Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
CNN, MS Now & Politico to Sue Trump Administration Over White House Access; Major TV Networks Stand With CNN, Decline to Replace Its WH Pool Crew; Italy to Ban Veils in Schools, Limit Foreign Students in Class; Iran's Sick Facing Severe Medicine Shortages Due to Conflict; Venezuelan DoorDash Driver Shot and Wounded by I.C.E. Agent. Aired 9-9:45a ET
Aired September 21, 2026 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: You're looking at the White House, where three news outlets, CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, have been
banned from the White House. All three are now filing a critical First Amendment lawsuit to restore their access.
It is 09:00 a.m. in Washington. It's 05:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Eleni Giokos. This is "Connect the World". Also coming up, New York is all
focused on the UNGA, the United Nations General Assembly. President Trump is expected to speak on Tuesday morning, and far right group AfD and
Germany making inwards after two key elections.
Chancellor Merz calls it a disaster. Now we're just around 30 minutes to go from the start of trading on Wall Street. I want to check in on those
numbers. As you can see, futures pointing to the upside. The DOW is up around eight tenths of a percent this Monday morning, and this is after
losing 1.7 percent last week.
It is the worst weekly performance since March. We'll be checking in on those numbers as we start to see oil prices move to the downside, creating
a little bit of optimism across Wall Street. All right, first to our breaking news, U.S. President Donald Trump is firing back on social media
after three media outlets, including CNN, announced they are suing over a White House ban.
The president denies he's attacking the press with the ban, instead saying he is targeting quote, fake news, which he calls a threat to national
security. The lawsuit was just announced today by CNN, MS NOW, and Politico. They want access to the White House restored after the president
banned journalists from all three organizations, saying he didn't like their negative stories.
This is how CNN's Betsy Klein describes being turned away.
BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: So, I walk in, I tap my badge, and it beeps a couple of different times. It turns red, blue, and
green, and it didn't accept my PIN number. The Secret Service agent in the guard house, with whom I have been friendly in the past, asked to see my
badge, and I handed it over to him.
He told me that it had been deactivated. I asked him if he could provide an explanation as to why it had been deactivated. He said he had no further
information.
GIOKOS: All right, CNN's Katelyn Polantz has more details on this. She joins us from Washington. Really significant move here. We also have just
learned, Katelyn, about plans to file those lawsuits in the past few hours. What are the three media outlets, including CNN, saying.
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE. CORRESPONDENT: Eleni, this is going to be a major First Amendment lawsuit that will go through the federal
court in Washington D.C. a court that has had to address other times in the past where the Trump Administration or the Secret Service in other
administrations have tried to pull press access from major news organizations or individual journalists.
Time and again, that press access has been restored by the courts because of the way the White House went about doing so. In this case, these three
outlets, CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, they say in a joint statement that the lawsuit is protecting First Amendment rights and defending the principle
that the government doesn't decide what the press reports and publishes.
That's going to be a key argument we're going to hear in court. Where, as the president apparently on his social media is saying this was done for
national security reasons. That is not what Donald Trump said on Friday when he announced that he was banning CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the
White House.
He said it was because of quote, unquote, negative stories. We're waiting to see exactly what happens this morning in court because this lawsuit, it
should be filed publicly any minute now. Because now is when the clerk's office opens at the D.C. District Court, where this lawsuit will be kicked
off.
It'll get a judge assignment, and then we will be waiting to see what the judge does. All three networks, all three news organizations are asking for
emergency intervention by the courts, and so we're very likely to see something happen fast. Just as exactly what that remains to be seen, but
it's going to be a big case and a big day for these outlets.
[09:05:00]
GIOKOS: Yeah. All right. So, Katelyn, so news just into CNN, and this is the latest we have because CNN was banned from being the pool for the
United Nations General Assembly today, and this is the latest we have that other major TV networks are standing with CNN by declining to assign a
different TV pool camera and crew to cover President Trump.
And Brian Bolter, who runs the Fox News Washington Bureau and is the current pool chair wrote in an email to other members of the pool. This is
to advise that effective today, the TV pool will not be covering events designated as pool coverage of the president. So, this is a significant
development here, Katelyn. What do you make of that?
