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Isa Soares Tonight

El-Sayed Wins Michigan Democratic Senate Primary. Mexican Influencer Shot and Killed on Livestream. Heat, Power Shortages Making Life Unbearable in Cuba. FIFA President Infantino Facing Calls to Step Down. Brutal Russian Attacks Kill 17 people in the Kyiv Area with No Missiles Being Intercepted by Ukrainian Defenses; Progressive Abdul El-Sayed Prevail in Michigan Over Stevens; FIFA's President Gianni Infantino Reportedly Calls a Crisis Meeting with Senior Staff After the Collapse of His Plan to Selloff World Cup Commercial Rights. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired August 05, 2026 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, brutal Russian attacks kill 17 people in

the Kyiv area with no missiles being intercepted by Ukrainian defenses. What does that say about the country's stockpiles?

Then progressives prevail in Michigan, but only just CNN projects Abdul El- Sayed will win the state's Democratic Senate primary. What that means for the party just ahead. Plus, FIFA's President, Gianni Infantino, reportedly

calls a crisis meeting with senior staff after the collapse of his plan to sell off World Cup commercial rights. We'll have that and much more for you

in the show.

We do begin this hour in Ukraine and a devastating Russian onslaught that has killed at least 17 people in and around the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

Officials say Moscow fired more than two dozen ballistic and anti-ship missiles. That's key.

None of the missiles were intercepted, absolutely none intercepted by Ukraine's defenses. Kyiv's stocks of missile interceptors are dangerously

low, with Ukraine's President calling on allies to provide more hardware. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying just a short time ago that he reached

out to NATO Secretary General about securing those very interceptor missiles.

The overnight strikes caused damage to prominent businesses, including the Ukrainian equivalent of Amazon and IKEA, and that appears, if you remember,

to be retaliation for Kyiv targeting Russia's e-commerce giant Wildberries. A story we brought you, what? Forty-eight hours or so ago.

Well, Clare Sebastian has more on how recent attacks are underlining the increasing danger to civilians, even those who may be living far from those

frontlines.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, this was the latest in a series of drone and missile barrages, particularly targeting the

capital, Kyiv, that have been growing in frequency and ferocity throughout the Summer as Russia tries to exploit what is now a well-publicized lack of

defenses in Ukraine, particularly against ballistic missiles.

Now, this attack involved some 24 ballistic missiles and four anti-ship missiles, which are almost as difficult to bring down. So, specifically

designed to be as difficult as possible for Ukraine to deal with. And as a result, none of these missiles were brought down by air defenses, according

to Ukraine's Air Force.

Now, according to CNN's calculations, there has been an increasing difficulty for Ukraine in tackling these attacks involving ballistic

missiles. In July, Ukraine was able to avert only about 23 percent of the ballistic missiles that Russia fired.

And so far in August, Russia has fired some 56 ballistic or similar missiles, of which only one has been brought down, according to CNN's

calculations. So, this led to more urges and pleas from President Zelenskyy today to his partners to increase supplies of interceptors for ballistic

missiles, to provide Ukraine with the licenses that it needs to produce them locally.

He warned that supplies have dropped threefold since 2025. Now, this attack was also striking because of the targets involved here. We know that

Ukraine has been hitting e-commerce warehouses inside Russia.

This was clearly designed as a response. We saw many different logistical and warehouse facilities hit. Six people were killed in warehouses

belonging to the operator of Ukraine's biggest supermarket chain. There were also reportedly three killed at a sorting center for the Ukrainian

Postal Service.

But perhaps the most gruesome scenes of all came at a train station in a suburb of Kyiv where eight people were reportedly killed. They were said to

be waiting after a delay in a train, waiting, having missed the last train there.

So, the big picture context here is that, look, July was the deadliest month for Ukrainian civilians since April of 2022. August already shaping

up to be a brutal month. Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Now, thanks to Clare for that report. Well, "Kyiv was a very scary place to be last night." Those are the words of our next guest, Ukrainian

MP, Inna Sovsun, who experienced last night's missile attacks that Clare was talking about firsthand.

[14:05:00]

You know, thank you very much for joining us this hour. Look, before we talk about the wider picture, which is important that we get to, I do want

to go -- I want you to take us back to last night. You told my producer earlier this morning that you were just about to go to bed when the

explosions actually began.

I think it was around 1:00 a.m., and that the air-raid sirens only sounded after the first impact, leaving you with very little warning, right? To

seek shelter. So, what did you do? Talk us -- talk us through that terrifying experience. Can you hear me now?

INNA SOVSUN, UKRAINIAN MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT: I do hear you. Can you hear me now?

