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U.S. Senate Votes to Hold Anthony Fauci in Contempt of Congress; U.S.-Israel War with Iran; Trump Denies U.S. Missile Stockpiles Are Low; Israel Renews Strikes In Southern Lebanon; Michigan Democratic Senate Nominee and Trump Trade Barbs; Meta AI Model Hacks Outside Company during Testing; A Look at Life in Syria after Assad; Rebuilding amid Renewed Israeli Airstrikes in Lebanon. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired August 06, 2026 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): And welcome to the second hour of the show from our Middle East programming headquarters.
Let me start that again -- not this week; normally from Abu Dhabi, this week from London, where the time is just after 3:00 in the evening or the
afternoon.
It's 10 am in Washington, where, last hour, a Republican-led Senate committee voted to hold Anthony Fauci, one of the world's best known
doctors in the face of the U.S. health response to COVID-19, in contempt of Congress.
In the Middle East, Iran and Oman are close to finalizing a proposed framework for commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, according
to Tehran's deputy foreign minister.
And the godfather of AI, computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton, says we should brace for more AI models going rogue as the technology gets smarter. More
on that at the bottom of the hour.
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ANDERSON: Well, a short time ago, a Republican-led U.S. Senate subcommittee voted to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Senator Hawley, Senator Marino, Senator Ernst.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Republicans claim Fauci led locked the -- Fauci led the lockdown policies that harmed Americans and that he misled the public
on the disease's origins.
Well now, the retired 85-year old who was the face of the U.S. health COVID -- response to COVID 19, the vote coming after he declined to answer
questions during a tense hearing last week.
Let's get you to a former federal prosecutor, Gene Rossi, who is just outside Washington.
This is important stuff. This contempt vote has moved forward. Legal experts, though, say the outcome far from certain.
What happens next?
And could this become a major test of the limits of Fifth Amendment protections?
GENE ROSSI, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Well, Becky, thanks for having me on.
First off, when you invoke the Fifth Amendment, it -- two things can occur. You could be protecting yourself from criminal exposure or you think you
are innocent but you're facing a vindictive prosecution.
Here, Dr. Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment about 110 times, putting aside that president Trump, in his civil deposition about 1.5 years ago, invoked
it 440 times. But when he invoked that, he did it for a very good reason, in my view and according to legal experts.
They were determined. Rand Paul and others determined to put Dr. Fauci in a perjury trap if he made, if he gave answers.
And number two, if he gave answers before the committee and didn't -- did not invoke his Fifth, state prosecutors could go after him. And I
understand that a Florida prosecutor has opened a grand jury investigation.
But let me answer your question about what happens next. It will not go to the full Senate because it will be filibustered to death. If it were
approved by the full Senate, this resolution, Becky, it would then be referred to the U.S. attorney, Jeanine Pirro. And she would have the option
of presenting it to a grand jury.
Because it's just a committee vote and it's not going to the full Senate, it's going to be referred to the Justice Department itself, where future
confirmed attorney general Todd Blanche will review it.
I got to say this, Trump wants Fauci's head, Becky. And you can bet a nickel that Todd Blanche is probably going to approve either a civil action
or grand jury action against Dr. Fauci for invoking the Fifth. And the federal crime would be contempt. And it's a misdemeanor.
ANDERSON: Got it. All right. We should also add, there is Joe Biden's preemptive federal pardon to consider here, designed, of course, to shield
Dr. Anthony Fauci from federal prosecution before any formal criminal charges were ever filed.
Does that apply here?
ROSSI: I would say yes. In part, he was given a pardon, Dr. Fauci was, from 2014 on and -- but that pardon does not prevent him from being
prosecuted for perjury. So what the committee is saying is that he has no criminal exposure. He has the pardon.
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Therefore, he should have answered questions. The problem with that theory is what I said before. If he answered questions, Rand Paul wants to put him
in prison. He was facing an exposure to perjury.
Plus, Dr. Fauci, in his mind, in his attorney's mind, was facing exposure for state crimes because the pardon doesn't protect Dr. Fauci for state
crimes.
Then you have the whole argument, Becky, that the pardon was sound -- seems to be assigned by an autopen. And there's talk in the White House and the
Justice Department that any pardon signed by an autopen is invalid.
ANDERSON: Yes. The
broader question here is what happens when the president's pardon power directly collides with Congress' oversight power, correct?
ROSSI: That's OK.
ANDERSON: I'm going to ask you about the mobile phone. A copy of Fauci's work iPhone turned over to the Senate panel.
What limits are there on how those records can be accessed and used, out of interest?
