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Trump Arrives in China; CIA Escalates Deadly War on Mexican Cartels; Divisions in the Iranian Opposition; Syrian American Composer Faraj Abyad Reimagines Classical Arabic Music; U.K. Parliament Debates as Starmer Fights to Stay as PM. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired May 13, 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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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Welcome to our second hour of the show from our Middle East programming headquarters. I'm Becky Anderson in

Abu Dhabi, where the time is just after 6:00 in the evening.

In a display of pomp and pageantry, fanfare and flag-waving, this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON (voice-over): U.S. president Donald Trump landing in Beijing. The crowd there chanting, "welcome, welcome, enthusiastically welcome."

Behind the warm greeting, if not quite a meeting of minds, then one of might. When the leaders of the world's two major superpowers meet on

Thursday, the Iran War set to loom large over their high-stakes summit as well as its geopolitical and economic fallout.

High on their agenda, too, trade and the small matter of artificial intelligence. Well, Kristen Holmes is in Beijing and she watched as the

U.S. president arrived.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're not going to see President Trump again until tomorrow here in China. He is going to have

another big event full of pomp and circumstances, as what we saw back in 2017.

He's going to meet with President Xi. It's going to be the first time they're face-to-face with all of that glory in the Great Hall, red carpet,

escorts, lots of different military bands, et cetera. And that's, of course, what President Trump wants and President Xi knows he wants.

But behind the scenes, there's going to be a lot of wheeling and dealing. And I think what was most notable about what we saw during this arrival was

who actually came off the plane.

We know that President Trump is traveling with a delegation of roughly a dozen CEOs. That includes Tim Cook, that includes the CEOs of major banks

in the U.S. of Meta, of other social groups.

The two people we saw coming off the plane with President Trump were Jensen Huang as well as Elon Musk. These are two tech titans. It gives you an idea

of where this meeting or where these meetings and conversations are going to go in terms of business deals.

And we also know that China is hoping that the U.S. is going to ease up on some of its restrictions that it has on Chinese technology. So we'll see if

that happens.

Then, of course, you're going to have all of these CEOs and we do expect to see some private sector deals, as well as conversations about public

purchases that China might make from the U.S. like soybeans or commercial airliners.

But, as you noted, it is unclear just how effective this meeting is going to be, given how large Iran is looming over all of this. We've seen

President Trump's strategy before.

He's never going to come into a meeting, saying he needs President Xi. He will never come into a negotiation from that talking point. So what we saw

instead was him downplaying the need for President Xi.

But we also know that one of Iran's top negotiators was here in Beijing, ahead of President Trump's meeting, meeting with leaders here.

So this is obviously going to be a big topic and it's going to come up and President Trump might actually need President Xi to step in with their

great partner, Iran.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, Jonathan Cheng is China bureau chief for "The Wall Street Journal." He joins me from Beijing.

Good to have you, sir. Thank you. It is clear on Trump's side this wasn't the China trip that he necessarily wanted. That's why he postponed it from

last month.

What about the view from Xi?

And how would you describe the U.S.-China relationship right now?

JONATHAN CHENG, CHINA BUREAU CHIEF, "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL": Well, I think the U.S.-China relationship right now is at a bit of a standstill. We

saw the tariff assault that the president launched against China, not just China but China was perhaps the biggest target of this in terms of the

tariff rate that was set.

But we saw what China did with its response. It hit back really hard with restrictions on rare earth metals and that really made an impact in

Washington. It reminded Washington, if it wasn't already known, just how deeply embedded China is in critical supply chains, not just for

manufactured goods but also for military goods as well.

And so that really got people's attention and that caused president Trump to back down on the tariff threat. Since then, you've seen a bit of a

standstill because I think both sides recognize that they do have a chokehold on the other. And that both of them could effectively throttle

the other.

[10:05:05]

But that wouldn't be good for either side and certainly wouldn't be good for the global economy.

ANDERSON: So on the key bilateral priorities of this summit, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, CSIS, describing it from the U.S.

perspective at least as the five Bs -- Boeing, beef, beans -- primarily soybeans -- trade board and an investment board.

For China, it's the three Ts -- tariffs, technology and Taiwan.

What do you expect on those fronts?

000Well, I think we'll probably see some announcement. Obviously, I don't think president Trump wants to leave Beijing without some deliverables.

But you know, I think, when it comes to these, these are relatively low hanging fruits here. These are things that have been in the air for a

while. These two boards of trade, board of investment, they're nice sounding ideas.

