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U.S.-Israel War with Iran; New Israel-Lebanon Talks in D.C.; Stocks Slide on Global Tech Selloff; 2026 FIFA World Cup; New York Democratic Primary Races; Europe Swelters. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired June 23, 2026 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): And welcome to what is the second hour of the show from our Middle East programming headquarters in Abu
Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson. Time here is just after 6:00 in the evening.
U.S. secretary of state Marco Rubio will land here in Abu Dhabi a short time from now to shore up support for the U.S.-Iran deal among the Gulf
nations hardest hit by Tehran.
Meantime, in Washington, a source tells CNN, Donald Trump's new acting Director of National Intelligence has started a mass firing of employees at
the top spy agency.
And various AI stocks taking another knock Tuesday. Here's how the markets are doing at the moment and we will explain why just ahead.
Plus, we want you to know that the Supreme Court in the United States is about to release opinions. There are several major cases that we are
watching, from birthright citizenship to the president's power to fire federal officials. And we will keep you bang up to date as those decisions
come down.
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ANDERSON: Well, with the Iran war on pause, a window of opportunity is open and we are seeking -- sorry -- or seeing diplomacy kick into high gear
in points across the globe.
Here in Abu Dhabi, U.S. secretary of state Marco Rubio will be wheels down in the coming hours. He plans to make the rounds in the Gulf, where
America's allies are looking for confirmation that the road ahead will indeed lead to peace.
Also in this region, Iran's top negotiator has been in Oman discussing the Strait of Hormuz, while the Iranian president and foreign minister are
visiting Pakistan, which continues to be at the forefront of negotiations.
And in Washington today, Israel and Lebanon, back at the table, looking to end the deadly fighting between the Lebanon-backed -- or sorry -- the
Lebanon-based Hezbollah; Iran-backed, of course, and Israel. We've got a wealth of regional expertise this hour.
Hasan Alhasan is a senior fellow for Middle East policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Firas Maksad is the managing director for the Middle East and North Africa Practice at Eurasia Group.
Good to have you both, both good friends of this show. Always appreciate your analysis and insight.
Hasan, let me start with you today. I just want to remind our viewers of how hard the three countries that Rubio is visiting were hit by Iran. The
UAE bearing the most attacks since February the 28th. More than 550 ballistic missiles and more than 2,200 drones.
Kuwait just last week or just in the last few weeks, taking a hit to its airport that killed one person and injured 63 others. In Bahrain just two
weeks ago, an 11-year-old girl was injured from falling debris.
Iran, Hasan, a clear and very real threat to these countries and their economies.
What do you understand to be the thinking regionally on these U.S.-Iran talks?
And a reminder, the GCC is not a monolith.
And what do you believe the point of this Rubio trip is?
HASAN ALHASAN, SENIOR FELLOW, MIDDLE EAST POLICY, INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES: So I think you're right to point out, Becky -- and
it's always good to be with you. of course -- that the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait have been some of the hardest hit Gulf countries by Iran during the
course of the U.S.-Israel Iran war.
But it's also interesting, I think, to point out that these three countries, the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain, have arguably been some of the
least involved among the Gulf states in brokering and bringing about the U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement.
Obviously, the Qataris have played a direct mediating and facilitating role. They were actively lobbying the Iranian side, the Americans, and
working closely with the Pakistanis. The Saudis have been indirectly supporting the Pakistani effort, both diplomatically and also financially.
And then Oman, of course, has its own direct channel of communication with Iran being the other Strait of Hormuz territorial entity. And so, in a
sense, I think the trip is intended to drum up regional support beyond the core group of countries that have had a more or less direct involvement in
bringing about the Iran-U.S. MOU.
[10:05:13]
Now that being said, I think the MOU is going to be a very hard sell (INAUDIBLE) Gulf states. It's a pretty bad deal from almost any perspective
other than Iran's.
And in return for a resumption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and agreeing to limits on Iran's nuclear program, really, the U.S. makes a long
list of military and financial commitments that will likely leave Iran better resourced and more emboldened.
And really, the agreement does nothing to address the core security concerns of the Gulf states, be they Iran's ballistic missiles or UAV
programs or support for its regional militias and actually leaves the question of the future governance of the Strait of Hormuz fairly ambiguous
and unaddressed.
So I think this is going to be a tough sell. I still think that from the Gulf states' perspective, a bad deal is better than a worse outcome, which
is the return to hostilities. So they are supporting it because they prefer a bad deal to war.
But I still think that it will be difficult to get them fully on board and to commit some of their financial resources. As vice president, JD Vance
was suggesting to support the $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran. I just don't see that. I don't see the Gulf states too excited about that
idea.