(AUDIO GAP)
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: I think I've lost him. that's a shame. I think I'm going to have to move on. We've lost we've lost comms with our guest.
ROSSI: I can't hear.
ANDERSON: Good to have him on. Let's bring in CNN's Annie Grayer in Washington.
Annie, what's been reaction on Capitol Hill?
(AUDIO GAP)
ANDERSON: All right. Looks like we're having a little bit of a technical meltdown here. I'm going to move on, see if we can get Annie back. Let's
get you to the Middle East.
Iran says it needs U.S. guarantees to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Basically, Tehran wants pretty much everything that was on the original and
essentially abandoned MOU put back on the table.
This comes as Iran says it's talking with Oman and they are both close to finalizing a proposed deal to get shipping moving again in the strait.
Iran's deputy foreign minister also quick to deny talks with the U.S.
Sanam Vakil is the director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House. She joins us here in London.
I'm not going to ask you about whether, you know, you can sort of pore through, he said/she said on who's talking to whom, because ultimately,
Sanam, what you and I know is that maritime security is what is play -- at play at present for Iran, Oman, the U.S. and countries around the world.
When I talk to sources in the Gulf, they tell me, you know, this week was the week to keep a keen eye or a keen focus on what happened on the Strait
of Hormuz and which players, aside from the U.S., Iran and Oman, were actually making noises about what they might do next.
You know, in very simple terms, so let's just lay out what we understand Iran and Oman to be working toward.
SANAM VAKIL, DIRECTOR, MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA PROGRAMME, CHATHAM HOUSE: Well, good to be with you, Becky.
As I understand it, talks between Oman and Iran are inching along. The Omanis are working in close coordination with Washington and all of the
countries on and around the Persian Gulf.
The aim is to arrive at a more detailed arrangement for the management of the Strait of Hormuz, where inbound traffic into the strait will be managed
by Iran and outgoing traffic will be overseen by Iran and Oman.
We don't have details on fees or tolls or voluntary contributions yet but the aim of this arrangement would be to build some confidence and then go
back to the memorandum of understanding, restart the 60-day clock and Iran, in this period, would also be waiting for American oil waivers as well as
an incentive.
ANDERSON: Yes, lifting of all sanctions, Iran's frozen assets, stabilizing Lebanon and an end to the naval blockade on Iranian ports, all stuff that
was in that original MOU, which was, you know, you and I have talked about this, you know, effectively kicking the can down the road to a wider, more
comprehensive agreement here.
What do you understand to be the U.S. position?
What's the talk in Washington at this point?
VAKIL: Well, the U.S. and president Trump, I think, directly wants the Strait of Hormuz open. And so he's outsourced these negotiations to the
Omanis to manage.
The Omanis and the Iranians have jointly worked in order to oversee traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. Each, of course, having their own maritime
borders. And I do believe that they can come to an arrangement.
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It's more about also, having the U.S. agree to incentivize a lot -- incentivize Iran by lifting oil waivers simultaneously. So sequencing and
building trust is part of this.
We should see this as an important test again, a confidence building measure, to get back to the broader MOU and eventually, if we keep our
fingers crossed and things remain calm, back to negotiations on all of the issues, not just opening the strait.
ANDERSON: And I think it's really important to note that, certainly those I speak to in the Gulf and around the region, the wider region of the
Middle East, are acutely aware that the U.S. is moving toward the midterms.
You know, a couple of months or three months out from those midterm elections and this U.S.-Iran conflict and any resolution or decisions made
around, you know, what happens next here is being debated through the lens of domestic politics at present.
What the Gulf and the wider region wants is a solution that suits the region going forward, because it is the region, ultimately, that is getting
affected and it is the region who wants to comprehensive solution to all of this so that it can navigate a new Middle East and a more, robust economic
future.
At the same time -- and I just want to bring the map up of the region, the waterways in the region, because every single red and green dot our viewers
see on this map is a shipping vessel, which is carrying stuff effectively to keep -- to oil the wheels of the world economy.
And we have seen two shipping attacks reported in the Red Sea to the left- hand side of that map, the other vital waterway where Iran-backed Houthi rebels have been escalating attacks.
So as we look at that regional map, this Gulf regional map pretty much here -- but it's got the wider countries as well -- you know, here is a good
indication of just how impactful this current conflict and escalation has on this region.
Correct?
VAKIL: Absolutely. You bring up a number of important points. Let me reflect on them.
