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Connect the World
Afghanistan and Pakistan Exchange Cross-Border Strikes; Nearly Blind Refugee Found Dead After Border Patrol Release; U.S. Embassy in Israel Allows Non-Essential Staff Departure; Vance and Oman's Foreign Minister to Discuss Iran Nuclear Talks; UK Labor Party Loses Manchester Stronghold in By-Election. Aired 9-10a ET
Aired February 27, 2026 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Well, Bill Clinton is testifying later today for U.S. lawmakers in New York. This is as part of
an investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. 09:00 a.m. there. It is 06:00 p.m. in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson. You're watching "Connect the World" from
our Middle East programming headquarters.
Also coming up, a flare up of deadly violence between Pakistan and Afghanistan as the two countries exchange cross-border strikes. Serious
questions being asked following the death of a nearly blind refugee in Northern New York. Stock market in New York opens about 30 minutes from
now, and worries about a potential conflict with Iran.
And a lot more on that as we move through the next couple of hours. AI fears new inflation data due enough to send stocks lower in futures
trading. I just want to bring up the oil price for you, take a look at these numbers, trading significantly higher today, pricing in a potential
strike.
Perhaps there's a premium in there. And we will do more on that as the diplomatic track remains open, of course, but many around this region
really fearing that, that door may be closing. We're going to get back to these markets on the open in New York about a half hour from now.
I want to start though tonight with a flare up of deadly violence between Pakistan and Afghanistan. You know nearly heavy gun fire in this video
released by Afghan forces, both sides trading shelling and mortar fire, and Pakistan launched air strikes. It says targeted Taliban defense facilities
in Kabul and elsewhere.
Pakistan's Defense Minister saying his country has declared, quote, open war on Afghanistan. Hospitals inside the country, taking in the wounded,
terrified survivors are speaking out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're breaking our fast in the tent while fighting started. After that, heavy weapons were used and the fighting intensified,
something fell, and I thought it had landed on top of our tent. My wife's hand was injured badly in that incident, and my nephew was injured too, and
both are now lying in the hospital in critical condition.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, this can be traced back to last weekend when Pakistan bombed what it claims were militant camps inside Afghanistan, excuse me,
killing at least 18 people, including women and children, according to Afghan police. Nic Robertson is standing by with more.
Nic, just get us up to speed on exactly what we understand to be going on here.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, this is part of an uptake that's been a steady uptake over the past couple of years in
tensions between the government in Islamabad, Pakistan and the government the Taliban government in Kabul, Afghanistan.
The Pakistani military did have air strikes on what it said were TTP, which is the Pakistani Taliban at their base camps inside Afghanistan. And this
is sort of where the tension comes between the two countries at the moment. That was last Sunday, as you say, and that the Pakistani government did,
because they had had an uptick in Pakistani Taliban, based in Afghanistan, attacking the Pakistan border military positions.
But what we have witnessed overnight. Last night is really an escalation of that in reaction to the Sunday strike the Afghan forces, Afghan government,
Taliban forces attacked the Pakistan border. Pakistan then up scaled and had air strikes against the Afghan government military facilities in Kabul
in Kandahar.
This is a marked contrast to last October, when this type of cross border violence spiked. Back then, when the Pakistani military struck inside
Afghanistan with air strikes, they were striking Pakistani Taliban TTP targets.
[09:05:00]
The perception in Pakistan at the moment is that the TTP is being hosted by the Afghan government. This is something they won't withstand from each
other. The Pakistan defense minister has declared this is all out war. The Afghan Defense Minister said, any actions we will retaliate against.
And I think that's where things stand this evening, if there are major border operations by the Afghan military, or, frankly, by the TTP against
Pakistan. It is very likely that the Pakistani military will respond with air strikes.
ANDERSON: So yeah, and I think that's the point here, isn't it? And before I let you go, I mean, this is a significant escalation, the consequences at
this point and where this is headed are unclear. What's the worst-case scenario here, Nic?
ROBERTSON: The worst-case scenario is these burns bright for the next few days and similar for years and years and years to come. And the worst-case
scenario is that there will be an uptick of suicide bombing in in Pakistani civilian areas, because this has been one of the methods by which the
Pakistani Taliban have operated to target inside Pakistan.
Look, there is diplomacy on track here, and I think we shouldn't underestimate the power of that. The Foreign Minister of Qatar has spoken
with the foreign minister in Kabul, Taliban Foreign Minister today you've had the Turkish Foreign Minister speak with the Pakistani Foreign Minister.
