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Connect the World
Europe Battles Wildfires as Heat Wave Grips Continent; Wildfires Threaten U.K. Wildlife and Habitats; Record Temperatures Add to Existing Economic Woes; Concerns for Crew's Health Aboard USS Abraham Lincoln; Israeli Settlers Besiege West Bank Homes; The Devastating Reversal of Afghan Women's and Girls' Rights; Luigi Mangione May Plead Guilty in CEO Killing; President Zelenskyy Talks About His Plans When the War is Over; Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" Lands in China. Aired 10a-11a ET
Aired August 14, 2026 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:44]
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome back to the second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Christina Macfarlane in London, where the
time is just after 3:00 in the afternoon.
Dozens of people have been hospitalized as another wave of extreme heat sweeps across Europe, with temperatures soaring and wildfires raging in
several countries. As settlers rebuild an illegal outpost in Qusra, Palestinian families say they remain trapped inside their homes. We speak
to their lawyer about the situation on the ground and the growing tensions in the West Bank.
Luigi Mangione is due in court next hour, and sources say he could plead guilty to federal charges related to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO
Brian Thompson, though any deal remains uncertain.
And this hour we are connecting you to a world that is being ravaged by extreme weather. These images are coming in from Croatia, where the scene
appears almost apocalyptic. And wildfires along the coast are forcing hundreds to evacuate. Shifting winds have been spreading the fires deeper
into land and other parts of continental Europe, including France, Germany and Greece are also battling major fires.
Meanwhile, here in the U.K., fires have been ripping through homes in the West Midlands. The local fire service is calling it one of the most
significant incidents in its history. And on Thursday, Britain recorded its hottest day of the year with a summer on track to become its hottest on
record.
And it's not simply the heat that is impacting the globe. Drenching storms are rolling over the Midwest U.S. for a sixth day. It follows a one in
1,000 year rainfall event on Wednesday. And just outside Tokyo, incredible pictures, record breaking torrential rain has fallen on Japan's Chiba
prefecture. At least eight people have died and parts of the region received nearly three times the average August rainfall in just one day.
Scientists are again making it clear these historic weather events are linked to human-caused climate change.
Our chief climate correspondent, Bill Weir, is joining us from New York.
So, Bill, just break down for us why we are seeing such extremes here. Is it just related to climate change, or could El Nino be having an impact,
too?
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christina, actually the experts say El Nino really fully hasn't kicked off yet. It just started in
June. It won't peak until the fall. So what's happening in Europe now does not include the worst effects of the Super El Nino. That remains to come
through the winter and into next year. And it is what a climate scientist, Daniel Swain out of UCLA, calls weather whiplash, which you've just
described there, which is a warmer atmosphere, holds a lot more moisture, every degree Celsius, 7 percent more moisture, which in the winter time can
bring a lot of vegetation.
But then all that moisture goes away, dries out, and becomes tinder. There are now 40 -- over 40,000 wildfires burning around planet earth, 24,000 of
them, more than that, are critical right now. 300,000 people displaced in France and Spain. Biggest peacetime evacuation ever. So this is really all
over the place. And this also has a long tail when it comes to crops. You're already seeing stores in the U.K. putting signs up saying potatoes
and carrots and onions and wheat and barley.
All of these things are going to become more expensive as this drags on because famine ultimately is the hallmark of Super El Ninos in the past.
Tens of millions of people displaced as the El Nino really kicks up, it tends to dry out. India, Australia, eastern southern Africa while making
other places much wetter.
So we live in this age now, Christina, of too much water or not enough. And here's the scary part. This Super El Nino could reach four degrees of
warming in the Pacific, which is off the charts past the 2.75 degrees that we've seen in recent ones. So it's like this is just the opening previews
of what's coming for the next couple of years sadly.
MACFARLANE: Yes. So still worse potentially to come.
Bill, it's so great to have you here walking us through it all. Thank you.
[10:05:03]
I want to turn now to a guest of ours, Beccy Speight, for more of a sort of look on the wildlife angle to this. She is the CEO of the Royal Society for
the Protection of Birds and is joining us now from Nottingham, England.
Beccy, thank you so much. It's great to have you with us. I understand you visited a natural reserve in Suffolk just last week in England following a
huge wildfire there. One that we've actually been reporting on. Can you tell me what that experience was like?
BECCY SPEIGHT, CEO, ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF BIRDS: Yes. This was a fire that had ripped through Dunwich Heath, which is an area of
ancient heathland, about 200 years old, which the National Trust cares for. And we neighbor it at RSPB Minsmere, which is a mixture of all sorts of
habitats, including quite a lot of wetland thankfully. And the damage that I saw was really very, very distressing.
