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2 Killed in Abu Dhabi by Falling Debris from Intercepted Missile; Middle East Faces Consequences of Iran- U.S.- Israel Conflict; Most Iranian Missile, Drone Attacks Target Gulf Arab States; Iran Responds to U.S. Proposal to End War With 5 Conditions; Big Tech Critics Hail "Social Media's Big Tobacco Movement". Aired 9-10a ET
Aired March 26, 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, they better get serious soon, before it is too late. President Donald Trump warning that time is
running out for a deal with Iran. It's 09:00 a.m. in Washington. It is 05:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson from our Middle East
Broadcasting headquarters.
This is "Connect the World". The stock market in New York opens about 30 minutes from now. In the premarket, futures are lower as oil prices, once
again, are on the rise. Well, get serious soon. Those words directed at Iran today from an increasingly frustrated U.S. President Donald Trump,
posting on his social media website that Iran is begging to make a deal to end the war, but not publicly admitting it, he says.
He says if Iran doesn't get serious about negotiations, there will be, quote, no turning back. Here's what he had to say about the state of
negotiations on Wednesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: They are negotiating, by the way, and they want to make a deal so badly, but they're
afraid to say it, because they figure they'll be killed by their own people. They're also afraid they'll be killed by us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, for its part, Iran says the U.S. push for talks amounts to an admission of defeat and that it will end the war at its own time of
choosing. But sources say arrangements are under way, at least for a meeting in Pakistan this weekend, led by Vice President JD Vance.
In the meantime, Israel's Defense Minister says the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy has been killed, Alireza Tangsiri
has played a key role in implementing Iran's near total blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Sources say Iran is fortifying and laying traps on Kharg
Island, the country's critical terminal for oil exports, in preparation for a possible U.S. attack.
And the air assaults continue here in Abu Dhabi, debris from an intercepted missile killed two people. Israel and other Gulf nations also seeing damage
and injuries from Iranian missiles and drones. We've got Matthew Chance with us this hour in Doha. Stephen Collinson is in Washington.
And Stephen, let's just talk about where things are at as far as current thinking in Washington is concerned. Your latest analysis online, you write
about a disconnect that we've been seeing between what the president is saying about ending the war, and what Iran is saying. High stakes poker
here or a growing frustration on the part of the president, is it clear?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: I think I would trend more the latter explanation of this, because there has not been much strategic
now, I think, throughout the campaign from the White House, what I think is very clear is it looks like the president really wants to end this quickly,
because, for the obvious reasons about the damage this is doing and the danger this could spiral into a much more damaging war if he has to send in
ground troops to open up the Strait of Hormuz.
The problem is, is that publicly, at least, the Iranians don't seem to have reached that same conclusion. And I think what's fascinating about the
president's post on Truth Social that you mentioned and his comments last night are that there seems to be a misunderstanding about what this war
really is about.
The U.S. and the White House said this yesterday, wants Iran to admit that it lost because a lot of its military establishment has been destroyed in
U.S. and Israeli raids. And that's true. But they don't seem to understand at least the political figures in the administration that Iran is fighting
in asymmetric conflict.
It has now got this real leverage in the Strait of Hormuz. Everyone knew this was a possibility. Now it has made the theorizing of many years of
foreign policy experts a reality, and it's not going to give it up without getting significant concessions from the United States.
It's not clear to me that the administration has got to that point yet, and that might explain why, while it's talking about negotiations, there
doesn't seem to be any progress whatsoever in even getting towards talks, let alone a ceasefire or an eventual deal.
[09:05:00]
ANDERSON: Let me bring Matthew in here. Gulf nations, of course, have borne the brunt of Iran's attacks. Oh, I'm being told we don't have Matthew at
the moment. So let me, let me do this with you, Stephen. Gulf nations and I'm in the UAE, of course, have borne the brunt of Iran's attacks, after
initially lobbying hard against attacking Iran.
It does now seem like at least the UAE warning against stopping now without getting shipping mobilized again in the Strait of Hormuz without a lasting,
comprehensive solution. Look, you'll be very aware that the UAE is being very forthright in its positioning.
A key number of leaders are in Washington from the Emirates this week, speaking to Trump Administration officials. And I think the point from here
is open the lens. I heard -- who said, with the Minister of State speaking to this point earlier on today, open the lens. You know, this isn't just a
U.S., Israel war with Iran.