First of all, I think Gulf states in particular are looking also for a sustainable, long-term solution to this conflict. What they fear alongside
the Iranians, actually, is that this might be a pause until the midterms. Everyone is taking a breath, maybe buying some time, building up their
munition capabilities and that there will be more conflict.
And that is not in the interest of the Gulf states that are looking for something more sustainable and permanent. But how the Strait of Hormuz is
open and if it becomes an agreement with fees and one that sees Iranian oversight over passage in and out of the strait will have consequences for
other waterways, including the Bab-el-Mandeb.
And this is what the region is very concerned about, the Saudis in particular. And so it's very important that this conflict remains
contained, that it doesn't spill over into a wider war.
And so president Trump's timeline of the November midterm elections, shouldn't this be seen as breathing room?
We really need to be working to bring this down to a new level of calm, if not negotiations by November, not see this period as a pause between the
wars.
ANDERSON: It's always good to have you on, Sanam. Thank you so much for your time, not just today but on a regular basis for our audience on this
show. Thank you.
Well, president Trump claiming the U.S. has, and I quote him here, "massive amounts" of munitions. That is what he posted on social media early on
Thursday.
And it comes after multiple reports that the U.S. military has used up 80 percent of its interceptor missiles for the Patriot air defense system.
CNN's Alayna Treene joined me earlier on that from Washington.
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ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The president today lashed out at a number of different media outlets who have been reporting on the depleted
stockpiles of munitions that the U.S. military has. He wrote on social media that the U.S. has massive amounts of munitions.
He said, especially in certain types, he said large amounts are also being manufactured and shipped to the U.S. that they're working on deals to
continue building up the stockpile but this is something that has been a major, major, major problem for the Pentagon in recent months.
This idea that they are burning through a lot of their missiles and munitions with the rate of strikes that have been issued throughout this
war.
[10:15:00]
And really throwing a lot of doubt and uncertainty on how this is going to impact the U.S. position in the war moving forward.
I will note we had great reporting yesterday from our colleagues who had noted that the U.S. military has exhausted nearly 80 percent of its
interceptors for a key missile defense system known as THAAD in recent months.
They also reported that the U.S. military has burned through roughly half of its Patriot Interceptor since the start of the war, as well.
I will note again, the president has been aware of this. I know in my conversations that different people in the military, throughout the
intelligence community, have been telling the president about this.
I think he's taking a big issue, though, with the idea that it's being publicized that this is a problem, especially at a time when he wants Iran
to believe that the U.S. has the power to continue hammering them.
So this is something that's definitely going to continue playing a role, I think, in some of the negotiations behind the scenes. And also contributing
to another thing that I've been told as well, which is that in the intelligence community, many leaders are very worried that Iran will ever
honor commitments on any deal that is made.
So this really putting the U.S. position in a fragile place right now, Becky.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Alayna Treene reporting for you.
Well, two Israeli soldiers killed, four others seriously wounded after an explosive device detonated during what was an Israeli military operation in
southern Lebanon on Wednesday.
The reported deaths come as Israel renewed airstrikes across southern Lebanon. The IDF said it is responding to what it calls violations of the
ceasefire. CNN's Jeremy Diamond joining us live from Israel.
What have we got on the latest situation in southern Lebanon, Jeremy?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, a volatile situation, a return to Israeli strikes following the killing of two Israeli soldiers in
southern Lebanon yesterday.
Now all of this is especially volatile because it is happening amid these negotiations between the Israeli and the Lebanese governments. But those
talks have now resumed, we're told, according to Italian media, between the Israeli and the Lebanese sides.
After yesterday, the talks had been cut short due to what the State Department described as events on the ground.
Now yesterday, the Israeli military came out and accused Hezbollah of a, quote, "blatant violation" of the ceasefire.
We didn't immediately know what it was but once the families of those soldiers were notified, the Israeli military confirmed that two Israeli
soldiers were killed and four others were seriously wounded.
After they entered what was described to me by an Israeli military official as a booby-trapped building, an improvised explosive device exploding,
killing those two soldiers, wounding four others.
Following that, the Israeli military began conducting a series of airstrikes in southern Lebanon, including in the city of Tyre and several
other villages near to the area in southwestern Lebanon, where those Israeli soldiers were killed.
Now it is important to note, first of all, that we don't know when this explosive device was planted in this building, whether it took place, you
know, a while ago or more recently. That could certainly affect to what extent this is considered a violation of the ceasefire.
In addition to that, these soldiers were operating in what Israel has described as a security zone in southern Lebanon. And that is indeed what
much of these negotiations have been focused on.
From the Lebanese government side, they have been trying to get the Israeli military to agree to withdraw from those positions in southern Lebanon.
