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After Keir Starmer's Exit as Prime Minister, Labor Now Chooses a New Leader; Lionel Messi Now Holds the All-Time Goalscorer Record in the FIFA World Cup; U.S. Businesses are Booming During the World Cup Hosting. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired June 23, 2026 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hey, everybody. Thank you so much for joining me for "CNN Newsroom." I'm Polo Sandoval, live in New York, and here's what's ahead.

Will Iran allow nuclear inspectors back in as part of a ceasefire agreement? Both sides seem to be saying that.

And Britain's Labor Party entering a new era after Prime Minister Keir Starmer announces that he's stepping down. We'll be discussing who is likely to be Britain's next leader.

And one for the record books, Lionel Messi. He has now scored more World Cup goals than anyone else.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from New York, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Polo Sandoval.

SANDOVAL: President Trump's top diplomat is currently headed to the Middle East to discuss an agreement with Iran. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be traveling to the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain, all of them key U.S. allies in the region. He will also be meeting with the Gulf Cooperation Council, an alliance of six Arab nations that is expected to play a key role in implementing the elements of that memorandum.

Meanwhile, there are some conflicting statements from the U.S. Vice Presidents and Tehran on whether nuclear inspectors will be allowed back into Iran. As Iran's state media reported that Tehran did not discuss the nuclear issue during negotiations in Switzerland and they did not accept any commitments.

CNN's Nic Robertson has more from Switzerland.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Look, I think the Iranians are also trying to sell the successes of their time here in Switzerland to their audience. We've heard from the foreign minister saying the test of this is going to be on how well the ceasefire works in Lebanon.

They came into this saying that they wanted a ceasefire in Lebanon, they refused to come to the talks that have been scheduled for Friday. And there has been an agreement around that of sorts.

A deconfliction cell has been created to try to, you know, stop certain escalations of violence. It's a bandaid, but it keeps the memorandum of understanding on track, if you will. It sort of battens down that part of the agreement for now.

So he's selling that to the population that way. The foreign minister of Iran has been selling to the population as well that they're getting some sanctions relief. There's been pushback on the U.S. side about that, J.D. Vance explained their view.

This is where we're at. The memorandum of understanding was signed last week, but there's very little action that's actually happened to advance anything. There have been disagreements as we've heard about the role of the IAEA, that's all a detail that has to be hammered out.

The sanctions relief, when and how it happens. The frozen assets relief, how and when it happens. All of those are details that get hammered out along the way.

Where we're at, they've agreed up here a structure, you know, sort of a high body to oversee, a monitoring structure, a grievances structure, some sort of lower level groups on the sanctions, on the nuclear issues that agree at technical level. They've got this structure, technical reports to political reports into that overall body that the sort of high level committee that it's called.

But the actual stuff that really needs to get agreed, that was the wording was found to get this memorandum of understanding. The real stuff in that has to be agreed. It doesn't really feel as if we've moved forward on that.

But given the tensions over the weekend, that agreement, the MOU is still in place. Both sides telling it to their populations. There are differences of opinion.

And that's how it's going to be until it finally gets nailed down on what's what and what the specifics are.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: All right, let's go now to Nabih Boulos, Middle East Bureau Chief for the "Los Angeles Times," joining me from Beirut. Nabih, so good to see you. Thank you for joining us.

NABIH BULOS, MIDDLE EAST BUREAU CHIEF, "LOS ANGELES TIMES": Thank you.

SANDOVAL: So you just heard my colleague right now reporting there from the region saying that there seems to be this lack of forward movement right now when it comes to these negotiations since the memorandum of understanding was signed. In your view and in your reporting, just how much progress has actually been made in these first few days of these so-called technical negotiations, if any?

BULOS: Well, I think it is worth noting that the JCPOA took about 600 days for it to be finalized.

[03:05:02]

So let me just put this in context. We're expecting this to be done in 60 days, this iteration of the agreement, when the original one, the one that was torn up by Trump in his first term, took 600 days.

So I mean, we just have to sort of be realistic about what is possible right now. And of course, there are a lot of issues that have to be nailed down. Now, I mean, with that being said, there have been encouraging noises from both sides, right?