POLANTZ: I mean, the TV pool is a critical way to cover the president and to be there to witness what is happening in this nation and what is
happening within the federal government, the TV pool. Just to explain it a little bit, there are five major networks in that pool.
CNN is one of them, and they share duties. They share the cost, the responsibility of traveling with the president and covering the president
on a day-to-day basis, the other networks they would be ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox News in that pool. And what they're doing is not just capturing for
their own publication or broadcasts, but they're also distributing broadcasts to hundreds of news affiliates across the country and around the
world, so that there are eyes on what the president is doing and capturing that.
So, it's a very important and critical part of this lawsuit. And CNN's role as the member of the TV pool that's being banned there. That is going to
come into play as a judge looks at this on what restoring access might actually look like, or what the effect is by the White House to cut back on
that access.
All right, Katelyn Polantz, thank you so much for that update. All right, so it's billed as the biggest event in world diplomacy. The U.N. General
Assembly is kicking off in New York, and it's looking like a very busy week for President Trump. He'll address the General Assembly on Tuesday.
He'll also set to meet with Gulf leaders and likely the President of Ukraine. Now, high in the General Assembly's agenda, the U.S. war with
Iran. Tehran is warning that the U.S. plans to resume military action, and the Trump White House appears to have the backing of other countries here
in the Gulf region.
So, a big question looming over the gathering is whether China's President will make a surprise appearance in New York. We've got CNN's Paula Hancocks
standing by, who is with me here in Abu Dhabi. But first, I want to go to Kylie Atwood in New York. The UNGA, the theme this year, restoring trust, a
U.N. that delivers for all.
So, what is the likely messaging from world leaders, and importantly, President Trump?
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, honestly, we really don't know what the top message for President Trump is set to be when he
speaks and addresses the world leaders here in New York tomorrow. There are a wide range of foreign policy topics, problem sets that President Trump is
deeply involved in, but none of those appear close to solving the problem anytime soon.
When it comes to the U.S. engagement trying to draw an end to the Russia war, we saw President Trump just post this morning that that war needs to
end. We have seen his envoys recently travel to Moscow, travel to Kyiv. He's set to meet here on the sidelines with President Zelenskyy, but we
don't know exactly what the U.S. could do at this moment to try and drive an end to that conflict.
When it comes to the Iran war, we have seen escalation over the weekend as that conflict has just broadened in the region, the Houthis and the Saudis
now going back and forth. The Houthis being drawn into that conflict. We know that President Trump is going to be meeting with leaders of the GCC
countries while he is here.
But sources that I have talked to say that there is no collective proposal to President Trump that's being put together by those countries to try and
draw an end to this conflict, so it'll be really interesting to see what he says on those fronts, but also on artificial intelligence.
And I think this is a really interesting one, because President Trump has been dismissive of the safety concerns regarding artificial intelligence,
arguing that the United States needs to keep developing their AI capabilities in competition with China, but we did see the Treasury
Secretary Scott Bessent just yesterday meeting here in New York with his Chinese counterparts and saying that there was a discussion about putting a
proposal on the table from the United States for a safety mechanism between the U.S. and China.
So, we'll have to watch and see where those conversations go and if President Trump says anything about that when he is addressing world
leaders here.
GIOKOS: All right, Kylie Atwood, thanks so much for that. We also have Paula Hancocks with us. Paula, I really want to get into the fact that
President Trump is going to be meeting with Gulf leaders. We also know that he's set to meet with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
[09:10:00]
I mean, these are significant talks. The question is, is there going to be some kind of off-ramp, you know, room for diplomacy here?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, at this point, we know that the Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will be there. He is slated to speak on
Wednesday at the U.N. General Assembly. We understand he's getting to New York on Tuesday. He's part of this core delegation.
The State Department says is allowed to come to New York for this purpose. It will be remarkable that he will be speaking on U.S. soil at the U.N. at
a time when his country is at war with the United States. It's virtually unprecedented to see that kind of scenario.
But as for what is happening at this point, I mean, we've heard from the Iranian Central Military Command that they say they have information the
U.S. is planning further military attacks on Iran. They say that the Gulf, that the allies in the region are supporting this as well, saying that they
will retaliate strongly against assets and military bases in the region if that were to happen.
