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Benjamin Netanyahu's Standoff With Court Intensifies; France's Marine Le Pen Banned From Running In 2027 Election; President Donald Trump Plans To Announce Sweeping New Tariffs This Week; Rescuers Race To Find Survivors In Myanmar; ICE Detains International Grad Student At University Of Minnesota; Trump Slams Putin, Threatens New Tariffs On Russia; Greenland's Prime Minister: We Do Not Belong To Anyone; Using A.I. Drones To Detect Wildfires Sooner Than Ever. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired March 31, 2025 - 10:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[10:00:28]
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN London, this is CONNECT THE WORLD.
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome to our second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Christina Macfarlane in London, where it is 3:00
p.m. in the afternoon.
This hour, political tensions on the rise in Israel as Benjamin Netanyahu announces his pick to lead the security service Shin Bet even as he faces a
legal challenge to the firing of the current chief.
More than a dozen aid workers' bodies are recovered in southern Gaza. The U.N. agency says they were found in a mass grave days after the ambulances
came under fire, according to Israel, they were being used by Palestinian militants.
Donald Trump's latest tariffs are set to take effect in a matter of days after he suggested new levies to be unveiled this week will apply to all
countries, not just the ones with big trade imbalances with the U.S.
In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is embroiled in a deepening domestic scandal that could lead to a showdown with the courts. Two people
were arrested today over suspected unlawful ties to Qatar. The police did not name them, but Israeli media are saying they were top aides to Mr.
Netanyahu. CNN is unable to confirm that. The arrests come as prime minister names his pick to run the domestic intelligence service.
Last week, the Netanyahu government voted to oust Ronen Bar as the head of Shin Bet. The opposition claims Bar's dismissal is connected to the same
scandal now commonly being referred to as Qatargate. The Supreme Court froze the decision until the hearing takes place next month.
Meantime, Israel is pushing forward with plans to further cement its illegal occupation at the West Bank, the cabinet voted to approve the
construction of a road dividing the territory that will be off limits to Palestinians. Opposition groups are dubbing the project the apartheid road.
More than 40,000 Palestinians have already been displaced in the occupied West Bank this year.
Well, Gideon Levy is a columnist for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. He joins us now live from Tel Aviv. Very good to see you.
Gideon, I just want to start first with the arrests of these aides close to Benjamin Netanyahu. In your view, how big a problem is this for the prime
minister, and do you expect this to end up in the courts?
GIDEON LEVY, COLUMNIST, HAARETZ: First of all, it's not only the arrest of his aides, Netanyahu, by the time we are talking now, is supposed to be
interrogated by the police.
So, it seems that we are on the tip of an iceberg. Nobody knows how it will end, but it's very dramatic. One cannot exaggerate about it, because the
question is, how high did it get? But it's quite clear by now already that something very wrong happened there.
MACFARLANE: Do you expect this is going to impact Benjamin Netanyahu himself? Or are you going to see -- are we going to see his right wing
coalition move to protect him, to sidestep him from the implications of this?
LEVY: The right wing coalition will support him whatever he does. This is a solid, automatic and blind support, as long as their interests are not
affected.
But the legal system might now get quite far and quite fast. I don't know yet. Again, we have to see what will be now in the -- in the questioning
this afternoon.
MACFARLANE: Is this --
LEVY: Yes, go ahead, Christina.
MACFARLANE: Apologies -- apologies. Well, I just wanted to ask, you know, as we're ruminating on what this could mean, is this yet another example of
the growing toxic polarization in Israel with the security agencies in the judiciary now caught in the middle?
LEVY: No, no, that's a story by itself, which at least at this stage seems like a deep corruption in the prime minister's office and a very dangerous
one.
But again, we are just in the beginning, but you should separate it, because by itself, it's a big story. Nothing to do. It's all going on
around us, which is also very serious, and you just mentioned in your forward so many scandals that each of them deserves discussion.
MACFARLANE: Well, let's move on to another because we know that this scandal was something Shin Bet was investigating, and many believe it led
to the removal of Ronen Bar. How calculated then is the move to appoint a new chief, as he has done today, before the High Court was due to hear
petitions filed against the dismissal of the old chief?
[10:05:14]
LEVY: So Christina, I have news for you. I mean, things are happening so rapidly here. Meanwhile, it seems that Netanyahu is regretting the nominee
that he had because someone posted a photo of him participating in one of the demonstrations against the government.
So, this candidate is no more a candidate, or almost truly no more a candidate. And the whole thing is totally rotten because the eager adviser
of the government froze the whole process, but he continues as if they are -- there is no legal system.
