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At Least Five Killed In New Israeli Strikes On Lebanon; U.S.- Iran 14-Point Agreement; Bolivia Declares State Of Emergency; Acting DNI Considering Job Cuts; Trump Unveils New Presidential Plane; World Cup Team USA Advance To Knockout After Second Straight Win; French President Emmanuel Macron Says Europe Must Be At Table For Peace Process; Russia Responds After Ukraine Pummels Moscow; How Sport Can Create Connection In Divisive Times; Parts Of U.S. Gulf Coast Under Water. Aired 5-6a ET
Aired June 20, 2026 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers all around the world and in the U.S. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London. Let's get into the headlines.
Israel launches deadly attacks in Lebanon despite a declared ceasefire. How the U.S. and Iran are working to get the talks back on track.
And more Republicans are criticizing the deal Trump signed with Iran. How new fractures in the GOP could impact the midterm elections.
Plus, the U.S. notches a victory in the World Cup. We'll look at how football fever is bringing people together regardless of their nationality.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from London. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Salma Abdelaziz.
ABDELAZIZ: A fresh wave of Israeli strikes is right now testing the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. Both sides agreed to renew to renew the truce less than 24 hours ago.
But Lebanese state media is reporting Israeli warplanes and drones have carried out new attacks in southern Lebanon that have killed at least five people. The Israeli military accuses Hezbollah of launching more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.
U.S. President Donald Trump had urged Israel to stop the fighting as it threatens to derail the peace talks with Iran. And all of this comes as U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and president Trump's son- in-law, Jared Kushner, head to Switzerland for potential negotiations.
Now that's according to a U.S. official, although it is still unclear when those talks would actually take place.
We're also just learning that Pakistan's interior minister has arrived in the Iranian city of Mashhad, where he is due to hold meetings with senior officials from the Iranian regime. For more on all of this, we're joined by Leila Gharagozlou. She is live now from Abu Dhabi.
Give me a sense now of these diplomatic movements that are taking place, just as we're seeing, of course, the escalating fighting in Lebanon. We have, of course, the U.S. envoy, Steve Witkoff, heading to Switzerland; possibly Jared Kushner as well.
What's happening on the Iranian side?
Are they going to engage in talks with these continued airstrikes and exchanges of fire happening in Lebanon?
LEILA GHARAGOZLOU, CNN PRODUCER: So we haven't heard from the Iranians yet what they are planning to do. As you said, we've heard that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are heading to Switzerland for potential negotiations.
The Iranians have been rather quiet about this. All we've really heard from them is that the Pakistani interior minister is going to Mashhad, where he'll likely meet with foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi. So we're really not seeing much out of them beyond that.
But they are obviously watching what's going on in Israel, between Israel and Lebanon very, very closely. And that is really going to be the key to whether these talks continue or they continue to get delayed, as we saw on Friday.
Now as I'm sure you remember, Lebanon has been really at the forefront of any ceasefire or deal conversations that have been had between Iran and the U.S., so much so that it is the very first point of the MOU that addresses Lebanon.
And this has been a red line for the Iranians. So they are going to wait and see what Israel is doing there before they continue talks with the U.S. There is also that concern over whether U.S. will be able to contain Israel's actions in Lebanon.
Now the Pakistanis have been key negotiators as part of this. They've been mediators. So we're going to have to see whether anything comes out of that and whether they can convince the Iranians to also head to Switzerland.
Now experts that I've spoken to have had concerns over the last week about Israel's actions and how that's going to play out for the durability of this MOU.
The other element of this is the time period. We only have 60 days to really get a deal between Iran and the U.S. and that had already started when the MOU was signed. So we're already a few days into that.
And that's not a lot of time to address these very complex issues still on the table in regards to Iran's nuclear program or even the ballistic missiles program. So we're really under a time crunch. That being said, president Trump has said he is kind of optimistic about getting something done in the next 60 days. Take a listen.
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TRUMP: Now we have an agreement that was signed last night and it's 60 days. They have to make a deal.
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Otherwise, we will do things that won't make them happy.
But I don't think it's going to get to that. I think it's going to be very good. Remember, if we do that, then all of a sudden you're not going to have the oil flowing out of the strait too quickly because people that own billion dollar ships don't love missiles flying over them, don't love mines all over the water.
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GHARAGOZLOU: So we're really waiting to see how things play out. Obviously, president Trump, as I said, is taking a slightly more optimistic note.
