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Connect the World

Israel, Lebanon Agree on Ceasefire if Hezbollah Stops Fighting; New Israel-Lebanon Deal as Trump Administration Pushes to End Iran War; Trump Fires Back After House Vote Limiting His War Powers; Iran Marks 37 Years Since Death of Islamic Republic's Founder; Drone Strike Casts Shadow Over Russia's Top Economic Forum. Aired 9-10a ET

Aired June 04, 2026 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio meeting with his Kuwaiti counterpart in Washington this hour. Going

to get you more on that as it comes in. It is 05:00 p.m. in Abu Dhabi, where I am from your Middle East programming headquarters.

I'm Becky Anderson. This is "Connect the World". So, coming up this hour, smoke rises after new Israeli strikes on Southern Lebanon, despite a

conditional ceasefire. And the second day of Russia's premier economic gathering, often dubbed Putin's Davos, is underway in St. Petersburg.

A stock market in New York opens about 30 minutes from now at 09:30 a.m. Eastern Time, and the story as things stand as far as the futures are

concerned, indicating what will happen on the open a mixed start. Well, we begin in this region with a new ceasefire agreement between Israel and

Lebanon, but there is a condition.

The Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah must stop fighting and leave Southern Lebanon for the deal to take effect. Long hours of talks mediated

by the U.S. in Washington concluded in a joint statement from Israel and Lebanon on Wednesday. Well, fast forward to early today, and Israel and

Hezbollah have already traded fresh strikes.

These ongoing attacks pose a big problem for the Trump White House. CNN's Jeremy Diamond is in Jerusalem. What's in this ceasefire agreement, Jeremy?

And how does it differ from previous agreements?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, there are differences in terms of some of the language that is included in this statement from

Israel, the Lebanese government, and the United States, and also in some of the substance of the actual agreement, and some new ideas that are being

put forward.

First, on the language, it's quite clear here that there is a big onus that is being put on Hezbollah, which is not a party, not a wrecked party to

these negotiations, but this whole agreement, according to this statement, this joint statement is contingent upon Hezbollah ceasing fire on Israel

and also on Hezbollah leaving Southern Lebanon.

There is not a ton here about Israel's responsibilities or any concessions that Israel would have to make in order for this ceasefire to move forward.

What there is as well on the substance front is this new notion of these pilot zones. Pilot zones in which the Lebanese military would come in and

take control of areas that are free of any non-state armed groups, such as Hezbollah, for example.

But there is no timeline for when exactly those pilot zones would be established, and it does seem like once again this is a step that would be

contingent upon Hezbollah ceasing fire and withdrawing its forces from some of these areas in Southern Lebanon. So, but it does kind of lay out where

these discussions between Israel and Lebanon are going.

This is the first time we have seen a Lebanese government that is so publicly willing to not only discuss but talk about the actual

implementation of disarming a very powerful non-state actor like Hezbollah. And so, it seems like the discussions are about advancing relations between

Israel and Lebanon.

And one of the pathways to doing so would be some kind of cooperation between the Israeli and Lebanese armed forces, in which Israeli forces

would leave an area in order to have Lebanon take over and assure that Hezbollah forces would not enter, but those next steps are not discussed in

this latest ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon.

It simply talks about what these pilot programs would actually look like going forward. What is clear also is that this latest ceasefire agreement

has not ceased the fire. We are continuing to see hours after this agreement actually went into effect, continued Israeli strikes in Southern

Lebanon, continued Hezbollah attacks against Israeli forces in Southern Lebanon, even with hostile aircraft detected in Northern Israel.

And that's important, because the Israeli government has said that should Hezbollah strike Israeli territory proper, specifically Israeli population

centers in Northern Israel, that would cross a red line and would trigger Israeli strikes on Beirut, which would have enormous regional consequences.

[09:05:00]

ANDERSON: The Lebanese armed forces, of course, need massive funding to operate effectively. Where that funding would come from, not clear. Without

it, Lebanon can't afford to fund the LAF itself. They are ineffective, so that will be an interesting point, and certainly one that should be

interrogated.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said that the U.S.-Israel war with Iran will only end quote, when it also ends in Lebanon, and that, and

I quote him here, the world must recognize that Hezbollah is part of Lebanon's reality. Perhaps we want to just explain the context for that

very specific quote, and how that is being received in Israel?

