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FIFA To Hold World Cup Draw In Washington, D.C.; Trump, Carney, Sheinbaum To Attend World Cup Draw Ceremony; Bipartisan Divide Over Classified Briefing And Strike Footage; Pipe Bomb Suspect Believed 2020 U.S. Election Was Stolen; Travel Bans, Immigration Raids Hang Over World Cup; Prominent Israel-Backed Militia Leader In Gaza Killed; Waymo Self- Driving Cars Sparks Concern Over Risky Driving; Abu Dhabi Grand Prix To Close Out Formula 1 Season; Formula 1 Sees Growth Of Female Fans. Aired 10- 11a ET
Aired December 05, 2025 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:52]
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome to the second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Great to have you with us.
Well, all eyes on the sporting world in Washington, where the draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will kick off just hours from now. Donald Trump will
stand side by side with the Canadian prime minister and the Mexican president at a time of intense tension between the normally friendly
neighbors over U.S. tariff policies.
Also in Washington, political fallout over a controversial strike on an alleged drug boat after a classified briefing. A party line split grows
over the legitimacy of the attack.
Whether you are roaring for England's Three Lions or don't cry for anyone but Argentina, we are about to get our first proper look at how the biggest
event in world football will play out next year. And I am of course talking about the FIFA World Cup. In just a couple of hours the initial draw for
the tournament will take place. It is happening at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. at noon local time.
For the first time a total of 48 teams will be sorted into 12 groups of four. That's a new expanded format. Then on Saturday, FIFA will release the
full match schedule, including venues and kickoff times.
And our Don Riddell is at the Kennedy Center in D.C.
Great to have you there out in the snow for us, Don. I hope you're staying warm. Certainly the excitement is building around the world as we await
this draw. What can we expect?
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Two things I remember about being a kid, Lynda. It was really, really, really cool when you can see your breath and
really, really great fun watching and following the World Cup tournament. So, yes, I'm getting to experience both here in the flesh today. And this
is really the day where the starting gun goes off for the World Cup tournament. This is the day where everybody can start making their plans
for next summer.
Essentially, we're going to see 48 teams or 42 who've already qualified. Six more will come through in March, but we're going to see 48 teams drawn
out of the hat and paired into a dozen groups of four. The host nations, the USA, Canada and Mexico have kind of got a bit of -- a bit of a lucky
draw already because they're considered top seeds. So it means that they won't be running into any of the other top seeds, like the defending
champions Argentina, Spain, England or France.
Those four are considered the favorites. The host nations won't have to play any of them in the group stage. And yes, today the starting gun goes
off in a couple of hours' time and we can't wait.
KINKADE: Yes, it's really exciting. But of course there will be some fans potentially that won't be able to come to the event because of, you know,
Trump's travel ban on Iran and Haiti. I was speaking to the FIFA boss who said he was calling Trump hoping to smooth things over. Where do things
stand currently?
RIDDELL: Well, the travel ban is in place for Iran and for Haiti. Those two teams have qualified. The Iranian delegation here today is going to be
very, very small. Just a couple of representatives from their federation. Beyond the travel ban, just getting a visa for fans from some countries is
going to be very, very complicated. The U.S. government announced just a couple of weeks ago that they were going to speed that along, but we'll see
if that happens.
Meanwhile, the FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, and the U.S. president, Donald Trump, have become very, very close over the last year. Some would
even go so far as to describe it as a bromance. Infantino has been seen at the White House I think half a dozen times in 2025. They're going to be
side by side here again today because FIFA have announced a brand new peace prize. It was interesting to see earlier this year that Infantino actually
accompanied Donald Trump to Cairo for the signing of the peace agreement between Israel and Hamas.
[10:05:07]
And Infantino was lobbying, among many others, that Trump should win the Nobel Peace Prize. That didn't happen. And just a couple of weeks later,
FIFA revealed that they were creating their brand new peace prize. That is going to be handed out for the first time today. It is expected that Donald
Trump is going to win it. And so we're going to have that going on. We're going to have all the celebrities from the world of football.
We're going to have celebrities from other sports like Tom Brady and Shaquille O'Neal and Aaron Judge here as well. So it really is going to be
an absolute festival of both football sport and politics.
KINKADE: Yes, certainly is a lot of excitement. We are continuing to cover this story.
Don Riddell, stay warm for us there in D.C. Our thanks to you and the crew.
RIDDELL: All right.
KINKADE: Well, we have been discussing Donald Trump taking credit for the U.S. winning the co-hosting rights for the tournament. And no doubt he will
pull out all stops today. The U.S. president will stand side by side with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and the Mexican President Claudia
Sheinbaum at the ceremony, and he is expected to meet with both leaders on the sidelines of the draw during the ceremony.
Now this, of course, comes just days after Mr. Trump suggested that he would let the free trade agreement with Canada and Mexico expire.
