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Connect the World
U.S., Russia and Ukraine Hold Peace Talk in Abu Dhabi; Outrage Over 5-Year-Old Boy Detained by ICE; CNN Investigates Military Operation to Capture Maduro; Major Storm to Hit Much of the U.S. with Ice and Heavy Snow; Disinformation Amid Iran's Communication Blackout; Climber Attempting to Free Solo Taiwan's Tallest Skyscraper; Deal to Secure TikTok's Future in the U.S. Finally Sealed. Aired 10a-11a ET
Aired January 23, 2026 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:33]
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD.
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome to the second hour of the show from our Middle East programing headquarters. I'm Eleni Giokos in Abu
Dhabi, where the time is just after 7:00 in the evening.
Right here in Abu Dhabi three-way peace talks are underway as we speak. Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. are talking together for the first time since
the war began nearly four years ago. Also today, as more information slowly comes out from Iran, the U.N. Human Rights Council holds a special session
on the recent protests and subsequent violent crackdown by authorities there.
And most of the U.S. is bracing for a potentially catastrophic ice storm. At least 10 states have already declared a state of emergency. What it
means to travel into the East Coast. And also in a matter of hours, a famous climber will trade rock for glass. What Alex Honnold's record climb
of a skyscraper live on Netflix says about the future of extreme sports as entertainment.
That's all coming up.
After nearly four years of often brutal warfare, could a deal finally be near to the end of fighting between Russia and Ukraine? There is a
significant diplomatic first happening right now here in Abu Dhabi. Negotiators from the U.S., Ukraine as well as Russia are all sitting down
together. And these trilateral talks happening after what the Kremlin calls an exceptionally substantive and constructive meeting in Moscow between
Russian president Vladimir Putin and U.S. president Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Right. Paula Hancocks is here with me in studio, as well as Nick Paton Walsh in London standing by.
Paula, good to see you. I mean, the UAE wants to essentially be seen as a mediator in this long running war. Is there a potential for a breakthrough
here? What are the signs that we're seeing?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Eleni, I think the fact that they are all sitting down together is significant. I don't think anyone is
expecting a breakthrough at this point. As you mentioned, the UAE positioning itself as the mediator. There's a precedent for this. We know
that just last year there was a prisoner exchange deal between Ukraine and Russia that was mediated here as well. So I think what the UAE offers for
this is obviously a fairly secretive process. You're not going to have protests here. You're not going to have doorstepping. So it is a chance for
the sides to sit down together, which -- and it's significant that they will be sitting down together. As you say, the first time since the war
started back in 2022.
Now we understand it will -- it is ongoing at this point. Potentially it will go into Saturday as well. We heard from Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin
spokesperson, that if needed, it will go on until tomorrow. We don't know for sure at this point. When you look at the delegations on the Russian
side, it's largely a military delegation. It seems a far more diverse delegation when it comes to the Ukrainian side.
We know that there are diplomats. There's intel agencies represented within there and negotiators as well. President Zelenskyy said that he has sat
down with his delegation. He says they, quote, "know what to do," and he's going to be in constant communication with them. But when it comes to
whether there will be a breakthrough, I think very few hold out any hope for that, given the fact that even though there is only one issue left on
the table, it is a significant one.
GIOKOS: Yes, and that's territory, right? That's the point. And at what point do they decide that they pull the plug on the talks in those ends?
So, Nick, maybe you could shed some light on this. And as Paula says, importantly, territory is, I guess, central to all of this, and it's the
Donbas region. Any signs of concessions from either side that you're anticipating?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: No. In short. And the latest more public reading we got of Ukraine's position
essentially where they got to with their American counterparts was they were countenancing potentially some sort of discussion about maybe
territorial swaps if put to a referendum. But that seemed to extrapolate from basically a starting position, which was if there is peace, then the
front lines will stay as they are.
[10:05:01]
And quite clearly, the Kremlin still wants to see the rest of Donbas region, that's Donetsk region, given back to them, about 20 percent of that
area, without a fight. And that is the Kremlin starting block essentially. We have seen no real, it seems, way in which those two positions can be
bridged, although there have been some suggestions the Ukrainians might retain control of that area, but call it, quote, "a free economic zone."
And that's a fig leaf. It wouldn't really result, it seems, in Russian occupation. That's the real issue here. And so when Steve Witkoff says
we're talking about only 10 percent left to sort out, and one key issue, this is the reason why Russia invaded, to take territory. So it's utterly
key. And it does seem hard to bridge.
Now we've seen, it seems over the past days, quite a lot moving and certainly the meeting between President Zelenskyy and President Trump at
Davos, everyone described as going well. So the potential that the febrile atmosphere around Greenland might sort of bleed into Trump's relationship
with Ukraine, always very chaotic, frankly, over the past year or so. That didn't realize so that went relatively well for Zelenskyy.
