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Connect the World
Hundreds of Flights Cancelled as FAA Begins Cuts Due to Government Shutdown; Pressure Mounts to End Shutdown; Sudan Rebels Agree to U.S.-Led Humanitarian Ceasefire; Investigating China's Missile Expansion; Trump to Meet with Hungary's Viktor Orban at the White House; Moscow's Red Square Exhibit Honors Legendary 1941 Military Parade; Tesla Shareholders Approve Elon Musk's $1 Trillion Pay Package; OpenAI's Sora App Sparks Deepfake Concerns. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired November 07, 2025 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:02]
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN London, this is CONNECT THE WORLD.
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome to the second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Christina Macfarlane in London, in for my
colleague Becky Anderson.
Hundreds of flights are grounded across the United States due to the longest government shutdown in history. And U.S. President Donald Trump is
due to welcome the Hungarian prime minister to the White House today after his plans to meet with Vladimir Putin fell through. Plus a CNN
investigation reveals China is massively expanding its military capabilities building out dozens of new facilities.
If you're flying in the U.S. this weekend, make sure to double check with your airline. Hundreds of flights are being canceled as the longest U.S.
government shutdown in history drags through its sixth week. 800 flights across the country have been grounded so far today after the FAA ordered a
4 percent reduction in flights. That number will increase to 10 percent by next Friday if the shutdown isn't over.
And just last hour, the U.S. Transportation secretary defended the flight cuts, calling them a safety measure to ease the stress on air traffic
controllers working overtime without pay.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN DUFFY, U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: Let's not lie about the pressure they're under. What's happened is a lot of the same controllers come to
work every single day. We have that group, then we have another group that has a -- has a longer record of not showing up. And so the ones who do come
to work, they're the ones that are working six days a week, 10 hours a day. And you can do that.
All of you guys, you guys work big hours. You can do that for a couple of weeks. But at one point you're going to get burned out. You're going to get
burned out. And that's what we're seeing now. There's a higher level of fatigue with the controllers because they've been doing this for a long
time, as we've tried to mitigate the impact of the shutdown.
There's an easy answer. There is an easy answer. Open up the government. Stop this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Now I want to bring in CNN transportation analyst and former inspector general of the U.S. Transportation Department, Mary Schiavo.
Mary, great to have you. We were just hearing from Sean Duffy there saying, you know, there's a risk of burnout at the moment for these staff. And we
know that these reductions are set to get even worse. We've seen a 4 percent reduction today. The government is aiming for a 10 percent
reduction by November 14th. How necessary is all of this?
MARY SCHIAVO, CNN TRANSPORTATION ANALYST: Well, unfortunately, for at least as far as the Federal Aviation Administration and Secretary Duffy are
concerned, it's necessary because what people don't realize is every air traffic control facility, be it a tower, be it an enroute facility, you
know, what directs your planes when you're not dealing with the tower across the country, et cetera, each one of those facilities is different,
and each one is rated for a minimum number of employees and a minimum number of personnel that have to be there to run that facility.
And that's not negotiable. That has been rated as what's safe to do that. And so we have about 550 commercial passenger service airports in the
United States. And every one of those has this rating. So when you do not have the employees and they do have the right, if they're ill, to take --
to call out sick, or there's also stress leave for controllers as well. And so when you don't have the staffing there is no choice.
The Federal Aviation Administration has no discretion to keep them open when they do not have the minimum staffing. So to hopefully avoid that,
they are reducing the traffic so the staff isn't overworked and burned out, and they do that so they can put more space between planes. And that's why
where the safety comes in. So by increasing the space between planes, they'll achieve, maintain, rather, the safety.
MACFARLANE: And Mary, all morning we've been hearing live from airports across the country. Travelers obviously extremely frustrated, angry about
flights being canceled left, right and center. What are you hearing about the compensation being put in place for these disruptions, whether there's
any strategy in place for these airlines to be dealing with this in real time?
SCHIAVO: Well, in most cases, there's already regulations in the United States. If you have used a credit card or electronic payment and the flight
doesn't go or the flight has to be canceled, you must be given a refund. Now the difficulty is going to come in for people who paid cash or who
paid, you know, other than electronic payment or charge card, et cetera, because there can be a delay.
But if the flight doesn't go, if the flight is canceled, you get your money back whether or not it's a nonrefundable ticket. The question is going to
be how long. And then, you know, some airlines are saying in the U.S., well, they'll always book a backup. Well, some airlines allow you to
cancel, it will. In the U.S., there are few airlines. Breeze, for example, you can always cancel and get your money back, or get your credits back.
[10:05:02]
Southwest, I think, has started that. So some airlines allow you to do that. Other airlines, you still have to buy a ticket that's nonrefundable.
So that's easier said than done. And what a lot of people are trying to remember, we have 550 commercial passenger service airports. 40 have these
reductions. Try to fly to less popular airports. Not in the top 40. Try to book a direct flight. I have to travel next week. That's what I'm doing.
And so there are things that you can do to help yourself. But it's tough.