I mean, just kind of what had been kind of beautiful, kind of rich habitats full of wildlife. I mean, we're talking about birds like nightjars, sweet
little Dartford warblers, all sorts of really fantastic birds, reptiles, et cetera. Just kind of had their habitat completely wiped out. And the fire
service there were telling me that at one stage they had 40 meter high fire fronts because the fire had got into some of the pine trees and was sending
those up like torches.
So it really was a very intense, very rapidly progressing fire. And it has done enormous damage. And it will take us many decades to recover those
areas. So we also had huge help, I have to say, from the local community. There were people who had to be evacuated. Thank goodness no one was hurt.
But the local community really rallied round with the fire service, with neighbors, and with our own teams to just try and manage this situation.
MACFARLANE: Yes. And as you were speaking there, we were just seeing scenes of you, I think, walking through that kind of devastated landscape there. I
mean, it really doesn't look like the England that we know. I mean, obviously when these wildfires happen, our first thoughts turn to sort of
human life and preserving human life. But for animals and birds, how resilient are they to this kind of event or how exposed are they?
SPEIGHT: Yes. Well, it's a real mixture. I mean, some of it depends on how big an area the fire ends up covering of course. And certainly there were
reports from our team of seeing birds, particularly nightjars, flying above the fireball when the fire was at its height. So kind of managing to escape
it and get away. But of course slower moving animals, things like kind of reptiles, you know, some of them will go underground and try and escape
that way. But we know that the temperatures underground from that fire were incredibly hot as well. So I'm afraid we will have lost a lot of wildlife
as a result of the fire.
MACFARLANE: Yes. You've said, though, that nature can play a role in helping us to adapt to this, you know, severe climate change that we now
find ourselves in. What do you mean by that?
SPEIGHT: So it's -- there's lots of evidence now, and it's growing, that where we can restore nature and bring back things like wetlands, things
like rewetting peatlands up in the uplands, for example, this is really, really good in terms of providing climate resilience. So resisting the
impacts of things like wildfire and also actually incredibly good for resisting things like flooding because it holds more water in the
landscape.
And we also know that where we have a real mix of different habitats going on in one place. So not a monoculture, not all one thing, but a real mix,
then that's also really helpful in terms of addressing wildfire risk. So whilst nature is absolutely a victim of this kind of huge drought we're
seeing at the moment and the wildfires that are arising as a result, it's also a real tool that we can use to create climate resilience in our
landscapes, as we're going to face into more of this.
As you were hearing earlier, you know, climate change is here. It's making itself felt now in exacerbating this hot weather we're having. And we're
going to see more of this. So we have to think about how we use nature as part of our national infrastructure really to help us build that resilience
and adapt to what changes that climate is bringing at us.
MACFARLANE: Yes. I mean, that's thinking on a sort of macro scale. On a micro scale, I did wonder, I mean, at a time of drought, what can we as
human beings be doing to help birds and animals in this environment? I mean, simple things like putting out water for birds in this heat, is that
something you'd recommend doing? What else can we do?
SPEIGHT: Yes. Well, I mean, I mean, the first thing I'd say is in terms of wildfires, they all pretty much in the U.K. start because of human ignition
of some sort. So a dropped cigarette or a piece of litter left lying, a piece of glass that then causes the fire.
[10:10:06]
So, you know, first of all, let's all kind of, when we're going out into the countryside and indeed, as you've seen today, out into our own kind of
immediate green areas, let's be really careful about that kind of behavior. But the second thing is, I think if you want to help wildlife during this
drought, then absolutely put out water. We're saying if you can kind of refresh and clean that water every day, that's a good thing to do because
it can cause disease to spread amongst birds as well.
But absolutely put out water, put out some water on the ground as well for things like hedgehogs, for example, that need to access that water from the
ground. And in terms of one of the birds that I'm really worrying about at the moment are these birds that are kind of like earthworms. There are very
few worms around at the moment, as you probably noticed. So being able to perhaps feed some kind of soaked mealworm is another really good thing to
do for things like blackbirds and song thrushes that really need that in their diet. So we can definitely lend a helping hand.
MACFARLANE: Yes. It's really good practical advice that I will certainly take on board.
Beccy, we appreciate you joining us and thanks for all you're doing to help protect wildlife here.
SPEIGHT: Thank you.
MACFARLANE: And extreme weather is adding to existing challenges to Europe's economy, too. Let's take a look at the severe drought along the
River Danube in Romania, which has forced a nuclear power plant to go offline. Elsewhere, wildfires have destroyed crops, driving up food prices,
and tourist hotspots have come to close early. Add this to the existing pressure from the war in Iran and U.S. tariffs.
