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Encouraging progress Made As First Round U.S.-Iran talks End; Ukraine Strikes Hit Oil Facilities In Crimea; UK's Starmer Faces Growing Pressure To Step Down; Far-right Abelardo De La Espriella Wins Preliminary Vote Count; Bolivia Declares State Of Emergency Amid Blockade Crisis; Officials: "Encouraging Progress" Made in U.S.-Iran Talks; PM Starmer Weighing Options as He Faces Calls to Step Down; Japan Sees Increase in Upskirting Cases Among Minors; Fans Celebrate in Dallas Ahead of Argentina vs. Austria Match. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired June 22, 2026 - 01:00   ET

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

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[01:05:33]

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello wherever you are in the world. You are now in the CNN Newsroom with me, Ben Hunte, in Atlanta. And it is so good to have you with me. Coming up on the show.

Encouraging progress. The initial round of talks between the U.S. and Iran has concluded, but much work remains before a final agreement.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is considering his political future. That's after a Labour Party rival wins a seat in Parliament and a far- right candidate has won the preliminary vote count in Colombia's presidential runoff. The details on just how close the election still is.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Ben Hunte.

HUNTE: Welcome. We begin in Switzerland where negotiations between the U.S. and Iranian delegations have now concluded. And the mediators, Pakistan and Qatar, say encouraging progress was made by both sides. The U.S. and Iran have agreed to establish a high level committee to provide political oversight on the mediation and agree to a roadmap towards reaching a final deal within 60 days.

The two sides have also agreed to create a de confliction cell involving Lebanon, but Lebanon and Israel were not involve during the talks. The talks were nearly derailed at one point after the U.S. President threatened the Tehran delegation in a Fox News interview, saying you close it referring to the Strait of Hormuz and you won't have a country. You won't even make it back to your effing country. CNN's Mike Valerio joins us live from Beijing again with the latest. Mr. Valerio, where do things stand right now?

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, you're talking about that de-confliction cell in southern Lebanon. We're waiting to see as business gets underway in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv what Israel is going to say about that. Because when we've moved the football forward down the field for all these negotiations, you know, Iran has said that moving forward in terms of progress, getting towards a more substantial deal is contingent upon the fighting ceasing in Lebanon and its proxy Hezbollah being able to essentially, you know, not be attacked anymore by Israel.

Israel attacking Hezbollah because of course, it's northern communities, it says, coming under attack for months, if not years now from Hezbollah forces.

So let's talk about the line of communication. We were talking about it last hour. A few more details coming into focus. So this line of communication we should say exists within the 60-day time period of this initial memo of understanding and it aims to avoid the incidents and miscommunications direct line between Iran and the United States.

I think what's most notable about it though, Benny, is that this is Iran saying that it's going to its best efforts, according to the statement, allow commercial vessels to pass through the strait free of charge. Free of charge. Certainly notable because we had the Iranian navy saying on Saturday that it was going to potentially shut down the Strait of Hormuz.

And then we had President Trump telling Fox on Sunday that he imagined a potential universe where the United States could take over the Strait of Hormuz and potentially even charge tolls for ships that are passing through the strait. So where this thing goes, we're looking for technical talks, I thought certainly as notable, Gregg Carlstrom from The Economist last hour noting that is certainly what we're going to be watching, that these talks, the nitty-gritty elements of conversation will continue in Switzerland over the next week.

And we have Iran's foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying these elements of the agreement to the Iranian domestic audience that apparently sanctions have been waived, some assets have been unfrozen. Notably, we're looking at the $24 billion in assets frozen by the United States that are in Qatar and a major reconstruction plan launched.

All of those three tributaries of the conversation seem to be pretty impressionistic. So we'll be waiting to see, Benny, what more specifics we can get on all three of those items too.

HUNTE: Well, while we do wait for that, let's talk markets. What are we seeing right now in terms of oil prices and how the markets are responding?