But I think a lot remains to be seen in practice how these things actually work and whether it will move the needle. Remember that president Trump

came into office looking to fundamentally change the relationship between these two large trading partners.

And yet we've seen China's trade surplus only continue to grow significantly even after last year and what we saw with the tariff assault

coming out of Washington.

So in that respect, things didn't really change and I don't know whether they will. Certainly with soybeans and Boeing jets flowing from the U.S. to

China, that will help. But it won't make that much of a dent.

ANDERSON: Let's focus on technology. China has a huge AI push. We know, for example, the deep seat model (ph) has made strides. Beijing producing

increasingly better advanced chips. But there are some serious opportunities that China will pursue here.

What are Xi's goals when it comes to AI?

And does the inclusion of the Nvidia CEO, Jensen Huang, albeit late on, as we understand it, he joined the trip in Alaska, what does this suggest to

China, do you think, about how it might expand its access to U.S. chips?

CHENG: You know, so much of China's priorities in recent years has been ensuring that the country stays at the technological frontier. They

recognize not only the economic importance of that but also the military importance.

I think everyone here in Beijing, they recognize that the future of war is going to be shaped in large part by artificial intelligence. People in

Washington know this as well. So this isn't just a battle over technology and what innovations might come to the workplace, although that is

definitely a part of it.

So you know, I think part of that has been ensuring that Chinese companies get access to the very best chips. That's how this all works. And Nvidia

makes, designs the best chips in the world.

And so Jensen Huang has been on this quest to ensure that its chips continue to flow to China. But this has been the source of the big tug-of-

war in Washington. The fact that he at first appeared to not be joining the trip sent one signal.

But the fact that he is now on the trip sends perhaps a different signal. But we'll all find out in another day or two what can be agreed upon. But

there's no question that in China they do want access to these Nvidia chips.

ANDERSON: Yes. We're going to have to wait and see whether we see a change in U.S. language on Taiwan. And we'll cover that in the next couple of

days.

Meantime, when it comes to Iran, what's your sense of China's willingness, if at all, to pressure Iran to come to a deal?

And what would Beijing want in return?

CHENG: Sure. I think the first point to make is that China doesn't necessarily benefit from what's happening in the Strait of Hormuz, either.

China is a large importer of energy in general and 12 percent of its crude imports come from Iran; a lot higher percentage if you want to consider all

of the crude that flows through the Strait of Hormuz with the ultimate destination being China.

So China has always been concerned about its own energy stockpiles. And so it has made provisions to try and lessen its reliance. And to that degree,

it has succeeded. It's been vindicated in that. But it doesn't mean that it has a cushion that is inexhaustible.

And I think there is part of its own self-interest that is going to want to see this happen. But China doesn't have the depth of experience wading into

Middle East politics and diplomacy in the same way that the U.S. has.

The other thing that China has is it's trying to balance its own relations, not just with Iran but with all of the Gulf states around it.

[10:10:00]

Which have been targets of many of the missiles that have been coming out of Iran, right?

So I think there's a delicate balancing act here, too. But certainly, I think China ultimately has to be happy at some level that the U.S.

president has now ensnared himself in a potential quagmire in another part of the world. And given his fixating his attention on China right now.

And you saw that with the postponement of the summit in the first place.

ANDERSON: And a reminder of that huge UAE delegation to China just a couple of weeks ago. We are seeing the building of or deepening of already

pretty robust China relations as you say around this Gulf region where I am.

Good to have you, sir. It'll be a busy next couple of days. We'll check in with you as things progress. Thank you.

U.S. secretary of state Marco Rubio's choice of track suit has gone viral. Have a look at this photo.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON (voice-over): He was taken aboard Air Force One as America's top diplomat flew with President Trump to China.

Social media users are calling Rubio's outfit, quote, "the Maduro arrest look." And you can see why.

This is a picture of the deposed Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro, in the same style track suit after he was captured by U.S. military forces in

January.

This photo of Rubio was posted online by the White House comms director. Observers say it may be more than a social media fashion moment. It is

worth noting that Rubio is one of the administration's key people on Venezuela.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: I'll leave you with that. After the break, we'll bring you exclusive new reporting out of Mexico and explain why the CIA is denying

involvement in the death of an alleged cartel member.

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ANDERSON: We're following breaking news. Police are at the scene of the Philippine senate building in Manila after gunshots were heard inside.

Video shows what was a chaotic scene unfolding. Have a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON (voice-over): Well, we are told all reporters and other personnel have been ordered to leave. The senate president says a senator wanted by

the International Criminal Court is holed up inside the building, resisting arrest.

