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U.S.-Ukraine Tensions Grow as Diplomatic Efforts Continue; Trump Offers Dark Vision if Democrats Take Control of Congress; Rubio Held Call with Zelenskyy Amid U.S.-Ukraine Tensions; European Countries Step Up Security After Violent Protests; Italian Government to Deploy 500 Troops to Milan After Unrest. Aired 9-9:45a ET

Aired October 20, 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)

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: It is 03:00 p.m. in Paris, where the city has new heightened security measures after the

violent protests over the weekend. Paris, along with other cities across France, to decide if curfews are needed again tonight.

And it's 02:00 p.m. here in London. I'm Christina Macfarlane, and this is "Connect the World". Also coming up for you this hour, tensions rise

between President Trump and Ukraine's President Zelenskyy as peace efforts grind on. Just -- and we're just one week away from Israeli elections.

And U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is said to have made an unannounced visit to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu. And we are about 30

minutes away from the start of trading on Wall Street. Let's just have a quick check of the numbers for you across U.S. market futures.

There, you can see all down across the boards as we count down to midterms in just two weeks from now. And tensions, of course, are growing between

the Trump Administration and Ukraine, even as diplomatic efforts to end Russia's war continues. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected

to meet with U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff in Oslo today.

In what Norway's Prime Minister says is an effort to put diplomacy on a more constructive path. President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner

will join the meeting remotely. Well, the talks come amid growing friction between Presidents Trump and Zelenskyy.

Mr. Trump has accused the Ukrainian leader of, in his words, not helping to end the war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Zelenskyy is not helping matters much. I think he doesn't want to stop it, but I want to see

people not die. They're losing probably on average 25 to 35,000 soldiers every single month. All I want to do, I don't care.

I want to get the war stuff. Anything I can do to end the war, whether somebody's there or not, whatever I can do to end the war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: -- CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has been following the story for us. So, Nick, amidst all of this heated rhetoric, what is the goal of today's

diplomatic talks, and how much progress can we realistically expect? What are your sources telling you?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: I have to be honest. I do not know what the goal of this Oslo meeting is, and it has

emerged quite quickly out of nowhere. And indeed, a European official there I spoke to was tight-lipped about exactly what might be being presented.

Clearly, this is a continuation of Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff's bid to try and fashion something which will be acceptable to the Kremlin. That

appears to be the guiding motivation between a lot of this round of U.S. peace stocks to find a plan that the Russians will sign on to, less focus

really on what might be acceptable indeed to the Ukrainians.

In fact, that European official I spoke to said, look, this is less about what plans we present, but if there's either a plan which might be

acceptable to Russia at all. Remember, the Russian version of a peace plan ultimately is victory involves the departure voluntarily of Ukrainian

forces from the remainder of the Donbas region, which U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained is ultimately the last defensive line for

Ukraine before the Russians get a straight shot at Kyiv.

So, it's unclear what we're necessarily going to see out of Oslo. Jared Kushner joining virtually. It may well be that there is some greater

initiative afoot here, but it is possibly a bid to ensure that those channels of communication remain fruitful to some degree, given the utterly

horrific position we're in terms of U.S.-Ukrainian relations.

Ukraine very vocal about how intelligence sharing has led ballistic missiles to land without warning over the past days. How Starlink and

Starshield limitations really putting their offensive and defensive operations, mostly through drone, at risk. And oddly, President Trump and

more recently Marco Rubio saying that's simply not true.

There are no restrictions. There are no problems.

MACFARLANE: Yeah.

WALSH: And so, an element of gaslighting potentially here that shows you, I think, exactly how distant the two sides are from each other.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, I mean, and on Marco Rubio, I mean, we know that President Zelenskyy and Secretary of State spoke yesterday for a reported

45 minutes. You know, coming at a moment when Kyiv is of course, accusing the U.S. of withdrawing that critical support to their defense.

Do we know anything yet of what may have come out of that meeting or that conversation?

WALSH: Zelenskyy emerged from that, and it is rare for Rubio to insert himself in this process at that length and be so public about it. Remember,

there has been a sort of suggestion of not a parallel tract.

