? And what has been going on, frankly, for some time. You
posted, I believe it was yesterday, "The world is watching," writing, "but only watching, watching civilians get rounded up, killed in cold blood,
watching doctors and patients getting massacred at a hospital, doing nothing but simply watching. This is on everyone."
This is a humanitarian crisis on a massive scale. It is a hunger crisis, a displacement crisis. Why does the world watch, in your view, instead of
doing?
Kholood, can you hear me now? Please go ahead.
KHAIR: Please go ahead.
HILL: Yes. I'm sorry, you posted about how the world is watching multiple crises at one time. And yet there is -- there is a significant and frankly
sustained if you will, lack of action. Why do you think that is?
KHAIR: Well, you know, 20 years ago, when the RSF and the precursor to the RSF, the Janjaweed, was, you know, doing very much the same thing we see it
do it today. In conjunction with the government in Khartoum, in conjunction with the Sudanese Armed Forces against the people of Darfur. We saw a whole
international sort of, you know, mechanism around justice and accountability and peacekeeping kick in.
We saw peacekeeping forces brought in. We saw genocide designation lead to the sort of setting up of a peacekeeping mission. We saw the ICC being
tasked by the U.N. Security Council to take the case, the investigation forward. We saw, you know, a whole international architecture around the
responsibility to protect today, that is, we don't see any of that.
[10:30:02]
None of those tools, even the ones that do exist, are really being implemented. And part of the reason is that the world is far more
transactional now. And, you know, and we are also seeing really big actors in the region like the United Arab Emirates supporting the RSF, like the
Egyptians, like the Saudis, like the Qataris, like the Turks supporting the Sudanese Armed Forces.
And they have provided a lot of political support both at the U.N. Security Council as well as, you know, sort of political support elsewhere. The UAE
in particular, that supports the RSF, you know, has a lot of sort of crypto and data deals with the United States. It has signed an Abraham Accords,
and so it has been put in a position of favor with the West that it really leverages in terms of getting attention away from the RSF's crimes.
But also giving the RSF the ability to commit these crimes without ever having to face any kind of international censure or accountability, just
look at the documents and the statements coming out of the United States, the United Kingdom, the E.U., and many other institutions, including the
African Union. None of them mentioned the UAE, even though there have been such great documentation of (INAUDIBLE).
HILL: I should point out it is not noted in her report. The UAE pushing back against some of those accusations. But given where we stand in this
moment, what could make a change?
KHAIR: So there is a -- there are several things. One is that there is a U.N. arms embargo. It's decades old. It was recently, sort of, you know, re
-- you know, brought back into force, was renewed. And it has never really been enforced. That needs to be enforced as soon as possible. There needs
to be tangible tools that can enforce that weapons embargo and on Darfur. Secondly is, you know, the issue of external actors, this is something
that, you know, the United States, along with other countries, has recognized as a key driver of a lot of the violence that we're seeing.
But something needs to be done about that. It's not enough to admire the problem. It is a case of saying, well, how do we tackle the United Arab
Emirates and their weapons supply lines to the RSF? How do we tackle on the other side, you know, the Iranian weapons shipments and Russian shipments
coming into Sudan, that we'll see a lot of immiseration of the people of Sudan? Unless we deal with the weapons issue and link to that, the
financing of this war, mostly through gold, through cattle, gum Arabic and other resources, we're not going to be able to stem the violence because
right now both the SAF and the RSF at the beginning of this dry season are seeing that they can both really win this war militarily and have no
incentive to stop whatsoever.
HILL: Kholood Khair, really appreciate your time and your insight this morning. Thank you.
And stay with us. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:35:04]
HILL: Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Erica Hill. Here are your headlines.
America's top general is in Israel today to monitor the ceasefire with Hamas. A U.S. official says Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, General Dan
Cain, is visiting the U.S. military's Truce Coordination Center. He is the latest in a parade of American officials to visit Israel over the past few
weeks to monitor the U.S. brokered truce.
As the threat of U.S. tariffs looms heavy over this year's Asia Pacific Economic Summit, Donald Trump will not be there in attendance. That means
China's Xi Jinping will be taking a leading role in talks. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is on hand to represent U.S. interests.
