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All Three Zohran Mamdani-Backed Democrats Win House Primaries; Marco Rubio In Middle East To Discuss Iran Agreement With Gulf Allies; Donald Trump To Meet Senate Republicans On Capitol Hill Wednesday; Heat Wave Grips Multiple European Nations; Chief World Cup Watchers Track Tournament From Times Square; North Korea Commissions Its Largest-Ever Warship. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired June 24, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:36]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, primaries and runoffs in New York and South Carolina may preview midterms later this year. We'll break down the major wins and losses.

Record-breaking heat wave with deadly consequences steams through Europe. We will tell you more about its impact.

And fans from around the world gather for more World Cup matches. We talk to two of the tournament's biggest supporters.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us. Well, another election night in America, with just a few months to go until the November midterms, millions of voters in four states cast their ballots in congressional primaries or runoffs. The big story, a clean sweep for New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. All three candidates he endorsed won their House Democratic primaries, including Brad Lander, who upset incumbent Congress member Dan Goldman.

In New York's 12th House district, CNN projects State Assembly Member Micah Lasher will advance to the general election. Eight candidates were vying for the chance to replace Representative Jerry Nadler after 17 terms. This race featured bids from JFK's grandson, Jack Schlossberg, and George Conway, a longtime Republican and ex-husband of Trump's former campaign manager Kellyanne Conway.

In South Carolina, CNN can project a winner in the Republican governor's runoff. State Attorney General Alan Wilson will defeat Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette, who gained an early endorsement from President Donald Trump. She conceded the race late Tuesday night. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAMELA EVETTE, SOUTH CAROLINA LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR: And so just a few minutes ago I called Alan Wilson to congratulate him on his win tonight, and to tell him that he has my support as the party's nominee. I'm committed, and I hope you all join me in doing everything we can to ensure a win in November.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: President Trump also endorsed Wilson last week, saying you can't go wrong by backing both candidates. Wilson is favored heading into the general election later this year.

Well, now to New York, where CNN's Chief U.S. National Affairs Correspondent Jeff Zeleny has more on the wins for Mayor Mamdani's candidates.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: A remarkable primary night in New York for Mayor Zohran Mamdani, performing a clean sweep of all the competitive congressional races here in New York. Two Democratic incumbent members of Congress falling to defeat by leftist candidates backed by Mayor Mamdani.

Now, this is just six months after him taking office, making the decision to inject himself into these races, and it clearly paid off. A seismic primary day in New York, without question.

Also, a Kennedy family member, Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of President John F. Kennedy, falling to defeat a distant third place in a separate congressional primary to fill the seat of longtime Congressman Jerry Nadler, but he said Democrats should take lessons from this race.

JACK SCHLOSSBERG , U.S. HOUSE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE: We need to do things differently. We don't just need younger candidates, we need different leaders, we need different voices, we need different instincts, and different styles.

ZELENY: Now, supporters of Schlossberg gathered here in Midtown Manhattan. They clearly were not expecting someone with his family name and his strength to fall so considerably, but there's no doubt that this is an anti-establishment moment in this Democratic party.

A bigger question going forward is Mayor Mamdani clearly got his candidates across the finish line. What does that mean for Hakeem Jeffries? He's, of course, as the Democratic House leader. If Democrats win control of Congress in November, he could be the House speaker.

Clearly, the leftist candidates here will impact the makeup of that, but for all of the discussions of this primary, it has very little to do with the outcome of the midterm elections in November, because in deep blue New York, these seats are almost sure to be Democratic, but what it does do is send a clear message that the Democratic socialists are alive and well, at least in blue cities in Democratic primaries.

[02:05:20]

Jeff Zeleny, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Joining me now for more on the New York elections is Harry Siegel, senior editor at The City Reporter. He's also co-host of the FAQ NYC podcast. Appreciate you joining us.

HARRY SIEGEL, SENIOR EDITOR, THE CITY REPORTER: Thank you for having me.

CHURCH: Of course. So, a clean sweep for New York Mayor Mamdani, with all three of his endorsed Democratic socialist candidates winning their House primaries. What message does this send the Democratic Party ahead of the November midterms, do you think?

