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U.S.-Israel War with Iran; Iran's Military Threatens Red Sea Shipping if Blockade Continues; Pakistan's Lead Mediator Arrives in Tehran for Talks; Trump Doubles Down on Feud with Pope Leo; Vance Heckled at Turning Point Event; Lebanon Pushing for "Permanent End" to Cycle of War; #MyFreedomDay; Meeting Emilycc, the 24/7 Twitch Streamer. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired April 15, 2026 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Welcome to the second hour of the show from our Middle East headquarters. It's 6:00 in the evening here. I'm
Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi in the UAE.
Momentum for diplomacy building as the U.S. touts the success of its naval blockade of Iranian ports. We'll get you the very latest from Washington
and from Islamabad.
And today marks CNN's 10th annual My Freedom Day. We're going to show you how young people are leading a day of action to raise awareness on modern-
day slavery and human trafficking on all seven continents.
Also ahead, a life spent entirely online. CNN takes a journey with a woman who's been streaming herself nearly 24/7 on the platform Twitch.
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ANDERSON: Well, more than halfway through a two-week ceasefire, there are signs of optimism for a new round of peace talks between the U.S. and Iran.
Sources tell CNN that the U.S. vice president, JD Vance, would lead that American delegation once again. And president Donald Trump himself is
suggesting those talks could happen sometime this week in Pakistan. Once again, he is promising it will all be over soon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: Is this war over?
TRUMP: I think it's close to over. Yes. I mean, I view it as very close to over.
You know what?
If I pulled up stakes right now, it would take them 20 years to rebuild that country. And we're not finished. We'll see what happens. I think they
want to make a deal very badly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, speaking of talks, Iran and the UAE, where I am, speaking for the first time since the start of the war that saw this country, the
UAE, come under heavy attack.
And this is at a very high level. It's the vice president of the UAE, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, speaking with Iran's parliament
speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. We will discuss that throughout this next hour.
Kevin Liptak is back with us from Washington.
I want to start there, Kevin. Donald Trump also expressing quite a bit of confidence in this U.S. Naval blockade. Just break down what we've heard
from him.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Right. And we're now about 48 hours into the blockade that began on Monday. And the president voicing
confidence that it is doing essentially what he wanted it to do, which was to pressure the Iranians into making concessions as part of this proposed
deal to end the conflict.
You know, we heard yesterday from Central Command that 10,000 American troops were part of this effort, dozens of American warships. And we have
seen already, according to Central Command, the U.S. stopped six merchant vessels that had departed Iranian ports and turned them back.
The president this morning talking more about what this effort has been doing. Listen to what he said in an interview on FOX Business network.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: It's been pretty amazing, actually. I thought that was going to happen. They reacted to this even. I think we've obliterated them. And this
almost seems to be more of a reaction than we had before.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIPTAK: So one entity that is voicing displeasure about this blockade is China. Obviously, China is a major purchaser of Iranian oil. It could stand
to lose from this entire scheme. A foreign ministry spokesman saying this morning that it was a dangerous and irresponsible move.
But president Trump seems to believe that Beijing is taking a different attitude. He wrote on Truth Social that, quote, "China is very happy I am
permanently opening the Strait of Hormuz."
He says he's doing it for them. The president in this Truth Social as well, is in that interview claiming that China has backed off a reported weapons
sales to Iran.
CNN had reported that there is an American intelligence assessment that, in fact, Beijing was preparing to sell shoulder-fired anti-missile weapons to
Iran over the coming weeks. But president Trump saying that that's not the case, saying they have agreed not to send weapons to Iran.
And then alluding to his upcoming state visit to Beijing, which is set to begin in about a month. He says president Xi will give me "a big fat hug"
when I get there in a few weeks. I think underscoring the very complicated geopolitics of what's happening now.
[10:05:03]
But also the deadline, perhaps a not-written-down-firmly deadline that the president wants to get this war ended by the time he arrives in China in a
month. Certainly, that's part of why the president is now trying to hurry and get these negotiations back on track, to ensure that this is all
wrapped up by the time he arrives.
ANDERSON: Yes. Trump appearing to justify his war with Iran again by saying that Tehran was close to a nuclear bomb that it would then drop on
the entire region, including here in the Gulf. Have a listen to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: They would have had a nuclear weapon within one month, maybe two weeks. And they would have used it on Israel and the Middle East and they
would have used it on us, too. And not just Israel, by the way; Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, countries that were shocked when they got hit.
You know, these countries were not expected to be hit because they were going after those countries. They were going over to take over the Middle
East. And we stopped them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Can you just give us a fact check there?
And also, when can we expect to hear from the U.S. president next?
LIPTAK: Right. There's no evidence, either in American intelligence assessments or the broader nuclear watchdog community, that Iran was
planning to weaponize nuclear material within a month.
I think it was Rafael Grossi who told you a few weeks ago that there was no indication that Iran was weeks or months away from a nuclear weapon.
