Return to Transcripts main page

CONNECT THE WORLD

Theresa May Announces Deal with DUP; Some London Residents Refuse to Leave Unsafe Buildings; Qatar Rejects GCC Demands; Lewis Hamilton Lashes Out Against F1 Rival Sebastian Vettel. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired June 26, 2017 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


[11:00:09] BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: Hello and welcome to Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson, back and ready to roll through some incredible news for

you this hour from right here in London.

And we begin in the British capital where the state of politics can be boiled down to just four letters: D-E-A-L. D from Democratic Unionists,

the Northern Ireland Party with which Prime Minister Theresa May has just reached an agreement to ensure the future of her government. E for

election, the political disaster for the Conservatives that lead to this alliance in the first place. A for apprehension over many aspects of the

agreement. We now know they include more than 1.2 billion dollars in extra funding to Northern Ireland. But for more the L is what's so important,

for lifeline, something Mrs. May can at long last claim after weeks of calls for her to stand down.

And that, my friends, is how you spell deal.

Well, whether you think it's a raw deal or maybe a sweet deal, the fact is it's a big deal, not just for the UK, but also the rest of Europe.

Nic Robertson has more from Downing Street. So, Nic, what, if anything, does this deal that the PM has cut with her friends in Northern Ireland

mean for Brexit and the shape of the UK's deal with Europe going forward?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Sure. I mean, look it means for Theresa May she can at least hold her head up a little higher

when she goes into -- you know, she goes to Brussels to meet EU leaders. When she was there last week, she still didn't have this back and still

didn't have this deal, 317 MPs. She didn't have a majority. So, she looked weak. She'll look a bit stronger when she goes back next time.

But the contours of this deal are things that are going to also impact how perhaps Britain approaches the Brexit negotiations. The DUP, like many of

Theresa May's cabinet, wanted to leave the European Union. What they have extracted from Theresa May is less on the political side, more on the

financial side, this 1.2 billion dollars to go towards infrastructure, schools, hospitals, another 600 million dollars additionally been freed up

from other budgets to contribute to that as well.

But for the DUP's perspective they feel that they now get a stronger voice on the Brexit negotiations, because there is a committee formed to see how

this confidence and supply agreement between the DUP and the conservatives goes in the future. And that means the DUP will be able to sit down with

senior conservative leaders, that's what they think, and therefore be able to talk to them about the issue of Brexit. And that's something that the

Irish foreign minister has now responded saying, look, we would far rather have all the politicians of Northern Ireland speaking with one voice, to

the British government about Brexit rather than just the DUP. And of course, the DUP's view on Brexit is quite a lot different to that of the

Irish government.

ANDERSON: Lest we leave our viewers somewhat confused, confidence and supply deal, what exactly, Nic, does that mean in a word, as it were?

ROBERTSON: When the government, the prime minister, the government needs a support of confidence, when they need support, they can be confident that

they can be supplied with the votes for it.

So, when Theresa May has a vote on the queen's speech later this week, she can be confident that she will get the supply of votes that there cannot be

passed a vote of no confidence in this government because she has a majority of MPs behind her now.

ANDERSON: She was recently described by one newspaper here, the editor of one newspaper who, by the way, used to be the finance minister here, as a

dead woman walking. She has a very big opponent in the leader of the Labour Party.

Before we move on, one politician's challenges, of course, are another politician's opportunities. Few in British politics are riding the wave of

momentum quite like Mr. Jeremy Corbyn, the opposition leader receiving a rock star reception this weekend. And I mean, quite literally. Have a

listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THERSA MAY, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I know there's been some anxiety about what would happen to EU citizens at the point we leave the European Union.

Today, I want to put that anxiety to rest. I want to completely reassure people that under these plans, no EU citizen currently in the UK lawfully,

will be asked to leave at the point the UK leaves the EU. WE want you to stay.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[11:05:04] ANDERSON: Well, that was Theresa May speaking in parliament. What I was hoping to see was the cheering for Mr. Jeremy Corbyn at the

Glastonbury Music Festival this weekend. Nic, move over, Katy Perry, and Storm Z. Some of the biggest cheers at the festival this weekend were for

Jeremy Corbyn. Here we go.

And while it was nice as far as PR is concerned, it does underscore a more important point, it's a sign of how his message is resonating with younger

voters.

So, does that mean that this is a man waiting in the wings any time soon to take over from Mrs. May?

ROBERTSON: You know, he might be waiting in the wings, but he is another metaphor, maybe he doesn't have the wings for it yet, because his party did

lose in the election after all. Theresa May's party still got significantly more votes than his.