Well, CNN's Alayna Treene is at the White House.
So it's going to be interesting watching the geopolitical tensions play out as you have the Mexican, Canadian and U.S. leaders side by side as this
trade war continues to unravel. What are you watching for?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: No, absolutely. I mean, it's going to be an event -- excuse me, got a little feedback so I'll take this
out. An event, though, Lynda, crackling with geopolitical tension for a number of reasons. Some of the ones that Don had just walked you through as
well, about the travel bans that are in place, preventing people from coming. But the big thing here, particularly as it relates to Carney and
Sheinbaum also being at this drawing today, is all of the trade negotiations, tariffs, but also that formal review of the U.S.-Mexico-
Canada trade agreement, which of course we should point out, the president, President Donald Trump, was the one to negotiate that during his first term
in office.
That coming up for a formal review, all of that hanging over this event today, which is really supposed to be one where you're seeing these three
countries united. Of course, each of them playing a role in this major World Cup event next year. But the focus for at least these three is really
going to be on trade, especially as we've seen it ratchet up the tensions and the relationships between these three countries.
But it is going to be, I think the USMCA talks we have -- I should say we have been told by people here at the White House that is going to be
included in some of the talks that he has, President Trump has today with both leaders on the sidelines of this drawing, will be a big focus trade,
of course. And so it's going to be interesting to watch the dynamics between all of these. But we'll see.
I mean, look, a lot of times the president has big talk when it comes to trade and talks with different leaders, but then he tends to be a bit
warmer. It depends, I should say. But he often is warmer in person when meeting with them. So that could potentially be what we see today. I would
note it's also the first time we're going to see Trump and Carney together in person ever since Trump kind of blew up over the Ontario ad regarding
tariffs.
I'd remind you that was a big moment here at the White House. And of course, for the relationship between the U.S. and Canada. So all of that
really going to be playing out in public. But one thing I just want to add here, Lynda, that's going to be so interesting to all of this, is how much
this event, the World Cup drawing and the World Cup itself means to Donald Trump. He is someone who has looked at this event as almost a legacy
building moment for him and for his presidency.
He often boasts that he gets to oversee such a momentous event, and that it's going to be the time that the U.S. gets to host part of the World Cup.
And so that's going to be playing a role in all of this as well.
KINKADE: And Alayna, given the, you know, the ICE raids, the immigration raids, and of course, the protests, Donald Trump did float the possibility
of moving some games from certain cities. I'm wondering how that could affect the confidence of fans who want to travel to these games. Is that
seriously on the table?
TREENE: I think it has been, but there's been a lot of controversy I'd say even in these discussions that are happening behind closed doors here at
the White House and throughout the broader Trump administration, Lynda. I mean, there are a lot of national security concerns, safety concerns that
come up when there have been talk of potentially moving some of these matches. And from my conversations, we have to see where they lead. But
from my conversations with people here at the White House, those talks have largely been driven from the president himself.
This idea of how he might want to move them based on, you know, cities and places that he is getting along with the leaders who run them and that sort
of thing.
[10:10:01]
So we'll have to see what happens but I would argue that while it's up for negotiation, there's a lot of people who are in the presidency are arguing
that there are a lot of pitfalls and concerns with trying to move these matches, particularly when it relates to safety. So it may be something
that ends up kind of falling through.
KINKADE: All right. Alayna Treene for us outside the White House, it looks beautiful there. Hope you stay warm. Thanks so much.
Well, CNN Espanol reporter Elizabeth Perez joins us from Washington.
Great to have you there in snowy D.C. as well for us. Certainly this major event only happens every four years. And at the time of the bid, there was
a lot of talk about the unity between Mexico and the U.S. and Canada. How are things feeling from your perspective right now, especially from the
perspective of fans in Mexico?
ELIZABETH PEREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lynda, it's a pleasure to say hello to you from freezing Washington, D.C. We are from Miami, so we are not used to
the snow, but we are so happy that today is a historic day because we have the draw of the World Cup 2026. And yes, it's a big event for us in Latin
America because Mexico is representing, it's one of the hosts that is going to be taking place in this historic event, the World Cup 2026.
So Mexico actually, we have to think of pride because it's going to be the only country that is going to have had three times the World Cup at home.
And this is -- could be a catalyst for the selection national team to do better. We know that for many, many years they have been trying to go
forward. The Quinto Partido, the fifth game, and in this case with this bigger event because now we have 48 teams competing instead of 32, now they
have another round to go, which could be something good or not, depending on the group that they will have, we will know it today.
But yes, it's a big event and as we were listening before to the correspondent in the White House, there are tensions. Claudia Sheinbaum,
the president of Mexico, is here, is going to meet with Donald Trump. This is a huge thing. She's not going to be in the first game. That is going to
be Mexico next year, the 11th of June. So the fact that she's going to be here representing her country in this huge event, which is the draw, this
is the beginning of the World Cup.