It's also a politically questionable claim, given that president Trump had been claiming over the last year that he had completely obliterated Iran's
nuclear program with those earlier strikes back in June on those three critical Iranian nuclear facilities.
And so the president claiming that Iran was a month away from obliterating the U.S. or Israel with a nuclear weapon don't necessarily hold a lot of
water. Now we don't expect to hear from the president today. He doesn't have any public events on his schedule. But that could change.
We also expect to have a briefing from the White House and from the press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, midday today.
ANDERSON: Good to have you.
All right. Let's get you a closer look at that U.S. Naval blockade then of Iranian ports and the broader security picture. Joining me now is Martin
Kelly. He's head of advisory at EOS Marine, part of the EOS Risk Group.
It's good to have you, sir; cnn.com says the blockade covers all Iranian ports inside and outside the strait but not the strait itself, meaning non-
Iranian traffic can still cross.
As far as you can tell, is that U.S. blockade actually in force right now?
MARTIN KELLY, HEAD OF ADVISORY, EOS MARINE: Yes. Good morning, Becky. Thank you for inviting me on the show.
So since the U.S. blockade came into force on Monday, no ships that are in breach of the blockade have successfully exited the Strait of Hormuz and
continued on to their next port of call.
As you mentioned, ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, counting only those with their areas (ph) on, around 30 ships have passed through since
the blockade came into force but the vast majority of these ships are Iranian shuttle fleet, sanctioned vessels or ships engaged in Iranian
trade.
I think it's really important is to understand the blockade. As you mentioned, it's not to restrict vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
It's to restrict Iranian maritime trade, primarily oil trade, in response to Iran effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz.
And so this blockade applies to any ship, tanker, cargo container, which has called on Iranian port since Monday 13th of April at 10 am Eastern
time, regardless of who owns the vessel, the flag or the vessel type.
And so we've not actually seen any physical enforcement of the blockade by the U.S. interdicting ships that have breached the blockade. Several ships,
which have called Iranian ports, were contacted by the U.S. and were forced to reverse their course to the port they came from.
And I think CENTCOM said there were six and many of these were visible in open source sources. The one that springs to mind is Rich Starry, which
everybody saw heading out of the Strait of Hormuz and just abruptly changed course and returned to cashew (ph), where she economy (ph) remains.
And so, in summary, I think while there's been no physical implementation of the blockade, it is effective in the sense that Iranian maritime trade
is restricted. But now we must consider what Iran might do in response to this.
ANDERSON: Yes, absolutely. Meantime, Iran is now threatening to close the Bab-el-Mandab, the strait. The Red Sea has also become critical here,
absorbing flow that frankly can't move through the Persian Gulf at the moment.
Just how strategically vital is that strait at this moment?
[10:10:00]
KELLY: Yes. Well, as you mentioned, Iran has made several threats to do a lot, including attacking shipping across the Gulf, attacking Gulf ports and
threatened to broaden the scope geographically of the conflict into the Red Sea.
As of right now, Iran has not physically done anything in response to the U.S. blockade. But it does have the capability to conduct the full range of
maritime operations, from boardings, seizures, limpet mine attacks, drone and missile attacks and missile and drone attacks against ports.
Now in the Red Sea, conflict in the Red Sea isn't a new thing, especially following the Red Sea crisis from November 2023. The Houthis, which is
Iran's most capable proxy, attacked more than 130 ships.
Now throughout this current Iran conflict, the Houthis have been loud in rhetoric but really quite quiet in action. They only launched a few
missiles toward Israel in the past couple of weeks, not in the early stages of the conflict. And they've not returned to attacking ships.
The Bab-el-Mandab is arguably as important as the Strait of Hormuz, not because of volume -- around 12 percent of global sea trade heads through
the Bab-el-Mandab, compared to 25 percent through the Strait of Hormuz.
But the consequences of diverting shipping from the Red Sea is quite significant. For example, ships heading from Asia to Europe, rerouting
around the Cape of Good Hope, can add anywhere up to 20-22 days onto transit times.
And therefore the cost of fuel increases and flight insurance increases, which ultimately makes its way to the consumer.
ANDERSON: So if the U.S. -- I'll get back to the Strait of Hormuz here. If the U.S. seized a ship linked to Iranian trade, one assumes that the IRGC
would do something in retaliation.
I mean, that's their M.O. right?
So what is the worst case scenario of Iranian retaliation at this point for the shipping industry?
KELLY: Yes. Of course. So let me talk about U.S. interdiction. The U.S. warships are probably not in the Strait of Hormuz, which is where everybody
seems to expect them to be. Any operation will probably take place against ships which breach the blockade in the northern Arabian Sea.
And that gives a little bit of range between the U.S. warships and Iranian missile capability.
