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U.S.-Israel War with Iran; Violence in the West Bank; Jurors Deliberate for Fifth Day in Lindsay Clancy Trial; Post-Partum Health Issues Need Better Diagnosis and Treatment; U.S. Says Chevron to Expand Operations in Venezuela; Leadership Void at the Pentagon Raises Concerns about the Future of the U.S. Army; Tiger Woods Reaches Plea Agreement on DUI; Nepal Death Toll Surpasses 1,000 with 4,200 Still Missing; MapQuest Downloads Spike after Google Maps Changes Name of Lake Ontario. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired September 02, 2026 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Welcome to the second hour of the show from our Middle East programming headquarters. I'm Becky Anderson in
Abu Dhabi, where the time is just after 6:00 in the evening, the day after what has been an extremely disturbing night for U.S.-Iran strikes.
Those U.S. strikes on Iran drawing a fierce response from Tehran, which says several people, including a 4-year-old child, were killed after
shrapnel hit a wedding celebration.
Meanwhile, in Caracas, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright is unveiling new details of a landmark oil deal with Venezuela, an agreement aimed at
strengthening America's long-term energy security.
And in Massachusetts, the Lindsay Clancy trial has ignited a national conversation about postpartum psychosis, exposing gaps in understanding and
treatment.
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ANDERSON: The latest escalation between the U.S. and Iran in this region as both nations trade fire and issue new warnings, U.S. Central Command
saying its forces hit Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets, including air defense sites, radar systems and mine laying capabilities.
It was the second wave of attacks in the past few days. And it comes as U.S. president Donald Trump says he is in no rush to negotiate with Iran,
posting on social media that he likes the U.S. position much better now and that the U.S. controls almost all of the Strait of Hormuz.
He also called on the Iranian people to rise up and fight, something he, of course, said six months ago as the war was starting. Well, let's get more
insight now with CNN political and national security analyst David Sanger. He's also White House and national security correspondent for "The New York
Times."
And it's always good to have you on, David, thank you for making time for us. Let's start with that post from the U.S. president. He says he likes
the U.S.' position right now.
What do you make of that?
And does Washington have the upper hand at this stage?
DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, I think the president thinks that things are turning a bit, in part, because of the
economic pressure, Becky, on the Iranians. Inflation is obviously taking off there. It's not quite up at the levels that we've seen in places like
Venezuela.
But it's pretty severe and I think that the Iranians recognize that, while holding the Strait of Hormuz is extremely valuable to them right now, over
time, it's going to be a diminishing asset, as the Saudis, as other oil producers, come up with alternative ways to get their oil out.
That won't happen right away. But, of course, that does set a time on this clicking away for the Iranians.
ANDERSON: And he may have a point.
I mean, there is no doubt that the new sanctions announced this week on what Scott Bessent, of course, described as, economic D-Day for Iran,
launching what the administration calls operation economic outcasts, are certainly having an effect or certainly will have an effect alongside that
military blockade.
I wonder how much pressure this campaign will have on China to get involved?
Of course, we know that there are threats against, you know, another global bank involved in -- doing business with Iran. And China, of course, gets 90
percent of its oil from Tehran.
What do you make of China's position in all of this?
SANGER: Well, the Chinese, as you point out, Becky, they are the mystery member of all of this. They reacted very strongly against what the
president and secretary Bessent announced last week. They are coming up with alternatives to Iranian oil.
[10:05:03]
It's a bigger deal for Iran to be able to ship to China -- because 80 percent to 90 percent of their shipments in 2025 went to China -- than it
is for the Chinese, who've got some other alternatives.
But at the same time, China does not want to see the United States gain the upper hand here. And what's making this more delicate is the fact that Xi
Jinping is coming to Washington on September 24th.
And the president wants this to be a really successful visit. And as a result, he doesn't really want to press the Chinese too hard and have a
blowup on this issue, as looked likely to happen when they were all meeting --
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Yes, it's fascinating --
SANGER: -- this week.
ANDERSON: yes -- which, was happening at the same time, of course, as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the SCO.
And I asked -- the reason I was asking about China is because Xi Jinping is at that summit. The organization has just issued a joint statement,
condemning the U.S. and Israel's war on Iran as well as Western sanctions on some of its members.
The Bishkek declaration, as it will now be known, was signed by Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Narendra Modi of India and Pakistan's prime minister,
Shehbaz Sharif, amongst others.