Does it reinforce concerns that any end to this conflict could be tied to a much broader regional settlement, Jeremy?

DIAMOND: Yeah. Well, what Abbas Araghchi also said there was effectively that should Israel carry out strikes against Beirut, against the Lebanese

capital, that would trigger Iranian retaliatory strikes against Israel, and if that happens, then there goes the broader, you know, ceasefire agreement

that has largely held between the United States and Iran for about two months now.

And so that raises questions about what exactly are Israel's red lines that would trigger Israeli strikes against the Lebanese capital, because we've

already seen Hezbollah attacks against Israeli territory, which would supposedly violate those red lines. So perhaps it's about Hezbollah strikes

against Israeli cities, or an accumulation of evidence pointing to Hezbollah violations that would then trigger Israeli strikes against

Beirut.

But the bottom line is that it would lead to an escalation of the conflict across the region, if the Iranian Foreign Minister is to be believed, here

we know, of course, that the Israeli government would like to return to war against Iran, and so that raises questions about whether an Israeli strike

in Beirut could ultimately bring about the renewal of the conflict that Benjamin Netanyahu would like to see.

But for the moment, what we have witnessed over the last week is the United States imposing restraints on Israel to avoid that very scenario through

this diplomacy with Lebanon, through President Trump telling the Israeli Prime Minister to call off those strikes against the Lebanese capital.

And it seems that for now, at least, as long as the United States is committed to this diplomacy with Iran, then it will get Israel to abide by

its terms as well, to not strike the Lebanese capital, and to not lead to the return of all-out war in this region, Becky.

ANDERSON: It's good to have you, Jeremy. Thank you. Well, new today, Donald Trump firing back after U.S. House lawmakers passed a resolution to limit

his war powers with Iran. A shocking rebuke of the president has to be said. Trump taking to his social media platform to blast that vote, calling

it quote, meaningless and unpatriotic.

He also claims it came in the middle of his final negotiations to end this war, talks he says that have gone very well, but Tehran, offering a very

different assessment, saying there has been no significant progress in recent days. We'll have the latest on the diplomatic efforts to end the

conflict in Iran in a moment.

But first we're talking about Iran, so I want to get you brand new reporting from the ground, where Iranians themselves paying tribute to the

founder of the Islamic Republic on the 37th anniversary of his death. We should mention CNN operates in Iran only with the permission of the

government there, but maintains full editorial control of our reporting. Here is my colleague, Fred Pleitgen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're at an event here in Tehran to mark the death of the Founder of the Islamic

Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini. And as you can see, a lot of people have turned out here to pay their respects.

Now, in this year, as Iran is in this conflict with the United States. Of course, this event also has a special meaning for the people who have come

here. There's a lot of people that we are seeing who are waving red flags that say revenge on them, because, of course, there are still a lot of

people here who want revenge for the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and that's also something that was voiced here by

the crowd.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't want any agreement with the U.S. and Israel. We just want revenge.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Until now, there have been no advantages for us in negotiations with the United States. The U.S. never negotiates in good

faith.

[09:10:00]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't trust America, never ever.

PLEITGEN: At the same time, of course, the context that all of this happens in is extremely important. There are talks that are going on between the

U.S. and Iran, where both sides say they are trying to get to a memorandum of understanding that would then pave the way for broader peace talks to

try and end the war between Iran and the United States for good.

Also, though, of course, the security situation, especially in the Persian Gulf, remains extremely volatile, with the U.S. hitting some targets on

some Persian Gulf islands. The Iranians, for their part, saying that they were hitting targets affiliated with the United States in places like

Kuwait and in places like Bahrain, as well.

So, the security situation very volatile, the ceasefire very fragile. At the same time, both sides say that they are trying to find a way out of the

impasse. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Tehran.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well Fred is on the ground in Iran. Let's get the latest from CNN's Alayna Treene, who is outside the White House in Washington. Time

there, just after 10 past 9 this Thursday. Wednesday, the House voted to limit President Trump's war powers in Iran, not very far from where you are

in Congress.

That was a stunning rebuke of the president. He called it quote meaningless and unpatriotic. Does it actually mean anything? What -- it's significant,

but is it consequential?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It's consequential in the sense of what this means for the president and the weakening of support he

is getting from within his own party right now about the way that he is handling this war. But as for, and I think your question, Becky, is more

about, does this change anything about how Trump has to operate?