ANDERSON: And I want to talk about that. Yes. And I want to talk about that and get Firas' view on that.
I also want to get your view on what Hasan has just very specifically pinpointed here. I mean, it's Iran's ballistic missile and drone program,
for example, that has been laid bare in region over the past, what, more than 120 days.
I want just to remind our viewers of Donald Trump's blase statement about Iran's missile program at the G7 last week, a stark contrast to his message
at the start of this war. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground.
Well, what am I going to do?
Am I going to let Saudi Arabia have missiles but they can't have them?
Yes, sir (ph). It doesn't work that way. You know, it doesn't work that way. And missiles aren't the problem. Missiles are -- they hurt a little
location but they don't blow up the planet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
So Rubio's going to have going to have to, you know, reassure Gulf leaders that their interests are central to these talks or at least their voices
being heard at these tables. I mean, your view, Firas, of where we are at.
FIRAS MAKSAD, MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA MANAGING DIRECTOR, EURASIA GROUP: Becky, Marco Rubio's trip to the Gulf is going to be all about
reassurance and coordination.
It is true that these Gulf countries very much wanted this war to end. They just didn't want it to end in the way that it did with such an MOU that is
seen overwhelmingly as favoring much more Iran's terms rather than the needs and the conditions of these Arab American allies in the Arab -- in
the GCC and the Arab Gulf.
So there's going to be a lot of handholding, a lot of reassurance. The secretary of state is the point man in Washington to do this job. We all
know the politics of the administration. The vice president, JD Vance, was always against the war, is much more seen as more accommodating of the
Iranian point of view.
Marco Rubio is the one that delivers the message that the Gulf wants to hear. But I think there's a bigger picture here, Becky, that we ought to
talk about, which is America, as a strategic ally that can be relied upon, is now very much in question in the GCC.
And to be fair, yes, it is about the outcome of this war, an inconclusive outcome from an American perspective, to say the least. But it also has a
much longer track record. It's Obama with the JCPOA and the nuclear agreement with Iran not having coordinated and consulted with the GCC.
It is the first Trump term and not coming to the defense of the GCC after Iranian drones were landing on Saudi oil fields in (INAUDIBLE) and Shaybah.
It is also Biden and the pariah comments and not wanting to shake hands in Riyadh. It's all the above, culminating with the outcome of this war.
So for these Gulf countries, it needs to be all about detente in the short term. They need to come to accommodations with Iran because they do not
fully trust the United States.
But longer term, it's not just detente, it's also deterrence. They have to stand up their own military capabilities to get to the very challenges and
the very issues that you asked about, which is those drones that menace their skies.
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And these ballistic missiles that president Trump right now doesn't seem to think as much of a problem.
ANDERSON: Yes.
A note at this point, this trip for Rubio is just to these, as we understand it, three Gulf countries. You know, I note, no trip into Israel
on this, no move to Israel on this trip.
Hasan, there's been a lot of talk about this U.S. proposal for a $300 billion reconstruction fund that it claims will be financed by Gulf
investors. Saudi Arabia has already said it has, quote, "no details" about the proposal.
Qatar has expressed interest but stopped short of a formal commitment.
What's your sense of the level of interest in this proposal or this fund or whatever we want to call it and in the broader steps that the U.S. appears
to be taking to rehabilitate Iran's economy?
ALHASAN: Yes, I think president Trump has been very much tone deaf vis-a- vis the Gulf states, really, throughout most of this war.
Asking the Gulf states to contribute and bear the burden, the most of the burden of a $300 billion reconstruction fund that Iran is most certainly
going to use to rebuild and rehabilitate its upstream defense, industrial capability, is extremely bizarre.
And I think we've seen the lukewarm reaction by the Saudi foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan.
We've also seen an expression of conditionality that there needs to be the security understandings and the right security conditions and the
reestablishment of trust between Iran and the Arab Gulf states before the Gulf states consider seriously investing their capital in Iran.
Now the other consideration that the Saudi foreign minister has also pointed to, very rightly, is that there are massive demands on Gulf capital
at the moment. The Gulf states have ambitious economic modernization goals of their own that are heavily capital intensive.
They will need to invest in their deterrent and defense capabilities in order to be better positioned to face a potential return to conflict, if
and when that happens with Iran.
And so whatever surplus capital is left is really much is very much questionable in light of the devastating economic effect that the war has
had on the region and including on the Gulf states as well. So I don't see the Gulf states being terribly excited about this idea.
