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Putin to Arrive in Pyongyang on Landmark Trip; Hundreds of Heat Records to Be Broken or Tied This Week; Two Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 15; U.S. Envoy Meets Lebanese Officials amid Border Tensions; Israeli Prime Minister Says Blinken Said Restrictions on Weapons Shipments Would Be Lifted; Americans Losing Billions to "Pig Butchering"; Advocacy Groups Petition FEMA; "Longest Ever" Heat Wave Scorching India; Biden to Announce Sweeping New Deportation Protections; Boston Celtics Win Record 18th. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired June 18, 2024 - 10:00   ET

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

[10:00:00]

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ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNNI HOST (voice-over): Welcome to what is our second hour of the show.

I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi where the time here is 6:00 in the evening. Your headlines this hour: Vladimir Putin set to touch down any moment in

Pyongyang to meet North Korea's Kim Jong-un.

Two Israeli strikes kill at least 15 people in central Gaza.

And one in four Americans are under a possibly deadly high heat alert.

And breaking in our first hour of the show, music superstar Justin Timberlake has been arrested in The Hamptons for driving while intoxicated.

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ANDERSON: More on that breaking news as we get it.

First up, though, North Korea and Russia cementing ties with a landmark visit by Russia's president. When Vladimir Putin arrives in Pyongyang

anytime now, it will be his first steps on North Korean soil in 24 years. Here's what it looks like in the North Korean capital.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON (voice-over): Posters put up to welcome Mr. Putin. Their relationship has deepened in recent years. The U.S. and others believe Kim

Jong-un's regime is supplying Moscow with munitions to use against Ukraine. Well, CNN's Mike Valerio is with us from Seoul in South Korea.

And we have our chief global affairs correspondent, Matthew Chance, joining us from Moscow.

Let's start with you. Moscow. What's up -- no, Matthew, sorry, in Moscow.

What's the perspective with regard this trip from Vladimir Putin?

What's he hoping to get out of it?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, coming on the face of it, Vladimir Putin wants to show that he is not isolated,

that there is still an open welcome for him in places like North Korea, where there's been a traditional alliance between Russia and that country.

But actually, I think what most analysts view this as is a trip in order to secure more ammunition for Russia's conflict in Ukraine.

Already, even though the Kremlin denies that these kinds of arms transfers are taking place, already the United States, other governments say that

millions of rounds of North Korean ammunition has found its way onto the front lines, is being used by Russian forces.

They have a very high rate of fire, something like 10,000 rounds every day. And Russian factories are not able to sort of supply that. And so Putin has

to look elsewhere for ammunition supplies.

And North Korea, frankly, is one of the few countries in the world that has the right kind of ammunition and is willing to sell it to Moscow. And so

that's why it's suddenly a country that is so important to Moscow.

Well, look, much has been made, Becky, of this idea that Putin hasn't been there for 24 years. Well, there's a reason for that and that's because not

that it was closed as an option to him but it just wasn't a foreign policy priority.

It is now. And that's why we're seeing him going on this state visit.

ANDERSON: Mike, I've seen some commentators describe this burgeoning relationship is possibly the greatest threat to U.S. national security

since the Cold War.

Make of that what you will, what's the mood like in Seoul as it seems anti- Western sentiment is certainly building amongst those who support certainly Russia and, to a degree, North Korea.

MIKE VALERIO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, I would say that the atmosphere is tense but a lighter shade of tension than you might have

imagined otherwise, because relations between South Korea and Russia are not as bad as relations between the United States and Russia.

So why we say that is because there have been comments here that Vladimir Putin has said over the past few days, where he is saying to, Becky, South

Korea for not sending lethal munitions to Ukraine to help out of Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his forces.

So that is one of the reasons why a lot of people who watch North Korea think that, with these expanding and strengthening ties, Moscow may not go

all the way and afford sort of a mutual military assistance pact with North Korea by the time this song and dance is said and done.