MACFARLANE: Yes. And I just wanted to ask you, Mary, because I know this week you have actually been covering the UPS cargo train plane crash. And I
just wanted to ask, you know, how likely is this shutdown to lead to a slowdown in that investigation?
SCHIAVO: Well, for the, you know, in the U.S., employs, a great number of employees are designated essential, meaning even the shutdown you go to
work. The National Transportation Safety Board investigators are deemed essential employees. They sent the first cadre of people who went were 28
investigators. And they sent many, many more. So it's a full investigation, full on scale, no cutbacks, no shutdowns.
Obviously, their pay is being delayed, but the NTSB is deemed essential workers. I don't know who would not want to be an essential worker, but
they're essential and they're on the job full force.
MACFARLANE: All right, Mary Schiavo, we appreciate it. Thank you.
I want to turn to Whitney Wild now from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and Arlette Saenz who's on Capitol Hill on what is day 38 of the
U.S. government shutdown.
Arlette, just to you first. I mean, we've been hearing the frustration from travelers across the country this morning. Obviously, we now are now weeks
away from the Thanksgiving break. I mean, what are the government saying, if anything, at this point about plans in place to try and, you know, get
this moving?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now, these efforts to try to reopen the government really appear to be deadlocked, all but guaranteeing
that this will extend into next week and potentially much longer. There had been some glimmers of hope about conversations that were happening behind
the scenes to try to reopen the government earlier in the week, but Senate Democrats are really feeling emboldened after Tuesday's elections.
They believe that they have a push from voters to continue to hold out for greater changes to health care, and that is something that they've been
pushing forward in these shutdown talks. Now, there has been an emerging plan that Republicans have been trying to push through. That included a new
stopgap funding bill to extend government funding beyond that initial November 21st deadline.
They would also have votes on separate appropriations bills for some parts of government for the entire year to fund places like the Department of
Defense. And then they would offer Democrats a firm date for a vote on extending those Obamacare subsidies. But Democrats want much more. They
want a commitment that this will pass the Senate, that it will pass the House, and be signed into law by President Trump. And that really
encapsulates how both sides are at odds in this fight.
Take a listen to a Democrat and Republican laying out their arguments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): Donald Trump clearly is feeling pressure to bring the shutdown to an end. Well, I have good news for the president.
Meet with Democrats, reopen the government, fix the ACA crisis. That's the best way to put this crisis behind us.
SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): These folks need to grow up, open the government and understand that people like me and other Republicans are prepared to
come up with a reasonable outcome for the Obamacare subsidies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAENZ: And over in the House, House Speaker Mike Johnson has really been noncommittal about bringing up an extension on the Affordable Care Act
subsidies. There are real questions about whether his Republican caucus could get on board with that. But at the same time, there are countless
number of Americans who are feeling the personal pain of this shutdown.
You've talked about the changes and the cancellations that have been made at airports across the country. That is expected to intensify as this goes
on. And then there's also the question for many people who rely on food stamps assistance, what those types of benefits will look like in this very
month if the government is not set to reopen.
MACFARLANE: All right, Arlette, thank you.
Let's turn to Whitney, who is at one of those major transportation hubs, one of those major airports.
And Whitney, what are people saying to you about their plans for the next few days, how this is going to play out, whether they're changing travel
arrangements because of the disruption?
WHITNEY WILD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, for the most part here in Chicago, the disruption is not that significant. We're seeing dozens of delays and
dozens of cancellations, but remember, I mean, these cancellations have been talked about for several days now so people have been able to adjust
their plans so that they can account for that. But let me just take you on a walk here and we can quickly look at the board here.
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Earlier today we saw around eight delays here. Right now there's -- you know, there's still only a handful, which is good news. Here, you know, the
major question at O'Hare, because it's so busy, is always what is the security situation right now. The security lines are running at about five
minutes. That's about as good as you can get at a busy airport like this.
The thing about Chicago that I think is interesting is when you think about flight delays and cancellations, your mind very quickly goes to a weather
event, right? You're thinking this only happens when there's a major snowstorm. Instead, this is a man-made storm. Today is a bluebird day. This
should be a perfect day to fly. But instead there are these disruptions here at O'Hare and all across the country.
Some airports are dealing with FAA staffing shortages. That's causing major problems at Newark, New Jersey's airport, for example. That is a major hub.
It's a major international airport. There's a big problem there.
When we speak with people here, they understand that there's going to be a disruption. But their frustration really now is focused on the federal
government. Here's what one woman told us earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we know about the cuts and the potential cancellations of flights. But we're just hoping to get lucky on both trips
each way. Reopen the government. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What do you think?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think the airlines are handling it well, though, as best as they can, given the circumstances. So I appreciate them keeping us
all safe. And yes, they should come to an agreement and reopen the government and avoid all of this. But.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILD: Time is ticking. The other issue here is these TSA officers. These are essential workers. We spoke with one woman earlier this week who said
that she had to quit. She couldn't afford to come to work as a TSA officer and not be paid so she opted to leave a job she loves, a job that takes a
lot of time and effort to get. And so the question now is how much more pressures are going to be on TSA officers.