We're going to have to see what the Iranians say, what comes out of this meeting with the Pakistani interior minister and if the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah actually does take hold and we see a curbing of Israel's behavior in Lebanon, Salma.
ABDELAZIZ: Leila Gharagozlou there on the clock that is ticking with those 60 days of negotiations, while the exchange of fire in Lebanon continues. Thank you so much.
Key Republicans on Capitol Hill are raising concerns about president Trump's agreement with Iran. It signals eroding support across the party, even among his closest loyalists.
One senator said, quote, "Iran's left stronger. We are left weaker."
Joining me now is Laurel Rapp. She is the director of the U.S. and North America Programme at Chatham House.
Good morning to you. First of all, thank you so much for joining us.
LAUREL RAPP, DIRECTOR, U.S. AND NORTH AMERICA PROGRAMME, CHATHAM HOUSE: Good morning. Good to be with you.
ABDELAZIZ: I want to just get straight into that concern that Republicans are expressing that criticism. In fact, let me play you a little bit of sound from Ted Cruz here.
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SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): A lunatic religious fanatic who chants death to America to receive $300 billion -- whether it comes from us or it comes from some other regional partners, I don't care where it comes from.
Giving people who want to kill you billions and billions of dollars from any source historically has proven an enormous mistake.
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ABDELAZIZ: Is this really concern from the Republican Party that this is a bad deal or is this more about midterm election fears and rising oil prices?
What is the real anger here about?
Is it about the deal?
Are we looking at an actual split in the MAGA base?
RAPP: It's all of the above. Look, we are hearing uncommon Republican criticism coming from Capitol Hill, coming from the Senate and from the House, members like senator Ted Cruz, like Senator Wicker, the powerful senator of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
We've heard from Senator Cassidy as well that this deal is dangerous for the American people for what Iran is getting out of this deal, this lifting of some oil sanctions. So this is rare criticism we're hearing publicly on the Right.
The White House has been quick to counter this, put out a statement last night with all of the listings of Republicans and some Democrats as well, who are saying, look, this is probably the least bad option, as you think about continuing this war or starting to strike a deal.
And you're right, midterms are very much on the mind of the members in Congress as well as the White House right now.
ABDELAZIZ: You describe it as a rare moment of criticism but it's also a rare moment of bipartisan cooperation, potentially on Capitol Hill, because this negative reception is across the aisle.
Could we see some actual cooperation here between the two parties?
Is there anything that can be done beyond the loud rhetoric?
RAPP: So it's probably (INAUDIBLE) in my view, would probably be (INAUDIBLE) fall in line as time goes on. The key question now is whether the Senate and the House will actually vote on this arrangement.
There's legislation dating back from a decade ago that the Congress passed to review the Obama-era JCPOA. The question now is whether this agreement, this new arrangement, that has nuclear provisions, is something that Congress should authorize.
Congress has 30 -- would have 35 days under this legislation to vote on it. And this is going to come down to a political decision from the House and the Senate leadership, which is both Republican, of course.
Is it in the best interest of our members to be on the record right now, backing this deal?
Do they actually have the votes and the numbers to get this done?
The White House, meanwhile, is moving on and beginning to lift oil sanctions, which is in contravention of that arrangement. So there're going to be conversations on the Hill in the coming days about whether, politically, it makes sense to actually get members on the record, on whether this deal makes sense for the American people.
ABDELAZIZ: I want to get a little bit more into that.
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Because I know you worked for the State Department for nearly two decades and I'm really curious about how these negotiations work behind the scenes.
Is the Trump administration going to try to shore up support, especially during the 60-day period or are they just going to try to pursue an executive agreement here so that they don't have to ask for congressional approval?
RAPP: So the White House clearly is pursuing an executive agreement.
President Trump has also said this week, why not get congressional approval for this arrangement if everyone is, you know, the provisions of it would make sense. And so when it comes to a vote, surely it would pass. This was his view earlier in the week.
I think, look, the question now here is how these negotiations begin in Geneva. This 60-day window is incredibly narrow to deal with a full range of issues that this short, fairly thin arrangement outlines. There is a basis to unpack some of the nuclear issues.
But as you recall and during my time at the State Department there for nearly 15 years, did also work on pieces of this JCPOA and the implementation afterwards. That took nearly 20 months. And so there are very complex pieces here to untangle.