MACFARLANE: So, Netanyahu has withdrawn the chief that he said he was going to elect this morning. Has he put forward another proposal for the chief
yet?
LEVY: No, both are not yet. He didn't withdraw it, but sources say that he's going to announce it shortly. Now he is with the policeman so he can
do it, but it's quite clear that he will not nominate someone who participate in the demonstration against him.
In the coming hours, it will be clearer, but what is really important is the fact that he is looking for it, for a new chief for the Shin Bet, while
the legal adviser does not allow yet to fire the old one.
MACFARLANE: Yes, events are fast moving where you are, aren't they, Gideon?
LEVY: Yes.
MACFARLANE: Well, look, I just want to get to this road. You know, this apartheid road as opposition groups are calling it, that could effectively
annex a vast area of the West Bank into Israel. Talk to me about what this is going to spell for the expansion of Israeli settlements. The
ramifications of this.
LEVY: Until now, Israel was very cautious about building in this specific area because of the American administration who opposed it, knowing that if
Israel builds settlements in this location, the West Bank will be separated, divided forever, and no possibility for Palestinian state will
ever be possible.
So, now, there is a new administration who cares about settlements in the occupied territories, and therefore the right wingers are taking advantage
of this opportunity. They want to build the apartheid road for the Palestinians so they can build their settlements also in this key one area,
this area in which Israel was very cautious until now.
MACFARLANE: Gideon, it's always great to have your insight, especially when things on the ground there are moving so quickly, as you've outlined to us
in the last few minutes, we appreciate it. Thank you for your time.
LEVY: Thank you for having me.
MACFARLANE: Well, meantime, in Gaza, we are getting harrowing details of what the United Nations is describing as a mass grave of aid workers. A
warning, the video we are about to show you is disturbing.
The bodies of more than a dozen medics, first responders and U.N. humanitarian workers were found a week after coming under attack by Israeli
forces. The Israeli military had fired on ambulances and fired trucks in Rafah, claiming without evidence, the vehicles were being used as cover for
militants.
Members of Gaza civil defense said goodbye to their slain colleagues yesterday. It comes as Israel ramps up its assault on the enclave and its
complete blockade of humanitarian aid nears the one month mark. According to the U.N., some 400 aid workers, including teachers, nurses and doctors
have been killed in Israeli attacks since the war began.
French far right politician Marine Le Pen holding her tongue as she walked out of court before a sentence was announced earlier. A court in Paris has
banned her from running for public office for five years after it found her guilty of embezzling E.U. funds.
She denied any wrongdoing. The ban takes effect immediately ruling her out of France's 2027 presidential race in which she was seen as the front
runner.
Let's go to CNN's Melissa Bell live in Paris, who was there for that bombshell announcement. Melissa, talk us through what the reaction has been
to this, Marine Le Pen now out of the 2027 election.
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It seems to be the case. And as you showed just a moment ago, leaving the court even before the sentence was read out
to her in anger. I think what she understood would be the outcome, what the prosecution had called for is what was handed down.
So, the sentences sought as harsh as they were, and I think there had been a lot of surprise here in France when back in November, when this trial
wrapped up, Christina, that the prosecution should seek not just prison time and a fine against Marine Le Pen and many of her colleagues, but
should go so far as to seek for her ineligibility to stand for public office.
[10:10:14]
In the end, prosecutors got what they asked for and she will be banned from standing for public office. She has also been handed down a two year
suspended sentence and a two year sentence that she'll have to serve from home with an electronic bracelet.
So, pretty harsh sentences that have been handed down to Marine Le Pen. And remember that you're quite right to mention 2027 not only had she made
clear her intention of standing, but this was arguably her best shot at the presidency yet. It would have been her fourth presidential run.
Remember that in the last two, she found herself in the runoff against Emmanuel Macron. It is the coalescing of the forces of the left and the
right of her -- against her that, in the end, made sure that Emmanuel Macron won and she lost.
Many people were aligned in saying that these stars seem to be in her direction this time, not just because you have far right movements that
have taken power in other European countries. But because, of course, what's happening in the United States also simply what's been happening in
France, the parliamentary arithmetic, her party, the National rally, emerged from last year's snap elections. The largest parliamentary bloc
there is.
So, it seemed like this was her time, and certainly that's what she felt. Looking ahead to 2027, she given the presidency of her party to Jordan
Bardella, where she could concentrate on her presidential ambitions. That appears to have been brought to an end, that is her presidential hopes by
the sentencing today.
She will, of course, appeal, and we expect her to speak out on French television later today, very strongly against the verdict, but it is a
sentence explained to the judge that is the result of what the judges found, ultimately, a vast system of embezzlement of European funds that
should have gone to fund parliamentary assistance, and instead, the judges found, went to paying party workers here in France and allowing the party
to make the electoral gains that they did. That was very much the subtext of what the judge read out today.