On that front let's have a quick check on oil prices. You can see here Brent crude and WTI up 87 and 81 roughly dollars a barrel. There are of
course enduring concerns for investors over the war with Iran. And the UAE says two of its vessels were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz.
Anna Cooban is following the economic impact of Europe's heat from London.
So, Anna, we've just seen those pictures of extreme heat around the world. But it's not just the weather affecting Europe. There's also the impact of
the war, too. Just explain how those two pressures are hitting the European economy.
ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Christina. Well, two really bad things are happening at the same time. And essentially
what you've got is that this heat wave -- I mean, yesterday in the U.K., it was absolutely unbearable. You had 38 degrees Celsius. And, you know, we're
seeing at least one case of a farmer in a part of England which is having to -- he's having to get his crops at 3:00 a.m. to harvest his crops so
that they have enough moisture.
And also low water levels. So you've mentioned the Danube there, but the Rhine, this is a huge river that goes through Germany and BASF, which is a
major chemicals company, they are warning that they're not going to be able to get enough of their ingredients for their chemicals because they are
delivered on ships that travel on the Rhine. So all of that is happening. And then you've got the cost of the wildfires themselves. You know, the
U.K. is not really associated with wildfires, but we're seeing that, too.
So this is it really is unprecedented for this part of the world. And you're right, this is happening at the same time as you've got this
prolonged war in the Middle East. The Strait of Hormuz is still effectively shut. And it's not just oil that's not getting out. It's also natural gas.
And Europe is in prime time during the summer when it is filling up its stocks of natural gas at relatively low prices usually for this time of
year, ahead of the cold winter.
And I've been speaking to analyst, Christina, who have been saying that we're probably not going to see outright shortages at the end of this year
in Europe. Europe can pay its way out of this problem. But that is the problem because people in Europe will probably see higher energy bills
later this year because of the higher costs that their politicians, their energy companies are going to have to be spending in order to get the
energy they need.
So I wish I could be the bearer of better news, but it's really a whole maelstrom of problems right now for Europe's economy.
MACFARLANE: Yes, it's a one-two hit at the moment, isn't it? And as you say, it was super hot in the U.K. last night -- yesterday, but in the night
as well. 38 degrees in my bedroom.
Anna, appreciate it for now. Thank you.
And you can read more about the impact on the extreme heat on Europe's economy. Head to our Web site where you can read Anna's report, coauthored
with Hannah Zaidi. She also gives us an outlook on what we can expect for energy prices going forward.
Now the U.S. is sending another warship to the Middle East to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln. An official tells us it's a standard swap, but it
comes as reports of mental health issues aboard the Lincoln continue to grow.
CNN's Brian Todd has this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Three U.S. officials saying a sailor on board the aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, went overboard earlier
this month. Two of the officials tell CNN the sailor was quickly rescued and was medically evaluated.
[10:15:02]
One official said the sailor went overboard wearing a life vest and was not injured. The official added that the Navy considered the incident a mental
health episode. One official said the sailor was recovered by an air wing search and rescue helicopter, received treatment on board, then was
transferred off the ship for follow on care.
Now this incident, which has not been previously reported, adds to growing concerns about the crew on board the USS Lincoln. The news outlets "Stars
and Stripes" and the "Navy Times" reported this week that there had been multiple attempts by crew members on the Lincoln to jump overboard. Those
outlets cited interviews with sailors and families of those on board who describe the impacts of a very lengthy deployment.
Now, since the Lincoln left its home port of San Diego, and that was last November, it's been deployed for more than 250 days after being redirected
to the Middle East to take part in the war with Iran. According to Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, who sits on the Armed Services
Committee, the Lincoln has not made a port call in more than 200 days. That's about six and a half months.
Now "The Navy Times" and "Stars and Stripes" report that about a week ago, about 200 family members of the sailors on board the Lincoln voiced
concerns over the sailors' mental health and safety conditions when they met at a town hall meeting in San Diego with acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao
and other senior officials. "The Stars and Stripes" reported that during that town hall, one spouse was in tears when she said she had received a
message that same day from her husband saying, quote, "He hopes he doesn't wake up tomorrow," end quote.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Still to come, Palestinian families trapped in their West Bank homes as Israeli settlers block nearby
roads and try to force them out. We're following the latest developments in this standoff. And it's almost five years since the Taliban retook power in
Afghanistan, and it's brought disastrous consequences for the millions of Afghan women and girls. We'll have a special report.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MACFARLANE: For days, Israeli settlers have been surrounding Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank in an apparent effort to force out the
residents. The U.N. says the Palestinians are living, quote, "in a state of terror" as the situation unfolds. Video taken by the trapped families and
activists in Qusra shows Israeli soldiers who are policing the area trying to remove a large tent erected by the settlers near the Palestinian homes.