[09:05:00]

But additional efforts being made by Marco Rubio and potentially CIA Director John Ratcliffe to try and get something going that might have

traction in the peace process. Whether that's entirely in tandem with Witkoff and Kushner is unclear. But this phone call, Zelenskyy emerged from

it making three priorities.

The need for intelligence sharing to prevent ballistic missile strikes without warning, for Starlink and Starshield to be resumed in full

operation, and also for patriot interceptors to be given to Ukraine. Remember, these are three things that have been given for Ukraine, despite

the collapse in U.S. military aid.

These things continued to be an element of U.S. support. So, Zelenskyy is really starting from a low base here, ultimately. But I have to say, the

last 10 days have been extraordinary in that we have seen this flurry of positions from U.S. President Trump, where he's pushed a diesel deal that

will only benefit Russia's war chest, an energy ceasefire that led Ukraine to slow down its strikes on Russian refineries for a few days, but no

change in Russian behavior.

He's repeatedly called for Zelenskyy to step aside so someone else can come in who's more willing to make a deal. Remember, Ukraine was invaded and is

being asked to make concessions that would ultimately give Russia a victory to bring a kind of peace, which many are concerned would simply lead to a

prolongation of the war if you can't trust Moscow.

And now President Trump simply saying, along with Marco Rubio, that Ukraine's complaints about intelligence sharing, Starlink, and Starshield

are simply untrue. So it's a phenomenal mess of a position we're in, but it is one ultimately I think where Ukraine has shown publicly it is less

willing to pander to Trump's change in mood and realizes it's going to have to go it alone and probably only has a year, 18 months left of Trump in

full effect in office.

MACFARLANE: Nick Paton Walsh, there for us live in London. Thanks, Nick. Now, heightened security measures are in effect in France and Italy today

after a wave of violent protests. Some cities in France, including parts of the capital Paris, imposed nighttime curfews.

The unrest began in September with student protests over educational shortfalls, and later others joined in, angered over spiraling inflation

and reduction of public services. Well, this past weekend, violence broke out in France and in Italy, prompting governments of both to respond.

In Italy, hundreds of army troops are being deployed to maintain order in Milan. And protests also turned violent in Albania, where students have

been marching over poor education standards, heightened expenses, and what critics say is government corruption. Well, Stefano Pozzebon has been

following developments for us from Rome.

So, Stefano, just first to those localized curfews that were called in France overnight. Do we know how effective those were, and can we expect to

see more today?

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the local government up in France has given authority to the mayors and the prefects on whether to

impose further curfews. In particular, the Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Twitter that these curfews had been successful in calming the

streets and granting this authority to the local authorities.

At the same time, it's perhaps the moment where both France and Italy are counting the damage and coming to terms with the real motivation behind the

protest. So, in France, for example, the justice minister spoke to local media and told us that about 3,000 shops have been looted and destroyed by

the multitudes.

Well, here in Italy, we had the opportunity to go down to a local university here in Rome to understand why the students are still on the

street despite the scenes that we are seeing over the weekend in Milan on Saturday and Sunday. There were really some of the most disturbing scenes

of urban guerrilla that have happened in Italy in a very long time.

And Christina, it's interesting to analyze the Italy situation because it's a bit of a mix between what happened in Spain last month with a lot of

massive protests over the cost of housing and the cost of living, and what happened in France, where the students took the leadership because of the

high cost of education.

We went to this university and we found students pitching up their tents on the yard of their university. The faculty was of letters and literature,

but the way to pitch up the tent was exactly to bring attention to how expensive it is to live in Rome as a student coming from abroad.

I spoke with, for example, to one student Elisa (ph), and she had to wait for her younger brother to also go to university, so that the two of them

could share a room here in Rome because they're not from here. They are from about 100, 120 kilometers north of the Italian capital. This is what

else she told me, Christina.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAMILLA MARCONI, MEMBER OF UDU STUDENT UNION: My brother and I decided to come to living here in Rome, but we have to make a lot of sacrifices as a

family, because the rent is really high, and we can afford it, but like barely.