It is unclear who fired the shots. The country's secretary of the interior and local government says he was allowed to enter the building and all

senators are safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: We're following this closely. We'll get you more information as it comes in to CNN.

Well, a mysterious explosion that killed an alleged mid-ranking member of a Mexican cartel earlier this spring was the result of a CIA operation,

multiple sources have told CNN. Mexican authorities have maintained extreme secrecy around the death of Francisco Beltran.

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The targeted assassination, part of a wider CIA campaign inside Mexico, as Natasha Bertrand now explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: This car explosion carried out against an alleged cartel operative in broad

daylight just outside of Mexico City was actually a targeted assassination facilitated by American CIA officers, according to multiple sources.

The state of Mexico's attorney general's office told CNN that an explosive device had been hidden inside the vehicle. Francisco Beltran, an alleged

member of the Sinaloa Cartel known as El Payin, was killed instantly, along with his driver.

In video and pictures of the attack on March 28, which are shown here, you can see a quick burst of flames before the car drifts off the highway.

It's part of an expanded and previously unreported CIA operation inside Mexico spearheaded by the agency's elite and secretive Ground Branch to

dismantle Mexican cartel networks, many of which have been designated as foreign terrorist organizations by President Donald Trump.

Since last year, CIA operatives inside Mexico have directly participated in deadly attacks on several, mostly mid-level, cartel members according to

our sources. But the operations may also be illegal under Mexican law, which requires explicit permission for foreign operations on Mexican soil.

And it could further strain Trump's already tense relationship with Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Prior to publication of this story, CNN presented the CIA with details of its reporting and the CIA declined to comment.

After publication, CIA spokesperson Liz Lyons released a statement saying, "This is false and salacious reporting that serves as nothing more than a

PR campaign for the cartels and puts American lives at risk," without specifying what aspect of the reporting is false.

Mexico's security minister, meanwhile, denied in a post on X that foreign agents are conducting lethal, covert or unilateral operations inside

Mexico.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, Iran's opposition is deeply divided. That is the verdict of prominent U.S. journalist Bob Worth, who has covered this region

extensively. I'm going to be speaking to him -- up next.

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ANDERSON (voice-over): Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson. Here are your headlines.

U.S. president Donald Trump has now arrived in Beijing. He was given a red carpet welcome and will meet China's president Xi on Thursday, when the

pair are expected to discuss the war in Iran, tech and trade.

More than a dozen high profile business leaders have accompanied president trip -- trip -- Trump, including the bosses of Nvidia, Tesla, Meta and

Boeing.

[10:20:06]

A senior Pentagon official says the war has cost the U.S. $29 billion so far. That estimate $4 billion higher than the figure provided by the

Defense Department just a couple of weeks ago. Public policy experts told CNN that the conflict could cost U.S. taxpayers at least $1 trillion.

Well, president Trump says Americans' financial stresses are not top of his mind as he negotiates with Iran. He told reporters on Tuesday he's only

focused on one thing, stopping Tehran from having a nuclear weapon. Trump also repeated his claim that the price of oil will drop quickly once the

war is over.

ANDERSON: Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran's last shah, has become a deeply polarizing figure within the Iranian opposition, according to a new profile

in "The Atlantic."

The article describes how some critics see Pahlavi's movement as dangerously autocratic. He was a teenager studying in the United States

when his father was deposed in the 1979 revolution.

Now 65, he sought to position himself as a possible leader, with supporters hoping that he could help guide the country through a transition, should

the current regime fall.

Well, prominent American journalist Bob Worth is author of that profile. He spent two decades or more covering the region, based everywhere from

Baghdad to Beirut, and he joins us now live from Washington.

Bob, it's really good to have you with us. Thank you.

Your latest piece for "The Atlantic," you write and I quote, "The former crown prince says that he wants a democratic future for Iran. But his aides

and supporters treat him like a monarch whose word cannot be questioned."

Can you just further expand on this?

ROBERT WORTH, CONTRIBUTING WRITER, "THE ATLANTIC": Sure. Yes. Pahlavi, you know, for decades, defined himself as someone who was for nonviolent

change. He was a devotee of Gene Sharp (ph), this American theorist of nonviolence and democracy.

And then about 10 years ago, Pahlavi hired some new, younger staffers who had more recently come from Iran and they have pushed him in a much more

aggressive direction. I think partly they recognize that his brand had changed because there was a nostalgia for the pre-revolutionary Iran and

they wanted to capitalize on that.