Interesting in that Pakistan, of course, is playing mediator role, in trying to find a diplomatic conclusion to this conflict.
What do you make of that alignment?
SANGER: So it's pretty fascinating. If you think about a year or two ago, the most important new alignment we were seeing in the in the world was
China with Russia and North Korea and Iran.
Obviously, Xi Jinping sees an opportunity here to pull two countries, that have been in the orbit of the United States -- Pakistan, which was given by
the Bush administration the title of a major non-NATO ally -- and Iran -- I'm sorry, in India, which, the administration has been courting very
closely since before and since the Iran attacks.
And the Indians have made it clear that they are going to keep their options open here as Xi tries to create an alternative power center that
countries could be attracted to, because the U.S. seems both aggressive and unreliable.
ANDERSON: It's fascinating, isn't it?
Iran, of course, carrying out retaliatory strikes against Gulf nations today. These cycles of escalation now seem to be becoming the new normal. I
mean, we've been using that word and hoping that, you know, frankly, for those of us who live in this region, that we're wrong.
But it does feel as if we are in this new normal. UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said earlier this week that the region needs a, quote,
"sustainable political solution or solutions."
Donald Trump may be willing to sustain this level of tension, be perfectly happy, he says, in where he is at. I just wonder whether you think
America's allies, particularly those in this region, will accept that.
SANGER: I doubt that they can over a long period of time. But right now they don't have a lot of choice, right. We're in this strange netherworld
where we know that the post-World War II order has collapsed, something that you and I have talked about before.
But it's not clear what replaces it. And so what we were just discussing with the way Xi Jinping is trying to use the Shanghai group to come up with
an alternative is one possible outcome.
But to -- for the United States to retain both a technological, military and, of course, a diplomatic lead, it's got to become attractive to its
allies and to its partners. And that's the work of the next few years after all of the damage of the past year or two.
ANDERSON: Meantime -- and I'm going to just leave this conversation with your thought on the following -- Xi Jinping is visiting Egypt today.
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You and I have talked about that Bishkek joint declaration.
Are U.S. allies, do you think, increasingly looking to China as a more predictable and steady partner?
They haven't in the past and certainly do not seem to be offering security and defense solutions for some of these key countries.
What do you -- what do you make of all of this?
SANGER: So the big question is how much do they go in that direction?
You're absolutely right; what the Chinese have offered in the past has been investment and technology, right?
That they would come in not only to -- with trade deals and building ports but also building communication systems based on Chinese technology. That,
of course, has a certain appeal to authoritarian nations that want to use that technology to maintain power within their own systems.
Facial recognition, all of the things that China -- the Chinese leadership has used; the question is, is that enough?
Because eventually they're going to need to choose some sides. And countries like India and Pakistan are trying to avoid having to choose. Be
interesting to see what happens when Xi Jinping hits Egypt.
ANDERSON: Good to have you, David. Always a pleasure and always --
SANGER: Wonderful to be with you.
ANDERSON: -- it is always something for you and I to discuss. And we could -- and we could go on forever. Thank you, David. Cheers.
SANGER: Thank you.
ANDERSON: Well, meantime, officials in Iran say a U.S. attack killed four civilians attending a wedding celebration there. This video shows some of
those injured in the attack in a nearby hospital. Iran says the dead and injured were hit by shrapnel from the U.S. attack.
It happened in the coastal city near the Strait of Hormuz and the local governor there described the scene and the casualties.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Sierra County (ph) was subjected to multiple attacks by the American enemy once again in violation of human
rights. One of our residential units was hit. This residential unit was hosting a wedding celebration.
Unfortunately, in this crime, 63 of our fellow citizens and compatriots suffered injuries and we have unfortunately lost four martyrs. Out of our
63 injured, unfortunately, more than 50 of them are children and women.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And the escalating conflict in the Middle East has of late been pushing up oil prices. Let's have a look at Brent crude and the WTI
indices. At present, they are just shy of where they have been of late. But still, you know, at just less than 90 on the WTI index and just shy of 94
on Brent, those are significant numbers.
Meantime, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has been talking to many of the world's finance ministers, telling them the Iranian regime is close to
economic collapse. Have a listen.