In six months all the people that love soccer are going to be talking about. This is a big, big thing, not only for Mexico, but for all Latin
America, Lynda.
KINKADE: Yes, exactly. Well, good to have you covering for us, Elizabeth Perez, thanks so much. We will touch base again soon.
Well, football fever is certainly building in Canada, too. I want to welcome our Canadian expert Paula Newton who joins us.
Great to see you, Paula. I do want to start on the politics, if you will, because this will be the first time we're seeing Trump and Carney together
side by side since Trump blew up the trade negotiations back in October. What will you be watching for?
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I do want to point out that I'm in a warm studio. The snow in Washington is a very good omen for Canada. And
look up all the games that we play in the snow, Lynda. They've had to have timeouts to actually shovel the snow off the pitch. So you can see the
World Cup is in a whole new uncharted territory here with Canada. No, it won't snow in the summer in Canada.
On the politics, yes, also a bit chilly I would have to say, Lynda. You know, look, this is a pivotal time for Mexico and Canada and why they are
trying to renegotiate that trilateral agreement that is up for review in late spring. This week alone, Lynda, this week alone, despite the conflicts
between Canada and the United States, and Alayna mentioned it in terms of that ad that went out from Ontario, beyond that, you have Jamieson Greer,
the U.S. Trade representative in the United States, now indicating that there may not be a trilateral deal anymore.
The fact that the United States, the Trump administration, may decide to deal with Mexico separately and Canada separately. Mexico and Canada are on
the record already saying that they believe that puts them in a weakened position, but they may have to take whatever the Trump administration is
serving up because Canada, for one, is a country that relies on this trade deal and whatever deal they can get will be better than no deal at all.
We remarked about the tension right now between Canada and the Trump administration. Donald Trump completely calling off trade negotiations, and
they've been frozen really since that ad, that Ronald Reagan ad came out pointing out that Ronald Reagan was not a fan of tariffs. Having said that,
you see the two men on the screen right now, Donald Trump really has been quite complimentary of the prime minister.
Prime minister Carney has been very blunt about the relationship that he has with Donald Trump. It is open communication. They call and text all the
time. So it will be really interesting to watch these three leaders on the stage right now. I wouldn't expect any trade breakthroughs, but certainly
more along the lines of what a trade deal might look like in the spring.
I do want to add, Lynda, that, look, many facets of American business, in fact a majority, want a three-way deal for the United States.
[10:15:03]
KINKADE: Yes, exactly. Well, let's talk to the fun part of the FIFA World Cup. Just how strong is the Canadian team going in to this competition? And
how prepared are the Canadian cities hosting this to deal with the influx of all these fans?
NEWTON: All right, I will say we spoke to two of the organizers just a few days ago, and they are shameless to be clear on what they say the
enthusiasm level is. I mean, look, let's be clear, Canada only qualified in 2022 for the first time in decades for the World Cup. But, you know,
everybody, not everybody, I'm exaggerating, but so many people in Canada participate in soccer from a young age.
They really want to bring up the international level of play. This is their opportunity to host cities, Vancouver and Toronto. They are already
outstripping records on merch, volunteers, ticket sales. What Canada really wants to see, though, are some good developments on the pitch, right?
Trying to make it through the first round, something they really need to do. But look, the country itself wants this on a new footing.
Canada goes viral multiple times for the fact of all the snow games that they played during qualifiers, but they really want to be a football, a
soccer nation. Certainly the MLS final this weekend, Lynda, will help. Miami is taking on Vancouver. That is a big final, and they believe that
this will help grow the game not just in Canada, but in Canada and the United States as a whole, to really make it a soccer or football
juggernaut.
And Canada believes they can really help elevate the game to that level for so many reasons. And again, FIFA is in charge of whatever money goes to
Canada after this. And they are saying that they are intent on growing the game so that, yes, they can match some of the other teams and some of the
other programs in the Americas.
KINKADE: Making the beautiful game much bigger. Paula Newton, always a pleasure. Thank you.
NEWTON: Thanks.
KINKADE: Well, still to come on CONNECT THE WORLD, the U.S. Military announces a new lethal attack on an alleged drug boat while lawmakers sound
off about new information on a past strike that's drawn intense scrutiny. We'll have that story next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Well, the U.S. Military has carried out another strike on an alleged drug trafficking vessel in the Eastern Pacific. Four people on
board were killed, according to the U.S. Southern Command, which released a video of the strike. It comes as the Trump administration combats a barrage
of criticism over a so-called double tap strike at sea back in September. Well, today, lawmakers are digesting what they saw and heard in a
classified briefing by the Navy admiral who oversaw that incident.
Let's bring in Arlette Saenz for more details in Washington.