SOARES: Have you got me? Not just double-checking. I've got you, yes. I've got you. Can you hear me clearly?

SOVSUN: Yes --

SOARES: Fantastic, I was mentioning --

SOVSUN: Yes, I can hear you --

SOARES: Earlier before --

SOVSUN: So --

SOARES: Thank you very much for -- thank you for being with us. Go ahead - -

SOVSUN: Yes, well, the experience was terrifying. I was already in bed when I heard the explosion before any air-raid alert. I jumped out of the

bed, was already too late to go to the -- to the bomb shelter because the explosions already started.

So, the only thing left for me to do was to run to the bathroom where I was at least far away from the windows, and I couldn't be hurt with a shrapnel

from the windows, but that's as much protection as you can hope for.

And then the explosions were taking place roughly every two, three minutes, for about an hour. I could hear those explosions, some of those explosions

as I later learned, were as close as to about 1.5 miles from my home. That was a very loud one.

And I just had to stay in the bathroom hoping that I will not be the one who will be hit this night. But there was very little I could have done.

Unfortunately, that those recent attacks are particularly scary because they happened very fast.

So, previously, we had a situation where there was an air-raid alert, and then there was some time lag where you could go to the bomb shelter. Now,

we first hear explosions and only then will we hear the air raid alert, which is already too late to the -- to run to the shelter.

So, people have to stay at homes and hope that they will not be the unlucky ones who will get hit this night, myself included. So, I spent half the

night in the bathroom and then around 3:00 in the morning, I could go to bed and try to fall asleep as much as you can.

After hearing all of that, then I woke up at around 5:00 in the morning again because there was another air-raid alert. And I looked out of the

window, I could see the smoke covering the sky because apparently the heat was close to my house and there was a fire and it was -- yes, that is why

it was taking place there. So, it was yet another very scary night in Kyiv.

SOARES: Yes, and another, and this is the key word, right? Another scary night, important to point out as well that you -- I think you were seven

months pregnant, so I can't even imagine how terrifying that must have been for you.

But look, we mentioned, and Clare, my colleague was reporting earlier, she mentioned it too, Inna, that, Ukraine is now warning that it's running

dangerously low on-air defense interceptors, and like we said, there were reports that none of the ballistic missiles were intercepted.

President Zelenskyy says that the delays in supplying interceptors are costing civilian lives. And we've seen that as we were just reporting.

After what you've experienced yourself, what is your message, you know, to Ukraine's allies? Is there still a failure to grasp with just how urgent

this has become?

SOVSUN: Well, I could make a big political statement here. But I will -- I will tell you one name. The name is Vitali Yarovenko(ph). She was my

student two months ago. She was 20 years old. She was a volunteer. She was teaching people how to -- how to provide first medical aid to themselves.

In the attack that took place less than a week ago, she saw five civilians getting hit in yet another attack. She ran to help them, and then there was

yet another attack in the same site, and she was killed in that attack.

Again, she was 20 years old. She was a very good student. I remember her sitting in my class two months ago, and she's dead now because we didn't

have the capacity to protect her and other people in Kyiv and in other cities in Ukraine.

[14:10:00]

Because we don't have the interceptors to do so. And unfortunately, this is an ongoing situation and it's getting scarier by week. And we're seeing the

situation escalating, yet there are no solutions as of yet. There are no promises even.

Everybody seems to be ignoring the fact that they're just murdering hundreds of civilians, and we cannot protect ourselves. So, in the name of

Vitali(ph), in the name of many other civilians who got killed, I'm just asking everybody to remember that the only way to protect those civilians

is, unfortunately, in the hands of our allies, and we're asking you to step in.

SOARES: Yes, Inna, look, I'm terribly sorry for your loss. Absolutely horrific, and these personal stories, you know, we need to remember, we

need to tell them, because sometimes the politics doesn't break through, right? Sometimes the pollock(ph) doesn't -- politics doesn't resonate.

But I do want to bring the conversation to -- you were talking about -- we're seeing this escalation. I was hearing a conversation with Ukraine's

Energy Minister speaking to "Politico" this week. They're basically saying that Russia could increasingly target water supplies and other critical

civilian infrastructure ahead of the Winter, which is a strategy we have seen repeatedly, right?

All in an effort to break Ukraine's resistance. I mean, given what we are seeing, just how brutal July has been and how it's picking up already in

August. How worried are you about what's coming in the months ahead and what needs to be done? Not in three months' time, but right now.