We have heard of this tranche of $6 billion each being released. We've heard the situation of, for example, some of this stuff being used to buy basic products, etc.

So there is, I suppose, well, I suppose there are the trappings of movements, but we haven't seen anything concrete yet. But it is early days, to be fair.

SANDOVAL: Yes, you know, and adding to that list, there's that so- called hotline that's been established to resolve any sort of issues in the Strait of Hormuz, this monitoring structure that they talked about. But ultimately, though, I'm glad you mentioned the JCPOA, too, Nabih.

What's your understanding right now of those sanctions? How does the sanctions relief for Iran under the Trump administration compare to what we saw in the Obama JCPOA that you just mentioned? Does it seem that with this new deal, Iran gets this relief almost up front before adhering to any sort of concessions?

BULOS: Well, so again, we have to see what's going to happen in the coming days. Let's be clear, right?

All this stuff can basically be done in a certain fashion, but until it's actually approved and implemented, you know, it could be a long ways away. And again, I'll compare this, for example, with Syria, where the sanctions were in place for a long time, and then the Trump administration had the desire to remove them, and it took quite some time to actually implement that removal.

And in fact, it's still ongoing at some level. So again, this will take time.

Now, as for the sea change, as we're talking about here, I mean, the biggest deal is that Iran will be able to sell its oil at world prices. It's important to note that in the past, I mean, there was no lack of oil with Iran, right?

The issue was that it couldn't sell its oil at market prices because of sanctions and things of that nature, right? This would be a true sea change if it was able to sell its oil at a fair market price. That would actually be a big deal for its coffers. At the same time,

right, we have a situation where we have these frozen funds. Now, there has been talk by Ghalibaf, the head negotiator for Iran, that these tranches of about 6 billion each have been released, or more accurately, that there is a move towards releasing them, right?

But again, this is indicative of the slow, torturous process of actually applying any kind of negotiation and having it have a real impact on the ground. This will all take time. But in principle at least, it seems that Iran is indeed getting a significant amount of financial relief.

SANDOVAL: I wonder if we could also pivot to this mediated talks between Israel and Lebanon. Nabih, where you are in Lebanon, this is certainly something that they have a direct stake in this as they continue to monitor these operations, Israeli operations in southern Lebanon. What will you be looking to come out of that with this ceasefire being tested almost on a daily basis?

BULOS: Well, the problem is twofold. One is that Hezbollah is not a party to the talks that are happening today between the Lebanese and Israeli governments. But also Israel is not a party to the agreements between the U.S. and Iran.

And this is problematic because the fact of the matter is that I suppose the government-mandated ceasefires have had no effect when it comes to actually stopping the fighting in the south of Lebanon. And equally, I suppose the U.S.-Iran understandings have had less of an impact on Israel stopping.

Now, again, this is all happening in a very dynamic situation, so it's changing every day. And in fact, on Sunday was the first day we have had no Israeli air attacks on Lebanon for quite some time now. So that is a big deal.

But that has been a result of the U.S.-Iran agreement and talks, not as a result of the government ones, right? And this is really the key point here, right? The government, the Lebanese government, is actually going into these negotiations somewhat on the back foot, right?

It doesn't really have the ability to enforce anything on the ground when it comes to Hezbollah, because Hezbollah is not under its direct control. And at the same time, Hezbollah has refused to adhere to any of the proceedings from those negotiations so long as it feels that they are not advantageous to it. And that makes sense, of course, if you think of it, because Hezbollah had spent approximately 15 months in the last ceasefire in 2024 not responding to any Israeli fire, but with no effect.

Now, at the same time, the goals are different, right? Hezbollah, I mean, obviously it aims to preserve itself and preserve its influence, whereas the Lebanese government has been intent on dismantling Hezbollah, neutralizing it.

So they are indeed at odds. We'll have to see what happens again. [03:10:02]

SANDOVAL: Yes, I know you've been watching those talks very closely, Nabih Boulos, as always. Thank you so much for all this reporting and your insight.

BULOS: Thank you for having me.