So, while he's sort of being lifted on those wings of good fortune at the moment. They only at the moment can carry him so far.

Look, to go back to what George Osborne, the former chancellor of the exchequer said, a dead woman walking, the DUP has breathed new life, not to

get into too many metaphors in this discussion, but the DUP has breathed new life into Theresa May. She can -- she is uplifted and is walking more

confidently.

So, Jeremy Corbyn may have to bide his time a little longer, but I don't think there's any doubt in anyone's mind, Theresa May is weak and Jeremy

Corbyn could profit from another election. But, again, that point he did go to Glastonbury. He did wow the crowds. He is getting a lot of support

from the youth vote. They did come out and vote in this election in the way that they hadn't before, but it's not enough to get him first past the

post and win. So far he doesn't have that kind of momentum.

ANDERSON: Should there be an election any time soon in the UK.

Right. Nic Robertson is outside 10 Downing Street, the home, of course, of Mrs. May.

Let's get you bang up to speed on some of the other stories that are on our radar right now. And there are questions about what went wrong on an Air

Asia flight between Australia and Malaysia. Passengers say they heard a loud bang followed by violent shaking for almost two hours.

Now, the airline has blamed a technical issue. The plane landed safely, but passengers say they were very scared.

But president of the United Arab Emirates made a rare public appearance for Eid al-Fitr celebrations on Sunday. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan

hasn't been seen much since he suffered a stroke three years ago. He is also the head of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi, seen here on the right.

Well, for the first time in some 20 years, the White House did not hold a dinner for Eid marking the end of Ramadan, the holiest month of the year

for Muslims, of course. Instead, President Donald Trump and his wife put out a statement marking it instead.

Well, the U.S. Supreme Court is allowing parts of President Donald Trump's travel ban to go into effect. And we'll hear the full controversial case

in October. We're joined now by Jessica Schneider to unpack all this.

When we say parts of this travel ban, what do we mean?

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, some of that headline might be a bit deceiving. And before people start panicking, yes, part of

this travel ban can go into effect, however, the court saying here that the important part of this cannot go into effect.

So, let me explain. The court has said here that while the Trump administration can keep certain foreign nationals out of the country, as

they initially proposed in their executive order, many of the people, including the ones who first brought this lawsuit, or the two lawsuits that

are at issue here, those people can, in fact, come into the country.

And let me describe a bit better what I mean by giving you some of the language that the Supreme Court has used. The Supreme Court saying that

foreign nationals with what they're calling a bona fide relationship to anyone or any person or entity here in the United States, those people will

continue to be allowed into this country.

The Supreme Court drawing the distinction between people who have a connection here in the United States, to those who might not. They say

that those people who can document a familial relationship here will be allowed in, also people who can document in the ordinary course a formal

documented way of proving that they are tied to some institution here.

So, really a mixed bag ruling from the Supreme Court, something that we, in fact, out here did not expect. We didn't expect this sort of split

decision from the Supreme Court. It's something that came down a 6-3 decision, with some prominent justices -- Justice Thomas, Justice Alito,

and the newest justice, Neil Gorsuch dissenting in this, saying that the entire travel ban should have been allowed to take effect rather than just

the part that keeps out people without any tie here to the United States.

What's interesting about all of this, Becky, will be how it will be implemented, how exactly people will prove that they are somehow tied to

the United States, whether it comes to family or business, or schooling. So that could be somewhat of a hurdle for immigration officials, but of

course that is part of their job to determine this in the visa process.

So, really, an important and surprising ruling from the Supreme Court today saying -- giving somewhat of a victory to the Trump administration saying

that, yes, part of your travel ban can remain in effect, however people who have ties here should still be allowed in -- Becky.

[11:10:27] ANDERSON: Is it too early to get reaction from the immigration department? Because as you rightly point out, this is confusing at best,

and will be downright bureaucratic and difficult at worse for immigration officials to work out, surely?

SCHNEIDER: It could be. It could be this additional burden. You know, when this first executive order went into effect at the beginning of the

year, we did see that confusion at the airports. However, this is perhaps confusion that may play out on a much lesser scale. This will play out in

the visa process and perhaps this is something that immigration officials, they have been tasked with before. They look into the backgrounds of

these people.