The big concern is that as we -- as this shutdown drags on and as we get closer to that holiday travel season, more TSA officers are going to be
calling out sick because they simply can't afford the gas, the childcare, that is required for them to come to work, or they're just going to quit
altogether.
Back to you.
MACFARLANE: Yes. And Whitney, just on that, I mean, do you know of any contingency planning that is underway as we sort of countdown to
Thanksgiving, or is it just simply a case of, you know, if we get to that point, don't travel, find alternative travel?
WILD: Right now, it's hard to know because I think people expect that this shutdown is going to end soon. Because this has been the longest one, I
think the question here is how much longer can this possibly go on? Surely this is going to end soon? So, yes, we are going to be talking to people,
yes, in the days that continue about what their travel plans are, if they're going to have to scrap their Thanksgiving travel if this persists
past that, what are they going to do? So it is a question, but there's no definitive answers yet from some of the people we've spoken to.
Back to you.
MACFARLANE: Yes, we are in uncharted territory, aren't we?
Whitney Wild, appreciate it. Thank you.
And ahead on CONNECT THE WORLD, Sudan may see a possible truce in the wake of horrific killings. What could that mean for displaced civilians? I'll be
talking live to the U.N.'s deputy high commissioner for refugees next. And later this hour, we head to Red Square in Moscow for an exhibit honoring a
legendary 1941 military parade.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:15:31]
MACFARLANE: After more than two years of horrific violence and famine, Sudan's rebel Rapid Support Forces says it has agreed to a U.S.-led
humanitarian ceasefire. But it's important to note it is not clear whether the Sudanese military would also accept the truce. The U.N. says thousands
of civilians have fled violence in El Fasher, the famine stricken capital of Sudan's North Darfur region, following the city's capture last week by
the RSF.
There have also been horrifying reports of civilian massacres. The latest chapter in a brutal civil war that has killed more than 150,000 people.
My next guest has been in Sudan and has also traveled to the border with Chad, where she's been talking to displaced people from Darfur. United
Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, Kelly T. Clements, joins us live.
Thank you so much for your time. As I was saying, you are there in Chad, which I think we've seen scenes of. It looks like it's become more than --
a little more than a desert camp, really, for thousands of refugees fleeing the violence from Darfur. The majority of whom are women and children. So
can you just begin by talking to us about the situation where you are now, what you're seeing, and what the urgent needs are?
KELLY T. CLEMENTS, U.N. DEPUTY HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES: Yes. Thank you. So yesterday we were right on the border with Sudan, and I would
describe it as really the calm before the storm. We're seeing about 300 to 500 people crossed daily, which is obviously every individual matters, but
not large numbers yet. However, we are preparing for much worse. And this is a part of -- Eastern Chad is a part of the country that has seen, of
course, massive displacement in the last two and a half years since the war broke out in Darfur again.
And it's a part of the country that has hosted more than one million refugees from Darfur over a period of time. Now, when I was last here 18
months ago, I mean, we've since seen another 300,000 people. When you talk to people here in the area, and I talked with folks from El Fasher
yesterday, not recent arrivals in the last 10 days, but in recent outflows. And of course, they're reliving the trauma all over again.
The stories that we hear, the time it takes to get to the border, the difficulties crossing and the horrific violence that is taking place right
now with families and sexual violence and other abuses is just horrific. So we're trying to prepare. It's the calm before the storm, but we need much
more support to be able to do that.
MACFARLANE: And just on that, on El Fasher, the U.N. were saying this week that thousands of people there continue to be trapped. And actually, for
those who have been able to flee, many, many more are missing. What is your understanding from the people you've been speaking to from the trapped
areas to what the situation is in El Fasher now?
CLEMENTS: Well, it's extremely difficult to get a clear picture because of course, as you've just mentioned, access is extraordinarily difficult. And
to be able to get to people, to be able to support them is our number one priority as a U.N. international community. The people -- what we what we
understand is about 70,000 people have left El Fasher. But that leaves some, you know, 200,000 people that have remained trapped and are unable to
move, and that we do not know what the circumstances are in El Fasher.
And add to that, of course, the conflict and violence continues in the neighboring Kordofan. So the situation is very dynamic, very dangerous. And
there are a lot of people that are caught in the middle, especially women and families.
MACFARLANE: And, Kelly, you will have heard, of course, that Sudan's RSF have agreed to a truce put forward by the U.S. overnight. I mean, as things
stand, we don't know that the Sudan's armed forces have agreed to it. And we know, of course, in the past that many truces have fallen through. What
hope do you have in this moment of a pause actually happening this time?
CLEMENTS: Well, we need peace. It has been too long. Too many people have been caught in the middle of this needless war. And what we heard yesterday
from those families that fled earlier, they want nothing more than peace. But even if there is a truce and a ceasefire that will not automatically
bring stability to the region. There is a great amount of care that needs to take place for families to feel it's safe for them to be able to go
back.
[10:20:06]
They would need safe passage. Civilians should not be caught in the middle. And to be able to accommodate aid getting in as large a quantity as
possible. And as a U.N. system, we're committed to do that. We're committed to get to as many people as have suffered until now as possible.
