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CNN, MS NOW And Politico Sue Trump Administration Over White House Access; Houthis Claim They Targeted Saudi Capital With Missiles; Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Party Losing Ground To Far-Right AFD; Italy To Ban Veils In Schools, Limit Foreign Students In Class; Biggest Event In World Diplomacy Kicks Off In New York; Students Murder Draws Attention To Violence Against Women; United States, China Meet On A.I. Ahead Of Trump-Xi Summit. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired September 21, 2026 - 10:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:00:53]
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD.
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to the second hour of the show from our Middle East programming headquarters. I'm Eleni Giokos
in Abu Dhabi where the time is just after 6:00 in the evening.
Now, we are just seeing a major show of solidarity in the media in defiance of U.S. President Donald Trump after CNN was banned from covering the White
House and fulfilling its pool responsibilities. Networks which would normally provide pool coverage of the president are standing down.
Journalists from MS NOW and Politico also lost their White House access, and all three outlets are now seeking emergency intervention from the
courts.
We've got our chief media analyst Brian Stelter with us to give us a bit more analysis. Brian, good to see you. This is a huge deal, and it
basically means that there is now no T.V. pool camera following Trump's today at the UNGA. Just break this all down for us and how much pressure
this actually puts on President Trump and the White House.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: That's right. This has never happened before. As you were coming to me a couple seconds ago, the five
major U.S. T.V. networks all issued a joint statement. Again, I've never seen one like this before. It says, "The public has a vital interest in
receiving accurate, independent information about its government, and no administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to
its reporting." That's Fox News talking. OK, that's NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox News joining with CNN to make a statement against the Trump
administration's ban, and why are they doing so? Well, because all those networks know they could be next. The New York Times, the Washington Post,
the AP Reuters could all be next.
So, we are seeing something in the United States today that we have rarely seen during Trump's return to office, a dramatic show of solidarity from
all these institutions.
So, you talked about the television pool. Those five networks I named are the pool members, the T.V. pool that take turns covering the president 24/7
on a daily basis. CNN was going to be the pool this morning in D.C. and later today when the president travels to New York, CNN was going to be the
T.V. travel pool today and tomorrow. That is off, and these other networks have agreed they're not going to fill in, they're not going to substitute
because they want to send a message to the White House that this is unacceptable.
So, those are the developments in the past couple of hours. This lawsuit has been filed by the three targeted newsrooms, and now these other major
networks are standing, showing a united front. Something that I know a lot of viewers have wanted to see, but we have not seen in the past, and we are
seeing it today.
GIOKOS: (INAUDIBLE) as you say, Brian. So, our colleague Caitlin Collins has new reporting about why Trump issued this media ban specifically
against CNN, MS NOW, and Politico. I want you to listen to this, Brian.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN HOST: Last week, we're told that Natalie Harp, who is one of the president's closest aides, often traveling with him on Air Force
One, often in the background in the Oval Office, in these moments, she was showing him a graphic of negative coverage from Politico of the president
and of his administration, and I'm told that it infuriated him.
And my colleague Kevin Liptak and I are both hearing that is in part what drove the president's decision to make this move on Friday. It was because
he saw that, and then he also watched clips of television coverage that did not show him in a favorable light to which he was seeking, obviously.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: So, what's your analysis on that? Because you've also been speaking to sources in terms of what's behind this issue and banning three networks.
STELTER: What Collins is reporting there, well, this explains it perfectly, and we've seen this in lots of other cases when it's about the Kennedy
Center or it's about the Gulf of Mexico or other things. These controversies are often dependent on the president's mood, it's on the
president's whims. It's about what is put in front of him on any given day.
And a lot of the news coverage lately about Trump aide Natalie Harp has been about here her power, her influence because of what she puts in front
of the president. So, if she is showing him articles from Politico, showing him T.V. clips from MS NOW or CNN, and that's causing him to lash out and
announce this ban. That speaks volumes about how information is moving inside the White House and who has the influence and power.
[10:05:18]
When it comes to this ban, we've heard so many comments from press freedom groups, from First Amendment lawyers, from constitutional law experts who
say this is unconstitutional and unacceptable, and they believe the courts will intervene relatively quickly. These three targeted news outlets are
asking for a TRO, a temporary restraining order, basically an emergency action in order to protect the rights of those reporters to get back to
work, because this is not about CNN, and I hope viewers at home can appreciate when I say this, we'd be talking about this exact same way if it
were NPR or CBS or the BBC or the AP.
You know, we'd be talking about the exact same way because the rights of these news outlets are being infringed, but so are the wider rights of the
press corps. That's why this lawsuit is so important, and I expect we'll hear something from the court today or tomorrow about whether this ban can
stay in place.