He kind of scolded many of his European allies for not grasping the nettle more directly of the Greenland issue and the issue of their own
geopolitical futures. But in these particular talks, it seems when Zelenskyy announced these first trilateral meetings in the Emirates
yesterday, he may have caught the Russians off guard. It's unclear how advanced they were in agreeing to that. They certainly have sent their own
delegation.
It's different to the one they sent to previous talks. Kirill Dmitriev, the economic representative and the key Kremlin adviser, is there to talk
economy. It seems with Witkoff, he's been a key interlocutor over the past months. But the head of the full delegation is the head of Russia's
military intelligence, the GRU, Igor Kostyukov. Now, he's clearly a big player in Russia. But in his first role as leading a delegation.
And I think that sort of switching up we've seen from the Russians where they change personnel is at times intended as something of a delaying
tactic to kind of wind the clock back perhaps to zero. Or you might argue that somebody of Kostyukov's gravitas from the GRU is potentially going
there to speed things up. It doesn't really appear that that is the case. The Witkoff meeting with Putin yielded very little signs of public,
immediate progress, and we still have this huge issue of territory to be resolved where the important parties, Ukraine and Russia, are far apart.
Even Trump said there's ways to go. And I think what Zelenskyy emerged from with Davos was a sense potentially of confidence. A lot of messaging from
European leaders about how incredibly difficult this war is becoming for Russia. Alexander Stubb of Finland talking about the 34,000 dead Russia had
endured in December alone, so startling, I think, how we're beginning to see Ukraine claw the narrative back to some degree, and maybe even catch
Russia off guard by saying this trilateral summit was going to happen when we had, in fact, heard that on the record from the Kremlin previously.
GIOKOS: Right. Nick Paton Walsh, thank you so much for that update. And Paula Hancocks for us here in Abu Dhabi, thank you so much for monitoring
that important meeting.
Right. In the U.S. state of Minnesota, hundreds of businesses across the state are closing their doors today as part of protest against the massive
immigration operation there. It comes as there is growing outrage over ICE detaining a 5-year-old boy along with his father, both in the U.S. on a
pending asylum case. There are conflicting accounts as to exactly how and why the boy was picked up by ICE officers.
CNN's Priscilla Alvarez picks up the story from here.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are learning more about the circumstances around the detainment of a 5-year-old child and his father in
suburban Minneapolis earlier this week. Now we're still trying to get answers as to what exactly unfolded. But according to the family's lawyer
as well as school officials, when the apprehension occurred, the mother was in the household wanting to have her son with her, the father asking that
she not open the door to federal immigration agents, fearful that she too would be taken into custody. And then he, with his son, took custody and
was taken later to a detention facility in Texas.
Now again, we are still trying to seek additional answers as to everything that unfolded here, because the Department of Homeland Security has
disputed that account. And in a post on X this morning has said that their law enforcement took care of the child at the time. Quoting here, "Got him
McDonald's and played him his favorite music to comfort him."
Now fast forward after that encounter, and what we do know is that the father and the son are at a facility in Texas that is intended for migrant
families. Now, I have reported on this facility extensively.
[10:10:01]
There are hundreds of migrant families that have gone through there, and many of those families, particularly under this administration, have
similarly been plucked out of their daily routines in the United States and then placed there while they continue their immigration proceedings or face
potential deportation. Children at this facility range from infants to teenagers. And there have also been reports of poor conditions in the
facility.
Again, the administration has disputed that. But similarly in court documents said that they are continuously trying to improve the conditions.
And to give you a picture as to what this looks like, well, this is a facility that's designed to house families again. It has a series of beige
trailers with dedicated spaces for a library, gym and classroom.
But all the same, it is so striking for the children in particular, who had been living in the United States to be in this type of detention setting,
even with those -- with library and gym available to them because all the same, they are in detention setting. And that is what advocates and
attorneys have long been warning of and have been concerned of in this case.
Now, as for the immigration history of Liam and his father, we do know that in December of 2024, they presented themselves at -- with U.S. Customs and
Border Protection. They used what was known at the time as the CBP One app. That meant that they had an appointment to present themselves, after
vetting could be cleared, paroled into the United States, therefore released into the United States, and then would continue in this case to
apply for asylum.
What is unclear, however, is if there was a point in which that asylum was terminated or found to be ineligible, were still asking those questions as
to why, for example, the administration targeted the father in this enforcement operation. So again, we're still trying to get answers here.
But what we do know is that this family did come to the United States in December 2024, was, as the family's lawyer has said, doing everything by,
quote, "the right way." And now the father and the son find themselves in this facility in Texas for migrant families. Back to you.
GIOKOS: All right. Priscilla Alvarez there for us.
I want to bring in David Schultz for his analysis on this. He's a constitutional law expert and a professor at Hamline University in
Minnesota.