Now looking at Iran for a number of years, they are very tit-for-tat in nature. And what that means is if the U.S. was to seize a shipment through
Iranian trade, then we could probably expect the reciprocal of that.
That is, Iran will probably seize a ship in the Gulf or in the Strait of Hormuz. And now, considering the new promulgated transit routes that take
shipping much closer into Iranian territorial waters, it's much easier than it previously was for Iran to seize onboard these vessels.
ANDERSON: A couple of points I just want to raise with you before I let you go. The Fujairah port in the UAE absorbing much of the traffic that
would normally flow through Jebel Ali, which is also in the UAE on the other side of the country.
What does that kind of demand look like on the ground?
And Washington also saying its forces can intercept Iran-linked cargo tens of thousands of miles away.
I wonder how that might change the calculus for shipping companies and insurers operating anywhere near these waters. And I'm talking about sort
of, you know, quite some distance away.
KELLY: Yes, absolutely. There's a couple of points there. So insurance has always been available throughout the conflict. But pre-conflict, rates were
around 0.2 percent to 0.3 percent of the value of the haul.
But now the premium has gone up to somewhere between 5 percent or 10 percent, especially to those ships that have an Israeli or a U.S. nexus.
And when we talk about Fujairah, it's strategically important because it's the UAE's only export terminal which bypasses the Strait of Hormuz.
Fujairah has been a priority target for the IRGC. We saw multiple missile and drone attacks against the refineries and against the pipeline. This is
similar to the importance of Yanbu to Saudi Arabia, which is Saudi Arabia's only export out of the country by avoiding the Strait of Hormuz
ANDERSON: Yes, this is fascinating. And we are seeing these efforts to mitigate what, you know, present a short-term risk but could be a long-term
risk for exports going forward. Good to have you. Thank you very much indeed.
Well, global pressure growing on the U.S. and Iran to come back to the table in Islamabad. That is where our international diplomatic editor, Nic
Robertson, is standing by.
As I understand it, you've got some new information about the Pakistan mediation delegation.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, it seems to have taken a significant step forward. I mean, I would caveat that.
[10:15:00]
And that is if they get results. But Asim Munir, the field marshal here in Pakistan, the most powerful figure in the country, the person who's been
heading the mediation efforts between the U.S. and Iran, has just landed in Tehran.
And there was a briefing a few hours ago at the foreign ministry in Tehran, saying that he was -- that there would be talks between Pakistani and
Iranian officials to try to move forward toward talks with the U.S.
Now the Iranian side, you know, are still holding to their positions. They want a full end to the war. They want war reparations, money for the
damage. They want their assets unfrozen. All those sorts of things are still there.
The key issue and the one that vice president JD Vance pressed on when he left and what he called his best and final offer is, of course, around
nuclear enrichment and Iran's commitment to that.
And what the United States wants to guarantee, that that doesn't happen in the future, the removal of highly enriched uranium, the access of the U.S.
to that highly enriched uranium, the destruction of enrichment facilities at that major level and a commitment to end its enrichment process at that
level.
So these are all, at the moment that it would appear, Iran has to make concessions on. Now we don't know what the field marshal is actually going
to discuss in Tehran. But if it is to get the Iranian delegation back here to Islamabad, that would then bring in the U.S. delegation. It would have
to be some pathway through all of that.
And the Iranians have been talking about this is a full package deal. And I think we got a sense of that at the talks here over the weekend. It's not
just like locking in that one issue and that another issue. It's a whole set of interlocking issues.
You know, the contested issue over whether or not a ceasefire in Lebanon is part of the bigger, broader ceasefire, all of these things are Strait of
Hormuz. But our understanding here is that a lot of the legwork was done over the weekend to bring understanding and a closer mutual position.
So the field marshal now, the pressure, you know, squarely on his shoulders, if you will. If he can convince the Iranian side to make some
necessary moves, then it looks like potentially the mood music here is beginning to sound like there could be more talks in coming days here in
Islamabad.
ANDERSON: Absolutely right to underscore -- you're absolutely right to underscore the significance of the field marshal in all of this, Nic.
We're also learning of the first call between the UAE, where I am, and Iran of this war and of intensive diplomacy between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia,
Turkiye and Qatar underway, to pave, we're told, the path for more peace talks.
I wonder, if you break down the momentum in this regional response right now, I mean, these are countries who, frankly, have not had their voices
reflected in U.S.-Iran talks in the past. They've been heavily attacked during the past 40 days. Getting their voice, getting the leverage of their
voice and opinion at the table at this point is crucial.
Correct?
ROBERTSON: Yes, absolutely. And I think both of us, Becky, have seen the flurry of phone calls that foreign ministry officers have tweeted out from
all the surrounding countries here. And this, if you will, to be the optimist, is the beauty of a ceasefire because the diplomats can get
engaged and their voices can be heard.