[09:10:00]

We will keep on trying to make us be heard from them, but we don't feel like there's some kind of conversation with the government right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POZZEBON: There have been student protests here in Italy for a few weeks back, and there is yet another one called up for the upcoming Saturday.

Meanwhile, the government of Georgia Meloni said that they have invested money from the European Union in building new, for example, new student

housing in cities such as Rome, but also the rest of the country.

And they've also called for an emergency for a council of ministers tonight to draft an emergency decree to give more powers through law enforcement to

deal with the protest and to avoid the repetition of what happened in Milan on Saturday and Sunday. So, the streets are calm for now.

It remains to be seen whether they'll still be calm at the weekend, Christina.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, and very interesting to see that hundreds of army troops are also being deployed to maintain order. Just gives you an indication of

how seriously authorities are taking this moment. Stefano, appreciate the update. Thank you.

POZZEBON: Yeah.

MACFARLANE: Our sources say U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has made an unannounced trip to Israel, meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

and Defense Minister Israel Katz yesterday evening. Representatives from the UAE were at one of the meetings, according to an Israeli source

familiar with the details.

The Pentagon has declined to comment. It all comes days before Israeli elections and follows Mr. Trump's endorsement of Mr. Netanyahu. Let's

discuss all of this with CNN's Senior National Security Reporter Zach Cohen. So, Zach, as we were saying, Israel's elections are now just days

away.

And we've seen in recent days President Trump has endorsed Prime Minister Netanyahu, calling him a great warrior prime minister, while J.D. Vance,

his vice president, has refused to endorse him, saying he's not getting involved. So, do we know why Pete Hegseth is meeting with Netanyahu today?

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yeah, this somewhat unusual meeting between the U.S. Defense Secretary and the Israeli Prime

Minister is almost certainly all about Iran at a time when the war carries significant political impacts potentially both for Netanyahu in his

upcoming election in Israel and for the Trump Administration as they look ahead to the U.S. midterm elections.

And as you mentioned, this follows President Donald Trump's endorsement of Netanyahu, where he did call him a great warrior prime minister, and also

hinted at the possibility that the U.S. could resume combat operations against Iran if Iran doesn't quote, change their ways.

And obviously we're at a point in this conflict when a diplomatic resolution really does not appear anywhere in sight, and we've seen

indications that the U.S. and potentially Israel could restart those combat operations either before or possibly after the U.S. midterm elections.

And now this is something that Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, has really staked a lot of his candidacy on the war with Iran and

his partnership with President Donald Trump. He had originally, we're told by sources, expected President Trump to be a centerpiece of his campaign.

But over the course of this conflict, we've seen the two leaders' their relationships sort of ebb and flow as President Donald Trump has become

more aware of the political consequences of what is a deeply unpopular war here in the United States. And so, this visit by Hegseth really only going

to raise further speculation about the possibility of additional strikes by the U.S. and potentially Israel.

Netanyahu has dismissed the idea that he could attempt to escalate this conflict before his election in the coming days. But Israeli sources have

told CNN that he and President Donald Trump have discussed the possibility of renewed strikes somewhat recently, and that really does hang over this

entire visit by Hegseth, who himself has been one of the loudest cheerleaders for resuming those combat operations against Iran.

MACFARLANE: And Zach, just briefly, do we know why this trip wasn't announced? Are there any benefits to keeping it quiet at this point?

COHEN: Yeah, there's certainly some security considerations that are taken into account when a trip like this is not announced, but also there is a

strategic ambiguity to it all as well. There's no official readout from Hegseth's meeting with Netanyahu. We do know that from sources, obviously,

that this meeting took place, and Hegseth, after the news broke, posted photos of himself meeting with U.S. forces deployed to U.S. Central

Command's area of responsibility, which of course includes the Middle East and Israel itself.

So, this is something that the administration is trying to walk a tightrope on. Again, politically for the Trump Administration, this war is a problem

for the upcoming midterms, and we're also seeing potential future presidential candidates like J.D. Vance try to essentially, distance

themselves from the conflict Vance, in particular, who has opposed the war since the beginning.