Now, of course, what we've heard from President Trump speaking to Fox News, he said he is in deciding mode. Very big things could happen soon, so of
course, not really giving us any insight into what could happen. But when there is this Gulf leaders meeting on Tuesday with President Trump, the
focus will be probably less on Iran, but more on what is happening with the Saudis and the Houthis.
We've seen this dramatic offensive by the Houthis taking more territorial control in Yemen, taking control of potentially the Bab al-Mandab Strait,
or having the potential to do so, which is another critical waterway out of the Middle East. And we have seen interesting reporting from "The New York
Times", for example, that Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Thursday of last week did ask Trump to get involved.
He had said no on Wednesday. He said yes on Thursday, and then on Sunday, according to "The New York Times", he changed his mind once again. So of
course, this is going to be one of the very key issues that will be looked at.
GIOKOS: All right, Paula Hancocks, thank you so much for that. All right, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is calling Sunday's regional election
result a disaster after the vote dealt his Centre-right Christian Democrats another major setback. The far-right Alternative for Germany Party, or AfD,
is predicted to win its second state in just two weeks.
And in Berlin, Merz's CDU is now in second place behind the left wing Die Linke Party. Merz is vowing to remain chancellor, even as Sunday's results
raise fresh questions about his political future. CNN's Fred Pleitgen is following the story for us from Berlin. Fred, good to see you.
So, what do Sunday's election results tell us about the political mood in Germany? And what does it mean for Musk and his government going forward?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Eleni. Well, things aren't looking very good for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
I think the only good news for Friedrich Merz at this point in time is that there aren't any further state elections here in Germany for the rest of
the year, because so far, the state elections that have taken place have definitely not been good for his political party for the Christian
Democratic Union.
And you were talking a little bit about what was going on here in Germany this weekend. There are some pretty significant things here that happened.
You had state elections in the capital in Berlin, which is in itself the status of a state here in this country, and then up in the northeast in a
place called Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
And up there in Mecklenburg, Friedrich Merz's party, the Christian Democratic Union, didn't even garner enough votes to make it into the state
parliament. That's unprecedented. That has never happened to that political party, the Conservative Party in the history of Germany post-World War II.
And if you look at here in Berlin, they were beat out here by the left wing Die Linke Party, which wants to expropriate real estate companies here in
the city. And is also of course diametrically opposed to the policies of Friedrich Merz's political party. And so, in all respects, and he
acknowledged this.
This weekend was definitely a poor showing for him, and we actually just got back from press conference from Friedrich Merz, where he did show
himself to be defiant. He says that he's not going to resign. He wants to remain chancellor, and he wants to push through what he calls his reform
agenda.
Of course, one of the things that we've been talking about so much over the past couple of years, really, is that Germany is in deep economic turmoil,
and most people agree that the countries do, that the country does need deep reforms. But so far, the pace of reforms has definitely left a lot of
folks here in Germany quite disappointed.
People feel that things aren't moving forward at a pace that is acceptable for them, and Friedrich Merz's personal likability ratings certainly have
been dropping, especially in the past couple of weeks, Eleni.
[09:15:00]
GIOKOS: Italy is taking a harder line on immigration and integration. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says her government will ban face coverings in
schools and place limits on the number of international students allowed in each class. Ms. Meloni unveiled the measures Sunday at a youth gathering
organized by her Brothers of Italy party, where she emphasized the government's right-wing agenda.
Immigration is a hot button issue in Italy, where foreign students make up nearly 12 percent of those enrolled.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIORGIA MELONI, ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER: A measure will soon be presented to a cabinet meeting to legally establish a maximum number of foreign students
per class. It also requires parents of foreign students facing serious difficulties integrating into the school system to learn Italian and bans
burqas and niqabs in school.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Courts say the proposal is already drawing criticism in Italy, with school principals questioning how a cap on foreign students could be
enforced, and opposition parties accusing the prime minister of political posturing. You're watching "Connect the World". Still to come on the show,
tough choices, how people with chronic illnesses are coping amid crippling pressure on Iran's healthcare system.
The details on that story when we come back. Stick with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: Welcome back. So, Washington sanctions, rampant inflation, and a collapsing economy are crippling Iran's ability to treat those with chronic
illnesses. Severe shortages and daily price increases are focusing many to enforcing many to cut doses or self-medicate as President Trump ratchets up
his maximum pressure campaign on Tehran.