VALERIO: Yes, oil is still holding -- holding steady around $79 a barrel. We're talking about the golden gauge Brent crude. I think that also it's

[01:05:09]

We had our friends in Tokyo gains of up to 2 percent. I think that's somewhat fizzled to one and a half percent. Kospi is down to just about gains of around a quarter percent, flat in the mainland China indices. What's notable, though, I don't think we have it on the board, but the stock market in Taipei is up close to 3 percent, certainly something that we're watching because of Taiwan's reliance of energy supplies coming through the Strait of Hormuz. Also want to add NASDAQ futures up around 2 percent, S and P up 1 percent when trading resumes in New York.

It was held, of course, nothing happening on Friday because of the Juneteenth holiday. So we will be waiting to see how New York reacts to this news if traders also mirror this enthusiasm. Benny.

HUNTE: OK. Mr. Valerio, thank you so much. Joining me now is Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East correspondent for The Economist. He's also the author of "How Long Will Israel Survive?: The Threat from Within."

Good to see you, sir. So from your perspective, how are things looking this morning and what surprised you the most about how these talks have unfolded so far?

GREGG CARLSTROM, MIDDLE EAST CORRESPONDENT, THE ECONOMIST: I think one thing that we should all keep in mind as we're watching this drama play out in Switzerland is that the Iranians have a domestic constituency that they are speaking to. There's been a lot of criticism from hardline politicians in Tehran who are unhappy that the regime is engaging in these talks, who have been denouncing the foreign minister and other officials for their betrayal, for sitting down with the Americans.

So when we see these reports that Iran threatened to walk out or they refuse to take part in a joint photo op, I think that sort of drama is predictable and we should expect more of that. And then equally when we hear the foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, say, as your correspondent said, that, you know, they've agreed to a reconstruction fund and lifting all the sanctions, some of that may be exaggerated, again speaking to that same domestic constituency.

So, we don't know how much substantive progress, if any, was made over the past 24 hours. But I think what is significant from this joint statement from the mediators is, is that technical talks are going to continue throughout the week. That's something we haven't seen before.

The last two times the Trump administration tried to negotiate with Iran, Steve Witkoff would fly in. He would meet with the Iranians for a day, and then he would leave and nothing would happen for another week. So if there is going to be a sustained effort amongst nuclear experts, sanctions experts, you know, the people who can engage in these sorts of technical talks, if they are going to continue to do that throughout the week, I think that's more encouraging than the previous model that we saw the last two times this was attempted.

HUNTE: OK, well, we saw President Trump publicly threaten Iran earlier on. Your thoughts on that? But also that happened while President Vance was trying to negotiate. Do you think all of this is part of a coordinated strategy or could this actually make diplomacy harder?

CARLSTROM: It's Donald Trump, so I'm hesitant to call anything of coordinated strategy. I think sometimes he's -- he's tweeting by the seat of his pants. I mean, you could argue that, yes, this is often how this administration has approached -- approached diplomacy. You have sort of a good cop, bad cop thing going on.

But I think it could also genuinely make diplomacy harder at some point. I think for now, both America and Iran have an interest in continuing to engage in this process. Neither of them want to restart the war, neither of them want another round of fighting. And I think what's likely to derail these talks, if anything, is probably not presidential social media posts.

It's probably actual developments on the ground, particularly in Lebanon. Do we get to a point where the U.S. is on a collision course either with the Iranians or with the Israeli government over continued fighting in Lebanon? I think that's -- that's more worrisome than, at least in the short term, than anything Trump posts on social media.

HUNTE: The Strait of Hormuz appears to become almost as important as the nuclear program itself in these talks. What does that tell us about Washington's priorities right now?

CARLSTROM: It's been clear since quite early in the war, since the Strait was initially blocked and oil prices started soaring, that is the main short term priority for Washington, not just for domestic political reasons, because they're worried about what high gas prices will mean for the midterms, but because they're also getting a lot of pressure from American allies over that.

Allies in the Gulf who haven't been able to export anything for months, allies in Europe and Asia who are struggling with higher prices.