MACFARLANE: And if a pause were possible, it could, of course, create a three-month window for humanitarian aid to reach desperate areas like El
Fasher, Kadugli as well, where famine was actually declared, I think, last week. What is the current situation for those humanitarian corridors, and
how much aid is able to get through at all at this moment?
CLEMENTS: Well, the U.N. was able to get through a convoy last week, primarily of food and some essential items, but that's not nearly enough
and not nearly enough in places like Tallulah, which we see hundreds of thousands of displaced. I mean, remember, this is a country with 12 million
people that have been uprooted, seven and a half million internal to the country, not to mention the refugees in places like Chad, where I am now.
And so we would have to massively scale up those aid deliveries. We continue with cross line, cross border. But, you know, it's going to take a
major, major relief effort once it's safe for us to be able to do so.
MACFARLANE: Yes. And yet amidst all of this, there are signs that some Sudanese people are attempting to return to the country. I know you were in
Khartoum just a few weeks ago. And you said that there were signs of families trying to rebuild their lives there. Has there been some progress?
I mean, it's hard to talk about progress at the moment, but did you see signs of that when you were there?
CLEMENTS: I certainly did. I was in Khartoum about two weeks ago and to this city, a million people, families have decided to rebuild and come
back. But, you know, the security is not so much the issue in Khartoum, although some drone attacks continue. The issue for the families that we
talked to are jobs, the livelihoods, being able to support, putting kids back in school, basic health care.
You will have seen that we've had cholera outbreaks not only in Darfur and even in Eastern Chad where I am, but there are very huge concerns about
water borne diseases and other things that will impact people's lives. So the infrastructure and the services were the number one need that families
mentioned. But again, a million people back to Khartoum in the space of a few months. And so there's -- this is not -- this is a country with much
complexity. And we saw it just a couple of weeks in the capital.
MACFARLANE: Yes. I mean, the situation is so desperate. I'm glad we're able to talk to you today about this.
Kelly Clements, we appreciate your time. Thank you.
And let's get you up to speed on some other stories that are on our radar right now.
The U.N. Security Council has voted to lift sanctions against Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. It comes as the Syrian leader plans to visit the
White House next week. President Trump has already ordered the easing of U.S. sanctions on Mr. Sharaa, who was instrumental in the fall of Bashar
al-Assad.
The U.S. Military carried out another strike on alleged drug smugglers in the Caribbean Thursday, killing three people. It's the 17th boat strike
since the beginning of September in what President Trump described as his war on drugs. The Trump administration has defended the strikes to
Congress, arguing that the U.S. is now engaged in an armed conflict against drug cartels.
Typhoon Kalmaegi has destroyed homes and uprooted trees in Central Vietnam. It is one of the strongest typhoons on record to hit the country. That's
after Kalmaegi killed nearly 200 people in the Philippines, which is now bracing for a second typhoon this weekend.
A massive expansion of missile production has been undertaken in China. New CNN analysis has identified over 100 rocket facilities. A stark contrast to
the U.S.'s own supply struggles, China's missile arsenal remains a key part of the navy strategy in the Asia Pacific region, and for possible plans to
invade Taiwan.
CNN's senior investigations writer Tamara Qiblawi reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TAMARA QIBLAWI, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIONS WRITER AND CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): China appears to be expanding its military arsenal at a historic pace, according to the findings of a CNN investigation. We identified and
located 136 facilities linked to China's rocket force, which oversees both nuclear and conventional missiles. This is one of the fastest growing areas
of the country's two million strong armed forces.
We also analyzed satellite images to measure the scale of the expansion, details that have not previously been reported. These facilities are
research institutes, factories, bases and testing sites.
[10:25:04]
Despite Beijing's repeated denials, military experts say that this is China ringing in a new arms race. Across the country, more than half of these
sites have expanded. Several of them replacing whole villages growing by tens of thousands of feet in just five years. Others emerging out of
farmland like this one in northwest China, a testing site for hypersonic missiles complete with 139,000 square feet of brand new facilities.
Take a look at this rocket factory on China's coast. We see a yard with missiles over 60 feet long. China's military covered the roofs of the
rocket warehouses with camouflage. Freight trains transporting rockets run from one end of the site to the other. To produce missiles that are larger
and more sophisticated, China needs a lot more floor space, so that's what we measured/
Since 2020 China added at least 21 million square feet to its rocket research and production floor space. That's about the size of 375 football
fields. Historically discreet about its military posture, recently China has been flaunting its capabilities. In September, a show of force at
China's military parade. Friend and foe watched closely. Among the weapons brandished by China, the DF-26D, an upgraded version of a missile ominously
dubbed the "Guam killer."
U.S. territory of Guam is home to Andersen Air Force Base, which serves as a launching point for America's long range bombers. Because of this
missile's partially unpredictable flight path, it may potentially outmaneuver America's most advanced air defenses, and strike strategic U.S.
positions in the Pacific.