GIOKOS: Yes. OK. So, I know that you've been speaking to some sources, Brian, and the undercurrent of what they've been telling you is that
President Trump is stirring up a media controversy to distract from the very high prices in oil, as well as gas prices and diesel prices, and to
distract from the war in Iran, what did they tell you?
STELTER: There's a famous movie from the '90s. It's probably streaming somewhere called "Wag the Dog," and in that film, it was made during the
Clinton years. A fictional president concocts a war and goes to war to distract from scandals at home.
I had a source at one of the networks say to me, This feels like "Wag the Dog," except Trump is making up a war with the media. You know, he's
picking a fight that he enjoys doing. He's done this, of course, for 10 years, and he has kicked out reporters a couple times in the past. But
those were individual reporters, one from CNN, one from Playboy magazine. Those guys went to court. CNN won back in 2018 when this happened.
The difference this time is this is about entire networks and entire news organizations being banned, and that really opens the door to other bans of
other news outlets in the coming days.
So, yes, it is a distraction, but we also have to take it seriously because of the precedent it represents, and because a line has to be drawn in
America, in a democracy, newsrooms have access to the president. The White House doesn't get to pick or choose who's allowed inside. That's a
principle worth defending, and that's what we're seeing happen today, not just from CNN, but from its rivals as well.
And you know how it is. News outlets are really competitive, right? They compete over traffic and talent and scoops and stories, so that's why it's
a big deal that all these rivals are actually speaking in one united voice today.
GIOKOS: Yes, I mean there was always a big question, you know, would there be solidarity and we having it playing out in real time? Well, thank you
very much for being on top of the story for us. It is developing, and we'll keep you updated as it happens. Brian Stelter, thank you.
Right, all this is happening against a consequential week in geopolitics. The United Nations General Assembly begins tomorrow with dozens of world
leaders all descending on New York. At a time of global upheaval, all eyes will be on President Trump's speech to the General Assembly tomorrow, and
he leaves for New York later today.
Now on Thursday, Mr. Trump will host Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the White House in highly anticipated state visits. The meetings come at a census of
time for the region, as a new front of the Iran conflict is escalating between Houthis and the Saudis.
On Saturday, flames as well as large plumes of smoke were seen rising near Riyadh airports. The Houthis claimed they attacked sensitive sites in the
Saudi capital with missiles and drones, although they did not specify what they had targeted.
Now, for more on this, we've got Kirsten Fontenrose joining us now live from Washington. She is the former senior director for the Gulf at the
National Security Council under the Trump administration, the first Trump administration. Kirsten, great to have you with us.
I mean, we're seeing all of these sort of dynamics playing out here in the Gulf, where I am, and we've also got stunning new reporting from the New
York Times that President Trump initially agreed to come to Saudi Arabia's support on Thursday after a phone call with MBS Saudi Crown Prince, and
then the Pentagon went ahead and prepared military operations, and then Trump stood that down.
Why do you believe there's a back and forth? Because we've heard before this that MBS had been calling President Trump to intervene with the
Houthis.
KIRSTEN FONTENROSE, FORMER SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR THE GULF, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: Yes, one thing to remember is that the U.S. administration
operates more like a coalition government, so you do have pieces of the administration arguing for more kinetic action to put a final end to
things, and other pieces of the administration saying, don't get involved in future wars. Your domestic population doesn't like it. We don't have the
resources. Pull troops, pull money home. So that's always a tension that's happening here.
Then layer on top of that, that President Trump in his first administration had a lot of difficulty with Congress when he became involved in Yemen.
When there was the original Saudi Yemen conflict that originated in 2014 and went on through several years of his first administration, he took a
lot of heat from Congress.
[10:10:13]
And so right now he's saying, look, it's a -- it's a politically sensitive time in the U.S. right before midterms, and you know, with the end of an
administration, when his popularity is down, does he really want to reignite that kind of opposition to an issue that Congress has this knee-
jerk reaction to. So, he's really not eager to do that.
And frankly, in Saudi Arabia, both the Crown Prince and the Defense Minister were part of this first time around in the first administration.
They remember this and they understand the dynamics surrounding it in D.C. So, I imagine that the conversations they are having at that very top level
kind of get this and are trying to take that into consideration.
They also all understand that, yes, the Houthis are independent actors to an extent, but that the closure of the Bab el-Mandeb is intended by Tehran
to create both a domestic difficult situation for President Trump and to create a wedge between Trump and his Gulf partners. Because Iran's message
to them is constantly: you are siding with the wrong partner. You should be partnering with us. Where your neighbor, the U.S. should leave this region.
You should really be in in a partnership with us. Of course, the Gulf is not currently buying that because they are being attacked by Iran.