Pakistani Foreign Minister has also spoken with the Saudi Foreign Minister, and they have a very strong military alliance. Let's not forget that at the
moment. I think everyone here is looking for a diplomatic off ramp, and the latest we're hearing is that the Turkish Foreign Minister is talking for
Qatari Foreign Minister.
They've both been talking to the opposite side in this, of course. So, discussions there. So, a diplomatic off ramp is what people want. Russia
has said it's concerned about the situation. China said it's concerned about the situation. But the fury and anger on the ground is real.
This is part of a much longer ongoing dispute, where, essentially, Afghanistan is housing a militancy, a large one that has access to former
U.S. weapons to attack inside Pakistan. So, absent some real big diplomacy and some real strong agreements between the two countries, it will run, but
probably at a lower level.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you, Nic. Thank you very much indeed. And just a note, there have been offers of mediation from Tehran on this. And I want
to move on to Iran and the U.S., the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has authorized the departure of non-essential staff as tensions with Iran grow.
It comes as the source tells CNN that U.S. President Donald Trump has been briefed on potential military operations Iran over its nuclear program. The
U.S. and Iran set to continue nuclear talks in Vienna next week. They wrapped up discussions in Geneva on Thursday, with signs of progress, but
no major breakthrough.
More U.S. military forces are on route to the region. Firas Maksad is the Managing Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Eurasia Group. He
joins us now live from Toronto, Canada, where he is today. Look step back for a moment. 24 hours ago, Iran and Oman making some positive remarks
after talks wrapped up in Geneva yesterday.
The Omani Foreign Minister saying that significant progress was made, and the Iranian Foreign Minister echoing that sentiment, Firas. Now
negotiators, as I've said, are expected to continue technical talks next week in Vienna. From what you hear and what you read, where do you feel
this round of talks have gone and how serious are they?
As we certainly hear the ratcheting up of concern around the region, what I am about the potential for a U.S. strike at this point.
FIRAS MAKSAD, MANAGING DIRECTOR FOR THE MENA AT EURASIA GROUP: Good to be with you again, Becky. Couple of points here. First, I'd say that both the
Iranian and the Omani Foreign Ministers are having high stakes in these talks continuing. So, it's not entirely surprising that they would put a
positive spin on what has been very limited progress in these talks so far.
Every round that we've had these talks in Geneva, both the Iranian and Omani side have come to highlight the positivity of limited progress. Not
so on the American side. The American side is very sober, if we're to go by the reporting of "The Wall Street Journal".
The American negotiators came in with maximalist demand, still focused on zero enrichment and the export of the highly enriched uranium out of Iran.
The response so far from the Iranian side, from what we know, is somewhat checkered. They demand that they keep some level of enrichment, even if
it's a token level.
[09:10:00]
There is that reactor at Tehrani University that was given to the U.S. -- given to Iran by the U.S., under the Atoms for Peace program before the
Shah. That might be sort of the way to square that circle of the Iranians being able to have some nominal enrichment left and they're still not there
in terms of exporting that highly enriched uranium.
Their proposal is at least partially based on diluting that uranium and keeping it in Iran. So, the bottom line here is that the progress is too
limited and the issue is too focused. We're only talking about nuclear. President Trump, Secretary Rubio only two days ago, again highlighting the
importance of progress on the ballistic missiles, not to speak of also the proxy.
For all those reasons, the view is that this is unlikely to culminate in a diplomatic off ramp, the kinetic option, military option remains the base
case for what is likely to unfold.
ANDERSON: What does that mean for the region where I am. You are well sourced around this region we are seeing. A lot of mediation, a lot of
sorts of statements posted on social suggesting there's an awful lot of calls going on and back channeling at this point. What's your sense of the
view from the Gulf, first and foremost?
MAKSAD: Well, from the get go, Becky, there's been a lot of concern in the GCC in the Gulf states about possible blow back against not only just U.S.
military installations in these countries, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, even. But also, the possibility that the Iranians might retaliate
against energy facilities.
And we've seen that at least the Saudi seem to have ramped up the production of oil in anticipation of a possible emergency situation. So,
the concern is real, but the administration has really moved in the past week or so to ramp up the military presence in that part of the world and
to reassure its Arab Gulf allies about its readiness and its commitment to their defense.
So, I would say, while the concern is still there, a lot of the back channeling taking place between the GCC and the U.S. has alleviated some of
those concerns. I would also add, if I may, that I don't think that we're talking enough about the possibility of an Israel-led operation.