So, you're going to hear Marine Le Pen and very strongly reject this finding. And in the run up to this, she said, look, what they're after is
my political death. But the judge today went to great pains to explain why the sentences were, they would, they were, and why the verdict against her
was what it is, Christina.
MACFARLANE: Melissa, what does this spell for her base, the political backlash against this move, plus the fact that there were already concerns
in the run up to this verdict about the judiciary stepping in to rule on matters of eligibility?
BELL: Well, look, she -- the judge -- presiding judge did refer to that today. She began what she was saying by saying that she understood that
what was being played out in her courtroom went far beyond the confines of the courtroom.
And again, going on to explain the due process, the judicial nature of the decision to which they had come and the basis on which that they done it.
It went on for a couple of hours at least.
But you are quite right. There is -- and it has begun already on social media, there will be a lot of anger amongst her base, and not just in her
base -- amongst her base, by the way, Christina, we heard from the current Justice Minister back in November when the prosecutors sought this
ineligibility sentence at the end of the trial, we heard the current justice minister say that it is not for courts to rule on this sort of
thing, and it would set a very dangerous precedent.
So, it isn't simply her partisans and her party members that are likely to feel very strongly about what this Court has decided today, but it goes far
beyond that.
And I think you're going to hear and watch the national rally really trying to mobilize its troops on the back of this in the run up to those next
elections. Who will stand is yet an open question, but all eyes very much on Jordan Bardella, the young man who has been made president of her party
and did as well as he did in last year's European elections, Christina.
MACFARLANE: All right, Melissa Bell for Paris -- from Paris for now. Thank you.
This could be the start of another rocky week on Wall Street. Global markets are on edge as U.S. President Donald Trump plans to impose sweeping
new tariffs Wednesday on America's trading partners. The president claims the levies are needed to strengthen the U.S. economy, but analysts warn his
so called Liberation Day could amount to a major trade war escalation.
CNN's White House Reporter Kevin Liptak joins us now live from Washington. And Kevin, I'm sure you've seen global stock markets have been falling
today as the deadline for Wednesday approaches.
There were comments on Sunday from one of Trump's advisers saying that plans for reciprocal tariffs were still fluid. What more are you hearing
about plans for this to go ahead on Wednesday as scheduled?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, I think the watch word today is uncertainty. That's part of what's sending jitters through the financial
markets, because even two days before this deadline that the president has set to apply these reciprocal tariffs, the scope and the parameters and the
specifics of what exactly he's going to do remain unclear.
[10:15:02]
And even behind the scenes, White House officials are still scrambling to finalize some of the details of what exactly the president will put into
effect.
Yesterday, we heard from the president on Air Force One as he was flying back here to Washington, and he said on the one hand, that these tariff
rates would be more generous than what many people have been expecting.
But then on the other hand, he said that they would apply essentially to every country that does business with the United States.
And you know, dating back the last six weeks from first time that the president identified this date, April 2nd, as the date for his reciprocal
tariffs, you have heard a variety of different things. You have heard him say that potentially, they will be more generous, easier, more welcome to a
lot of these countries than what people have been expecting.
But he has also said that these are necessary to realign American trade relationships, and that they will be what he says, these dollar for dollar
reciprocal tariffs.
Essentially, if a country puts a tariff on an American good, he will put the same rate on imports from those countries. And so, there is a huge
amount of uncertainty about what exactly he will do.
And it does appear as if, at this moment, there is this debate underway whether he does the dollar for dollar reciprocal tariffs that he's been
talking about, or whether the White House applies a universal tariff, perhaps as high as 20 percent on all imports into the United States, which
would be simpler, but certainly would cause a lot of economic disruption around the globe.
But White House officials hope is that this will bring in billions of dollars in new revenue, and we heard from Peter Navarro, who is one of the
president's most hawkish trade advisers, over the weekend saying that this plan would bring in $6 trillion in revenue over the next decade, which is
an enormous amount of money.
If that is actually the math that the White House is looking at here, it would amount to the biggest tax hike since World War II. They hope that it
could potentially offset some of the cost of the tax cuts that the president is hoping to put through later this year, but that would be an
enormous amount of money.
At the end of the day, no matter how these reciprocal tariffs are structured, economists say that Americans and the Americans consumer will
end up bearing the brunt of the costs.
MACFARLANE: Yes, either way it ends the same. Kevin Liptak, for now, thank you.
You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD.