[10:05:03]

Tomorrow, we're looking more toward economic deliverables as we were saying in the last hour, perhaps both countries deciding to trade in rubles

instead of U.S. dollars, making a statement but less of a threat to the United States.

But on the other end of the spectrum, if these leaders do decide to buck the foreign policy, think tank establishment and prove those sentiments

wrong, there is certainly the possibility that both countries could enter into to some sort of military cooperation agreement.

Where North Korea is furious about all of these drills that happen between the United States, South Korea and Japan, there always lies, the

possibility that Moscow and Pyongyang could say, you know what?

We're going to have military drill XYZ on northern islands that are technically South Korea's.

But Kim Jong-un made it a priority a couple of months ago, Becky, for North Korea to redraw its border in certain areas.

And these northern islands that were shelved in December of 2010, there is within the realm of possibility that both of these countries could sign on

to some sort of military drills to counter what they see the United States and South Korea engaging in, much to the ire of Pyongyang.

ANDERSON: Good to have you both. Thank you.

Well, extreme weather of all stripes causing trouble across the United States. The first tropical storm warning of the hurricane season in effect

for south Texas and eastern Mexico.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is battling about two dozen active wildfires, including major blazes in New Mexico and in California. Both of those fueled by high

winds and heat and forcing hundreds of evacuations.

And one in four Americans, as we speak, is under a high heat alert that is mostly affecting the Northeast and Midwestern states. Our Polo Sandoval can

feel the heat for himself from his position in Vermont.

And Allison Chinchar is tracking the forecast from the CNN Weather Center.

Polo, let's start with you, where you are. Just describe what you are feeling and how people are coping.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: (INAUDIBLE) still ahead.

And when you have about 25 percent of Americans that are affected by these heat advisories, very similar to what we've seen overseas, those warnings

that are being issued for communities like Burlington.

When the forecast calls for temperatures to exceed 32 degrees Celsius, that is certainly a concern for local officials. That's why folks here in

Burlington have opened up several what they call cooling centers.

An example: library, city hall, some of the non-profits opening up their air conditioned space for anybody who needs it, particularly unhoused

individuals who may be here in the community. There's about a third of the state's population here in Vermont, Becky, does not have any air

conditioning.

That's because this part of the country, typically, it gets to enjoy cooler summers. However, with this extraordinary weather event, there is concern

that some of those people may let their guard down, especially those that may have either younger or older people with them.

And that is who these warnings are being directed to. Officials here, not just in Vermont but really all of New England, New England recommending

that folks who need those spaces to turn to those spaces because it can start.

Even though right now it is still relative --

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-- shortly, the forecast calling for the daytime highs to be higher. But also -- and this is kind of the extraordinary part -- for the overtime lows

to be higher, basically not allowing for that overnight cooling period.

And when you have not just one but two, potentially three days in a row of the unforgiving, humid, sweltering heat, then that is the -- that has that

deadly potential, as we said, especially for younger people.

So people recommend, at least authorities recommending that people stay hydrated even before you start to get thirsty.

ANDERSON: It's good to have you.

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ANDERSON: You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. Time here from our Middle East broadcasting headquarters in Abu Dhabi is just

after 6:10.

Still ahead, more death, suffering and anguish after the latest Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. What the U.N. human rights chief are saying about these

continued attacks is after this.

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ANDERSON: In Gaza today, scenes of tragedy up close. The images, heartbreaking and disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON (voice-over): This is video of the aftermath of two Israeli airstrikes on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, where at least 15

people were killed; One of them, the mother of a young boy, who cradled her body in anguish. This is what he said.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (from captions): Why didn't God take me with my mom?

My mom is gone, my siblings are gone, who is left in this life to stand by me?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, heartbreaking scenes like this prompting scathing comments from the U.N. human rights chief. Paula Hancocks back with us this hour

from Jerusalem.

And we'll get to Volker Turk's remarks in a moment.

What is Israel's military saying about today's attack in answer to questions from CNN?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, Becky, yes, we did ask the IDF about these pre-dawn airstrikes, the two strikes which killed 15 in

Nuseirat in central Gaza. The IDF said that they are operating to dismantle Hamas military and administrative capabilities.