Great to have you with us, David. I mean, I want to talk about this 5-year- old boy. And frankly, these images of him being detained, spreading around the world. We are hearing differing views from Vice President Vance as well
as the boy's family.
From a legal standpoint, what are you reading into this?
DAVID SCHULTZ, NATIONAL EXPERT IN CONSTITUTIONAL LAW: What I'm reading into it is a few different things we're seeing at this point, is that first, can
ICE stop and arrest somebody on the street if they have a warrant to be able to stop somebody? Yes, they can. If they suspect they are -- they have
probable cause, they've committed a crime, yes, they can do that. However, based upon the facts that we're hearing so far, there was no good reason
why they should be stopping and detaining this 5-year-old boy in terms of there was like no warrant or anything for them. So that raises some
troubling questions.
But I think there's a broader problem that we're finding here right now also is that ICE in a recent memo of theirs basically asserted also the
authority to be able to enter houses, to be able to apprehend people. And the general rule in the United States under the Constitution is they can't
do that.
GIOKOS: Yes. It's a really good point. I want to get into warrants and the legalities around that memo that ICE can, you know, do -- conduct a home
raid requiring only an administrative warrant versus a judicial warrant. Tell me about the differences there and how that changes the calculus.
SCHULTZ: OK. An administrative warrant is not signed by a federal judge, and it merely says that ICE, in this case, ICE agents are directed to go
apprehend somebody on the street if that person is actually suspected for, let's say, violating immigration law or something like that. So, but on the
other hand, a judicial warrant has to be signed by a federal judge and the only way that a federal judge can issue that is if the government shows
that there's a probable cause that a particular person is wanted because of suspecting for breaking the law.
This is also important because subject to incredibly minor circumstances there, ICE cannot use force to enter a house, cannot basically push them
away into a house. This is part of our Fourth Amendment. And this right of protection against warrantless searches is about as firmly etched in U.S.
history as you can possibly get. And it goes back to what British history. So the general statement here is that if you want to arrest somebody in
their house, you have to have a judicial warrant signed by a judge, issued only upon probable cause that they need to do a search.
[10:15:07]
GIOKOS: OK. So you mentioned the Fourth Amendment. Does it contravene Fourth Amendment rights? Because there's a lot of talk about whether it
does or doesn't.
SCHULTZ: Well, the Fourth Amendment is the basic right against individuals and their personal property and effects from being searched without a
warrant. The presumption in the United States is that you need a warrant in order to be able to search people. This is kind of the broader protection
of limits against government arbitrary action and a right to privacy. And again, as I was pointing out here, is that the general presumption is
especially in your house, you need to have -- the government needs to have a judicial warrant signed.
Now, on the street, if the police observe you committing a crime, I don't know, let's say you hit somebody, you shoot somebody or something, can they
of course arrest you at that point? Yes, they can. But again, in general, you cannot stop people, you cannot detain them, even on the street, unless
you have some reason to believe they've committed a crime. And the assertion by ICE in terms of especially here is clearly contrary to
existing law.
GIOKOS: OK. So the immigration crackdown that we've seen in terms of the frequency and I wonder, I want you to give me a sense of how difficult it
is to get a judicial warrant because if the basis of what ICE is doing is to arrest the worst of the worst, it should be easy to secure a warrant.
But I'm wondering whether, you know, that kind of makes sense, given the frequency in which ICE is operating.
SCHULTZ: Well, that's a really good question here, because I'm actually in Minneapolis, St. Paul, sort of in the center of where everything is
happening right now. And there was a press conference yesterday in which the local media was trying to ask ICE officials, well, who are you
arresting? How many and so forth like that? And they're not being forthcoming in terms of any of this information, even though ICE is
asserting and saying it's the worst of the worst.
What I mean by that, if there truly are criminal warrants for them, they should be able to easily be able to go to -- let me put it this way. If
they are criminals, they should be able to go to court and get a judicial warrant for the arrest to be able to do that. But again, given the fact
that they're not being clear regarding who they're going after, and again, look at that 5-year-old, there's no way that there's a criminal warrant at
all for a 5-year-old at this point.
GIOKOS: All right. David Schultz, great to have you with us. Thank you so much.
Ahead on CONNECT THE WORLD, CNN takes a deep dive into the U.S. operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and the extreme risks
involved, plus, warnings are in place as a major storm heads to the eastern half of the United States. How the weather is already affecting travel.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:20:02]
GIOKOS: Venezuela's assembly has given initial approval to a plan that would allow foreign companies easier access to the country's oil industry.