Still ahead, the growing number of student tensions by U.S. immigration officials as one university makes changes to try and win back federal
funding.
And the frantic search to find earthquake survivors in Myanmar as the death toll there tops 2,000.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MACFARLANE: The death toll from the devastating earthquake in Myanmar has now topped 2,000 and it's expected to go much higher as search and rescue
teams race to find survivors more than three days after the 7.7 magnitude quake hit.
[10:20:04]
In Thailand, the quake killed at least 18 people, 11 of them in a collapsed building in Bangkok. Some 70 people are believed to remain under the
rubble.
Ivan Watson has more on the rescue efforts in Myanmar.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Desperate cries for help. Two teenage girls trapped in an air pocket with
their grandmother under the rubble of their home, trying to get the attention of the outside world by banging on concrete with a butter knife.
The trio trapped and terrified for 15 hours until rescuers pulled them to safety. Frantic rescue efforts repeated across Myanmar since a deadly 7.7
magnitude earthquake shook the country on Friday.
These two women, who asked not to be identified, say they were also trapped when their five story hotel in Mandalay collapsed.
WATSON: Could you see outside? Could you see daylight from where you were?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We were trapped in total darkness. But the good thing is, we had a phone, and we could use its light to see.
If we didn't have that, we could have died. We could see to clear rubble from on top of each other.
WATSON: They say civilian volunteers from the neighborhood rescued them after five frightening hours.
WATSON (voice over): Also in Mandalay on Monday, a Chinese rescue team pulled three people from the wreckage of a residential high rise, including
a pregnant woman and a little girl.
But now as more time passes, hope starts to dwindle. The majority of those still missing now thought unlikely to be alive.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people in quake damaged cities and towns must now find food, clean water and shelter. Myanmar's military ruler Min
Aung Hlaing, who rules over a closed society and rarely cooperates with the international community, is asking for international aid and help.
Already, one of the poorest nations in Asia, Myanmar, has been further devastated by four years of civil war, and the earthquake zone crosses the
war's front lines. With its people in desperate need, some have been critical of the military Junta.
YANGHEE LEE, FORMER U.N. SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON MYANMAR HUMAN RIGHTS: Why hasn't Min Aung Hlaing sent in all of his military assets for rescue and
relief? We don't see any helicopters with rescue and relief team. We only see civilians digging into the rubble.
WATSON (voice over): Some lucky survivors in this majority Buddhist country are giving thanks to a higher power.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): While being trapped, we learn that nothing is permanent, and the most important thing to do before death is to
live a happy life and to do many good deeds. Don't do bad things, because karma will follow you.
WATSON (voice over): They say they may become nuns to show their gratitude for their miraculous escape.
Ivan Watson, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: The Trump administration's impact on higher education in the U.S. is reverberating on multiple fronts this week. Columbia University has
a new acting president after the interim president resigned, Dr. Katrina Armstrong stepped down after announcing sweeping policy changes, apparently
to get the White House to restore $400 million in federal funding that was revoked over campus protests.
The changes include restrictions on demonstrations, sanctions on student groups that violate the new policies and giving campus police new powers of
arrest.
Meantime, Columbia graduate Mahmoud Khalil remains in detention in Louisiana. He was arrested by immigration officials three weeks ago and
threatened with being deported over an unproven claim by the Trump administration that he is a Hamas sympathizer as lawyers are trying to get
the case moved to New Jersey.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BAHER AZMY, MAHMOUD KHALIL'S ATTORNEY: His detention is unconstitutional. The United States government disagrees with his constitutionally protected
right to dissent from U.S. foreign policy. What they're ultimately trying to do to so many student activists is chilling.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: And immigration officials are declining to comment on the arrest of an international graduate student at the University of Minnesota.
The university has not identified the student, but says their arrest is deeply concerning situation. The student was detained at an off campus
residence. Their attorney is calling it a highly sensitive situation.
Well, Rafael Romo is following these stories for us. Rafael, what more then are we learning about the circumstances of the arrest of the Minnesota
student?
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christina, this case stands out due to the lack of information about what exactly happened to the student.
Officials have not released a student's identity, where this individual is currently being held, or the reason for the detention.
[10:25:09]
CNN reached out to Immigration and Customs Enforcement to request information about the case, but so far, there has been no reply. The
University of Minnesota disclosed in a letter sent to students, faculty and staff on Friday, calling what happened, as you mentioned before, a deeply
concerning situation, as many on campus rallied in support of the detained student, expressing concern and indignation.
According to the letter, an international graduate student who's enrolled at the Twin Cities campus was detained by ICE agents on March 27th. The
detention, the letter said happened off campus. University of Minnesota President Rebecca Cunningham said in the letter that the university had no
prior knowledge of this incident and did not share any information with federal authorities before it occurred.