Not at this moment. We have not seen this, of course, pass in the senate, and so, as of now, this is more of a symbolic vote than it is something

that would force Trump's hand, but it is still, I think a huge concern. I'd remind you that this is -- this war powers resolution is something that

Democrats have been trying to get past for weeks and have repeatedly kind of run into a wall because there was not enough Republicans really to peel

off to vote with them on it.

Well, that changed yesterday when four Republicans voted with the Democrats to pass this. And I'd remind you, part one of the key reasonings behind

this war powers resolution is that the president is supposed to get congressional approval to go to war with another country.

There is a grace period of roughly six weeks that a president is allowed to know use combat operations in a war, but then we need to seek congressional

approval. Now, what the Trump Administration has tried to argue is that since there's been a ceasefire for the past. Over a month now, really, that

technically they do not need congressional approval to move forward with this.

But this is something I think that shows major frustration within his own party, so much so that they were willing to go on the record to pass a

resolution like this, Becky.

ANDERSON: I want to bring up this clip from Trump yesterday, Alayna. He was asked about the strikes against Kuwait overnight, Sunday into Monday. Have

a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, given Iran's attacks on Kuwait, this latest attack on Kuwait, is the ceasefire with Iran still on?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Well, you know, there's a reason for everything, and we hit them pretty hard the night

before, and actually last night. Some people would say they were slightly provoked because we took a strong action for a different reason, so they

were reciprocating.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do you define ceasefire?

TRUMP: Pretty much the way it is. It's a different part of the world. I'd say in that part of the world ceasefires when you're shooting in a more

moderate manner.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: And I do know that the Kuwaiti Foreign Minister is actually in Washington today. Is the president, Alayna, suggesting here that Iran was

quote provoked into attacking Gulf Arab neighbors?

TREENE: I think that's essentially what he said. He put it a little bit differently. He said they were slightly provoked, but that is, I think,

definitely the meaning behind what he was arguing here, I think more, though, than taking his words literally, Becky, because I think that is a

remarkable statement, given that this was one of the biggest attacks we've seen since the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran has begun, is what

he's trying to signal to Iran with that message.

He is repeatedly, and really, the world, I should say, it's not just to Iran. He's repeatedly tried to downplay the attacks we've seen since this

ceasefire has begun, to argue that they are not that significant, that this is part of what to expect in an ongoing conflict to this magnitude, while

negotiations are continuing.

[09:15:00]

And all of that is because he is trying to continue to get buy-in for the approach that he has taken. And really his commitment over and over again

to try and find a diplomatic solution, even when, of course, there are a number of different attacks happening. Of course, we know Gulf nations who

have faced this retaliation have been very frustrated with how this has been handled.

They have signaled that directly to the president, but then also more broadly with the continuous delays. We know there are many people, the

Israeli Prime Minister, one of them, of course, but there are Republicans here in Washington who believe that perhaps Trump is going too easy and

continuing to pause operations in order to let negotiations continue.

So, I think that was the message overall, Becky, he was trying to send.

ANDERSON: Yeah, fascinating. All right, good to have you as ever. Thank you very much indeed. Right, you are watching "Connect the World" with me Becky

Anderson. Still to come, the Ukrainian drone strike casts a dark shadow over Russia's top economic forum in St. Petersburg. More on that is after

this.

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ANDERSON: The second day of Russia's premier economic gathering, often dubbed Putin's Davos, is now underway. The St. Petersburg Forum is designed

to showcase Russia's economy and, frankly, bring in foreign investment. Well, among the guests are Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz

bin Salman and the U.S. Conservative Commentator Candace Owens.

President Vladimir Putin also expected to speak there on Friday. Well, just hours before the event kicked off on Wednesday, Ukrainian drones struck St.

Petersburg in a symbolic blow to the Kremlin. For more on this, let's bring in Alexander Baunov, who's a Senior Fellow with the Carnegie Russia Eurasia

Center.

Good to have you. Does feel like the big story here is who is attending and how SPIEF is still a key platform for Russia, despite sort of Western

isolation. Does the guest list suggest that message is landing?

ALEXANDER BAUNOV, SENIOR FELLOW WITH THE CARNEGIE RUSSIA EURASIA CENTER: Well, St. Petersburg Economic Forum was started in early 2000 when Russia

had this under the same President Putin, this pro-Western path, and was always praised as his main economic achievement as main platform for the

meeting between the Russian -- young Russian business and the Western business, now it's of course the opposite.