The bombs fall silent, the phones start ringing. And that was really apparent a week ago when the ceasefire came into place. So the diplomacy
that that Turkiye can bring, that the Emirates where you are, can bring that Saudi Arabia can bring, that Qatar can bring, these are all voices
that have actually been attacked.
Voices from countries that Iran has actually attacked, less so Turkiye, but missiles were sent there as well, ballistic missiles from Iran. So all of
these countries have been at the receiving end or have been in the crosshairs of Iran's aggression. They all have a vested interest in seeing
a lasting peace.
And it's been proven through 40 days of war that this current leadership regime in Tehran is not beaten, not defeated. They've withstood this so
far. The economy in the region could really tumble from here.
So this really is the moment to grasp for diplomacy and to make the convincing arguments to Iran about a future that is economically viable for
them but safe for the Gulf states here. And they're going to want assurances about that.
[10:20:00]
They are going to want to know Iran is not going to do this again. They're going to want to lock in this comprehensive ceasefire, whatever it is. It's
their future.
ANDERSON: Yes, absolutely. We talk a lot in region about navigating a new Middle East, a Middle East that isn't sort of, you know, month by month,
not by escalation or de-escalation of conflicts. Maybe, as we perhaps are able to look beyond this conflict, we're beginning to see, you know, how a
model might just emerge.
Let's see. Critical times. Always good to have you. Our international diplomatic editor is in absolutely the right place as we watch for these
crucial next steps. Nic, thank you so much.
Next up, the president versus the pope, the unlikely feud that is, again, escalating. We're going to tell you what president Trump had to say on his
Truth Social platform.
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ANDERSON: We're just getting in these pictures of Pope Leo being welcomed at an airport in Cameroon. The pontiff is visiting several African
countries and just left Algeria on the plane to Cameroon. The pope said this visit offers a message of unity and peace that the world needs to hear
now.
This comes amid criticism from U.S. president Donald Trump over his stance on the war with Iran. Earlier, Trump doubled down on his feud with the
pope, posting this on Truth Social.
"Will someone please tell Pope Leo that Iran has killed at least 42,000 innocent, completely unarmed protesters in the last two months and that for
Iran to have a nuclear bomb is absolutely unacceptable."
This, as the U.S. vice president has insisted that a now-deleted post by Donald Trump appearing to depict him as Jesus was a joke. JD Vance also
said the pope was wrong to suggest that Jesus and his followers aren't on the side of those who wield the sword, pointing to an Allied victory in
World War II.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.D. VANCE (R-OH), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think it's very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of
theology.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: I want to talk more about this with Maura Gillespie. She was the press advisor to the former Speaker of the House, John Boehner and is the
founder of Bluestack Strategies.
Maura, as a Catholic yourself, did you ever think you'd see this spat between the U.S. president and the pope?
MAURA GILLESPIE, FOUNDER, BLUESTACK STRATEGIES: Certainly not. I also would you know, I know JD Vance is new to being a Catholic. But he
questioned the pope's ability to talk about theology, is a pretty bold thing to say. And something that we typically would not do. So I would not
recommend that.
You know, I think when it comes to this is the first American pope. And I remember when the announcement came out, I was in tears. As a Catholic, the
ascension was a very big deal to me but not only just for what it meant to me as a Catholic but also as an American who is watching.
[10:25:00]
The president of the United States, the current president, put forward a message that is very much into this as to who we are as a nation and what
we stand for. And our allies around the world, I worried about what that projection would be.
And so having Pope Leo there representing not only just the Catholic Church but also as an American, I felt great confidence in that. And I do think,
as you'll remember, president Trump, when that happened, he put out a picture of himself as pope.
So this feud has not just started because of the war in Iran. It is long before that the president has felt threatened by another leader on the
world stage from America.
ANDERSON: I'm sure many people watching this will be in agreement. There will perhaps be some who aren't in your views but I know there will be many
who are on Trump's post of an AI generated picture, showing him healing the sick, widely seen as Jesus or godlike figure.
Trump claiming he's meant to be a doctor and JD Vance saying it was just a joke. This has been condemned. Widespread condemnation across the board,
including Republicans and particularly the very loud MAGA base that is, it seems, already falling out with him. Let's have a listen to Megyn Kelly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEGYN KELLY, POLITICAL PUNDIT: It is obviously him purporting to be God. That is what he's doing. And it is blasphemous by any definition of that
word. It's completely inappropriate and he knows it. I don't know why the president is getting so desperate for attention that he feels the need to
mock 1.4 billion Catholics. It's enough. OK?
It's enough with this nonsense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: What do you see as the long term fallout of this?
How damaging is it?
GILLESPIE: Well, just one on Megyn Kelly. I'll say, as someone who goes to the same church as she does, I think Megyn Kelly has a whole host of things
to be concerned with in terms of how she spoke about Alex Pretti, the gentleman who was shot and killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis.