[01:10:01]

So I think it's going to remain the focal point for some time now. We should remember the key question when it comes to Hormuz is not does Iran say it's open or closed? It's do shippers believe that it's open? Do insurance companies believe that it's open? Will they take the risk of moving tankers in and out of the strait, particularly moving them into the Persian Gulf, knowing there's a risk that the deal might fall apart and those vessels might get stuck? Uncertainty is bad for that.

The more back and forth we have about the status of the strait, I think the more reluctant it is going to make these companies to transit the strait. And we saw that over the past few days there was a noticeable increase in traffic right after this MoU is signed.

But then over the weekend with some of these statements we heard, ships began turning away from the strait. Ships that had been trying to sail through maybe turns and sailed away from it. So the longer this uncertainty persists, the harder it's going to be, I think, to get traffic moving.

HUNTE: OK, thank you so much for your insight. Gregg Carlstrom speaks again soon. Ukraine says its drones have successfully targeted oil facilities on

both sides of the Kerch Bridge. That is the road that connects Russia to Russian occupied Crimea. The commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces released this video saying drones struck an oil depot and a maritime logistics facility used for transporting oil. The Russian installed governor of Crimea says four people were killed and 28 were wounded in the attacks.

Coming up, the British prime minister is facing serious challenges to his leadership and from within his own party. The latest on the Labour Party crisis ahead.

Plus, Colombia decides its next president will bring you up to speed on a runoff election with a razor thin margin. See in a moment.

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[01:16:22]

HUNTE: Welcome back. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing mounting pressure from his party to resign as the Labour Party's popularity continues to plummet. As recently as Friday, 10 Downing Street said that Mr. Starmer would not, quote, walk away from the job.

However, on Sunday, British Business Secretary Peter Kyle told the BBC that the Prime Minister is considering his options.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER KYLE, BRITISH BUSINESS SECRETARY: He's also making time this weekend to try and reflect on the political challenges that he faces. Our country faces, our party faces. He's also taking the time to think through what the political realities are today compared to last week, the week before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Much of the pressure comes from his Labour Party rival Andy Burnham. He is widely expected to challenge Starmer after he has sworn in as an MP later on Monday.

Later in the hour, I'll speak with the U.K. political editor for POLITICO about what we can expect next for Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Colombia's national registry says far right candidate Abelardo De La Espriella has won a preliminary count in Colombia's presidential runoff election. We are still waiting for finalized results in this incredibly tight race against a government backed candidate Ivan Cepeda. Official numbers indicate less than 1 percent of votes separate the two. That is less than 250,000 ballots.

De La Espriella showmanship helped to grow his support base along with promises for a more confrontational approach to crime and greater economic independence. The self-described conservative nationalist came into the race having never held political office. Some of his supporters say he is the change that Colombia needs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We are happy because change is truly coming. Change for this country, change for children, for families, for business owners and for young people. This is the government we need, the government of Tige Albarado (ph), the government we will feel proud of during this four-year term. In Colombia, we stand firm for the homeland.

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HUNTE: CNN contributor Stefano Pozzebon has more details on Colombia's election.

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STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: With 99.8 percent of the votes counted, Abelardo De La Espriella, the far-right public statute has been backed by Donald Trump has just taken center stage, the stage just behind my back to claim that he won the Colombia presidency.

Electoral authorities are yet to publish the definitive results. And the other candidate, the government candidate Ivan Cepeda Castro from the left has already announced that he would appeal more than 30,000 electoral seats because they say that they are -- we are aware of irregularities.

However, here in Barranquilla, supporters in Abelardo have come out in force and they're celebrating him as a president elect. The U.S. President Donald Trump has also congratulated Abelardo De La Espriella as well as other far right populist leaders across the region.

From Javier Milei, Argentina to Nayib Bukele of El Salvador and Daniel Noboa of Ecuador. Colombia is set for a very tense time ahead because it will still take maybe hours or days before they all ultimate and definitive results are published. And there is a movement here who is already eager to take power. For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Parankin.