We can call what we see in St. Petersburg a Russia-China forum, a Russian- Chinese forum. So heavy is the presence of Chinese firms, Chinese companies, at St. Petersburg, in these states.

[09:20:00]

Although they pretend that some -- as well.

ANDERSON: Right. That's interesting. Saudi Arabia, the guest country of honor this year. There's always a guest country of honor at SPIEF, as they

are conferences around the world. What message did that send do you believe about the importance of the Russia-Saudi relationship, particularly on

energy and oil production?

BAUNOV: That's sure, it's a main guest country, but the mood of the forum is quite different compared to the same forum of 2024 even 2025 although

all of them were already during the war this time, as you mentioned, the St. Petersburg oil deposits have been hit by Ukrainian drones.

And this black smoke was seen not only by the Russian guests, but as well by the foreign guests -- including the main invited country, Saudi Arabia,

and Chinese businessmen --

ANDERSON: -- you make the point that official U.S. Representatives are also attending. You make the point that that official U.S. Representatives, of

course, are attending. Just, how significant is that, given the backdrop of this sort of billowing smoke from the Ukrainian attack?

BAUNOV: Well, I think it's -- everybody sees that it's kind of difficult to invite foreign investors in the economy, not only damaged by sanctions, hit

by sanctions, but on the background of the black smoke of bombardments that happens in the very town, in the very city, when the forum takes place.

And it was, it cannot be unnoticed, although, of course, the main message, despite this fact, the main message of the forum is that Russian economy is

resilient and still has perspective for the investors, but the mood is much murkier compared to the mood of the forum last year.

ANDERSON: Yeah.

BAUNOV: The economy is going much worse than the previous years. Maybe it's the first year when the Russian population feels these shortages, and this

-- has these grievances of being a country in war.

ANDERSON: Well, certainly those Ukrainian strikes and the sort of aftermath that smoke will undermine for many the image of strength I think that Putin

is trying to project. You recently wrote, quote on Putin, people increasingly see an old man with scrawny legs and shrinking muscles under

his baggy suit.

The pre-war Putin, bare-chested and riding a horse, is now impossible to imagine. Can you just explain that point a little further.

BAUNOV: Well, absolutely, Putin, the Russian citizens started noticing that Putin is not this, you know, fit Superman, and younger than his age, as he

always projected, his image was always this, that he is, despite his age, which is growing, he's still young, he's still full of strength, very fit.

And now everybody, I mean, Russians don't see this anymore, they see an aging man. I hate to be an ageist in this sense, but a politically aging

man, which cannot be this -- cannot project this image anymore, and combined with the disappointment with this Ukrainian strike deep inside

Russia, very deep inside Russia.

Even during the Second World War, the strike didn't -- where didn't go so deep in the Russian territory. And then, of course, the battle of internet,

because all the recent months, the mobile internet, mobile services, messengers are increasingly damaged and increasingly blocked by the

authority, and it affects the everyday life of Russian citizens.

ANDERSON: Yeah.

[09:25:00]

BAUNOV: All these together projects a different image of Putin detached from the life, aging, not you know, omnipotent and all-knowing person.

ANDERSON: Understood.

BAUNOV: Maybe tomorrow during his speech he will try to --

ANDERSON: Yeah. It's good to have you.

BAUNOV: -- somehow to -- Yeah, to do something with this worsening image of him.

ANDERSON: Let see. Yeah. To reinstate that sort of projection of power. It's good to have you, sir. Thank you. It's quite a busy news day. Let's

just get you a statement of hope from the World Health Organization. The Director General says the organization is quote, catching up with the abode

outbreak, specifically in the DRC, but Tedros Ghebreyesus says challenges remain.

Confirmed cases have risen to over 344 including 60 deaths, and in an apparent shift in policy. The United States Secretary of State, Marco

Rubio, says Americans who test positive at a facility in Kenya could end up being sent to the United States for treatment.

President Trump previously said that no Ebola cases would be allowed into the U.S. Rubio said Americans could be treated in the U.S. or in Europe.

Let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories that are on our radar right now. And the French Iranian illustrator Marjane Satrapi has

died at the age of 56.