This comes as U.S. and Israeli air strikes earlier this year damaged more than 40 pharmaceutical companies as well as suppliers, according to Iranian
officials. CNN's Leila Gharagozlou reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEILA GHARAGOZLOU, CNN PRODUCER: What is brave when you are dying? That's what a 55-year-old woman in Iran recently diagnosed with cancer told CNN.
She is just one of millions of Iranians impacted by the shortage of medicine in the country.
GHARAGOZLOU (voice-over): Unaffordable medication shortages and under dosing. Some even unable to be treated for late-stage cancer. These are
just some of the struggles ordinary Iranians told CNN they're facing.
GHARAGOZLOU: So how did Iran get here? The dire strait of the Iranian pharmaceutical industry is a result of a few factors.
GHARAGOZLOU (voice-over): In late March, Israel struck the factory of a major Iranian pharmaceutical company, Tofigh Daru, which is responsible for
producing active ingredients found in anti-cancer drugs and anesthetics, claiming the company produced substances used for research and development
of chemical weapons.
[09:20:00]
Iran's Former Foreign Minister Javad Zarif identified the company in an X post. And in April, U.S., Israeli strikes hit the Pasteur Institute, a
pillar of Iran's public medical system focused on medical research and vaccine development. This combined with the ongoing blockade and President
Trump's sanctions, have decimated the industry.
The Head of the Food and Drug Administration in Iran, Mehdi Pir Salehi addressed the rising prices and difficulties of war earlier this week.
MEHDI PIR SALEHI, HEAD OF IRAN FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION: With the current economic situation, the shortages of vital medicines are as minimal
as possible. But if they were in short supply before this war, then they are still in short supply. However, brand medications are nearly
unavailable.
GHARAGOZLOU: Iran's struggling insurance system plays another role in the growing problem. The system is nearly bankrupt due to mismanagement and the
lack of oil revenue coming in because of the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports.
GHARAGOZLOU (voice-over): While sanctions allow for some exemptions, the layered and complicated nature of Trump's maximum pressure sanctions have
created its own problems over compliance. Erich Ferrari, Founder and Managing Shareholder of Ferrari & Associates, is a lawyer who focuses on
U.S. sanctions and national security law.
He says this is one of the biggest issues when looking at the shortage of medication in Iran.
ERICH FERRARI, FOUNDER OF FERRARI & ASSOCIATES: If you don't have banks to process transactions, transactions don't get done. So that's kind of the
first level of it. The second level of it is if you don't have distributors that are willing to sell the products, or you don't have manufacturers that
are willing to let their products be sold, then it impairs the ability for that type of medicine or that type of item to flow into Iran, and it limits
the access to it within Iran.
There's a lot of exemptions and guidance under the law that allows humanitarian relief to flow to Iran. The problem is you have private
parties, financial institutions, distributors, manufacturers that have concerns about whether or not one they're in full compliance with the law,
just from kind of a structural perspective, but also whether the parties that they're dealing with in Iran or the parties that might be involved in
processing the transactions in Iran fall within sanctions programs.
When you take that and you marry it alongside these massive penalties that have been imposed upon banks and others for violating Iran sanctions. In
particular, you have an environment in which financial institutions and others who are necessary to engage in this activity over comply with the
law out of fear that they might not fall strictly within the letter of the law.
GHARAGOZLOU (voice-over): Iranian officials are continuing to try to import the necessary medication, including the flu vaccine, as they head into
winter months, looking to China and India to help alleviate the shortages. However, both the country's health minister and the head of its FDA have
said imports from Europe specifically have been more difficult than ever. Leila Gharagozlou, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Officials say an immigration and customs enforcement agent shot and wounded a Venezuelan food delivery driver in Austin, Texas, on Sunday. Now,
many hours later, federal authorities still have not shared what led up to the shooting. Congressman Greg Casar represents parts of Austin, and he is
calling for transparency. I want you to take a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. GREG CASAR (D-TX): I think it is appropriate for this community to ask for independence, to ask for transparency, and to ask for accountability.
This is a pattern. It's a disturbing pattern, and it's got to stop. I.C.E. has arrested five-year-olds in Austin in the last few weeks.