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[01:20:03]

HUNTE: Earlier I spoke with Eric Farnsworth, a former U.S. State Department official for Latin America and a partner at Continental Strategy. He told us this election could be the start of big changes in Colombia. Here's a part of our conversation.

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ERIC FARNSWORTH, PARTNER, CONTINENTAL STRATEGY: I think it's a seismic shift. It's going from a leftist governance of Gustavo Petro to a rightist governance of Abelardo De La Espriella. The Colombian people have spoken. It's a polarized society in the election results are very, very close.

But it's also significant because it shows the importance of institutionality, not just in Colombia, but across Latin America. In other words, in other countries where this vote may have been so close, it would have been questioned to a much greater degree. But I think people have confidence in the Colombian electoral authorities and because of that, I think De La Espriella is going to have a mandate to govern.

HUNTE: De La Espriella has never held elected office before. What was it about his message that resonated with so many votes you think?

FARNSWORTH: You know that's exactly right. He's a non-traditional candidate for sure by Colombian standards. By Latin American standards he was -- came to prominence relatively recently. He used social media very effectively, he used memes very effectively.

But the message that resonated was one of an attack on cartels, drug cartels, on guerrilla forces, and a return to peace and security. And the Colombian people have suffered for years, not just under Gustavo Petro, but for with burgeoning crime and drug trafficking. But it has gotten worse in the last four years. And so that issue is one that the Colombian people by and large really did vote on and are hoping for some real progress on those lines.

HUNTE: With that being said, then how surprised are you by this current preliminary result?

FARNSWORTH: I'm not surprised. I mean, it's the second round and he was the top votes getter in the first round. And the right and center right really did coalesce behind him as the left and center left coalesced behind Ivan Zepeda, his opponent. But this election was really his to lose. And I think he got enough votes to. To go forward. He did just enough to win.

HUNTE: Let's talk a bit more about crime and security because it did feature heavily throughout this campaign. To what extent was this election really a referendum on Colombian's sense of safety and economic stability too?

FARNSWORTH: I think it was both a referendum on Colombia's sense of safety and security. I think that's absolutely right. But there was also a fear factor that came up throughout the which is to say that there was a perception that opponent, Ivan Cepeda, was not just from the left, but was from the militant left, and that he would have carried on the mandate of the previous government, the outgoing government of Gustavo Petro, but he would have done it more effectively and frankly, more radically. And I think the Colombian people are fundamentally conservative people.

Many had grown tired already of the governance of Petro. They didn't want more of it and they didn't want it to be amplified. So it was both a message of hope that security would improve, but also a fear that, you know, we have to vote for somebody so that somebody worse doesn't come.

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HUNTE: In Bolivia, police and military personnel are ensuring secure passage of trucks and cars as part of the state of emergency that is now in effect. President Rodrigo Paz declared a nationwide emergency early on Saturday. Following weeks of political unrest and blockades. The country is taking its first steps to return to normal after shortages of food, fuel and medical supplies.

Protesters backed by union workers have been calling for President Paz's resignation. He has been in office only seven months. Critics oppose his cuts to fuel subsidies causing higher gas prices.

Teams are beginning to finalize their standings in the group stages of this year's World Cup. In Group H, Spain was able to soundly defeat Saudi Arabia at Atlanta Stadium 4 to nil. Saudi Arabia can still make it out of the group stages. That's if it has a strong showing in its next match.

Japan dominated Tunisia, 4 nil, making it one step closer to breaking out of the group stages. The match at Monterrey Stadium marked the highest scoring World Cup game for the Samurai Blue.

Meanwhile, at Los Angeles Stadium, Iran battled it out with Belgium producing a draw there. So far, Iran has yet to win a match this tournament. World Cup underdog Cape Verde stunned the world again by staving off a defeat from two time world champion Uruguay. The match ended in a draw. 2-2. The final match of the day saw Egypt come out on top against New Zealand. Final score there was three one.

[01:25:08]

All right. Still to come, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan for Israeli troops in southern Lebanon as U.S.-Iran talks wrap up in Switzerland.