It's the latest move by the government there to meet the demands of U.S. president Donald Trump. The proposed reform would allow foreign companies
to manage oil fields at their own risk, as well as cost. The president of the national assembly explained the reasoning behind the plan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JORGE RODRIGUEZ, PRESIDENT, VENEZUELAN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY (through translator): We have said this on several occasions, I have heard it many
times from President Nicolas Maduro, and it has also been heard from acting president Delcy Rodriguez. Oil beneath the ground is useless. What good is
it to say that we have the largest oil reserves on the planet if conditions from the blockade and sanctions, to cumbersome elements in the legislation
itself prevent an accelerated process toward production, toward increasing oil production, and we need to do it and do it now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: The proposal now faces a second round of debates in the assembly before it can be adopted into law.
All this happening in the meantime in the wake of President Nicolas Maduro's capture earlier this month by U.S. forces. A new CNN analysis
shows that extraordinary risks were taken to seize Maduro.
Katie Polglase takes a deeper dive into the operation and how it unfolded.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATIE POLGLASE, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These ghost- like figures are U.S. helicopters on a mission to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Now CNN has found the operation's success came
down to two critical minutes of extremely high risk, according to a review of eyewitness videos from the scene. Two minutes in which experts say U.S.
forces were effectively sitting ducks landing in and lifting off from Maduro's compound.
We modeled out the area, analyzed helicopter flight paths and synchronized key videos to understand how the U.S. successfully infiltrated a heavily
fortified military compound despite the danger involved. First, you can see Chinooks, a U.S. helicopter used to transport troops flying into the area
from the south. Their arrival is met with a barrage of Venezuelan anti- aircraft fire.
Within seconds, more helicopters, this time Black Hawks and attacking aircraft, are seen arriving and circling overhead. They release intense
fire. U.S. General Dan Caine later described this as multiple self-defense engagements. At least 100 people died in the overall operation, Venezuelan
authorities have since claimed. And aftermath pictures hint at the deadly cost. Blood on the ground, large burnt areas and blown out cars.
Two of the riskiest moments of the U.S. operation are visible in the videos we're going to show you next, a Chinook coming in to land, a point when
U.S. forces are at their most vulnerable. Then you see a Chinook taking off. You see it again in this video as it's gaining altitude. Then a second
Chinook takes off around 20 seconds later.
We then searched for exactly where these helicopters were taking off from, using identifiable geographical features like this building in the
foreground and this dark hillside behind. Our analysis indicates it took off from this location. It's within Fort Tiuna, one of Venezuela's biggest
military complexes. Satellite imagery taken the day after the operation reveals minor damage to these roofs, too minor to be a direct attack, but
possibly the result of a helicopter hovering overhead.
Where Maduro stayed in Fort Tiuna was previously undisclosed, but CNN's analysis gives the most definitive picture yet of where he was that night
and his likely residence. Past videos show the former president seemingly at home at this location. He was inside a building here in 2024. That
building was converted into a large white complex last year, and he was over here in July sitting outside having coffee.
As the Chinooks take off from this location, attack helicopters can be seen circling overhead and firing to protect the Chinooks as they depart. We
spoke to a former member of the U.S. Air Force's elite special warfare team, Wes Bryant, about this critical fighting.
WES BRYANT, RETIRED MASTER SERGEANT, U.S. AIR FORCE: Clearly, you know, I think this was the best move to land right on the compound because the key
here was, of course, speed and surprise. But it was also the timing. They needed to get in and out as quick as possible.
POLGLASE: How many of the helicopters in this operation would be landing right on the compound?
BRYANT: I would say likely up to two.
POLGLASE: So if it's just one or two helicopters, is there a chance that Maduro could be on board?
BRYANT: There is a chance, absolutely. I mean, he would have been on board one of those Chinooks.
POLGLASE (voice-over): Bryant believes the operation was ultimately quite lucky.
BRYANT: I think it largely had to do with the element of surprise. It's not going to happen again. You know, this seamlessly, by any means. And it
could have gone entirely differently. Just one small factor could have flipped the coin on this.
[10:25:05]
POLGLASE (voice-over): As he awaits trial, Maduro's fate still rests in American hands, a fact both extraordinary and intensely controversial.
Katie Polglase, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Right. In response to CNN's findings, U.S. Southern Command said it had nothing further to add beyond General Dan Caine's comments on January
3rd.
Right. In the meantime, we're tracking a historic storm threatening the eastern half of the United States. More than 230 million people are under
weather alerts for a triple threat of snow, ice and extreme cold over the weekend. Travel disruptions on the roads and cancellations at airports are
already being felt.
We've got CNN's aviation correspondent Pete Muntean joining us now from Reagan Washington National Airport just outside the U.S. Capitol.
Pete, always good to see you. Tell me, how are people planning around this and how severe is this storm expected to be? Are you going to be trapped
there?
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: You know, today is going to be pretty manageable. What's that?
GIOKOS: Are you going to be trapped?