Why does this matter? Because in our previous investigation, we found that the U.S. burned through around 25 percent of its THAAD air defense systems
in just 12 days. The Pentagon has been scrambling to replace them. Now these are the very interceptors that are designed to shoot Chinese rockets
down.
Is it fair to say that this is an arms race?
WILLIAM ALBERQUE, FORMER NATO DIRECTOR, ARMS CONTROL: We're talking about operational missiles, missiles for theater warfare and battlefield. We're
talking about strategic missiles. Missiles for strategic dominance, for deterring the United States and possibly defeating the United States.
I would say it's not only fair to say that it's an arms race, but China has already sprinted off the starting line.
QIBLAWI (voice-over): Tamara Qiblawi, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: All right. Still to come, the Hungarian prime minister has a big economic favor to ask Donald Trump. But will Mr. Orban get what he
wants from the American president when they meet today?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:30:15]
MACFARLANE: Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Christina Macfarlane. Here are the headlines this hour.
Airlines have canceled more than 800 flights across the U.S. today due to the ongoing government shutdown. The FAA ordered a 4 percent reduction in
daily flights starting today at the 40 busiest U.S. airports to ease the load on air traffic controllers working without pay.
Day 38 of the U.S. government shutdown and a resolution appears no closer. Senate Democrats signaled Thursday they were prepared to block Republican
plans to force a vote today until they get more commitments on dealing with rising health care costs.
U.S. President Donald Trump is set to meet with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the White House next hour to talk about Russian oil. Last
month, Hungary asked the U.S. for an exemption from sanctions for purchasing oil from Moscow. But so far the U.S. hasn't granted it. Mr.
Orban is expected to push President Trump once again for some economic relief.
Well, CNN's Alayna Treene is following the story from the White House. Nick Paton Walsh is here with me in London.
So, Alayna, just turning to you first. I mean, so what do we do -- do we expect President Trump to change his mind on granting these economic
exemptions? What are your sources telling you?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It's unclear at this moment, and a lot of people have told me, essentially, that they anticipate it will
-- it will depend on how this meeting goes. Just given, you know, if you look at past history, when the president welcomes foreign leaders to the
White House, if the meeting goes well, often it ends up well for the foreign leader.
And look, I will say a lot of people are anticipating this day, particularly given that President Donald Trump and the Prime Minister Orban
have a very warm relationship. The two have referred to each other as friends. You often see them both kind of touting their relationships
repeatedly in the past. And so there will be that part. But of course, the big question is going to be whether or not the president actually agrees to
the exemption that Hungary is asking for.
And look, I'd say you've heard the president in the past. He actually said just a week ago today, acknowledging that Orban has asked him for what the
president has referred to as an exception. He said he hasn't granted him one. He's considering it, but it's something that Orban really needs right
now. I know that Hungary's economy is very sluggish, and also he's worrying about upcoming elections in the spring.
And so all of that kind of playing a factor, Christina, into this meeting between the two today. One thing, though, and I mentioned this, but the
warm relationship I have to say is something that President Donald Trump has talked about for several years now, going back to his first term in
office. He has referred to Orban as being similar to him. I should note they share some ideals. Their Christian faith, some of their hard line
stances on immigration.
Really Orban kind of -- kind of being and representing some of the values that the MAGA supporters that Donald Trump has also valued. They also have
similarities in the differences that they share with Europe, particularly as it relates to the handling of the war between Russia and Ukraine.
I would note, of course, that Orban had openly welcomed the idea of a potential summit between Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin,
when that was actually still on the books. Of course, that has been canceled now. It was supposed to be hosted in Budapest. But could
potentially still be a meeting place in the future, if that ever comes around again. But all to say, we're going to have to see how the meeting
goes, what Orban might offer Trump in order to have some of these exemptions. We just have to wait and see.
I can say, though, as well, that the Trump administration has been really trying to play up the new sanctions on Russia's two largest energy
companies, as a way to put pressure on them. And if they start giving exemptions I've been told to certain countries it will be harder for them
to say no to others. So it's very much unclear how this will go today, but definitely will be a test of Orban's foreign policy prowess.
MACFARLANE: Yes. Alayna, thank you.
So, I mean, Nick, Alayna was saying that these two leaders with the warm relationship, a lot of shared views. How much of a litmus test in many ways
is this going to be for Donald Trump on his commitment to pressuring Russia?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, ultimately, if you're looking at the Trump of six weeks ago, you
would imagine potentially this meeting might be something in which we would see the convivial relationship result in Hungary getting what it wants. But
we had that radical switch where Trump essentially went further than his predecessor, Joe Biden, in terms of sanctioning those two key Russian oil
companies.
That is kind of changed the dynamic of how Trump is approaching this out of reach, frankly, for now, peace deal with Ukraine. The idea of him saying,
OK, fine, my original gambit was to try and get all of Europe to stop buying Russian hydrocarbons.
[10:35:04]
It's not a major part of the market, but significant enough. And there was degree, some fair criticism of Europe's position. You can't tell China and
India not to buy Russian oil and still buy it yourself. That was his position, Europe must stop. And then he appears to have flipped and said,
right, well, I'm going to introduce these hard sanctions myself. So after that to then say, well, to my special friend Viktor Orban, there will be an
exemption, will significantly complicate his position.