Great to see you, Arlette. So there seems to be a growing split between Democrats and Republicans on whether there are concerns about the legality
of this double tap strike. It certainly seems to have changed from the bipartisan calls for investigation we heard just days ago. What are you
hearing?
[10:20:04]
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Lynda, Republican and Democratic senior lawmakers who emerged from these briefings with Admiral Frank Mitch
Bradley really came to very different conclusions about how this strike played out and whether, in fact, the Trump administration had the legal
authority to take this strike.
Admiral Bradley spent several hours in a classified setting meeting with various lawmakers who lead the Appropriations, Intelligence and Armed
Services Committee on the Hill. The sources tell us that these lawmakers were specifically shown the video of that follow up strike, and one detail
that Admiral Bradley told these lawmakers is that the two survivors did not appear to have a radio or other communication device to try to call for
help in some way.
That detail is something that lawmakers will be looking at very closely as they're working to determine whether these strikes were, in fact, legal.
But I want to play for you a bit of a picture or sound that will provide the split that these Republican and Democrats have had as they have aired
their own interpretations of these videos. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JIM HIMES (D-CT): What I saw in that room was one of the most troubling things I've seen in my time in public service.
SEN. TOM COTTON (R-AR): I didn't see anything disturbing about it. What's disturbing to me is that millions of Americans have died from drugs being
run to America by these cartels.
HIMES: You have two individuals in clear distress without any means of locomotion, with a destroyed vessel who are killed by the United States.
COTTON: I saw two survivors trying to flip a boat loaded with drugs bound for the United States back over so they could stay in the fight.
HIMES: Any American who sees the video that I saw will see the United States Military attacking shipwrecked sailors, bad guys, bad guys. But
attacking shipwrecked sailors.
COTTON: The first strike, the second strike, and the third and the fourth and the fourth strike on September 2nd were entirely lawful and needful.
And they were exactly what we would expect our military commanders to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAENZ: Now, Democrats emerged from that briefing saying that they want the full video of this follow-up strike released. That is something that
President Trump has expressed some openness to, but it still remains unclear whether the Trump administration will follow through with that, as
lawmakers continue to scrutinize their actions with this strike -- Lynda.
KINKADE: All right. Arlette Saenz, so good to have you on this story for us. Thanks very much.
We are getting new details about the man arrested in connection with planting pipe bombs in Washington, D.C., the night before the January 6th
Capitol riot back in 2021. Brian Cole was arrested on Thursday accused of placing the devices near the headquarters of the Democratic and Republican
National Committees.
CNN senior justice correspondent Evan Perez is live with us for the details.
Good to see you, Evan. So what are we getting in terms of information about a possible motive from Brian Cole? What did he tell FBI investigators?
EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, he sat yesterday for hours of interviews with the FBI. And among the statements he made was that
he believed that the 2020 election was stolen. Now, that's the first indication, the first kind of statement that may indicate a motive for why
he may have committed this crime, he's alleged to have committed this crime, which is that he placed these two bombs behind the RNC, in an alley
behind the RNC building, and outside of the DNC building. These were just a couple blocks away from the U.S. Capitol.
And according to the FBI, he placed them late in the evening on January 5th of 2021. They were discovered on January 6th in the afternoon just as the
mob of Trump supporters was breaking through the police cordon outside of the U.S. Capitol. And of course, you know that the mob later attacked the
U.S. Capitol, ransacked the U.S. Capitol to disrupt the certification of the election there.
And so now we know that at least that statement has been made. He made additional statements, and we'll hear more about this, obviously, in the
coming hours and the coming days. We expect that he will be appearing in federal court in Washington, D.C. later today. And of course, we also heard
from the attorney general in a FOX News interview earlier today where she said that he -- she expects that there will be additional charges that will
be brought against him.
Now, the fact that this statement has been made about the 2020 election is significant simply because this has been obviously the source of a lot of
conjecture, a lot of conspiracies, including by some who are now running the FBI, Dan Bongino, who is now the deputy FBI director on a podcast, on
his own podcast just 11 months ago, said that he believed this was an inside job and that it was essentially set up to frame MAGA supporters.
[10:25:12]
And so we'll see now that this is the information they're getting as part of this investigation what the leadership now will say about this. But
certainly we're expecting to learn a lot more when these charges are finally made public.
KINKADE: Evan Perez for us in Washington, D.C.. Much appreciated. Thank you.
EVAN PEREZ: Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, the U.S. Supreme Court says Texas can use a redrawn congressional map in next year's midterm election. The decision could give
Republicans an advantage in retaining control of Congress. It overturns a lower court decision that said the new map had been drawn according to
race, a move that is illegal.
Well, back to the World Cup excitement next, here in the U.S. As we count down to the big draw, we're going to take you to a local watering hole not
far from our studios that calls itself Atlanta's ultimate soccer bar.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Lynda Kinkade. These are the headlines we're following today.