But I think, more recently, what's happened is that he took an enormous gamble. You know, he put all of his cards with Trump and Netanyahu and the

expectation that this would lead to a war that would topple the regime and it hasn't happened.

And I think now it's an especially fractious moment because people are saying, you know, you took this big gamble and where are we?

ANDERSON: So -- and Pahlavi, one element in what we might call the Iranian opposition. You effectively talk about a war within the Iranian opposition.

So just how significant do you believe this rift is?

And is it empowering the regime at this point?

WORTH: I think the regime has -- we know the regime has always tried to sow division within the opposition. And so -- and I think that

unfortunately promotes a kind of understandable paranoia in all parts of the opposition.

They're always accusing each other of being stooges for the regime. It's difficult to assess exactly how much support Pahlavi has. He is the most --

the most prominent figure in the opposition.

You know, to the extent that we can understand what people's feelings are within Iran, he is the most popular figure. He's also brought large crowds

to the streets in Europe as recently as February and Los Angeles and other parts of the U.S.

At the same time, he's -- he is polarizing. A lot of people are angered by his stance as someone who, you know, was -- he used to say he was against

foreign intervention. And he and his aides, his deputies have become real warmongers in recent months and made clear that they want more and more and

more bombing.

Even now, you know, he is saying as of yesterday, he was interviewed in "Politico" and said, finish the job, even though it's really unclear what

that means and how much it would take.

ANDERSON: Yes.

Can we just step back for a moment?

As someone who has covered this region for years -- I've been inspired by your work, by the way, so it's great to finally get the chance to speak to

you -- what is your broader assessment of Tehran's leadership and the Iran war writ large as it stands right now?

WORTH: You know, I think, right now the leadership is in a moment that's it's quite opaque to the outside world. We know nominally Mojtaba Khamenei

is in charge.

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We know that the Revolutionary Guard really seems to be the organization that has, you know, that's running the country. The trouble is there are

factions within the Revolutionary Guard. It's very hard to tell which is most powerful.

Taking a step back, you know, I've been covering the region, as you said, for decades. I covered the Green movement in Iran. In 2009, I covered the

Arab Spring. And I think, you know, one of the lessons I drew from that is that these regimes may be brittle. You know, these autocratic regimes are

often brittle.

But if they have a core of people who are willing to die for the cause, that makes an enormous difference. And I personally remember being in the

streets of Tehran in 2009 and seeing the Basij, you know, the youth paramilitary force, beating the hell out of protesters, just savage. And

they showed most recently their face, I mean, in January.

This regime, it's a brutal regime. They killed thousands of their own people, innocent people, there's no doubt about that. But they seem to have

effectively cowed people. And under those circumstances, no matter how unpopular they may be, it seems that they're now very well entrenched.

ANDERSON: Donald Trump is now in Beijing.

Briefly, could we see China playing a role in ending this conflict to your mind?

WORTH: China has great economic leverage in Tehran. They buy a lot of Iranian oil and Iran has kind of depended on -- it's trying to set up what

it sees as this non-Western access -- axis with Russia and with China.

So China has the power to make a difference. And it seems from what Xi, president Xi has said recently, that he wants the Strait of Hormuz to be

open.

But China has not traditionally played a heavyweight role in the politics of the Middle East. And so it's really unclear at this point. I think

there's certainly grounds for hoping that they could promote greater flexibility within the Iranian regime, such as it is.

ANDERSON: Terrific having you on. Stay in touch. We'll catch up again very soon. Thank you so much.

The meeting in Beijing of the world's two most powerful men is due to happen exactly a year after the very first overseas trip of president

Trump's second term.

And that was, of course, Mr. Trump's tour through Saudi Arabia, Qatar and here in the UAE, where he picked up $600 billion in pledged investment in

Riyadh, then $1.2 trillion in Doha and then $1.4 trillion in Abu Dhabi.

It was an investment extravaganza, the first real display of Trump's transactional dealmaking approach that has, of course, come to define his

foreign policy.

Well, in Riyadh, I saw a show of force of virtually every major U.S. CEO fly in to meet with the president and the crown prince. Some of the

leaders, some of the same leaders, Nvidia's Jensen Huang and Tesla and SpaceX's Elon Musk now in Beijing.

The trip took U.S.-Gulf relations to a new level and for all the dollars the Gulf capitals were promising, they weren't working on, AI, advanced

tech, defense and aerospace deals in return.