And this does go hand in hand, Becky, with the fact that the Ninth Circuit, the court underneath the Supreme Court, they had ruled as part of their

opinion that blocked President Trump's travel ban, they had ruled that vetting procedures could still go into effect, that the administration

could still look into how foreign countries and their immigration offices were actually vetting these people looking to come into the country. So

presumably, this is all part of that vetting procedure and the Supreme Court saying that something you need to consider when vetting is the tie of

the United States and the familial relationships some of these people looking to come here might have.

ANDERSON: Jessica, briefly, will the Trump administration see this as a victory?

SCHNEIDER: I think they will, in part because they viewed the Ninth Circuit as somewhat of a victory. Shortly after that Ninth Circuit

opinion, again the lower court to the Supreme Court, shortly after that decision said that the vetting process where they were reviewing the

vetting procedures of immigration offices and the foreign vetting procedures, the Trump administration, their Department of Homeland Security

secretary came out and said that this was a big win for the administration, and at that point the administration still had that travel ban halted.

So, yes, I'm sure that the Trump administration -- I don't think we've seen anything yet, but they will likely come out and say that this is a win for

them. And they will probably argue that this was the whole intent of this travel ban in the first place, to keep people out of this country who did

not have ties to the United States.

So, we do anticipate that the Trump administration will first proclaim this as a win and then use this win, as they probably will term it, as a move

forward to actually argue this case when it is heart next term beginning in October -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Jessica Schneider is in Washington for you. Thank you.

Well, meanwhile, Mr. Trump coming out swinging this Monday, tweeting bright and early about two big tests that he is facing this week. Mr. Trump,

lobbying hard for the hard for the Senate's Republican health care plan. He picked a familiar target this morning, tweeting "the Democrats have

become nothing but obstructionists. They have no policies or ideas. All they do is delay and complain. They own Obamacare!"

Minutes later, he moved on to another favorite topic writing "the real story is that President Obama did nothing after being informed in August

about Russian meddling with months looking at Russia under a magnifying glass. They have zero tapes of people colluding. There is no collusion

and no obstruction, I should be given an apology."

Well, pretty explosive stuff. And perhaps we shouldn't be surprised.

First, let's take a look at the health care bill. The score from the congressional budget office could come in as early as today. It predicts

amongst other things how many people could lose their coverage.

Suzanne Malveaux takes a look at the battle ahead for what is this Senate bill.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRUMP: I don't think they're far off. Famous last words, right, but I think we're going to get there.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Trump expressing confidence as Senate GOP leaders scramble to get secure the 50 votes needed to pass

their health care bill.

TRUMP: Health care is a very complicated from the standpoint that you move it this way, and this group doesn't like it. You move it a little bit over

here, a very narrow path. And, honestly, nobody can be totally happy.

MALVEAUX: With all Democrats opposed to the legislation Republicans can only afford to lose two votes. But there are currently five GOP senators

who say they can't support the bill as drafted.

PAUL: There's no way the Republican bill brings down premiums. Look, I've been in medicine 20 years. I'm 54 years old. Premiums have never gone down.

They're not going to go down after the Republican bill.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The plan in its entirety will absolutely bring premiums down.

MALVEAUX: Trump senior adviser Kellyanne Conway says the president is working the phones to try to drum up support. Although Senate Majority Whip

John Cornyn told reporters this weekend "We're trying to hold him back a little bit." Complicating the president's effort, his acknowledgement that

he called the house health care bill "mean."

[11:15:12] TRUMP: That was my term because I want it see -- and I speak from the heart. That's what I want to see. I want to see a bill with heart.

MALVEAUX: The president contradicting his own press secretary, Sean Spicer, and House Speaker Paul Ryan.

REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: I think that was some kind of misinterpretation of a private meeting.

MALVEAUX: A major point of contention, the 11 million Americans insured under Obamacare's Medicaid expansion, which faces deep cuts under the

Senate bill despite the president's promise not to cut the program.

TRUMP: Save Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security without cuts.

GOV. JOHN KASICH (R), OHIO: Over a ten-year period, Medicaid funding will be significantly curtailed, and not accompanied, at this point, with the

kind of flexibility we need.

MALVEAUX: Kellyanne Conway insisting otherwise.

KELLYANNE CONWAY, COUNSELOR TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: These are not cuts to Medicaid, George. This slows the rate for the future and it allows

governors more flexibility with Medicaid dollars.

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R), MAINE: I respectfully disagree with her analysis. I'm very concerned about the cost of insurance for older people with

serious, chronic illnesses.

MALVEAUX: It's a race against the clock with Congress going on recess this Friday. Will they vote before then?