The draw for the FIFA World Cup gets underway in Washington, D.C. in less than two hours from now. It will assign 48 teams to 12 first stage groups
of four in a new expanded format for the tournament. Donald Trump is taking credit for co-hosting duties in the U.S. alongside Canada and Mexico, and
President Trump will meet with Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who are both in Washington for the
draw.
The visit comes as all three countries prepare for a major review of the USMCA trade deal, amid rising tensions over tariffs.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirms the Trump administration will expand the list of countries banned from travel into
the U.S. Currently, there are 19 countries on that list. Now, Noem says it will grow to more than 30 countries. Last week, the Trump administration
announced it would reexamine green cards issued to people from countries facing travel restrictions.
And the U.S. travel ban is one of the issues hanging over next year's World Cup. We are less than two hours away from the draw for the tournament,
which will be co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada. FIFA offered a sneak peek of preparations for the draw earlier this week. An array of
stars from the world of sports, film and music will be on hand, including Tom Brady and Kevin Hart.
The draw will be held in Washington, part of FIFA president Gianni Infantino's efforts to court support from President Trump. But the U.S.
president stoking of geopolitical tensions has cast a shadow over the tournament.
[10:30:05]
His administration's travel bans and immigration raids have worried fans planning to travel to the U.S. and, of course, his tariffs in various
statements have at times roiled co-hosts Mexico and Canada.
Well, CNN's Amanda Davies joins me now from London following all the developments.
Great to see you, Amanda. Plenty to cover, but let's just start on the excitement of all of this. This is the biggest tournament yet for a World
Cup that kicks off next year. What can we expect as the draw takes place in about an hour and a half?
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: It's all about these, Lynda. Today it's about the balls. This is actually one of the balls from the FIFA Women's
World Cup that was hosted in Auckland. I had the honor of being part of that draw, and this is what we're waiting for essentially, the names of the
countries to be drawn out of the hat. As you rightly say, this one, there are going to be more balls drawn than we've ever seen before at these
events with this expanded format.
Forty-eight countries being drawn into pots A to L, 12 pots that we are expecting, and we already know a few of them. I don't know, I know you've
been speaking to Don Riddell. He already has his official pot group spreadsheet. I've had to do my own, but we can already write a couple of
those countries in there. As is tradition, the hosts get drawn out first, so Mexico will be into group A, Canada into group B, and the USA group D.
And there are so many different permutations of these teams that we're expecting. There's rules as to the teams you can and cannot face from your
confederation. So the USA, for example, not going to be allowed to be drawn in the same group as Panama because they're both from the Concacaf Region.
We also know the U.S. aren't going to be drawn against the big guns, the top ranked teams in the world, so they won't be able to be drawn against
the Netherlands in a group, for example.
They were the team that knocked the USA out in Qatar in 2022. They won't be able to be drawn against the defending champions Argentina. But because of
this expanded tournament, we've got these unknowns in the draw, which makes it all the more fascinating this time around. The likes of Curacao, of Cape
Verde, of Uzbekistan, Jordan, all who will see their names drawn out of the hat for the first ever time at this tournament.
And I was lucky enough a little bit earlier to be speaking to the former England manager, Glenn Hoddle, about the nerves, what this day means for
the bosses. My colleague Don Riddell, who is out there in Washington, has been speaking to the U.S. boss Mauricio Pochettino. He's had a tough build
up, I think it's fair to say, to this tournament, but has said as far as he's concerned, it's about winning the first game, it's about winning the
second game and then ultimately trying to get their hands on that World Cup trophy. And this is the biggest milestone yet to really start paving the
way to that final on July 19th.
KINKADE: And Amanda, we have heard a lot about these so-called possible group of death, which sounds rather gloomy given the teams in the field.
What could that look like?
DAVIES: Well, that is a very big question, and a lot of people are talking about the group of death because of some of the teams still in the hunt who
haven't yet secured their places. We know 42 of the 48 teams definitely, but there are then these intercontinental playoffs not set to ultimately
culminate until March. And there's some really big names in those groups, so they will be in pot four, which should mean they're the lowest ranked
teams in the competition.
But in pot four, you've got the likes of four-time world champions Italy, for example. You've also got Denmark in pot four with some really great
footballing in heritage. So it's not as clear cut as you might think. And that's where the intrigue and the fun comes from. That was what Glenn
Hoddle was saying to me earlier. He said ultimately, as a coach, you just want the easiest group possible to give your chance, give your team the
best possible chance.
KINKADE: Yes, exactly. That's what we're all hoping for, for our home countries. But of course there are some fans from several countries, at
least two that we know of at this point in time, Iran and Haiti, that might not be able to attend. What can you talk to us about where that travel ban
stands right now?