SIEGEL: It's pretty huge. The socialist caucus in Congress is going to double in size from two to four with Mamdani's members there, candidates who the socialists backed in state races won seven of eight, so this was really something like an across the board sweep.

And there was this sense that maybe Mamdani's theory of the case had peaked with Mamdani and big turnout and tremendous success from his candidates, who all over performed basically all expectations, and most polling, both with their victories and some of the margins of victories, indicates what rapid shift the party was in.

If I'm Hakeem Jeffries, this is happening in his backyard, he just averted having a challenger. The head of the DSA here tweeted right after the results started coming in, Chi Osse, who wanted to run against Mamdani, would have won. And these socialists are thinking a lot, and directly they're saying so, about this influencing the party ahead of the 2028 presidential election, and indicating the direction its voters in New York City, at least in New York State, are pretty clearly going.

CHURCH: So, Harry, are these Democratic socialist wins unique to New York City, or perhaps a litmus test for the rest of the country? And what does this mean up against the most recent polling, which shows nearly half of all American voters now identify as Independents.

SIEGEL: It's definitely unique to New York in some ways, but significant for the Democratic Party and many others.

I think the biggest thing you're seeing here in the Republican Party has been through this with draining the swamp is that the no one -- no one respects the establishment anymore, and what's left of it is increasingly Potemkin.

So, many of the institutional players, even in New York and the old Democratic Party, wind up behind the candidates who just lost, and in several cases got steamrolled, and it turned out that the collective value of the old Democratic establishment, organized labor, and all of that paled in comparison to this movement that's brought out new voters and participants. It's a big shift.

CHURCH: Right. Of course, this trend isn't just confined to New York City, though, is that there's Democratic Socialist Mayor Katie Wilson in Seattle and in L.A. and Washington, D.C., Democratic socialists could be elected in November. So, what's going on here for the Democratic Party?

SIEGEL: I think the party lost connection with its base most dramatically in cities, and where it's actually been often newer arrivals, more affluent arrivals, and often wider voters who have been powering some of this movement.

And I think an establishment that was slow to pick up on these electoral trends has started to get steamrolled in these deep blue cities. Obviously, the dynamics in swing districts are very different, but the will of the caucus, the center of the party, is always very important.

And this sort of shift in primaries, I think, indicates some pretty fundamental changes. And then an open question how those are received in 2028 and when these -- when these questions are nationalized.

CHURCH: And Harry, how much of this outcome is a reaction to President Donald Trump on issues like immigration affordability, Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu, and the war in Iran?

SIEGEL: All of those, I think the most significant thing, though, may simply be that Donald Trump won a second term, and I think collapse in the Democratic establishment -- confidence in the Democratic establishment, excuse me, collapsed at that point.

So, Dan Goldman, who just lost very badly, an incumbent Dan Goldman to Brad Lander, his challenger, was endorsed by Mamdani, right, like, his bona fide when he first ran against a split progressive field, which is how he ended up winning, was that, you know, he'd been -- he'd led one of the Trump impeachments, and that seemed very appealing when Trump seemed like the anomaly in American history.

[02:10:15]

Increasingly, it seems like the Obama-Biden years were the anomaly, and with Trump's concern, the in case of emergency break glass instinct that led to Trump's rise is seeing its parallel or mirror image in the Democratic Party now, where the old establishment is simply not holding.

CHURCH: Harry Siegel, thanks so much for joining us. Appreciate it.

SIEGEL: Rosemary, thank you so much.

CHURCH: Thank you. Well, President Trump's top diplomat is in the Middle East to hear what Gulf allies are saying about the U.S.-Iran agreement. Right now, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in Abu Dhabi. He will then travel to Kuwait and Bahrain. This as the latest round of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon are taking place in Washington, D.C. Although Tehran insists the issues are linked to negotiations with Iran, Rubio says the Lebanon talks are separate. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: It's separate, because Lebanon is a sovereign country. Now, there's an Iranian issue with regards to Lebanon, and that is their support and sponsorship of Hezbollah.