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SCOTT BESSENT, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: Many of our allies came forward and said, we will do whatever is necessary, because they understand that
Iran is in an -- economic death throes and that the Iranian snake, having had its head cut off, that once the body stops contorting, then they will
come to the table.
So the more they help us, the more they help in this conflict. And they have offered to do whatever they could, whether it is intelligence,
economic intelligence, and speaking to any entity that supports this treacherous, evil regime.
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ANDERSON: CNN business and economics reporter Anna Cooban joining us now.
I mean, Scott Bessent taking an opportunity at G20 and headlining this to those finance ministers from around the world gathered there, that he wants
their support. The U.S. absolutely determined that they have the Iranian economy now in a death spiral.
Does the evidence suggest that at this point?
ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Iran's economy is used, Becky, to punishing sanctions over many, many years. So
this is obviously the screw has been tightened somewhat.
And we did see the U.S. come out recently to announce more sanctions or threaten more sanctions on countries, secondary sanctions on countries that
are doing business with Iran.
There's yet to have very specific details, a lot of those details come out yet. And actually, the country that really would be able to put pressure on
Iran, you know, indirectly, would be China, because China is buying most of the vast majority of Iran's oil.
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But you know, those were strong words from Bessent there. And we're seeing in any -- in any case, investors kind of frightened about what's happening
in the market. Oil prices are up around 7 percent since the end of Friday.
And, of course, there are fears around inflation more broadly about how that's being impacted around the world. We saw yesterday in the Eurozone,
inflation up around 3.3 percent, up from 2 percent this time last year.
So whatever the U.S. is saying about the Strait of Hormuz -- we saw Energy Secretary Chris Wright on yesterday say that 17 million barrels of oil had
managed to escape from the strait on Monday. That's shy of the 20 million barrels we saw before the war.
Despite all of this, the market, Becky, doesn't seem to be that cheered by this or cheered by the fact that some of this oil is getting out through
pipelines that have rerouted it. Fundamentally, we're still in this six- month war, a long war now, Becky. And the markets not reacting particularly well.
ANDERSON: It's fascinating, isn't it?
It's good to have you, Anna. Thank you very much indeed.
And more, of course, on that as we get it.
Well, dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked a home in the occupied West Bank village of Qusra over the weekend. Witnesses say they surrounded
a Palestinian house, throwing stones while seven people were trapped inside. It is the first major attack since a siege by settlers in the area
sparked international outcry last month.
Well, my colleague, Bianna Golodryga, asked Israel's president, Isaac Herzog, about the rise of violence by these Israeli settlers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ISAAC HERZOG, PRESIDENT OF ISRAEL: There are juvenile delinquents, absolutely, that come into the West Bank, to Judea and Samaria. They are
there for a long time. And it they -- could be that they have aligned with other groups.
But honestly, to say there is a major effort by our authorities to undermine these activities and, of course, to bring people to justice, to
be arrested and brought to trial, there have been efforts in recent days. Only about 10 of them or 12 were arrested.
I strengthened (sic) ambassador Huckabee. But let's put things in perspective.
It's like saying, what about inner city violence in the United States?
I mean, there's a major effort to tackle inner city violence. There's a major effort to tackle these groups in the -- in the Judea and Samaria. And
I am actually quite confident that the efforts that have been taken, together with the secret service, the Shin Bet, and others will bear fruit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And you can watch the full interview in the next hour on "ONE WORLD," coming up just after CONNECT THE WORLD.
Well, still to come on this show, the jury in the Lindsay Clancy trial back for day five of deliberations after telling the judge that they were
deadlocked.
Could the mother accused of killing her three children be headed for a mistrial?
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ANDERSON: Happening now, jurors in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial are back in court for a fifth day of deliberations. On Tuesday, the judge urged
them to work through their disagreements after they said they were deadlocked.
Clancy, of course, is on trial for the murder of her three young children. Her defense doesn't dispute the fact that she killed them but argues that
she should not be held criminally liable. They say she was suffering from postpartum psychosis during the killings.
Clancy's attorney briefly addressed reporters today before heading into court. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Verdict today?
I don't know. Hopefully.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, CNN's Ivan Rodriguez covering the trial in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
It's good to have you. The judge's instructions, of course, to the jury, well, go back and try harder, effectively, yesterday, when they said that
they were deadlocked.
Do we have any sense of how the jury is doing, where they go from here?