SANDOVAL: Let's go now to Britain's Labor Party, now entering a new era after Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that he will be stepping down. He'll be sworn in M.P. Andy Burnham. He's widely expected to succeed him as party leader.

With Starmer's resignation, it follows months of declining popularity and mounting pressure from lawmakers as well as members of his own government. CNN's Max Foster tells us what else led to Starmer's fall.

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MAX FOSTER, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two years ago, Keir Starmer walked through those black doors with one of the biggest mandates in modern British history. And yet, Monday morning, he announced he was walking back out again after losing the support of his parliamentary party.

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: That is why I will resign as leader of the Labor Party. I have spoken to His Majesty the King this morning to inform him of my decision.

FOSTER (voice-over): Perhaps his best known mistake was appointing veteran Labor politician Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington, despite failing security vetting. While Starmer said he wasn't aware of that, the scandal only compounded when the Epstein files revealed Mandelson had called the convicted pedophile his best pal.

For many in his own party, it confirmed what they already feared. Starmer's judgment couldn't be trusted.

The warning signs came again in May 2025 when the hard-right U.K. Reform Party swept the local elections, ending decades of Labor dominance. The same month, more than 100 of his own lawmakers were calling for him to go.

Then Donald Trump piled on. Keir Starmer will resign, the U.S. President posted on Sunday, before Starmer had even said a word. He failed badly on two very important subjects, immigration and energy.

The man almost certain to replace him, Andy Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester, whose by-election win last Friday dealt the final blow. He now had a seat in Parliament and an eye on something much bigger.

Where Starmer was a London lawyer turned party leader, Burnham's a political chameleon who built his name running Greater Manchester, speaking directly to the industrial communities that abandoned Labor for reform. Whether that's enough to win them back is the question his party now has to answer.

As for the man leaving, an emotional ending.

STARNER: When I leave the biggest job in the country, I shall spend more time on the most important job. Being the best husband I can to my fantastic wife Vic, who has been a rock by my side through good times and bad.

And being the best dad I can to my beautiful children, who are my pride and my joy. Thank you very much.

FOSTER (voice-over): A rare crack of character for a famously controlled politician. Nominations for the leadership contest open July the 9th. Britain may have its seventh Prime Minister in a decade by the summer.

Max Foster, CNN, Downing Street, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Also, later in this hour, we'll be speaking to an expert about the ways that Brexit have essentially reshaped the U.K.'s economy and political landscape.

And staying on the economy, we do want to give you a quick check of some of the markets. Let's start in Asia now, well into the trading.

You see there, Korea's KOSPI close to 10 percent decline. That certainly has to be a pretty significant decline, obviously, that you see there with other Asian markets also on the decline.

European markets just getting started for the day, but also seem to be following suit. Of course, we need to keep a sharp eye on those and try to find out exactly what else is behind the decline in Asian numbers.

Colombia yet to certify official results from Sunday's presidential runoff, where the margin between the two candidates was less than 250,000 votes. But the far right candidate, Abelardo de la Espriella, is already claiming victory after news that he had won the preliminary count.

His opponent, government-backed candidate Ivan Cepeda, is challenging said count. He responded to a so-called victory speech by his far right opponent, saying that the country needs dialogue between the parties.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IVAN CEPEDA, COLOMBIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (through translator): Regardless of the vote count and the results, an agreement and a national dialogue are needed. Because for a country in the state ours is in today, clearly divided into two almost identical and symmetrical halves, it is, to say the least, foolish to think one can forcibly impose ideas, decisions, and measures on the other side.

[03:15:02]

He asked President Petro and me to pack our bags, our suitcases. I don't know why. We aren't going anywhere. In my case, at least, my stance is very clear.

Secondly, he told us, using that metaphorical language, raising his voice a bit, and gesturing emphatically, which is typical of how he presents himself at these kinds of political events, and I'm quoting him almost verbatim, the tiger bites hard, and it can bite even harder.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: CNN contributor Stefano Pozzebon has more on de la Espriella, the Trump-backed candidate who took a page out of the U.S. President's own playbook.