Well, his officials told me at the time, it was a two-way street. So when Donald Trump triumphantly took to the stage to announce a golden age for

the United States and the Middle East, it felt like a new era for the region.

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TRUMP: Before our eyes a new generation of leaders is transcending the ancient conflicts of tired divisions of the past.

And forging a future where the Middle East is defined by commerce, not chaos, where it exports technology, not terrorism and where people of

different nations, religions and creeds are building cities together, not bombing each other out of existence.

This great transformation has not come from Western intervention, noris (ph) or flying people in beautiful planes, giving you lectures on how to

live and how to govern your own affairs.

No, the gleaming marvels of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were not created by the so-called nation builders, neocons or liberal nonprofits like those who

spent trillions and trillions of dollars failing to develop cabal, Baghdad, so many other cities. Instead, the birth of a modern Middle East has been

brought by the people of the region themselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, a year later, Trump's war with Iran has shaken this region to its core. The beacons of stability he described have been tested by

unprecedented Iranian missile attacks.

[10:30:04]

Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, described as economic terrorism by the UAE's national oil chief, has disrupted oil and gas exports for

these energy-rich nations.

And the World Bank has cut its growth forecast for the Middle East to 1.8 percent this year, down from 4 percent, with Qatar seeing the biggest

contraction. Still, Gulf leaders tell me they are resilient and they are doubling down on their economic and security relationships with the United

States.

The UAE in particular has been at the forefront of that message. And when it comes to a key pillar of its relationship with Washington, AI, it says

it is all in.

The UAE ambassador to the U.S. Yousef Al Otaiba announcing just on Friday the first batch of Nvidia advanced chips have been delivered to the UAE and

touting the progress being made in a massive five-gigawatt data center complex in Abu Dhabi, two key priorities for this emirate, from Trump's

trip here last year.

And on a new project called Pax cilia (sic), the ambassador said, quote, "This framework covers AI, critical minerals, supply chains, the full

architecture of the silicon age. We are driving this together with the U.S. and other partners."

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund recently announced it is refocusing on key pillars of its domestic economy, including AI and advanced tech. The

kingdom signaling a more careful selection of overseas projects, taking the ax to its support for LIV Golf for example.

And when it comes to security, Bloomberg reports that the Gulf states are looking at more than $25 billion from the U.S. in emergency weapons sales

to this region. Among the upheaval here, no Gulf country has the same approach on the path forward and we will keep a close eye on their

differences.

But these next months could determine whether Trump's vision for the Middle East set out last year and the more than $2 trillion he wants to bring back

to the United States or take back to the United States over the next decade, we'll see whether that can or does bear out.

Stay with us. More news after this.

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ANDERSON: Every so often you come across music that really moves you. And that was my experience while out one night recently in Dubai.

I heard a classical Arabic performer with a spectacular voice and I wanted to learn his story. So meet Faraj Abyad, a Syrian American singer and

composer, who is leading a new orchestra commissioned by Abu Dhabi Festival.

[10:35:04]

His work intersects East and West by composing Arabic music set to Arabic poems against the backdrop of Arabic art and then performing that in his

hometown of New York City. I caught up with him ahead of his next concert on May the 28th, titled "A Song for (sic) Peace" at New York University's

Skirball Center for the Performing Arts.

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ANDERSON (voice-over): An ode to peace by the famed Emirati poet and former minister, Mani bin Saeed Al Otaiba, is now being reimagined by

Syrian American composer Faraj Abyad.

FARAJ ABYAD, SYRIAN AMERICAN COMPOSER: He handed me this book that you have here and he said, (INAUDIBLE), I wrote this beautiful poem about peace

and it's translated into many languages. And because you're in New York, the cultural capital, I would love for you to compose it with a funky New

York style.

And that's what he told me.

ANDERSON: Love it.

ABYAD: And I'm like, how am I going to do this?

And, you know. And then now we're making a whole concert out of it. So amazing.

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ANDERSON (voice-over): Faraj's new orchestra blends Arabic music, poetry and art into globally influenced shows in New York, supported by another

giant of Emirati culture, Ms. Huda Alkhamis-Kanoo, the founder of Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Festival.

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ANDERSON: Let's talk about the genesis of Athar Orchestra, if you will.

ABYAD: I started producing smaller shows in like these very beautiful little theaters that hold maybe like 100 to 200 people. And then it kept

getting bigger and it was all under the Faraj Abyad, New York artist, name.