The Iranians are very good negotiators. They're very good at drawing out timelines and really lengthening that window that it will take the U.S. to potentially come to a deal.
The U.S. is operating on this very short midterm timeline, trying to get a win before November. And that is an advantage as Iran has more strategic patience going into these talks.
ABDELAZIZ: Strategic patience is very key here. And of course, I just want to ask about one other thing. Given your experience as an American diplomat and that is Israel, because we have seen some very harsh words from the Trump administration, from Israel wouldn't exist without me.
Something president Trump said, too, you cannot kill your way out of every security problem. That was JD Vance.
Have these comments shocked you?
And could this be contributing to some of that criticism that we're hearing from his own party?
RAPP: These are rare public rebukes that we are hearing from an American president and also from the vice president, who said, look, the U.S. is one of Israel's sole friends in the world at this point. So these are -- these -- is quite a departure from how we've heard presidents speak publicly about Israel, no question.
The Trump administration is also probably concerned that Israel may be holding this Trump card, this veto over any deal, as it engages in Lebanon. There has been a break between Trump and Netanyahu.
Trump is very opposed to this arrangement. It did not include them. This was a similar dynamic to 10 years back with the JCPOA.
But there is active military confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon right now that Netanyahu knows he can play with as these talks unroll in Geneva. And the U.S. side will likely be trying to put as much pressure on Israel to box them in, not to scupper the deal. And the Iranians will be watching Israel's actions here as well.
ABDELAZIZ: Laurel Rapp on the criticism and potentially the pushback that president Trump could face from his own lawmakers, thank you so much.
RAPP: Thank you.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was unbelievable. They look they're looking so good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Man, they came out great today. They hit it and didn't know what had it coming.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm starting to believe I think we're pretty dominant. I think we're dangerous.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think they have a really good chance of winning this whole thing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The whole thing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The whole thing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Quarterfinals for sure. OK, then. We'll see.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I got to say, all the way, all the way, all the way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: USA all the way, red, white and blue. You know what I'm saying?
No matter what, let's go.
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ABDELAZIZ: Those fans are dreaming big after Team USA continued their impressive World Cup run, beating Australia 2-0 in Seattle on Saturday. The Americans scored twice in the first half and never looked back, maintaining control of the pitch despite Australia's best efforts.
That win has secured America's spot in the upcoming knockout round. And coupled with Paraguay's win over Turkiye later in the day, means that the United States have now won their group.
The World Cup forges ahead today as teams are looking to strengthen their position in the group round of the tournament and secure every single point that they can.
The Netherlands will take on Sweden in Houston, Texas. Germany faces the Ivory Coast in Toronto. And Ecuador will play Krakow in Kansas City, Missouri. Both those teams are looking to secure their very first points of the tournament.
Still to come, a diplomatic rift has emerged between Italy and the U.S.
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We're going to explain to you what Italian media claims president Trump said about Giorgia Meloni at the G7 summit.
Plus, Donald Trump has unveiled a new presidential plane. We'll tell you why Mr. Trump says the new plane was necessary.
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ABDELAZIZ: Bolivia is under a national state of emergency. This is following 50 days of sometimes violent anti-government protests. President Rodrigo Paz said in an address to the nation that the new state of emergency will clear the way for the military and police to restore order and ensure the country's roads are reopened.
These military vehicles were seen on the streets of the capital, La Paz, soon after the state of emergency was declared. Just hours earlier, a key labor union had signed an agreement with the government to end those road blockades.
Protesters have been demanding the government roll back austerity measures. People in Bolivia have faced long lines for fuel and difficulty getting food and medical care. At least 14 deaths have been linked to the protests. The U.S. Acting Director of National Intelligence is already
considering some major changes.
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Sources tell CNN that Bill Pulte has asked for a list of all the employees in the agency, with the potential of making hundreds of job cuts. In a surprise move, Pulte showed up to work a day early on Thursday.
President Trump chose Pulte for the role after Tulsi Gabbard resigned due to her husband's cancer diagnosis. Now Pulte is a Trump loyalist. He has no experience in the intelligence community and, prior to this new role, he was the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.
A comment reportedly made by the U.S. president at the G7 summit has led to a diplomatic rift with Italy. An Italian media outlet reports that president Trump says Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni begged him to take a photo with her. But as CNN's Jennifer Hansler explains, the prime minister denies this.