[09:15:00]

So, it's really underscoring both the political and potentially the strategic elements of this current moment.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, Zach Cohen, appreciate it. Thank you. Now President Trump hits the road again today to shore up support for Republicans ahead of the

crucial midterm elections, which are now just two weeks away. The president is tearing through red states this week, where Republican enthusiasm may be

waning.

Tonight, he'll be in North Carolina, and last night he was in Kansas. Mr. Trump, while he was there, painted a dark picture of America's future if

his party loses control of Congress.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: A vote for any Democrat this year is a vote to let that small and dangerous group of extremists hold all of us hostage in America. They're

not going to hold us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: CNN White House Correspondent Alayna Treene is joining us. And Alayna, I mean, it's notable that the president's rhetoric seems to be

ramping up, you know, two weeks ahead of midterms, warming of extremists running Congress if Democrats win control. What do you make of all of that

this moment?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Look, I think this is very similar to the rhetoric we heard the president use on his own races when he

was on the campaign trail. You know, in 2020 we saw it, 2016, of course, when he was really talking about the southern border, and then also in 2024

trying to paint Democrats as these types of boogeymen that are going to come and kind of wreak havoc on the country.

That is the language that he is reverting back to with just two weeks to go until the midterm elections. And really, when we're seeing the president,

he has this aggressive campaign schedule. He's traveling essentially almost every single day between now and November 3rd.

And he's playing defense in a lot of the states where I think Republicans six months ago would argue they wouldn't have been worried about. They

wouldn't have think -- they wouldn't have thought that these type of reddit states, a lot of places where the president has won by double digits.

You just talked about Kansas, deeply red state. He'll be in North Carolina tonight. A lot of these states that he's been visiting are places he has

won by double digits in the past, or just two years ago, really when you look at the 2024 race, and I think that's why you're seeing him turn to

this type of fear mongering, this type of dark language on the campaign trail.

I do want you to listen to something he said last night because one thing that really stuck out to me was when he argued that Democrats are

extremists who would like to see the country burn, just like what people are seeing from the protests in Paris. Listen how he put it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: If you want to see what is at stake in this election, just look at what's happening in France, a once great nation that is being conquered,

looted, and burned to the ground by migrants, jihadists, and communists who hate Christianity and they hate, frankly, the Western civilization itself.

This is what's happening to France. They want to happen to our country. It's never happening here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now, a few things I would point out here. One is that the protests that are happening in Paris are over the high cost of living in this city.

Even though he was referring to it being migrants and communists and jihadists who have taken over, and also, I think there's no Democrats,

particularly candidates that we know are running, who are claiming they want to see the country, the U.S. devolve into what we are seeing in the

wake of these protests in Paris.

So, we should be clear on that. I do want to turn to where the president is going to be today. He's traveling to North Carolina, where he's going to be

stumping for candidates who are trying to fill the seat that former, well, current senator, but soon to be Former Senator Thom Tillis is vacating.

That includes the Former Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Michael Whatley. He is a Trump ally. He's someone who was actually

handpicked to lead the RNC previously by President Trump himself. Whatley is running up against the Former Governor of the State, Roy Cooper.

That's expected to be a tighter race. There are some tight House races as well. So, another state that's going to really be important to determining

what the makeup of both the House and the Senate will look like after these midterm elections. So, stay tuned for that. We're likely to hear a similar

message from the president tonight, Christina.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, as you mentioned, those comments on France have been noted here in Europe as not helpful. Obviously, as the governor looks to

tamp down on these protests, but we'll continue to watch the president's campaign trail this week. Alayna, thank you very much.

And you are watching "Connect the World". Still to come, CNN speaks with migrants who were deported by the U.S. and sent to an island in West

Africa. The abusive conditions they say they are facing there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:20:00]

MACFARLANE: Tens of thousands of migrants have been deported from the U.S. to some 35 countries where many have no ties. Some of those migrants

subjected to these so-called third-country deportations report abuse, threats, and hard detention conditions. CNN's Rafael Romo spoke with

migrants who were sent to Malabo, a West African island that's part of Equatorial Guinea, where they remain under house arrest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everyone is in fear for their life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like this never-ending roller coaster of disaster.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yesterday, I had a panic attack.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is like a hotel from hell.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These are the voices of people who say they're living in agony.