We've started to see these pilot programs that have begun to take place, where the Israeli military has withdrawn from three Lebanese villages so
far, allowing the Lebanese armed forces to come in with the goal of preventing Hezbollah from reentering and entrenching itself in those
civilian areas of southern Lebanon.
So these negotiations still ongoing, as we understand it, complicated obviously by events on the ground once again.
ANDERSON: Yes.
Where can we expect these Israel-Lebanon talks to go next?
DIAMOND: Well, I think, from the Lebanese standpoint, their goal is to try and get additional villages to be included in this pilot program, to get
Israel to withdraw from more Lebanese territory.
The Israeli government, from their perspective, they're going to be looking for assurances that the Lebanese armed forces are actually capable of
securing those areas once they withdraw and helping them to prevent the reemergence of Hezbollah militants in those very same areas.
So that is really what the focus of these talks have been. And again, you know, there certainly has been high level diplomacy here.
[10:20:00]
With president Trump directly involved -- he's wanted to get the Israeli prime minister and the Lebanese president together. But the Lebanese
president has said he won't meet with Netanyahu until all Israeli soldiers, of which there are thousands still in southern Lebanon, until all of them
leave his country.
ANDERSON: Yes. Good to have you, Jeremy. Thank you very much indeed.
You are up to speed, folks, on that.
Coming up, Donald Trump seems certainly to have found a new target for his ire as this man Democrats in Michigan chose this week as their nominee for
a Senate sea makes his voice known. We'll look at what the president is saying about Abdul El-Sayed, next.
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ANDERSON: Michigan's Senate primary race in the spotlight after the progressive wing of the U.S. Democratic Party scored a victory this week.
Abdul El-Sayed narrowly clinching the nomination, prompting president Trump to launch this attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Abdul El-Sayed, lovely gentleman, he's a man of hate and now he's going around saying, no, I love everybody, I love. He
doesn't love everybody. Put him in office. You're going to find out what he loves.
He doesn't love Israel. He doesn't love Jewish people. He hates them. He hates them with a passion that burns in his heart and there's not a
fricking thing he can do about it.
The poll says we do better against the communists. So he won. And so I think I'm happy. I put out a statement. Congratulations to the Republican
Party.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, El-Sayed spoke with CNN on Wednesday. This is what he had to say about Trump's remarks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABDUL EL-SAYED (D-MI), U.S. SENATE NOMINEE: I'm glad he thinks I'm a lovely gentleman. A lot of people think so.
Look, this is the response that they have. You notice what he talked about. First, look at the background. It says no tax on tips. The man can't stay
on focus. That's like the one thing that he did to offer any economic relief.
But instead of that, he's more focused on me and what I'm going to do, while we're living through an affordability crisis that is generational.
People are paying nearly $5 in gas because of a war he started. And half the time, if he's not talking about me, he's talking about the drapes in
his ballroom.
So, at the end of the day, I invite the president to focus what I'm saying. I want to get money out of politics, put money in your pocket and pass
Medicare for All.
And if you ask yourself about safety of people who pray differently, you heard what Donald Trump was saying about people like me.
What do you think he was trying to highlight?
He was trying to highlight aspects of my name and my faith in what is a play toward a kind of -- a kind of Islamophobia that I think none of us
really want. So look, I understand what it's like to be made to feel unsafe.
And so our responsibility is to take him on, so that we have a politics that embraces all people, whether you're Jewish or you're Muslim or you're
Christian or you're Hindu or you're Sikh.
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Or you don't pray at all, you deserve to feel safe in this country. You deserve to feel safe in the Democratic Party.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, throughout his campaign, he's also criticized Israel and big money in politics. And prominent Democrats expressed doubt about his
electability, with two telling CNN they repeatedly asked El-Sayed to lower the temperature. CNN's Kaitlan Collins asked him about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN HOST: We've heard some Democrats who are worried that you cannot defeat Mike Rogers come November.
How do you plan to address those concerns from people in your own party?
EL-SAYED: We don't need worry. We need work. We took on $70 million of outside spending in a 11:1 funding gap, spending gap, on the airwaves. And
we took it on because we did the work; 12,000 people knocking nearly 10,000 doors a day.
We started this campaign 15 months ago, having conversations in rooms of five or 50 people at a time. And so that's how we're going to beat Mike
Rogers, the old-fashioned way, brick by brick.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, CNN's Jeff Zeleny has been following this story and he's been talking to us about it over the past couple of days, joining us now
from Washington, D.C.
You're back, Jeff. El-Sayed gave a similar message to you about the Democrats working together yesterday, right before CNN actually projected
his win.