And then when we did our concert, the orchestra expanded from 15 musicians and maybe 400-seat venue to 30 musicians and 1,000-seat venue at an iconic

venue. Yes, cool, The Met. And so when this happened, I said, OK, now this music project is much bigger than Faraj.

So after this big, pivotal concert, we had a conversation and I said, I feel we need to name this thing. We kind of needed one word that would

bring it all together.

ANDERSON (voice-over): Ms. Alkhamis-Kanoo came up with Athar, a hugely symbolic Arabic word meaning influence or mark.

ABYAD: She went on to explain, because you're bridging the East and the West and you're bringing diverse musicians from multifaith backgrounds,

from very diverse and sometimes, you know, groups that politically wouldn't end up in the same room, audience and orchestra.

But yet through peace, through music, through Tarab, which I also want to speak about Tarab a little bit, through Tarab, we're bringing people

together from such diverse backgrounds in such a beautiful way.

ANDERSON: Let's talk about Tarab.

ABYAD: Tarab, the loose translation is ecstasy and this is kind of the high that we get when we experience Arabic music. There's this big kind of

high moment where you finish up the phrase, it goes --

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ABYAD: -- and the way you wrap up the phrase, it automatically brings the audience to a high because they're feeling the tonic of the scale being

reached in a beautiful way.

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ABYAD: This orchestra is not just any orchestra. Half of the musicians are Juilliard students and graduates. The other half are award-winning, Latin

Grammy Award-winning Afro-Cuban pianists. So khaleeji rhythms and Afro- Cuban music because of the African influence in Khaleej.

And this is true for also Moroccan music and North African music, very connected to Afro-Cuban jazz. And so this was just kind of like a natural

collaboration. It's a beautiful coincidence how it's -- yes, it's fusion.

[10:40:00]

But really they're the same.

ANDERSON (voice-over): Behind the orchestra, a Sudanese artwork curated by the Barjeel Art Foundation here in the UAE. And each song in this pan-Arab

performance is matched to an artwork from the same country.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

ABYAD: My family emigrated from Aleppo, Syria, to New York in the early 1900s, around the time of what's known as Little Syria. This Little Syrian

neighborhood on the Lower East Side and my great-grandfather was one of the pioneers of this -- of this community.

ANDERSON: And did you grow up speaking Arabic?

ABYAD: I didn't grow up speaking Arabic. That's the interesting --

ANDERSON: That didn't.

ABYAD: Yes. I didn't study Arabic literature. I don't have a PhD in Arabic language. But I'm finding myself in front of thousands of people,

explaining Arabic literature, Arabic poetic meter, at my concerts. Have so much emotionally inside me and so much lamenting for Syria and our region.

And I've seen that this is a really beautiful way to bring people together. And without a specific message being told, you don't alienate anyone, you

don't isolate anyone. Everyone feels comfortable at our shows.

I'm very proud of how Athar has been able to bring people that would not normally sit in the same room or not normally share a stage together. And

because the music is good and the Tarab is good and that's, you know, that's what we need.

ANDERSON (voice-over): Bridging East and West, a region and its diaspora, one song at a time -- Becky Anderson, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

ABYAD: Love it.

ANDERSON: Love it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Let me take you to London. MPs are debating after the King's Speech and the state opening of Parliament. Prime minister Keir Starmer, of

course, under immense pressure to resign at this point. Here's what he had to say moments ago.

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KEIR STARMER, U.K. PRIME MINISTER: Mr. Speaker, can I say what a pleasure it is to welcome the gracious speech of His Majesty and the radical agenda

of this Labour government that will tear down the status quo that has failed working people and build a stronger, fairer Britain.

Mr. Speaker, in light of the apparent attacks in Gold's Green two weeks ago, let me start by briefly addressing that directly. It was the latest in

a series of appalling anti-Semitic attacks. A normalization of hatred that leads terrorists with warped Islamist ideologies to attack people they've

never even met simply because they are Jewish.

A hatred that leads some to march calling for the murder of British Jews and not to think there might be something wrong about that. Mr. Speaker,

I've fought this hatred in my own political party.

I've sat with others as they describe what it means for them. the fear, the sense that maybe they shouldn't wear something or do something that might

reveal their Jewish identity just in case.

Mr. Speaker, it is time for the silent majority in this country to speak up, to stand with British Jews and defeat this hatred once and for all.

Just as we will take on any form of hatred from left or right that seeks to divide us.

Mr. Speaker, in the words of the gracious speech, we will defend the British values of decency, tolerance and respect for difference under our

common flag. Mr. Speaker, that is also why when far right agitators try to come here this Saturday to spread their poison of hatred, this Labour

government will block them this time and every time.