But so far they've been unable to force the settlers to leave. The IDF clearly struggling to control the scene. After they removed the tent, the
settlers quickly moved in and put it back up.
Well, joining me now is Ziv Stahl, the executive director of Yesh Din. Her team represents two of the families under siege in Qusra.
As if, thank you for joining us. Can you please just begin by walking us through what is happening to these families in Qusra right now and the
conditions they're facing.
[10:20:05]
ZIV STAHL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, YESH DIN: So I don't know if you know that, but yesterday the military evacuated the -- both of the families and other
families in Qusra, making them leave, forcing them to leave their houses and taking control over the homes. So as to now, both of the families and
other families -- sorry, one of the families and other families in the village has returned to their homes.
But one family, the Hassan family, is still away from its home and the military is occupying their home. Settlers are -- they're out and about,
walking near the house. They come and they go, and the military is still in the village. The shed itself is now down. The military took it down, but
it's been like that for two days now. The military takes it down. And then the settlers come and rebuild it. And it's kind of like a cat and mouse
game.
MACFARLANE: Yes. And just to be clear, because we've been told that settlers are continuing to surround the buildings where these families have
taken shelter. Are they still a serious threat to the families right now?
STAHL: They are. And the families are still under siege because of the threat that the settlers impose on them. So, yes, they are a threat. Even
though the military is there, there is no one who was arrested or detained., basically, I was told by our field researcher who spoke to the
families just now that the army is there, but is doing nothing to protect the families and the Palestinians on the village.
MACFARLANE: Ziv, why are we not seeing the military move in to arrest these settlers or physically remove them from the area?
STAHL: So I think Qusra is an extreme manifestation of the Israeli policy in the West Bank. So we have settler violence and settlement expansion,
which enjoys or met with impunity, and support by the government. As you know, settler violence is expanding, is going to areas that we haven't seen
it before and is met with no accountability whatsoever. 94 percent of investigation files, police investigation files are closed without charges
being pressed. And as usual, both the army and the military are evading the responsibility to protect the Palestinians and to enforce the law, to keep
the law and the order in the West Bank.
And it's not a matter of capability of the military or the police. It's actually a matter of will. The Israeli leadership is driving this policy
because it believes it serves its goals, its bigger goals, to annex the West Bank, to empty the West Bank from its Palestinian population. And this
is basically leading a policy of ethnic cleansing, wanting to control maximum land with as minimum population, Palestinian population, as
possible.
MACFARLANE: So with that in mind, Ziv, I just wanted to get your thoughts on a comment that was made today by Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz.
He said today that he wants to extend the role of Israeli police in the occupied West Bank amid ongoing settler standoff. I mean, what do you make
of that, given his very public support today of the settler movement?
STAHL: I have to say, I don't think this statement should be taken so seriously, with all due respect to the minister, unless he just announced
that he's annexing the West Bank and applying it to Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank. The military, the military commander is still the
temporary replacement of the sovereign of the West Bank. And it's always been the case that the military is the first response on the field.
But the police is the body who is in charge of investigations, criminal investigations and criminal, legal proceedings. So I don't see exactly what
he means by shifting the powers to the police. The police is not present. The police actually cannot arrive to a scene like, which is an area B
without getting an escort by the military. So unless he's going to change all of that, I don't see any way to take this seriously.
MACFARLANE: And we saw during the early stages of this siege, just to return to the military personnel themselves, some of the military praying
with some of the settlers in the early stages. I mean, you've talked previously about the blurring of lines between settlers and the military.
Can you just expand on that a little?
[10:25:07]
STAHL: So in previous or in the recent years, we have seen, as you said, blurring between the military and violent settlers. Part of it is because
the military itself enlisted a lot of reserve forces from the settlements themselves, and they were put in charge to protect their own places of
residence, outposts and settlements. And this causes a kind of a blur where we have Palestinians who tells us that they know the attacker who is now
might be in uniform, but before he was a citizen, a settler who attacked them even before.
And what we see is the authorities, the Israeli authorities fail to address this situation. It's not very clear who is responsible to enforce the law
if there is -- and he is part of these forces, there's a lot of evasion. It's like a hot potato. Both bodies kind of shift the authority from one
another, and no one investigates. No one is actually making sure these people are trained and know what the procedure procedures are, but also, we
have seen a shift in the willingness of soldiers in general to enforce the law on violent settlers.