DAVIES: Yes, I mean, this is a tournament that without doubt that the football and the politics, the lines have really merged closer than ever,
haven't they? And Haiti and Iran are two of the countries listed on President Donald Trump's travel ban. As things stand, of course, the ban
that we've been talking about is set to be extended.
[10:35:04]
And what we understand from the administration, they've been saying that they're going to make an exception. So team players, the national team
staff and their immediate families will be allowed to enter and take part in the tournament, although fans will be able to apply for visas,
exceptions will be very rare. Quote, "very rare." That's the phrase that they're using. So the expectation is that traveling fans from Haiti and
Iran won't be allowed.
There was a point in the last couple of days where the official team delegation from Iran was talking about boycotting this World Cup draw, not
attending because of that. But we do understand they are sending a team of two. But it's not the only political issue on the agenda, is it? I mean,
there's not a small degree of irony that when this tournament was awarded that the name of the bid was the United Bid between the USA, Mexico and
Canada. That was, of course, back in 2018, in President Trumps first term of office.
But boy, have things changed. We had just, you know, Donald Trump's inauguration speech talking about, joking in inverted commas, about
annexing Canada to the 51st state, changing the Gulf of Mexico to becoming the Gulf of America. And you have to feel there's no coincidence that this
draw is taking place in Washington, really the back garden of the White House, the Kennedy Center, just a stone's throw away.
It's unusual that this draw is taking place there. Yes, it's the U.S. capital, but it's not one of the host cities at next year's World Cup. And
that is what we would traditionally see. I mean, we did have the draw in Russia ahead of 2018 taking place inside the Kremlin, which in itself now
seems quite remarkable, doesn't it? So it's not entirely unprecedented, but it says a lot about the close, very public relationship that we've seen
developing over the last few years between President Trump and Gianni Infantino.
And then, of course, we have this first ever peace prize set to be awarded. We don't know who's going to win it, but I don't think the betting is too
wide of the mark -- Lynda.
KINKADE: I don't think so. I would happily place a bet on that.
Amanda Davies, we will be watching closely at midday at noon to see how this draw all plays out. And of course, as you were mentioning, the
geopolitical tensions at play. Good to have you with us, Amanda Davies from London.
We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back with much more news. Stay with us. You're watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Welcome back. The leader of the most prominent Israeli backed militia in Gaza has been killed. Yasser Abu Shabab was the head of the so-
called Popular Forces, which controlled territory in the southern part of the enclave.
CNN Jerusalem correspondent Jeremy Diamond reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: The leader of a prominent Palestinian militia in Gaza, backed and funded by Israel, has died.
[10:40:05]
Yasser Abu Shabab, that militia leader, was killed on Thursday, according to three Israeli sources. The circumstances of how he was killed are still
unclear at this time, but two of those sources said that Israel actually evacuated Abu Shabab to a hospital in southern Israel, where he was
ultimately pronounced dead.
Abu Shabab has coordinated with the Israeli military and the Israeli government for months now. His militia was armed and funded by the Israeli
government in a move that was not run through the Israeli security cabinet notably, but was carried out with the approval of the current Israeli
government led by Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Abu Shabab was based with his several hundred militiamen, according to his group, on the Israeli side of the yellow demarcation line inside the Gaza
Strip and throughout this cease fire, his group has gone into the Hamas controlled side of Gaza to carry out raids at times on that side. Hamas,
which has previously vowed to target Abu Shabab, has not actually officially commented on his death, but a Hamas affiliated group on Telegram
posted this message saying, "Like we told you, Israel will not protect you."
And so, while Hamas isn't yet claiming responsibility for having killed Shabab, clearly they want there to be a message out of this to any current
or potentially future collaborators with the state of Israel. And indeed, this will raise questions for other Palestinian militia groups or criminal
gangs that may be considering participating or working with the Israeli government, with Israeli forces, about what could happen to them in those
cases, or perhaps the limits of how much Israel can protect them from these kinds of actions.
But as I said, we still don't know the full circumstances of how exactly Abu Shabab was killed. Abu Shabab was also viewed as part of kind of
Israel's post-war governance plan of Gaza. We know that Israel has backed these armed gangs in the absence of a kind of broader post-war governance
plan for the Gaza Strip.
We are now waiting to see when those next stages of that post-war governance plan that at least President Trump and the United States have
been pushing for, when those will begin to come into play, and when Israel will start to cooperate with the idea of an international stabilization
force, for example, going into Gaza and a potential Palestinian technocratic government taking the reins of power from the Hamas government
inside of the Gaza Strip.
But this does remain a tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. On Wednesday, we saw that at least five people were killed by an Israeli
strike in Gaza. That, according to the Israeli military, was in retaliation for an attack carried out by Palestinian militants that wounded five
Israeli soldiers.