Mr. Speaker, the gracious speech was brilliantly proposed by my honorable friend, the member for Bradford West. Yes, members across the house will

have read her remarkable new book. Her list of endorsements is truly impressive, reaching well over 100 members. At last, Mr. Speaker, a list

that we could all get behind.

[10:45:00]

(LAUGHTER)

STARMER: And Mr. Speaker, it's not the first time that shown her ability to bring people together. She united her city and many in this house when

she sent George Galloway (ph) packing.

And Mr. Speaker, the house will know that she is passionate about the measures this government is taking to lift half a million children out of

poverty, as we all are on this side of the house. It is the pride of these benches.

But the house might not know about her remarkable effort to get Marcus Rashford to champion free school meals and speak to pupils in her

constituency.

Now most of us would have attempted this, Mr. Speaker, via the complex world of agents and managers. But my honorable friend had a different idea.

She spoke to, as you do, the sister of Cristiano Ronaldo.

(LAUGHTER)

STARMER: Now I can imagine the Ronaldo household is used to fielding some pretty big offers -- multi-million pound transfers, billions in brand

sponsorships, Piers Morgan calling for the eighth time that day.

(LAUGHTER)

STARMER: But I cannot imagine the confusion in the Ronaldo family when they heard my honorable friend say, "Not is Cristiano Ronaldo available?"

but "Can you give me the number of Marcus Rashford?

"I want to invite him to a primary school in Allanton (ph) to have some porridge in our free breakfast club."

Mr. Speaker, on a much more serious note, I know the whole house will join me in paying tribute to my honorable friend's extraordinary courage

together with her mother, brother and sister.

This story is utterly harrowing, their strength to survive and the deep- rooted determination to fight for change is an inspiration for all of us and the very best of who we are.

And a real friend brings a lived experience to our politics, an empathy, a compassion, a humanity, an understanding of how easy it is to slip from a

stable and secure life into one gripped by terrible deprivation.

As she writes in her book, behind every word we utter must lie the foundation of real human experience. And in that spirit, I'm sure she will

welcome the measures in this King's Speech, which will deliver change grounded in that lived experience and the tireless campaigners who have

fought for justice.

From remediation for those living in homes with unsafe cladding to banning abusive conversion practices, from our mission to harm violence against

women and girls to the Hillsborough law, which will bring justice for all.

As she says so powerfully, equality, fairness and justice must belong to all of us. That is the driving purpose of our party.

And her speech was in the finest traditions of this house. Mr. Speaker, His Majesty's speech was also brilliantly seconded by my the honorable friend,

the member from Harlow.

Now we are all proud to represent our constituencies but few of us so relentlessly name our constituency as those who represent Harlow. Members

from previous parliaments will remember my honorable friend's predecessor, Robert Halford, who seemed to get Harlow into pretty well all of his

contributions.

Well, my honorable friend will not be outdone. He has inherited the great Harlow shoehorn. and indeed he is he's already recognized across this

house as a one-man tourist board.

And I have to thank the member for Huntington caught in Hansard referring to my honorable friend as the trade envoy to Harlow, a rare example of a

good idea from the opposition because, no matter the debate, my honorable friend will find the local connection.

From championing the role of Harlow College in climate change to praising the invention of fiberoptic cables in Harlow and telling us how Harlow

doubled for Paris during an episode of "The Crown."

And Mr. Speaker, I remember very clearly my honorable friend saying to me that wherever he goes in the world, he is always thinking about Harlow.

Mr. Speaker, he's quite right. And can I congratulate him on his amazing fundraising at this year's London Marathon as is being mentioned. I do

understand his disappointment at being overtaken by the right honorable member for Baseldon and Bericki.

All I can say is there is no shame in losing to someone whose training was so extensive that involved running all the way from northwest Durham to --

[10:50:06]

(LAUGHTER)

STARMER: Mr. Speaker, as a secondary school maths teacher for 15 years, it is perhaps no surprise that my honorable friend brings an eye for detail,

boundless energy and ability to handle these occasionally unruly benches.

But he also brings a real passion for young people, a deep and personal understanding of the invaluable role that young carers play and a total

conviction in the power of education to change our country.

So I know he will welcome the education bill in the gracious speech and when the next series of educating Essex (ph) is made, my honorable friend

will rightly be the star and I thank him for yet another fantastic speech today.

Mr. Speaker, let me also thank the leader of the opposition for the usual warm and generous nature of her contribution.