MUNTEAN: Say the last part again, Eleni? You know, I don't know. We'll see. I mean, probably. This is airport -- the D.C. area doesn't deal with snow
very well because we don't get it all that often. This is going to have a pretty big impact when it comes to air travel, not only here in the U.S.,
but also for international flights coming into the U.S. and leaving the U.S. because the path of the storm includes some major hubs for the
airlines.
Today, pretty manageable for the airlines. Tomorrow going to be much, much worse. Here is the departures board at Reagan National Airport. Right now
not a lot of cancellations here. And FlightAware says there are about 400 cancellations in the United States today. Tomorrow, though, the real main
event. Just check FlightAware, 1400 cancellations in the United States on Saturday.
That includes some huge international hubs. Dallas-Fort Worth, one of the biggest hubs for American Airlines, 60 percent of all flights there have
been canceled. 50 percent of all flights preemptively canceled. Dallas Love, Southwest Airlines' major hub. Oklahoma City, Nashville, Memphis,
Atlanta, all on the list. And the numbers there are rising all the time.
Here's what airlines are doing. They're offering something called travel waivers, meaning that you can preemptively change or cancel your flight
essentially free of charge. Some airlines are already rebooking passengers like Delta Airlines onto other flights, but any way you slice it, this is
going to have a really big impact. And when large hubs are impacted, that means the deck of cards for airlines can really come tumbling down.
So this is going to have an impact nationwide here in the U.S. What airlines are doing right now is they're repositioning planes out of the
storm's path, and they're bringing in extra workers to try and help alleviate some of these problems when this storm does ultimately hit their
staffing up on deicing crews, they're staffing up on crews to be in the airport and also in their operations center.
The whole hope here, Eleni, is that when this storm finally does move off, they can get things back to normal more quickly, although that's clearly
going to take some time. And the temperatures here in the United States below zero Celsius, some of the highs here in D.C. next week, we're talking
22 degrees Fahrenheit for some of the big days after the storm. So it's not like it's going to melt very quickly.
Airports are pretty well equipped to deal with this, although it depends on the place and some of the places that are in the storm's path, not the most
snow savvy, so we will see.
GIOKOS: Yes, it sounds pretty scary. It also sounds like airlines are doing what they can to take measures. Pete, and everyone else going to be
affected by the storm, please stay safe and of course stay warm. We'll see you soon, Pete. Thank you.
All right. We've got more CONNECT THE WORLD right after this short break. Stick with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:31:30]
GIOKOS: Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Eleni Giokos. Here are your headlines.
Negotiators from the United States, Russia and Ukraine are meeting today here in Abu Dhabi. The first trilateral talks aimed at ending Russia's war
on Ukraine are coming after U.S. president Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Russian president
Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The Kremlin called that meeting exceptionally substantive and constructive.
A 5-year-old boy has become one of the latest children caught up in the Trump administration's immigration crackdown after he and his father were
taken by federal agents outside their Minneapolis area home. The family's attorney says they applied for asylum in December 2024 and came to the U.S.
from Ecuador legally. The boy and his father are being held at an immigration facility.
A historic storm is threatening the eastern half of the United States. Icy buildup could cause long lasting power disruptions for more than 200
million Americans. Major travel disruptions on the roads, as well as airports are expected all weekend.
It's been two weeks since protests in Iran were crushed by security forces calling for an end to the crackdown. The United Nations Human Rights' chief
says thousands of people, including children, were killed in what he calls brutal repression. As Iranian authorities shut down the internet, social
media was flooded with video, some of it, disinformation. Verifying what's happening inside Iran has become a battle of its own.
Our Leila Gharagozlou has the story for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEILA GHARAGOZLOU, CNN PRODUCER (voice-over): As millions of Iranians remain offline amidst an unprecedented communications blackout imposed by
the government, an information vacuum is emerging.
Layla Mashkoor is the deputy director of research at the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Lab. They study and track A.I. generated media and any
attempts online to shape public perceptions of certain activities and narratives, both by state actors and non-state actors.
LAYLA MASHKOOR, ATLANTIC COUNCIL DIGITAL FORENSIC RESEARCH LAB: The activity on the ground is very much taking place under the cover of this
internet blackout, and that creates a fertile ground for actors who want to create the dominant narrative, to shape public perception, to then fill
this information vacuum with their own narratives, their own claims, their own stories. And so we've observed a surge in bot activity and A.I.
generated visuals surrounding both the protest and the ensuing crackdown.
GHARAGOZLOU: Nilo Tabritzy is an open source verification journalist at the "Washington Post." She is one of the many journalists combing through the
videos we see coming from Iran, working to verify them.
NILO TABRITZY, VISUAL FORENSICS REPORTER, WASHINGTON POST: Internet connectivity is really crucial to how we do our work. It's how we connect
with eyewitnesses inside the country. It's how we maybe get visuals that aren't necessarily shared on social media. And it's how also we sometimes
can verify different videos that we're seeing.