So to your mind, what happens now?
Can the party, you know, this big tent party come together?
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: It is the central question. And I think if president Trump keeps talking like he did
yesterday, I think that goes a long way toward unifying Democrats.
No single person has unified Democrats more or really pushed them to kind of set aside some of their differences to defeat him.
So it was very striking to hear the president single out Abdul El-Sayed -- not surprising, I mean, in terms of some of the language he was using, the
race baiting he was using, talking about his, his hatred of the Jewish people.
Clearly there is no basis for that. But what he's trying to do is to raise some skepticism among the critical slice of Jewish voters in Michigan. But
Becky, I think the bottom line is, if anyone can unify these divisions in the Democratic Party, perhaps it's their dislike, distrust and their
disfavor with president Trump.
ANDERSON: Fascinating. Let's talk about funding. Jeff. AIPAC spending, what, about $30 million to try and defeat El-Sayed, the most it's ever
spent in a single race?
And, of course, now likely to support his Republican challenger, Mike Rogers, as well. El-Sayed has made opposing big money in politics a key
part of his campaign.
But can that take him all the way to the Senate when there is going to be a shedload of money against him?
ZELENY: It is a -- an unknown but the AIPAC money that was spent, as well as a lot of other money from outside groups, it was about $65 million or
so. And I'll say it had about $7 million.
That disparity is something we really have not seen. But in race after race, the AIPAC money has not been that successful. But flipping sides and
saying that they are going to use it on behalf of the Republican, Mike Rogers, to try and block Abdul El-Sayed from becoming a senator, we'll see
if it's effective.
I mean, there is increasing evidence, as each campaign year moves along, that these huge television ad buys are not as effective as they once were.
People are disregarding the messages. I mean, it is a lot of money, there's no doubt about it.
But I think the underlying point here is that the divisions inside the Democratic Party on Israel are very clear. There's no doubt about it. But
we are going to see those play out in the 2028 presidential race as well.
I mean, once upon a time, not that long ago, Democrats and Republicans largely agreed on U.S. support for funding Israel. That is not the case at
all now as we well know. So we will see in Michigan how much these divisions really come to life.
But the bottom line, when you talk to so many voters and others, they are not as interested in this. It's not at least a pressing priority as much as
affordability, just the price of gas, the price of food and grocery, rent, other things.
So president Trump has a very low approval rating. Every Republican on the ballot has to deal with that here. So that gives Democrats a leg up.
But this race in Michigan for the next three months will be a central test of so many things, including, is Michigan ready to elect and send the first
Muslim U.S. senator to the Senate?
[10:30:02]
We will see.
ANDERSON: Yes. It was so important in 2026, of course, as well. And all eyes back on it now. Good to have you, mate. Thank you.
Well, still to come, two more cases of AI models once again going rogue. Now a leading AI expert -- I mean serious expert -- warns this could be
just the start.
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ANDERSON (voice-over): Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. The headlines for you this hour.
Iran says it is making progress toward an agreement with Oman about authority over shipping using the Strait of Hormuz. But it says any such
deal would not automatically mean a reopening of the waterway.
Well, for that to happen, Iran wants a number of guarantees from Washington. Tehran also denying it is holding any talks with the U.S.
Well, two Israeli soldiers were killed and four others seriously wounded after an explosive device detonated during an Israeli military operation in
southern Lebanon earlier on Wednesday.
The deaths come as Israel renewed airstrikes across southern Lebanon. The IDF said it responded to what it calls violations of the ceasefire.
A Senate panel voted to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci, the face of the U.S. COVID- 19 health response, in contempt of Congress. It comes after he declined to answer questions at a Senate hearing last week.
Republicans claim the retired 85-year old misled Americans about the pandemic's origins.
ANDERSON: An hour now since Wall Street opened for business. So let's get a look at what is going on in the markets; very specifically, how SpaceX
shares are trading right now after sinking almost 14 percent on Wednesday.
Trading about 5 percent higher as we speak. They were off at the open. So that's not a bad rally for this. It comes as more than 900 million more
shares of Elon Musk's space and AI company unlock today and that more than doubles the publicly available stock in SpaceX, which has struggled since
its record-breaking IPO just weeks ago.
And that price is somewhat off the IPO launch. I think I'm right in saying it was around 135 but correct me if I'm wrong. I'm sure you will.
Well, two more AI models are crossing boundaries and raising new safety concerns. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, saying it is
investing after one of its AI -- investigating, sorry -- after one of its AI agents went rogue and hacked into another company's systems.