An answer which we have heard many times before, saying that they are taking feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm. It is something that

we are seeing frequently, though, these images. This particular one, according to survivors, did happen in the early hours.

So it happened while many people were still sleeping. And what we're hearing from the two hospitals -- they were taken to two separate

hospitals, the dozens injured -- or, sorry, several injured as well as those that were killed.

We are hearing that there were six minors among those that lost their lives. And we do know also that there were women involved. So we are

seeing, as we have been, children disproportionately being caught up in these airstrikes and the war in Gaza, Becky.

ANDERSON: The U.N. human rights chief has been incredibly outspoken, harshly criticizing Israel today.

What did he say and how is Israel responding?

HANCOCKS: So this was an annual human rights report in Geneva that Volker Turk was given. He has been in the past very vocal against what Israel is

doing in Gaza. And today was no exception.

He said that he was appalled by what he called, quote, "the unconscionable death and suffering in Gaza."

Now he specified the relentless strikes, as he called them, of Israel in Gaza, as well saying it's causing immense suffering and widespread

destruction. Also pointing out that there appears to be a disregard in his -- in his opinion to international human rights and also international

humanitarian law in what is happening in Gaza at this point.

Now Israel was quick to respond. They have been to the U.N. human rights chief in the past when he's been critical of what they're doing in Gaza.

Israel has said that, through this report, failed to explicitly mention the cruelty and barbarity and terrorism of Hamas and Hezbollah.

So really pushing the U.N. human rights chief to mention Hamas and Hezbollah as well or within this same report. But certainly it is a damning

report of what the U.N. human rights chief sees of Israel's actions in Gaza. Becky.

ANDERSON: Paula Hancocks is in Jerusalem.

Paula, thank you.

Saudi Arabia's crown prince condemning Israel's actions in Gaza in his Eid al-Awda address.

Mohammed bin Salman says, and I quote in part, " ... with the continuation of the heinous crimes against our brothers in the Gaza Strip, we stress the

necessity of immediately stopping this aggression."

He is also calling on other nations to immediately recognize a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders.

Well, this war putting the entire region on alert, of course, amid flaring tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border.

[10:20:00]

U.S. special envoy Amos Hochstein has started the week meeting separately with Lebanese and Israeli officials. He says Washington is trying to

prevent a greater war between Israel and Hezbollah. CNN's Ben Wedeman has been covering this region for decades; right now, is in Beirut for us.

And Hochstein obviously not speaking directly to Hezbollah.

Who has he been speaking to and what sort of iron does the U.S. have in this fire, which is potentially going to get worse?

And how are people in Beirut feeling about what is going on at this point?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Becky, the first person he met with was the -- Joseph Aoun, who's the commander of the Lebanese

army, somebody who has very close relations with the United States.

But more importantly, the second person he met with was Nabih Berri, who is the speaker of parliament, the head of the Amal movement. Significantly,

the Amal movement has taken part in attacks on Israel since the 8th of October.

But nonetheless, Nabih Berri is the key person when it comes to passing messages back and forth between Hezbollah and the United States. So that's

-- after that he met with the special U.N. coordinator for Lebanon as well as Najib Mikati, the prime minister, and Abdullah Bou Habib, Lebanon's

foreign minister.

But Nabih Berri has really the key person. Now he did tell us a (ph) -- brief remarks to the press, that the situation is serious. He stressed that

there is a diplomatic offramp either through some sort of agreement, in direct agreement obviously, between Hezbollah and Israel to somehow defuse

the tensions or, of course, a ceasefire in Gaza.

Hezbollah has made it very clear that, if there is a ceasefire, an end to the Israeli operations in Gaza, it will stop firing at Israel. And we saw

that in fact that was the case back in November of last year, when, for about eight days, there was that truce in Gaza, during which Hamas freed

Israeli hostages.