GIOKOS: Yes, and I mean, there's so many dynamics, right? Because Iran has categorically said if the U.S. gets involved with the Houthis, Iran is
going to strike back. Houthis are an Iranian proxy. Optically, this doesn't look good. It looks like Saudi is being isolated. It's the security
umbrella by the United States is not being activated.
I wonder what you make of these dynamics in terms of what people perceive to be going on here, and why the U.S. doesn't want to get involved. And I
understand there are domestic issues, but again, from a regional perspective, the Saudi Houthi issue is when it flares up. I mean, it's
really tough putting that back into the bottle.
FONTENROSE: Yes, it sure is. But let me give you some insight into some of the conversations in Washington, for instance. So, you have pieces of the
administration saying we've done arms sales and training with Saudi Arabia for so many years. Where's that return on investment to all the deployments
of our people to Riyadh and to surrounding areas? The trainings we've done with them, can't they protect themselves right now? So that question is
being asked.
And the president himself is saying, look, the straits and the waterways are more important to other countries than they are to us, because we only
send two percent of our trade through Bab el-Mandeb. We only send about seven through Hormuz. We need our partners to really up the ante here, to
up the game.
And the partners are listening. We've actually been really impressed. Those of us who watch the region for a long time, with the ideas that are coming
out of the Gulf and other parts of the Middle East, four umbrellas where they rely more on each other, the U.S. has been pressing for integrated air
and missile defense for going on. I mean, more than four administrations, and now the region is saying we're taking this seriously. We want to do it,
U.S. at the table, but we want to be more responsible.
Now, Washington may not like all of the ideas that are coming out. There are lots of different versions of security partnerships that the Middle
East is playing with. The Mecca agreement you saw is one. There are other iterations. D.C. is now formulating its own because it recognizes it could
be left out in the cold if the region takes care of itself to the exclusion of Washington's interests.
But in general, it's a really good sign to see this conversation happen. The feeling in Washington is not that it's being pushed out. We see a lot
of that kind of talk internationally, but D.C. keeps getting demand signals from the region, either rebuild things, double down. So, it's a different
conversation here than we're seeing play out in much of the international media.
GIOKOS: Yes, you know, Kristen, it's really fascinating that you say you know it's only two percent of U.S. trade that passes through these key
waterways, but the domino effect on oil prices is being experienced at the pump in the United States, with diesel sitting at record highs, with gas
prices you know being, you know, exorbitant.
It's going to affect heating in the winter time. I mean, this is having a huge is playing a huge role in terms of the world's experience because of a
war that the United States began in this region and has had enormous consequences.
President Trump is going to be meeting with Masoud Pezeshkian and hopefully, this is what we're hearing. I mean, is there an off ramp to get
Iran back to the negotiating table, what are you viewing in terms of the importance of the UNGA and conversations there?
FONTENROSE: Any dialog, you know, never bad. But I haven't been encouraged, honestly, by what I've heard out of Tehran because their reiteration of the
same talking points they've been using since the beginning of the conflict, about what it would take to for them to agree to a deal, are things they
fully understand are non-starters in Washington. Things like being reimbursed for war costs. I mean, that's they know that that means that the
U.S. is not going to agree to that deal.
[10:15:08]
Now, President Trump says we're OK -- we're in an OK position if we can increasingly get little bits coming back through the Strait. Remember, D.C.
only needs straight traffic to be about 40 or 50 percent of what it was before the war to meet America's needs. So, keep that in mind. And he says
we can sustain the naval blockade for about a year. The military in the U.S. says we can do that. There will be trade-offs about two years down in
terms of readiness, but we can maintain that blockade.
So, there's no rush to a deal from Washington's side. So, then the -- then it becomes a time frame debate. You know, can the regime withstand the
economic squeeze that this time is different because of secondary stations, because of the blockade, different than maximum pressure in the first term,
or does President Trump fall under so much domestic pressure through diesel prices more than even prices at the pump? As you mentioned, because of the
effect on manufacturing and production that it's tough for him.
So, but I have not been encouraged by what I've heard out of Tehran and with the U.S. saying we're comfortable with where the situation sits. We're
not in a rush. I don't think we should expect big things out of UNGA.
GIOKOS: All right. Well, Kirsten, really great to have you with us, and your insights always so valuable. Thank you.
All right, President Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani are set to meet at the mayoral residence in just a few hours from now, ahead of the
U.N. General Assembly. It will be their third forever face-to-face meeting, but the first on Mamdani's home turf. The mayor's office says the two will
focus on issues affecting New Yorkers.
All right, still to come. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is vowing to stay in office after calling his party's latest electoral defeats a
disaster.