This was during cybersecurity testing. Meta blaming the breach on an error by the company conducting that test.
[10:35:03]
Well, in a separate incident, a U.K. institute says that Anthropic's most advanced AI model used fake identities to try and trick real people during
testing, then even went back and tried to cover its tracks. CNN AI correspondent Hadas Gold is live in New York.
This, for many people, Hadas, is going to feel like something straight out of a science fiction movie. Just tell us about both of these recent
incidents and why they are significant.
HADAS GOLD, CNN AI CORRESPONDENT: So we'll start with the one from Meta. That just broke last night. And very similar to the other incidents from
OpenAI and Anthropic. They were -- there was cybersecurity testing going on to see how capable Meta's Muse Spark AI model was.
And within the constraints of that cybersecurity test, it turns out that there was a misconfiguration with the third-party testing supplier. So
there's another company that they contract with to help them conduct the cybersecurity tests. It's called Irregular.
And they say that there was a misconfiguration within Irregular that gave the AI models access to the open internet in a way that they didn't want
them to.
And then the AI model, while trying to complete the cybersecurity test, instead gets access to the open internet and hacks another company's
system. We don't know what the company is, who they are, whether they were aware of this.
But Meta is saying in a statement that, again, it was a misconfiguration by Irregular that it inadvertently allowed one of their models access to the
internet. They also say that the model then just exploited a security vulnerability in a different service.
That's very similar to what we saw with Anthropic and OpenAI and, in fact, Irregular is also used by Anthropic and OpenAI. And Anthropic actually
cited this exact same misconfiguration with Irregular as one of the reasons why their models breached three different company systems.
This is something that Anthropic disclosed last week. Now those types of AI models going rogue is one thing. It's an AI model. You know, just behind
the scenes, hacking into computer servers and the like.
What the U.K. government's AI Security Institute is now reporting is something else. This is AI agents trying to trick real human beings. We've
all heard of scammers trying to pretend to be your bank or credit card company and trick you into giving information.
In this case, the U.K. security -- AI Security Institute was testing advanced models from OpenAI and Anthropic, so their security guardrails
within these models were taken down and they did have access to the internet.
And in one of the situations, though, they found -- they found quite a big, unsanctioned action, where one of Anthropic's models was trying to get
malicious code published on GitHub.
GitHub is like the Wikipedia of software code. And a human reviewer, human editor has to approve it. So the agent created a fake identity to try and
get the human reviewer to approve it.
When they were challenged, they even went back into their history and tried to kind of adjust their history to maybe make themselves look better. And
they went even further. They emailed real people, trying to get those people to publish or run the malicious code.
The U.K.'s AI Security Institute says it is the first time that they have ever seen deception of this severity that was targeted at a real person,
unprompted, and in the real world.
Now to be clear, they were not successful. There was no real world harm noted. But you can imagine, you know, that's probably thanks to the human
reviewer who caught this. Had the human reviewer not caught that, published that malicious code, you know, who knows what that could have led to.
And we're just getting, you know, more and more stories of how capable and how advanced these new AI agents are and how our safety environments,
including the testing environments, clearly have not caught up to that.
ANDERSON: And to that point about how quickly we see these advances and how it seems we are learning by the day about the lack of guardrails, a
computer scientist, a man who has been dubbed the godfather of AI, a guy by the name of Geoffrey Hinton, has warned that, the smarter AI gets, the
harder it will be for humans to control.
Does it change how companies should approach the race to build more powerful AI models?
GOLD: Yes, I think so. I mean, Geoffrey Hinton, Nobel prize-winning computer scientist, one of, you know, the three godfathers of AI, he says
that he doesn't think that we're going to be able to keep control of AI for much longer.
And the simple way of just trying to outthink the ways that they might escape. He said this at an AI conference just in the last few days. And
this is true.
And one thing I'm hearing from a lot of people in the industry is -- and that's why we're hearing from people in the industry that they want to slow
down the pace of development -- is because these AIs are starting to do -- there is a debate over whether they are starting to improve themselves.
Essentially, they are realizing how they can get better and better. And we're making them better and better. And we're on an exponential curve
growth of just how advanced these are. Because where we are now, compared to six months ago, 12 months ago, it's leaps and bounds. It's things people
could not have imagined.
[10:40:00]
I actually spoke to the former head of AI cybersecurity testing at Meta recently. And he told me that the mistakes that are happening, some of it
is just because they're not moving the testing environments fast enough to keep up with the advancements of the models.
They're still using testing environments from 12 months ago and that they need to really be beefing up the focus on securing these testing
environments to really account for just how good these agents have become.