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STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): This is when MAGA politics meets Latin American soccer. Abelardo de la Espriella narrowly edged ahead in Colombia's presidential election on Sunday, thanks in part to a campaign that leaned into spectacle, flashy A.I.- generated content, and the tiger imagery.

ABELARDO DE LA ESPRIELLA, COLOMBIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (through translator): Petro and Cepeda, by disregarding the verdict of the ballot boxes, you are not challenging the tiger. You are challenging millions of citizens who freely gave victory to Jose Manuel and me.

POZZEBON (voice-over): The tiger is his self-appointed nickname to signify his uncompromising approach to crime while casting Colombia's establishment as a swamp. If it sounds familiar, it is.

De la Espriella is a U.S. citizen who used to work in Miami and has close ties to the Florida Republican Party. President Donald Trump endorsed him ahead of the vote and has already congratulated him as president-elect, even though Colombia's electoral authorities are still counting the ballots.

This vote follows the assent of other right-wing leaders across Latin America, from El Salvador's Nayib Bukele to Argentina's Javier Milei, both Trump allies who promised a radical new image of their countries. De la Espriella has no experience in office, and he cultivated an image of a successful entrepreneur with a personal brand of rum and a passionate singer of Italian lyrics.

His supporters all too happy to vote for a Trump lookalike.

UNKNOWN (through translator): I have the U.S. flag because I love this country, its order, its culture, everything about it. When I heard that Trump, our President Trump, was going to support Abelardo, I said, he's the one. That's it.

Why? Because there's no progress without order.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Defending World Cup champion Argentina, red hot so far in the tournament group stage and soccer superstar Lionel Messi doesn't seem to be done breaking World Cup records. When we return, a look at his latest performance on the pitch.

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[03:20:00]

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SANDOVAL: Welcome back.

Just look at the numbers there. Europe, it is sweltering under a growing heat wave, with record temperatures expected across the continent this week; 26 countries, from Ireland to Greece, they issued health alerts on Monday.

There's this heat dome that's basically parked over the continent that's bringing some of Western Europe's highest temperatures on record right now. Temperatures are expected to top 40 degrees Celsius, about 104 degrees Fahrenheit in several countries this week.

And the conditions could be especially dangerous as only about one in five European homes actually have air conditioning. CNN's Melissa Bell trying to keep cool in Paris.

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MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is an intensifying heat wave that is spreading across Europe from Greece all the way through to the west of the continent.

Here, in the world's fastest warming continent, we are seeing a heat wave that authorities are warning will not just intensify, but could prove much longer than average. Already here in France, we've been seeing sweltering temperatures for the last few days, including here, the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris. Normally, you're not allowed to swim, but they made a special exception with many people just seeking a little respite from these temperatures.

Some of the highest expected here in Paris today, with authorities predicting they could be some of the French capital's highest ever on record. We saw it already on Sunday. France had its national music festival, the Fete de la Musique, across the country.

In those hardest hit parts of the country, the public consumption of alcohol was banned in order to try and protect people's health. Authorities really warning people to stay at home as much as they can.

What we're seeing are these alerts across the continent and across, with red alerts here, across half of France. They're the highest level of alert, with things only likely to get worse. What we expect is an intensification through to Wednesday, Thursday, by which time the heat wave should move northwards. It is in the United Kingdom that they expect their heat wave to come

Wednesday and Thursday.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: The World Cup group stages, they are heating up as teams look to hold on to their rankings.

Earlier, Algeria keeping their tournament hopes alive, mounting a late comeback against Jordan. Despite trailing at halftime, Algeria found a second win, pulling ahead in an 82nd minute to win 2-1.

[03:25:00]

In other action on Monday, superstar Kylian Mbappe helping France secure a spot in the knockout stage, scoring a brace against Iraq. Despite thunderstorms and a weather delay in Philadelphia, France finished strong, shutting out Iraq 3-0.

And arguably the biggest story so far from the group stages is the world-class performance from Argentina's Lionel Messi. With two goals against Austria, Messi became the tournament's all-time leading scorer. Monday's 2-0 victory also making him the new record holder for all-time World Cup wins.