And so, that factor will be discussed as part of our conversations with the Iranians, but as far as the future of Lebanon, the future of Lebanon belongs to the Lebanese people through their sovereign collective government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: We're also hearing conflicting statements about the U.S.-Iran agreement. Despite Tehran's denial, President Trump claims Iran has agreed to new nuclear inspections.

Eleni Giokos joins us now live from Dubai with the latest. Good to see you, Eleni. So, what's expected to come out of Secretary Rubio's meetings with Gulf allies, what more are you learning about these conflicting statements we're hearing about the U.S.-Iran agreement?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Rosemary. And yes, there's a lot of issues in terms of mixed messaging right now, but frankly, that has been the case when it comes to negotiations between Iran and the United States, since the war started.

So, Marco Rubio, the U.S. Secretary of State, is currently in the UAE, is going to be heading to Kuwait, as well as Bahrain, listening to regional allies, but also importantly, is going to try and convince them of this memorandum of understanding, this framework that has been agreed upon in terms of opening a wider negotiation window that's going to last for 60 days.

What is interesting here is that Iran's missile program was not included in the original MOU, and for regional allies here, of course, that means long-term security issues, and what that alt -- it's a huge question mark.

Rubio was also making a distinction between Israel and Lebanon, and that's separate from what we see in Iran. Iran has made it explicitly clear for quite some time that a ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran includes Lebanon, so that's going to be an interesting sticking point, one that, of course, leaders are going to have to work through in the next few days.

In terms of the nuclear issue, that has also come up, Iran says that they did not commit to further nuclear inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency, and then, importantly, that's totally different from what we're hearing from Washington, D.C.

But we've also heard from Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, and saying that they're sticking to the plan, and it does not include Iran's missile program. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MASOUD PEZESHKIAN, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The issue of our missiles does not exist in the memorandum we had, and it never will. If we did not have our missiles, which were for our self- defense, Israel and America would have attacked Iran like they did Gaza, showing no mercy to anyone, young or old.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: So, Rubio is going to have to not only listen to allies, their concerns, but also try and see if he can weave in some of these issues into the talks over the next 60 days.

CHURCH: And Eleni, what is the latest on the situation in the Strait of Hormuz right now?

GIOKOS: Yes, and that's the big flashpoint in all of this. I mean, terms of freedom of navigation. What's interesting is yesterday Iran and Oman came out with a joint statement about future navigation in the Strait, and how they're planning to work together. They mentioned associated costs and fees with the services that they will be offering to shippers. We don't know what that ultimately means, but some experts that I spoke to say it leaves the door open for some kind of fee, whether they call it a fee or a toll, remains to be seen. But people are reading between the lines.

We've also spoken quite a lot about the seafarers that have been trapped in the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the war. The U.N. Maritime Organization says they're going to start an evacuation plan of 11,000 seafarers that are currently trapped. Importantly, we have seen an increase in traffic over the last few days.

[02:15:01]

But there is still very much sort of a big dose of confusion, because some say the Strait is open and closed simultaneously. The northern route, that is basically controlled by Iran, they say you've got a fill in a form, then we'll give you free access. The Southern route, which is controlled by the United States, seems to not be interfered with by run at this point in time.

And, of course the international section, the TSS in the middle of the strait, no one is approaching that because there are concerns about mine threats, and that's still very much being a reality.

But encouragingly, so we are seeing more vessels transiting through, but definitely not anywhere close to what we see at pre-war levels.

CHURCH: All right, Eleni Giokos is joining us live with that report from Dubai. Appreciate it.

Well, President Trump insists that Americans would support his plan to ask for another $80 billion to cover the cost of the Iran war. It comes as members of his own party helped pass a Senate resolution to rein in his Iran war powers. Manu Raju has the latest from Capitol Hill. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: President Trump comes to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to meet with Senate Republicans at a time when relations have been frosty between the Senate Republican leaders and the President over his agenda over some of the things that he has been doing that has essentially undercut how the Senate Majority Leader John Thune has tried to advance a series of issues, whether it's dealing with the vacancy of the Director of National Intelligence, trying to move the confirmation proceedings of Jay Clayton, who Trump had nominated for that position, and Trump essentially told Clayton to step aside, not go ahead with that, because Trump has demanded pass a separate bill, the Save America Act.