And Israel in exchange released Palestinian prisoners and detainees. But the situation on the border is tense; significantly, however, from Saturday

evening until early afternoon today, Hezbollah apparently didn't fire anything at Israel, although the Israelis carried on with their strikes on

targets in south Lebanon.

ANDERSON: Thank you. While I've got you, I just want to bring up a tweet, an X post from Barak Ravid, who is one of the CNN analysts; also of Axios,

of course. And he is posting about a video that's just been released by Benjamin Netanyahu, in which he attacks the Biden administration in a new

video.

He says, and I quote here, "I told Secretary Blinken, it's inconceivable than, in the past few months, the administration has been withholding

weapons and ammunitions to Israel."

I mean I think you could argue that Benjamin Netanyahu is speaking to his domestic audience. He will also be speaking to a sympathetic audience in

the U.S. ahead of his trip to Washington. He'll address both houses of Congress.

I just -- I just wonder what you make of that as I've got you.

WEDEMAN: Certainly, on the one hand, the Israelis are complaining about the Americans not providing them with the weapons they've asked for. But

the Americans certainly have not been miserly in providing the Israelis with weapons and ammunition; perhaps specific systems the United States has

either delayed or held back.

But we saw today the key Democratic lawmakers in Congress have approved the sale of F-15 or I think F-16 fighters to Israel. So I think probably he's

trying to just lay the grounds for when he goes to Washington and is going to address a joint session of Congress, against the wishes of the Biden

administration.

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long played this game in U.S. domestic politics. You'll recall back in 2015, he also addressed a joint

session of Congress, where he openly opposed the Obama administration's attempt to reach a nuclear deal along with the other members of the U.N.

Security Council plus Germany on Iran.

[10:25:00]

So he's oftentimes done this in the past and he's -- continues to be doing it now, Becky.

ANDERSON: Thank you, Ben.

And for our viewers' sake, I've got a little bit more on this. It's just dropping now, so I'm just going to give our viewers a little bit more of

what we have in the video shared with foreign journalists.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says, and I quote again, "It's quite inconceivable that the United States has been withholding weapons"

from his country but he added that the U.S. secretary of state, Antony Blinken, had reassured him those bottlenecks were being removed.

"When Secretary Blinken was recently here in Israel," he said, "we had a candid conversation. I said I deeply appreciated the support the U.S. has

given Israel from the beginning of the war. But I also said something else.

"I said it's inconceivable that in the past few months, the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunition. Secretary Blinken assured me

that the administration is working day and night to remove these bottlenecks," the words of Benjamin Netanyahu.

And I'm just being told that the State Department has told CNN, has denied that there has been a change in its position on weapons deliveries to

Israel. More of that, of course, as we work through these next few minutes.

Some breaking news as well, just coming in to CNN stateside. Police in New York say pop star and actor Justin Timberlake has been arrested for drunk

driving.

A spokesperson with the Sag Harbor Police Department located in eastern Long Island says Timberlake was arrested on Monday night. CNN entertainment

correspondent, Elizabeth Wagmeister, joining us from New York with more, Elizabeth, on what is this developing story.

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Details are still rolling in but we have confirmed that Justin Timberlake was arrested late

Monday night in Sag Harbor, which is a town in The Hamptons.

We hear that he was leaving a hotel called American Hotel, which is in the area. That's according to a source with knowledge on this matter. And that

is when he was arrested. As of this morning, he was in police custody. And as we speak, there is a court hearing where Justin Timberlake is present.

Now we don't have many details yet. We are still working on this. But we have reached out to representatives for Timberlake and we have not heard

back at this point.

ANDERSON: Good to have you. We will check in with you again as you get more. Thank you.

Well, you may think it couldn't happen to you. But next up, you will hear from people who fell victim to fake crypto investments schemes,

orchestrated from halfway around the globe; in some cases, with a tragic outcome. More on that after this.

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ANDERSON: Welcome back, you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Just after half past 6 here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson.