King Charles is stripping his brother Andrew of his royal titles and also evicting him from his royal residence at Windsor. This follows a posthumous
memoir from Jeffrey Epstein survivor Virginia Giuffre, who had accused Andrew of sexually assaulting her as a teenager. Andrew has repeatedly
denied the accusation.
Tomorrow, millions of Americans are set to lose critical food assistance benefits. We're going to have more on that. I do also want to bring in now,
CNN royal historian Kate Williams, who's joining us to talk a little bit more about this saga with Andrew.
Kate, good to see you this morning, as always. I think the big question for many people is the why now of it all. You have, of course, been following
the family for years. Is it simply about the book or is there more to it?
KATE WILLIAMS, CNN ROYAL HISTORIAN: Well, Erica, this is the big question. Why now? Obviously, I think, one, it really took the royal family by
surprise that when they essentially said that Andrew was stepping back from his Duke of York title, that actually this didn't quell public anger.
Public anger actually increased. So I think there's that, that they were taken by surprise that that wasn't seen as enough.
I mean, I think many people said he's only just chosen to step back from it. He's still a prince. He's still eighth in line to the throne. He's
still got this giant mansion. And also, I think Miss Giuffre's memoir has been a bombshell, and it is a possibility that there are more women set to
come forward. Certainly a Sunday newspaper here has found a woman who was sent by Epstein to have dinner with Andrew.
Now she won't say any more. She's behind her lawyers. She's not going to say any more, which is obviously her choice and we totally respect that.
But it may be that there's more to come. It may be that there might be more revelations, but certainly even if there are not, I think the royal family
felt that this was damaging them. It was damaging Charles. It was even damaging William, and it was time to stop it.
You know, I think Charles wants his legacy as a king to be that of this, you know, great man who was working for peace and working for religious
understanding. Instead, at this rate, all historians are going to be talking about when they look back on his reign is Andrew.
HILL: It's also fascinating, Kate and I, or Kate, you and I have spoken so many times over the years about, of course, what was traditionally the, you
know, never explained part of the -- what we saw from the royal family, from the firm, as it were. The fact that public opinion is playing a role
here in some of these decisions, that also signifies an important shift in the monarchy and perhaps in recognizing to the place of the monarchy in
2025.
WILLIAMS: Yes, Erica, you're exactly right. I mean, certainly the monarchy has felt that you keep calm and carry on, that rather overused phrase, but
that's the way they see it, and I think they do think that public opinion wanes and waxes. Let's just keep calm and we'll keep going. But certainly
it's rather different when it's public opinion about whether or not they like or they don't like a royal or whether they do the right engagements or
not, or how much work they do, it's very different to what we have with Andrew.
The palace said in the statement, Buckingham Palace said yesterday that Andrew had had lapses of judgment. Now that's their wording. I think many
of us would say, well, they're much more severe than lapses of judgment. These are, you know, these are acts which are being investigated by the
American authorities. There are investigations by the Metropolitan Police here that Andrew asked his personal detective, paid for by the taxpayer, to
dig up dirt on Miss Giuffre.
I mean, these are really shocking allegations, as well as Epstein, and simply, I think Andrew's position as a working royal has long been
untenable. But that, you know, the fact is that this tainting the whole of the royal family now and is it -- I think also the parliament apparently
were getting very concerned about this. They didn't think that the king had gone far enough. They don't want to have to force something on the royal
family, but they were very concerned about public opinion, too. And the king does have to listen to parliament.
HILL: Yes. And there is still -- we should point out, there is still criticism from the public, even following these most recent moves. And
there are questions as well about who is actually going to be fitting the bill now that Andrew is stripped of those titles, being forced to move out
of his royal residence, but will be living on King Charles' private estate. The question is, will King Charles be essentially, I supposed, supporting
him?
WILLIAMS: Yes, Erica, the royal family don't like speculation about their finances and people looking into their finances. And this is exactly what's
happening here.
[10:40:01]
Everyone is suddenly saying, well, Andrew lost his -- some money from the civil list, which was about 250,000 pounds some years ago. He only has a
small military pension of about 20,000 pounds. So how come he's got this gigantic house that he's upkeeping, lives a life that's very high powered.
And now what's happening? That the king is going to keep him on the king's money, which is money from his own estate, the Duchy of Cornwall. But that
is -- there's been lots of talk about the Duchy of Cornwall, which is the king's estate, but it does rent out properties to the NHS and to various of
our -- of our government institutions at quite high rates.