Several Minnesota officials, including Governor Tim Walz have reacted with both concern and surprise about this case. An activist attending the rally
at the University of Minnesota said she does not consider the operations to detain international students as detentions, but in her words, abductions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAMONA MALCZYNSKI, PRESIDENT, UNITED GRADUATE WORKERS, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA: The nature of the ICE abductions of international graduate
students and immigrants across the country since the Trump administration came into office has been horrific. People are being taken without being
told why, and by officers who are sometimes masked and not in uniform.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMO: And Christina, the detention comes as several foreign nationals affiliated with prestigious American universities have been arrested amid
the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.
Mahmoud Khalil, you were mentioning him at the beginning. He's a prominent pro-Palestinian activist, and Columbia University student is among those
detained, as well as Rumeysa Ozturk, a Tufts University graduate student whose lawyers say she is unfairly being punished for speaking out in favor
of Palestinian rights.
A video for detention showing six plainclothes officers encircling her on the street near her apartment in the Boston area went viral last week. And
he's still in detention, Christina.
MACFARLANE: All right. Rafael Romo, thank you.
Now, moving to the art of the deal, to deal breakers. Donald Trump issues new ultimatums on the world stage. We'll discuss that next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MACFARLANE: Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD with me. Christina Macfarlane, here are your headlines.
The bodies of more than a dozen aid workers were recovered in southern Gaza on Sunday, in what the United Nations is describing as a mass grave.
[10:30:04]
The aid workers went missing after coming under fire by Israeli forces last week.
The world is bracing for the U.S. president's new tariff on trade, which he's promised to unveil Wednesday.
Mr. Trump says his tariff plan is needed to strengthen the U.S. economy, but analysts warn his so-called Liberation Day amounts to a major trade war
escalation.
A court in Paris has banned France's far right leader, Marine Le Pen from running for public office for five years, effective immediately.
She and 20 party colleagues were found guilty of embezzling European Union funds. Le Pen denies any wrongdoing. She was seen as the front runner for
France's 2027 presidential race.
At a fiery new rhetoric from Donald Trump, who is lashing out over a series of foreign policy issues. The U.S. president is warning that Russia could
face new sanctions after Vladimir Putin questioned the credibility of Ukraine's president.
Mr. Putin had suggested putting Ukraine under, "temporary administration" as the peace deal is negotiated.
U.S. president clarified his remarks on Air Force One.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think he'll be OK. But if he is not -- I was disappointed in a certain way some of the things that
were said over the last day or two having to do with Zelenskyy, because when he considers Zelenskyy not credible, he's supposed to be making a deal
with him. Whether you like him or you don't like him.
So, I wasn't happy with that, but I think he's going to be good. And I certainly wouldn't want to put secondary tariffs on Russia, but if they
were put on, it would not be very good for them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: That comes as Washington has presented Ukraine with a new version of a draft agreement to give the U.S. access to Ukraine's oil, gas
and minerals. Mr. Trump said there will be big, big problems if Kyiv tries to back out.
Donald Trump is threatening also to bomb Iran and impose secondary tariffs if it doesn't reach a deal with the U.S. over its nuclear program.
During his first term, the U.S. president pulled out of a 2015 agreement, imposing limits on Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions
relief. Mr. Trump says a new deal is imperative.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I can't imagine them doing anything else but making a deal. I would prefer a deal to the other alternative, which I think everybody in this
plane knows what that is, and that's not going to be pretty. And I do not prefer that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Iran supreme leader, says his country will respond in kind to any U.S. military action against it.
And a defiant message from Greenland's leader over Donald Trump's claims that the U.S. will take control of the island. It follows a visit by U.S.
Vice President J.D. Vance.
At the end of last week. Vance accused Denmark of neglecting Greenland, saying it would be better off under the security of the U.S. Well,
Greenland's prime minister says, "We do not belong to anyone." And let's get more on what all of this means in terms of U.S. foreign policy right
now.
CNN political and national security analyst David Sanger joins us live from Washington. Also, joining us is investigative journalist and author David
Cay Johnston, who is professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Welcome to you both.
Now, I think we're in agreement here that Donald Trump's so-called after the deal may work potentially when it comes to domestic policy, or even,
shall we say, on tariffs, on issues such as fentanyl, where he's forced some countries to act. But when it comes to foreign policy, we can't say
unanimously that the same approach works.
And I just want to tick through the three stories that we just picked out there, David, starting with you, and Russia, we know that Trump famously
claimed that he could end the war in Ukraine in one day. And obviously we're way past that moment now, and he, he is showing some uncharacteristic
frustration with Putin.