There's a very good chance that this might ends up, end up being a replay of the 12-day war last year, where Israel initiated with the opening
strikes there. The U.S. can very much then, President Trump can very much give the Iranians the option to capitulate on the nuclear program, unless
they want to see the U.S. join that conflict.
That scenario is a very real one, and I think it's one that deserves a lot of attention.
ANDERSON: And I wonder whether that is a scenario that will be discussed between J.D. Vance and the Omani FM who is expected to meet with the vice
president in the States today. Vance has said that he doesn't want to get drawn into a years-long conflict in this region.
And has said that he doesn't believe a U.S. strike on Iran would get the U.S. drawn into the very type of conflict that President Trump so often
criticized. Retired General Mark Milley, President Trump's former chief of staff, said back in 2019 that a short war is a myth, saying, quote, more
often than not, war is much longer, much more expensive, much bloodier, much more horrific than anyone thought at the beginning.
It is important that the decision makers assess the use of force and apply the logic we've learned over the years. War should always be the last
resort. I wonder, to your point, about us not talking enough about the potential for a kinetic strike, not from U.S. assets in region, but from
Israel, which is always, of course, a possibility given what happened several so months ago.
Do you believe that we are seeing decision makers making -- do you believe we could see decision makers making strategic mistakes like they did with
Iraq by thinking a war with Iran could be short?
MAKSAD: Absolutely and these voices are within the administration and around Washington. General Milley is obviously no longer in the
administration, but you could sense that there is skepticism, concern on the military side of the equation in D.C. The various scenarios that can
play out in contingency planning, very much being put forward to President Trump as he considers this.
J.D. Vance, in particular, the vice president is known within the administration to be ringing the alarm bells. He is much more hesitant
about military action. I would say he's much more in tune with the America First wing of the MAGA movement. And so, his comments are no surprise
either.
I think a scenario where Israel leads, is one that potentially poses less risk from a U.S. perspective, and therefore President Trump can welcome
that.
[09:15:00]
And I think we have to keep in mind that in Israel, support for military action against Iran's ballistic missile is wall to wall across the
political spectrum. It's not just the prime minister, it's also the opposition leader, Yair Lapid. They view this as a historic opportunity, a
time when U.S. military muscle is marshaled across the region in defense of Israel.
Should decide to commence such military action. So, any way you slice it, Becky, whether this is U.S.-led, Israel-led or Israel only.
ANDERSON: Yeah.
MAKSAD: The chances of military action in the days ahead are quite high.
ANDERSON: Well, I think you're making some really good points about that wall-to-wall support for action on Iran, across party lines in Israel is a
point very well made. And we are seeing that in a very noisy way across social channels, and certainly have done over the last couple of weeks.
It's always good to have you. Good luck with whatever you're doing in Toronto, Canada. And we will see you, I hope, in region at some point very
soon, but we'll speak to you before that. Thank you. We're also following talks aimed at ending Russia's war in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the fourth round of trilateral peace talks will most likely happen here in Abu Dhabi next month, as early,
possibly as next week. Last week's trilateral meeting in Geneva didn't reaches any breakthroughs. There are still major sticking points to work
through, including which country would control the Eastern Donetsk region and guarantees of Ukraine's post war security.
Well, happening today an historic legal showdown. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton set to answer questions from the House Oversight Committee
about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. He appears in multiple photos with Epstein and flew on his private plane at least 16 times, according to a CNN
review.
His testimony comes a day after his wife was deposed for more than six hours. Important to note, the Clintons are not accused of any wrongdoing in
connection with Epstein. CNN's Annie Grayer is live in New York for us. And it's good to have you, Annie. Hillary Clinton spent 6.5 hours behind closed
doors.
Ostensibly, although there are some leaked photos and video of her insisting, she had no knowledge of Epstein's crimes and frequently
referring questions to her husband. What were the most significant moments or tensions that we got from that and what might we expect today?
ANNIE GRAYER, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, Hillary Clinton said herself, she's never met Jeffrey Epstein. So, she said she found the deposition to
be very repetitive, because she said, you know, I don't know how many times I could answer that. I don't know Jeffrey Epstein, so I couldn't answer
those questions and that --
And she also said multiple times that you'll have to ask my husband, referring to Former President Bill Clinton, questions. So that is opening
up more lines of questions for Democrats and Republican lawmakers today, but Clinton met behind closed doors with Democrat and Republican lawmakers
for over six hours.