IVAN RODRIGUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, I will say that deliberations kicked off a little late this morning. Jurors probably
haven't even reached that one-hour mark yet.
And that's because the judge had to open court this morning by speaking with all 18 jurors and reminding them of the court order, which protects
jurors as well as attorneys in this case.
Because, yesterday, a 56-year-old woman was arrested outside of the courthouse for trying to take pictures, her attorney says, of Lindsay
Clancy in an area that is restricted for people to go into. In the end, she also took pictures of jurors.
She was actually just arraigned 30 minutes ago. A judge has now ordered her to stay away from the courthouse. So for that reason, we got off to a late
start today. But for now, we haven't heard anything in terms of deliberations, which is partly a good thing, one could assume, because
those deliberations for the jury are ongoing.
And if the day continues like that, it's possible we don't hear anything at all today and the judge will just let that jury continue those
deliberations.
Now maybe there is a note today from the jury to the judge again, like we saw yesterday, saying that they're unable to reach a unanimous verdict. In
that case, the judge does have a few options.
The judge could again bring the jury back into the courtroom and ask them multiple times to continue their deliberations and do that casually.
And if, at that point, jurors can still not reach a unanimous verdict, the judge will be able to read a special instruction known as a dynamite
charge, also known here in the State of Massachusetts as a 2E Rodriguez (ph) charge, which would give jurors a final opportunity to reach a
unanimous verdict.
If at that point, they're still not able to and they remain deadlocked, the judge will typically declare a mistrial. And at that point, this case would
end without any sort of resolution. And it also opens a door in the future for another potential trial. And that would be with an entirely new jury.
ANDERSON: Yes. OK. Well, we will continue to check in with you and our other reporters on the ground as we await what happens next, whether that
is a decision by this jury or a decision, of course, by the judge. Thank you.
Well, my next guest is a forensic and reproductive psychiatrist and writes this about postpartum psychosis.
Quote, "This is the scariest mental illness that I know of. You have these symptoms happening rapidly. You may or may not have any mental health
history or any mental health literacy. And you've got this dependent little person with you."
Dr. Susan Hatters Friedman joins us now.
This trial has really blown the lid off postpartum psychosis.
I wonder whether, given the way it's being framed, is this progress or a step backwards, firstly?
DR. SUSAN HATTERS FRIEDMAN, FORENSIC AND REPRODUCTIVE PSYCHIATRIST: Thanks for inviting me. That's a great question. I think it's progress in that the
national conversation, some international conversation, is focused on postpartum maternal mental health.
I do worry about the risks, right. Many, many women experience postpartum depression, postpartum psychosis. That is quite treatable.
But when it's -- when our national/international conversation is about maternal mental illness, when it's linked to a homicide or three deaths.
[10:25:00]
I don't want it to be linked in people's minds that mental illness equals homicide.
ANDERSON: Yes. No. and it was the reason for the question. So thank you for the answer on that. I mean, two decades ago, postpartum psychosis was
at the center of another high-profile case, Andrea Yates, the Texas mother charged with killing her five children.
Has the conversation around this illness, do you believe, changed since then?
I'm talking about it's a 20-year period here.
FRIEDMAN: Yes. And 20 years ago, I was actually in training with Dr. Resnick, who was one of the expert witnesses in the Andrea Yates case. And
so it's very, very much in my memory, from attending that case as well.
I think with social media, with people following the current case every day and the way society has evolved, I think we're hearing a lot more
discussion now about postpartum psychosis, about postpartum depression.
In the past two decades, there have been major screening initiatives. We are having more people trained in reproductive psychiatry. But it's still
not enough community knowledge, still not enough medical knowledge, I think.
ANDERSON: Yes. And there is a distinction. You are making it between postpartum psychosis and postpartum depression. Depression, as I understand
it, being a lot more common.
Can you just explain the difference?
FRIEDMAN: Sure. Yes. And as you say, the postpartum depression is much more common. Depending on the study, up to one in seven, one in eight moms
have postpartum depression as compared to postpartum psychosis, which is one in 500, one in 1,000 moms.
Postpartum depression is a major depressive disorder that's happening in the postpartum. We tend to think of the postpartum as the year after the
mom gives birth. And we know from research and clinical experience that it's really that postpartum year where a woman is at the highest risk of
developing mental illness of any time in her life.