It's always been the case, but I would say it's much more extreme right now. So total evasion. And I think it comes from the higher ranks in the
military.
MACFARLANE: And just looking beyond Qusra, can you just -- just looking beyond Qusra, can you give us a sort of overview of how widespread this
kind of pressure is on Palestinian communities across the West Bank right now?
STAHL: So across the West Bank, we've seen in recent years an escalation and increase in settler violence. Of course, the creation of new outposts
and herding outposts, which is kind of like small farms, which tries to control the land and push away the Palestinians from the land. And this is
how settler violence is combined with the Israeli government policy of pushing away the Palestinians.
We have seen changes not only in what the settlers does, but also what the government does. So the government is really the government is really
leading I would say a revolution in the way Israel controls the West Bank. This is a legal revolution, but also physical. So if you travel in the West
Bank right now, it is completely different than what it used to be three years ago. Israel is taking over more and more land, not only by illegal
settlements and outposts, but also by paving roads, by taking over more and more land from Palestinians trying to or transferring it into the hands of
settlers to expand the settlement enterprise.
And this is the other side of the coin is the shrinking space for Palestinians to live, to actually make living or livelihood out of their
lands. Really closing Palestinians and restricting movements so they cannot go to work or to farm their lands and so on.
MACFARLANE: Yes. Well, look, it's a really volatile situation right now, but we really appreciate you, Ziv, coming on and giving us the update,
telling us what you know. Thank you.
STAHL: Thank you very much.
MACFARLANE: Now this week marks a somber anniversary for Afghan women and girls. On August 15th, five years ago, the Taliban returned to power after
a chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Law by law, the Taliban have enforced what the U.N. now calls a system of gender apartheid.
Women aren't allowed to speak in public and have been pushed out of the workplace. And under a draconian edict passed earlier this year that
husbands are allowed to beat their wives as long as no bones are broken.
Well, the past 1,824 days, 2.4 million girls have been shut out of secondary schools and higher education, depriving them of their fundamental
right to education.
CNN's Isobel Yeung has more on this anniversary.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISOBEL YEUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These images marked the end of America's longest war. The Taliban were back in Kabul. Airport crowds of
Afghans desperately trying to flee as the country entered an uncertain era. Some parents were even willing to hand their children over the airport
fence. Anything to get them out of a Taliban controlled Afghanistan.
Five years later, the Taliban government has survived.
[10:30:02]
They say they're bringing much needed stability and security after decades of war. But at the same time, Afghan women and girls now face some of the
starkest restrictions in the world. According to the United Nations, more than 100 decrees and directives have cut off their access to education,
employment and public life. Girls over 12 can no longer attend school. Women are restricted from working as lawyers, doctors or in NGOs. Women
can't travel without a male guardian or even visit parks.
MAHBOUBA SERAJ, AFGHAN WOMEN'S RIGHTS ACTIVIST: They don't have money to buy anything. They don't have any place to go to. They're not allowed to.
So why should they walk on the streets? They don't want to get out. So they're staying home. It's by force and it's been happening by force from
day one.
YEUNG (voice-over): For Afghan children another crisis is unfolding. Nearly one in 10 children under five is suffering from acute malnutrition,
according to Save the Children. The organization says that since humanitarian funding has dried up, nearly 600 health clinics have been
forced to close.
Last year, we traveled to Afghanistan to see what the withdrawal of U.S. aid was already doing to the country's fragile health care system. We met
Mohammed Omar, who had severe malnutrition and meningitis. His grandmother (INAUDIBLE) was in the middle of explaining his condition to us when we
noticed Mohammed had stopped breathing.
Is he breathing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pardon?
YEUNG: Is he breathing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You need to go.
YEUNG: We need to go. Sorry. Move, move, move.
(Voice-over): Mohammed's mother returns to the room and the most devastating news. Mohammed's death came as Afghanistan's malnutrition
crisis was worsening. The World Food Programme estimates nearly four million Afghan children will suffer acute malnutrition this year without
urgent investment.
Now, Afghanistan is no longer in the chaos of the takeover. But as the country remains internationally isolated and heavily dependent on
humanitarian assistance, the uncertainty for millions of Afghans has not gone away. It has become their new reality.
Isobel Yeung, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: Earlier, I spoke to Zahra Joya. She's the founder and editor- in-chief of Rukshana Media and the author of the "Vanishing Girl of Kabul." She told me about the pain this five-year anniversary brings and the risks
some of her colleagues are trying -- taking to keep reporting as women journalists under the Taliban rule.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHRA JOYA, FOUNDER AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, RUKHSHANA MEDIA: Fifteen of our guests is marked a dark day for all of us, particularly for Afghan women.