Everybody is involved, not just these Gulf nations, but the rest of the world, stopping now to a degree with a ceasefire, will just end up sort of,
you know, working through this sort of cycle of escalation de-escalation for years to come. I wonder what you make of that and how that will land
with the Trump Administration.
COLLINSON: Yeah, and I think that's the exact problem that President Trump has opened up. This started off as a trilateral war, the U.S., Israel and
Iran. What Iran has been able to do by closing the Strait of Hormuz is to make this a regional and a global crisis, and that is why it's going to be
very difficult for Donald Trump to do what he often does, which is declare victory and walk away just talking to people in the Gulf over the last few
weeks.
They're talking about this war can only end when there is a complete rethinking of security in the region. They have obviously been shown to be
vulnerable to Iran's attacks. Despite all the military hardware that they have been able to repel a lot of these missile and drone attacks.
They need to understand what the relationship with Iran will be going forward. It's not really sustainable for them or their economies, or their
hopes of developing further into this global nexus of travel and tourism and entertainment and sports and everything else, to have the threat of
renewed hostilities with Iran hanging over their shoulder.
And this idea that the Israelis and the Americans can go back and mow the grass, as they call it, the Israelis taking care of Iranian, rebuilding of
missiles every six months or every year or so. That's not a sustainable position for those countries in the Gulf, I think. But yet again, I think
there's a lot of understanding about that in Washington through the foreign policy community.
I'm sure, in the Pentagon and the intelligence agencies and on Capitol Hill, but the lens through which the White House sees this conflict is very
narrow. They believe they've won. It's time for Iran to surrender, and they want to walk away and move on to something else.
ANDERSON: It's really interesting what you're hearing very much reflecting what I am hearing in this region, Matthew, let me bring you in, in Doha, I
think we've got your shot now you're in Qatar. Stephen speaking there to what he's heard about this sort of rethink as far as sort of strategic
defense, what the Gulf looks like with its neighbor, Iran.
You know, Qatar, some 40 miles, sorry, Kuwait, for example. And Qatar, to a degree, you know, we're just talking about tens of miles away, across the
Persian Gulf, from Iran, this real belligerent now, as far as this region is concerned. What are you hearing about, sort of current thinking around
the Gulf?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, it's, as you well know, it's not a monolithic block when it comes to the attitude
of Gulf States towards Iran, there are countries within that group of nations, like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain that are much
more hard line in terms of the Islamic Republic than countries like Qatar or Oman, which are obviously very important states in the Persian Gulf
region, but have a much better relationship with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
And are, you know, inevitably, trying to sort of take a much more conciliatory line. And so that's a really important difference, I think,
which we can't overstate. But I think all of the Gulf states are united in the concern, the fear about what might come next.
[09:10:00]
We're looking at a potential deployment of U.S. ground forces, how they would be used. There's a lot of speculation they could be used to take over
or occupy Kharg Island, which is that important Iranian island in the north of the Persian Gulf, which is 90 percent of Iranian oil goes through it.
There's also talk about sites on the Iranian mainland, on the Coast of the Persian Gulf, being taken over as well, or being attacked by U.S. ground
forces. And that's all very well, but it's what Iran will do in retaliation, and it has vowed to retaliate against the neighboring Gulf
states, if that sort of thing happens.
And these Gulf states, like Qatar, for instance, have massive energy infrastructure that is incredibly delicate, incredibly sensitive to the
global economy, for the global economy, and incredibly hard to rebuild if it's destroyed. There was an attack last week on the Ras Laffan gas
processing facility here in Qatar, which is the biggest gas processing facility in the world, and it sent shock waves through the international
markets.
Now, if that were to happen on an expanded scale or in a sustained way, you can imagine the economic Armageddon that would befall not just this region,
but the entire sort of global economy. And so, I think that's what unites the Gulf countries at the moment, this sort of concern and fear about what
might come next.
But there is a difference of opinion about sort of how to get to the best possible scenario.
ANDERSON: Yeah, yeah. Know, very good point. Good to have you both. Thank you very much indeed. Matthew is in Doha. That's an important dateline for
us. Stephen in what is an incredibly important dateline that is Washington.
To both of you, thank you. Ordinary people across the region are feeling the consequences of the war on Iran. Middle East Expert Aniseh Bassiri
Tabrizi is an Associate Fellow at Chatham House, Senior Analyst at Control Risks. She joins me now. Good to have you. We were just talking about Kharg
Island there, which handles some 90 percent of Iran's oil exports.