That bill to require people to have proof of citizenship before they are allowed to register to vote. That bill does not have the votes to pass the United States Senate, but Trump is still dead set on it passing somehow, some way, and has essentially stalled the Senate GOP agenda until he sees that passage as a result, not just Jay Clayton not getting confirmed to that post, but also a key surveillance authority under the Foreign Surveillance -- Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act has gone dark for weeks, and it could continue to go on dark if Trump continues to hold the line on that issue.

But there are so many other things that has caused concern within the ranks, namely Iran. Both Senate Republicans and House Republicans have raised concerns about the proposed deal with Iran and the proposal to ease sanctions on Iran, even if the administration announced that it would move to lift some oil sanctions, which has gotten some blowback on Capitol Hill.

REP. DON BACON (R-NE): I'm concerned about it. They're getting money that they can use. All money is fungible, and this money can help support their terrorism. I feel like, in this case, it appears to me the president wanted a deal really bad before the November election. I get it, but in the end, I think Iran is getting the better end of this.

RAJU: The president will meet with Senate Republicans after four GOP senators defied the President on Tuesday evening, joining with Democrats to vote to limit his powers on Iran. They actually adopted a House proposal, said the first time the House and Senate have spoken with one voice and approved a measure, saying yes, it is time for Donald Trump to come to Congress first before escalating things with Iran.

Now, that is a symbolic measure, does not actually force the president's hand in any way, but the fact that those senators broke ranks and that the House did so shows you the pressure the president is under from members on both wings of the Senate and House GOP, and behind closed doors, when he meets with Senate Republicans on Tuesday, that issue will undoubtedly come up.

How will the president defend himself, and will any GOP senators confront him? That's going to be a big question to watch as this meeting unfolds in the afternoon on Wednesday in the Senate. Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: An independent United Nations Commission says Israeli forces are continuing to commit genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and are deliberately targeting children. The new report was released Tuesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SRINIVASAN MURALIDHAR, CHAIR, U.N. COMMISION OF INQUIRY: Based on all the evidence gathered, the report makes legal findings and concludes that the Israeli authorities and the Israeli security forces have deliberately targeted and killed Palestinian children and destroyed their childhood.

Israeli authorities and the Israeli security forces are responsible for crimes against humanity, including persecution and war crimes in the Gaza Strip and war crimes in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The report released today further substantiates a finding on genocide.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The report also details Israel's continued attacks in Gaza and its blocking of humanitarian and medical aid to Palestinians. Israel's government has repeatedly denied committing genocide.

[02:20:05]

President Trump says he plans to sign a new landmark housing affordability bill. The measure was approved by Congress in a bipartisan effort aimed at lowering the cost of home ownership nationwide. Potential solutions include boosting the supply of homes and reforming local zoning and permitting restrictions. The bill also includes a first of its kind provision that limits large investors from buying up single family homes.

The U.S. Supreme Court hit an unusual milestone on Tuesday ahead of the end of its term next week. The nation's highest court has already handed down more decisions split along ideological lines, 6-3, with a Conservative majority than it did during its entire term last year, four of the five opinions released on Tuesday were split 6-3. The court still has several major cases to decide before the end of June, including disputes on birthright citizenship, presidential power, transgender rights, and other issues. It's navigating a charged political atmosphere during President Trump's second term, drawing sharp criticism from both the right and the left.

People across much of Europe are battling a major heat wave as temperatures soar. We will talk to an expert about what's causing it and what people should do to stay cool. Back with that and more in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:26:00]

CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. A major heat wave has people sweltering across Europe, with France at the epicenter of the extreme weather.

Tuesday was the hottest day on record in France, and Wednesday could be even hotter. The heat forced officials to close the Eiffel Tower, leaving some tourists disappointed. The extreme temperatures are also disrupting transportation in Switzerland. Officials say the high temperatures can cause railroad tracks to expand, creating potential safety concerns.