It was not the format she wanted. She fought for months to try and prevent this from happening. She wanted to submit written testimony, but was forced
to by cave to the demands of Republicans on the committee when Democrats and Republicans were going to hold her and her husband in criminal contempt
of Congress.
She had been preparing for days with her lawyers to hunker down, to trying to answer these questions to the best of her knowledge, and plan lines of
attack in response, because she there's a long history of Republicans going after the Clintons, and she argued that Republicans were targeting her for
political purposes.
But today, Former President Bill Clinton, we're expecting it to be a very long day. His deposition will also be videotaped and transcribed, but we
are not expecting to get that material right away. And he actually does have a long-documented history with knowing Jeffrey Epstein, and there's
bipartisan interest in in learning more about that, Becky.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you, and we will report on anything we get from that deposition as and when we get it of course. Annie, thank you. Well,
the CEO of the World Economic Forum, Borge Brende has resigned, following an independent investigation of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
The Former Norwegian Foreign Minister, reportedly attended three business dinners with the late sex offender in 2018 and in 2019 as well as
exchanging emails and text messages. At least one of those dinners took place in Epstein's New York home just weeks before he was arrested in
federal child sex trafficking charges.
Brende has said he was unaware of any criminal activity, but regrets not looking deeper into Epstein's history.
[09:20:00]
Well, Brende is just the latest in a growing list of resignations linked to uncomfortable revelations about ties to Epstein, from former princes to
CEOs of some of the world's most powerful firms. You can check out the full list of Epstein related resignations on our digital platform.
And on "Connect the World" you're watching CNN with me Becky Anderson. A nearly blind refugee found dead days after being dropped off alone by U.S.
Border Patrol. That story is just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well across Europe, U.S. diplomats are aggravating their host countries, including in France and Poland and in Belgium. The three cases
show the move from traditional practices to the use of social media and for Washington to involve itself in the political processes of other countries.
As our Melissa Bell now explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The most undiplomatic of diplomacies, American Ambassadors in France, Belgium and
Poland, at odds with their host countries. In Paris, Charles Kushner, Jared Kushner's father briefly banned from access to the French government after
failing to turn up when summoned.
PASCAL CONFAVREUX, FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON: To summon an ambassador is completely part and parcel of diplomatic grammar, and so
sometimes, when you have ambassadors who are not carrier diplomats, it can lead some incomprehension.
BELL (voice-over): In Poland, it was the U.S. Ambassador himself who cut ties with the Speaker of the lower house of parliament after he'd spoken
out against giving President Trump the Nobel Peace Prize. And in Belgium U.S. Ambassador Bill White keeps weighing in to an investigation into
circumcision practices in Antwerp's Jewish community.
Most recently tweeting the case should be immediately dropped, although he did at least turn up to the foreign ministry when summoned.
PIERRE VIMONT, FORMER FRENCH AMBASSADOR TO U.S.: The American foreign policy has a very strong ideological content nowadays, and one should not
be surprised that it is there. But on the question of interference in domestic politics, I think it has to be put very strongly to the American
side that this is not what diplomacy is all about.
BELL: Ambassador Kushner entered the fray of a political domestic controversy after official U.S. comments suggesting that far left violence
was on the rise here in France. In a furious response, the French Foreign Minister replied that France had no lessons to learn from the reactionary
international.
BELL (voice-over): The killing of a young far right activist in clashes with the far left a few weeks before local elections had deepened political
divisions in France, even before the United States weighed in.
CONFAVREUX: We are allies. We are not aligned, which is always also something that helps us to tell the truth, or what.
[09:25:00]
What we think is our truth to our allies.
BELL: Something the foreign minister is expected to tell Ambassador Kushner face to face when the two men meet again, it is expected in the next few
days. Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, Melissa Bell reporting there from Paris. Serious questions being asked today, following the death of a nearly blind refugee in the
north of New York, Border Patrol agents took 56-year-old Nurul Amin Shah Alam from a jail on February the 19th, after he was released on bond for
various charges.
When they determined he was not eligible for removal from the country, they dropped him off alone at a coffee shop. Alam was found dead days later,
about four miles from the shop. Local officials are now demanding an investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN RYAN, BUFFALO MAYOR: The Border Patrol officers had no protocol of what to do with the disabled man who doesn't speak English, who is confused
and lost. And you know what they did? They dropped them at a closed coffee shop. That's why we do not cooperate with I.C.E. Homeland Security and
Border Patrol.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And my colleague, Priscilla Alvarez, has a closer look now at the case and the calls for an investigation.