It's a vital lifeline, of course, to Iran's economy and for its military funding. To your mind and as you assess the statements and you speak to
those behind the scenes in Washington, how serious do you believe U.S. deliberations at this point are about a ground operation on Kharg Island?
And what would that actually look like? And perhaps more importantly, what would it achieve strategically?
ANISEH BASSIRI TABRIZI, SENIOR ANALYST AT CONTROL RISKS: Well, I think we are looking at this operation potentially taking place. Obviously, the mix
signals coming from Washington makes it difficult to interpret what is coming next, but they resemble very much what we have seen so far.
You know, signals of diplomacy, which, in reality, anticipate an attack or an escalation. This is what we have seen in February. This is why we've
seen also back in June, in a 12-day war. And you know, the fact that they have been increased mentions of a potential of from negotiation in
Pakistan.
Seems to be an attempt to buy time and to prepare for this ground operation, which obviously, to me seems like not very well prepared, and
not something that the U.S. Administration had in its cart when the war initially started, but rather something that they feel they have to do now,
because the outcome of the war so far is not going in the way that it was anticipated.
ANDERSON: Aniseh, yeah, U.S. officials are warning of significant casualties. At what point does the military risk outweigh the political
leverage in a war that its critics say didn't have to happen?
TABRIZI: Well, this is a great question. We already know that the pressure from inside the United States is increasing against this war. The public
was not prepared for this war at all. It came pretty much off blank and without any kind of, I would say, concession and green light even from
Congress.
And I think the prospect of, you know, like body bags, which is one of the things that President Trump warned against when he initially runs for
presidency, is something that it's significantly problematic for this administration. And I think this is why it's particularly telling and it
tells us that this kind of trajectory and path that we are seeing in the conflict was far from planned, from far from anticipated.
[09:15:00]
We have heard the president saying multiple times that they didn't really first see Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz, or responding by targeting the
countries in the Gulf. And I feel like they feel like they are trapped. They don't know what's the next move, and they see this as potentially one
that could provide an access strategy, which, unfortunately, I don't think it's going to be the case.
ANDERSON: As we continue to hear this talk of talks potentially over the weekend, Donald Trump has sort of provided this five-day window at the
beginning of the week to see where those talks might go. I want to bring your attention to this "Wall Street Journal" piece by Yousef Al Otaiba, who
is the UAE Ambassador to the U.S.
He writes, and I quote here, a simple ceasefire isn't enough. We need a conclusive outcome that addresses Iran's full range of threats, nuclear
capabilities, missiles, drones, terror proxies and blockades of international sea lanes. His point stopping now without getting an
international coalition into police the Strait of Hormuz, without degrading the ballistic missile program, without understanding what might happen next
with the nuclear file, achieves nothing but the risk of cycles of escalation going forward.
What do you make of that argument?
TABRIZI: I think it is very telling of the tricky position the Gulf countries, and in particular the UAE, of course, they are in. Now the focus
seems, from the U.S. perspective, very much on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, whereas we know that for the Gulf countries, this is obviously
important.
But it's not enough, because if Iran is in a position to continue to be able to threaten the Gulf countries by launching, even sporadically, drones
and missiles to achieve its own deliverables and targets, this is not something that is sustainable from a gulf perspective, it threatens with
the Gulf economy, security and the vision that they have been trying to implement for decades.
So, I think this is a way for the UAE to say that if Donald Trump is seeking to have, you know, a high-level ceasefire, without any sort of
downgrading of the Iranian offensive capability, which, by the way, was one of the set goals initially when the war started together with region, which
is no longer the goal.
Then, without that kind of guarantees and securities and provision of downgrading of Iranian offensive capabilities, the Gulf countries are going
to be held hostage of the Iranian threat, even if the Strait of Hormuz is reopened.
ANDERSON: Yeah. Aniseh, I think, and to your point, I mean, it's not just Gulf nations being held hostage. Here it is the world at this point with
the Strait of Hormuz closed, of course. Tehran has issued a warning to its neighbors here in the Gulf. Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher
Ghalibaf has posted on X saying, quote, Iran's enemies, with the support of one of the regional countries, are preparing to occupy one of the Iranian
islands.
If they step out of line, all the vital infrastructure of that regional country will, without restriction, become the target of relentless attacks.
What's your assessment of that? I guess what I'm asking is, at this point, what do you make of the Iranian posture and rhetoric?