And in the U.K., hundreds of schools are either closing or moving to half days. Officials are also warning of severe impacts on energy and water. Some people are struggling to cope with the unusually high temperatures.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I came here quickly. I haven't even had my coffee this morning. I run here to buy an electric fan, maybe an air conditioner, but really there aren't any left.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Paris, when temperatures go higher than 25 degrees, is just hell on earth. It's catastrophic in a transport system. No, I'm not sleeping well, but I don't think I'm the only one.

Of course, I'm worried for the coming years, we've known about this climate change for a while, and no one does anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Joining us to discuss the heat wave is Peter Thorne, Professor and Director of the ICARUS Climate Research Centre in Oxford, England. Thanks so much for joining us.

PETER THORNE, PROFESSOR AND DIRECTOR, ICARUS CLIMATE RESEARCH CENTRE: Thank you. Good morning.

CHURCH: So, what is causing this extreme heat wave across Europe right now, and are these types of heat waves with record high temperatures becoming the new norm?

THORNE: So, it's a combination of meteorology, whether these things have happened for a long time, but they're being supercharged by humans by our emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gasses, and yes, they are becoming more frequent. We have just had another one of similarly gobsmacking magnitude happen just three, four weeks ago, which break all sorts of May records across much of the same area as this heat wave is impacting.

CHURCH: So, climate change is the main factor here?

THORNE: Climate change is exacerbating, this would have been anomalously warm anyway, but climate change is adding that fuel to the fire. It's adding probably three four degrees, that will be confirmed over coming weeks by various studies, undoubtedly, but I would say three, four, five, degrees centigrade is being added by what we have done to the climate over the past 200 years.

CHURCH: And forecasters are predicting more record-breaking temperatures this month across Europe, and severe weather. How much hotter could it get, do you think?

THORNE: So, interestingly, the Met Office looked at this a year ago and said that June temperatures 40 degrees were entirely plausible with today's climate, but equally they've looked out to 2050 and in 2050, it would not be beyond the realms of possibility to be hitting 40. Five degrees in parts of the U.K., which is unimaginable.

CHURCH: It certainly is, and while we're on that topic, I mean, it is worth mentioning that very few homes across Europe currently have air conditioning, so that intensifies the impact of these record high temperatures on the elderly and the very young, particularly. What do people need to be doing to cool themselves down, but also keep their homes as cool as possible?

THORNE: So, it's worse than that, even because the homes have generally been designed to retain heat. So, we're basically cooking in our house -- in our houses, in many cases within much of Europe. People need to keep the sun out, basically to any way they can. If they've got shutters, close the shutters. If they've got towels or things they can put against the window, cool the windows, anything. Don't open the window in the middle of the day, that's the worst thing you can do. Keep your house from gaining as much of the solar radiation as possible during the day, and then let it cool at night.

[02:30:00]

That's a relative term when nights are 25 degrees in some parts of Europe right now, but nevertheless cool it a bit at night. But then also, there are heat health plans, there are cool places where people can go, there are things that you can do. So seek out cool areas as much as you can. Use the amenities and the supports that are available. We have learned a lot since the first heat wave like this in 2003 when tens of thousands died.

That doesn't mean we won't have excess mortality this time. But we have learned and you need to avail of the facilities that people have -- that local authorities and governments have put forward.

CHURCH: So do you see a situation where more than likely people across Europe will start putting air conditioning in their homes, particularly those homes that you mentioned that are really designed to keep the heat in?

THORNE: It's almost certain that that will happen. Most adaptation to climate change is undertaken at the household level still. So households will be looking at this and will be doing the maths and will be consulting with builders and will be working out what can they do to help on this. But that will take time.

You cannot retrofit buildings overnight. It takes labor, it takes parts, it takes fundamentally also economics. It costs money and many, many citizens are stretched right now because of the crisis that we have with fossil fuels, which is a perversity because fossil fuels are what are causing the climate crisis.

CHURCH: Yes, a very important point there. It costs a lot of money to put air conditioning in and to keep it running. Peter Thorne in Oxford, England, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it.

THORNE: Thank you.