And so it's pretty rich for her to be coming out all of a sudden to have this holier-than-thou approach to things. But what I'll say about the
divide you're seeing right now and Megyn Kelly included, when, as I mentioned before, when president Trump put out this, sure, we'll call it a
joke but it really wasn't viewed that way.
AI generated image, when he decided to make himself pope in this AI generated image, you know, no one really condemned that.
And now, because of so many things that have gone awry in the second Trump presidency, where gas prices are skyrocketing because of the war in Iran,
we still don't have any justification and/or evidence to prove that the Iranian regime was going to be using a nuclear bomb against us.
That's why the president chose to join Israel in these attacks. And you couple that with all the other fallout of the mistrust that MAGA has now
had or lack thereof, trust because of the Epstein files and other things that the president has promised to do that he has not done.
I think when you couple that with this idea that the president and JD Vance ran on this ticket of being the peace ticket and being the peace
administration and you couple that and juxtapose that to Pope Leo, who is advocating for peace.
And it falls really flat when the president just starts to condemn the pope because he's run out of people to condemn, because anyone and everyone who
talks or disagrees with president Trump becomes a target.
And what I think is really important here -- and you're seeing this divide, obviously, with MAGA, these different offramps that Republicans can choose
and are choosing to take to steer away from president Trump.
But at the end of the day, disagreeing with Donald Trump doesn't make you a Democrat. If you're a Republican who disagrees with him, you're still a
Republican. And I think there's a real opportunity for Republicans, especially in Congress and otherwise, to deviate from what president Trump
and JD Vance are putting forward.
ANDERSON: So on JD Vance, while he was essentially lecturing the pope -- and you spoke to that at the beginning of this interview -- he was heckled
by an audience member about the U.S. killing children. I just want our viewers to see this moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VANCE: One of these issues here is that there has been is -- again, hey, random dude screaming, I told you I'd respond to your point. I just want to
respond to this question first.
And by the way, not only was our administration like the administration that solved the problem but the president -- the president -- excuse me,
sir. Right, right now, right now, you -- right now you see more humanitarian aid coming into Gaza than it has any time in the past five
years, because we have taken that situation seriously.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Whether it's the pope or the war with Iran or indeed, on that occasion, Gaza, does it seem like Vance is in this position of having to
square his own faith and his own ideologically -- ideology with his loyalty to Donald Trump?
[10:30:07]
And let's just be clear, he may or may not have a run in him for president in 2028 at this point.
GILLESPIE: JD Vance is really flailing right now because I don't think that he has a clear sense of how to stand by his own values or principles
in the face of the loyalty test that is constantly at his front door every day.
You know, you take it from the, you know, his campaigning in a foreign election and Hungary, to showing up at a TPS (ph) event here in Georgia,
where the room was pretty much empty.
So it's why that man was able to scream and ask questions of him so easily heard because the room was pretty empty in such a big stadium. And I think
JD Vance didn't have a good answer because you're talking about humanitarian aid going into Gaza. OK, well, you're still part of the same
administration that cut USAID and cut PEPFAR funding.
So you want to talk about aid?
Well, you're really -- again, you're acting as if the people won't be able to look that up and if your voters are not smart enough to come to that
conclusion. And I think, again, with all these facts piling up against the Trump-Vance ticket here, it's starting to show people that they've just
been lied to.
And no one likes to feel to be made to feel stupid. And American voters are looking at this and feeling as though they got duped. And JD Vance is not
doing himself any favors by continuing to say that, you know, we're still, you know, in this fight. We have to keep fighting because he's putting
himself up for 2028.
But it's falling pretty flat. I'd say.
ANDERSON: You're clearly no fan of Megyn Kelly. And you made that point. And you know, I'm sure, again, you know, many viewers will agree with you
on that. But those conservative podcasters, and Megyn Kelly included, of course, were a great force behind JD Vance and Donald Trump in 2016 and
indeed, for the last run.
It will be really interesting as we begin to see that disconnect between the Trump administration, the White House and some of these very, you know,
prominent voices agree with them or not, in the States, they speak to the MAGA world.
And it'll be interesting to see how their influence is wielded in the in the weeks and months to come. It's good to have you. Thank you so much for
joining us.
Well, CONNECT THE WORLD has put together a chorus of top voices on this show commenting on this region and Lebanon. I want to get you for a deep
dive, really, to hear next what they think Lebanon needs as Beirut pleads for an end to Israeli airstrikes and a solution for its people going
forward.
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[10:35:00]
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ANDERSON (voice-over): Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson from our Middle East programming headquarters. Here are your
headlines.
Signs point to some momentum in bringing the U.S. and Iran back to the negotiating table in Pakistan. President Donald Trump has signaled peace
talks could resume this week.
And multiple global efforts are underway, including the first high-level talks between the UAE and Iran since the war began.
Iran's military calls the U.S. blockade of its ports illegal and is threatening to shut down shipping operations in the Red Sea as well as the
Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman if it continues. Earlier today, U.S. CENTCOM said the blockade had completely halted Iran's sea trade.