Do you expect him to make good on these threats against Russia? Or is this just part of the deal making?
DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: My view is it's part of the deal making. I don't think that the Russians even take these
threats all that seriously.
First of all, we don't have very much trade with Russia right now at all, and what little we had prior to the war breaking out three years ago, has
diminished down to near zero. So, the threat of putting tariffs on Russian goods is pretty low.
The idea of putting a secondary set of sanctions, in other words, sanctions on countries that are buying Russian oil. Well, that's primarily China and
India. And so far, the president has not shown a willingness to mess with either one of those. He's much more comfortable going after the Europeans
as you think about that list you just ticked off about Greenland, and certainly, what we heard during the Signal chats.
[10:35:05]
MACFARLANE: David Cay Johnston, you have written about Donald Trump's reaction to reality setting in. Speaking about that infamous Oval Office
meeting, you said, "Shouting down Zelenskyy while ignoring what the Ukrainian president said -- expressing thanks, just as J.D. Vance rudely
demanded, is so very Donald."
What do you mean exactly by so very Donald's? And on the issue of Ukraine and Russia, what do you expect Donald Trump to do next?
DAVID CAY JOHNSTON, PROFESSOR, ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY: Well, Donald, who I've covered since 1988 is very much a con artist. He has
persuaded lots of people. He is a great negotiator, he is not. I've negotiated with him many times, and always walked away with everything I
wanted or more. But he's persuaded people of that.
And Donald's techniques are to get leverage over someone in business information about something that could be damaging to them, or to bully
them, as we saw with Zelenskyy.
What he doesn't have is any deep knowledge of International Affairs, of culture, of economic pressure. If Donald really wanted to put pressure on
Russia right now, he could say, well, I'm going to talk to the Europeans about taking $300 billion of frozen Russian assets and turning them over to
Kyiv, so, they can continue to finance their war.
MACFARLANE: Yes, it's a good point, and that is something that has been, you know, talked about, obviously, in the -- in the past few weeks, as the
ultimate bargaining chip.
David Sanger, as we also address the issue, or the case of Iran and Donald Trump -- where Donald Trump is actually threatening bombing here, which is
pretty unusual for a president who started peace on the campaign trail.
(CROSSTALK)
SANGER: Yes.
MACFARLANE: How seriously are these threats being taken by the international community? I mean, we just heard David Cay Johnston there,
talking of the bully tactic, the bully approach. Is that what we're seeing here once again?
SANGER: Well, you know, it reminds me of nothing more than the fire and fury words he used about North Korea before entering into a series of
negotiations with Kim Jong-un, in his first term.
Now, those turned out to be fruitless, and Kim now has more nuclear weapons by a considerable number than he had when he started those negotiations,
something the administration doesn't talk about very much.
Iran's a more complex case, because in October, in the last Israeli missile attack on Iran, Israelis took out most of the air defenses around Tehran,
around many of the key nuclear sites, Natanz and the Fordo site.
So, the Iranians are exposed here in a way that they have never been before. And I think President Trump thought that, that meant that they
would come to -- come to the negotiating table. They have refused to negotiate directly. That means that we're back to these slow, indirect
negotiations, if they happen through the Europeans, the very same countries that he is denigrating right now and about to put tariffs on.
MACFARLANE: David Cay Johnston, do you think what we're seeing, this reaction we're seeing from Iran could be sort of reflective of broader
reactions from international leaders who are, perhaps, stopping taking his threat seriously.
What impact will that have on his deal making strategy and knowing him as you do? How likely is Trump to respond in that?
JOHNSTON: Well, Donald, Christina, creates his own reality. He lives in this fictional world in his head, where, if he says something, that makes
it so. And if he says the opposite 90 seconds later, and you point that out, well, that's fake news.
So, it's important to understand that Donald doesn't see the world in the kind of rational, careful calculation that experienced diplomats do, and he
doesn't listen to information he doesn't want to hear.
Now, the reactions about his militaristic threats are very 11 of the Canadian provincial leaders, essentially governors in the U.S. came to
Capitol Hill about four weeks ago, and they all expressed great concern about whether Trump would invade Canada.
He has threatened, or at least not withheld, the idea of military force against a fellow NATO member over Greenland.
Donald says all sorts of things that are sort of crazy, but given his position in power, you've got to pay enough attention to that and try to
somehow head him off if you're the leader of another country.
MACFARLANE: Yes, it's a good point. David Sanger, I mean, leaders cannot afford to not take these threats seriously, even after the fact they may,
you know, dismiss them or dismiss the seriousness of them. And we're seeing this play out now with Greenland, where, you know, Trump's threat to use
military force to annex the island has been met with quite a strong resolve from Greenland's government.