They've arrested pre-K teachers, and now someone's been shot, and this has to stop.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Ed Lavandera is in Austin, Texas, and he has been following the story on the ground. Ed, really good to see you. What can you tell us about
the man that was shot by the I.C.E. agent Wilber Rafael Garces Perez? What more details can you share with us?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he's a 28-year- old immigrant from Venezuela. The Department of Homeland Security says that he was here in the country illegally, but his attorney and an attorney
representing him and his family say something very different.
That he, as far and the DHS also says, he had an order for deportation as well. The Wilber Garces Perez's family says something different. That he
was here in the country legally, as far as they know, and that his wife says that she was not aware of any deportation order that he was facing.
So, all of that, those details still need to be hammered out, and we will work to continue doing that. But there are real questions being raised
about what led up to the shooting and how it unfolded, and we're gathering this from various key pieces of video that have emerged from the shooting.
[09:25:00]
One of them actually captures part of the shooting. You can see the I.C.E. officer vehicle very close to the immigrants Wilber's vehicle as well, and
then you hear a number of shots fired. When you look at the video, you see damage from another car hitting the passenger side door of the 28-year-old
Venezuelan immigrant's car, as well as two bullet holes in the back rear window of on the passenger side.
And then in another video that has emerged, you actually see Wilber Garces Perez on being pulled out of the car at one point. He's reaching over his
shoulder, and you see a wound in his back as well. We are told that he is in stable condition, out of the hospital now, and has been taken into
immigration custody while his wife and family still try to figure out exactly where he is and what is going to happen to him here in the coming
days.
His lawyer and Latino activists are planning a press conference for later today, but they are raising real questions about exactly why the shooting
unfolded and whether or not it was justified in any way.
GIOKOS: Right, Ed Lavandera for us. Thank you so much. All right, so coming up on "Connect the World" at the start of trading and the business
headlines, including AI safety, already taking center stage ahead of a summit between the U.S. and Chinese Presidents later this week.
Markets are pointing to a positive open. We'll bring you those numbers right after this. Stick with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: In Abu Dhabi, and you're watching "Connect the World". Media outlets are taking a collective stand in Washington after CNN was banned
from covering the White House. Networks, which would normally provide TV pool coverage of President Trump, are withholding coverage in solidarity.
CNN, MS NOW, and Politico have filed a lawsuit seeking to restore White House access after their credentials were revoked. The 81st U.N. General
Assembly is kicking off in New York, and it comes at a critical time. The U.S. war with Iran is nearing the seven-month mark, and questions about
security as well as AI have also been taken into consideration.
And a very new urgency on that front. President Trump is set to address the General Assembly on Tuesday. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is vowing to
stay in office after calling his party's latest electoral defeat a disaster.
[09:30:00]
The far-right AfD made major gains in two states' votes, dealing Merz's CDU party its second and third defeat in just one month. Right, we're a few
seconds to go before the start of trade in New York. And as you can see, Secretary of State Marco Rubio ringing the opening bell.
All right. So, market futures were pointing to a positive start, and that's after quite a down week last week. The DOW lost around 1.7 percent on a
weekly basis. That was the worst performance in many months since March, in fact. And as you can see, the DOW in early trade is up six tenths of a
percent, as well as the S&P and NASDAQ, we're showing a positive start.
We're waiting for those numbers to update, but by all accounts, everyone is focusing on what's happening in the oil market. Brent crude, the global
benchmark, as well as WTI, the U.S. benchmark, coming under pressure. As you can see, down 3.4 percent on WTI and Brent taking a 3 percent knock.
And this is after news that President Trump says that he might be open to talking to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian during the UNGA, and of
course talks with other Gulf neighbors and states here in the region to discuss the war in Iran. In the meantime, the U.S. and China have wrapped
up talks in New York with a new pitch for AI safety on the table.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the U.S. is proposing a notification system for AI incidents that could raise national security concerns. Now it
comes days ahead of meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. Will Ripley has more for us.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The talks between U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, who
oversees China's economy, really set the table for what we're expecting when President Donald Trump hosts Chinese Leader Xi Jinping at the White
House on Thursday.