Israel's military says it has bombed more than 200 Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon in the past 24 hours. This comes as Israeli and Lebanese
officials have agreed to hold more direct talks following Tuesday's meeting at the U.S. State Department in Washington.
Lebanon is calling for an urgent ceasefire. And Israeli sources just told CNN that the security cabinet plans to discuss a possible truce when they
meet just hours from now.
ANDERSON: As these two diplomatic channels take their course, the U.S.- Iran talks and the Israel-Lebanon talks, one question I'm hearing in the Middle East is what needs to happen next to achieve real change in Lebanon.
I've been speaking to some of the top voices watching this region and in the region, including former Palestinian negotiator Yezid Sayigh, who
argues that Lebanon has to answer some important questions domestically.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YEZID SAYIGH, FORMER PALESTINIAN NEGOTIATOR: It's clear that Hezbollah is opposed to any kind of peace deal with Israel or a security arrangement
between Lebanon and Israel that confirms Israeli demands for the disarmament of Hezbollah.
Hezbollah refuses to disarm. There is, of course, a domestic conversation to be had within Lebanon about how to separate or dissociate Hezbollah as a
resistance movement from its claim to retain its arms.
I mean, is there some other way of dealing with that?
The real question, of course, here is, I mean, there's going to be a lot of negotiation through fire, both between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, as
we have also seen in different forums between the United States and Iran in the Gulf.
There's going to be a lot of arm twisting. The crucial question is whether the Lebanese government has enough political space domestically to proceed
with talks and to push for substantive understandings with Israel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: What does that substantive understanding with Israel need to look like?
Well, Saleh Machnouk is a nonresident fellow at the Middle East Institute. He is a very influential voice at home in Lebanon. I spoke to him and he
told me a temporary truce for Lebanon just won't cut it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SALEH MACHNOUK, NONRESIDENT FELLOW, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: Lebanon does need a ceasefire. But Lebanon needs a permanent ceasefire. Lebanon needs a
security agreement with Israel that makes sure that, not every couple of years -- you know, I'm a young person.
But this is the sixth war between the Lebanese paramilitary group and Israel in my lifetime. The last war happened only 15 months ago and here it
is being renewed. So simply asking for a ceasefire that probably will ensure another round of fighting in a year or two or three or five is not
the ideal way to go.
We need a permanent solution to this problem. And E.U. powers, Great Britain, the United States, the Arabs and others, need to put together a
comprehensive framework whereby we ensure that Lebanese sovereignty is respected both by Israel and Iran.
And we need to square this circle, Becky. We need to make sure that this is the last war in our lifetime.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Yezid Sayigh believes that's just what Lebanon's government is aiming to achieve. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAYIGH: What I think the Lebanese government is probably pushing for is exactly that, a permanent end to the cycle of war. This does not
necessarily mean building on the current isolation of Hezbollah within Lebanon. As you mentioned, a majority of Lebanese are either hostile or at
least opposed to continuation of war.
And that does mean a more definitive resolution of the question of Hezbollah's weapons. And I think the Lebanese government is trying to
create the political space with American backing through negotiation directly with Israel to reach some kind of arrangement of that kind. Of
course, there is a question about what Israel seeks.
[10:40:02]
Why, after initially ignoring the Lebanese offer of direct talks, why prime minister Netanyahu turned around and went for them, it'll be very
interesting to see if that is simply a tactical buying of time with an eye to see what happens next in the Gulf.
Or whether Netanyahu will commit more realistically to a political process that will eventually result in the Lebanese government being able to assert
its authority in Lebanon.
And reach some other kind of understanding with Hezbollah that ends its ability or readiness to fire rockets at, you know, not just temporarily but
permanently in the future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, two views on what we need to see in next steps of this Israel-Lebanon crisis to achieve real change. We'll stay focused on this
story here on CONNECT THE WORLD.
Still to come, how students around the world are helping to mark CNN's 10th anniversary of My Freedom Day.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANDERSON: We're marking a very special day today. This is CNN's 10th anniversary of My Freedom Day, which is a global student-led day of action
aimed at ending human trafficking, modern-day slavery. Listen to students at the Kosovo Finnish School share what freedom means to them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Being free means having choices.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Freedom means the right to live without fear or exploitation. On My Freedom Day, I stand with the children who are still
denied that basic right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, this year's theme for My Freedom Day is progress and obstacles in combating modern-day slavery. Thousands of students from
around the world are helping CNN to raise awareness about this important issue.
My colleague, CNN's Lynda Kinkade, joins us from the Atlanta International School, one of the schools that has been part of this for the past decade.
I remember when you and I were part of the launch team of this. They've been really, really involved and I'm really pleased you're back there again
today on what is this 10th anniversary.
Kudos to them.
What's been happening there so far today?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you listening to it?
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: I am.