So people think that that's significant. And so you have that money not being used for the country, but being used to fund this man, Andrew, on the
Sandringham Estate. And I think that people are also going to be saying, well, should the king force him to talk to the authorities and to force him
into these allegations? Of course, Andrew said he was going to cooperate with the American authorities. And then we had some very interesting
interviews with the -- with the prosecutors who said his lawyers have given us the runaround.
And I do think that this is the question. I think a lot of people are saying the king has acted too late. This could have been done some time
ago, but also that has he gone far enough? And I do think that is a question I'm not sure he has.
HILL: Be interesting to see Amy Wallace, who is the co-author of Virginia Giuffre's posthumous memoir, telling CNN last night should that she
actually hopes the consequences here start reckoning, in her words. It will be interesting to see what follows.
Kate, always appreciate it. Good to see you. Thank you.
WILLIAMS: Thank you so much.
HILL: I do want to update you on some of the breaking news that we're following here in the United States. So we told you a short time ago about
a potential terrorist attack the FBI says was thwarted. The FBI director announcing that on X earlier saying the attack was planned for this weekend
in Michigan. We are now learning from law enforcement sources that the plot was ISIS inspired.
One of those sources says two people have been arrested and charged. There are three others being questioned. They range in age from just 16 into
their 20s. We'll continue to keep you posted as we learn more about, again, what the FBI says was a thwarted terror plot.
Still ahead here this hour, Donald Trump urging his fellow Republicans to go nuclear in efforts to end the government shutdown.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: Tomorrow, millions of Americans, 42 million, to be clear, are set to lose critical food aid due to the government shutdown. The Senate is not
back in session until Monday. President Trump is demanding Republicans go nuclear by getting rid of the filibuster. That's a measure that requires 60
votes for a bill to pass through the chamber.
CNN's Annie Grayer is back with us this hour from the U.S. Capitol.
So the Senate, of course, not in over the weekend. Could, though, when they return on Monday, could this actually be an option?
ANNIE GRAYER, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, Leader Thune actually just poured cold water on that idea. In a statement from his spokesperson saying
that his position remains unchanged, that he does not support getting rid of the filibuster, even despite fresh pressure and demands from the
president.
[10:45:09]
And that's because the 60-vote threshold really is the bedrock of the Senate. That is what requires both parties to work together and create a
sense of bipartisanship even as we're seeing this stalemate persist right now.
Now, over time, both parties have explored this idea of getting rid of the filibuster because when you're in power, it does seem nice to be able to
pass your priorities more quickly. But what's always stopped that from actually happening is the fear of what would happen when the opposing party
then gets control, and then the opposition really doesn't have any seat at the table.
So take a listen to Leader John Thune, what he said earlier this month about his position on the filibuster.
So earlier this month, the leader said that he was against the filibuster and that position now remains unchanged. But this stalemate has persisted
for 31 days, and the real pain of this government shutdown continues to persist. Federal workers have been going without pay, and tomorrow, over 42
million Americans will lose their food assistance. With the Senate not being in this weekend, we know the shutdown is going to extend until at
least next week.
But the president's demands to end the filibuster really complicates the budding sense of bipartisanship that we were starting to see on Capitol
Hill between Republicans and Democrats. We're going to see if that spoils any goodwill that was starting to develop. But the pressure is building.
The stalemate continues. The second longest government shutdown in history and counting. And now this question, the filibuster hangs over it all.
HILL: Yes, it certainly does. And the question is, so much of this, there are so many people who are feeling the pain already in this moment, but the
fact that we are looking at some 42 million people, 15 million of them children, tomorrow who will not have those necessary benefits, SNAP
benefits, as they're known, for food assistance, is that -- is it a sense from some of the lawmakers and your sources that you're talking to, is
there a sense that this may be what actually can bring, as we saw earlier this week, some of those senators back to the table and their back-channel
communications to try to move things forward?
GRAYER: Well, there certainly are those backchannel conversations ongoing, but it's not throughout the entire Senate. It's among rank-and-file
Democrats and Republicans. The other data point that Democrats are holding on to is tomorrow is also the first day of open enrollment for Americans to
enroll in their health care. And people who have those Obamacare subsidies are going to log on and see how much their health care prices have gone up
now that they no longer have those subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of the year.