It was unimaginable story that when I heard that they are in Kabul. I remember that when my phone was shut down, I tried to take it to fix in the
shop. Then, you know, I immediately realized that I'm not allowed to move anymore from home. So I was -- I founded myself desperately rely on men
member of my family.
MACFARLANE: A new U.N. report says that 2.4 million Afghan girls are now barred from education, and only half are able to leave their houses once or
twice a month. I know you are still very much in touch with a lot of women back home. What do they tell you about what their daily lives are like
right now?
JOYA: Being a woman in Afghanistan is the worst thing now under Taliban regime. During this five years, the Taliban supreme leader issued more than
400 degrees attacks and orders and more than 100 of these target women directly. So, for instance, women are banned from education, secondary
schools. Girls are not allowed to go to secondary schools. Freedom of movement. In one of these ridiculous order that the Taliban supreme leader
issued was that women should not speak to each other in a loud voice. The thing that we are doing now, it's completely a crime from the Taliban
perspective.
MACFARLANE: Do they speak to you at all about how they are trying to resist, you know, this life that has been forced on them?
JOYA: They are trying to do something for themselves, but obviously every single action that they are taking is -- it means that they are crossing
the Taliban red lines. So it is dangerous and very risky. The example of this bravery is my colleague that they are working underground as a
journalist, and completely in high risk. And I think what the Afghan women are experiencing is gender apartheid.
[10:35:01]
MACFARLANE: Speaking of resisting, the title of your book here, of course, is the "Vanishing Girl of Kabul," which is partly a reference, I imagine,
to an extraordinary episode of your life that, you know, showed such courage and defiance when your mother had the idea to disguise you as a boy
at the age of five. Can you tell me about that?
JOYA: I grew up as a girl in the time that being simply being a girl was a crime. It was -- I was deprived from my rights to go to school. I was
deprived from my freedom as a child, basically, I lost my childhood as a girl. But in a state I think it was a great opportunity for me to change
completely my identity but get education.
MACFARLANE: Afghanistan is the worst place in the world to be a woman. And yet international nations are not calling this a gender apartheid. How
frustrating is that to you?
JOYA: It is. It is indeed very, very frustrating feeling about we are seeing that there is some engagement with the Taliban, particularly a group
of Taliban delegation. They had the chance to go to Europe I think last month. And then imagine that for me as a journalist, as a woman, when I
apply for a visa as Afghan, as an Afghan, there is, you know, I have to prove hundreds of documents that I am not belong to the Taliban member or
I'm not one of the Taliban member.
So -- but unfortunately, you know, European Union, they give this chance to the Taliban delegation to go to the Brussels. And then, yes, they walked on
the red carpet.
MACFARLANE: You have been investigating gender based oppression in other countries, in Western countries, to the United States most notably. Why was
it important for you to tell that story alongside that of your own?
JOYA: I think I feel like the women situation connected to each other everywhere across the world, obviously, situation of women of Afghanistan
is the worst, but for the other part of the world, look at the rank of women leadership. It's decreased a lot. There is a global backlash about
women's situation. And it is, I think, my cry for the world, particularly for women themselves, that you should wake up and you should do more for
yourself, otherwise you will lose your freedom quickly, like women and girls in Afghanistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: A huge thanks to Zahra Joya for coming on and speaking to me.
And if you want to find out more on the Secret Women Journalists of Afghanistan and how you can support them, you can head to Rukhshana.com.
You can make a donation there to help keep the vital work of these women reporters going.
Stay with us. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. We'll have more news after this quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:40:48]
MACFARLANE: Welcome back. I'm Christina Macfarlane in London and you are watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Your headlines this hour.
Wildfires are engulfing parts of Europe as parts of the continent battle their fifth heat wave of the year. In Croatia, wildfires along the coast
are forcing hundreds to evacuate. Other parts of Europe, including the U.K., France, Germany and Greece are also battling major fires.
This week marks five years since the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan, marking also five years since 2.4 million girls have not been allowed to
attend secondary or higher education. The return has brought what the U.N. now calls a system of apartheid.
The U.N. Human Rights Office says the situation in the occupied West Bank is, quote, "beyond a boiling point" as Palestinian communities increasingly
come under attack. Israeli settlers have been surrounding Palestinian homes in Qusara for days in an apparent effort to force the residents out. The
Israeli army has been trying to remove the settlers, but so far their efforts have failed.
And Luigi Mangione could plead guilty today to federal charges tied to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
CNN's Kara Scannell is following the developments from New York.