We're speaking to my colleague, Becky Anderson. I'm here with some of the youngest students at the school, Becky. These are the kindergarten and
first graders.
You know what day it is?
What day is it?
ALL: My Freedom Day.
KINKADE: Because it is never too early to start learning about the rights of a child. And some of these students have created art representing
freedom.
Lucy (ph), what did you create?
Describe the artwork?
LUCY (PH): I created this one.
KINKADE: And what does freedom mean to you, Lucy (ph)?
LUCY (PH): It means being free.
[10:45:00]
KINKADE: Free to do what?
LUCY (PH): To like draw and go to school.
KINKADE: "Draw and go to school."
Excellent freedoms.
So these students are -- every single grade has put together some sort of artwork. And because this school has been at the forefront of this issue
for 10 years, some of these student leaders have created a playbook used by other schools around the country.
Right. Nadia is one of those students who worked on this playbook.
How are you trying to spread this message, this awareness, this campaign elsewhere?
NADIA ZAFFT, MEMBER, ANTI-HUMAN TRAFFICKING CLUB, ATLANTA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL: So we're trying to convince other schools to create similar groups
to ours. The anti-human trafficking club at our school, to spread even more awareness about this issue and reach out to everybody.
Because ultimately, awareness is the first step, understanding that this exists. And so we've created this playbook. We've even gone to various
schools and spread this issue to one school in D.C. And they actually started their own group. So that was very impactful.
KINKADE: And Nadia and I were on a panel discussion at Lakeside High, another high school in Atlanta, just a couple of weeks ago.
And they've taken your playbook and they're launching their first My Freedom Day this year, right?
ZAFFT: Yes. So that is super exciting because we're making an impact everywhere. There are other groups in Atlanta that are forming, so it's
really amazing to see this because we're reaching out to not just our school community but the greater community as well.
KINKADE: Awesome.
And the youngest kids here are so keen to get involved.
Nadia, our thanks to you, I'm going to work my way through these 6- and 7- year olds and come down to Sylvie (ph). Sylvie is a wonderful artist and very excited to be here today.
You have drawn these two beautiful pictures. Sylvie (ph), explain your artwork for us and what it means.
SYLVIE (PH): It means that freedom. The dog and cat, that one is holding hands because they're friends. and, and I --
KINKADE: And it's important to have friends. I've never seen a dog and a cat hold hands before.
SYLVIE (PH): Because, it's fiction.
(LAUGHTER)
KINKADE: Yes.
And what's this picture of and why does it mean freedom to you?
SYLVIE (PH): Joe (ph) means freedom to me. And, and --
KINKADE: And it's a picture of your kitty cat, right?
What day was your kitty cat born?
On My Freedom Day, is that right?
SYLVIE (PH): No.
KINKADE: No?
(LAUGHTER)
SYLVIE (PH): That kitty was born on (INAUDIBLE).
KINKADE: Yes, that kitty.
SYLVIE (PH): Yes.
KINKADE: That's amazing. That's amazing. Sylvie (ph), well done. You've done some beautiful artwork. Happy My Freedom Day.
And just to take you around to the youngest students of the school and let you know what day it is.
What day is it?
ALL: My Freedom Day.
KINKADE: A very happy My Freedom Day here.
And just, if we've got a couple more moments, can you tell us what freedom means to you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Freedom means to me that it's that you can do whatever you want. You can say whatever you want and you can like make any
art you want.
KINKADE: Excellent.
I just lost comms back there but it is My Freedom Day. I think little kids are stepping on my clothes (ph). But that is what happens on My Freedom Day
with lots of young kids around. Becky, back to you.
ANDERSON: Oh, that's terrific. Thank you so much.
And look, wherever you are in the world, we invite you to follow the #MyFreedomDay on social media. Head to cnn.com/MyFreedomDay to learn more
about CNN's worldwide event to raise awareness for modern-day slavery.
And look, there you'll find about -- find out about the resources that are available to educators all over the world to support your efforts to help
us spread the word. Modern-day slavery is wrong. Help us help rid the world of this global blight. We will be right back.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:50:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANDERSON: Well, imagine a life spent entirely online -- thinking of my own. But I'm not talking about regularly checking your phone or streaming
content to relax. I'm talking about broadcasting almost every moment of your life on the internet.
Well, for one young woman, that has been her reality for more than four years. A Twitch streamer known as Emilycc has been streaming nearly every
waking and sleeping moment in that time.
And the big question I hear you asking is, why?
Well, Donie O'Sullivan decided to travel with her to find out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EMILYCC, TWITCH STREAMER: Sorry, there's going to be a big backpack there.
DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, this is -- this is fine.
EMILY: Is that OK?
O'SULLIVAN: Do you have a cat as well?
EMILY: Yes.
O'SULLIVAN: What's their cat's name?
EMILY: Bella.
O'SULLIVAN: Hi, Bella.