The -- what we do know, though, is that there appear to have been civilian casualties as a result of that Israeli strike. Two children were among the
dead, according to Gaza's civil defense, and at least 32 others -- other people were treated for injuries as a result of that strike.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: We'll have more news in just a moment. Do stay with us. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade.
[10:45:00]
Waymo is rolling out a new software to make its self-driving cars more assertive. This comes as concerns rise over the autonomous vehicle's risky
driving habits.
Here's CNN's Clare Duffy.
CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH CORRESPONDENT: Anyone who's familiar with a Waymo will probably know that these cars are known for being overly polite,
overly deferential, almost to the point of being annoying to users or inadvertently causing other issues because they're trying so hard to follow
the rules of the road. So now Waymo has updated its software to try to make its cars more what it calls safely or confidently assertive.
Essentially, the idea here is to take the knowledge from human drivers that sometimes you can't necessarily follow the rules of the road in the way
that you would expect. So, for example, if a moving truck is blocking the lane and unloading packages for 20 minutes, sometimes you might have to go
around, cross that double yellow line to go around the truck and avoid holding up traffic.
That is the kind of issue that Waymo is trying to get its cars to better understand with this update. But of course, this is a fine line to walk and
comes as Waymo cars have been involved in some pretty high profile safety incidents. There was a beloved bodega cat in San Francisco that was hit and
killed by a Waymo recently. We've seen reports of Waymo vehicles going around, stopped school busses with their stop signs out indicating that
kids were getting off the busses.
We've also seen a Waymo that was pulled over by California police after pulling an illegal U-turn. And this of course also all coming as the
company rapidly expands across the country. Waymos are currently available in five cities, and the company is either testing or planning rollouts in
more than 20 cities. But Waymo says that those safety incidents are disconnected from this move to become more confidently assertive.
The company says its cars continue to be safer than human drivers, and Waymo vehicles have now driven more than 100 million miles without a human
behind the wheel. The company says it has 92 percent fewer crashes with pedestrian injuries than human drivers. And when I asked Waymo about these
safety concerns, a spokesperson told me, "Safety is fundamental to everything that we do. The data shows we are improving road safety in the
communities in which we operate, and we are proud of our record of achieving a fivefold reduction in injury related crashes, and 12 times
fewer injury crashes involving pedestrians compared to human drivers."
But one of the challenges here is that there isn't a clear path to accountability for a driverless car in the way that there is for a human
driver. The regulations are sort of all over the place, depending on where this technology is being rolled out. California, for example, passed a law
that's set to go into effect next year that says that police can cite driverless vehicles, but it's not clear what the penalty is going to be for
those citations. So that I think is going to be a challenge as we continue to see this technology roll out across the country.
Back to you.
KINKADE: Our thanks to Clare Duffy there.
Well, the Formula 1 season reaches its finale this weekend in Abu Dhabi, and it's set to be quite the showdown with three drivers in contention for
the driver's championship, McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bulls' four-time winner Max Verstappen.
Well, Abu Dhabi is one of the four Middle Eastern venues on the grand prix calendar this season, along with Jeddah, Bahrain and Qatar. And for the
first time this year, there's a driver with Arab heritage for fans to cheer on. Well, earlier this week, Isack Hadjar was promoted to the toughest job
in Formula 1. From next season, he'll be Max Verstappen's teammate at Red Bull.
CNN's Bijan Hosseini spoke with Hadjar.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BIJAN HOSSEINI, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: There are more than 800 million Formula 1 fans around the world. Nowhere is that more evident than here in
the Middle East, which is experiencing some of the fastest growth among fans.
(Voice-over): No one represents that shift more than Racing Bulls' rookie Isack Hadjar.
ISACK HADJAR, RACING BULLS FORMULA 1 DRIVER: I see my trainer there.
HOSSEINI (voice-over): The French-Algerian driver is the first Arab to podium in Formula 1.
You've spoken in past interviews about your Algerian roots and growing up in France. What does that identity mean to you racing in Formula 1?
HADJAR: It means I represent a bit more than just one country. I represent Algeria as well. And every time I go to Jeddah, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, I love, I
feel like it's more like home races to me.
HOSSEINI (voice-over): The shift is not only on the track. Investment from this region is now shaping the teams themselves. Bahrain's sovereign wealth
fund owns the majority of McLaren. Abu Dhabi's CYVN Holdings has a minority stake. Qatar's sovereign wealth fund bought a significant minority position
in the future Audi team, and Saudi Aramco is the title partner for Aston Martin. In other words, the Middle East is not just hosting races, it's
buying into the cars and the brands that define Formula 1.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're seeing huge growth across all those four different race markets. Younger audiences, so I think it's around 40 percent of our
audiences in this region in particular is now under 35.