She was best known for the graphic novel "Persepolis", about her childhood in Tehran under the Islamic Revolution. She later turned that work into a

film, which won her the jury prize at Cannes and an Oscar nomination. Well, a desperate search underway in Japan for missing U.S. University student

James "Weston" Higginbotham was on a trip there with his family, the 20- year-old last seen last Friday at a train station in Kyoto.

His family is still searching for answers, and they are hoping anyone with information will come forward. Well, a shooting at a high school graduation

ceremony in Northern California left a teenager dead and three others wounded. Man, who attended the ceremony, said the shooting happened after

the ceremony had ended.

His pictures there were being taken. One of the victims was just 11 years old. The suspect hasn't been publicly identified. Right, trading has just

begun on Wall Street. Sorry, is about to begin on Wall Street, about four minutes away. We're on track for a mixed open as investors decide what to

make a renewed uncertainty in the Middle East. That opening bell is up next.

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[09:30:00]

ANDERSON: Right, welcome back, I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi, from our Middle East programming headquarters. You're watching "Connect the World".

And we are about to hear the bell being rung on Wall Street that will usher in the trading day this Thursday.

We were expecting a mix to slightly weaker open. So, let's just hesitate to the bell. There it goes. And that is the start of the trading day. It is

09:30 a.m. there, and we will get a sense of what these markets are up to. I'll get up the big board, I think, just to begin with, and that'll give

you an indication.

Oh, it actually is a little bit higher than I was expecting. The markets had been looking at a slightly weaker open, so that the indications from

the futures markets at least not useful today. There you go. And now we have the markets in the wall. Yeah, it's a mixed day, isn't it?

The NASDAQ and the S&P are down, but I was actually quite surprised to see the DOW up by 1 percent We will check back in on those numbers a little

later. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio meeting with his Kuwaiti counterpart in Washington this hour. The talks come a tense time after

Iranian strikes hit Kuwait's main airport, killing one and injuring dozens.

Donald Trump has suggested Tehran was provoked into the attack by the week's -- this week's U.S. strikes on Iran. Well, let's bring in CNN's

Political Analyst David Sanger. It's good to have you, David. It's always a pleasure. Thank you for joining us.

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Great to be with you, Becky.

ANDERSON: President Trump suggesting these strikes on Kuwait -- Thank you. Suggesting these strikes on Kuwait were effectively a direct response to

U.S. action. I am here in the Gulf, and I can only imagine how that statement, sort of to a degree, sort of brushing off what were deadly

strikes and a significant escalation in this region since the ceasefire went into place.

I can imagine how these comments will be received. I wonder how you believe they'll be received in the Gulf, particularly by Kuwait, as the foreign

ministers meet.

SANGER: Yeah, so Becky, it sounded strange, even over here, right? I mean, the president was asked in the same Q&A, isn't this all a breach of the

ceasefire? And he said, well, you know, the Mideast is a complicated place. A ceasefire in the Mideast really just means lowering the level of firing.

OK. He is going out of his way to make the argument that the ceasefire is holding, that the war is over as Secretary Rubio told both Senate and House

committees on separate days. It probably didn't look over if you were standing in the terminal in the airport in Kuwait yesterday, right?

So, the reason the administration is doing this, I think, is threefold. First, they're trying to quiet their own party at a moment that they just

lost this vote in the House, which they had won previously, that had to do with requiring the administration to basically come and have a full war

powers vote.

I don't think that's going to happen, but the very fact that they lost enough Republicans that they couldn't hold on this was significant. I think

the second reason is that the president is trying to convince his Arab partners that, in fact, this is all winding down now, but of course, what

did we learn yesterday?

That the Iranians have an enormous ability not only to turn on and off commerce in the strait, but also to restart the conflict throughout the

Gulf countries.

ANDERSON: Yeah, it's fascinating, isn't it? The meeting between the Kuwaiti FM and his U.S. counterpart, Marco Rubio, today, which I think is a

particularly interesting meeting, coming as it does just 36 hours after this attack. It also takes place just weeks after Rubio approved a 25.5-

billion-dollar emergency arms and missile interceptor package to the Middle East, very specifically for this region of the Gulf, which included

provisions for Kuwait.

Washington's allies in the region have taken a huge hit physically and economically from this war. I wonder what the perception is from where you

are as to whether the U.S. is really doing enough to maintain relations at present.