EMILY: Yes, she's comfortable in her carrier right now.
They're saying, be nice to CNN hitchhiker. Yes. And then someone said, who's this goofball?
O'SULLIVAN: Great.
EMILY: So like, it's a mixture of people that are, like, either, will be - -
O'SULLIVAN: Well, this goofball, you're going to be stuck with for the next two days, OK?
EMILY: Yes.
O'SULLIVAN: Emily's viewers are watching live. They're leaving comments in chats and they can even pay to have their comments read aloud.
EMILY: Also, this is my emotional support chicken.
See, they're going to be mean.
O'SULLIVAN: That is so fun.
EMILY: How do you feel about that, though?
Do you like it?
O'SULLIVAN: So you do (ph) James Corden (ph). I've gotten that before.
EMILY: I failed my driver's test three times.
O'SULLIVAN: Oh, that's great to know.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Emily joined Twitch when she was 19 to play "World of Warcraft" and to make friends online but she pretty quickly
realized that she could also make money.
EMILY: Someone gave me $1,500 within my first month of streaming to buy a new setup. And I quit my job and I started full time.
O'SULLIVAN: Was it -- the $1,500 you got to get started, was that a random or that was like a friend?
EMILY: No, it was a random person.
O'SULLIVAN: Really?
EMILY: Yes. Yes.
O'SULLIVAN: Huh, that's wild.
EMILY: Yes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And Donie O'Sullivan joins us now.
Just take us through this journey that you had with Emily and her own journey over the past four years. It's remarkable.
O'SULLIVAN: Yes. Yes, 24/7, yes. So she's been streaming on Twitch. There's only a couple of hundred people watching her at any one time. She
even streams when she sleeps. She just puts the camera slightly, you know, she's slightly out of shot.
There's very few times when she's not streaming but one of those times is when she goes to take a restroom break.
And as we were on this journey along America's Route 66, she was actually moving to Los Angeles. She was moving into what's known as a streamers'
house. So right now she's living in a house with a bunch of other streamers, who stream all day live as well.
But I want to show you what happened when she handed her stream over to me. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
O'SULLIVAN: CNN should gift 100 subs so she has to put on the pizza outfit. You're speaking a different language to me.
You don't have to read them all.
Well, I am reading them all because I find this interesting.
EMILY: Wait, wait, wait, wait.
O'SULLIVAN: What?
Oh.
EMILY: There you go.
O'SULLIVAN: They have been very kind.
EMILY: Yay.
O'SULLIVAN: Sit on in. Join my stream, Emily.
EMILY: OK. What's that?
O'SULLIVAN: What's "W" mean?
EMILY: We got $100. Well, I got $100.
O'SULLIVAN: How do you know that?
EMILY: Because there's an alert. Like when someone gives $100, this alert will play.
O'SULLIVAN: OK.
EMILY: So they're -- they're a gigachad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'SULLIVAN: So you can see there she has this ongoing chat. You saw the comments coming up on the screen there as we were streaming. That's our
audience. They can interact with her anytime. They can also pay her as you saw there. So she is now doing this full time. This is how she's making her
money and living her life.
But look, I mean, you think back to Jim Carrey in "The Truman Show" or even George Orwell in "1984." I mean, this is a -- this has been a dystopian
nightmare that has been warned of for decades. But here you have somebody like Emily, who's making it a career.
ANDERSON: Wow. Moving into a streamers' flat or apartment, what a nightmare. I can't imagine anything worse.
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: You say that your own screen use isn't all that far off from Emily's.
What do you mean by that?
I mean, are we all closer to this kind of reality, do you think, and actually, we're prepared to admit?
O'SULLIVAN: I think so, yes. I mean, like, one of the scariest apps on your phone is you can -- it's a screen time app and you can actually see
how many hours a day you spend on your phone and how many times you even pick up your phone.
[10:55:00]
And Becky, you're probably like me. I have a personal phone and I have a work phone. I think I picked them up something like 300 times a day between
the two phones. And I think between the two phones, I'm on them seven or eight hours. That's not to count times that you're watching TV or in front
of a laptop.
So I was asking Emily, you know, why doesn't she just stop doing this?
You know, take a break. She was saying she could stop anytime she wants but she doesn't.
And as I was asking her that question, I, you know, I started to realize that I'm not sure -- how many times have we all tried to take a break from
social media and yet we're still being pulled back in?
So it's extreme what she's doing. But I think if we take a step back, it's quite extreme how a lot of us are using these devices.
ANDERSON: Yes, I just hear that ringing in my -- I can -- I can stop any time but I just don't want to.
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: Addiction, anybody?
You know, anyway, it's terrific. Thank you for that fantastic piece. Very much looking forward to seeing more of that. Donie, always a pleasure.
Thank you.
And that is it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN. If you haven't been watching too much television already today or using too much of your
device, we have got "ONE WORLD" coming up next. Thank you.
END