CHURCH: Of course. Well, extreme heat is often called a silent killer. It lacks the visible destruction of a hurricane, flood or wildfire, but it's the deadliest type of extreme weather. CNN's Laura Patterson has more now on how extreme heat impacts the human body.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAURA PADDISON, CNN SENIOR CLIMATE WRITER: Everything that's going on with my body made that hard. We're here at the University of South Wales in the U.K. and behind me here is an environmental chamber where scientists can control the temperature.

PADDISON (voice-over): And so, they're going to crank the temperatures up to about 40 degrees Celsius, 104 degrees Fahrenheit. And the whole point of this exercise is to see what impact extreme heat has on my body.

PADDISON: This on my head is measuring brain blood flow. Here is measuring skin temperature on my leg.

PADDISON (voice-over): They're going to be looking at cognitive functions, like how is my decision making affected by the heat? We need to understand what it's going to be like living in a much hotter world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, Laura, so you're fully instrumented. You're ready for action, ready for liftoff.

PADDISON (voice-over): It's 40 degrees now, 20 percent humidity, and I can really feel it.

PADDISON: Starting to sweat. My face is getting very hot. My skin temperature has gone up by a couple of degrees.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're doing a really, really good job here.

PADDISON (voice-over): It's 40 degrees Celsius, but it's 85 percent humidity. And the difference is intense. It's like a sauna in here.

PADDISON: This is really, really tough. My hands feel a bit shaky. Everything feels tiring.

PADDISON (voice-over): Even breathing feels weird.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop. Great job.

PADDISON: Thank you

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mission accomplished. So it's not easy. Now, you've got a markedly depressed increase in exercise-induced blood flow to the brain. It's gone from 600 milliliters per minute to 400.

PADDISON: That's really significant.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Which is huge. You're not getting enough fuel into the brain. You're not burning enough fuel to be able to make the right decisions. You would make potentially wrong decisions, rash decisions, and a much larger increase in pressure during exercise.

So your heart is working a lot, lot harder, probably about 30 percent harder, just because of that increase in temperature and humidity. Older patients, you know, this is a big deal for them, and they wouldn't be able to do the simplest tasks, even stand up to get out of a chair. From a cardiovascular perspective, that would just be too demanding.

PADDISON: We're seeing now around the world is this really humid heat that is pushing places to the limits of survivability. We're seeing stronger heat waves, more humid weather, and the impacts on the body are pretty overwhelming.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: The World Cup is heating up as teams eye the upcoming knockout round. Still to come, we will hear from two content creators getting paid to watch the tournament from a cube in Times Square. Back with that in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:39:45]

CHURCH: The World Cup group stages are heating up ahead of the upcoming knockout round. Earlier, Colombia won their match against the Democratic Republic of Congo, 1-0, in a critical game for Group K.

[02:40:00]

In other action on Tuesday, Ghana held England to a 0-0 draw in Boston, a missed header late in the game gave English striker Harry Kane a chance to score, but he kicked the rebound shot high and out of play.

Meanwhile, in Houston, Portugal steamrolled Uzbekistan. Despite a slow start to the tournament, superstar Cristiano Ronaldo got hot in this one, scoring two goals in Portugal's 5-0 blowout. Ronaldo has now scored a goal in six separate World Cups, setting a new FIFA record.

OK, so would you watch every World Cup match this year for $50,000? That is exactly the deal Fox has offered our next two guests. Out of roughly 6,000 applications, content creators, Austin Franklin and Kevin Akoto were selected as the official Chief World Cup watchers. Their job is to bring fans closer to the action from a custom-built viewing cube in New York's Times Square. Despite a busy game schedule, we were able to catch up with them earlier during Colombia's match against the Democratic Republic of Congo. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Joining us now are Kevin Akoto and Austin Franklin, the Chief World Cup Watchers. Welcome to you both.

KEVIN AKOTO, CHIEF WORLD CUP WATCHER, FOX ONE: Thank you.

AUSTIN FRANKLIN, CHIEF WORLD CUP WATCHER, FOX ONE: Thanks for having us.