One cyber scam is growing by leaps and bounds in the United States. But we know it's going on around the world as well. It's called pig butchering

because it involves gaining of victims trust over time or fattening them up before taking everything they have.

In one extreme and tragic case that we've covered, a grandfather took his own life after losing his life savings. Ivan Watson has the story and he

talked to others who fell prey to the scam.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT, DENNIS' SON: As soon as I found out that it was a suicide, I was 100 percent sure that it was the scam. And it just -- it crushed him, like took

the life out of him.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It has only been a couple of months since Matt and Adrianne suddenly lost their

father.

MATT: I mean, our father was the grand optimist. He was always ...

And they extinguished that for him.

WATSON (voice-over): I meet them at Adrianne's home in northern Virginia, where their fathers ashes have yet to be buried. Dennis Jones was an avid

photographer, guitarist and loving grandfather. But last summer, Dennis started withdrawing from the family, instead talking daily to a woman he

met on Facebook.

WATSON: The profilers name here is Jessie Chu.

Do you think this person exists?

ADRIANNE, DENNIS' DAUGHTER: Yes.

WATSON (voice-over): Over time, Jessie convinced Dennis to invest in crypto currency. He pumped more and more money in until it suddenly

disappeared. Text messages show Dennis was desperate and yet his children say he still trusted his friend named Jessie.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I do believe he loved the person that was -- that he believed was behind that profile.

WATSON (voice-over): Carina, who works in biotech in northern California, is also the victim of an online cryptocurrency scam.

WATSON: Were you in love?

CARINA, SCAM VICTIM: I was yes. I really felt like I trust this person.

WATSON (voice-over): She says she first met her scammer on the dating app, Bumble.

WATSON: How much money did you lose?

CARINA: In the end, I ultimately lost $150,000. I mean, I went into a depression. I was depressed. I am ashamed, embarrassed that I had done all

this without sharing it with anybody.

ERIN WEST, DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY, SANTA CLARA COUNTY: I've been a prosecutor for over 25 years. I spent nine years in sexual assault. And

I've never seen the absolute decimation of people that I've seen as a result of pig butchering.

WATSON (voice-over): Erin West is a deputy district attorney in northern California, specializing in online crypto scams she calls pig butchering.

WEST: We've got over $5 billion in losses.

WATSON: In 2023?

WEST: In 2023. And that's up 38 percent from last year. And when crime is growing at 38 percent, that's something you better keep your eyes on.

WATSON (voice-over): Using fake social media profiles, scammers spend months gaining the confidence of their victims before convincing them to

invest in crypto currency through fake websites.

Those platforms claim huge profits until the money suddenly disappears into the pockets of criminal gangs, mostly based out of Southeast Asia.

A 2023 CNN investigation revealed many scammers are actually themselves victims of human trafficking, like this Indian man named Rakesh, imprisoned

in this armed compound in Myanmar. He was forced to work, pretending to be a Russian woman targeting Americans online.

[10:35:00]

RAKESH, SCAM VICTIM/SCAMMER: Like they're providing for us. I got a Russian girl with using a Russian girl fake profile. I need to scam the

people.

WATSON (voice-over): Investigators warn of a mass transfer of wealth, stealing billions of dollars from ordinary Americans. And this year, they

predict it will only get worse.

JEFF ROSEN, DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY, SANTA CLARA COUNTY: Many of these perpetrators are beyond my reach. And in order to establish deterrence, we

need to prosecute some individuals who are running these operations in Southeast Asia.

WATSON (voice-over): U.S. law enforcement say they have yet to arrest a single scammer though the U.S. Secret Service has had better luck in

recouping some of the lost money.

SHAWN BRADSTREET, U.S. SECRET SERVICE SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, SAN FRANCISCO: We've been able to claw back millions. But it's still a small

percentage compared to how much is going overseas.

WATSON: Which is billions.

BRADSTREET: Which is billions.

WATSON (voice-over): The scammers flood social media sites to ensnare victims. Tech companies like Meta, Match Group and Coinbase say they're

trying to spread awareness about the threat.