(LAUGHTER)

STARMER: In difficult days, her input is always a ray of sunshine.

(LAUGHTER)

STARMER: I particularly getting tips from her on how to win friends. This is for the party, Mr. Speaker, who previously called us orcs and goons.

But Mr. Speaker, I am a gooner. And so, as usual, she is less than half right. But we do have one thing in common. Our parties both had tough

results in the local elections last week. The difference is she hasn't noticed.

And Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, the -- there's another difference, Mr. Speaker. We are in government and they are no longer even the opposition.

Mr. Speaker, this King's Speech is a strike against the status quo that has failed working people.

It's a King's Speech for the young people whose gifts lie in their hands, who work hard, want their talents to be recognized and just want an

opportunity in their community. A King's Speech for the children who under the party opposite had to go to school without breakfast, hungry, cold and

tired when they should be focused on their learning.

And Mr. Speaker, it's a King's Speech for the backbone of this country for working people who worry about the cost of living, want their town centers

to thrive, their public services to work, their government to be on their side.

And Mr. Speaker, we are because the heart of this program is a plan to make Britain stronger and Britain fairer. Mr. Speaker, right now across the

country, people turn on their television and they see bombs falling.

They go to the petrol station and see prices rising and they're worried sick about the consequences. We cannot stand here in this house and pretend

that this is new. Britain has been buffeted by crisis for decades now.

The 2008 financial crash, the austerity that followed it, Brexit, COVID and the war that still rages in Ukraine. And the response, their response is

always the same. A desperate attempt to get back to a status quo. A status quo that failed working people, decimated their public services and made

them pay the price.

Our response this time must and will be different. A complete break. We will not simply slump back to the old ways because this King's Speech gives

us the strength we need, the economic security, energy security and national security to control our future in a chaotic world. It is an agenda

of radical reform across our major public services.

An urgent activist Labour government that tilts power back to workers, renters and the less fortunate. gives voice to the working class and to all

those that the status quo has repeatedly ignored and dismissed in favor of a Britain where everyone, whatever their background, can go as far as their

talent and effort takes them.

Where people have a pride in where they live and hope in what lies ahead.

[10:55:00]

That is the change of a Labour government and this King's Speech delivers it. Mr. Speaker, we will deliver on economic security.

And let me be clear, as the conflict in Iran unfolds, we are in a better position because of the action that my right honorable friend, the

chancellor, took last year, getting inflation down, borrowing down and mortgage cost down.

And that's why we've been able to cap energy bills, raise the living wage, strengthen workers rights and end the shameful two child benefit limit,

lifting half a million children out of poverty.

And Mr. Speaker, faced with challenges, we don't retreat from our Labour values. We use them as our compass. Strength through fairness.

So we will keep supporting those who need it most, including by creating a new national program to redistribute surplus food so that no one in this

country needs to go hungry because of the conflict overseas.

We also need to strengthen our sovereign capabilities because the days when this country turns its back on our critical industries, they are over. And

we've seen that, Mr. Speaker, with British steel. And we will see it with new legislation to clean up our waterways. a failure in the water industry

that has been going on for decades.

It is a disgrace and this Labour government will tackle it. And Mr. Speaker, we will take that moral urgency to every part of our nation with

bills to increase the pace of change in our NHS, in law enforcement, in controlling our borders and more.

Because whilst immigration is down, we need to do more. Whilst violent crime is down, it needs to be lower. Whilst NHS waiting lists are down, we

must go further. A rewiring of this state so the working people of this country feel that it serves their interests.

And Mr. Speaker, we will also build in this country sovereign power in the industries of the future.

That will give us greater control in a world being reshaped by artificial intelligence. We will tear down the barriers to growth on planning, on

faster infrastructure development, on business regulation, helping our great businesses large and small. And Mr. Speaker, we will, as a defining

act of this government, rebuild our relationship with Europe.

ANDERSON: Right. The U.K. prime minister, speaking after the ceremonial opening of Parliament, laying out the legislative agenda for this next

parliamentary session.

And an observation; this was a rather humorous and humanizing speech from Keir Starmer, who faces calls, of course, to stand down a leadership crisis

at the very heart of the ruling Labour government.

At this point, Keir Starmer, honoring some of his backbench members of Parliament, perhaps an effort to curry some favor with those who he is

seeking support from as he faces those calls to resign. More, of course, as we get it from the U.K.

That is it for CONNECT THE WORLD. From the team working with me here in Abu Dhabi and those working with us around the world, it is a very good

evening. Stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up next.

END