ROMO: And what happens if they find out that you're talking to me?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, I would be put in prison.

ROMO (voice-over): They are migrants deported from the United States to Equatorial Guinea, a Spanish-speaking country on the west coast of Africa,

plagued by corruption, poverty, and repression, according to Human Rights Watch. More than 20 migrants are under house arrest at a hotel in the City

of Malabo, the country's former capital and oldest city.

ROMO: What can you tell me about your detention conditions there?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The officers have the keys to your door. And as a woman, my fear every night is that an officer is going to come in and do

the worst. The worst could be done to me.

ROMO (voice-over): The Trump Administration launched third-country deportations last year as part of its crackdown on immigration, according

to Third Country Deportation Watch, a monitoring and advocacy project. The U.S. has signed third-country deportation agreements with at least 35

countries, sending more than 25,000 migrants to those nations at a cost of over 49 million dollars to American taxpayers.

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Part of securing our border is dealing with the people that are in this country unlawfully. Many of whom

do not want to go back to the country that they originally came from for a variety of reasons. Meaning, these are safe countries where individuals who

refuse to go back to their country of origin can be sent to that country instead.

ROMO (on camera): Several of those countries, including South Sudan, Rwanda, and Equatorial Guinea, are either at war or have checkered human

rights records that worry migrant rights advocates.

ALEXANDRA SMOLYAR, ASIAN AMERICANS ADVANCING JUSTICE: Many of the people who are in Equatorial Guinea have refugee protections, which means that

they can't be deported back to their country of origin --

ROMO (voice-over): Alexandra Smolyar is an immigration attorney with Asian Americans Advancing Justice, an Atlanta-based nonprofit legal and advocacy

organization that has been in touch with the migrants in Equatorial Guinea and legally represents some of them.

She says more than 20 migrants under house arrest in Malabo have been subjected to all kinds of abuse, including beatings and impeachment.

SMOLYAR: They are constantly patrolled by armed guards under threat. Oftentimes, they have violence leveraged against them in the form of

threats, beatings. It's a very dangerous and dire situation.

[09:25:00]

ROMO: It seems like police in Equatorial Guinea are trying to send --

SMOLYAR: It seems that way. It seems that they really are trying to stop anyone from speaking out about what's happening to them.

ROMO (voice-over): CNN managed to speak to two of the migrants who asked us to protect their identities for fear of retaliation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I literally witnessed one of the guards grab by the neck and lift them up against the wall and shoved him down on the ground.

ROMO (voice-over): One of the migrants says he witnessed how guards suddenly stormed into a room one night, handcuffed several of them, and

beat up one man.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That really was almost like the welcome to Hotel Bamy moment for me because I realized at that moment that anyone of us at any

given moment can be harmed.

ROMO (voice-over): CNN reached the government of Equatorial Guinea about the allegations, but so far there has been no reply.

SMOLYAR: I think that I would underscore how truly inhumane these third- country deportation agreements are. This is all part of a broader detention and deportation agenda that's being pushed throughout the country right now

that is subjecting people to a lot of fear and a very real risk of arrest and detention and possible deportation to a country that they may have no

ties to.

ROMO (voice-over): After a federal court in Boston temporarily halted third-country deportations, the Supreme Court allowed the Trump

Administration to resume them in late September without giving migrants an opportunity to raise human rights concerns. The court said it would hear

arguments in the case in December. Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Up next on "Connect the World", the start of trading and business headlines, including why the U.S. Energy Secretary likes the look

of so-called dark fleet oil tankers. We'll see what he wants to do with them just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: Welcome back. I'm Christina Macfarlane in London, and you are watching "Connect the World". Nighttime curfews were imposed in several

cities across France, including parts of Paris, in the wake of violent weekend protests. France's Prime Minister said the curfews help maintain

calm.

He says local authorities will decide whether to resume the curfews Tuesday night. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is meeting with U.S. envoy

Steve Witkoff in Oslo today in a bid to put peace talks on a more constructive path. President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner will

join remotely as tensions grow between Washington and Kyiv over how to end Russia's war.