CHURCH: Absolutely. So you scored on the dream job, right? Getting paid good money to watch the World Cup, all 104 games.

Kevin, what was your reaction when Fox told you they'd selected you to be one of the Chief World Cup Watchers?

AKOTO: Oh, I mean, I was absolutely shocked. I mean, I said, me? Really? Me?

(LAUGH)

AKOTO: But yeah, you know, like I said, I was just shocked. I was appreciative of the fact that Fox and indeed that they trusted me with this great opportunity.

CHURCH: Wonderful. And Austin, what's it like watching all the World Cup games in that custom-built viewing cube? You're watching the game now --

(LAUGH)

FRANKLIN: Oh, it is --

CHURCH: -- in the heart of Times Square.

(CROSSTALK)

FRANKLIN: It is fabulous. Sorry, I had to lean in there to hear you for a minute. We've got hundreds of Colombia fans here and they've got a free kick right now that did not go in there. But it was quite close. They are loud. We're having fun.

The music is buzzing outside and the vibe here is just fantastic.

CHURCH: Very exciting moments. And I mean, there must -- there must be some tough moments, though, as well, right? Difficult challenges, maybe going to the bathroom?

(LAUGH)

AKOTO: Yeah, I mean, I have to go to the bathroom right now. I'm not going to lie. I'll do the old cross the legs here real quick.

(LAUGH)

AKOTO: There's always -- there are physical challenges with any job. I mean, luckily, there's -- it's, you know, less significant with this one. But, you know, just powering through. That's the motto that we have.

CHURCH: And Austin, what's the worst and best of this experience so far for you?

FRANKLIN: Sorry, what was that one more time? The best experience?

CHURCH: The worst and the best experience. I know you're distracted because you are doing your job as a World Cup Watcher.

FRANKLIN: There really hasn't been a lot of bad, especially it's -- you know, you'd think, you know, we've been up for a long point now today. It's 10:40. Maybe I'm a little tired. But with the fans here watching with us, it is electric and electrifying.

And we -- for the Brazil game, which was probably my favorite moment. We probably had maybe a thousand people here watching with us and being able to celebrate every moment with fans from all across the world, that's just been incredible.

CHURCH: You are both American. So obviously, the U.S. team is your top team, but you must have a soft spot for some of the others. What are some of the biggest moments that you've witnessed so far in the World Cup?

AKOTO: Well, you know, Lionel Messi scoring, being the oldest person to score a hat trick in a World Cup. Cape Verde being, even though they are, you know, a significantly smaller country than Spain, being able not to concede goals against them. So I think those were two of the most memorable moments of this World Cup so far.

CHURCH: Apart from watching all the games, you both have to create social media content and engage with fans as part of your win. So how's that been, Kevin?

FRANKLIN: You know, it's been interesting trying to balance the dynamics of, you know, being a creator, but also being a watcher at the same time. So it's like, oh, yeah, we have to watch these games. But at the same time, we have to make content. So that way, people around the world can see what we're doing in here.

CHURCH: Right. And of course, we know that some 6,000 applicants wanted to do exactly what you're doing. Why do you think that you were both selected from those thousands of applicants? Austin?

FRANKLIN: Who knows? But I'm sure glad that they picked me because it's been the experience of a lifetime to be able to, you know, have people into the Cube to watch with us, to be able to interact with the fans.

[02:45:00]

And I don't know what they saw in me. I know what they saw in Kevin.

(LAUGH)

FRANKLIN: But the fact that they picked me as one of the two, I'm honored.

AKOTO: Thank you, friend.

(CROSSTALK)

CHURCH: And Kevin, why do you think they picked you?

AKOTO: That's the same thing, I think they thought that I'd be a good co-worker for Austin, you know.

(LAUGH)

FRANKLIN: And he has been. He has been.

(CROSSTALK)

AKOTO: Yeah, just a chill dude that's easy to get along with, but you know, someone who can create content as well.

CHURCH: And Kevin, I know you actually gave up your job to do this. What about you, Austin, did you do that?

FRANKLIN: I became a full-time content creator in November, so this has been a perfect moment for me to be able to work in the World Cup.