SOVSUN: Well, we have already witnessed several very scary Winters. This Winter might be even --

SOARES: Yes --

SOVSUN: Worse than that. So, it might be worse because the energy infrastructure itself is just too exhausted. So, we have been fixing and

trying to keep it running, but it's just, you know, it's already too damaged. So, yet another attack, and then the next time, we will not be

able to fix the problem, right?

It will -- the stations will be destroyed completely. So, after many years of attacks, something that has been working by the end of the previous

Winter might not survive yet another attack. So, that is very scary in itself. And second, because the previous Winters would still have the

interceptors for ballistics.

So, we could have intercepted at least some of those missiles targeting specifically energy infrastructure. So, for this Winter, we are not seeing

any of that. And we are very scared that come September, and that of course, the Russians will try to attack the energy infrastructure, and that

will have devastating attacks.

On the very personal note, you did mention I'm seven months pregnant. So, for that reason, it's also on a very personal note, it's very scary to me

because living hours without electricity, without water, without heating, with a small baby is of course, adds to those challenges of surviving those

Winters.

So, we are of course, very much worried about that. And unfortunately, there is very little people individually can do. Like I live in a -- in a

multi-story building --

SOARES: Yes --

SOVSUN: In an apartment. I can't -- you know, I can't put up a solar panel for myself. I can't supply water for myself.

SOARES: It's --

SOVSUN: I need an elevator to get upstairs. All of that requires the infrastructure to continue working for people to continue living in the

city.

SOARES: Yes, absolutely. Inna, really grateful that you could talk to us and grateful that -- glad that you are well, let's stay in touch. Thank you

very much for taking the time to speak to us. Inna Sovsun there from Kyiv - -

SOVSUN: Thank you for having me --

SOARES: In Ukraine. I want to leave -- you're very welcome. I want to leave Ukraine for just a moment and turn our attention to the United

States? Because as we told you at the top of the show, the progressive wing of the Democratic Party is celebrating perhaps its biggest win of the 2026

election cycle today, in a bruising, razor-thin race that exposed deep divisions within the party.

CNN is projecting the Michigan Democratic Senate primary for Abdul El-Sayed after a tighter-than-expected match up, as you can see there, between the

former public health official and moderate Congresswoman Haley Stevens.

The race was seen as a test of whether progressive candidates could succeed outside of a few big city strongholds. There was also a strong focus on

Israel. During his fiery victory speech, El-Sayed criticized the tens of millions of dollars a powerful pro-Israel lobby spent to elect Stevens, and

he slammed his Republican opponent in November, Mike Rogers, for never missing an opportunity to quote, "lick every single boot Donald Trump

owns."

But El-Sayed also presented himself as a unifier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABDUL EL-SAYED, U.S. SENATE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE: Sometimes, you know, intra-family squabbles, squabbles are the biggest ones. But we all know

that when we walk out the house, we stand united.

[14:15:00]

We're going to build a movement that reaches out to everybody. I know not everybody is going to agree with me on everything, that's not how this

works. But I do know that they agree with me on the need to beat Mike Rogers and the need to hold Donald Trump accountable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Well, let's get more on all of this. Let's bring in CNN Politics senior writer Stephen Collinson with more on the impact of this race.

Stephen, good to see you. Look, I heard El-Sayed saying earlier, we shook up the world, how much -- I know it's a very thin margin as we mentioned,

but how much of a shake-up and a wake-up call is El-Sayed's win for the Democratic Party, indeed for the Democrat -- moderate Dems, I should say.

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Well, I think you put your finger on it by saying it's the left's most important win of this

election cycle so far. The Democratic establishment wanted Stevens to win because they reasoned that in a swing state, a critical swing state that

decides elections like Michigan, it would be better to have a moderate Democrat who would have more appeal.

El-Sayed is a very progressive Democrat. He took a very aggressive stance on the issues that are mobilizing the Democratic base this year, anti-

Israel rhetoric, Medicare for all state health care that you might compare to a National Health Service in Europe, a very progressive economic

message.

So, I think his challenge now is to broaden that appeal and try to turn this into race into a referendum against Donald Trump, his Republican

opponent, Mike Rogers, is going to have that millstone around his neck.

But a very significant win for El-Sayed, even though it's -- as you say, very close and reflects the divisions in the Democratic Party about where

the party should actually go, and what's the best way to win elections.

SOARES: Yes, and I was seeing his senior adviser to El-Sayed saying that the -- basically making the argument, Stephen, that consistency in the

message is part of what helped fuel -- pushed the voters to -- across the state. And of course, much of his campaign is -- as you were referring to,

there, was money out of politics, money in your pocket, and Medicare for all.