Plus, Italy's Prime Minister announces plans to ban face coverings in schools and limit the number of international students in each class. More
on the controversial proposal, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is facing growing political pressure after his party suffered another setback at the polls. He called
Sunday's results a disaster as the far-right AFD made gains in two state elections. Merz vows to remain chancellor, but questions are mounting over
his political failure. CNN's Fred Pleitgen is following the story for us from Berlin.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 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.
[10:20:21]
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 -- 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.
GIOKOS: Well, Fred Pleitgen there for us.
Italy is moving tougher on immigration and integration. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced Sunday that her government will ban face coverings
in schools and place limits on the number of international students allowed in each class.
CNN's Stefano Pozzebon is following the story from Rome for us. Good to see you, Stefano. So, what exactly is Prime Minister Meloni proposing? How
would the limits on foreign students and face coverings work in practice? How will they be implemented?
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, that's the actual question, how they will be implemented. Because frankly, Italy has been going through
these measures for the last 20 years. I remember when I was growing up here in Italy in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 and the wars in Afghanistan and
Iraq, and in the early 2000s, and we were already discussing these measures that were being imposed by the Italian Ministry of Public Education.
In fact, there is already an internal regulation of the Public Education Ministry that has been in place since 2010. The caps, the number of foreign
students per classroom at about 30 percent, which we understand according to what we are reading on the Italian press that is the same number that
Meloni intends to do in her -- in her announcement. The real difference is that while those were internal regulation easier for ministers to get to
cancel. In this case, Meloni is proposing an actual bill, an actual law to enshrine in the country's panel and civil code in order for these measures
to be implemented.
But we should not really look at what is being announced, but perhaps the timing of when with this announced, which has been less than a week since
the beginning of the school here in Italy. But as more and more people in Italy expect Meloni to call for earlier elections, sometimes in the
upcoming months, Italy will have an election in 2027 at some point.
But for the first time in her career, Meloni is being challenged from the far right of her own coalition by a newly arrived up-and-coming political
startup on the very far right, not much different from what AfD has been doing in Germany in the last couple of years, and of course perhaps these
announcements that seems to be have more to do with her political posture than actual implementation of regulation have more to do with that rise
rather than what actually happens in the classroom. Eleni.
GIOKOS: All right, Stefano Pozzebon, thank you so much.
And still to come, his country is at war with the U.S. yet Iran's president still plans to speak from the same podium as his U.S. counterparts. What
this might mean for the Strait of Hormuz that's coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:26:44]
GIOKOS: Welcome back. I'm Eleni Giokos in Abu Dhabi, and you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. These are your headlines.
Three media outlets, including CNN, have filed a First Amendment lawsuit against the Trump administration. It comes after President Donald Trump
banned journalists from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House. Other major networks are refusing to staff pool coverage of White House
events in solidarity.
President Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani are set to hold their third in-person meeting later today, but for the first time, the
meeting will be held on the mayor's home turf at Gracie Mansion, the mayoral residence in Manhattan. A spokesperson for Mamdani says the
discussions will focus on issues affecting New Yorkers.
World leaders are descending on New York this week for the United Nations General Assembly. Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian is set to attend as
Tehran warns the U.S. plans to resume military action. President Trump will address the UNGA Tuesday.
Well, the key gathering comes at a critical time. The U.S. war with Iran is nearing the seven-month mark. It is worth noting the Iranian president's
plan to speak at the UNGA while his country is engaged in combat with the U.S. is virtually unprecedented.
Jorge Moreira da Silva is the executive director of the U.N. Office of Project Services. He also leads the U.N.'s Hormuz Task Force and joins us
now from New York. George, great to have you with us.
I mean, what a moment. Let's just start on what we've been seeing with the task force. I'm quite curious. It was announced in March. It is about
getting traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. I was looking at Kepler data a little earlier, and the numbers are pretty dire. 17 vessels transited
yesterday, in comparison to an average of 35 some days last week. Comparatively speaking, pre-war 160 vessels. What have you guys been doing
since the announcement of the task force?
JORGE MOREIRA DA SILVA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, U.N. OFFICE OF PROJECT SERVICES: Thank you, Eleni. And as you said, this is coming at the same
time where we have other disruptions, not only the Strait of Hormuz, but also the Black Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which really creates a
real problem for global security, particularly on energy and food, with a high impact on developing countries.
So, what have we done since the sectional launched this task force? We have designed what is a time-bound, exceptional, limited mechanism to allow the
flow of fertilizers. And I've been engaging with all parties, with Iran, with the U.S. with countries in the Gulf. And clearly, the issue is not
technical. Our mechanism that wouldn't fix the freedom of navigation.
So, freedom of navigation is indisputable, and we know that Iran and the U.S. are still trying to negotiate a deal about everything. But what we
have been telling the parties is, look, while you negotiate everything, at least let's give a chance to allow fertilizers to flow in a in a
transparent manner.