Still to come, why British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing the toughest challenge to his leadership yet. See you in a moment.

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[01:30:08]

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Mediators, Qatar and Pakistan appear optimistic following talks between the U.S. and Iran in Switzerland. According to Iran, both sides discussed the groundwork for negotiations to reach a permanent truce. Qatar and Pakistan say a roadmap has been agreed upon to reach a final deal within 60 days.

But fighting between Israel and Hezbollah is ongoing. That's despite demands for a ceasefire. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israeli troops will remain in southern Lebanon for as long as necessary. Hezbollah rejects that plan, vowing to defend itself.

Joining us live from Jerusalem for more on all of this is Gershon Baskin. He is a former hostage negotiator and the Middle East director at the International Communities Organization. It's very good to see you.

What are your common thoughts on the negotiations? Are we moving towards a breakthrough

GERSHON BASKIN, MIDDLE EAST DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITIES ORGANIZATION: Well, I think that as long as the parties are talking, this is a positive sign. Talking is better than shooting.

There's a lot of gaps that need to be bridged between the United States and Iran, particularly on the nuclear weapons program of Iran. But I'm confident that an agreement can be reached.

I think there needs to be a general deescalation in the entire region. It's very difficult to do with the current leaders that we have here in Israel and in other parts of the region.

But nonetheless, as I said, as long as talks are continuing, they set up a plan for technical teams to be meeting over the next couple of weeks, and they've given themselves a deadline of 60 days to reach a comprehensive agreement. We have to hope that they meet that deadline.

HUNTE: Hezbollah says Israel cannot stay in southern Lebanon, while Israel says its troops will remain as long as necessary. Are these positions completely incompatible?

BASKIN: They're pretty difficult to bridge. It's very clear that Israel's staying in southern Lebanon is part of Benjamin Netanyahu's war for his own political survival because he promised total victory in Lebanon and Gaza and in Iran and he can't deliver total victory in any of those fronts.

The lesson that needs to be learned here, of course, is that there are no military solutions to these conflicts. There are political solutions.

And for Lebanon, we have a reality where the government of Lebanon, a president, the prime minister and the people of Lebanon, who for the first time in decades want to regain their sovereignty, take control of their country and don't want to have an armed militia within Lebanon.

But as long as Israel maintains an occupying presence in southern Lebanon, it's difficult for the International Community and the government of Lebanon to push back against the Israeli presence in Lebanon.

It's not going to work. There's not going to be a peaceful border between Israel and Lebanon as long as Israel is within the Lebanese territory.

HUNTE: The Strait of Hormuz has, of course, been at the center of negotiations. On Saturday, Iran said it would close the strait in response to Israel's attacks on Lebanon. Do you see this as an issue that will continue to be problematic for peace efforts? BASKIN: I think it's a very difficult from an Israeli point of view,

because there is an alignment of the Lebanese front and the Israeli and the Iranian front together. And this is something that Israel wanted to avoid.

But the Iranians have a victory here in making sure that whatever is negotiated between Iran and the United States applies in Lebanon as well. This is completely against the idea of Israel weakening Hezbollah, which it had done tactically, militarily. But it has to be done politically.

And right now, Hezbollah is in a stronger position than it's been for much of the past year as a result of the failed Israeli strategy of not understanding that you have to turn tactical military victories into diplomatic, political victories. This is simply not on the agenda of the current Israeli government.

HUNTE: Hezbollah says it will respond to any Israeli violation, while Israel says it remains free to act against threats. Did, say, the two sides even share the same definition of what a ceasefire is.

BASKIN: No, they definitely don't. It is because you can't have a ceasefire while the occupation is going on. You can't have a ceasefire agreement when Hezbollah is sending drones and rockets not only to the Israeli troops in southern Lebanon, but rockets and drones that are crossing the border into Israel proper.

So there needs to be very strong intervention on the side of Iran and the side of the United States. He's talking to their allies to make sure that the Lebanese front doesn't explode and jeopardize the main front, which is the talks between Iran and the United States.