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The death of a nearly blind refugee in Buffalo, New York after U.S. Border Patrol agents dropped him off at a
location has prompted calls for an investigation into his final days, and also drawn intense scrutiny from local officials.
Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a 56-year-old refugee from Myanmar had been missing since February 19th. His body was found five days later. Now, leading up to
that, he had spent much of the previous year in custody awaiting trial on criminal charges that were ultimately resolved with a misdemeanor plea.
Now, according to his family, this had stemmed from a misunderstanding with police in February of 2025 in that incident. Shah Alam had been out for a
walk and was using a curtain rod as a walking stick when he got lost and wandered into private property, and there had an encounter with police
officers.
Now, Shah Alam, also, according to the family, speaks very little English, but he was released from jail last week after his bond was posted. It's
unclear who posted that bond. However, U.S. Border Patrol had lodged an immigration detainer against him and had taken him into custody until they
determined that he was a refugee who arrived in December of 2024, and he was not eligible for removal.
Now, in a statement U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson described the events that happened thereafter, saying Border Patrol agents
offered Mr. Alam a courtesy ride, which he chose to accept to a coffee shop determined to be a warm, safe location near his last known address, rather
than be released directly from the Border Patrol station.
They go on to say he showed no signs of distress, mobility issues or disabilities requiring special assistance. Now I am also told by sources
that Border Patrol agents were able to discern where he wanted to go or asked to go -- by using a translator program, and that he was offered an
opportunity to make a phone call and declined to do so.
Now part of the concern here is what happened after he was dropped off, and in those five days that he was missing until his body was found. Now, the
Erie County medical examiner said they conducted an autopsy and it was determined to be health related his death, and they ruled out exposure and
homicide.
But his family is also saying that they were never notified that he had been dropped off at that location. The question as well is whether there
had been any notification from the county jail that he had been transferred into federal custody.
All of these issues are being raised as part of these calls for an investigation into what exactly happened between the period that he was
discharged from the county jail, was in federal custody and then missing before he was found. Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, Washington.
ANDERSON: Well, let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories that are on our radar right now. And a Columbia University student who was
detained from a residential campus building by I.C.E. without a warrant has been released from custody. University said agents use false pretenses to
enter the building claiming they were searching for a missing child.
Homeland Security denies the misrepresentation. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labor Party suffered an embarrassing defeat in a part of Greater
Manchester it had dominated for almost a century. The left-wing Green Party's Hannah Spencer won the parliament seat in what is known as a by
election.
[09:30:00]
This follows weeks of political turmoil for calls -- with calls for Keir Starmer to resign. Well, that's the news out of the UK coming up here on
"Connect the World" with me Becky Anderson. We are just hours away from the Pentagon's deadline for Anthropic to lift its AI safeguards, but there is
no sign of a resolution inside.
We'll look at that, and the other business and tech headlines up after this, which is, of course, the opening bell on Wall Street. We're going to
take just a short break. Let those markets settle. The future, certainly indicating a lower open by about 1 percent across the board. We'll take a
look at those numbers after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Right, welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson. Let's have a look, see how the U.S. stock markets are getting on at the open and that is the
picture. It's not a pretty sight, is it? I mean, we have these U.S.-Iran talks extended into next week, and uncertainty prevails.
And it is no surprise when you take a look at the oil markets that they are doing this at present, some near 3 percent up and Brent and a similar
amount on WTI. Officially, those talks extended into next week. Unofficially, it has to be said there is some real concern around this
region where I am that we may be looking at strikes from either the U.S. or Israel at this point.
No clear indication of where we are at, both on the diplomacy or on the military moves next. Keeping an eye on that for you. We are following two
major AI stories of enormous consequence, Block. The company behind Square Cash App and after pay, led by Twitter Founder Jack Dorsey, is laying off
40 percent of its workers because of advances in AI.
There you see it. The stock surging on the news. It is a high-profile example of a company choosing to replace thousands of workers with AI. And
the clock ticking on the Pentagon's deadline for Anthropic the American AI giant is about 7.5 hours to give in to the Pentagon's demands for full
access to its technology, or face being effectively black listed from business with the Pentagon.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amedeo says his company cannot, in good conscience, accede to threats from the Pentagon standing firm on two red lines, these
are they that their Claude AI system will not be used in autonomous weapons, nor for the mass surveillance of U.S. citizens.