So postpartum depression has depressive symptoms -- sadness, deep sadness, but also can have difficulty sleeping, difficulty with appetite, with
attention, with concentration, with motivation, with bonding with the baby, with anxiety as well.
Versus postpartum psychosis, which itself tends to occur in the first few weeks postpartum. It can occur later but it tends to occur in the first few
weeks.
And postpartum psychosis, being a psychosis, meaning that the person's out of touch with reality, can have hallucinations, thinking they're hearing
things when there's nothing there, seeing things, experiencing other sensations when there's nothing there.
Which sometimes can give them messages, paranoia, delusional thoughts, fixed false beliefs that are not consistent with her own beliefs that she's
held, getting hidden secret meanings from things, often that things are very dangerous or bad that are going to happen to the baby.
As well as in postpartum psychosis, you can get irritability, mood shifts, insomnia and confusion as well. And so postpartum psychosis tends to have
this rapid onset and the symptoms wax and wane as --
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ANDERSON: I know that you said that --
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: -- one in eight of new moms -- yes. And one in eight -- you know, the numbers there, one in eight new moms. That's 12 percent of new
moms who suffer some postpartum depression. Those numbers are, you know, I mean, really, really worrying.
Do you worry that this trial could set a precedent for future cases involving moms who may not suffer from postpartum psychosis -- or not to
the same extent that that -- but that this could create a situation where, you know, mothers are at risk in, for example, custody battles when their
mental health is used against them?
FRIEDMAN: Sure. I mean, that's something that we've seen happen, I think, forever in custody battles. I think the important point stepping back from
it is that we know that getting identification and treatment of the mental health issues decreases the risk. And that's part of the worry.
Because if we -- if it's stigmatized, if it's associated in people's minds with maternal mental illness equals harming your kids, then people are
going to avoid treatment versus if we know this is something that's so common, that treatment really helps and that treatment decreases the risk,
like that's the society we want.
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ANDERSON: Susan, it's good to have you. Thank you very much indeed for joining us.
All right. Still to come, why a leadership shakeup is raising new questions about the future of the U.S. Army.
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ANDERSON (voice-over): Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD from our Middle East broadcasting
headquarters. These are your headlines.
And U.S. Central Command says it attacked Iranian military targets for a second time this week. It says those targets included the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps air defense sites, radar systems and their mine laying capabilities.
Iran responding by firing ballistic missiles and drones toward what it says are U.S. military assets in Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait.
Russian president Vladimir Putin says Moscow is open to concrete talks to resolve its war with Ukraine, despite recent deadly strikes on Kyiv.
But he also labeled Ukrainian leadership as terrorists after the president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, warned airlines and insurance companies that Ukraine's
drones are making Russian airspace too dangerous to travel.
Well, this hour, jurors in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial are back in court for a fifth day of deliberations. On Tuesday, the judge urged them to
walk through their disagreements after they said they were at an impasse. Well, Clancy's attorney has said she is not emotionally prepared for a
potential retrial.
ANDERSON: Well, the Trump administration is defending a controversial oil deal with Venezuela, framing it as a step toward expanding U.S. influence
in the country while helping to pave the way for democratic elections.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright is in Venezuela following last week's announcement of the agreement, which grants Washington control over 65
billion barrels of Venezuela's vast oil reserves. Here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS WRIGHT, U.S. ENERGY SECRETARY: The American investment in Venezuela is to grow the flow of private capital from a great number of American
businesses.
We want to see a lot of investment coming from the United States into Venezuela to grow opportunity and prosperity for Venezuelans and for
Americans and for energy consumers around the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, CNN's David Goldman joining me now.
And, David, those are very optimistic messages from secretary Wright. And you would expect that. This is being framed as a massive, massive win both
the U.S. and for Venezuela and its oil industry.
[10:35:00]
He earlier told reporters that he expects 1.5 million barrels will be produced daily by next year.
Is that realistic, given how underdeveloped Venezuela's industry and its reserves are?
DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: Well, 1.5 million barrels per day is possible but it's at the extreme end of what is possible in
Venezuela right now. We're producing about 1.2 million barrels per day out of Venezuela.
Now that is up 150,000 barrels from the beginning of last year. But remember, we had about 3.5 million barrels per day coming out of Venezuela,
mostly going to the United States at the end of the '90s, before the socialist regime from Hugo Chavez took over and, basically, you know, let
the infrastructure there fester.