TABRIZI: We have seen so far that whatever the Iranian side has said it will do, they have been done doing it. So, we have seen, like, I would say,
almost tit for tat and retaliation to every kind of attack that has been conducted by the U.S. and Israel. When it targeted civilian infrastructure,
Iranian responded by targeting civilian infrastructure.
And I think what the Iranian side is saying is that if Kharg Island is occupied, what we are doing is going to escalate in turn as well. And by
doing that, they mean targeting civilian infrastructure in a way that damages the oil and gas infrastructure in the Gulf countries, particularly
those who would be allegedly involved in such operation or supportive of such operation.
And again, like the goal is really to increase the cost in a manner that it would deter these countries from even thinking about going down that road,
and if they started this operation to deter them from continuing this operation. And I think they there are signs, at the moment, it seems to be
that they would escalate in a manner that we have not seen and anticipated so far.
[09:20:00]
ANDERSON: Worrying times. Aniseh, thank you. It's good to have you. Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi with us today. I'm going to take a quick break. You're
watching "Connect the World" with me Becky Anderson from our Middle East programming headquarters. It is what just about 20 past five here. 20 past
nine on the East Coast. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, the Iranian tax continues in the Gulf. I just got the latest numbers from the UAE for today. The UAE air defenses engaged 15
ballistic missiles and 11 drones, today, it is Thursday, the 26th. Meantime, oil climbing and global stocks sliding as investors brace for a
longer war and closure of the Strait of Hormuz, rising prices and shortages disrupting daily life in places.
You'll see here the impact being felt on the ground. In India, long lines of auto rickshaws forming as drivers wait hours for fuel. Eleni Giokos
joining us now from Dubai with the very latest. What is moving the oil market today, Eleni?
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's usually really sort of susceptible to any good news from the Trump Administration, and then you'll
see a move to the downside. And then reality sets in once again, because people look at the fundamentals, nothing has changed in the Strait of
Hormuz, you're still, you know, seeing attacks on critical energy infrastructure that has caused enormous damage.
And I refer to Qatar, saying 17 percent of its capacity has been wiped out because of Iranian strikes and then the continued threat. You know what
happens this weekend, when that five-day window, the diplomatic window that President Trump open when that ends tomorrow, what happens over the
weekend?
And we know, usually President Trump escalates during the weekend Monday and tries to bring the markets lower again, kind of, you know, tempering
the concerns. But the concerns are a reality right now. And you know, we've been talking about ADNOC, which is the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.
We've seen strikes on various sites in Abu Dhabi on critical energy infrastructure, the CEO, Sultan Al Jaber, has been very vocal this week in
terms of the impact not only here in the Gulf, but also globally. And he had this to say, Becky, about the Strait of Hormuz and how Iran is holding
the world hostage. Listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SULTAN AHMED AL JABER, CEO OF ADNOC: When Iran holds Hormuz hostage, every nation pays the ransom at the gas pump, at the grocery store, at the
pharmacy, every household.
[09:25:00]
No country can be allowed to destabilize the global economy in this way, not now, not ever. And I genuinely struggle to understand why the world
tolerates what can only be defined as an extortion on a global scale.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: You know, we've seen those images out of India. We've seen images out of Philippines, Thailand as well, where you've got fuel shortages major
concern. Perhaps we're going to look back at this moment, Becky, and describe it as the moment that the energy markets reached breaking point.
So, this is very consequential. If this does continue for longer, you know, what does this mean for longer term inflation.
ANDERSON: Good to have you, Eleni. It's very good point, and we will continue to pursue that narrative. Thank you. Pakistan has offered to host
any negotiations between the U.S. and Iran. Sources tell CNN there is a proposal for officials to meet in Islamabad this weekend. CNN's Ivan Watson
explains why Pakistan could be an ideal venue for negotiators.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Pakistan has a border, shares a border with Iran, and has relatively friendly relations with Iran,
as well as with the Trump Administration. So, Pakistan has delivered from Washington a 15-point list of expectations that the Trump Administration
would want for some kind of a deal with Iran.
As this war continues to rage in its 27th day, with reports of Israel claiming to have carried out a fresh wave of bombing attacks on targets in
Iran, with reports of explosions around several Gulf countries from presumably what are incoming Iranian ballistic missiles and drones that may
or may not have been intercepted.
So the fighting very much continues, but there is this flurry of mediation efforts going on at the same time where not only has Pakistan delivered
this, these kind of Trump Administration points of discussion, but also two senior U.S. Trump Administration officials saying that they there could be
talks here in Pakistan as early as this weekend, with the possibility that the U.S. Vice President JD Vance could attend those discussions.