[01:34:45]

BASKIN: It's very important that the Iranian-U.S. talks succeed, and they shouldn't be able to allow Israel and Lebanon or Hezbollah to derail the possibility of a much wider agreement, which is important for the strategy and security of the entire region.

HUNTE: Ok. We'll leave it there for now. Gershon Baskin, thank you so much.

BASKIN: Thank you.

HUNTE: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is considering his political future as his top Labour rival, Andy Burnham, prepares to be sworn in to parliament. Starmer is facing widespread calls from his Labour Party and from his own cabinet to step down.

His government's popularity has plummeted since it won the general election two years ago.

Burnham, a former cabinet minister, is expected to challenge his leadership.

Dan Bloom is the U.K. political editor for Politico. He joins us from London. Good to see you, sir.

After a pretty wild weekend, how serious is the situation facing Keir Starmer this morning? What are you expecting to happen today?

DAN BLOOM, U.K. POLITICAL EDITOR, POLITICO: Well, it's incredibly serious and I think if the best guesses are correct, what will happen -- what will happen this morning in the next few hours, is that Keir Starmer will put that famous lectern that goes outside Downing Street, and stand up and announce his resignation or at least a timetable for his resignation.

It's been an extraordinary weekend in which basically the communications from Downing Street have almost completely shut down. We had the prime minister insisting that he would fight any leadership challenge, and that began to dissipate.

The momentum stalled when he started calling around his cabinet on Friday, and they essentially told him, look, a lot of your party is ranged against you. Is this really tenable? Are you sure you want to do this?

And he spent the weekend at Chequers, his country residence, with his wife, Victoria, thinking about all of that. Even some of his closest aides haven't been told what he wants to do.

He got back to Downing Street yesterday afternoon, but it was kept very, very close. But I think we can all read from the silence that something is about to happen.

HUNTE: Yes. President Trump publicly declared that Starmer will resign. How unusual was that interjection by a U.S. leader into U.K. politics? And does it matter politically in the U.K.?

BLOOM: Well, as with many things with President Trump, I would argue that it would usually be very unusual. But with Donald Trump, perhaps it's not so unusual.

But I think the important thing here is that the two men had not spoken. It looks as though Donald Trump was simply reading the news headlines and posting off the back of that.

But it raises a huge question, doesn't it, because we have a series of summits coming up, international meetings. We have the NATO summit in a few weeks' time, crucial discussions about defense spending and the future of our security.

And there is also a U.K.-E.U. summit over here at the end of July, where we're going to decide our future relationship.

Tomorrow is the 10th anniversary of that Brexit vote. So it's been a long, old road.

And now some of our international partners won't know who is going to be negotiating with them. And indeed, if Andy Burnham takes over, the former mayor of Greater Manchester, he's much more of a domestically- focused kind of guy. And he has basically made it clear that he doesn't want to spend a lot

of his time on foreign policy like Keir Starmer did. So there are loads of unanswered questions here about what that will look like.

HUNTE: Well, speak of him and he shall appear.

Let's talk about Andy Burnham. Why has he become the front runner?

BLOOM: Well, there's been this chess game going on in the Labour Party where essentially you had candidates from the sort of centrist wing of the party. That's Wes Streeting, the former health secretary. From the sort of right of the party which fizzled out and never happened because there aren't enough MPs to support someone from the sort of right of the party.

And then you had this battle for who would come from the soft left of the party. This is the group that's maybe slightly to the left of Keir Starmer, a bit more about sort of social justice and you know, talking about policies around housing and domestic infrastructure and that kind of thing.

And there was this to-and-fro over who it would be, because Andy Burnham had long been a front runner, but was a mayor, not an MP. So he couldn't run under the rules.

Angela Rayner, the former deputy prime minister was the front runner for a while but had to resign over her tax affairs.

And then you also had different candidates who were sort of tainted for one reason or another.

So Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, was a candidate for a while. But he ran for Labour, he ran for prime minister 11 years ago and the public rejected him.

So that would be an interesting choice by the Labour Party to put him back in again.