So you know, it is possible, according to Luisa Palacios, who was the chairwoman of Citgo and now at Columbia, an oil analyst now. But that's
pretty much the extent of what we might be able to get out of Venezuela without significant more investment.
ANDERSON: So part of this deal involves partnering with the family of Alejandro Betancourt, who was under investigation for fraud, as I
understand it, by Swiss authorities.
Why would the administration involve someone with that background in such a high profile and, as they describe it, monumental deal?
GOLDMAN: Well, it's a risk, right?
I mean, this is someone who hasn't been charged, let's be clear, but has been investigated in both Spain and Switzerland for fraud and tax evasion.
And so, you know, if you want to get oil out of Venezuela, there's really two places that you can go.
One is Chevron. And we saw today that Chevron announced that it's going to increase its investment by $7 billion there and it expects to be able to
increase its production, basically doubling it to 600,000 barrels per day in five years.
The other person is Alejandro Betancourt, right. He's got access to a massive amount of oil in Venezuela. And so they got what they wanted out of
Chevron.
Now if the United States wants to partner with someone, this is the guy that you want to partner with if you want to get oil out of the country,
which is what the Trump administration has been begging American oil companies to do since they ousted Maduro in January.
ANDERSON: Fascinating. Good to have you, David. Thank you.
GOLDMAN: Thank you.
ANDERSON: I want to take a closer look at the deal and why it is stirring controversy. Through the deal, the U.S. will have majority control of more
than 65 billion barrels of proven oil reserves there in Venezuela, at no cost to Washington.
That amounts to more than a fifth of the country's proven oil reserves. The deal also gives a U.S.-backed oil firm 100-year concessions over 17 oil
fields in Venezuela. That means the U.S. government will have powerful governance rights and economic ownership over Venezuela's oil.
Caracas will be handing off a 34 percent equity stake to the U.S. president -- to the U.S. -- sorry. President Trump has conceded the deal will likely
not yield results for another two years.
That is because Venezuela's reserves, as we've been discussing, are underdeveloped and hard to extract. Of course, we'll continue to report on
how the deal affects energy markets, Americans, the rest of the world and, most importantly, Venezuelans, who are still reeling from an exceptionally
tumultuous year.
Well, a new leadership void at the Pentagon is raising concerns about the future of the U.S. Army in the aftermath of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll's
resignation. Multiple sources told CNN they believe Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is damaging the Army's efforts to adapt to modernization.
They say Hegseth is instead focusing on culture wars, prioritizing his vision of the American warfighter and pushing out leaders who don't align
with that.
Pentagon's chief spokesman called it, quote, "a total fabrication" to claim Hegseth is not focused on modernization and says the entire department is
unified behind his agenda. CNN's Haley Britzky, following this story for us from Washington.
And we're learning more, it seems, about outgoing Army Secretary Driscoll and his concerns raised about the Defense Secretary in his resignation.
What are your sources telling you?
HALEY BRITZKY, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Becky. So Secretary Driscoll, when he was resigning, sources say that he raised
specifically the Army's effort to modernize -- so to adapt for the modern battlefield, essentially and what he saw as Hegseth's efforts to block
those changes.
[10:40:00]
By firing the general officers who were in charge of them, so secretary Hegseth, we've seen a wave of firings and forced exits of general officers
within the Army specifically.
But sources also pointed to secretary Driscoll's resignation as a concern when it came to secretary Hegseth's priorities. Secretary Driscoll has
really pushed for modernization. He's been very focused on drones in particular.
He's traveled to Europe plenty, talking with U.S. Army officials there about how best to integrate drones and counter drone capabilities. So
losing him in the Army has concerned sources because they are worried that the people going -- that are going to be in charge will not be as invested
in those priorities.
And a former senior Army official, speaking about some of the general officers that secretary Hegseth has fired or forced out, said that, when
you fire these guys for arbitrary reasons, it creates confusion and a void.
The Army is enduring turbulence right now. So the Pentagon pushed back on that concept, saying that secretary Hegseth has focused on this, that he
has slashed bureaucracy and unleashed innovation.
But sources saying that, while secretary Hegseth may, you know, sign a memo here or there saying that this is a priority and that he wants the military
to focus on this, when he speaks publicly, when we hear from him, he often focuses on these culture war issues, on eradicating what he considers to be
woke issues from the military.