GHARAGOZLOU: So how do open source journalists verify videos trickling in from Iran?
TABRITZY: One will look for, you know, any signage in the background of a video. Can I find it on satellite imagery and match up the other visuals
that I'm seeing in the video with other available material? We also look for instances where there are several angles of the same incident covered.
So one viral image that started in these protests was of people sitting down, you know, doing a peaceful protest while there were lines of security
forces on motorbikes.
At first, some people thought that this was A.I. enhanced, but once we saw it from multiple different angles, we were able to, you know, feel good
about the veracity of the video.
GHARAGOZLOU: Like Mashkoor, Tabritzy also has concerns over A.I. manipulation. She points to two instances of viral images from the current
protests.
[10:35:07]
TABRITZY: One, there is a low res photo that was verified of a security force with a Kalashnikov with an automatic style weapon in Tehran. This
image was shared. Also a version of that was shared that was A.I. enhanced, so it was still the same truth of, you know, there's a security force with
this type of weapon, but the image just made it look more dramatic. And I did see that dramatic image being shared, the manipulated one, as well, at
the Kahrizak Forensic Center, the morgue where people are coming to claim, you know, the bodies of their loved ones killed by the state, there was one
image of a woman standing amidst a sea of bodies.
It's a really shocking image. That image is real. It's been verified. We can see it from, you know, it was also in a video. There's an A.I.
manipulated version of it, which just adds a couple more rows of bodies onto the image. So just, again, it dramatizes the image that we're seeing.
GHARAGOZLOU: Amid the deluge of information, Mashkoor from the DFR lab says that they're seeing two competing narratives emerge, one from Iran's allies
and one from its adversaries.
MASHKOOR: There's not enough information to say with certainty who is behind this recent activity, but it is interesting that Iran's adversaries,
such as the Israeli government, are sharing A.I. generated images that falsely depict the protests in order to promote these anti-regime
narratives. And so we're seeing state actors very actively engaged in the online conversation, actively sharing an A.I. depictions and falsehoods.
On the other side, we're also seeing Iran's allies, such as Russia, using its own state media and its own influence apparatus in order to promote
narratives that the U.S. and Israel are behind the unrest.
GHARAGOZLOU: While state actors look to spread disinformation, the target often is the average news consumer. And while open source journalists are
working to verify videos, it does take a lot of time.
TABRITZY: Sometimes it can take three four days to verify one video. It's a very time intensive process, and the other part of it sometimes there's
videos or images that we can never verify. There may not be enough features in the background for me to be able to verify it. So sometimes there's
really important pieces of evidence that we just cannot verify to the standards that we need to.
GHARAGOZLOU: How do you suggest people combat that disinformation?
MASHKOOR: It is very difficult to combat. And so it's really important for people to take a step back and to think critically about what they are
seeing online, to try to verify things with multiple sources and to try and find authentic on the ground updates.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: All right. Thank you to Leila for that brilliant report.
Roham Alvandi is a professor and director of the Iranian History Initiative at the London School of Economics, and joins us now from London.
Thank you so much, Roham, for joining us. We've seen some of the harrowing images and just how brutal this crackdown has been. And as parts of Iran
are starting to get reconnected, you cannot hide behind blackouts. How are you defining and characterizing what the Iranian regime has done?
ROHAM ALVANDI, DIRECTOR, IRANIAN HISTORY INITIATIVE, LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS: Well, it's beyond words really, isn't it? I mean, it's horrific.
We have seen thousands killed in the last few days and weeks. And the regime itself is only too happy in a way for Iranians to see that in order
to instill fear and in order to maintain control. But in historical terms, what we're seeing in terms of bloodshed in Iran is on a scale that Iranians
are not used to.
GIOKOS: Yes.
ALVANDI: I mean, just by way of comparison, during the revolution in 1979, something in the order of maximum 2,000 to 3,000 people died and we've seen
probably double that, if not more, you know, just in the last week or so.
GIOKOS: Yes. Yes, Roham, and we're learning more, as I said, as we're starting to hear more stories out of Iran. I want to refer our readers to
something you've written in an article and you say this. "Iran's regional position has never been weaker. Its ability to project power abroad has
been virtually eliminated with the loss of its axis of resistance. It has suffered a series of humiliations at the hands of Israel and the United
States, while the 12-day war in June in 2025 has left the country dangerously vulnerable to further attacks."
And it's really important to note that the United States and President Trump says an armada is on its way. But at the same time, regional leaders
have dissuaded the United States from attacking Iran. Why do you think that is?
ALVANDI: Well, they're caught in a bind. I think on the one hand, they really would shed no tears to see the Islamic Republic gone.