SEN. RON JOHNSON (R), WISCONSIN: I would like to delay the thing. There's no way we should be voting on this next week. No way.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Suzanne Malveaux reporting.

That's not all that's going on. Trump is now still trying to drag the man in the job before him, Barack Obama, into the roiling Russia story. Have

a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Well, I just heard today for the first time that Obama knew about Russia a long time before the election. And he did nothing about it, but

nobody wants to talk about that. That -- the CIA gave him information on Russia a long time before they ever -- you know, before the election. And

I hardly see it. It's an amazing thing.

To me, you know, in other words, the questions is if he had the information why didn't he do something about it? He should have done something about

it. But you don't read that. It's quite sad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, that's Donald Trump speaking. Matthew Chance joining us from Moscow.

Matthew, what are your sources telling you?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, obviously this is one of the first occasions, if not the first occasion that Donald Trump has

acknowledged publicly that he believes that the Russians are involved in the -- you know, in the tampering, if you like, with the Democratic process

in the United States. And I think it marks if another milestone on the road towards the issue of, you know, how far the relationship is

deteriorated. I mean, Donald Trump, remember, came to office on the promise of rebuilding a relationship with Russia, with Moscow, with the

Kremlin, and now he's talking quite openly about how the Russians interfered not just during his period in office, but during the period of

his predecessor as well in the Democratic process. I think that's a sign of the direction of travel and the relationship between the two countries.

ANDERSON: Matthew Chance is in Moscow for you at 6:18 in the evening there. It is 4:18 in London.

Still to come -- thank you, Matthew -- just a couple of hundred ISIS fighters are said to remain in Mosul in Iraq as forces there close in on

the old city. An update on the effort to flush out the militants is next.

Plus, ISIS expands its footprint beyond the Middle East, how forces linked to the terror group seized control of a city in the Philippines. You're

watching CNN. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:21:08] ANDERSON: Street by street, door by door -- fighting like this in Mosul against ISIS for months.

Well, now it may soon be coming to an end. Iraqi forces closing in on the terror group in the few neighborhoods ISIS still controls.

Well, the militants are making something of a last stand in Mosul's old city. Coalition forces say just a few hundred ISIS fighters believed to

remain. Iraqi forces are winding their way through the tight quarters of the old city. They announced the liberation of one neighborhood, but the

fighting has taken a huge toll on this city. Just look at this aerial footage we've obtained.

What was once Iraq's second largest city now lies largely in ruin.

Well, CNN's Nick Paton Walsh joins us now from Irbil, which is a little more than an hour's drive from the front line in Mosul.

Iraqi forces sounding confident that this is the last -- last stand, as it were, and that they will be able to rid this city of ISIS. How will they

know that? What is it that they think they can raise the flag around as it were, Nick?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, arguably there's years ahead in Iraq of cleaning up ISIS's cells, its sleeper cells, its

remnants as an organization. But ahead of them now in the days and possibly week or two ahead is the more obvious task, the political victory,

so to speak, of stamping their mark, reclaiming in the way that they feel comfortable with the old city of Mosul, that's the last pocket, really,

which ISIS control, and what used to be their largest population center in Iraq.

And this point after they're announcing today that they control the al- Farouq neighborhood, that's kind of in the northwest and really scope of it depends on how you choose to define its size. After that, they haven't

really got an awful lot extra ground left to take. If you look at some of the maps (inaudible). We're talking possibly a matter of hundreds of

meters until they move from the area, which they currently contain through the al-Nouri mosque. You can see some remarkable images here of

devastation done to it by what seem to be ISIS detonating one of their own key symbols, ideological symbols, a week ago now making it a clear

statement they wanted to follow a scorched Earth policy.

Between where Iraqi special forces are now and the river, which marks the outermost eastern edge of the city is a matter of hundreds of meters.

We're hearing now, bringing in in reinforcements. We do know in the past days that these American-backed forces have made substantial progress

through the very dense rabbit warren of alleyways that often can't even let a vehicle pass, that is the old city.

You can see also, too, the major real impediment here. As you mention, the U.S. reckons it's possibly a couple of hundred ISIS fighters still in

there. The broader problem is the civilians they have kept as human shields inside this area.

We've seen footage, you can see them there, where people are merging from the rubble walking often after with days or weeks of food and water,

incredibly weak, but civilians held as human shields. They were potentially over 100,000, the UN said at the beginning, that's rapidly

decreased, as you've seen them escape for their lives. There could be thousands. There could be hundreds. We simply don't know who is left in

that area.