ANDERSON: Always good to have you. Thank you very much indeed, Hadas.
Well, authorities in Britain have now approved the Paramount Skydance $110 billion takeover of WBD or Warner Bros. Discovery. And that removes a major
obstacle to that deal.
The U.K.'s antitrust regulator says it will not launch an investigation after Paramount gave assurances about how it would run its media assets,
such as ensuring that news operations are editorially independent. Warner Bros. Discovery is the parent company of CNN. Here's Anna Cooban with more
on what is this developing story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is one issue off Paramount's plate. So this massive merger, this would combine two
huge media companies. This was had you know very strict eyes from regulators around the world on it and so now this is one issue off
Paramount's plate.
The U.K. government, which a few weeks ago said it was minded to intervene in this deal, has now said that it's comfortable with some of the
assurances that Paramount has given it. So one of those assurances is that the different parts of these businesses will be kept editorially distinct.
Now remember, bringing these companies together, you've got streaming services, films, TV content, kids TV, news organizations, including CNN,
that these would be kept editorially distinct but also editorial independence would be guaranteed. Now this is a nod to the news
organizations involved in all of this.
The U.K. government is satisfied with that. Apparently, Paramount has offered to make these assurances legally binding and then all of this also
comes a few days, weeks after the EU gave conditional approval for the deal.
So this is all good on two counts for Paramount but really the caveat, the elephant in the room, is what's happening in the United States.
We've got a lawsuit, a trial set for March that's been brought by state attorney generals, by the Writers Guild of America. This is all on
competition grounds and this is something that Paramount was really striving to avoid because every day this deal is not signed up to September
30th.
Paramount has to pay $7 million per day to WBD shareholders and so if we really extend that up to March, that's over $1 billion that Paramount is
going to be on the hook for. So yes, good news today from the U.K. and the EU a little while ago. But really, the problem here is what's happening in
the United States.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Coming up, a look at what life is like on the ground in Damascus as it undergoes a massive transformation, through the eyes of my Syrian
producer.
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[10:45:00]
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ANDERSON: Well, here at CONNECT THE WORLD, we are very closely following Syria's political and economic transformation after the fall of the Assad
regime, one of the most significant stories in the Middle East today.
But beyond the news headlines, I also want to get you a look at what life is like there. One of my producers, Tala Alrajjal, has been back to her
birthplace, Damascus, to rediscover her heritage and witness the country's rebirth. She filed this video diary of her time there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TALA ALRAJJAL, CNN INTERNATIONAL PRODUCER: Damascus, 1.5 years after the fall of the Assad regime, is looking and feeling a lot better, even though
there is a very long way to go.
I'm in Damascus with my parents, reconnecting with family, friends and the land itself. And we're not the only ones, frankly. There has been a flood
of Syrians from the diaspora coming to the city to spend the summer here, filling its coffee shops, spending their nights out, wedding celebrations,
you name it. The city is definitely alive.
But, of course, that's the diaspora experience. The Damascenes here themselves are still living incredibly tough lives. The rest of the country
were still and the city, the people, they're tired but they're persisting.
You see signs of progress, big and small, more goods available, more imported cars. That's because there's been a bit more of a free market
since the Assad days where everything was heavily restricted of what could come into the country.
The streets are much cleaner. People here do feel safer, all things considered, and feel that the security guards at checkpoints and around the
city are quite respectful.
And importantly, people feel that they have a level of freedom to move around and do as they please.
And I stumbled into somewhere that really does show the bright side of Damascus, especially in the summer. And that is the pool. And it's packed.
Syrians are very athletic, after all.
And so I spoke to a few of the guys here who are swim coaches and lifeguards. And they say they're making enough money for their day to day.
But they're more focused on building up their skills even more for what they see as a brighter future ahead. And so they're optimistic but patient.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is a lot of many skilled people, especially for my generation. We are working, studying at the same time, all the time, so
we can do amazing here. I think it's the government supported us. They will be amazing.
ALRAJJAL: So the task for the Syrian government now is to actually build the programs, the support, the governance that's going to help people
improve their economic situations. It's no small task. They are building something out of nothing. It's messy, chaotic, confusing.
But it's an opportunity. And if there's anything that I've seen over the past few days here, it's that Syrians deserve a real chance to live and
work with dignity. They're an incredibly hard-working people, full of integrity, incredibly hospitable and generous. And after years and years of
war and oppression, they deserve a real chance.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, Tala is reporting that. Well, as the Syrian government rebuilds the economy from the rubble, it is working with the IMF to monitor
progress and strengthen institutions.