GIOKOS: So, Jorge, just give me an understanding here because you know you've got the Iranian designated route and you've got the Persian Gulf
Stream Authority, you've got the Omani route, you have got the Americans blockade -- the blockade assisting in some way with aerial, you know,
protection.
[10:30:05]
Then, you have got this U.N. mechanism. Is anyone adhering to the U.N. mechanism? And have you actually seen any chances because of the U.N.
mechanism that the task force has put in place?
MOREIRA DA SILVA: Well, let me be very blunt. I see a massive and overwhelming support for the mechanism from governments. They are sharing
their views at the Security Council and elsewhere. But for the time being, the parties in the conflict, didn't say yes. They didn't say no, but they
didn't say yes.
So, I'm trying to explain to the parties in the conflict that diplomacy has its own cycles, but the planting season can't wait. So, we can't let
developing countries wait until U.S. and Iran fix everything to let the fertilizers flow.
So, the mechanism is a pretty easy thing, Eleni.
GIOKOS: Yes.
MOREIRA DA SILVA: Its registration, deconfliction, monitoring, verification. It's something that we have done in Yemen. We have --
(CROSSTALK)
GIOKOS: So, no one is saying yes to this right now. You have no buy-in right now. I mean, is there anyone on board? I know, you are meeting with
golf member states. You know, what is the feedback? Because you say planting season is coming, and it's -- you know, we can't miss an entire
season.
MOREIRA DA SILVA: No, and the numbers are terrible. The price on sulfur increased 200 percent urea, ammonia, phosphate increased 20 percent Then,
the price of fuel.
So, these prices are coming as a toll on farmers and on developing countries. And for the time being, we have huge support from the
international community and from governments, but not yet from Iran and from the US.
So, what I really hope is that during this week at UNGA that the parties can engage with Iran and U.S., and tell the Iran and the U.S. that look,
while you wait for the big deal about everything, at least, let's allow the U.N. to work, and we are ready.
Look, Eleni, I need seven days. The moment we have a political decision from the parties in the conflict saying that OK, U.N. can go, in seven
days, I will have my team on the ground and ensure that this will work.
So, this is not rock tile. This is pretty easy. We just need the political will.
GIOKOS: So, seven days is what you need. For our audience, please help us understand how much is fertilizer is trapped right now in the strait. How
much do you need to get out? What are the numbers?
MOREIRA DA SILVA: OK.
The Persian Gulf represents one-third of all fertilizers in the world. What we would need is about five to seven vessels a day to go through the
strait.
So, you can see, we are not talking about 100 vessels. We just need five to seven vessels a day, and that would be because we are talking about big
vessels, that would allow developing countries to have access to this fundamental instrument for their productivity.
And as World Food Program has said, the lack of access to fertilizers will likely generate food insecurity. We may have until the end of this year, 45
million people forced into acute food insecurity. So, this is a very serious topic.
GIOKOS: Yes.
MOREIRA DA SILVA: And I really hope that the world will find a solution. And U.N. is ready.
GIOKOS: All right, Jorge. Thank you so much. I hope the conversations at the UNGA go well. And as you say, seven days is what you need. So, all the
best.
MOREIRA DA SILVA: Thank you, Eleni.
GIOKOS: All right. I want to shift over to another story we have been tracking, and -- in South Africa. Police officials have discovered a female
body in Soweto, in areas around Johannesburg, on Sunday.
And now, that is according to South African media. This is the 10th female body found in the past two months.
The circumstances around the incidents are unknown at this stage. Most of the victims were in their 20s and 30s, and some were found stripped, and
their clothes showed signs of sexual assault.
Other parts of Johannesburg, there were nine women that had been murdered and found over a two-month period.
Now, these killings have sparked protests in South Africa, where gender- based violence was declared a national disaster in 2025, over violence that many women face every day.
Many women in the country say the heightened attention and promises have done little to make them feel safer.
And we are now seeing a femicide crisis servicing in Mexico as well. The state of Morelos recorded 21 femicide victims in the first half of this
year, and now the murder of a Spanish exchange student there has triggered protests across the state.
CNN's Valeria Leon reports from Mexico. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VALERIA LEON, CNN EN ESPANOL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): These are the faces of five students from the same university in Central Mexico. All of
them, murdered over the past year and a half.
KATIA SANTANA LINARES, UNIVERSITY STUDENT (through translator): That is an enormous number. We had never experienced anything this violent in Morelos.
[10:35:01]
LEON (voice over): Their likenesses are a painful reminder of the violence and insecurity facing women here in Morelos, the Mexican state with the
second highest femicide rate.