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KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sources tell CNN that Luigi Mangione is likely to plead guilty today. They are still working through the terms of
this agreement, and nothing will be set in stone until he actually appears in court and they go through the process. But this is the state of play.
Things are still fluid, but what he would come in today would be to face these federal charges, these federal stalking charges in connection with
the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson.
But this could have a big impact on the state case, where he was set to go to trial in just a few weeks on state murder charges for the same crime
essentially. So if the guilty plea goes through today without a hitch, then it is likely that his lawyers will move to try to get the state case thrown
out. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office have raised concerns about that throughout this process, and they have said that they want to make
sure that whatever outcome exists is just for Brian Thompson's family.
Now, sources tell me that members of his family and executives from UnitedHealthcare will be at the court hearing today to see how this
unfolds. The sources also say that no members of Luigi Mangione's family are expected to today to attend today's conference.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: Well, that court hearing is set for the next hour. Stay with CNN as we continue to monitor this story throughout the day.
Now, the White House says it is looking at potential pathways for cooperation with Ukraine after President Zelenskyy made a plea on CNN for
more Patriot missiles. The White House says it's exploring options but must prioritize its own weapon production.
CNN's Nick Paton Walsh is in Kyiv, and he spoke to President Zelenskyy about the war and his hopes for life after it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Thanks so much. No, I had too many meetings today with the soldiers, and they will have after the
interview the second military cabinet.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: So you have said in the past that when this war is over, you just want to sit on
the beach and drink beer.
ZELENSKYY: Yes. Yes.
PATON WALSH: Is that still your abiding feeling, or do you know that there'd be more work to do afterwards?
ZELENSKYY: No, I want, I want really. I need some time. I need some time with my family and with the sea.
PATON WALSH: I mean, that's the key question because this must be for you physically incredibly exhausting to deal with the loss, the pressure. You
say every morning, phone calls about Patriot interceptors. That lives depend upon. How you handle that particular stress? Do you get to talk to
your kids every day or?
ZELENSKYY: Every day, but sometimes by phone of course. Not every day I can see them, but, I mean this -- I'm very happy to --
PATON WALSH: What do you say to them?
ZELENSKYY: Morning. How are you? How are things? Yes. And they tell me what the dreams they had.
PATON WALSH: You miss them?
ZELENSKYY: Miss? Of course. Of course miss.
[10:45:01]
And of course I always say how I love them. And it's like, you know, you physically need to hug them. So we understand it's like big, big support,
big energy support.
PATON WALSH: Thank you, Mr. President. I have one last question. What is that?
ZELENSKYY: This elephant?
PATON WALSH: The elephant with a cold. What is it?
ZELENSKYY: You know, this is where a historic building, you know.
PATON WALSH: Sure.
ZELENSKYY: Thank you very much.
PATON WALSH: Thank you, sir, very much for your time.
ZELENSKYY: You gave me some moment to relax.
PATON WALSH: Please have it removed. Get time on the beach at some point somewhere, you know.
ZELENSKYY: After the war.
PATON WALSH: After the war. You worry you might get trapped in, like, the political world of Ukraine after the war?
ZELENSKYY: Nobody can take my seat.
PATON WALSH: Right. Right.
ZELENSKYY: I will fight for this. I need it.
PATON WALSH: Thank you. Take care. Thank you so much.
ZELENSKYY: Thank you so much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: So nice to see President Zelenskyy smile and laugh on CNN.
And that's it for us here on CONNECT THE WORLD. Up next, two renowned champions of the ocean sit down for a one-on-one interview to talk about
Super El Nino and what many expect to be a challenging year for the seas.
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MACFARLANE: Now coral reefs play a vital role in supporting fisheries, tourism, coastal protection and the livelihoods of hundreds of million
people. And yet it's an ecosystem in crisis worldwide.
CNN's Bijan Hosseini is in French Polynesia, the home of the leading coral reef restoration organization that he will cover extensively over the next
year as part of the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative.
Here's today's report.
BIJAN HOSSEINI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, right now we are on the island of Moorea in French Polynesia. And you can see it is just absolutely
beautiful. But that's not why we're here. We're actually here for what's happening offshore below the waves. In 2024, the world witnessed the worst
mass coral bleaching event in recorded history, and there may be more trouble on the way for those reefs.
Experts are warning the potential of a very strong El Nino. But there is some good news. There are people that are working to give these reefs a
fighting chance. And right now we're at the headquarters of Coral Gardeners. It's a nonprofit that grows coral in underwater nurseries. They
monitor their health and they outplant them to these damaged reefs. And so for the next 12 months, we are going to follow their journey. That journey,
along with Mission Blue, another nonprofit organization, all as part of our "For the Ocean" series.