But deputy district attorney Erin West says that's not enough.

WEST: An enemy has declared war on the rest of the world without really telling any of us that we are at war. And we are not fighting back.

WATSON (voice-over): Carina says she spent hours every day exchanging romantic texts with the person she thought she loved.

CARINA: It's heartbreaking for me to see the state that I was in.

WATSON (voice-over): By the time she realized she had been defrauded, Carina says she took out high-interest loans, borrowed money from loved

ones and had to move back in with her mother.

WATSON: What is the timeline like for repaying your debts?

CARINA: Probably 10 years.

WATSON (voice-over): After Dennis Jones took his own life, his adult children were left piecing together what happened by looking through his

Facebook messages.

MATT: He's saying these are basically evil people. I did not know that such people existed. And he ends it with, "The ultimate pain here is that

I've betrayed my family's trust."

This is unbearable.

WATSON (voice-over): In early March, Matt, Adrianne and their sister, Laura, planned to have a meeting to help out their father.

The plan was for him to move in with Adrianne here in Virginia.

ADRIANNE: Unfortunately, the day that we were supposed to have the meeting is the day that we found out he died. You know, he died embarrassed,

ashamed, you know, financially devastated and heartbroken. And if sharing our story helps somebody else or another family, then it's worth it.

WATSON (voice-over): Ivan Watson, CNN, Leesburg, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: And you can read more about Ivan's alarming story, including how Bumble, Match, Meta and others have responded to what's happening on their

platforms and what Thailand is doing to try to cut the criminals' lines of communication.

That is on our app and online.

And I'm just going to pause for a moment because I personally know people who've been -- who've fallen victim to this crime -- crushed, destroyed,

devastated is how people I know who didn't take their own lives but are left being so impacted by what has happened to them.

Ashamed and embarrassed is also how people feel and they shouldn't. This is a crime. If you get a text or a WhatsApp message out of the blue from a

number you don't recognize, saying, something like, "Hi," or "How are you?" just block it and report it. This is really, really devastating stuff.

Well, an extreme heat wave not seen in decades is sending temperatures soaring.

For most Americans, forecasters say the Midwest and the Northeast could see record-breaking temperatures for several days. Cooling centers have opened

in some states. But don't be fooled by these sunny images.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, better known as FEMA, says, extreme heat is leading weather-related cause of death in the United

States. And that has got some advocacy groups petitioning FEMA. They want the agency to include extreme heat along with wildfire smoke as major

disasters to unlock federal relief funds.

One of those groups, the Center for Biological Diversity says, and I quote, "Extreme heat is lethal -- and even when it doesn't kill, it can exact a

severe physical toll. Further, its harms extend beyond health and safety into the safety of the workplace, the function of critical infrastructure,

the growth of the economy and the basic stability of society."

[10:40:00]

Then, of course, it isn't only the U.S. that's suffering. Kathy Baughman McLeod is a member of FEMA's National Advisory Council and was named by

Reuters as one of the 20 Trailblazing Women in Climate for 2024.

She is also the CEO of Climate Resilience for All. She joins us tonight out of Delhi.

It's very good to have you. Thank you.

If this was pushed through, what sort of help -- and we're talking very specifically about the -- about the federal government here -- what sort of

help would the federal government in the U.S. be obliged to give states and local communities who are struggling with the effects and the consequences

of what is climate change ultimately?

KATHY BAUGHMAN MCLEOD, CEO, CLIMATE RESILIENCE FOR ALL: I think one of the key things to focus on is how big and how far-reaching extreme heat is and

how little we actually know about it in terms of the economic impacts or the evidence of what's going to protect people.

And so there are no agencies ready for the size of handling these impacts. And because extreme heat is about the human body and about infrastructure

and about workers and labor, this is a -- it's a big ask and it's a very natural ask for a group of health and labor advocates, to ask their

government to bring help to something so big and so scary.

That's killing more people than any other climate driven hazard.