Outside of the Dallas Stadium, where that all went down, we find CNN's Carolina Peguero among the fans.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROLINA PEGUERO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Another historic day, historic win, especially for Lionel Messi and the Argentina team. They have won again against Austria this time in this match here at Dallas Stadium. And people, fans, children, adults continue to enjoy this victory, they are ready for the next match.

But in the meantime, they're going to continue to celebrate. They are excited. Messi has officially made record, he has now 18 goals in the history of World Cups.

And it's just a thrilling and exciting day for fans and everybody all across the world who loved football. And I have some fans actually that have been watching from day one.

Tell me how this experience has been for you and what it means that Messi came here to Dallas.

CHRIS RANGEL, ARGENTINA WORLD CUP FAN: It's incredible. I mean, I feel like we've been lacking a lot of emotional people to be here. I mean, if you look around here, everybody's so excited. They're jumping, they're incredible to be here.

So, yes, I mean, the people that have been brought out here from all these different countries, but especially Argentina, who's shown out, it just feels amazing. It feels surreal.

ELEAZAR PALACIOS, ARGENTINA WORLD CUP FAN: It's crazy because I've been supporting Argentina since 2014. And, you know, when they win the World Cup, it's like, oh, we're in America. You know, it's like not really there.

Now you just see everyone here. Everyone's going crazy. Mind you, we're still in the knockout stages.

We're ready for the next round. Bring us anyone you want. Argentina is going to win the whole thing.

Let's go, Argentina, let's go.

PEGUERO: So there you have it. Fans are excited for that next match. That will be Saturday here again at the Dallas Stadium. We've heard that Shakira was also in the stadium cheering on Messi and the team.

For now, that's all we have. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Well, it is the hottest World Cup mascot entering the world. Is, I should ask, is the hottest World Cup mascot entering the world of politics?

Merlin the Duck. We know him well. You see, he showed up at Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum's weekly news conference on Monday morning.

Merlin, you see him there. He even had his own chair. He has become widely popular in Mexico for wearing the colors of Mexico's national team and those socks.

And like any good politician, the President knows a good photo op when she sees him posing for pictures with Merlin and his family. Merlin's owner also sharing her personal story and what she believes has brought so many people around the world together rallying around Merlin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: Let the whole world see the beautiful side of Mexico. I feel that is the reason we've gone so viral, because they've seen a hardworking family, a family that gets up every day to earn a living and support the family. So I think that's why the world has its eyes on us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: It's on the way, Britain's revolving door of prime ministers takes yet another turn. Coming up, what Keir Starmer's resignation means for the ruling Labor Party and for the future of the U.K.

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[03:30:00]

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SANDOVAL: Welcome back. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York, and these are today's top stories.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is heading to the Middle East to discuss the Iran agreement with key regional allies. He will be meeting with officials in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain. Iran has agreed to set up a so-called telephone hotline to prevent and resolve any misunderstandings with the U.S. when it comes to ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

A gunman opened fire in Montreal, prompting a shootout with police that killed at least two people. The incident leaving the city paralyzed for hours as law enforcement sources believe that it was a targeted attack on police. The suspect was later confirmed to have also been killed, and police believe that he acted alone, officials are examining a so-called manifesto that they believe was written by the suspect.

Britain's Prime Minister says that the process to choose his successor will begin on July 9th. Keir Starmer announcing his resignation on Monday after months of pressure from his Labor Party to step down. Nearly sworn in M.P. Andy Burnham, widely expected to replace him as Prime Minister.

Giles Wilkes, I should say, is a senior fellow for the Institute for Government, an independent British Think Tank. He joins me from London.

Wilkes Giles, I'm so sorry. It's been a very busy last 24 hours when it comes to this story, but we're so grateful that you could join us.

[03:35:02]

Curious if you could just give us your insight and some of your expertise here. How much of a gamble is this for Britain's Labor Party, and with another Prime Minister stepping down, doesn't that essentially make it set up yet another chapter of political uncertainty?

GILES WILKES, SENIOR FELLOW, INSTITUTE FOR GOVERNMENT: Well, I would say the Labor Party probably decided that it's no longer a gamble because things have gotten so worse in terms of popularity and credibility under the previous Prime Minister that they thought they might as well throw the dice.