The two leaders last met in Beijing in May, and this time three big issues are likely to dominate, technology, trade, and Taiwan. Artificial
intelligence is particularly important, Bessent says. The two sides have agreed to a new U.S.-China AI dialog, including discussions about how the
two leading AI powers in the world should notify each other if there was a serious AI-related security incident.
And the backdrop to all of this is just how much China's position has changed. When Trump first hosted Xi at Mar-a-Lago in 2017, nine years ago,
China was much more vulnerable to U.S. pressure on trade and technology, but now Xi arrives in Washington, leading a China that is far more
confident, a major player in AI, robotics, chips, and even reusable rockets.
China recorded a roughly 1.2 trillion-dollar global trade surplus last year, powered in part by exports including electric vehicles, solar panels,
and chips, and its dominance of rare earth supply chains gives Beijing real leverage over Washington. And here in Taipei, the big question is how Trump
and Xi handle the highly sensitive issue of Taiwan.
Beijing wants stronger U.S. language opposing Taiwan independence, and Trump has already called a pending $14 billion U.S. arms package for Taiwan
a negotiating chip. So, we need to watch Trump's wording very closely here and watch what happens to that arms package, particularly after Taiwan's
military drills on Friday, and above all, whether Taiwan somehow becomes part of a broader deal between Trump and Xi. Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.
GIOKOS: Settlement talks are closing in on a resolution of the antitrust lawsuit meant to block Paramount's acquisition of Warner Brothers
Discovery. That's the parent company of CNN. But not every state is on board just yet. Our Brian Stelter breaks down some of the reservations
state attorneys general have about a potential agreement.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Hey there, yeah. Different states want different things as Paramount tries to strike a settlement deal that
would allow it to complete its takeover of Warner Brothers Discovery. And CNN's future is a direct part of the negotiations that are underway.
Paramount's been trying for about a year to buy Warner, also known as WBD, but back in July, a coalition of 12 U.S. states, led by California Attorney
General Rob Bonta, sued to block the media mega merger. The states alleged that the merger would violate antitrust law, and a California judge was
inclined to agree.
So now there's a trial scheduled for March, but Paramount obviously doesn't want to wait that long, and this deal, these $110 billion deals, gets even
more expensive for Paramount starting in October. So, CNN has now confirmed from multiple sources that advance settlement talks are underway.
Paramount is willing to make some concessions to resolve the lawsuit, although the details are not yet public. And Bonta, I'm told, has been
trying to get the settlement deal across the finish line in recent days, but some of the other states are not yet on board. In New York, Attorney
General Letitia James has been seeking additional protections for workers there.
[09:35:00]
And in Connecticut, Attorney General William Tong is concerned about the impact on the news business. I'm told in, this is a quote from a source. He
is fighting to preserve the independence of CNN and CBS News. That's according to a person familiar with the negotiations.
And that's notable because Paramount has talked internally about maybe merging CBS News with this network, CNN. And many merger opponents have
expressed concern about that, pointing to Paramount's close ties with President Trump, inside Paramount there's been talk about an editorial
board that could be set up to preserve or enshrine CNN's editorial independence, but some of those merger opponents have said that would not
be good enough.
So, you have New York, you have Connecticut holding out at least for now. And I'm told at least two other states also have reservations about the
proposed settlement. Basically, these states want to extract other remedies, other concessions from Paramount. Officially, Bonta's office says
they won't comment on any possible talks, and Paramount's not commenting either.
Unofficially, I'm told these settlement talks are a moving target, and there could be developments in the days to come. Meanwhile, there are
obvious political dimensions to this, as some of these state AGs are up for re-election in November. And there are many Democratic lawmakers and
elected officials urging the state AGs not to back down.
They're basically saying let the case go to trial. Here's Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey writing on social media, quote, Trump just locked CNN
out of the White House. Now his billionaire allies want to own it. State attorneys general don't settle. Hold the line, block this merger.
Paramount says the merger is vital to keeping Hollywood thriving, and Paramount also says it respects journalistic independence. We will continue
to report this out here at CNN, no matter what happens in the days to come. Brian Stelter.
GIOKOS: Well, up next in sports, Patrick Mahomes is doing what he does best as the Chiefs edge the Colts in overtime. I'll bring you that story right
after this. Stick with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: On CNN's Culture and Lifestyle Series "Seasons" hosted by Laura Jackson, we explore how luxury real resale is booming, and so are
sophisticated fakes. Laura goes inside the authentication, authentication rather, center of resale platform, the RealReal, to see if she can spark
the difference between a real and counterfeit handbag. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTER THOMPSON, DIRECTOR OF AUTHENTICATION THE REALREAL: Can you spot the fake. Feel free to pick it up.