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JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER & WRITER: An extraordinary diplomatic spat has erupted between the United States and Italy, with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni accusing President Donald Trump of making up claims about her.
Now this kicked off with comments made by Trump to an Italian TV station in which he said that Meloni had, quote, "begged him" for a photo during the G7 meeting in France earlier this week. Trump said he agreed to take that photo because he felt sorry for Meloni.
Meloni fired back in a video posted to social media, saying she needed to immediately address the claims, calling them a complete fabrication and saying she was shocked by what he said. This is what else she had to say in response to Trump's claims.
GIORGIA MELONI, PRIME MINISTER, ITALY (through translator): Donald Trump's statements are completely made up. I am frankly astonished. I don't know why the President of the United States behaves like this toward his allies. There is one thing he should remember. Neither I nor Italy ever beg.
HANSLER: It is also having real diplomatic consequences. The Italian Foreign Minister canceled a planned visit to the United States, where he was going to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The two were scheduled to meet on the sidelines of a U.S.-Italy business forum in Miami.
That entire forum where they were meant to foster business ties between the two countries has now been canceled. Jennifer Hansler, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE) ABDELAZIZ: President Trump is now blaming the mess in the Lincoln
Memorial Reflecting Pool on vandalism. First, the newly renovated reflecting pool on the National Mall turned green after algae took over. Then workers poured hydrogen peroxide in to kill the algae.
But now the blue material used to repaint the pool seems to be peeling away. President Trump posted on Truth Social that law enforcement officials are investigating possible vandalism. He also said the algae is nearly gone. He believes the issues will be fixed early next week.
Now the price tag on the project had been $14.7 million. No word yet on how much the repairs will add to that final cost.
President Trump has unveiled a new presidential plane. The president showed off the Boeing seven eight, seven eight on Friday. You can see it there at Joint Base Andrews. It replaces two that had been used as Air Force One since the 1990s. But as CNN's Kevin Liptak explains, there's a lot of controversy around this new plane.
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KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: President Trump says the new presidential aircraft is the most luxurious plane in the world.
And based on descriptions that we've gotten from reporters who saw the inside of it, that sounds like it's true. They described leather seats, plush carpeting, tan walls and seat belts adorned with the presidential seal.
Now this aircraft is described as a bridge between the older Boeing 747s that currently act as Air Force One and newer models that are still being retrofitted by the Air Force and by Boeing. Those models aren't expected to be ready, potentially until the end of President Trump's term. And he had grown frustrated with the delays.
And that is where the Gulf state of Qatar came in. Qatar donated this $400 million plane to the Pentagon.
The White House brushed aside the ethical, legal and national security questions and spent the last several months turning it into the presidential aircraft. Now the president has described this as essentially a mirror of his own tastes. Listen to what he said.
TRUMP: So we had it all painted up. And these are the new colors: red, white and blue. And we like the baby blue. But it was time for a change.
And this is the sleekest line. Everything was designed good. It was my taste. I will say I like -- they said what color do you like?
I said, I like the color of the American flag, right?
That makes sense. So we have that. And all of the planes in the fleet are being changed into this look.
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Which is a much better look and a more appropriate look.
LIPTAK: Now the plane does away with the robin's egg blue color scheme that was designed by Jacqueline Kennedy, so many decades ago.
Instead, it's a red, white and blue aircraft that looks remarkably similar to the personal plane that President Trump flies around in when he's not in office. The president says that this aircraft will be used on major foreign trips.
He also expects to see it flying over the Capitol on July 4. The first time the president is expected to use it is when he's visiting Mount Rushmore in the days ahead of Independence Day. Kevin Liptak, CNN, the White House.
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ABDELAZIZ: Traffic is once again moving through the Strait of Hormuz but there are still huge concerns. We're going to take a look at the hurdles facing energy markets.
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ABDELAZIZ: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London. Let's take a look at today's top stories.
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ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Team USA has sailed to the group stage and into the knockout rounds of the World Cup. They beat Australia 2-0 on Saturday for their second consecutive win of the tournament. The last time America won two group stage games was at the inaugural World Cup back in 1930.
And Lebanese state media reports that new Israeli strikes hit several towns in southern Lebanon early on Saturday, killing at least five people. Now that's despite Israel and Hezbollah agreeing to a renewed ceasefire.