And later today, President Trump will be back on the campaign trail.

[09:30:00]

This time in North Carolina. At a rally in Kansas on Monday, he urged Republicans to vote in the November midterms, warning if Democrats win

control of Congress, a quote, dangerous group of extremists would be in charge. Wall Street, there it is. That is the New York Stock Exchange, and

let's just take a look at how the DOW is at the start of trading this Tuesday.

As you can see, down just a touch there by 0.06 percent. So pretty flat this Tuesday, as the Trump Administration says it will allow some oil

tankers currently under sanctions to begin a process to ship crude legitimately. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright tells Bloomberg investors

would buy and refurbish idle sanctioned tankers and then use them to transport legal oil.

Wright says there are about 1,500 tankers in this so-called dark fleet. CNN'S Matt Egan is joining us now to explain this. So, Matt, U.S. Energy

Secretary Chris Wright there says these so-called dark fleet tankers, as I say, once refurbished would not carry sanctioned oil. So, how is that going

to work, and what's the reaction to that news been?

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, yeah, Christina, let's get into the dark fleet. I know that this might sound like the bad guy from a James Bond

film, but what we're really talking about is this armada of sanctioned tankers, right? And it's just the latest target by Trump officials in their

quest to try to really lower high gasoline and diesel prices.

Now, as you mentioned, the idea here would be to allow investors to buy these sanctioned vessels, to refurbish them, fix them up, and then allow

them to be legitimate and legitimately carry crude out of the Persian Gulf to the rest of the world, and by some estimates, there are roughly 1,500

vessels in the dark fleet here.

Now, this whole idea appears to be an effort to address the skyrocketing cost to ship oil because of the Iran War. Right, before the war started, it

used to cost about $65,000 a day to hire a super tanker to go from the Persian Gulf to China, but now that cost has skyrocketed to $1.4 million.

It's just an insane increase, and that is driving up the costs for consumers at the gas pump and for farmers who are paying for diesel, right,

because those costs are getting passed along to consumers. By some estimates, they're adding 35 or 40 dollars a barrel. So, Chris Wright says

that they've been approached by investors who want to refurbish these ships.

Wright says the idea here would be to move the dark fleet from the hands of the bad guys to the good guys. But look, this is easier said than done.

Doing this would require navigating a legal maze, convincing insurers to get on board, and then yes, fixing these aging ships.

Right, the average age of an unsanctioned tanker is 14 years old, but a sanctioned tanker, on average, is 21 years old, so just to make sure that

these ships are safe to use, they'd have to be repaired and refurbished. But just the fact that Trump officials are discussing this is telling,

right?

It shows that they continue to take this out of the box approach to trying to lower very high prices. Brent crude, the world benchmark topping $111 a

barrel today for the first time since May. Crude is trading near the highest levels really since the spring and the highest levels since the war

started.

And of course, this is just driving up costs for consumers around the world. But Christina, bottom line here, some of these steps could help a

little bit on the margins, but analysts say the real way to get energy prices back down is to come to some sort of resolution in the war with Iran

and give investors, confidence that the Strait of Hormuz really is reopened and that those refineries that have been damaged by the war are actually

going to get repaired and reopened. Back to you.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, it doesn't seem like there's any sort of quick solution here, does it, Matt? Meanwhile, Matt, the International Energy Agency has

been warning that global energy markets are more than a year away from returning to normal. Do you know what's behind that warning?

EGAN: Yeah, Christina, another warning from the energy watchdog, and yes, they are saying that it could take more than a year to get the energy

system back to normal, and that's just because of the sheer scale of this shock, right. The Head of the IEA noting that the Strait Hormuz, it's been

closed once, and it could get closed again.

[09:35:00]

Now it's true that the flow of oil through that narrow waterway it has rebounded, but we don't have a ton of transparency there, and it has been

volatile. And Iran continues to make threats. And remember, and this is something that the IEA had also noted, it's not just one crisis.