But what we do know they fight ahead is likely to be brutal. It could be swift if ISIS finally collapsed, but it possibly also could be bloody and

maybe longer than anybody would like, Becky.

ANDERSON: Nick, is it clear that these ISIS fighters, the scourge that is ISIS, are dead or if they just moved on?

WALSH: Well, those within the areas that Iraqi security forces have retaken, a lot of them we've seen footage of them dead, clearly, there's

been a lot of ISIS casualties, a lot of coalition air power taking them out day after day. You can't underestimate the impact of endless airstrikes on

their positions. It has been going on for years now.

But when it comes down to the old city, it's a diehard (inaudible) as I say of possibly a couple of hundred or so. They are facing sleeper cells all

around the area. They're coming to their support, attacking Iraqi security forces and civilians, often at random, often quickly suppressed, but really

to stabilize in that area for Iraqi security forces. The question now is, those hundreds of fighters still in there must be experiencing the same

shortage of food and water that we've seen civilians emerge clearly, visibly, suffering from.

Do they, at some point crack? Do they at some point break in their morale and will? And does that make the Iraqi security forces job easier, or do

we, as we've horrifyingly seen in the past they end up implementing a scorched Earth policy, too. Good knows what that means for the civilian

human shields they're holding in their midst -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Nick Paton Walsh is in Irbil, as we said, just a couple of (inaudible) away from Mosul. Thank you, Nick.

Well, as ISIS loses ground in the Middle East, the terror group springing up in Southeast Asia. ISIS-linked forces seized control of the southern

Philippines city of Marawi last month leading to near daily clashes between the militants and government forces.

CNN's Ivan Watson reports on the threat that has spread from Syria and Iraq to Southeast Asia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(CHANTING)

WATSON (voice-over): ISIS fighters battling street to street. Not in the Middle East, but for the first time, in southeast Asia.

(GUNFIRE)

WATSON: On May 23rd, these extremists launched a sudden lightning assault on the city of Marawi in the Philippines. They captured the city and

government weapons, burned a church, and murdered prisoners.

For months, the Philippine's military has struggled and failed to recapture the city, even though they bomb it daily from the sky.

(GUNFIRE)

WATSON: The government has also declared martial law here, setting up checkpoints across the island.

(on camera): The security forces are on the hunt. They're looking for dozens of suspected ISIS militants. And they're also searching for

prisoners who escaped from a jail that ISIS broke open during the first days of their attack.

(GUNFIRE)

WATSON (voice-over): The capture of Marawi, a deadly coming out party for ISIS in this part of the world.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It has changed the picture of extremism in southeast Asia. We need to be more worried that people with combat experience and

leadership skills will be developing close to home, not in Syria and Iraq.

(SINGING)

WATSON: ISIS in the Philippines is a coalition of many Islamist insurgent groups that have long plagued this country.

(SHOUTING)

WATSON: But they've united for the very first time under the leadership of this man, Isnilon Hapilon.

(on camera): Tell me about him, what kind of a man is Hapilon?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hapilon is very bold fighter.

WATSON (voice-over): This man is a former Islamist militant. Before renouncing violence and joining witness protection, he spent years in the

jungle fighting alongside the man now leading ISIS in the Philippines.

(on camera): Do you think he enjoy killing people?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. When I spoke to him many years ago, he always think that killing non-Muslims satisfies Allah, makes Allah happy, and I was

shocked.

WATSON (voice-over): In the month-long battle in Marawi, ISIS have killed scores of Philippine soldiers and wounded hundreds more.

(GUNFIRE)

WATSON: The fighting has also triggered a humanitarian crisis. More than 330,000 people have fled their homes and hundreds of civilians are believed

to be trapped in the conflict zone.

Amid this suffering and destruction, ISIS have accomplished one clear goal, announcing their deadly presence in this part of the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Coming up, Trump's foreign policy plate filling up as he hosts India's prime minister in Washington for what could be tense talks and why

his secretary of state is wading into Qatar's ongoing crisis. All that just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

[11:33:13] ANDERSON: And soon, the man in the White House will host the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. That's today. It will be the first

time the two leaders meet face-to-face. The talks expected to talk some potentially thorny issues, including trade work visas and climate change.

U.S. president set a hopeful tone with this tweet, calling Mr. Modi a, quote, true friend.

Well, our New Delhi bureau chief Ravi Agrawal is actually covering this meeting for us from New York.

We know that the relationship between Mr. Modi and Trump's predecessor Barack Obama was a good one. How would you describe the relationship

between these two now, Trump and Modi, going into this meeting?