CHURCH: And last thoughts from both of you on what you're doing, I mean, is anything going to match this going forward in your lives, do you think?

AKOTO: This is a hard beat.

(LAUGH)

AKOTO: it's going to be hard to beat, whatever comes next is going to be hard to beat this opportunity.

FRANKLIN: All I know is that a lot of these memories I have, I'm going to have for the rest of my life. It's been a whirlwind in the best way possible. And I mean, where else am I going to be in a glass cube in Times Square doing a live interview with CNN while watching the Colombia game, while hundreds of Colombia fans -- let's see if they'll get a live (ph) from us.

There we go! I mean, that never gets old, that never gets old.

(CROSSTALK)

AKOTO: You can't beat that, you can't beat this.

(LAUGH)

(CROSSTALK)

CHURCH: That is a pretty surreal moment, that is fantastic. So happy for both of you. Kevin and Austin, thank you so much for joining us and good luck with the rest of your World Cup watching.

(LAUGH)

CHURCH: Well done.

FRANKLIN: Awesome, thank you so much for having us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: They are having a blast. All right, coming up here on "CNN Newsroom," Kim Jong-un has just made a big announcement about his plans for the North Korean Navy. A live report coming your way after the break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:51:41]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. North Korea has commissioned its largest-ever warship as the country looks to build up and modernize its Navy. State media report Leader Kim Jong-un says the 5,000-ton destroyer represents a new chapter in the country's military history. He introduced the ship in a speech at a shipyard on the country's west coast on Tuesday. He touted the destroyer's capabilities and significance as the first ship of a modern North Korean fleet, with even bigger vessels coming in the future.

And CNN's Will Ripley has reported extensively from North Korea. He joins me now live from Taipei. Good to see you. So, Will, what more can you tell us about North Korea's plans for its largest-ever warship and of course, what this means for the region?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is North Korea trying to do what they see other nations around the world doing, which is projecting power not just in the waters very close to the Korean Peninsula, but to send these warships out into the deep blue sea. You know, to be one of these navies that can that can have a warship sailing through international waters just like the United States, just like China, just like South Korea.

And North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un has been investing tremendous amounts of resources into this program. State media has acknowledged that -- and Kim Jong-un has said that the North Korean Navy was considered to be their weakest branch of the military. They actually used the term 70 years of stagnation when they were describing what the navy was. But now, they're saying what the navy is, is going to be a new modern nuclear capable force. This 5,000-ton Choe Hyon, which is named after a famous anti-Japanese guerrilla fighter who was a close ally of Kim's grandfather. This ship is now going to be sailing out in the open ocean and it's packed with missiles. Kim is calling for two major warships to be built every year for the next five years, not just 5,000-ton destroyers like this one, the Choe Hyon, but also 10,000-ton strategic warships. And that would be a pretty stunning achievement for one of the most heavily sanctioned countries on earth. Keep in mind, North Korea wasn't supposed to be able to build things like this.

South Korea's intelligence agency suspects that there is Russian help because Russia and North Korea are the closest they've been in decades, even though Moscow and Pyongyang have not publicly acknowledged any Russian involvement in building this ship. But some experts have looked at the plans and said it's somewhat similar to Russian designed warships.

But regardless of that, it's pretty stunning and it's quite a remarkable achievement considering there was, you know, last year, Rosemary, when North Korea was trying to launch another warship like this and it actually capsized, and that set back the launch of that warship which is expected to happen at some point in the future.

If they could go from a capsized launch to now one or two warships a year, it would be pretty extraordinary and I certainly wouldn't put it past the North Koreans because, as we've seen time and time again, whether it's in construction projects or nuclear weapons development, when Kim Jong-un tells his country with very meager and limited resources, by the way, that something is a priority and he wants it done, they often find a way to get it done one way or another, even if everybody around the country has to sacrifice in other areas.

CHURCH: Yeah, we have certainly seen that. Will Ripley brings that live report from Taipei. Many thanks.

[02:55:00]

And thank you for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. "CNN Newsroom" with Polo Sandoval is next, after a short break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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