[09:35:00]

I'm here in the UAE, and you will hear, you know, that you know a drumbeat that says we are doubling down on our commitments to the U.S., you know, we

have a significantly deep and deepening relationship with Washington. What's your sense?

SANGER: Well, I think they are doubling down on their relationship with the U.S. because they don't really have a choice at this point. But you're

probably also hearing, Becky, and I'm certainly hearing from Gulf allies here that they think the U.S. has not sufficiently protected them from the

first day of this war, that they weren't given notice about exactly when the war was going to start.

And as a result, they didn't have their defenses in place, that they didn't get enough backup aid fast enough to make this work. Had they had anti-

drone technology and anti-missile technology in place for weeks before the war started, they would have been in a much better place.

And if the president, in downplaying the concept that there's a war on at all, is sort of saying don't pay attention to the fact that your air

terminals are on fire. Also, you know, the Iranians were aiming at, they didn't seem to hit in this particular case some U.S. bases in the region.

And I think the president knows that he can keep this dance going as long as there are no significant American casualties. But if there are

significant American casualties, it's very hard to understand how he could do this without responding.

ANDERSON: President Trump has sort of leaned into Gulf allies and others around the region with a sort of mandate that they must join the Abraham

Accords, if he is to pull off what he seems to believe is a sort of deal for the Gulf in this U.S.-Iran negotiation.

I was interested to read one article today, I think it was in 972 where the expert said, and I quote, her here, stripped of its institutional buffers,

reorientating towards the UAE, and repeatedly targeted by Iran, Kuwait could be the next to join the framework. I mean, traditionally one of the

strongest opponents of this Abraham Accord sort of framework. What do you make of that?

SANGER: Well, it could be right, but I doubt they're going to get that far in this run. I mean look, it's enough of a difficulty right now, Becky, to

get Iran to this framework agreement, which is really just an agreement, and then negotiate on the nuclear program, right? And they might get the

framework agreement, they may not.

My guess is they will probably not get to stage two, and if they do, it'll drag on for some period of time. If the president layers on top of that,

the requirement that all the signatories join the Abraham Accords. I think he's going to make this problem significantly more difficult.

It would be great thing if they wanted to go do it, but listen to what the Saudis said. The Saudis said, well, we're prepared to discuss that as soon

as we know that there's going to be a Palestinian state created, which they know is not going to happen with Prime Minister Netanyahu still in office.

ANDERSON: Sure.

SANGER: And maybe even if he is not. So, I don't think you're going to hear a lot more about this from the president. You might, but I doubt it.

ANDERSON: David, I'd love to chew the fat with you at some point about, you know, what you make of this administration and where it's headed. We can do

that, I hope. You know, in the weeks and months to come, midterms are approaching -- that.

SANGER: I'm not going anywhere out, but we're happy to do it. Yeah.

ANDERSON: -- as well, as we continue to good, our international viewers get a lot out of your analysis and insight. Thank you, sir. All right, you're

watching "Connect the World". There's a lot more ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:40:00]

ANDERSON: Well, the biggest sporting event on earth is now just a week away. It's the opening match. The FIFA World Cup kicks off Thursday, June

the 11th in Mexico City. Momentum building all over the Americas. The Moroccan national team arriving in New Jersey.

Morocco, of course, did very well in the last World Cup in Qatar, becoming the first African and first Arab team to reach a semifinal. That was in

2022 of course. Meanwhile, fans caught a glimpse of the hardware in New York. Mayor Zohran Mamdani there unveiling the trophy.

The New York, New Jersey area will host the final. And at an aquarium in Rio de Janeiro, a shark picked a can displaying the Brazilian flag. Fans

taking that as a sign that Brazil will triumph over Morocco in their opening match. Well to the NBA finals, where game one certainly lived up to

the hype for fans, as the New York Knicks won a back-and-forth battle against the Spurs, the San Antonio Spurs.

It was a close game all night. The Knicks jumped out to an early lead. The Spurs star rookie Dylan Harper, though, came off the bench and helped the

team come back with a 20 to 5 run to end that first quarter. Well, the next -- extended a playoff win streak to 12 games. Now that is the second

longest in league history.

The Spurs will look to even the series in game two set for Friday night in San Antonio. All right, "World Sports" up after this short break. I'll be

back in 15 minutes time.

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