Now they're unlikely to overtly and explicitly oppose it at this stage, because they don't want to be the spoilers that get in the way of a
successful U.S.-Iran ceasefire deal. But I -- but medium to long term, I don't see them really engaging seriously with this idea.
ANDERSON: Right.
And Firas, any further insight or thoughts from you on this $300 billion fund?
I'm running out of time. So I also just want to throw at you.
What do you make of the Lebanon file at this point as well?
MAKSAD: I'll be very quick on the $300 billion fund. I'm afraid that Hasan was overly diplomatic by saying that they are not terribly excited about
it. And the GCC, I will be a bit more pointed in my response and say they had no clue what the president of the United States and the Americans are
talking about.
This was not something that was discussed with them. Now that said, I do think that these countries are open to arrangements with Iran under the
rubric of detente in the short term as they stand up their deterrence long term.
And those might include financial arrangements but those will be bilateral and they certainly won't amount to $300 billion. Nowhere near that.
On Lebanon, very quickly, I would say, yes, there are these talks, these direct talks between Lebanon and Israel that are due to take place in
Washington today.
The Lebanese are very unsettled by this idea that the Iranians and the Americans are coming to an agreement on Lebanon to end that war, an
agreement that essentially de facto recognizes Iran's influence in Lebanon through Hezbollah.
But I think the role to play here is that those talks at the regional level need to be supportive of the direct talks in Washington.
The implementation of any understanding, including Israeli withdrawal and pilot zones that will then be filled by the Lebanese state and the Lebanese
army, that has to continue to come through this direct channel with the Lebanese government playing the direct role on the ground here, not
replaced by Iran or any other foreign party.
ANDERSON: Good to have you both. And I just want you to stand by -- I said I was running out of time. I do want to get this report in from Jeremy
Diamond.
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He is in Jerusalem on those talks between Israel and Lebanon. Have a listen.
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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, privately, we've heard reports that Israeli officials are considering some kind of symbolic
partial withdrawal from the Israeli security zone in southern Lebanon, where there are thousands of Israeli troops that are still positioned and
at times firing when they deem it necessary inside of Lebanon.
But publicly Israeli officials are adamant that there is no withdrawal in sight and that Israel is going to continue to maintain its freedom of
action to strike Hezbollah targets as they deem necessary, so long as Hezbollah continues to pose a threat inside of Lebanese territory.
And what we have seen so far in the last 24 hours has been a marked drop in any air strikes or Hezbollah rocket fire, you know, in the last two days,
really, I should say but we have seen several reports today of Israeli military fire, not air strikes, it would seem but rather gunfire from
troops on the ground in some parts of southern Lebanon.
In at least one of those incidents, the Israeli military has confirmed that Israeli troops opened fire. They say that they opened fire against quote,
unquote, armed terrorists that were operating in proximity to Israeli soldiers near that security zone in southern Lebanon.
And every time we see one of these instances of fire, as we have today, Hezbollah is now saying that they view this as a violation of the ceasefire
and once again you have the prospects of renewed rocket fire from Hezbollah, renewed attacks between these two sides, which Iran has made
clear poses a threat in its view to the broader ceasefire agreement altogether.
And so, this meeting between Israel and the Lebanese government today in Washington will once again be key to seeing whether or not these two sides
can actually come up with solutions to address Hezbollah's presence and active militant role in southern Lebanon.
And the ways in which that could potentially help calm tensions overall and allow this broader ceasefire agreement between the U.S. and Iran to
maintain itself.
But again, for now, the rhetoric from Israeli officials remains quite heated in terms of, you know, digging in on this notion of not withdrawing
from that security zone, maintaining their freedom of operation.
Particularly as we are now headed into an election season in Israel, where the fight in Lebanon against Hezbollah is one that many Israelis would like
to see continue, would not like to see the Israeli government and its military handcuffed by the United States and so all of those dynamics now
playing into these discussions.
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ANDERSON: So that's Jeremy Diamond reporting out of Jerusalem today.
So Firas, where does all of this leave Lebanon, practically speaking?
MAKSAD: Yes. Becky, it's a tough place for particularly the president of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, who has really stood out in his public statements
recently, very much emphasizing Lebanese sovereignty, the role of the Lebanese state, not wanting Iran to continue its interference at the
expense of the legitimate government of Lebanon.
So when the Americans are seen as having come to an understanding with Iran over the fate of -- in Lebanon, that is somewhat troubling.
I think what needs to happen here is that the regional role and this mechanism that now has reportedly been agreed to, which would include
Pakistan and Qatar, some other regional actors, including Iran, to bring this war to a close in Lebanon, has to play a supporting role to the main
show.