RAVI AGRAWAL, CNN NEW DELHI BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Becky, they haven't met yet. They've had a few phone calls. And so they really haven't gotten to

know each other nowhere near the way the Obama-Modi friendship blossomed into what the Indian media was calling a bromance because of the way they

were hugging and shaking hands and the clear chemistry between the two.

One diplomat I spoke to said that that relationship, the tone was set when Obama took Modi on a personal guide tour of the Martin Luther King memorial

in Washington, D.C and that set a time spent together one on one building a rapport, really set the tone for the relationship in the two to three years

that were to follow.

And really this is a meeting that is pretty hastily arranged. Mr. Modi has not, like he often does on his global travels, met with large members of

the Indian diaspora. He hasn't really planned that many meetings. This is a meeting, this is a visit primarily to get to know Donald Trump, to

understand who he is, to make sure that they see eye-to-eye, that they're on the same page about each other's vision for this relationship moving

forward.

This is a relationship that has done very well over the last 10 years, bilaterally on both sides. What is key here is that the personal chemistry

takes off on the right foot, that is what the Indian side is looking for most of all.

[11:35:10] ANDERSON: If we were to suggest that trade and visas would likely top the agenda in these talks, and here we have two men who were

looking to really provide some ballast for their own economies, America First, according to Donald Trump; and Made in India, according to Mr. Modi.

Is it at all clear where each stands? How far away, perhaps is what I'm asking is the gulf between the two on trade and on this specifically on

this visa issue, which is crucial, isn't it, to many Indians?

AGRAWAL: It really is. And the message that India is bringing to the table in these meetings is that the gulf between America First and Make in

India really isn't much of a gulf because what they're going to say is that there are two many synergies, that when Indians come to America they not

only take jobs, they also create jobs. What India is going to say is that when Americans come to India, there are thousands of American companies in

India that create tens of thousands of jobs on the ground in India.

So, India will say that every which way this partnership is bearing fruit for both sides of the agendas that both sides have.

Beyond that, I mean, there is the rhetoric on both sides of trying to preserve each other's economies, of India trying to create jobs for India,

of America giving preference to Americans. But behind the scenes, India's message is going to be that we can do this together, that our messages

aren't conflicting with each other.

There is one area of conflict, and that is climate change. And when President Trump pulled out of the Paris agreement he said that India was

asking for billions and billions of dollars in aid. Now, India has clearly said that that's just not true, it hasn't been asking for aid, and it is a

leader when it comes to climate change and solar energy. That's one thing that Modi may try to make clear that he's going to want to do that without

rocking the boat.

ANDERSON: Ravi is in New York for you. The Indian prime minister is in D.C. Ravi, thank you.

Well, Washington also keeping a close eye on Qatar's ongoing diplomatic crisis with its Gulf neighbors.

In a statement issued Sunday, the U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called on parties to sit down together, but admitted that some of the

demands being asked of Qatar are, quote, "very difficult to meet."

Well, a list of requests by the Saudi-led bloc of countries was released last week, among them the shutdown of the Qatari News Network, al Jazeera,

and the closure of a Turkish military base in the Gulf nation, amongst other demands.

Qatar says it is reviewing this list.

Well, Noha Aboueldahab is a visiting fellow at the Brookings Doha Center and she joins us now live from Doha.

Qatar insisting this list of demands, Noha, simply confirms what they have said all along in this spate, that the illegal blockade has nothing to do

with combating terrorism, it is about limiting Qatar's sovereignty and outsourcing its foreign policy. Unreasonable, they say.

Do you believe that Mr. Tillerson's comments will make these other Gulf nations reconsider their demands?

NOHA ABOUELDAHAB, BROOKINGS DOHA CENTER: Well, it could be looked at in two ways, really, sort of the unrealistic nature of the demands may on the

one hand be a strategy to sort of throw lots of things out there and see what sticks, or to sort of make room for a negotiation and compromise.

On the other hand, it could be seen as sort of a list of demands that's designed to be rejected by Qatar, in which case perhaps the Saudi-Emirati

alliance would then tighten the blockade.

Let's have a closer look at the man at the center of this storm, the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamim bin Hamad al Thani, one of the youngest emirs in

Qatar's history, of course. He was just 33 when he took power. He is the youngest ruler in the region, and importantly, perhaps, many see him as at

odds with the older generations in the neighboring states, accused of, for example, promoting ties with Iran.