It's not like Hungary's purchases are a huge game changer for the Russian economy, but Hungary is enormously dependent. 92 percent, say some
analysis, of their crude oil is directly purchased from Russia. Orban, though, in a very tight political spot. He's facing a major electoral
challenge in which, as Alayna was saying, the economic difficulties he's presiding over can be attributed to high energy costs, potentially keeping
this going, could be in his favor and ultimately, too, to your electorate, what's the point in close relationships with someone like President Trump
if you can't in your most desperate need get some kind of exemption.
So, yes, it's a litmus test for Trump, really. How serious is he about pressure? And also to potentially how serious is he about his ideological
friends in Europe and trying to keep them afloat?
MACFARLANE: And as you say, with those elections upcoming for Orban early next year, it would obviously be very politically expedient of him to have
Donald Trump on Hungary's soil. What are the chances do you think he might be pushing once again for a potential Putin-Trump summit?
WALSH: I mean, look, a year of this has been dizzying. It's really hard to assess a constant track in all of it, but it does appear that Trump was
offended or somehow backed out sharp of that. Budapest idea. And then we had the sanctions. So the concept for me, certainly now, of seeing him
vacillating back again to the idea of a face-to-face meeting does seem a little far-fetched. Perhaps he wants to see how the battlefield develops in
the months ahead and if Putin gets anything close to the progress that he wants.
But look, ultimately this is all about what's inside Trump's head, and often it's a fool's errand to try and prejudge.
MACFARLANE: We will wait and see in the hours ahead.
Nick, appreciate it. Thank you.
And I want to turn now to Red Square, the heart of Moscow. Now, CNN does not get access to this area very often, but CNN's Fred Pleitgen is there
now touring an open air museum called City of Living Stories in honor of a legendary 1941 military parade in Moscow.
So, Fred, tell us what you're seeing and what strikes you most as you view this exhibit against the backdrop of this Orban visit to the White House.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Christina. Yes, first of all, you're absolutely right. This exhibit is
about the defense of Moscow in 1931. And as you can see, there are a lot of military exhibits here on Red Square. We are, of course, really in the
heart of Red Square. And behind me you can see Saint Basil's Cathedral. There you can see a T-28 tank from World War II, which actually has three
turrets.
There's a lot of tanks and airplanes here on Red Square right now, as this exhibit is unfolding. But I think one of the interesting things that you
were talking about that's definitely also playing out here on the ground is those changing dynamics that Nick was just talking about there between
Vladimir Putin and between President Trump. That's, of course, also something that people are talking to us about here on the ground as well.
In the past couple of months, of course, there's been a great deal of optimism here in Russia about relations between Russia and the United
States. Those relations getting better. We spoke to some folks here at the exhibit today, and they certainly have cooled off a little bit. But at the
same time, they also emphasize that they want better relations with the U.S. and of course, most of them also want the conflict with Ukraine to end
as fast as possible. Here's what folks told us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I believe that our attitude towards the United States is much better than the attitude of their
leadership towards our government. We are more peacefully inclined towards the Americans. Our president, Vladimir Putin, constantly wants contact, but
unfortunately, Donald Trump constantly postpones these events.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): If Trump wanted, he would have ended this war with Ukraine a long time ago. He would have stopped
supplying them with weapons and money, and the war would have ended in two weeks. Trump is being disingenuous. Everyone says that about him and his
speeches. He tells everyone what they want to hear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: So those are some folks that we spoke to earlier today, and I think some of the things that Nick was telling you before are definitely
also very much things that we're feeling on the ground here. Of course, there have been some setbacks in those attempts at diplomacy over the past
couple of weeks with that canceled meeting that was supposed to happen in Budapest. And then also, of course, with some of that nuclear rhetoric that
we've been hearing as well really from both sides, with President Trump saying that the U.S. is going to resume nuclear testing, the Russians now
saying that they might look into that as well.
And just as we've been going to air, Christina, there's news that dropped that we just got that the spokeswoman of Russia's Foreign Ministry, Maria
Zakharova, said that the Russians want more clarification from the Trump administration as to what exactly President Trump was talking about when he
was speaking about possible new nuclear tests. At the same time, of course, I have to say that the Russians continue to say that they themselves feel
bound by the nuclear test ban treaty.
[10:40:06]
And, of course, they also say that whatever happens, they are going to remain patriotic. They're going to remain doing things like this exhibit
here, which of course plays such a big role in speaking about the Russian spirit and their defense of their homeland that's so important to the
history of this country -- Christina.
MACFARLANE: Yes. And that renewed nuclear testing threat was, I guess, I guess, a reaction to the United States' announcement that they were going
to start testing. Have you heard anything more, Fred, about what the plans are for that and how quickly, you know, Russia could begin with that?
PLEITGEN: Yes, we certainly have. It's quite interesting because the moment that Vladimir Putin held a meeting of his National Security Council, which
happened on Wednesday, I actually texted with the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, and he told me, look, right now, nothing has been decided. And the
only thing that the Russians are doing right now is they're looking into the possibility of starting preparations for further nuclear tests. But
they say for them, the key thing right now is to get more clarification from the United States.