Which is these direct talks taking place under American auspices between the government of Lebanon and Israel. There are interesting countervailing
forces here, Becky.
On one hand, as it was pointed out, Netanyahu faces an election year across the political spectrum in Israel. There's criticism of him on the Left and
the Right for not doing enough against Hezbollah and Iran. So he needs to be seen as doing more.
But also, as he and the Lebanese government see the potential threat from Iran now dominating, coming back and being legitimized by the Americans in
Lebanon, they have an interest in seeing progress, demonstrating progress in the direct negotiations.
So that might be conducive of limited Israeli withdrawals in favor of the Lebanese state and the Lebanese government asserting itself in those areas.
We might see some of those limited pullouts.
But overall, this is conflict containment. This is not a resolution of this conflict in Lebanon anytime soon. The Iranians want to maintain Hezbollah
as a thorn in Bibi Netanyahu's side and Bibi has a tough election. He can't be seen as being weak against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
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And it has been Marco Rubio who has been managing that Israel-Lebanon file, of course, in Washington.
Hasan, final thoughts. Rubio due to land here in Abu Dhabi soon. From here, he will visit Kuwait and Bahrain, where you are. Your concluding thoughts,
if you will.
ALHASAN: Well, I think we are opening a new chapter in U.S.-Gulf relations. We have really seen, I think, a massive loss of confidence in
the U.S. both in terms of the U.S.' reliability but also in the effectiveness of the U.S. security umbrella to maintain the freedom of
navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
And to provide adequate protection and security for its Arab Gulf partners. So I think this massive loss of confidence in the U.S. is going to have
major repercussions for how the Gulf states essentially rethink and review their defense and national security postures.
It's true that the Gulf states don't have quick fixes or easy alternatives in the short to medium term. They will remain dependent on the U.S. and on
U.S. security assistance. They will remain dependent on U.S. munitions and defense systems that they've bought previously from the U.S.
And that will continue to tie them to the U.S. defense industrial ecosystem for many years. So, yes, these dependencies that the Gulf states have
cultivated over the U.S. for decades will continue to remain in play. And the Gulf states will have to balance those against this massive loss of
confidence.
The Gulf states will have to rethink seriously how they approach their defense and security relations, the question of regional defense
integration and how well they come together in order to compensate for the U.S.' role and to present a more unified regional front vis-a-vis Iran.
Easier said than done. There are political and strategic disagreements between the Gulf states but that's the task at hand for them.
ANDERSON: Yes, easier said than done, I think, is the understatement of the day. But it's terrific having you both on. Thank you very much indeed
for joining us. Thank you.
Well, to CNN exclusive reporting on a U.S. fighter pilot's startling account of what he saw from his F-15 fighter jet before it was shot down
over Iran. The pilot and a fellow crew member ejected from the plane and were later rescued by U.S. Special Forces.
Now during the mission, the pilot described to U.S. intelligence officials seeing Iranian drones flying in a so-called jellyfish formation. The
technical term is one to many meshed networking. It's believed Russia and China possess that capability.
If accurate, it would prove to be an alarming advancement in Iranian drone technology. And you can read a lot more about this exclusive reporting from
Zach Cohen and Katie Bo Lillis on CNN Digital as the pilot further describes what he calls a minefield of drones in the air.
And before we leave this region and reporting from this region, I do want to note an explosion at Qatar's Ras Laffan LNG hub has killed a dozen
Indian nationals who were working there.
They were helping to repair the liquefied natural gas facility, which, of course, sustained extensive damage when it was hit by Iranian missiles
during the war; 66 other people were injured. Qatar's interior ministry says the explosion was caused by a technical malfunction. An investigation
is underway.
Well, still to come, a source tells CNN that large-scale job cuts are now underway at the top U.S. intelligence agency in the States and we are
following reaction. More after this.
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ANDERSON: Well, a source tells CNN that mass firings are now underway at the heart of the U.S. intelligence community. Now you may recall president
Trump recently named Bill Pulte as acting Director of National Intelligence and directed him to downsize the office. Well, CNN's Kevin Liptak following
this story for us from the White House.
What do we know at this point, Kevin?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: And it seems as if his target is an office inside of DNA focused on counterterrorism, the National
Counterterrorism Center.
That is where he has requested lists of names of certain officials even before he came into the job officially, looking for individuals that he and
president Trump believe are part of the, quote, "deep state," essentially, those who they think are trying to operate against the administration's
objectives.
And that, at the end of the day, is why president Trump put Bill Pulte in this job to begin with, to go after those who think -- they think are
undermining him and to try and cut this agency down to size.