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On Friday, the Israeli military accused Hezbollah of launching more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.
A U.S. official tells CNN that U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is going to Switzerland hoping to kick off the next round of peace talks with Iran. President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is also expected to attend. This comes after the talks were pushed back at least once already because of ongoing tensions in Lebanon.
ABDELAZIZ: There's been a sharp increase in traffic moving through the Strait of Hormuz. Marine intelligence shows that 25 commercial vessels crossed the strait on Thursday, the most since April.
But that number still remains far below pre-war levels, when more than 100 ships would pass through the waterway. Daily analysis shows that the world has missed out on more than a billion barrels of oil due to the Iran war. David Goldman has more.
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DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: I think a big question on everyone's minds is, when are we going to get back to normal in the oil market?
When are those prices going to start to come back down to normal?
Well, there's a lot that you need to understand before that can happen. And the first is that we have lost 1.15 billion barrels of oil over the past four months-- billion barrels of oil supply. And that has significant consequences.
How significant?
Well, president Trump was talking about this just the other day and said, in about four weeks, well, you want to see bedlam, we're going to run out of oil. He said, well, it might not be that simple but he is right that there is a significant consequence to losing a billion barrels of oil supply over four months.
And you need to look no further than the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which is the emergency stockpiles of oil that we have. That's at the lowest level globally since 1990. And in the United States, even worse, 1983 was the last time we saw levels this low. That's when I was born.
That's when we were starting to fill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
And that puts us in a precarious spot, because what happens if there's a hurricane?
What happens if the war restarts?
Right?
So you need to have these at adequate levels. It's not only the emergency reserves, though. Look at this in Cushing, Oklahoma. That's where the pipelines of the crossroads of America happen, where all the oil is brought in and then piped out. Well, it has a capacity of 75 million barrels. That's a lot.
But what is it at right now, 20 million barrels?
And that is at the operational minimum.
What does that mean?
It's like when you have a coffee urn and you hit the spigot and nothing comes out. That's my nightmare, by the way. But when that happens, you kind of tip the urn toward you to get the sludge out. That's what's going on in America's oil market right now.
It's at operational minimums. That is what Trump is talking about. That's significant. Now the Strait of Hormuz is reopened. So problem solved, right?
Not quite. So all of this needs to happen before we get back to normal. First of all, you got to get all those tankers out. And then crucially, you need to de-mine the strait. That's about a month's work alone.
And then once that happens, you have enough space to bring the tankers back in, the empty tankers and then bring that oil. Once that happens, then you can produce more oil in the Middle East and then ship it out to its destination. But that doesn't happen that fast. Oil tankers travel as fast as well.
An oil tanker about as fast as I can ride a bicycle. Not very fast.
So what does all of this mean in terms of the timing?
Well, if we overproduce by 5 million barrels a day, which is what the International Energy Agency says, that we will do, it will take, to get 1.15 billion barrels back, 230 days just to get back to normal. But that can't even start to happen until all the other stuff happens, which is another several months.
We are looking into 2027 just to get the sand out of the gears. So if you're wondering when your oil prices and when your gas prices are going to start to fall, well, they've certainly started. But it might take a long time for them to get back to normal. All right, back to you.
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ABDELAZIZ: Meanwhile, E.U. leaders are divided over whether to open communication lines with Moscow as efforts to end the Ukraine war move forward. The issue dominated a two-day summit in Brussels. French president Emmanuel Macron says Europeans must be at the table for any peace talks.
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EMMANUEL MACRON, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE (through translator): We are not mediators. We stand with Ukraine.
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We are providing it with aid and support and we have imposed sanctions on Russia.
A second point, very simple and very clear that we have always stood up for when negotiations take place, Europeans must be at the table because Europe's interests are at stake, interests that are partly linked to what is happening in Ukraine.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ABDELAZIZ: Now all of this comes after Ukraine launched its largest drone attack on Moscow. Since the start of the full scale war. I want to bring in now Alexander Baunov. He's a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center and a senior fellow at the European University Institute. He is live with us from Florence.
Good morning to you. First of all, thank you for joining us.
ALEXANDER BAUNOV, SENIOR FELLOW, RUSSIA EURASIA CENTER; SENIOR FELLOW, EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE: Thank you for invitation.
ABDELAZIZ: We're talking about these massive Ukrainian drone attacks, often carried out with cheap drones that are really hitting the heart of Moscow. And there's been an uptick of these attacks and I'm sure air raid sirens ringing out in Moscow.