The most recent case brought international scrutiny to the state, when Claudia Tacoronte, an exchange student from Spain, was killed on September
12th. But she is not the only one. A missing person poster for Eileen Rodriguez hangs on the wall.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Had her life taken in such a terrible way.
LEON (voice over): Her body was found in April 2025.
Nearly a year later, first-year student Kimberly Ramos's body was found. And three days later, Karol Toledo's corpse was found with signs of
violence.
In each case, their bodies were found a short distance from the college campus in Morelos.
Students then took over the university auditorium in protest. But they say the administration refused to meet with them or address their demands.
FRIDA VELEZ, UNIVERSITY STUDENT (through translator): Our classmates should not be missing from the classroom or from any other place. There is a
crisis, and no one is doing anything for the women in this state.
LEON (voice over): CNN requested an interview with the administration but was declined.
AMARINTIA GARCIA, ACTIVIST (through translator): They warned it is going to happen again after Karol, after Kimberly. They said it's going to happen
again. And that's why they occupied the university.
LEON (voice over): And then it happened again. On June 2nd, Michelle Fuentes, a high school student, was found dead in Tepoztlan, Morelos.
Three months later came the killing of Claudia Tacorante. The 21-year- old Spanish student was attacked in Cuautla, Morelos.
LEON: With this memorial, they remember the student who was killed. She was attending a cultural event right here in this courtyard when she was
stabbed.
Other people at the event called for help, and some of the neighbors came to her aid.
LEON (voice over): This woman, who asked us not to show her face because she fears for her safety, shared what she witnessed just outside her door.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I tried to call 911, but the call wouldn't go through, so, I sent a message to a WhatsApp group I belong to.
LEON (voice over): Five days later, authorities announced an arrest.
OMAR GARCIA HARFUCH, MEXICO'S SECURITY SECRETARY (through translator): An arrest warrant was executed against Francisco Javier N for his alleged
responsibility in this femicide.
LEON (voice over): Despite the quick arrest of the Tacoronte murder suspect, these cases are a chilling reminder that women here in Morelos and
throughout Mexico remain an easy target.
Valeria Leon, CNN, Cuautla, Morelos.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: Welcome back.
A.I. safety is already taking center stage days ahead of a planned summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.
[10:40:03]
During meeting with Chinese officials this weekend, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent proposed a new notification system for A.I. incidents that
could raise national security concerns. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT BESSENT, UNITED STATES TREASURY SECRETARY: Well, the notification for whether there are incidents, whether there has been something that rises up
to a national security level from A.I.
Because, you know, we think that just like with any cross-border activity, that moving from opaque to more transparency between the number one and the
number two A.I. powers in the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: We got CNN's Anna Stewart following the latest from London.
Anna, so, you have Scott Bessent there talking about notifications, around national security concerns, but nothing really on regulation. So, give me a
sense on, you know, what we are expecting with regards to potentially seeing the Trump administration thinking about regulation and not just
notifications.
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's an interesting development, not least because potentially we are seeing China and the U.S. come together on
this, and the big concerns for those worried about A.I. risks are that the two countries are sort of racing against each other.
So, you know, shared common goals, shared common risks, raising security risks at a national level, that is very interesting. Ultimately, it needs
to be fleshed out. We need more detail, and ultimately, of course, it needs to be agreed on by presidents, Xi and Trump later this week at this summit.
Until then, it's hard to know, you know, how far this goes. And of course, as you say, it's not exactly regulation, but it's a very top-level risk,
let's say.
We have had actually quite a few developments from the U.S. when it comes to A.I. over the weekend. President Trump has been incredibly busy on Truth
Social. He still maintains that fears over A.I. are a hoax, he says.
However, in one of his posts, he goes on to say that he does mention sort of "bad A.I.," and suggests one way of dealing with that is to create
something called an A.I. Force. I think we have the post for you. He says, "For this purpose, I am forming the A.I. Force, much like I did Space
Force, which has been a tremendous success in my first term." To that end, "I will be announcing in the near future that A.I. czar -- only high I.Q.
individuals need apply."
So, possibly not what we expect in terms of A.I. regulation again, but clearly, there is some movement within the Trump administration when it
comes to assessing the risks that A.I. poses, and an A.I. czar is certainly an interesting thing.
You have an A.I minister, of course, in the UAE. Lots of countries do now. So, that is potentially interesting.
(CROSSTALK)
GIOKOS: Yes.
STEWART: It does feel a bit like out of a Marvel movie, the A.I. Force, but as he says, he has also created Space Force.
There is also a poll on Donald Trump's Truth Social, suggesting that they change the term Artificial Intelligence. The options are superior
intelligence, extreme intelligence, or supreme intelligence. Perhaps people will find one of those less scary.
(CROSSTALK)
GIOKOS: Wow.
STEWART: Eleni.