Iranian officials saying they do not want to talk to the previous American interlocutors. That's President Trump's son in law, Jared Kushner and Steve
Witkoff, the real estate magnate who were involved in negotiations with Iran a month ago, two days before the U.S. and Israel launched their
surprise bombing campaign of Iran.
Now, the Iranian government has sent some very mixed signals. It does say that it is receiving some messages and exchanges of messages with friendly
countries like Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Oman, all involved in mediation efforts between Tehran and Washington. But also take a listen to what the
Iranian Foreign Minister just had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABBAS ARAGHCHI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: I will explain that there are no negotiations, but the fact that the enemy who sought our unconditional
surrender now talks about negotiations, requests talks, and mobilizes its highest officials to negotiate with the Islamic Republic.
This means accepting defeat, so far, the people of Iran, our armed forces and all segments of the nation are truly the winners.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: Now, Iran state funded press TV has published five conditions from Iran for any possible deal, and they would include a complete halt to
aggression and assassinations. The establishment of concrete mechanisms to ensure the war in Iran does not resume a guaranteed and clearly defined
payment of war reparations and damages and end to military operations across all fronts.
And for all Iranian proxies in the region that would presumably include Hezbollah the militia in Lebanon. And quote, a guarantee that Iran can
exercise sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz. And that's really important, because before this war, the sticking points were about Iran's
nuclear program, its ballistic missile program.
Since the bombing campaign of Iran began, Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz and has now imposed conditions for any ships to go through
and made it clear that it is willing to incur tremendous costs on the global economy, with soaring energy prices due to this choke hold, as while
the U.S. and Israel continue to pound and bomb Iranian targets across its country.
[09:30:00]
So that is the leverage that Iran is imposing, leverage that did not exist before Israel and the U.S. began their joint bombing campaign. Very unclear
whether or not these negotiations will, in fact, move forward, but a sign of the increased stakes since the bombing campaign began, you know now that
we're in the fourth week of this war.
ANDERSON: Well, the bell has just run on Wall Street. A new trading day is beginning, and the war, of course, a key focal point for these markets.
We're going to check in on progress after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Wallstreet investors pessimistic about a quick end to the Iran war. We are seeing the same sentiment in the oil markets. Brent crude, the
global oil benchmark, has risen sharply, trading well above $100 on the barrel, 107 there to be precise, only five per cent higher.
U.S. benchmark WTI, is currently trading here at 93 or 94 just shy of 94 higher energy prices, ratcheting up expectations for inflation. The
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development releasing new inflation forecasts, saying price rises in the countries of the G20 which
of course, does include the U.S., could average 4 percent in 2026 that's out from a forecast of 2.8 percent back in December.
I want to discuss all of this with Karen Young, a Senior Research Scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University. I think some
of those numbers, given what we are seeing across some of these G20 countries, including India, for example, I think those numbers are pretty
conservative, to be quite frank.
I mean, we've seen significant increases in the price of fuel, food, stuffs and the like. Karen, as market attention, you know, is squarely focused on
what this five-day deadline of Donald Trump's, which was set the beginning of the week, is likely to sort of, you know, materialize with.
The risk of strikes on Iran's energy infrastructure of course, remain. We still haven't got the Strait of Hormuz open for regular shipping. What do
you make of where we are at this point?
KAREN E. YOUNG, SENIOR RESEARCH SCHOLAR AT THE CENTER ON GLOBAL ENERGY POLICY AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: Well, thank you, Becky. We have been on this
roller coaster, and a lot of it is sort of emotional communication that comes from the White House in attempts to call markets and then we get this
more kinetic activity on the weekends.
[09:35:00]
And I think we've woken up this morning to the expectation that this weekend could be pretty significant, also, that we are not moving as
quickly as many anticipated in terms of getting to a ceasefire. So many of our kind of scenarios and modeling on inflation and on sort of flows
through the Strait of Hormuz resuming and oil prices related to that have been very conservative.
And it's pretty amazing, actually, that oil has stayed in the $100 a barrel range, pretty consistently now for about a month. So, we're still early
into this, but I think people are beginning to realize that this is a conflict that could last for some time, and that, you know, there could be
enduring price effects depending on Iran's capabilities and continued threats through the Strait of Hormuz.