I want you to give me a sense of what life is like now for an ordinary Russian.
Is this -- are these strikes impacting them?
How are families coping?
BAUNOV: Well, I stay in touch with many different people in Moscow, from France. Not such friends but the mood among most of my contacts can be summed up in three words. That's anger, depression and questions.
Some say they, for the first time in their lives, they are afraid of going to bed and to sleep and these include the people from different backgrounds, even some who had been neutral about the war before as long as it was happening somewhere, somewhere far away.
So Muscovites have adapted before to a different war. They have not adapted yet to a war that is reaching their own neighborhoods.
ABDELAZIZ: And what you're talking about is extremely terrifying, you're saying, for -- go ahead. Sorry.
BAUNOV: Yes. I was -- some -- it was something to be added about the economic consequences but I suppose it could be your next question. And there are economic consequences, of course, because ...
ABDELAZIZ: Well, of course and what you're talking about is extremely terrifying, of course. You're saying families that had never been touched by this war are now scared to sleep at night. You're talking about the economic consequences and I want to hear about those.
But I also want to understand is this spilling out into people being vocal about their discontent of the war?
Or does President Putin's iron grip on the country keep people silent here?
BAUNOV: Well, basically, the economic consequences are not to be missed because you see queues at gas stations and the gas stations are experiencing fuel shortages. And if you can buy -- and we are talking about the Moscow region, it's a transportation hub for the whole country.
And there are limit of -- limits on purchases at some gas stations or fuel simply not available. And of course, people are posting videos about these queues or videos of anger and their social media.
The big problem is now the repression about -- not the video about people queuing for the gas but we have some people detained for posting videos of smoke fires or explosions.
And people are also afraid not only about, well, the drone attacks now but also about repression for signaling these drone attacks.
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ABDELAZIZ: That's extraordinary. You're saying that --
BAUNOV: (INAUDIBLE)
ABDELAZIZ: -- that's extraordinary. You're saying people were -- no, it's OK. I think we're on a little bit of a delay. But that just absolutely shocked me that you said people were being detained simply for posting images of the attack, simply for posting a plume of smoke in their in their area, showing what's actually happening.
I mean, that level of repression on top of the attacks must be terrifying.
But can President Putin continue to silence everyone?
Does he not at some point have to try to find a way out of this conflict?
BAUNOV: Well, his understanding of the war, I mean, how we can sum up what's on ordinary people's mind, what we see -- and we have some data of independent sociologists still working in Russia, a little bit underground.
[05:40:03]
And we see the decline of the respect and in -- of trust in Vladimir Putin. When he started the so-called special military operation, so the large scale invasion in Ukraine, ordinary people tended to say that he did it before he knew more than they did. And he as a president, he has better understanding of what was happening.
No longer, no longer anymore. I mean, the conventional wisdom now is that Putin knows less than ordinary people about what's really going on. Then, people no longer see him as someone who knows how to end the war.
And my understanding is that Vladimir Putin is still believing in his luck because he has survived politically many difficult situations, like major terrorist attacks in the beginning of the -- of his rule and more recently. And he may hope that the society will rally about him, because of these drone attacks. But the attacks of --
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ABDELAZIZ: -- we are running out of time. So I am going to wrap you there. But thank you so much. And again, just the shocking details that you shared of ordinary Russians being detained simply for posting images of plumes of smoke, of the conflict unfolding outside their doors. Thank you.
BAUNOV: Thank you.
ABDELAZIZ: The man who could potentially replace Keir Starmer as British prime minister is expected to travel to Westminster on Monday. The outgoing mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, won a local by-election, making him now a member of Parliament.
And that victory gives Burnham a path to formally challenge Starmer as leader of the ruling Labour Party. But the prime minister says he's not going to give in without a fight.
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KEIR STARMER, U.K. PRIME MINISTER: If there is a contest, just to be clear with you, then, yes, I will run, I will stand. And I've said repeatedly, I'm not going to walk away from that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: After a break, we're going to take a look at the rest of Saturday's World Cup matches and explore why sports seem to be bringing people together from every background.
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ABDELAZIZ: Friday's group stage matches delivered yet another day of thrilling World Cup action. Morocco beat Scotland 1-0 in Boston after scoring in the first two minutes of play. Scotland tried for an equalizer but could not break through Morocco's defenses.