[09:35:00]
Well, a Pentagon official involved in negotiations responded by calling him a liar with a god complex. More on that as we get it of course. Paramount
Skydance is the apparent winner of the months long bidding war to acquire Warner Brothers Discovery, or WBD, the parent company of CNN.
I want to get straight to CNN's Chief Media Analyst, Brian Stelter, Netflix, CEO who had of course, been running for part of WBD, not the part
that included CNN, he had a meeting at the White House right before what was their surprising back track. Just explain for our viewers, who may not
be as across this as others, what's happened and what went down?
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Yeah, well, it's possible that Netflix hit a proverbial brick wall at the White House yesterday. We do not
know for sure, Netflix is not commenting on this aspect, but what we've learned in the past year with President Trump back in office is that M&A,
Mergers and Acquisitions are running through the Oval Office.
Trump is taking a very personal interest in big business negotiations and dealings, and instead of having his Justice Department independently review
deals, he has been personally involved. He said he would be involved in the Netflix deal, although he later back tracked on that claim.
And we know that although Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos did not meet personally with the president yesterday. Sarandos did have meetings of
Justice Department officials and did have meetings at the White House. Sarandos was then seen leaving the White House with a glum look on his
face.
You can read into that what you will. Netflix officially says the reason why it is backing away is because it believes Paramount is overpaying for
WBD. Paramount willing to pay $31 per share for a company that was valued closer to $10 a share this time last year. So, from the WBD board
standpoint, this has been a huge victory.
This bidding war has extracted an enormous amount of value. But now there are big questions about Paramount going forward. Paramount's financing has
been under scrutiny. It's a highly leveraged company, lots of debt, but Paramount believes it will be able to get this deal for WBD approved in the
coming months.
I'm told, probably in the fall, definitely by the end of the year, that's a sense of confidence I'm hearing from Paramount. And if it does go through,
then there are big questions about what Paramount will do with Warner Brothers, with HBO, with CNN, and we can get into that.
ANDERSON: Yeah. I mean, let's talk about that. Why is Paramount so intent on getting what is the much, much bigger entity that is WBD?
STELTER: Yeah.
ANDERSON: And what do we believe will happen to its parts?
STELTER: Well, I don't want to insult the possible future owner of CNN, but let's just be honest about it. Paramount is a pretty small fish in the
pond. It's up against really big fish, like Netflix, like Apple, like TikTok, like YouTube. So Paramount CEO, David Ellison, looks around he
believes he needs to get a lot bigger, and that's why he's trying to swallow up WBD, trying to add Warner Brothers and HBO to his arsenal.
So, you see this, you know, this effort by this media mogul to size up, to scale up, and so far, he has been successful. As of yesterday, with Netflix
backing out. Ellison has the inside track now to gain these assets. You're going to see that means two movie studios, a Paramount and Warner Brothers,
coming together that likely leads to consolidation and layoffs in the industry.
It could also lead, you know, to innovation technologically with HBO Max and Paramount plus coming together. As for CNN, Paramount executives have
privately talked about their appreciation for CNN, how it has a big news gathering machine and global reach.
They've also talked about the prospect of combining CNN with the CBS News Division. But you know, both CNN employees and viewers, they have serious
concerns about whether Ellison will uphold the News Network's editorial independence given the severe political turbulence going on right now.
Ellison has tried to cozy up to President Trump in recent months. On the other hand, Ellison donated to Joe Biden's reelection campaign. That
suggests a certain amount of willingness to shift as necessary in the political environment. And Bari Weiss is now running CBS News.
She says she wants to restore trust in media, but early missteps by Weiss have added to controversy at CBS. So, I guess I'm trying to say it's
complicated, and we should all see what happens and remain skeptical but open minded about what the possibilities are. I have a full story about
this up on cnn.com right now.
Laying out why it is so complicated at Paramount right now, because it's a company that, yes, has canceled Stephen Colbert show, but also renewed Jon
Stewart in South Park. So, there's evidence that Paramount is trying to deal with the political winds.
ANDERSON: Yeah.
[09:40:00]
STELTER: But is also encouraging CBS News to continue to produce hard hitting journalism and that's what matters most to people who care about
the news business.
ANDERSON: Take a look at Brian's latest, that is on CNN Digital. Brian always good to have you. Thank you very much indeed. The road to Budapest
is set as teams learn their Champions League route to the final in May. More on that is coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, Champions League draw has been made as teams learn their round of 16 opponents and who they may have to overcome to reach that final
in Budapest in May. Amanda Davies has that on "World Sport". That is up next. I'll be back with more news in about 15 minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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(WORLD SPORT)
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