Now an IMF team has just returned from a visit to Syria while Tala was there and have now released their initial report.
The bottom line, they say, quote, "Syria's recovery is strengthening with double-digit growth expected in 2026 and continued strong growth in 2027."
And that is despite the ongoing conflict in the region. They cite improvements in agriculture, hydrocarbon production, electricity, provision
trade, rising numbers of visitors and returning refugees.
They do caution that poverty remains widespread and growth is uneven across regions. And they emphasize that significant international support will
continue to be needed.
We are going to pick up this story in greater depth tomorrow and in the days and weeks ahead on CONNECT THE WORLD. Do stay with us for that, an
incredibly important story. We've talked about the geostrategic windfall that is the geography of Syria. More on that in the days to come. We are
back after a very quick break. Stay with us.
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[10:50:00]
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ANDERSON: Israel has renewed airstrikes across southern Lebanon. The IDF says it's in response to what it calls violations of the ceasefire. CNN's
Nada Bashir has more on what the renewed airstrikes mean for the civilians trying to rebuild their lives there after months of conflict.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Clearing the debris of a home now turned to rubble. The result of a months-long Israeli military assault
on southern Lebanon.
"When the shelling started, my family fled," Abughazaleh (ph) says.
"And when I returned, everything was destroyed."
His family fled the village of Zawtar, which overlooks the Litani River, in February and have only now been able to return following the withdrawal of
Israeli forces. Inside what remains of their home, the remnants of this war lay scattered.
Israeli bullets, he tells us.
Walls completely blown out, bullet holes above where his grandchildren once slept.
"We want calm. We want security. We want a state," he says.
"We want to be protected by the military. We don't want to fight. But if Israel attacks us, we will attack them."
Abu Ali (ph) is far from alone. Among the more than a million people displaced from their homes by the war in Lebanon, Hisham Hashem (ph) says
he and his family of four returned to their village as soon as the military gave them the all clear after months spent sheltering in a school in
Beirut.
"Take a look at this scene, the destruction. The Israelis were sleeping here in this room," Hisham (ph) says. "They even left behind their food and
water."
Through shattered glass and concrete, Hisham (ph) takes us to what was his children's bedroom.
"Out in the distance," he says, "Israeli tanks are still positioned. You can see them just a few hundred meters away," he says.
Across Zawtar, the scars of this deadly conflict remain, homes left crumbling, neighborhoods deserted. This monastery, now bullet-ridden and
desecrated, the scale of the destruction here is reflected across southern Lebanon and the recovery process could take years.
While members of this community work to rebuild homes and restore critical infrastructure, some wounds are more difficult to heal. Many have lost
their livelihoods.
"Most of the residents here depend on agriculture. There was a harvest season right before the war started. People fled and left it behind," Abdul
El-Haddin (ph), the mayor of West Zaatar, says.
"I believe there is a big percentage of farms that are not fit for farming anymore due to shelling and airstrikes."
For many, this is not the first time they've been forced to flee their homes nor the first time they have returned to find utter destruction.
Locals here know just how fragile a ceasefire can be and how quickly everything can change.
And while some say they are putting their trust in the Lebanese army to protect them, others say they remain faithful in their support for another
military force, Hezbollah. The Iran-backed political and military group has long dominated in the south.
"I'm proud that my husband, a fighter who defended his land, was martyred in his village," Israa Srour (ph), a mother and now widow tells us. She and
her children fled the border village of Al-Haffah in October 2023.
Their community coming under intense Israeli bombardment after Hezbollah launched a series of attacks on Israel in solidarity with the people of
Gaza.
"War with Israel," she says, has impacted generations of her family. No stranger to Israeli occupations of the past.
"They killed my grandfather. My father was a prisoner of war," she says. "All my uncles were tortured. My entire village suffered."
[10:55:00]
Now Israa (ph) says she is determined to carry on the struggle.
"Eventually, we will return to our village and, if we don't, then our children will return. And if they don't, our grandchildren will" -- Nada
Bashir, CNN, in London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, before we go, let's just check in on those stock markets and oil prices just before 4:00 in the afternoon here in the U.K., just
before 11 in the morning on Wall Street.
This is the shape of the day, a bit mixed out there, frankly. Let's have a look at the oil prices, a little bit higher. Obviously, you know,
investors, amongst other things, watching for any further detail on a deal done between Iran and Oman and then that wider discussion between the U.S.
and Iran.
Not direct, of course, about what happens next in this conflict.
Right. That's it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN. My colleagues with "ONE WORLD" up next.
END