Is this, then, a case of the young emir leading a maverick Qatar? Or is he a maverick charging away, pulling Qatar along with him?

ABOUELDAHAB: Well, I mean, as you've noted, I mean Qatar has pursued a foreign policy that is quite different from its neighbors, not just with

this current emir, but really for the past two or three decades. And, you know, the establishment of al Jazeera, for example, in 1996 as we know that

drew the ire of its neighbors very much so, because of its position as sort of the very public platform on which political dissent could be voiced.

Now, we've seen, for example, in 1999 it's no coincidence that the former President Mubarak, former Egyptian President Mubarak, when he was here in

Doha visiting and saw the al Jazeera buildings, he remarked, you know, all this noise is coming from this little matchbox. And so, you know, early

on, even as early as 1999, institutions in Qatar such as al Jazeera have sort of irked its neighbors.

And so the current crisis could really be seen as one that has been brewing for quite some time, not just from the Arab Spring, but from before.

[11:40:44] ANDERSON: Noha, some of my Connect the World team are in Doha. They're speaking to local residents who wanted to find out what people on

the ground were thinking. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My thought is it's going to be resolved, but I'm not -- I don't think so, it's going to be like the next days. I think it's going

to be a little longer, like a couple of weeks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I do not (inaudible) I mean, it's a peaceful country and it is maybe some problem between brothers, so it's going to be sorted

out sooner or later.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: That's sort of reflective of what we have been hearing on the ground. Is that reflective of what you here and see in the country?

ABOUELDAHAB: Yes. I mean, I think certainly in the first few days of the row there was a sense of shock and betrayal felt here with, you know, the

very sort of sudden closure of the air space and the borders and the sea routes. On the other hand, I mean, as the second speaker noted, I think

there's also a sense of hope, you know, that this really can't be so -- this really can't be the end. And, you know, the Gulf countries are

brotherly countries and that sooner or later this will be resolved peacefully. And I think that, you know, people usually they often point

to, you know, the families, the multi-GCC nationality families that have been torn apart as a direct result of this crisis and sort of, you know,

they point to that as an example of the interconnectedness of the people the region.

Now, I think it's important to note that, you know, one of the sort of elements of the shock is this charge of Qatar being the sort of -- the

funder of terrorism. And I think that, you know, over the last two, two- and-a-half weeks it's become quite clear that, you know, this counterterrorism narrative is only just a part of the story, really, in the

sense that it's used as a tool, a very effective tool in terms of sort of garnering support and drawing some attention from external actors to

actually sort of strengthen the crackdown on political dissent in the neighboring countries.

I mean, it's no coincidence, really, that several domestic media outlets in Egypt, for example, were also blocked at the same time. And then, of

course, you have this ongoing oppression of civil society organizations, of journalists, of activists and political opponents.

ANDERSON: An ongoing story and that we will, of course, continue to cover. Now, for the time being, thank you very much indeed for joining us.

Live from London this week, you're watching Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson. Coming up, hundreds of homes are sitting empty across this

country as more and more buildings fail a fire safety check. That is next.

And a big argument in Formula One between two of the sport's biggest rivals. What happened. We'll tell you that in a couple.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:47:13] ANDERSON: Right, you're back with Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson for you out of London this week.

You will remember this: the charred shell of Grenfell Tower. It's still standing, looming, in fact, over London right now and the shadow of that

disaster extends all across the country. Thousands of people have been evacuated, told that they can't go home until their building passes a

safety test.

Well, so far 60 high rise towers have been tested. And get this, every single one has failed.

Some residents, though, are staying.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: why are you staying put?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were going to stay on the streets. They couldn't find a place for us. They were going to put us (inaudible)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, you've been told that you should leave. Tell me why you're not going to leave and if you're ever going to go?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because it's pointless and it's just making Camden (ph) look good.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think this is just people covering their backs?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of course.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's disgusting, absolutely awful. Who are these people? They're homeless.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, CNN's Ian Lee is out and about in London for us. Buildings like those that have been tested are all around you. Ian, what

are you hearing from people?

IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, I'm in Camen where five of these buildings are, four of which have been evacuated, the fifth

one has a fire warden who is keeping watch 24 hours a day.

But I want to give you an idea of what one of these buildings looks like. I'm having my cameraman pan up just to show you the cladding on the side of

the building and how much of it is covered in this that created that chimney effect that we saw at that fire, which really torched the entire

complex.