LAURA JACKSON, CNN HOST: OK.
THOMPSON: Look inside, feel it, smell it. I always recommend smelling it. If you get a chemical smell, it's usually a bad sign.
JACKSON: I would say this was the fake. Throw it in the machine and find out.
JACKSON (voice-over): Prices for designer goods have skyrocketed in recent years, and for many, buying pre-loved luxury is the only way to access
high-end fashion. At the authentication center of popular resale platform the RealReal, there's one question on everyone's mind, is this the real
thing?
THOMPSON: Our most counterfeited bags go in here. So --
JACKSON: What's the most counterfeited?
[09:40:00]
THOMPSON: Depends on the day, but your usual suspects, right?
JACKSON: Yeah.
THOMPSON: Like you know, Gucci, Louis Vuitton. Today we're going to look at her mess. Here, we can see the construction of this handbag.
JACKSON: Wow.
THOMPSON: Yeah, we're really paying attention to the feet. See how that's a very, very clean line. That's a really, really good sign.
JACKSON: OK.
THOMPSON: OK. All right. So, we're going to throw the other bag in, and we're going to see what it looks like. She's going to zoom in on those
feet. See those thread locks?
JACKSON: Fake.
THOMPSON: Bad. Yeah. That's just a cheap way to attach the feed. They probably threw some Loctite in there, so if you gave it a twist, you
wouldn't be able to untwist it. See the H is very flat here.
JACKSON: Yeah.
THOMPSON: It doesn't have that roundness to it.
JACKSON (voice-over): In the U.S. over 40 percent of consumers say they bought pre-worn clothes or accessories in the past year, according to
research by Bain & Company, meaning the volume of items that consignment companies have to authenticate is growing fast.
JACKSON: How many bags are you putting in here a day?
THOMPSON: Multiples all day long.
JACKSON (voice-over): Occasionally, something truly special comes across the authenticator's desk.
JACKSON: She's got her own mannequin.
DOMINIC HALAS, MASTER AUTHENTICATOR VINTAGE THE REALREAL: She deserves it.
JACKSON: What is it? Talk me through it.
HALAS: Norma Kamali. Yeah, this one's probably from the late 70s to early 80s. Really stunning piece, and I think this especially, this is a great
vintage piece because it can still be worn today. And part of how we define vintage here is its stylistic relevance.
JACKSON: Right.
HALAS: People still desire it, and they're willing to pay quite a lot for it. It's a piece of fashion history, and I think it's only going to
increase in value.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Well, the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes look like their old selves, and if that wasn't enough, they also have some added fire power in the
backfield. Coy Wire joins me now for a little bit more insight. Coy, good to see you.
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, good to see you, Eleni.
GIOKOS: Tell me all the deets.
WIRE: Well, the deets are this dude, Patrick Mahomes. He had complete ACL repair. Nine months ago, Taylor Swift was at the game, reminding everyone,
yeah, I'm married to Travis Kelce there, as you saw. But listen, he's just -- Mahomes is shining. I mean, it takes me longer to recover after building
a piece of furniture from IKEA than it did for -- Mahomes to go out here and just keep dominating.
He looked incredible in Week One, dominates again in Week Two. It's just outstanding, and it's really scary for opposing defenses. You mentioned the
new addition in the backfield, Kenneth Walker. Now they have this incredible run game too. So, we might be seeing the rebuilding of not just
of a knee, but of like this dynasty of the Kansas City Chiefs.
I just can't put into words like it used to take a year and a half or more for players to come back. This is like renovating your kitchen down to the
studs, rebuilding it, and then hosting Thanksgiving for 40 people nine months later, it's absurd. We'll talk about it more on "World Sport".
GIOKOS: Wow. Yeah, that's incredible. What a recovery. What a performance. Coy Wire, good to see you. And more details on "World Sport" right after
this with Coy. I'll be back with more "Connect the World" in 15 minutes. Stick with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:45:00]
(WORLD SPORT)
END