I mean, if you trust opinion polls, Andy Burnham, the likely next Prime Minister in a few weeks' time, is one of the few popular politicians in the country. He won this by-election handsomely last Thursday. And Keir Starmer, quite unfairly you might say, is an incredibly unpopular Prime Minister.

And the Labor Party might have thought there's literally no chance of us being able to recover under the current situation. So I'd say it's probably, it looks risky, but hanging on would have been risky too.

SANDOVAL: Giles, let me also ask you this. What do we need to know about Andy Burnham right now? He's likely to be the U.K.'s next Prime Minister, especially after his victory in the special election. It's widely seen sort of as what started to trigger or at least set the stage for the events of Monday morning.

What should we know about him and especially his foreign policy? Are there any similarities between him and the outgoing Starmer, policy- wise?

WILKES: Well, that's a fascinating question on foreign policy because to know about Andy Burnham, he's been in British politics in some form or other for most of this century. But starting off as an adviser to the sort of Gordon Brown, Tony Blair operation, then a cabinet minister in that same government, then a shadow minister, then mayor of Manchester-- Greater Manchester, which is arguably the second city in this country and a part of this country that's been prospering quite well.

He became incredibly popular there, he stood up for Manchester when COVID rules were regarded as being too onerous and not respecting their needs. And he built his popularity from there. But one thing you'll know about mayors in this country is they don't need to have a foreign policy.

So I think you've identified one of the big unknowns. I mean, he represents probably a slightly more left-wing part of the Labor government. So he might be more sceptical towards Israel, maybe more sceptical towards the United States President, but honestly, that's one of the big blanks that needs filling in.

SANDOVAL: And actually, on that last point that you mentioned, Alas, the issue of the relationship between the U.K. and the United States, or at least the leaders of both of those countries, how would you see that dynamic playing out with President Trump?

WILKES: Well, there's a fascinating tension here. On one side of the tension, you've got the fact that you tend to become more popular in your country if you stand up against Donald Trump.

Look what happened with Mark Carney. You're also seeing it with Giorgio Meloni, who Donald Trump has said some fairly rude things about her, and she's kicked back. And I think that gives her support back in Italy.

So on the one hand, you've got to show that you can stand up to the guy who looks like a bit of a bully from across the water. On the other hand, America is our essential partner in defense, in the economy, in anything that relies on international cooperation. We want to stay on good terms.

And so any Prime Minister in this situation, including Keir Starmer, who started off well with Donald Trump, needs to kind of navigate that tension. They need to show that they're a firm friend, but one who stands up for their own interests. And it's going to be really interesting to see if he can pull that one off.

SANDOVAL: Yes, absolutely. Giles, I have about a minute left with you. I wonder if you could just leave us with what U.K. voters are needing in their next leader.

I mean, 10 years into Brexit, and there's so much of that that's clearly not working. What do you think they hope to see from the man that replaces or the person that replaces Keir Starmer?

WILKES: I guess what they really need and they've been missing is a leader in total control of their party who can deliver on what they say. So we thought we'd have that with Keir Starmer, because he won a really commanding majority.

And in this country, that means you control all the branches of the state. And if Andy Burnham can command the loyalty of Labor MPs, push through a positive agenda that takes advantage of all the great positives this country has to offer, then, you know, we might finally turn the page on what has been a really difficult and pretty dismal 10 years since that Brexit referendum.

SANDOVAL: Giles Wilkes, it's an absolute pleasure. Thank you so much for being with us. Live from London.

WILKES: Thank you.

SANDOVAL: All right. Now to an absolutely heartbreaking update in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie.

Investigators now confirming that a note sent to CNN and another media outlet in February that said that Guthrie had died soon after she was abducted from her Arizona home, and that whoever kidnapped her did not mean to kill her.

[03:40:03]

And it was sent right after a ransom note demanding millions of dollars in exchange for Guthrie's release. Authorities do believe that both notes came from the kidnapper or kidnappers.