And they don't believe that he's really following through on those priorities. So something that is really causing a lot of concern in and out
of the Pentagon right now, Becky.
ANDERSON: Thank you, Haley.
Haley Britzky in the house for you.
Well, prosecutors held a news conference just a short while ago, in fact, after Tiger Woods reached a plea agreement on what was a lesser charge
following his driving under the influence arrest in March.
Now the golf icon left court earlier today. He initially pleaded not guilty to DUI charges after he crashed his car near his home in Florida earlier
this year. CNN's Randi Kaye was at the change of plea hearing in Stuart, Florida, and she joins us now live.
So just explain what actually happened in court, Randi.
RANDI KAYE, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you said, Becky, he had entered a plea of not guilty back in March when this first happened. So
today he entered a plea of no contest. And then the court went ahead and marked him as guilty after not -- after entering a no contest plea.
So on the first count, which was driving under the influence in that case from March, he had an amended charge from the state. So it was knocked down
from driving under the influence to willful, wanton, reckless driving. He lost his license for five years as a result of that no contest plea and had
a fine of $1,000.
And then on his second charge, which was refusing to take this sobriety test, it was a urinalysis test, actually, that he refused to submit to,
which would have told the deputies what was in his system in terms of drugs or medications. He was -- the court had an adjudication of guilt on that.
So it was a $500 fine and also another five-year license suspension. So those will be served concurrently. So he will altogether just lose his
license for five years.
But the judge did say to him, for the safety of the public, you -- if you are seen driving, you will go immediately back to jail.
Now why did this agreement take place?
In part, apparently there was an erosion of evidence, according to the prosecutor who spoke in court.
But after court, the state attorney had a press conference. And he explained that there was, in terms of the impairment that the deputies
thought they saw, it would be very hard to prove, he said, because the of the fact that they say Tiger Woods had developed basically an immunity to
He had he had built up an immunity to whatever drugs he was on. They found this hydrocodone in his pocket and he admitted that he was on some
prescription drugs earlier in that day, that he had built up a tolerance to that. So there would be -- it would be very difficult to prove that he was
impaired, that it might not show.
So they decided to make this agreement and have this no contest plea with Tiger Woods. So he was quick to explain how they got to that. He wanted to
make sure that people didn't think there was some special treatment going on, is what he said, Becky.
ANDERSON: Understood. Randi, good to have you. Thank you.
All right. Still ahead, meet the bus driver who sprang into action to save 50 kids from Nepal's devastating floods. My colleague, Anderson Cooper, has
his remarkable story, up after this.
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[10:45:00]
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ANDERSON: Well, a week has now passed since devastating floods swept through parts of Nepal and China. The death toll has topped 1,200 now and
more than 4,200 others are still missing across both countries.
And as search and rescue efforts continue, clearly families still waiting for answers about those that they have lost. CNN's Anderson Cooper takes us
to a Nepali city devastated by the floods and introduces us to a bus driver, who narrowly saved 50 children just moments before a bridge was
swept away. Have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: It's been one week since disaster struck and in Trishuli, this is the end of the road. Once a bustling market now soggy and
cement-soaked, it looks like a wasteland. The river is running fast, the water is still high. Residents and visitors stand and stare.
BIBHU RAJ ACHARYA, NEPALI RESIDENT: This water source has been a life for people living here and by that I mean they've been living here for
generations and generations.
COOPER: Looking at the water today, does it look different to you?
ACHARYA: Yes, it does.
COOPER: In what way?
ACHARYA: Well, it makes me sad -- it makes me sad and emotional as well because this is one of the sacred water resources that we have and you
know, when you mourn for somebody in your family, once they have died, people go up across this river and then they do all the rituals over there.
So this is kind of like a holy river for us.
COOPER (voice-over): Buddhist monks came from Kathmandu to pray and offer blessings. Traffic snarls on broken roads. A jackknifed truck is hardly
noticed.
COOPER: A local school bus driver Chhiring Tamang saved the lives of some 50 children, picking them off just before their school was destroyed and
crossing a bridge before it was washed away.
CHHIRING TAMANG, BUS DRIVER (through translator): After two minutes of me crossing the bridge, the flood came on my side. Kids started screaming
after seeing the flood. They were shouting. One kid fainted inside the bus. They were asking me to drive faster.