And it seems as if Pulte is wasting zero time going about this. This is only really his third day in this position. He actually showed up early to
the job last week asking for these lists of names and that caught the incumbent DNI, Tulsi Gabbard, by surprise.
Now president Trump is not the only person in Washington who wants to downsize ODNI. There are a lot of people, including some Democrats, who
think it has become bloated and inefficient in the two decades since it was founded in the aftermath of 9/11.
The real concern is who is doing the downsizing and where they're choosing to cut. Bill Pulte has no national security experience. His real claim to
fame is as a Trump ally who used his position atop a housing agency to go after some of president Trump's perceived allies.
And Democrats in Congress are already questioning some of these moves. They just wrote him a letter yesterday, saying that given his lack of experience
and short amount of time that he has had in this job, they're questioning whether he has the fully formed opinions of where to do these cuts.
Now how long he's in the acting job, we don't know. But certainly it seems as if it will be plenty of time to try and carry out some of the
president's objectives. Becky.
ANDERSON: Does seem remarkable, doesn't it?
OK. Well, thank you, Kevin, good to have you.
We, over the past 24 hours at least have seen a global tech selloff. And it is, at least in Tuesday's session, sending both the Nasdaq and the S&P
lower again. The Dow just in positive territory as we speak but only just.
Let's have a look at the Nasdaq and the S&P. Both those markets are trading lower. But it has to be said they did open significantly lower. So they're
actually training back somewhat.
This follows a brutal selloff today for stocks in Asia. South Korea's KOSPI falling 10 percent and tripping a circuit breaker there. I want to bring in
CNN's Anna Stewart.
And I think it's your first day back since you had the little one. So welcome back. It's good to have you.
And why are we seeing these selloffs?
And SpaceX, of course, are involved in this big selloff as well. Go on.
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Still talking about AI. You know, it's been 10.5 months or something like that. But I feel like not much has
changed.
Valuations remain really high. In fact they've only got higher in that time. And that is the context for this story. When we look at something
like the KOSPI, of course, South Korean index, it has two key memory chipmakers.
They were really heavily on it, which means it is up some 90 percent on the year. Any good news, any bad news when it comes to AI is going to hit an
index like that significantly. So that's why it was down 10 percent.
[10:30:00]
Now it's not just about Asia. We're seeing a similar story in Europe, as you say. ASML, a big Dutch chip maker, was down significantly today. And
the mood music as to why we're seeing this maybe this week is to do with the Federal Reserve.
So the Federal Reserve signaling now that maybe we'll see interest rates rise in the coming months, perhaps as early as next month. That is a
different mood music for investors.
They're now thinking, do we want to put our money into different assets?
What about these valuations?
Do they match the earnings of these companies?
And there's a lot to think about. There's always a trigger to these selloffs, though. And yesterday, Becky, I think it was a combination of
SpaceX and also Google's parent company, Alphabet.
ANDERSON: Good to have you. Thank you. See you soon.
And when we come back, a new record for one of the greatest in football history. The details on one Mr. Lionel Messi's latest milestone.
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ANDERSON (voice-over): Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. Here are your headlines.
U.S. secretary of state Marco Rubio visits the UAE today on the first stop of a three-nation golf tour. He'll arrive within the next few hours and
will try to ease skepticism in some quarters over the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding that America's Gulf allies must worry will strengthen and
embolden Iran.
Well, a new round of discussions gets underway today in Washington aimed at ending hostilities in Lebanon. Negotiators from Israel and Lebanon are
convening just as the Israeli military confirms new gunfire in southern Lebanon today, aimed at the Iran-backed Hezbollah there.
Lionel Messi has become the World Cup's all-time top scorer. During Argentina's 2-0 victory over Austria the forward got his 17th and 18th
goals at the tournament, taking the top spot from German striker, Miroslav Klose. I'm joined now by Marcela Mora y Araujo, an Argentinian sports
journalist and sports writer.
Is he man or machine?
We have to ask ourselves this. At 38, you got to wonder whether he is completely unique or whether perhaps he's ushering in a new era for
footballers who are going to be fitter, both sort of, you know, physically and psychologically going forward, and able to play for longer.
Which is he?
MARCELA MORA Y ARAUJO, ARGENTINIAN SPORTS JOURNALIST: Hello. Thank you for having me. I think that's a really good point. I mean, he's actually 39
tomorrow. So saying he's 38.
[10:35:00]
It's almost like a, you know, knocking some years off to make him appear younger. But you know, we also have Cristiano Ronaldo, who's over 40.