Law enforcement had requested to hold off on reporting what was in those notes so that they could then verify any sort of future communications with the abductors. They say that the investigation is still active and ongoing.

And earlier, CNN's Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst John Miller spoke with our Anderson Cooper. Here's part of their conversation, including where the investigation stands.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: The first note, which comes from the same source as the second note, had certain details about the home, about where items were placed, not just the kind you could find on the internet by looking for pictures of Nancy Guthrie at home, but where certain items were placed that night and other details that made the FBI ultimately conclude that that was the legitimate note.

The second note came from the same place and basically said, you're not going to hear from us again. You know, our business is done. Sorry it worked out this way.

And the investigation is still very much alive. There is no particular leading suspect. There's no key person of interest.

But that said, a lot of work is being done on the video that's been collected, on cellular traffic in the area, on other leads. And frankly, this coming out now, even though it came out from a leak in a different publication, frankly, they think it may stir the pot because one human tip from someone who actually knows could advance the case a lot faster than what they're doing right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Hundreds of protesters have returned to the streets of Albania's capital. The movement dubbed the Flamingo Revolution started its opposition to a proposed luxury resort development that was planned on protected coastal wetlands, where the project has ties to Donald Trump's family. But as demonstrations enter their fourth week now, the movement has expanded into demands for governmental reforms and the resignation of senior government officials.

After the break, here on "CNN Newsroom," a look at the cost of the war with Iran. The ships begin to trickle through the Strait of Hormuz nearly four months after the conflict started. Stay with us.

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[03:45:00]

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SANDOVAL: Welcome back. Here are your business headlines at this hour.

Former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan has died, he served five terms under four presidents, starting with Ronald Reagan. Greenspan presided over one of the strongest economic expansions in U.S. history, but he was later blamed for bank failures and also the collapse of the housing market in the late 2000s. Alan Greenspan was 100 years old.

Top officials of BRICS nations, they are currently gathering this week in New Delhi. China's foreign minister meeting with diplomats from South Africa and Egypt. He's also meeting with India's national security adviser. India's foreign ministry says the talks on normalizing relations between the two countries were constructive and forward-looking.

Oil prices, they are responding to reports that U.S. and Iran have made progress in the latest round of talks. Both global and U.S. crude oil benchmarks, they fell on Monday and are dipping further today, and this says oil traders keep a very close eye on how negotiators handle the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. According to new data, shipping traffic is trickling through the

Strait of Hormuz again, but it's still well below pre-war levels. CNN's David Goldman takes us a look at how much the war with Iran has actually cost.

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DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: Four months after the United States and Israel started their war on Iran, and now that it looks like the Strait of Hormuz is opening, the question is how much did this war cost?

Well, there's a couple ways that you can measure that, and I think that the first one, the most obvious one, is going to be the dollar figure, and that's around $40 billion.

But I wrote it least here, and the reason for that is that there's a measurement here that doesn't really get factored in, and that's the $1 trillion Pentagon budget, because all of the operational costs, well, that can come out of that budget. So on top of the $40 billion, you have an unknown sum, and the Pentagon just asked for another $20 billion, so this could go up significantly.

But that's not the only way to measure that. Obviously, there's the economic cost as well. And for consumers, well, 4.2 percent.

That's the big number that all of us know in the United States. That is the inflation rate. That's how much prices have gone up, and most of this is energy.

About 60 percent of the monthly rise last month was because of energy, and this is the highest that we've had in nearly four years. So the thing that I think a lot of people are wondering is how much higher does this go?

Well, we don't know, but it certainly seems like this could continue to rise, even though oil and gas prices are falling, because more than just gas goes into this, and when diesel prices rise, all the stuff that's on the truck that diesel powers, that rises too. This could be going up for a little bit longer, economists think.

[03:50:04]

Now, that's not the only way to measure that either. You can look at the oil market, and this number, 1.15 billion barrels, that is the amount that we have lost since the war started.

All of that supply, and that's basically just 11, 12 million barrels per day out of the Strait of Hormuz, times about 100 days of war. Well, that is how much we have not gotten from the Strait of Hormuz that we otherwise would have.