I've been speaking with residents here -- there's been a mix of emotions, some of them are saying that it's dangerous and they're happy to leave as

long as the government takes care of them. But I spoke with one lady who says that she doesn't want to leave.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BELINDA BROWN, LONDON RESIDENT: What I would like to see now is, rather than boot out everybody, OK, you have to reclad the flats, but what you

could do is, you could give every flat a fire blanket. We all have fire alarms anyway. And it's very cheap to put a fire alarm in. Takes five

minutes to screw it up, you know, and get it going.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEE: And, Becky, there are over 100 residents just in this council say they aren't going to leave their apartments. They say they still feel

safe.

[11:50:00] ANDERSON: Ian Lee is in London for you. Thank you, Ian.

The show is from London this week. You're watching Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson. Coming up, anger in Azerbaijan. The Formula One season

explodes into life as Lewis Hamilton calls one of his biggest rivals a disgrace. We'll explain why up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well, the gloves are well and truly off in Formula One. It's after an explosive race in Baku (ph) in Azerbaijan, and a crash that has

led Lewis Hamilton to call his rival, Sebastian Vettel a disgrace. CNN World Sport's Christiana Macfarlane is here to explain.

Walk us through what happened this week.

CHRISTINE MACFARLANE, CNN WORLD SPORT: Becky, Formula One drivers often see red, but I tell you never anything like this. A deliberate collision

between Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and Mercedes's Lewis Hamilton.

Let's show you the incident now as it happened. And I can explain.

It took place on turn 15 behind the safety car. Here you can see Vettel coming up beside Lewis Hamilton, hitting him on the back, then coming up

alongisde him and ramming him further after he believed that Hamilton had deliberately slowed his car. This in broad daylight.

And to make matters worse, or even more controversial, the stewards took a look at this afterwards and decided not to disqualify him, but just to

award him with a time infringement penalty for what they call a stop/go penalty, which clearly had a lot of people up in arms, given that everyone

saw what happened on the day. Vettel heavily criticized for road rage. And obviously Lewis Hamilton didn't mince his words either. He called it

dangerous, disgusting and disgraceful.

ANDERSON: I was watching this at the time, and I actually did think if I had done that, you know, a regular, if you just like smashing the back of

somebody and taking them out on the side, you would be more than warned about your driving habits. No, this is ridiculous.

MACFARLANE: And people obviously questioning why?

ANDERSON: What does this spell for the rest of the season?

MACFARLANE: Well, I tell you what, Vettel isn't out of the woods yet, because the FBI, a, could decide to look into this further and still

disqualify him. So he does have to be careful.

But, really, what this means is that as (inaudible), the executive director of Mercedes said yesterday, the gloves are off when it comes to these two

drivers. The championship is finally poised between the two of them, so we can expect this to be a turning point. More sparring on the track, and

more particular choice of words. And ultimately more excitement for the fans, because this is what they want to see at the end of the day, like it

or loathe it.

ANDERSON: And you're absolutely right, this is what they want to see, whether it is dangerous or not. Sadly, this was extremely dangerous. When

you say that the championship is so closely sort of tuned between the two of them, what do you mean by that for those of us who haven't been keeping

up with the macinations.

MACFARLANE: Well, Vettel is now 14 points, just 14 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton. In fact, he finished ahead of him in the race yesterday. You

can imagine how Hamilton feels about that.

And, you know, these two drivers -- Vettel has four championships to his name and Hamilton has three, so there's a lot riding on this year's

championship, especially when, you know, Lewis Hamilton wants to go an win the double -- sorry, wants to come back and be a champion again after

losing out to Nico Rosberg last season.

So, you know, Formula One is always best when it comes down to a battle between two drives. We've always seen that in the past. Obviously,

Michael Schumacher, Damon Hill, Nicky Lauder Hunt (ph), and obviously last year was extremely exciting between Rosberg and Hamilton.

This year, though, we could set to see it boil over. I don't expect that we'll see any more collisions of this nature on the track. We expect the

FIA to keep a close eye on the situation moving forward, but it's definitely going to be spicy.

ANDERSON: No, it's absolutely remarkable. All right, good stuff. We will continue to watch. Let's hope it isn't too dangerous going forward. Thank

you, Christina.

We are always keeping an eye on way more stories than, of course, we can fit in the show so you can check those out. Head over to

Facebook.com/CNNConnect. And there you can tell us what you make of what's going on in our world, not least of that story, of course.

And if all that is not enough for you, you can reach out to me directly via Twitter. I am there at @BeckyCNN.

For now, that's it from us. We'll be back same time, same place this week. Same me tomorrow. I'm Becky Anderson.

END