[10:50:04]
HOSSEINI (voice-over): For Formula 1, the story here is no longer just about new circuits or big investments. It's about a region that has gone
from the outskirts of the sport to one of its most passionate, fastest growing communities.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, in the past seven years, Formula 1 has expanded its followers with women now its fastest growing fan base.
Leila Gharagozlou brings us this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEILA GHARAGOZLOU, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Women now make up three quarters of the new fans following Formula 1, and account for 42 percent of
the sports' total fan base.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Max Verstappen.
GHARAGOZLOU (voice-over): That's according to a 2020 survey by F1.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's amazing. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. I really appreciate that. Can you take a photo?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Let's do it.
GHARAGOZLOU (voice-over): Once a gatekept male dominated sport, the Netflix docu-series "Drive to Survive" has helped open up the world of motorsports
and F1 to thousands of new fans and thousands of women.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've seen every season of "Drive to Survive." I started a few years ago and then went back and watched all of the seasons.
I'm wearing a Ferrari hat, but I am a George Russell fan through and through. I just think he's the nicest one.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like George Russell. He's just gorgeous and he's talented.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Handsome.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm like for Fernando Alonso, he's my favorite one. Like, I'm so, so, so excited. I have literally no words to explain how I
feel myself here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I grow up I want to be a Formula 1 journalist, and I think it's really important that there are more women in the Formula
1 industry. Formula 1 is becoming more inclusive. I think every year from like it's expanded from Europe to America, lots of women are interested in
it now. And I just think the shift is really awesome.
GHARAGOZLOU (voice-over): Influencer Mikaela Kostaras is specifically focused on motorsport content. Her love for motorsports began with American
motorsports and then developed into a love for F1. Her 120,000 fans on TikTok watch her videos for breakdowns of races, discussions of strategy,
news, memes and more. She says the growth of female fans and the rise of social media has changed how the sport has been marketed.
MIKAELA KOSTARAS, INFLUENCER: I think the growth of women fans in the sport is seen more so in the -- in how the sport has been marketed and portrayed
online, specifically on social media. So there has been a huge change in social media from both official team accounts, driver accounts and even
news outlets, and the way that they're reporting and sharing information is completely different than it was even five years ago.
And I really think that is owed to a lot of, let's say, women content creators who are breaking down barriers and talking about the sport
differently. And they're seeing that there's audiences that really resonate with that type of content and really enjoy it. And they're trying to get a
piece of that pie. I think some do it really effectively, and then you see other sides that have not been successful.
Sky Sports recently launched something called Sky Sports Halo which was supposed to be marketed towards women, and it ended up failing completely
miserably. They totally missed the mark in terms of what it means to be a girl watching the sport. And so I think it's really interesting to watch
how that landscape has changed. And I think a lot of that is owed to women and the growing women fan base in this sport.
GHARAGOZLOU (voice-over): Big brands have also noticed the growing female fan base in F1, marketing products and merchandise towards the growing
consumer base.
KOSTARAS: And the sport itself is partnering with Hollister and Abercrombie and Pacsun and all of these big brands that have much more than an ill-
fitting pink polo shirt, pink polyester polo, oh, my gosh.
GHARAGOZLOU (voice-over): Marissa Chen, another influencer with F1 fashion focused content, says brands are focused on targeting female fans even at
grand prix through collaborations with F1 teams and F1 influencers.
MARISSA CHEN, INFLUENCER: I think a great example would probably be the activations that you see as a fan at a race. One example being last year I
went to the Vegas GP, that was the first one that I went to, and there were honestly plenty of activations there that I think were focused on bringing
in female fans. One of the ones I can think of off the top of my head was Elemis, really premiere skincare brand, who is a partner of Aston Martin,
and they did an incredible skincare activation last year at one of the fan zones.
And this year they took it a step further and had this incredible like beauty suite for fans to visit at a Nordstrom close to the track. And so I
think there's definitely brands who are, you know, taking note of the female involvement and they know how to get women fans excited about the
sport when they're at those events.
[10:55:12]
GHARAGOZLOU (voice-over): Women may be watching and working in Formula 1 in greater numbers than ever, but what about participating? In the past 50
years, only five women have taken part in the official F1 practice sessions, and only one managed to start a race way back in 1976. The
Formula 1 Academy is a women-only race series that aims to help young female drivers progress up the ladder to F1.
Carmen Jorda, a former racing driver, is the head of the Alpine Team F1 Academy Program.
CARMEN JORDA, ALPINE TEAM F1 ACADEMY: Well, we all drive, right? All women, we drive. So I will say that the women that like speed and adrenaline, I
think that's the sport to join. F1 Academy is a championship that women race against women and it's the best platform right now in motorsport to
empower women and have them racing in their best categories.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, that does it for this edition of CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Thanks so much for your company. Do stay with CNN. "ONE
WORLD" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