Now, you take all of that. And it was very, very unclear at the beginning of the year how this would happen.

[01:39:47]

BLOOM: And there was this week of madness last month after very poor local election results for Labour, in which everything moved very fast and it wasn't clear how it was going to end. And when the pieces fell into place, Andy Burnham was going to get a chance to run for a parliamentary seat.

He had been blocked from doing that in February, but this time it was going to happen.

And the minute it was clear that he could run for that parliamentary seat, all the gravity of that soft left flank of the Labour Party coalesced around him because Andy Burnham is this guy who used to be this machine politician. And he kind of had an awakening in 2010, 2011, 2012, if you believe his version of events, of course.

When he became an anti-establishment politician, in his words, where he basically quit Westminster and went and became a mayor in the north of England because he thought the north of England is being left behind. The entire institutions of the state are ranged against the north of England.

HUNTE: Yes.

BLOOM: Now, some people believe this more or less, but this is this character, this folk hero sort of character that he's become in the minds of some in the Labour Party. And that's the ticket on which he's coming back to Westminster.

HUNTE: I've got about 30 seconds left. Just quickly tell me, what does all of this tell us about British politics right now? The fact that Labour won a huge majority less than two years ago and is already facing a leadership crisis.

BLOOM: Well, it raises the question of whether Britain's ungovernable, doesn't it? Or whether we've just had a series of terrible leaders.

I mean, you could say both or either (ph) or whatever. And, you know, were about to get our seventh prime minister in ten years.

So, you know, you tell me, what does it look like from the outside?

HUNTE: Dan Bloom with some hot takes there. Thank you very much, we appreciate it. See you again soon.

Japan is seeing a rise in what's called upskirting in schools. It is the most common sex crime police make arrests for.

More details just ahead.

See you in a moment.

[01:41:49]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HUNTE: Welcome back.

In Japan, authorities are dealing with a rise in what's known as upskirting taking place in schools. This happens when someone records an image from underneath a person's clothing without their consent.

CNN's Hanako Montgomery has more details for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On Japanese social media, videos like these are posted daily. Ordinary citizens chasing strangers caught perversely filming others without consent, a crime also known as upskirting.

In Japan, upskirting is one of the most common sex crimes police make arrests for.

Most cases happen in public spaces, like on escalators or on train platforms. But now the crime is increasingly happening inside schools.

SUZUKI, FATHER OF UPSKIRTING VICTIM: My daughter was photographed in her swimsuit. He moved her swimsuit covering her lower body to expose her genitals.

MONTGOMERY: Suzuki's daughter was six when she was upskirted. The perpetrator was her swim teacher who took child sexual abuse photos and videos over ten years.

The judgment we obtained also details how her teacher distributed materials to other pedophiles, an act that earned such criminals a grim nickname online, "Kami" or "god".

He was sentenced to four years in prison, a punishment Suzuki feels is too lenient.

SUZUKI: There's always the possibility that one day in my daughter's life, that video could resurface. I feel ashamed that we put her in that situation, and I feel angry towards the man who committed that crime. I can never forgive him.

MONTGOMERY: Experts like Sumire Nagamori tell us that under Japan's current legal framework, voyeurism involving children is often not prosecuted as child sexual abuse, avoiding far heavier criminal sentences.

SUMIRE NAGAMORI, DIGITAL SAFETY ACTIVIST (through translator): I feel that Japan is an environment that allows children to become objects of sexual desire.

MONTGOMERY: Sumire reports child abuse materials found online to the police. They're sold in private chats on social media platforms like Discord or Telegram. Easily accessible spaces if you just have the link.

We're going through a Telegram chat right now, and there's absolutely no question that these victims are minors.

In one video, you see a toddler, a boy toddler with his genitals out. And this video is less than a minute long and it's being sold for about $3.

Perpetrators, Sumire says, are usually adults, but a growing number are children themselves. Even filming their own siblings to make money.

NAGAMORI: Before they can tell between right and wrong, they have devices in their hands that allow them to commit abusive acts.