The Russians are certainly saying they don't want to restart nuclear tests. They feel bound by the nuclear test ban treaty. But of course, if the U.S.
president, with the U.S. having a nuclear arsenal, that it does being one of the largest in the world by far, the Russians definitely want more
clarification as to what the future might bring. And of course, one of the other things that we need to look into as well is that the Russians have
been saying that they don't only want to -- don't want the U.S. to only help end the conflict in Ukraine, but they want a complete reset of U.S.-
Russia relations.
They want business deals. They want direct travel between the two countries. So that's something that they're aiming for and have been aiming
for. Certainly that process right now has stalled, and the recent nuclear rhetoric has certainly also put a wrench in that as well. But you can still
feel that there is that hope on the ground that there could be time and a chance for a reset of the relations between the two countries.
MACFARLANE: Well, it is certainly very interesting against that backdrop there in Red Square. We appreciate it, Fred Pleitgen. Thank you.
Now one followed by 12 zeros. It's hard to even picture that number. Now imagine a dollar sign behind that. Well, that is how much the world's
richest man could be worth in the next decade. Still to come, we'll take a look at what it would take to get Elon Musk to the trillion-dollar mark.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MACFARLANE: Coral reef ecosystems, which support a quarter of all marine life, have now reached a tipping point, according to the recent report from
more than 100 researchers worldwide.
Today, on "Call to Earth," we visit South Florida's Atlantic coastline, where a unique approach to reef restoration is taking shape.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZAIN ASHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just off the shoreline of Hollywood, Florida, a destination city north of Miami, a new attraction is
being installed that its creators hope will make a lasting impact on those who visit it.
[10:45:00]
DR. SHELBY THOMAS, CO-FOUNDER/CEO, OCEAN RESCUE ALLIANCE INTERNATIONAL: This is an incredible moment, truly magical. It's been years in the making
and so excited to finally have this reef going out in the water.
ASHER: Part art, part science, the so-called "Guardians of the Reef" is a living installation spearheaded by scientist Shelby Thomas, founder of
Ocean Rescue Alliance International. The goal of the project is to promote both ecotourism and help restore marine life.
THOMAS: This is our fifth artificial reef project, but our first nearshore reef.
ASHER: Designed in partnership with city authorities, the underwater sculpture trail includes 50 reef structures across four shallow water
locations.
THOMAS: Most of our sites are easy, open water dives around 30 to 60 feet of water. But this one will be between eight and 15 feet of water. Often
diving natural systems and reefs cost a lot of money and training and skills, and this becomes a free resource not just to the public, but the
community to actually have and connect with on a daily basis.
ASHER: Floridian waters are home to the third largest barrier reef system on earth, known as the Florida Reef Tract. And like most coral ecosystems
around the world, it too is in a concerning state of decline.
THOMAS: Here in Florida, disease and warming temperature has been one of the biggest impacts on killing a lot of our reefs. Reefs are very
resilient, but we have to act fast.
ASHER: Thomas acted by collaborating with like minds from the worlds of art, engineering and science. She says it's taken nearly seven years and
more than 35 designs to get to this point.
THOMAS: So what you're looking at here is one of the habitat artificial reefs. There's 38 of them for this project.
ASHER: Each structure is custom made using sustainable materials to look and act like a natural reef, while also being a call to action.
THOMAS: We also have 12 artistic sculptures that are themed around "Guardians of the Reef: The Ocean Protectors and Warriors."
ASHER: There are also designs featuring symbolic marine life, and of course, opportunities for posting to your social media accounts.
THOMAS: We have two selfie stations. One is a selfie tail where you can become a mermaid, too. And if you come and take a photo at this site, you
also are taking a pledge to become an ocean warrior and guardian of the reef.
ASHER: While the large sculptures are intended to grab your attention, the most significant feature is the smallest, a pioneering innovation called a
coral lock.
THOMAS: Each reef has at least 200 to 300 coral lock receivers that we can then take the corals from the lab that are growing on the coral lock plugs
and simply be able to come out and screw them into the structures and be able to outplant at scale.
ASHER: The organization's recently opened lab called "We Restore," was built as a collaborative space where both marine life and research can
flourish.
THOMAS: We have modified the traditional coral locks specifically to fit these soft corals, and it's meant to be like a rework for restoration. So
we'll be growing corals of our own to help scale and outplant on our artificial reef projects. But we're also holding space for other students,
universities and nonprofit partners that might need to use this space to grow out coral, oysters or mangroves.
ASHER: Ultimately, Shelby Thomas is dedicated to preserving our planet's natural ecosystems and believes a good way to start is by building a
foundation for their appreciation.
THOMAS: We're really using the power of art to encourage people to become ocean stewards. We want to be able to provide a voice to the ocean and to
marine ecosystems that need it, and that we're co- creating with nature as the engineer as well.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: And let us know what you're doing to answer the call with the hashtag #CalltoEarth. We'll be right back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:50:21]
MACFARLANE: The world's wealthiest man is about to get a lot richer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Five percent voting in favor. Approved.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Tesla shareholders approved an unprecedented pay package on Thursday that could make CEO Elon Musk the world's first trillionaire.