GIOKOS: isn't that what we are trying to avoid? Supreme intelligence. I don't know. Anyway, but anyway, I'm sure the high-I.Q. people out there
will be applying for this A.I. czar position, Anna. So, we will watch. We wait to see. Thank you so much. Anna Stewart for us.
I want to discuss this further. We have got Margrethe Vestager, former European Union Commissioner for Competition, joining us now. She is
formerly served as a policymaker on A.I. and A.I. regulation in the E.U.
Margrethe, great to have you with us. Look, I want to get your analysis, your take on this U.S. --
(CROSSTALK)
MARGRETHE VESTAGER, FORMER EUROPEAN UNION COMMISSIONER FOR COMPETITION: Great to be with you.
GIOKOS: Yes. This U.S.-China, you know, coming together of notifications to do with national security. What is your sense of that? Is this sort of
confidence building to try and, you know, move forward on perhaps coordinated action on regulation between the big two powers?
VESTAGER: I think what they are talking about is the bare minimum. Because obviously, there should be room for humanity between the grandeur and the
egos of President Trump and President Xi.
It's more than a threat to national security. It's how these models are working. That, in combination with how A.I. is applied in everyday use. So,
that you are sure that if it's something that gets to your everyday life, like can I get a mortgage? Can I get a job? Can I get into university? That
you can actually trust the algorithm to serve you as a human.
GIOKOS: So, let's talk about E.U. regulation and A.I. regulation. And you know, given that these are global models that are used at a global scale,
and I wonder if you could sort of regulate a specific geography, a specific continent, and then, you know, other countries take different approaches.
Or do you think the best way forward is to talk about global regulation?
[10:45:02]
And if the U.S. is not on board, and if China is not on board, then, we have a fundamental problem, I would assume.
Best way forward is to talk about global regulation. And if the U.S. is not on board, and if China is not on board, then we have a fundamental problem.
I would assume.
VESTAGER: Well, I agree with you on that. It's really important that the General Assembly is taking place this week. Have, you know, this A.I.
safety discussion, it's on the agenda.
At the same time, you know, we, as citizen we need regulation to make sure that when businesses, when the state is using A.I., that it's actually safe
to use and can be trusted. And this is what the A.I. Act of the European Union is for.
At the same time, in Europe, we need more innovation. We may need more A.I. to be built, and we need to make better sure of the part of the A.I. supply
chain that Europe actually holds.
GIOKOS: OK. So, I want you to take a listen to President Obama and what he had to say about A.I. Listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, 44TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Government has to be regulating this. I heard one of Donald Trump's main advisers on this make
the argument that the market will take care of it, these companies will solve the safety issues because they have every incentive to do so. If it
turns out to be dangerous, people will just sue them, and you know, they are -- they are worried about financial liability.
That's not how we treat airlines, or drug companies, or food companies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Yes. So, what's interesting is, I mean, J.D. Vance said the risks that have been brought to the table are a Trojan horse. President Trump had
said it is a hoax. What President Obama is alluding to there is that the U.S. administration wants some kind of self-regulation. History tells us,
when industry self-regulates, it's a recipe for disaster. What's your take on the approach?
VESTAGER: But listen, it's normal that we as society regulate what is going on. We regulate chemistry, we regulate airlines. You would never get into a
plane if you're not absolutely sure that they lived up to safety regulation. It's the normal thing to do.
What we are having right now is absolutely reckless, because we have very, very few men who are deciding over very, very potentially dangerous
technology.
(CROSSTALK)
GIOKOS: OK.
VESTAGER: This is not normal.
GIOKOS: OK. So, let's -- I want to ask you this, because, you know, when it comes to European regulations, it's been said, because they are very strict
that it's actually stifled investment into A.I. and innovation, and that's why Europe has fallen behind.
And President Trump is afraid of that. Falling behind China, for example, in this A.I. race. Is E.U. regulation, has it taken it too far?
VESTAGER: No, the problem in in Europe is a different problem. It's a problem making the market big enough for making it worthwhile to develop
A.I. within the European Union, for the capital market actually to support that. Because the A.I. doesn't touch research, doesn't touch innovation. It
just says, in a nutshell, if you are using it where it can hurt people, you need to know what you are doing in order not to create harm. And that I
think is a perfectly normal thing to do.
(CROSSTALK)
GIOKOS: All right.
VESTAGER: So, of course, we need to run because the European window is really, really small, both to be a strong and credible buyer of A.I., but
also to build much more. Because if you cannot build, you don't understand what is going on. So, you need to build in order to buy, and that is what
the transformative A.I. strategy is about. And there is a window for Europe to make this happen.
GIOKOS: Yes. Margrethe, just very quickly, do you believe that you can stop this race to regulate, or has the horse bolted already?