[10:40:06]
It's a regime that's tried to export its revolution over the last 30 or 40 something years, 47 years, but without much success. But on the other hand,
of course, if there is a regional conflict, if the Trump administration or Israel decide to attack Iran, it's highly likely that the American bases in
Bahrain and Kuwait and Qatar and Saudi Arabia would be targets for Iranian retaliation. And they certainly don't want, you know, those Gulf countries
don't want to be drawn into some kind of regional conflict in the Persian Gulf.
GIOKOS: So I think there's been a lot of questions about whether we'll see regime change, what happens next. I think the United States has had a bad
experience with the ousting of Mossadegh, and then the installation of the shah, and then the revolution. What's your prognosis of potentially what
could play out here? And then, of course, you've got Pahlavi as an opposition figure of sorts.
ALVANDI: Well, it's quite a contrast with 1979 when you had Jimmy Carter as a president of the United States pursuing a policy of human rights and
encouraging the shah to carry out a liberalization policy in Iran, which slowly unraveled his regime. This time around, you have the Trump
administration, President Donald Trump threatening military action, giving ultimatums to the supreme leader in Iran, moving military assets into the
region.
But, you know, Trump is a very unpredictable character, and he has a tendency to sort of raise the stakes before he's going to enter into any
kind of negotiations. You know, we have an expression in Persian that says (speaking in foreign language), you know threaten death so they'll be
satisfied with a fever. You know, and I have a feeling that this is what is coming. Some kind of saber-rattling followed by some form of negotiation is
probably what we're going to be looking at.
GIOKOS: Roham Alvandi, great to have you with us. Thank you so much for your insights today. We appreciate you taking the time.
Right. And still to come on CNN, no ropes, no safety equipment and the eyes of the world watching. We have details as Netflix prepares to livestream a
climber scaling Taiwan's tallest skyscraper with, by the way, no safety net. We'll explain after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:45:00]
GIOKOS: Welcome back. So the big question is, has reality TV gone too far? That's a question some people are asking ahead of an upcoming live stream
by Netflix. Viewers are set to watch free solo rock climber Alex Honnold attempt to be the very first climber to scale this, the tallest building in
Taiwan, and one of the tallest in the world. Notably, it's all without the aid of ropes or safety equipment. "Skyscraper Live" will begin streaming
live on Netflix in just a few hours' time.
Wow. I want to get more with this. We've got Brian Stelter with us.
Brian, good to have you with us. I won't be attempting this. I suspect you will never attempt this. This is pretty scary. I mean, give me a sense of,
like, the considerations that Netflix would have taken to live stream something like this given the risks.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Right. Number one, I'll tell you the business rationale here, and then we can get into the actual physical
endurance that's going to happen with this climb.
GIOKOS: Yes.
STELTER: Netflix has been expanding around the world for years, getting into live streaming around the world. You know, broadcasting fights,
broadcasting sporting events. And this is another one of those examples of a big live global event, 8:00 p.m. Eastern. So it's prime time for American
audiences. And I know I'm probably going to watch every minute of this, but it's in the morning in Taiwan and in much of Asia where people will be
glued to this as well.
So it really is a global event that Netflix is pulling off. It's a test of their technology given that so many people will probably tune in. But most
importantly, it's a -- test, excuse me, for Alex Honnold, who has done many of these climbs, you know, he's done this many times on mountains, on his
famed for the film "Free Solo," the 2018 documentary about climbing in Yosemite, El Capitan.
But he says this is very different to be climbing a physical structure. For one thing, they're a lot steeper. You know, this building is a lot steeper
than most rock climbing -- most rocks, most mountains he's climbed. And he has talked about the physical endurance being the biggest part of this
challenge. It's not about any single part of the climb. It's just the sheer scale of the building that he's going to be climbing in a few hours.
GIOKOS: Yes, I mean, it's pretty scary. And of course, notable, that building is very shiny. There seems to be no grip. I mean, it's really
fascinating. But it definitely takes things to another level in terms of what is possible in the realm of possibilities. The bigger picture here for
Netflix and how it just ups the ante of what consumers could get access to.
STELTER: Yes, that's a good point. I mean, growing up, I remember magicians, you know, live specials on television networks where you would
have these magicians performing amazing feats, big dramatic stunts. There were usually some ways out. There were usually some asterisks. There were
usually some protective features in place. One of the whole points of this study is that Alex is not going to be wearing a harness. He's not going to
have ropes. He's not going to have any safety gear.
That's how this is being advertised by Netflix. And of course, it is his choice to go ahead and do the climb. But there is some reporting that
Netflix is going to put this on a 10-second delay, and that there is going to be some sort of precaution for Netflix in terms of the live stream, if
something does go wrong. Of course, there will also be viewer discretion and all that. But let's be honest, a lot of viewers are going to be tuning
in precisely because it is sensitive, because it is scary.