Let's discuss with CNN economics business reporter Anna Cooban.
And Anna, just parking for a moment the ethics of anyone earning $1 trillion, what does this actually mean?
ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, you see this figure here, Christina, this is absolutely astronomical. It's so abstract,
you know, how do we get our heads around this? But it needs to be said that this will come in the form of stock grants given to Musk over the next 10
years, if, crucially, he hits certain targets as the CEO of Tesla. Operational targets, financial targets.
But also, lets bear in mind this guy is currently the world's richest person. He has a fortune or he's worth over $460 billion. And if he got
this amount of money at the end of the next decade, he would be the world's first trillionaire as you've said. But Tesla has been facing lots of
issues. He's got a tall order on his hands. It's faced plunging sales and profits over the first half of this year, with rising competition from
Chinese EV makers. So he's got a lot on his hands if he's to get this whopping figure.
So to put it into context, what does a trillion really mean? Well, it's $275 million per day. See if you can wrap your head around that. And then
it could buy you 10,000 of these guys. Brian Nichols, he is the CEO of Starbucks, he gets a measly $100 million per year as his pay packet. It
could also get you Coca-Cola, that little known company worth around $300 billion. And it could allow you to buy every single person on the planet a
can of Coca-Cola. Given that there are over eight billion people on the planet, that is a pretty, pretty big deal.
And then also, it could buy you a country, buy you Switzerland if it was up for sale. Its GDP is around $900 billion. So that gives you a sense of the
enormity of this amount of money -- Christina.
MACFARLANE: Yes, none of it really sounds good value for money, although Switzerland perhaps I might, I might think about purchasing Switzerland. So
this trillion, it comes with caveats, right? Because it's performance related and it's got some pretty ambitious goals that Musk would have to
hit in order to achieve that.
COOBAN: Yes, you don't get $1 trillion for nothing. He has to do some pretty -- some pretty big things at Tesla, namely, the most eye-popping is
that he needs to get its market cap up to $8.5 trillion. Currently, it's around $1.5 trillion, so it needs to increase by an enormous amount. And to
put that into context, currently the most valuable company in the world, Nvidia, the artificial intelligence chip maker, was -- well, hit last week
a $5 trillion market cap, the first company ever in the history of the world to do that.
And that's even fallen in the past few days down to $4.57 trillion. So yes, a huge, huge abstract number.
MACFARLANE: Yes, sort of mind boggles, really. I can't even get my head around it the more I talk about it today.
Anna, thank you.
Now the new A.I. app is sparking concern about deep fakes with its ability to make fake videos faster than ever.
CNN's Ivan Rodriguez explains why people are so worried and what to look out for.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN RODRIGUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Over the last few months, Sora, a video generator app from ChatGPT's parent company OpenAI, has
become more sophisticated by the day.
KATELYN CHEDRAOUI, CNET A.I. REPORTER: It's like if you're scrolling TikTok, but all of the videos you see are A.I. generated. Nothing you see
in Sora is real.
RODRIGUEZ (voice-over): Katelyn Chedraoui is CNET A.I. reporter says these videos are easy to make and just take minutes. The trouble is, once these
videos are shared outside the Sora app, it can sometimes be difficult to tell the difference between videos that are real and those that are fake.
CHEDRAOUI: It is harder than ever to tell if an image or video is A.I. generated. And Sora is partially why but I wouldn't give them all the
blame. Google has a number of A.I. tools, and there's been a number of creative A.I. companies that have been working in this field for a long
time.
RODRIGUEZ (voice-over): Adding to the confusion, there isn't a foolproof method to spot A.I. generated content, but Chedraoui says there are things
to watch for.
CHEDRAOUI: The first thing I always recommend people look at are watermarks. This might seem kind of obvious, but that's for good reason.
For example, the Sora videos have a little cloud icon that bounces around the edge of the screen.
RODRIGUEZ (voice-over): While watermarks are one of the most obvious tells, if you want to dig deeper you could also look at the content's metadata by
using the content authenticity initiative verification tool to check a video, image or documents metadata.
[10:55:04]
CHEDRAOUI: The most honest and best piece of advice I can give people is to just stay vigilant.
RODRIGUEZ (voice-over): In Atlanta, I'm Ivan Rodriguez.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: And for our "Parting Shots," take a look at this. It's the first ever barbecue in space. While astronauts aboard China's space station
did not use a wood charcoal grill, they were able to bake food in orbit. The hot air oven helped them cook up chicken and peppered steak. And their
ability to grill while in orbit was described as a significant upgrade to the space kitchen. Sure, it was. It looks pretty tasty, doesn't it?
And that is it for us here at CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with it here at CNN, we are expecting U.S. President Donald Trump to welcome the Hungarian prime
minister to the White House in the next hour. My colleagues on "ONE WORLD" will have live coverage of that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