And Brazil captured their first win of the tournament, beating Haiti 3-0 in Philadelphia despite an admirable defeat from Haiti in the second half.
And Paraguay defeated Turkiye 1-0 in San Francisco. As a result, Turkiye has been eliminated from the tournament. And Team USA has won their group.
In a time dominated by political instability and global conflict, sport seems more popular than ever with events like the World Cup uniting cultures and communities around the world. CNN producer Antoinette Radford explores how sports transcend division during difficult times.
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ANTOINETTE RADFORD, CNN PRODUCER (voice-over): Why do people seem to be so buzzed about sporting events at the moment?
From the Knicks win last weekend to the Arsenal win a few weeks back and now with fans supporting their teams at the World Cup from their home countries and abroad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Static, amazing. Yes, sir. Did you watch the game?
How do you feel?
Because if you feel the way anywhere, we feel, it's amazing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is so ironic to have the World Cup here in my hometown of Los Angeles.
RADFORD (voice-over): Why have these events captured the world's attention this summer?
To find out, I spoke to Billy Graeff, who's on the Executive Committee of the UNESCO Chair on Sport for Development Peace and the Environment.
BILLY GRAEFF, EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE UNESCO CHAIR ON SDPE: So since we started walking in two legs, we found ways to play together.
And I guess because we are living in these so difficult times as well, maybe people find time to celebrate doing these games. Whether they are far away from home and people gather to watch it or some people have the luck to travel places.
RADFORD: Do you think for people who are less involved than seeing
these big events, does it build a community that people can unite around?
GRAEFF: Yes, that's something very specific to sports as well. Communities are built around and within sports practices, sports clubs and then again cities, regions, countries, nations. So I guess it's not surprising. It's not surprising. It has been happening for a long time now.
RADFORD (voice-over): Despite this, this year's World Cup, in particular, hasn't been without its controversies.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When the World Cup is here in the U.S. the team from Iran will be playing in the games?
TRUMP: Well, if Gianni said it, I'm OK. Did Gianni say it?
That's a piece of work.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What if they win? TRUMP: Well, they wouldn't have to worry about that. That's not -- I'm going to have to worry about that one, you know. What, let them play well.
RADFORD (voice-over): A Somali referee was denied entry to the United States last week and Iranian players have to leave the U.S. after their games to reside in Mexico due to visa issues. While the Trump Administration has defended its border controls and a sweeping travel ban for 39 countries.
GRAEFF: My personal opinion is that the games should be very open to everyone. It is a time in which we should be thinking about union instead of increasing borders, border control. But on the other hand, it is not surprising that we are having that at this moment.
RADFORD: We're seeing this year that ticket prices are sky high for people who are already facing barriers to get to the events to be able to see it. How do you think people can overcome that and find a way to still unite over these games?
Or do you think that once that first ball was kicked last Thursday, that that's all gone by the wayside and people are just focusing on the games?
GRAEFF: That's the problem with the carnival. Yes, the carnival moves on. So next time it's going to be a different government, a different place. And when we learn about it, it's almost impossible to change it already.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[05:50:00]
ABDELAZIZ: There is something unexpected that is bringing World Cup fans together. Ranch dressing is having a moment as many who travel to the U.S. are discovering the very versatile salad and food topping for the first time. Now Kraft Foods is planning to sell a ranch travel kit so people can take the zesty, creamy condiment home.
It includes small packets of the sauce in a clear bag that meets U.S. airport travel rules. Posts by international fans of ranch have gone viral.
One on X said, "Why did no one tell me ranch sauce is like crack? Europe, we need ranch ASAP."
Still to come, states along the Gulf Coast are soaked after days of heavy rainfall and there is more in the forecast.
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ABDELAZIZ: Parts of the Gulf Coast are still underwater after potentially record-breaking rainfall forced evacuations and rescues from dozens of homes, businesses and vehicles and more rain is on the way.
At least five people have died in flooding in Texas, Georgia and Mississippi this week. There have been several flash flood emergencies in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
[05:55:00]
Parts of the Gulf Coast have recorded more than a foot of rain in 12 hours or less.
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ABDELAZIZ: Thank you so much for watching. I'm Salma Abdelaziz for our viewers in North America. "CNN THIS MORNING" is next. For the rest of the world. It will be "AFRICAN VOICES."