ANDERSON: Is the federal government listening?

MCLEOD: Well, think about all of the ways that climate change is accelerating the effects that we're seeing, like hurricanes and floods and

fires. And this petition is also about smoke, which is about health. And then throw in extreme heat.

And sometimes you have those coming together. No one agency could really handle this. And what the ask is for, the -- for extreme heat to be a part

of a declaration of disaster. And some of the data that we need, that tells us how much it costs to get ready for a heat wave or to respond to a heat

wave, a lot of that doesn't exist.

Because the understanding of silent and invisible impact isn't at the level that the other, the other hazards are. And so the idea of the services

coming from FEMA, it's a big ask because it's a big bucket of need.

And think about, there's 27 or more federal agencies in an interagency task force in the U.S. to handle heat. And it touches everything. And so it's a

big ask. It can -- it could really break through to have funding available for local communities to handle extreme heat, both to get ready for it and

to respond.

So it just makes perfect sense that you'd be (INAUDIBLE) please help.

ANDERSON: You're in New Delhi; India, of course, embroiled in its own sort of scorching temperature, dealing with climate change itself. Temperatures

where you are hit nearly 50 degrees Celsius. That's a record.

Take a listen to what one villager in a village in one part of India, this is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): There's no water in our village and women have to climb inside the well to draw water. We have to put our

lives in danger to get water because there's no rain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: This is affecting people's lives and livelihoods. You're working toward solutions.

How can private and government systems better help people suffering from heat and drought?

What are your -- what are your key messages at this point?

MCLEOD: Well, there are so many things that we can do. And yes, the size of heat risk is immense. But so many things. And nature-based solutions is

one of them, thinking about trees and green spaces that cool cities.

We're experimenting with insurance that supports women like the villager you just featured, that it's too hot to work. And insurance plus a cash

layer, cash support, a social protection is paid to the woman's bank account to protect her health and her income.

And that's showing early success with 50,000 women across three states in India. But also thinking about when laborers are working, what we wear,

when we work. Nighttime temperatures are really important.

They -- when we are sleeping, when it's hot, we wake up and make mistakes, hurt ourselves and it costs the workers money and it costs the economy

money, too.

[10:45:00]

And thinking about the cost in Bangkok is -- 8 percent of the GDP is lost to all of the motorbikes being used for the economy to move things around.

And so understanding those aspects and then supporting (INAUDIBLE) the things that can protect people.

And the biggest thing is understanding it. And the awareness and what to do about it. And because it's silent and because it's invisible (ph), people

still think, well, it's just hot and it's -- our brains aren't comprehending how accelerated it's coming on.

And seeing the Greek tourists, I mean, the European tourists dying in Greece and the Olympians getting worried about the heat in Paris and Taylor

Swift fans either passing out -- and one sadly lost her life at a concert in Brazil -- this is -- Boston schools are closed.

I mean, we got to get ready.

ANDERSON: I mean, this is affecting people's lives and livelihoods. You are working toward solutions. Many are working toward solutions. And we

have to be fully focused on those solutions because I think we are entirely -- most of us, anyway -- entirely convinced of what the issue is.

This is a crisis. It is now about providing those solutions and going at them. Thank you very much indeed for joining us.

Well, still to come, a sweeping new immigration policy from U.S. President Joe Biden will protect hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants

from deportation. A live report on that is just ahead.

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ANDERSON: President Biden will be using the power of his office later today to dramatically change some U.S. immigration policies. His

administration is set to announce a new executive action, protecting thousands of undocumented spouses and children of U.S. citizens from

deportation.

CNN's Stephen Collinson joins us from Washington.

Immigration front and center as far as the election is concerned. So this is a big, big, big talker in the U.S. Based on the eligibility requirements

for this new action, it seems that there may be overlap with those eligible for green cards.

Just explain what's going on here and whether were not this is expected to make a sizable difference, for example, to those that this is targeted at.

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I think it has a chance to make a great difference to families that live in fear of being broken

up, that an arrest or a traffic offense could lead to them getting sucked into the immigration system and ultimately being deported.