VESTAGER: Of course, we can stop it because we need to stop it, because otherwise we have no idea what will happen to us, and we have done it
before. You know, we, as people of this planet have done amazing things before. We did the COVID vaccine. We did the nuclear disarmament. We have
done amazing things before.
I think, it's just for people to realize it is very difficult, but it's also normal that we make sure that we, as humanity are kept safe.
GIOKOS: Yes. All right. Margrethe Vestager, great to have you with us. Fascinating perspective, much appreciated.
VESTAGER: It's my pleasure.
GIOKOS: All right. This is CONNECT THE WORLD. My -- up next, why singer- songwriter Ed Sheeran, whose tour is mired in controversy, is telling fans he's not an activist musician. We'll be back, back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:51:33]
GIOKOS: Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has apologized for what he calls his mistakes.
Rapper Macklemore was dropped as an open mic act from Sheeran's concert tour due to his pro-Palestinian remarks that sparked a firestorm of
controversy over free speech and the conflict in Gaza.
Sheeran spoke out during the latest show of his U.S. tour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED SHEERAN, SINGER AND SONGWRITER: This is a humanitarian issue, and I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore.
What happened in Israel and at the Nova Music Festival on October 7th was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain.
What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic, and unjustifiable, and disproportionate. Our hearts are broken by the scale of devastation and
loss of civilians' lives, of children's lives, and the systemic injustice we see untold in the West Bank cannot be overlooked.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Lisa Respers France is live from Atlanta for us, keeping track of the story. I mean, Lisa, it's really fascinating to see the tickets to this
show are now as low as $37.
And, you know, just showing how controversial this entire issue has been for him. You know, what is the feedback from this apology during one of
your shows?
LISA RESPERS FRANCE, CNN SENIOR ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Yes, it's been interesting because the feedback has been that it seems like he's very much
still trying to kind of like toe the line of not picking a side.
You heard him speaking out both in support of Israel and in support of the Palestinian people, which is, you know, possible. This is -- no one saying
that he has to pick sides, but unfortunately, this is such a charged subject that a lot of people want him to say. This is who I'm for, this is,
you know, what I condemn. And he got there more than he had in the statement that he released a couple days ago.
And -- but you are still seeing pushback. Right? Which is interesting also because Macklemore has been seeing like a rise in streaming in terms of his
music, whereas, we are seeing with the ticket sales, as you point out, the resale value for them have plummeted for Ed Sheeran.
So, you know, it's a -- it's a really complex, complicated matter, and, you know, I caught flack myself for calling him apolitical in, you know, some
of these things that -- some of my appearances, where people were saying, well, he wasn't apolitical when it came to the Ukraine, because he was --
he felt comfortable -- Ed Sheeran felt comfortable enough to speak out for that.
So, you know, but it was kind of fascinating to watch him have to take to the stage by himself in Philadelphia, and you know, release this statement
and say what he had to say.
And you know, diehard Ed Sheeran fans are always going to support Ed Sheeran. A lot of people that CNN interviewed going into the concert on
Saturday were saying things like, you know, we just -- we are here for the music. We -- you know, we hope that, you know, we can have a good time with
the music. And I'm sure Ed Sheeran would like for people to just focus on the music, but you know, we live in these times where, when it comes to
something like this, something political, people are very passionate about it on both sides, as we see.
GIOKOS: Yes, really, really important moment and time that you mentioned. And frankly, there is sort of an overlap between music and politics. And
when views are disseminated and there is backlash, and sometimes there is a lot of support.
[10:55:02]
I also know that a lot of the opening acts had actually also withdrawn from his show.
FRANCE: Yes.
GIOKOS: I mean, what does that mean for future shows for him, despite this apology?
FRANCE: Yes. Despite this apology, we still have to deal with the fact that everyone who was scheduled to appear with him has pulled out, including his
backup band.
So, this is -- this is why he was literally on the stage by himself because, again, they felt so strongly about standing in solidarity with
Macklemore. That they decided that they were not going to participate in this tour.
And so, Ed Sheeran is literally a man alone on this tour now. There is been a lot of question as to is he going to get other acts. But this feels like,
in some ways, the well has been poisoned to the point where who is going to want to step up and perform with him? Because there is been so much
conversation about this. There is been so much controversy behind this.
So, some people said that they would be really surprised on social media. They were talking about, you know, even people were gaming out who might
join him on this tour. But a lot of people are saying that they just can't even imagine any act that would want to participate in this now because of
everything that has happened.
GIOKOS: Well, Lisa Respers Franz, great to have you with us.
FRANCE: Thank you.
GIOKOS: Thank you so much for that analysis.
And that is it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up next.
From me, Eleni Giokos, I hope you have a great start to the week.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