So there are so many different struggles that are happening. And -- but the typical pressure points that have led to these government shutdowns ending
don't seem to be working here. This stalemate continues. And this real fear of people going hungry didn't even keep the Senate from going out of
session. All the senators are back in their home states right now, so there is concern about how this shutdown is going to end.
There was discussion about maybe passing a smaller bill that would just kind of address this food assistance issue, but Republicans dismissed that
idea. They want to fund the entire government. So we'll see what happens after this weekend. But in the meantime, real people are going to feel real
pain.
HILL: Yes, absolutely. Annie, appreciate it. Thank you.
Stay with us. CONNECT THE WORLD continues on the other side of this quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:50:04]
HILL: Iran is a country that we cover often here on CONNECT THE WORLD, typically with a focus on its politics, its economy and recently, of
course, the war with Israel. But now a new film by an Iranian director gives us a look at daily life in the capital through the eyes of Tehran's
youthful population.
My colleague Becky Anderson spoke with the director, Amir Azizi.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR (voice-over): A new film by a young Iranian director and writer, Amir Azizi, has just won the prestigious
Directors Award at the Venice Days Festival. "Inside Amir" tells the story of Iran's youth. Sanctions, high inflation and high unemployment have led
many of Iran's young and educated to look abroad for opportunity. The film follows its titular character, Amir, on the eve of his emigration from Iran
to Italy.
As he bikes around Tehran exploring the meaning of identity and homeland, he begins to see the beauty within his city and his life.
With politics as a backdrop rather than a focus, Azizi shows the simple, ordinary experiences of living in Tehran.
AMIR AZIZI, DIRECTOR, "INSIDE AMIR" (through translator): My film shows reality. It's a film about a man who is struggling with all the
difficulties of life and politics, but the politics are in the background, as though he has already dealt with them and has moved through them. And he
is in search of a simpler life.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Amir Azizi himself is a person of optimism, choosing to not only hope for better, but to work for better despite the very real
hardships he and other Iranians face.
AZIZI (through translator): I'm a hopeful person, even in times of hopelessness. I have had hope. In these years everything has become harder,
more difficult, whether from a political perspective over the last four or five years, or through the ups and downs around hijab and all these things,
make life more difficult. The people who live here often think about leaving. Why? Because they are in search of a more hopeful life elsewhere.
But I've always thought one cannot achieve something better by quitting a place. We always say we should stay and build something, whatever that may
be.
ANDERSON (voice-over): The film "Inside Amir" is unique. Not only focusing on the modern youth of Iran, but in giving a glimpse to those outside the
country of a side of Iran rarely shown in the media.
AZIZI (through translator): How often do I have to say that we have ugly, rundown streets and alleys? That we have people who only wear black, or
people who only wear black or white? How long do I have to keep saying this? I am tired of it. My reality, my life in Tehran is something
completely different. We sit with each other, we make jokes, we laugh, we go out of the town. We have parties. We go cycling. But none of this has
ever shown in any films.
ANDERSON (voice-over): The success of "Inside Amir on the world stage in many ways is the story of hope and optimism. Shot in the spring and edited
amid the Israeli bombardment of Tehran. A crew of just six people, a self- funded filmmaker and the raw streets of the city they all call home.
AZIZI (through translator): This was filmed in April, all the flowers and trees on Modares Avenue were in full bloom. It's beautiful. We have the sun
shining, we have wind, we bike around, we go to cafes. We worked during the war. We could hear the sound of bombs right here where I'm sat. I sat amid
the bombs and edited my film. I can't say I wasn't in the war. We were in the midst of a horrific war. The house would shake.
I edited the film, sent it to the Venice Festival, and nine days later, in the belly of the war, they responded saying, Amir, we loved your film.
[10:55:01]
We made this movie with six, seven people. What is that if not a sign of hope?
ANDERSON (voice-over): Becky Anderson, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: A new museum coming to life, spotlighting Egypt's ancient history. Ater years of construction, the Grand Egyptian Museum will officially open
its doors on Saturday with tens of thousands of artifacts on display. The long awaited museum will also showcase what officials say is the complete
collection of King Tutankhamun's treasures for the very first time. Located near the Giza Pyramids, the hope is that this new mega project will boost
tourism in the country.
That's going to do it for today's edition of CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Erica Hill. Thanks so much for joining me. Be sure to stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD"
is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