Now, that's a lot of oil, certainly, because the IEA, the International Energy Agency, says, well, we could be getting around 5 million barrels per day, more than supply, just in the last -- over the course of the next year or so. Well, at that rate, it would take 230 days to refill.

But the thing is that that isn't starting now. That clock starts when the Strait of Hormuz starts opening up all the way.

Right now, we're only seeing, you know, somewhere around 26 ships in the last day cross through the Strait of Hormuz, that is normally more than 100. And so, we've got a long way to go before we can start to get back to normal.

How much does the war cost? It depends on how you measure it. But no matter how you measure it, it costs a lot.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: David Goldman, thank you.

And still to come here on "CNN Newsroom," some U.S. businesses, they are seeing a boost from World Cup traffic. We'll show you how they're trying to capitalize before some of these tourists pack up and go home.

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SANDOVAL: Well, he was known as the man with the golden ears. Record producer and music industry executive Clive Davis passed away at the age of 94. He started his career as a lawyer, but he went on to work for Columbia Records in 1960.

He's credited with discovering or developing a very long list of stars, including Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel, just to name a few. Davis won four Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

That's 81-year-old singer Rod Stewart pausing a concert in the state of Utah after joking that he might fall over. The rock icon was offered some oxygen and also a seat before finishing his show in West Valley City, which, we should point out, sits more than 1200 meters above sea level.

[03:55:07]

Well, two days later, Stewart was back on stage for another performance, this time in California.

Businesses across the U.S. are seeing some increased foot traffic in cities hosting World Cup matches. We're seeing that here in New York. Joe Ripley with CNN affiliate WXIA spoke with Atlanta restaurants about the boost to sales during this tournament.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE RIPLEY, WXIA JOURNALIST (voice-over): Converting excitement and cheers to dollars and cents, businesses across Atlanta hope to cash in from the FIFA World Cup. JOSH CALVIN, CO-OWNER, BOTTLE ROCKET: There's a confidence to what's

going on here. It just feels solid.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Josh Calvin, co-owner of Bottle Rocket in South Downtown, says he's already seen the success soccer can drive in the city.

CALVIN: Soccer in Atlanta has, as we've seen, taken a real strong foothold. MLS has been great. I mean, it literally changed the landscape of our business over there.

RIPLEY (voice-over): His business partner, Bonnie McKinnon, says expectations are high as they've spent weeks planning, preparing, hiring extra staff, and stocking more ingredients to handle the large crowds.

BONNIE MCKINNON, CO-OWNER, BOTTLE ROCKET: So I think we're going to see a lot of foot traffic. I think that we're going to see a lot of international and domestic people coming here and ready to have a good time.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Over at the Battery in Cobb County, a spillover effect at Walk-On Sports Bistro.

CHRIS WILLIAMS, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS, WALK-ON SPORTS BISTRO: Fans coming in from all over the place, you know, really rolling into town. In Atlanta, but yes, we see that out here as well.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Senior Director of Operations, Chris Williams, says he's noticed soccer fans piling inside the restaurant for watch parties.

WILLIAMS: Being in Atlanta, being the melting pot that it is, we see fans of all different backgrounds coming to our restaurants, which is terrific. Generally, this time of the year is a bit slower.

Now, this year we have the World Cup, which is awesome. The summertime has definitely picked up in comparison to usual. The Braves are doing great this year.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Atlanta City officials predicted each World Cup match would produce the economic impact of about 1.5 Super Bowls. And for those battling higher costs and fighting to stay in business, the beautiful game could give them the boost they need to survive.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Let's take you to Germany now. It was the ultimate dash for these pups with their short legs, long bodies, and those floppy ears, flying more than 100 dachshunds, taking part in the Dachau Open in the Bavarian town of Dachau. It's a region that's long associated with these popular wiener dogs.

The dachshunds, as they're widely known in Germany, race to the finish line, motivated by the greatest prize of all, a treat or their favorite toy waved by their owners. As for every other breed, they were also welcome to attend, but only in the audience.

Thank you so much for joining me in the last hour of news. I'm Polo Sandoval, in New York. I'll join you again in a few moments with more "CNN Newsroom."

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