[10:40:13]
To say, you know, it's it will make its own decisions. Thank you very much. But I just wonder, in terms of the jeopardy of this moment, David. What
kind of message does this send to someone like Vladimir Putin to be threatening to annex another country at the very moment that you are
negotiating an end to Russia's war with Ukraine? I mean, this does tie in at this political moment.
SANGER: It certainly does. And you know, President Trump was asked about this by Kristen Welker, NBC, over the weekend. He said, I haven't given it
any thought. I don't really care what, you know, the Putin reaction is to all of this tension with Europeans.
But clearly, the Putin -- a world in which you decide international disputes by raw power plays to exactly what he's wanted for the longest
time. He's felt bound up by all the international institutions. The idea that they would join all of these operate by those rules, and the invasion
of Ukraine was a sign of his determination to say, because we can do it, because Russia, while weakened, still has nuclear weapons, no one's going
to mess with us if Bush comes to chug. That is what, in the end, I think, is a world that Putin wants.
So, I don't think he could be anything more than delighted by seeing President Trump operate by the same rules.
MACFARLANE: Yes. Well, it's certainly far more complex, isn't it, than the real estate deals that Donald Trump is so used to making on a much more at
stake, shall we say?
(CROSSTALK)
SANGER: The truth is.
JOHNSTON: Yes.
MACFARLANE: Thank you both very much. David Sanger, David Coy (PH) Johnston, for joining us both for this debate. Appreciate it.
All right. Coming up, see how these gentle giants are the -- of the forest are making a comeback in Uganda.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MACFARLANE: This week, "CALL TO EARTH" is in Uganda, following a woman who has helped save one of the planet's most iconic species from extinction. 30
years ago, there were only around 600 mountain gorillas left in the world. But as conservation efforts increase, there are springs of hope for the
future of these gentle giants.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): Under the dappled light of the forest canopy, a dedicated team of conservationists, scientists, and rangers are
moving carefully through the undergrowth, searching for the elusive giants of this mountain.
[10:45:01]
For Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, this is familiar ground. For three decades, she has walked among the gorillas, protecting them and learning from them.
Since becoming Uganda's first wildlife veterinarian in 1996, she has helped Wendy's gorilla population grow from 300 to 459 last count.
Today, she leads her own organization, conservation through public health, dedicated to lifting the local communities in harmony with the animals.
DR. GLADYS KALEMA-ZIKUSOKA, FOUNDER, CONSERVATION THROUGH PUBLIC HEALTH: I'd say that the journey that the gorillas have been on in the past 30
years is a beacon of hope in the world of conservation. The gorillas have really transformed Uganda and brought Uganda back. You know, conservation
and tourism back on the map.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): A thousand years ago, the mountain gorillas roamed across the Albertine Rift Valley, throughout the Afromontane forests
of Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
But centuries of logging, mining, and population growth have chipped away more and more of that natural habitat, leaving the gorillas clinging to
just two surviving habitats, the Virungas and Bwindi.
KALEMA-ZIKUSOKA: The largest threat to mountain gorillas, before they were habituated for tourism, was habitat loss, because people were cutting
trees. They would come into the forest to do mining, and, you know, to collect firewood, and they just depended on the forest for natural
resources.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): In 1994 Bwindi was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Preparation for guerrilla tourists began through a process
known as habituation. 27 guerrilla groups in the park have slowly become accustomed to peaceful human presence in their forest.
Meaning, that for one hour per group per day, tourists are permitted to visit these animals in their wild habitat. Over the three decades since,
the more tourism has grown, the more protection there is been for the gorillas. And the small national park now boasts almost half of the world's
remaining mountain gorilla population.
KALEMA-ZIKUSOKA: So, we show a group is moving a lot these days.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it is moving there. Because, you know, see about compete.
KALEMA-ZIKUSOKA: Yes. Will we find the gorillas today?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
KALEMA-ZIKUSOKA: I mean, I haven't checked on them in a while.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
KALEMA-ZIKUSOKA: And I know that they have some new babies. Do you want to see how the new babies are doing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
KALEMA-ZIKUSOKA: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): This is one of the largest groups in Bwindi, with 16 family members, including two Silverbacks, four adult
females, and four babies.
KALEMA-ZIKUSOKA: I try and make notes on each of the gorillas. So, looking up for unusual behavior, unusual appearance to see if there's any clinical
signs, but also just generally checking on them to see how they are.