ANDERSON: Certainly, you know, there are those in Washington who would like to see an end to this. It may be that the U.S. President himself wants to
see a sort of, you know, end to this. We are still, you know, yet to find out whether there will be talks for at least a ceasefire in principle this
weekend.
The sort of long tail of this, I think, is what is sort of emerging from what we hear, for example, from the UAE, some of its leaders are in
Washington this week, you know, impressing upon both the U.S. Administration, the sort of wider world, just what sort of impact the Gulf
region is taking with these attacks.
What sort of impact the Strait of Hormuz being effectively closed is having not just on the region where I am, here in the UAE, but for the wider
world. And at this point, the call certainly from the Emirates is, a quick end to this may be entirely unsatisfactory for this region and the rest of
the world without a sort of lasting solution and comprehensive deal.
Question is, you know, what has to happen before that, and how long might that take? Your thoughts?
YOUNG: Yeah, exactly right, Becky, and I was in the room last night when Sultan Al Jaber gave that speech at the Middle East Institute, really
trying to convey to Washington the risk of this prolonged insecurity and threats. And in his words, hostage behavior by Iran, hostage taking
behavior.
And that is a message that Washington needs to hear, because there is still a sense that it can be wrapped up, that Iran can come to the table and
there will be some sort of capitulation. But the Gulf States know that these threats can be enduring. They can be low cost and low-level violence
for a very long time, and that is absolutely the worry.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you, Karen. Thank you very much indeed. I must say, Karen's analysis over the years that I have been here in region and
before I moved here some 15 years ago, has always been analysis I've leaned heavily into. It's always extremely good to have you on.
Thank you. Well, a new era and a "Big Tobacco Movement" for social media, still ahead. What Big Tech's critics hope the impact of a landmark verdict
against Meta and YouTube will be. That live report is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:40:00]
ANDERSON: Social media's "Big Tobacco Movement", a rare and momentous win and a new world, a new era. Just some of how critics of big tech are
responding to Wednesday's landmark verdict in the social media addiction trial. YouTube and Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, were found
liable of intentionally addicting a young woman and harming her mental health.
The verdict could set a precedent for hundreds, if not thousands, of similar cases, though the tech giants say they will appeal. Our Tech
Reporter Clare Duffy has been across this story from the start. She joins us now. You and I spoke about this sort of 24 hours ago. I mean, it was
clear that there was, you know, a real sort of precedent setting moment here, a "Big Tobacco Movement" some are calling it.
Just how far reaching could the implications of this verdict be? And could it push Congress to pass the kids Online Safety Act, Clare?
CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: Yeah. Becky, this could be a real turning point, and I think will be a real turning point for the social media
industry, just at the most basic level, proving the fact that these companies are not immune from being held responsible for the impact of
their platforms on users.
And to your point, history is full of these examples where Congress and lawmakers have failed to pass safety legislation. So, the change comes
through the courts, and I think we're at the beginning of seeing that happen here. This was just the first of hundreds of lawsuits that have been
filed by other individuals and families, school districts, state attorneys general, that now have a road map for how to carry out those cases.
Of course, there's no guarantee that they will all be resolved in the same way, but I do think this could set a precedent for how those other cases
play out. This also tested and proved a new legal theory. For years, these companies have evaded responsibility by using this law called Section 230,
which protects them from being held accountable for the content that users post on their platforms.
But lawyers in this Los Angeles case said no, these companies should be held accountable for their design decisions that they have made as they
built these platforms, and the jury here agreed. Take a listen to what Plaintiff's Attorney Mark Lanier said on the steps of the courthouse
yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK LANIER, PLAINTIFF'S ATTORNEY: There are so many families who have been tragically hurt through the addiction of social media, and we've sent a
message with this that you will be held accountable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DUFFY: Now these companies have said they will appeal. They said they disagree with this decision. So, this could take some time to play out
here, Becky, but we could be at the start of seeing potentially billions of dollars in damages racking up for these companies, but also these companies
forced to make changes to their platforms.
You see on their Meta spokesperson statement saying teen mental health is profoundly complex and cannot be linked to a single app. Google
spokesperson also saying this case misunderstands YouTube, which is a responsibly built stream platform, not a social media site.
So, the company is here pushing back, but we'll see that. We may see future juries, more of the American public finding against the Big Tech platforms,
Becky.
ANDERSON: Yeah, Clare, it's good to have you. Thank you very much. Clare Duffy, in the house. "World Sport" up after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:45:00]
(WORLD SPORT)
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