And to kick that off, we invited both founders, Titouan Bernicot and the legendary oceanographer Sylvia Earle, to talk about what's at stake and
what challenges lie ahead.
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SYLVIA EARLE, FOUNDER AND CEO, MISSION BLUE: This year is predicted to be a very strong El Nino year, which means more trouble for the already troubled
reef.
[10:50:01]
What do you see as actions that can prepare you for this, so, I mean, I've just heard some places where people were doing their utmost to restore
reefs and then devastation. And this year looks like a bad one coming.
TITOUAN BERNICOT, FOUNDER AND CEO, CORAL GARDENERS: It's going to be a tough. People, they don't realize that the biggest fire of all times is
happening underwater, under the surface. They talk about fires on land, but underwater it's boiling.
EARLE: So connecting coral reefs with Antarctica, with the Arctic, with those systems that maintain a favorable climate, I mean, it all ties
together.
BERNICOT: They're all interconnected. But to me, it's going to be a challenge. And I'm trying to do my best to be ready for this Super El Nino.
I mean, like, yes, I'm scared because we put so much time, dedication and effort into growing those little corals. But also I'm interested and
curious. So we are getting ready to do different scientific experiments to do what we call climate change adaptation methodology, working with more
resilient and more adapted corals, super corals. And we're going to compare the results all around the world.
EARLE: So it's an opportunity in a way.
BERNICOT: It's an opportunity in a way to try and to improve the scientific methodology. If we want to make sure there are corals in the future,
decades and years to come, which we will, we need to have those testing period. That's going to be an experiment time for us, that Super El Nino.
And, you know, Sylvia, I saw the last couple years that some of the corals we work with after they experience a stressful event, a bleaching event,
they developed a memory of adaptation.
In 2024, some of the corals we were working with, they died, but also a lot of them, they didn't die. And so some of them are becoming stronger. They
are smart. They are here for millions of years. So I still have a lot of hope that nature corals are smarter than we think. And if we give it a
little push --
EARLE: Adaptable.
BERNICOT: They can adapt, yes. So I'm curious to see in the coming months and next year what's going to be the results. And I'm going to push my team
to really get ready and use that as an opportunity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Do let us know what you're doing to answer the call with the hashtag "Call to Earth."
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MACFARLANE: Now, after grossing more than $1 billion worldwide, Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" is already this year's second biggest film at the
U.S. box office, but now it faces its toughest audience yet. China.
CNN's Mike Valerio reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Is China the biggest test yet for "The Odyssey"?
(Through text translation): Why do you want to see "The Odyssey"?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): It's already trendy and the reviews are positive. The prerelease promotion was done very well, so I'm
very interested in it.
VALERIO: The blockbuster just opened in China, sailing into a market where Hollywood has been struggling to get Chinese audiences into theaters.
Domestic movies now dominate China's box office, a growing trend. Only one or two Hollywood movies will crack the annual top 10 highest grossing list,
but Christopher Nolan may be different.
[10:55:01]
MR. HE, BEIJING MOVIEGOER (through translator): I really look forward to seeing how the Director Nolan is going to tell this story.
BRENT LANG, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, INDIE WIRE: Christopher Nolan is now a brand unto himself. People really go out just because Christopher Nolan's name is
above the title.
VALERIO (voice-over): And Nolan's films have already made similar box office journeys in China before. "Oppenheimer" made about $60 million here.
"Interstellar" and "Inception" were hits, too. On Chinese social media influencers are summarizing Homer's epic poem and key characters to tell
those scrolling what they need to know before watching "The Odyssey."
It's playing on hundreds of iMax screens across China, and people on their socials are talking about which iMax theaters in their cities offer the
best experiences.
Nolan, Matt Damon, and Charlize Theron all came to Beijing for a splashy premiere, and Nolan's interview with Chinese podcaster Jong Chul went
viral, racking up tens of millions of views.
JONG CHUL, CHINESE PODCASTER: Are you a bard for a civilization at dusk?
VALERIO (voice-over): But does all that buzz actually translate into Chinese moviegoers buying tickets?
LANG: The local product has gotten so much better in China and so much more popular that they've gotten a little out of the habit of going to Hollywood
films.
VALERIO: "The Odyssey" could help show if Chinese audiences are ready for another Nolan epic, and if that could help lead them back to Hollywood.
Mike Valerio, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: And that is it for this hour of CONNECT THE WORLD. Thank you so much for joining us. Do stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up after this quick
break.
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