And I was reading some really interesting analysis of what's going on with these athletes that are so fit, even in their -- well, you know, in a field
where, essentially mid- to late 20s, you were considered past it. They obviously work very hard at it.
What I think is interesting is something you touched on, which is not just physically but Messi, whose incredible prowess and genius used to have a
lot to do with his speed at which he could either make decisions or even keep the ball, you know, hop on one leg and get the ball and carry on that
same leg and so on at great speed.
In these past couple of games, we've seen him also be incredibly effective while apparently standing still. You know, so he's obviously like doing a
mental thing as well and maybe just not running so much but reading all the spaces and knowing where his teammates are going to be and making the most
of that.
ANDERSON: Yes.
And I guess the pressure's off, isn't it?
I mean, they won in 2022. He got his World Cup glory. And I guess the pressure's off to a degree this time. We were talking about this as a team
and saying that psychologically, you know, he's -- just seems to be enjoying himself at the moment.
These are fans and I want to show our viewers a video of fans celebrating in Buenos Aires. But you say that the Argentinian public's relationship
with Messi is complicated. Explain.
MORA Y ARAUJO: Well, I say, the -- a national, an entire nation is not a single sort of, you know, homogeneous -- we can't say, oh, Argentina this
or Argentina that.
I think, because he comes in the tales of Diego Maradona, who was an incredible larger than life and very divisive figure but had won a World
Cup for Argentina and had also kind of become a symbol of Argentina.
Messi seemed to struggle for many, many years, although he delivered at club level and he was widely regarded the best in the world. He seemed to
struggle to have that same position in the Argentinian psyche.
Now as you say, he won the World Cup, he's won Copa Americas, he's delivered what was expected of him and won for himself, I think, because it
was -- it mattered to him. So this should be completely free, lovely end of his career in a -- in a love-in, a blissful love-in.
The press and the pundits are absolutely -- they will say nothing wrong. The entire internet seems to be an adulation. Other players are saying he's
the best.
But I think the Argentinian public generally beyond the football have a less intense -- both positive and negative relationship than they did with
Maradona, simply because he's a little bit of an unknown entity still.
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Yes, it is a full circle moment for Argentina and for Spain. Yes. Let me just get your view on this because I think this is interesting.
Lamine Yamal scored his first World Cup goal at exactly the same age Messi scored his first while wearing the same jersey number, 19. And destiny
brought them together in a 2007 photo shoot. I just want to show our viewers that because little Lamine Yamal is a baby.
(CROSSTALK)
MORA Y ARAUJO: Well, it's absolutely beautiful, isn't it?
ANDERSON: That's right. He was a baby.
How significant do you think that is?
And is Yamal the new Messi, do you think?
MORA Y ARAUJO: Well, I think he's an incredible player. And I think we definitely will have new Messis. A lot of damage can be done to young
athletes when you start labeling them the next somebody.
And we've had endless strings of next Peles, next Maradonas, next somebody. So I wouldn't want to put that burden on him.
it's incredible. And he is incredible. And that meeting Messi as a baby is really beautiful. I do think football tell stories, you know. The World Cup
tells the most stories and they're stories that transcend generations and barriers and so on.
[10:40:03]
So there's definitely, you know, whether literally one believes it or not, there's definitely a kind of new, you know, old generations giving to the
new ones and passing the ball and new talents emerging.
I think, if Messi had Barcelona or had chosen to play for Spain, which he could have done as a young lad, then that would be a more perfect circle. I
think in, in at least during the World Cup, we tend to stick very much to kind of national borders.
And there is a lot of very interesting stuff going on. With players born in one place, is that go and now decide to play in another, partly because of
a relaxation of FIFA rules. But I think, Messi will definitely pass the ball on to someone and the baton.
I don't think we can say after just one goal and two games, who's going to -- who's going to be the receiver of that.
ANDERSON: All right. Yes. I get it, I get it. I mean we're all desperate for a, you know, a new headline and, you know, something that's going to
make us all warm and fuzzy. But I totally get where you're at. Thank you.
And you're going to love this. So hang around, have a listen because you're going to love this one. Even if you can't see the pictures on it. Thank
you. In the spirit of the World Cup, one unlikely food brand has decided to get behind the England football team.
Marmite, the British savory spread, famous for dividing opinion, has temporarily rebranded itself as We Mite in support of England's campaign,
the team that I have to say I am supporting. And the reason is simple. We Mite -- we might -- reach the quarterfinals.
We might make the semis and we might even go on to win the World Cup. And in many ways, the two have something in common. Just like England, marmite
has long been known for dividing opinion. So whether you love it or hate it, marmite is betting that England fans can agree on at least one thing
this summer, that we might just do it.