They also have different personalities, and so, their personalities also help us to know whether they're OK or not. And there's some really nice
figs up here that they really want to eat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): Amidst the bounty of fig trees, the Russia guru group is in good health and representative of the strides forward this
population has made in recent years.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: Well, you can let us know what you're doing to answer the call with the #calltoearth.
We'll be right back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:50:17]
Now, we've all seen the devastation wildfires can cause all around the globe and the toll they can take on the firefighters trying to stamp them
out. Well now, one company is developing an A.I. drone system to help firefighters stay one step ahead of them. CNN's Nick Valencia reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Over the past two decades, extreme wildfires have become more frequent, more intense and larger,
according to NASA.
Now, a wildfire detection company in Germany, is developing a drone that uses artificial intelligence to help firefighters suppress wildfires in
their early stages. This week, Dryad successfully demonstrated its first fully functional prototype called Silvaguard. The drone system detected a
controlled fires location and size using A.I.
CARSTEN BRINKSCHULTE, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER DRYAD NETWORKS: It provides ultra early detection of wildfires within minutes from ignition, using A.I.
driven sensors that are electronic noses, and they can detect fires much faster than cameras or satellites.
VALENCIA (voice over): The idea is to allow firefighters to respond before flames spread. The drone can capture infrared imagery and provide an
overhead view for firefighters.
BRINKSCHULTE: The importance of Silvaguard is that it is the first autonomous end to end system that detects fires using artificial
intelligence, and then, uses autonomous drones to fly to the location of a fire without a pilot being involved, and delivering precise information
about the size and threat of a fire.
VALENCIA (voice over): Dryad's new technology, if used widely, could also have an impact on carbon emissions. From 2001 to 2023, wildfires caused a
loss of more than 138 million hectares of tree cover worldwide, according to Global Forest Watch. That's larger than the country of Peru.
Researchers found that carbon emissions from forest fires increased by 60 percent globally during that time. Dryad hopes its efforts will help
prevent 1.1 billion metric tons of CO2 two emissions by 2030.
The European Union is co-funding the Silvaguard project with 3.8 million euros, or $4.1 million the project's next step will be to add fire
suppression capabilities and eventually real-world deployment.
BRINKSCHULTE: What we actually need to achieve is we need to detect and extinguish fires within 10 minutes from ignition. That's our mission.
That's our vision. And Silvaguard demonstrated here today is a big milestone towards that vision.
VALENCIA (voice over): Nick Valencia, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: And for our parting shots tonight, a happy Eid to all of you who celebrate it in much of the Arab world, the Middle East and beyond.
It's the holiday that marks the end of Islam's fasting month of Ramadan.
Thousands of worshipers gathered at Mecca's grand mosque on Sunday to pray in what is considered the most sacred spot on earth by Muslims, known as
the heart of Islam. Across India, Muslims attended prayers to mark the beginning of the holiday, this drone footage captured crowds of devotees in
Delhi, and the occasion also observed in northern city of Agra, against the stunning backdrop there of the Taj Mahal mausoleum.
And in Syria, Muslims attended their first Eid prayers since the ouster of the dictator Bashar Al Assad. Mosques in Damascus, Aleppo and Hasakah were
filled with the faithful, many of them voicing their hopes for rebuilding their country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BADR SHARQATLI, MERCHANT (through translator): May everyone take their responsibility and play their part in society to rebuild Syria. Syria was
left in ruins, and now it is being rebuilt by our hands. It is being rebuilt by the hands of its people, regardless of sect, religion, or
ethnicity.
MACFARLANE: And amid the rubble in Gaza, Palestinian Muslims performed Eid prayers, the site where a mosque used to stand In Jabalia, one of many
religious buildings obliterated by the war.
Traditionally, during Eid families go shopping for new clothes and buy gifts for loved ones. Despite the threat of bombardments, Palestinian
merchants got together and set up a market in the displacement camp for families to buy whatever they could with the limited finances they have.
And even in temporary housing, women prepared baked goods for their children, another of the activities Muslims enjoy during the holiday. In
Gaza, though, there is very little to enjoy anymore.
Health authorities reported more than 80 people killed since Eid got underway on Sunday.
[10:55:01]
AMENEH SHAQLA, DISPLACED PALESTINIAN (through translator): Every year, I'm used to baking Kahk cookies for my children, but because of the current
situation and how expensive everything has become, I was only able to prepare one kilogram -- just to bring them some joy so they don't stay sad
because of the war. I honestly don't know what to do. We have no real Kahk no real joy in our hearts, but we're forced to try and make our children
happy. So, a Eid Mubarak.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Well, let's hope it does bring them a small piece of joy, and that is it for CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Christina Macfarlane. Stay with
CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up after this quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