On the road, there were people running like ants to save their lives. After I drove near the uphill, I could see the flood is already ahead of me. I
reached a higher location and I felt safe with the kids.
I took a long breath and then I continued my duty of dropping the kids, came back and parked the bus at the police station.
COOPER (voice-over): I asked him what it feels like to be a hero.
TAMANG (through translator): It's a sad time for me. I have lost my nephew. He was working in the same school. I'm very sad that my nephew is
dead. My nephew called me before I crossed the bridge. This was right after I informed the principal regarding the flood.
He told me, Uncle, where are you? There's flood coming in the river. He was a helper at the school. He informed me to not go to the school.
He lives in the same school with his family. He has a daughter and his wife is disabled. They are safe now. They have nothing left as my nephew was my
only breadwinner of the family.
[10:50:00]
COOPER: (voice-over): Later, he showed us a photo of his nephew. His name was Tridam Lama (ph). There are many heroes here but even they have heavy
hearts -- Anderson Cooper, CNN, Trishuli.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories that are on our radar right now.
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ANDERSON (voice-over): And nearly a year after conservative activist Charlie Kirk died, a judge has ruled the case against his accused shooter
can move to trial after what was a preliminary hearing. Tyler pleaded to -- Tyler Robinson pleaded not guilty to all charges, including aggravated
murder.
If he's convicted, prosecutors say that they will seek the death penalty.
Well, today, French president Emmanuel Macron became the first European leader to meet with the new British prime minister, Andy Burnham. Mr.
Macron is attending the historic unveiling of the 950-year old Bexar (ph) tapestry on loan in London. And the leaders will hold bilateral talks
tomorrow.
Russian president Vladimir Putin claims that Moscow is open to, quote, "concrete talks" to resolve the war with Ukraine and achieve a lasting
peace. This comes as Russia continues its deadly strikes on Ukraine's cities. Putin's comments came at the SCO, the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization summit in Kyrgyzstan.
Well, this is CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson.
Up next, how do Americans feel about the Trump administration renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America?
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ANDERSON: Well, a recent poll shows that 63 percent of Americans oppose president Trump's executive order renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America.
Now that move came amid the U.S. government's tense trade war with Canada, of course.
Podcaster Joe Rogan slamming it as a, quote, "distraction" from Trump's war with Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But what's the purpose of changing the name?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, could distract you from the fact that we're in a war that we can't win in Iran.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Doesn't make any sense.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like, who cares if it's Lake Ontario?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a good name. We've had that name forever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, one old mapping service is refusing to change the name. In an extraordinary comeback, MapQuest, which was started in 1996, yesterday
shot to the number one free app in the U.S. on Apple's app store.
But what is MapQuest?
Well, we've got the details for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Remember MapQuest?
Your parents may have used it to print 12 pages of directions to drive six miles. Well, it just found a new route directly under the Trump
administration's skin.
After president Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to change Lake Ontario to Lake America, MapQuest posted a simple
response.
"We're not changing it."
Then the company borrowed a page from Trump's book saying, "Our maps are big and beautiful. People come up to us and say we'll get them places. And
we do."
And this is the type of thing Trump really cares about. Google adopted Lake America for users in the United States. Apple Maps also made the change on
Tuesday after Interior Secretary Doug Burgum suggested on FOX Business that a change was coming.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOUG BURGUM, U.S. SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR: I know that the president reached out to Apple directly, so I'm sure that we may be seeing that
change coming up -- coming up soon, to Lake America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[10:55:04]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Eric Trump did take a dig at MapQuest, posting on X, "Shocking to see you're still alive."
When asked about MapQuest not changing the name, the White House defended its actions against Canada, saying, "Thanks to the president's bold
leadership, we are putting America back on the map."
But if neither name works for you, MapQuest has another option: call it whatever you want. The company created a tool that lets users create their
own name.
As MapQuest holds out on a name change, hundreds of thousands of people have downloaded the app, according to the company. Usage surged to about 50
times its normal level. And MapQuest reached number one among navigation apps in Apple's U.S. app store, saying on X, "The people have spoken. We
are working."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: What a story.
All right, that's it for CONNECT THE WORLD. From the team working with me here in Abu Dhabi, it's a very good evening. Stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is
up next. Good evening.
END