Well, still to come, eight candidates, one seat; a Trump critic, a Kennedy heir and an AI enemy among those squaring off in a fiercely contested
Democratic primary in New York. And all eyes are on who will emerge as the next face of Manhattan. That is just ahead.
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ANDERSON: Power, money and influence colliding in New York today as voters head to the polls in what is a highly contested U.S. House primary. It's a
crowded field of eight Democrats vying for the nomination in one of the richest congressional districts in the United States.
[10:45:03]
And as CNN's Gloria Pazmino now reports, deep divisions are testing fault lines inside the party. Have a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): A political insider.
MICAH LASHER (D-NY), CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: Micah Lasher, right, for Congress here in the neighborhood.
PAZMINO (voice-over): A technocrat facing Silicon Valley opposition.
ALEX BORES (D-NY), CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: When we fight.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We win.
PAZMINO (voice-over): A former Republican turned Trump critic.
GEORGE CONWAY (D-NY), CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: We are facing an existential crisis in the form of Donald Trump.
PAZMINO (voice-over): And a Kennedy scion running on his reach.
JACK SCHLOSSBERG (D-NY), CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: I will be able to change the political system just by arriving in D.C.
PAZMINO (voice-over): Just some of the candidates in the crowded Democratic primary For New York's 12th Congressional District, the race to
become the new face of Manhattan, the solid blue district home to some of the most highly educated and politically engaged voters in the nation. And
the contest has attracted big names.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jack isn't good at singing.
PAZMINO (voice-over): Jack Schlossberg, son of Carolyn Kennedy and grandson of former President John F. Kennedy has positioned himself to the
left of his rivals, seeking to build a young following online.
SCHLOSSBERG: The central question in this election is who is going to be able to galvanize the support of young people, the people our party has
lost over the last two decades and build a more effective fighting force to take on Donald Trump and MAGA.
PAZMINO (voice-over): Candidates agree on several issues, like abolishing ICE and opposing the war with Iran. George Conway, a former Republican once
married to Donald Trump's 2016 campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, is centering his candidacy on opposition to the president.
CONWAY: We cannot fix these problems until he's gone. The cart is before the horse if we do anything other than focus on impeaching Donald Trump.
PAZMINO (voice-over): The 12th District is home to many of the city's landmarks, several Fortune 500 companies and Gracie Mansion, the mayoral
residence of Zohran Mamdani.
MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D-NY), NYC: I'm excited to see how this turns out and I'm excited to be one of the many voters casting my vote.
PAZMINO (voice-over): While Mamdani is backing three primary candidates in New York, including two who are challenging Democratic incumbents, he is
publicly staying out of this race.
MAMDANI: I'm going to be keeping my vote in this race between myself, the ballot and that incredible pen that the Board of Elections gives to every
voter.
PAZMINO (voice-over): Two candidates with established political roots in the district are hoping that gives them an edge going into Tuesday.
Assemblyman Micah Lasher is a former senior aide to Governor Kathy Hochul and former Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
LASHER: I think voters want to make sure that the next congressman is both going to push the party to be more effective in fighting against Trump and
Mike Johnson and their fellow fascists.
PAZMINO (voice-over): Fellow Assemblyman Alex Bores, a former computer engineer whose efforts to regulate artificial intelligence have triggered
millions in spending by Silicon Valley.
BORES: I think this district deserves more than establishment or entitlement. It deserves effectiveness.
PAZMINO (voice-over): Outside money and influence have been a major factor in the race. Lasher, getting at least $5 million in a boost from Bloomberg,
his former boss.
SCHLOSSBERG: The last time that a New York billionaire tried to steal a third term, Micah Lasher was right there to help him do it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Gloria joining us now from a New York polling station.
That was a fascinating report then. Talk us through who's in the lead and how much influence AI companies and billionaires, Gloria, have had here.
PAZMINO: That's right. Becky, it's a fascinating race. And I should mention that Michael Lasher is getting the endorsement of congressman Jerry
Nadler. He is the outgoing congressman who is retiring from Congress after serving 17 terms in the House of Representatives.
He's backing Michael Lasher and that has given him significant boost here in the district because Jerry Nadler is extremely popular here with his
constituents. I've spoken to some voters here today who told me that they were voting for Michael Lasher.
Most of the polls show that it's a real toss-up between Lasher and Alex Suarez. They're the two local lawmakers who have connections to the
district. But they're also the two candidates who have attracted the most outside money.
You have Lasher, who has gotten a significant influx of money from former mayor Michael Bloomberg. He's donated more than $5 million to that
campaign. And then, very interestingly, you have Alex Bores, who has crafted an AI regulation legislation during his time in office and that has
gotten the attention of Silicon Valley.