It really would protect about 500,000 families. We cannot think about this, though, without talking about the politics.

[10:50:03]

A few weeks ago, we were talking about these new, tough asylum restrictions that President Biden placed on the southern border because of the crisis

down there and the overwhelming numbers of people trying to get into the United States.

This became a big political issue with centrist voters who he really needs to support him and were -- who were moving toward Donald Trump on the

issue.

This latest measure appears to be an attempt to appease Latino voters, especially play in states like Arizona, Nevada and even Georgia, which are

key critical states on Trump's path, on Biden's path back to power and keeping Trump out of the White House.

ANDERSON: Stephen, let's talk about Biden the candidate because it is an election year and, like you say, you can't talk about immigration policy

without talking about the politics around it.

Biden, the man, there's a new controversy swirling around this viral video, where Joe Biden appears to freeze on stage. The White House press secretary

was forced to respond. Let's just have a listen.

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KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I think you all have called this "the cheap fakes video." And that's exactly what they are. They

are cheap fakes video. They are done in bad faith

Let's not forget, President Obama, President Biden have a relationship. They are friends, they're like family to each other.

And I think that's what you saw.

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ANDERSON: That video from a fundraiser in L.A., where Obama was in attendance.

This though, Stephen, isn't the only recent example of such a video going viral. We saw at the G7 too.

Are Democrats being honest and realistic about what an issue this is for voters?

COLLINSON: Democrats don't want voters or journalists or anybody else to talk about the issue of Biden's age.

I would say some of these videos, they do appear somewhat unfair to the president, especially the one that we're seeing at the G7, where he went

away to talk to some of the parachutists. That has been very selectively edited.

Republicans and conservative media are really making a huge deal of this all the time because they know that voters are concerned about the

president's age and whether he is healthy enough and cognitive enough to serve out a full second term.

At the same time, there are plenty of instances of Trump mixing up people's words and having his own senior moments.

ANDERSON: Yes. Always good to have you, sir. Thank you.

COLLINSON: Thanks.

ANDERSON: Stephen Collinson in the house.

Still to come on CNN, I'm Becky Anderson. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. The Boston Celtics are crown NBA champions for a record 18th time. A

look at how this team and that team achieved this milestone. That is up next.

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Well, Boston Celtics are celebrating the thrill of victory after winning their record setting 18th NBA championship.

Have a look at this.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) here at the Garden. Get ready to raise an 18th banner, Boston. The Celtics are once again the winningest franchise in

the history of the NBA. Here's an 18th title for the Celtics, the 2024 NBA champions.

[10:55:04]

The green and white confetti.

ANDERSON (voice-over): Boston beat the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 to win the series in five games. Jayson Tatum led all scorers with 31 points. Jaylen

Brown added 21 points. He was named the MVP, the Most Valuable Player in the finals.

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JAYLEN BROWN, BOSTON CELTICS GUARD/FINALS MVP: I think we learned, I think we learned from all our mistakes, all of our adversity. I think has made us

stronger, made us tougher. And all season you could see it.

You know, we started from the jump. We made all the sacrifices. We played both ends of the ball at a high level. We didn't skip any steps. And this

was the result.

ANDERSON (voice-over): The Celtics finished the regular season with the best record in the NBA. They lost only three games throughout the entire

playoffs.

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ANDERSON: Well France have won their first match in the Euro 2024 tournament but they lost their star player to a serious nose injury. You

can see Kylian Mbappe here, his face hitting the soldier (sic) of Austria - - the shoulder, sorry -- of Austria's Kevin Danso in the 85th minute.

Mbappe just headed the ball all but the 25-year-old's momentum took him right into the defendant. No word if he'll be able to play in the next

match on Friday, which is against the Dutch.

Well, that is it for CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson, for you from the team working with me here in Abu Dhabi and those working with us around

the world, its a very good evening. Stay with CNN, though. "NEWSROOM" is up next.

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