Police data shows reported cases of voyeurism committed by minors increased nearly sixfold in 2024, compared to the year before.

[01:49:50] MONTGOMERY: Authorities say that the rise is the result of a tougher crackdown and new national laws. But with smartphones everywhere, it's also a crime that's easier than ever to commit and repeat.

But I wanted to understand why more young people are carrying out these acts. So we spent months investigating until we found someone willing to talk.

KIMURA, UPSKIRTING OFFENDER: After getting away with it once and feeling that rush afterwards, I wanted to feel it again.

MONTGOMERY: Kimura was 15 when he first watched upskirting pornography. Adult actors who turned the crime into a sexual fantasy. But soon, he says, the reenactments weren't arousing enough.

Two years later, at 17, he upskirted his first victim. He filmed about 30 more girls over a year.

Do you feel guilty at all about the fact that you couldn't go on with your life, go to school, have a normal life, and these victims will always remember that they were targeted by you.

KIMURA: I really feel sorry. I feel like I have to make sure I never forget what I did.

MONTGOMERY: He's since undergone mandatory programs for crime prevention and reeducation.

DAISUKE NAKAMURA, CLINICAL PSYCHOTHERAPIST (through translator): They don't really see women as human beings. They might view them as objects, as characters, or even something untouchable.

MONTGOMERY: Kimura only stopped when police caught him trespassing, stealing a woman's underwear from a clothesline.

KIMURA: If I hadn't got caught at the time, I might have raped someone within a year or two.

MONTGOMERY: For perpetrators, upskirting is a fleeting thrill, easy to commit, often unnoticed. But for the millions it violates, the images can leave a permanent digital scar, one that haunts them for years.

Hanako Montgomery, CNN -- Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Ok. Defending World Cup champion Argentina takes on Austria on Monday in Dallas.

Still to come, how fans are celebrating ahead of the match.

This and so much more after this break. See you in a moment.

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HUNTE: Sunday marks the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. Many New Yorkers celebrated with a mass yoga session in Times Square. The city dubbed it "Mind over Madness Yoga". Experts were on hand to teach the yoga moves.

The event was one of many held worldwide in celebration of International Yoga Day. The day was established by the United Nations 12 years ago.

[01:54:43]

HUNTE: Thousands of people are descending upon cities all across North America as the World Cup continues. Fans in Dallas turned out to show their support for Argentina as the team prepares to go up against Austria on Monday.

People played instruments, while others were dressed in team jerseys or costumes celebrating Argentina's previous World Cup wins.

A victory in Mondays match would put the defending champions one step closer to breaking out of the group stage.

CNN's Carolina Peguero spoke to Argentina fans at the festival in Dallas ahead of Monday's match.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROLINA PEGUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: One things for sure Argentinian fans know how to cheer on their world champs. And you can take a look here, there are thousands of fans that have come to start this electric banderazo here in downtown Dallas, where fans make it a tradition to gather a day before each game to support their team by waving those huge Argentina flags.

They're all decked out in their baby blue and white Argentina soccer jerseys, playing drums and drinking mate, and much more.

Now kids and adults have come here to Klyde Warren Park from all over to enjoy the fun and unite in the name of Lionel Messi and the whole Argentina team.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love it, I love it.

PEGUERO: Tell me, what do you want to tell Messi and the team and why it's so important for all the Argentinians to come here today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Messi is the person that unites the country. So we support him no matter what. We love him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we try to make people feel a little bit what we feel about our country. I don't know, just enjoy the moment and hopefully we get another cup.

PEGUERO: The match between Argentina and Austria will be played Monday at Dallas Stadium. Messi already made three goals last game, and many are anticipating a repeat while here.

Well, the celebration continues. Carolina Peguero, CNN -- Dallas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: How exciting. And I still don't have tickets. Help me out.

Ok. That's all I've got for you. Thanks for joining me and the team. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta.

Of course, there is so much more CNN NEWSROOM right after this with all of the news from all over the world with Rosemary Church. I'll see you next weekend.

[01:57:14]

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