And what's interesting about Alex Bores, is that there are funders who are opposing him. But there's also Silicon Valley money that is backing him.
And as we know, the discussion around regulating AI, not everyone in this world is on the same page. So that's why we see the competing interests.
[10:50:00]
And then, of course, we have the other big name in this campaign. And that is, of course, Jack Schlossberg, grandson of former president John F.
Kennedy. He's tried to make this very much a social media campaign, reaching out to younger voters but he hasn't really been able to break
through.
And I think it's going to be interesting, going into this evening, just how many supporters he's actually able to get. There's also Nina Schwalbe, a
local resident, who is a public health expert, used to work for USAID and has a background in public health. She has tried to also make a difference
in this race.
But I think it's a real toss-up between those top two names that I mentioned, Michael Lasher, Alex Bores. And I think the other really
important dynamic that we have here is that this is, of course, you know, the heart of Manhattan, very much the center of New York City.
Also home to the mayoral residence of Zohran Mamdani. And he chose to stay out of this race. He did vote but he did not share who he voted for. And I
think that speaks to some of the divisions that we see in this district, home to some of the most educated, affluent and politically engaged voters
in the nation. Becky.
ANDERSON: Good to have you. Thank you.
And to Gloria's point, the New York mayor, Zohran Mamdani, has stayed out of the race for who will be his own congressman. But in other races, he's
fully thrown his weight behind progressive candidates as Knicks final viewers would have seen in this ad a couple of weeks back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D-NY), NYC (voice-over): New York, we know anything is possible with a great team.
BRAD LANDER, POLITICAL CANDIDATE: I'm Brad Lander and I'll block billionaires from buying our elections.
DARIALIZA AVILA CHEVALIER, POLITICAL CANDIDATE: I'm Darializa Avila Chevalier and I'll defend New York by abolishing ICE.
CLAIRE VALDEZ, POLITICAL CANDIDATE: I'm Claire Valdez and I'll stand up against bad landlords and greedy corporations.
MAMDANI: Get out and vote. This is the team. This is our year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: All right. We're going to keep an eye on that race. And our thanks to Gloria Pazmino. More news after this.
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ANDERSON: Well, Europe's sweltering under a growing heat wave with record temperatures expected across the continent this week. Authorities in 26
countries stretching from Ireland to Greece issuing heat warnings on Monday.
And forecasters expect temperatures to rise above 40 Celsius in some places. We caught up with CNN's Melissa Bell this time yesterday. She is
still in Paris, tracking that heat wave for us, and filed this report.
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MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is so hot. This is already proving to be one of the most intense heat waves on record in
some parts of Europe, not least here in France.
What we had overnight was the hottest night on record. And then this morning, this crisis meeting by the government, after which we heard from
the prime minister who said that ever since this heat wave kicked middle or late last week, there had been 40 drownings in France alone.
And this, of course, because people are seeking what respite they can. It is very hot. More than 107 degrees recorded yesterday in Bordeaux. That was
a record for the city. And you're seeing these records being hit in different French cities but also in Germany, Italy, Spain and it's heading
toward the United Kingdom.
This is also and I think it's significant looking ahead to what's going to happen in terms of wildfires, the second heat wave we've had in just a
couple of months.
[10:55:00]
And already some of those have started here in France. So authorities putting out those red alerts to warn people to do what they can to stay
hydrated, to stay home. Many schools here in France have closed. Many trains have been canceled. It is simply too hot to function.
And I think it's important to note that here in Europe we just don't have the air conditioning that you do in the U.S. for instance.
About 20 percent of homes across the continent have air conditioning compared to 90 percent in the U.S. So we are not equipped for this kind of
weather. And that's one of the major problems that authorities are facing.
So you've got the drownings that I just mentioned but also heat related deaths that we've begun to hear of, at least 18 here in France.
And that's likely to continue climbing, sadly, because the temperatures appear to be going upwards still. There is no end in sight to this
particular heat wave, with all of the consequences that then -- that then has.
But what we have seen these last few years are hotter summers, more intense heat waves, more heat waves in the course of the summer. And I think one of
the notable things about this one is how early in the season it is.
Normally you'll see heat waves kick in in July and August. We're still in June and already at the second one. But really, Paris is about as quiet as
you'll ever see the city right now.
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ANDERSON: Well, wherever you are watching, stay safe. And if you are in Europe, stay hydrated. Take it from someone who knows, living as we do here
in the summer heat of the Gulf region.
That is it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up for us next.
END