They want to see Alex achieve this feat. And he has said, by the way, that about every eight stories or so there are -- there's a version of a
balcony. So there's a real challenge for about 100 feet at a time. Then there's a chance for him to breathe, then another 100 feet he has to go.
And he's made the point in interviews that he has practiced many times. There's a plan for this. The whole point of doing this live around the
world for everyone to watch is that he's executing on a plan that he's conceived and practiced for months.
So that makes this more interesting in some ways also. It's a lot, you know, I would say actually, not unlike the Winter Olympics coming up in a
couple weeks. But this of course is different in other ways because it is one man, one moment and no safety gear. And like I said, that's what's
going to make it more appealing for some Netflix fans, but also a lot more controversial, a lot more provocative for that reason.
GIOKOS: Yes. It is. Absolutely. Well, we're rooting for Alex and wishing him all the best. Yes. Good luck.
All right, so, Brian Stelter, thank you so much for joining me on the story.
All right. I want to get you up to speed on some other stories that are on our radar right now. The U.S. president is once again criticizing NATO
allies, claiming allied troops, quote, "stayed a little back from the front lines in Afghanistan." Trump has repeatedly claimed that the U.S. does not
get enough out of the transatlantic alliance.
Donald Trump says he's withdrawing his invitation to Canada's prime minister to join his Board of Peace. Canada had indicated it would join
with conditions. The board originally meant to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza was unveiled in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday, with the charter
draft, which does not reference Gaza.
[10:50:07]
The U.S. says it completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization, a long standing goal of President Trump. Officials say the
United States will continue to work with other countries on global health issues outside of the WHO framework, CNN has reached out to WHO officials
for comment.
All right. We're going to a short break. I'll be back right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: Well, the deal on TikTok is done. The app has now established a majority American owned joint venture to run its U.S. business, which
includes MGX, an Emirati backed investment firm. The leadership team was announced just one day before President Trump's deadline for the app's
American assets to be spun off from Chinese parent company ByteDance.
CNN's Kristie Lu Stout has the story for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: TikTok is officially staying in the United States. The popular Chinese app has sealed a deal for a new majority
U.S. joint venture. And U.S. President Donald Trump lauded the deal.
In a post on Truth Social, he thanked his Vice President J.D. Vance, his administration and the Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying this, quote, "I
would also like to thank President Xi of China for working with us and ultimately approving the deal. He could have gone the other way, but didn't
and is appreciated for his decision," unquote.
This comes after years of uncertainty. It comes after Trump tried to ban the app back in 2020 over national security concerns and after a law was
passed and signed by then President Joe Biden in 2024 that required the U.S. version of TikTok to be spun off from ByteDance, its Beijing-based
parent company, or face a U.S. ban.
Now, in a statement that was released on Thursday, the new group said this in regards to national security. It said, quote, "The majority American-
owned joint venture will operate under defined safeguards that protect national security through comprehensive data protections, algorithm
security, content moderation and software assurances for U.S. users."
Now the joint venture plans to retrain TikTok's algorithm on U.S. user data. Now the U.S. tech giant Oracle will oversee storage of Americans'
data. So the user experience on the app is not likely to change for Americans but the algorithm which controls what videos are served, that
could shift.
Now TikTok is one of China's biggest high tech success stories. It has over 1.5 billion users worldwide. In the U.S., it's used by more than 200
million people. And the core of its success is its A.I.-powered algorithm that keeps users hooked to their smartphones. It's also why TikTok was
threatened with a ban in the first place. U.S. lawmakers have been concerned that China could use TikTok to spy or conduct influence
operations on Americans.
Now TikTok in the U.S. will still have links to China. Beijing-based ByteDance will still manage the TikTok shop, as well as advertising and
marketing.
Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: So a bit of good news. We want to inform you that if you want to see Harry Styles' upcoming tour in the U.S., you'll need to go to New York.
The much anticipated "Together, Together Tour" includes 50 shows, but only in seven cities. All 30 U.S. states will be at New York's Madison Square
Garden. The other stops will be in Amsterdam, London, Sao Paulo, Mexico City, Melbourne, as well as Sydney.
[10:55:04]
The tour to support Style's upcoming fourth solo album kicks off in May, and ticket sales start later this month.
And some of the biggest names of the fashion world and beyond have gathered in Rome for the funeral of late fashion designer Valentino Garavani. Anna
Wintour, Tom Ford, Elizabeth Hurley and Anne Hathaway were among those attending. The funeral took place at a church designed rather by
Michelangelo in the 16th century, filled with admirers of the man who has dominated fashion for decades.
His gowns, known as sophisticated, flattering as well as flamboyant, were a favorite for actresses walking the red carpet. With Valentino's death, the
world loses an icon who was once dubbed "the last emperor of fashion."
Well, that's it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up next. From Eleni Giokos, have a fantastic weekend.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