We're talking about overlapping crises right now because the Red Sea shipping lanes have been disrupted by fighting there, and then you have the

Russia-Ukraine war as well, blowing up refineries in Russia. So, you put it all together, and it is a nightmare for the energy supply chain, and it

does help explain why Brent is well above $110 a barrel as we speak. Christina, back to you.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, and the Houthi crisis escalating things too. Matt, appreciate you bringing us up to date. Thank you.

EGAN: Thanks.

MACFARLANE: Now, Iranian media reports Pakistan's Army Chief is due to visit Iran in the coming hours. Islamabad has played a key mediating role

since the U.S. and Israel launched the war with Iran. The meeting comes as Iran's military commanders and officials have made it clear they're

preparing for another round of war.

But they're also warning Washington and its allies to think twice before resuming the conflict. Tehran has threatened to widen its scope of targets

if the conflict resumes. Possible options include cutting undersea internet cables, striking AI data centers and attacking regional oil and gas

facilities.

Iran's IRGC spokesperson said, quote, the world will be amazed we have new targets that have not yet been attacked. Saudi Arabia has canceled a major

conference scheduled for next week in Riyadh. This comes amid a wave of attacks by Iran-backed Houthi militants. It's seen as a major setback for

the kingdom's economic ambitions.

Known as Davos in the desert, the Future Investment Initiative will now take place on an undisclosed date next year. That's according to a

statement from the conference shared with CNN. Right, up next in sports, a blockbuster clash in the Champions League. Holders PSG hosting Barcelona.

That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: That was the moment Japan's Martian moon's exploration spacecraft blasted off on its mission to the red planet. It's headed to the

Martian moon Phobos to collect samples to bring back to Earth for analysis. It's expected to reach Mars in August next year before returning to Earth

in 2031.

Scientists hope the samples will help us understand more about our solar system's early stages. Now, the OpenAI engineer arrested earlier this month

for allegedly hiding and a recording device in a company conference room was in regular contact with a member of the Saudi royal family.

That's according to federal authorities in a new court filing. CNN's Hadas Gold has the details.

[09:40:00]

HADAS GOLD, CNN AI CORRESPONDENT: In this new filing, the Department of Justice alleges that Abdulrahman Alfozan, who is a Saudi national, had been

in regular touch with an unidentified member of the Saudi royal family since 2025. The Department of Justice says that the two regularly talk to

each other over WhatsApp and at various points discuss things like AI initiatives in the kingdom with the member of the royal family at one

point, writing, Saudi needs you more than the United States, to which Alfozan allegedly replied, 100.

They also say that a Saudi military official paid for a flight for Alfozan's wife and child to leave the United States and fly to Saudi Arabia

shortly after Alfozan was arrested. Prosecutors had already alleged that Alfozan had booked for himself and his family a flight on October 12th to

go to Saudi Arabia, but obviously he didn't make that flight because he was arrested before then for allegedly planting this listening device in the

executive conference room at the OpenAI offices.

Now the Department of Justice wants Alfozan to stay in detention pending trial. They claim that he is a flight risk. They even say that even though

they took away his passports, they worry that he'll be able to get the help from Saudi government officials and get travel documents and be able to

leave the country.

They say in this filing whether the defendant wanted to record OpenAI meetings to enrich himself by enhancing his own business prospects, or to

provide aid a foreign government or both, his conduct is criminal and it presents a danger to innovation in the Silicon Valley and a concern for the

national security of the United States.

Now, Alfozan's attorney has called the detention inappropriate and they have filed dozens of letters of support from his family and associates, and

they -- and his attorney told me that they will be fighting this narrative that is being presented about his client. Now, Alfozan is scheduled to

appear in court today in California, where we may get word on whether he will stay in detention or will be released.

And I should also note we have asked the Saudi embassy for multiple times for comment about Alfozan, about his arrest, and about the allegations, and

we have yet to hear back. Hadas Gold, CNN, New York.

MACFARLANE: Now I hope you've got your popcorn ready. A blockbuster clash is taking place in the Champions League on Tuesday night. Two-time

defending champions PSG hosting Barcelona, and both sides are among the most exciting in Europe at the moment.

So, expect goals galore. Amanda Davies says that on "World Sport" after this quick break. And I'll be back with more at the top of the hour. Do

stay with us.

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[09:45:00]

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