But putting the policy aside, I mean, as we've heard him today, we heard him yesterday, he is a charismatic guy, he's a former public health

official, truly has an inspirational story. What is it about him that resonated with voters? Speak to that for an international audience.

COLLINSON: So, Democratic voters are very angry. They're still very angry about the party's leaders over what happened in the Joe Biden presidency

and the handover to Kamala Harris. The fact that Trump was allowed by Democratic incompetence in many ways to get back into the White House and

fundamentally change America and the United States.

I think there is also a sense in El-Sayed that we're at a generational moment. Democrats, especially younger Democrats, are looking to a different

generation of leaders. They found their leaders to be very remote. And I think that left-wing politics are having a moment in the United States,

especially among young people who come out of college with a lot of debt.

They find it impossible to get on the housing ladder. You have issues like high grocery prices, high energy prices. These are not just issues in the

United States. We're seeing politics changed all over Europe because of this. So, you have that as well. And I do think this is really an

interesting moment because the Trump presidency, in many ways, was a racial and cultural backlash to the Obama presidency.

Now, at the end, as it will be close to the end of the Trump presidency, the second term, we're going to have a contest which is again, going to

test whether an American with a Muslim name who will be demonized by Republicans as a socialist and an extremist, can win in what is seen as a

swing state where white older voters are also very important.

It -- in many ways parallels the same questions that were asked when Barack Obama first ran for President in 2008. It's the same kind of contest, and I

think it shows really that the last 20 years in American politics are in many ways a contest between Trumpism and Obamaism, and it's one that we

don't know the final answer to yet.

SOARES: Yes, and he's already -- we're already seeing some of those ads targeting him, right? One, saying that he's the most radical Senate

candidate in America. It is very telling, and to see what will await him come November. Stephen, great to see you. Thank you very much --

COLLINSON: Thanks --

SOARES: Indeed. And still to come tonight, deal or no deal. U.S. President Donald Trump once again forecasts a major breakthrough in talks with Iran,

but Tehran is sending a very different message. The view from the White House, that's just ahead for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:20:00]

SOARES: Well, Iran says talks with Oman over Strait of Hormuz shipping route are progressing. According to Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, the

two countries have agreed on the geographical coordinates of a proposed safe route for commercial vessels transiting that critical waterway.

As for the diplomacy, you ask. Well, Iran says there are no current negotiations ongoing with the United States, that's despite U.S. President

claiming that announcement about the Strait reopening could be made as soon as today.

Meanwhile, with the war now in its sixth month, a U.S. military munition stockpile is running dangerously low, according to senior commanders.

Sources say the Pentagon has exhausted nearly 80 percent of its interceptors for a key missile defense system.

A Pentagon spokesman says America's military has everything it needs. So, let me go to Kristen Holmes with us from the White House. We've had the

pleasure of being with -- speaking to pretty much all week. And Kristen, just -- it just goes to show the back-and-forth that you and I have had to

get -- try and get some sense of clarity for our viewers where things stand.

Because Iran's deputy Foreign Minister saying no talks with the U.S. are underway over the Strait of Hormuz, 24 hours ago, Secretary Bessent was

speaking of a possible deal. Today, President Trump speaking of a deal 48 hours ago. What are you hearing from the administration?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're hearing very different things from every party involved here. One senior Gulf

official said that there was a 50-50 chance that there was going to be a deal on the Strait of Hormuz by Friday.

Of course, President Trump has continued to say day-after-day that it could be coming as soon as tomorrow. And then you have Iran saying they're not

doing any kind of negotiations with the United States. Now, it does seem as though Iran is mincing words there in a way that the United States is not.

The United States does believe that going through a mediator to try and figure something out, even if it's just a small piece of the puzzle, is

still negotiations that involve Iran. Iran seems to think that if they are not having direct conversations with the United States, then it doesn't

count, as these kinds of direct -- as these kinds of conversations or negotiations.

But they do say -- Iran does say that they're working directly with Oman on reopening the Strait. We know Oman is dealing with the United States. So,

there's a little bit of nuance here in these conversations. We also know -- and this has been the truth throughout this entire five-month war, that

both sides have their own agenda, specifically, publicly, as they are out there trying to sow their own narrative as we are trying to figure out from

both of these side narratives, what is the actual truth?

[14:25:00]

Now, it does seem from everyone in the -- in the parties here that we're talking to, that there is likely moving towards a potential deal to reopen

the Strait of Hormuz. Now, when timing-wise, what that looks like and then what happens next? Those questions we don't have answers to.

SOARES: Kristen, really appreciate it. Thank you very much. We continue to read between the lines to try and get some clarity for our viewers. Thank

you very much indeed. Now, there is evidence Iran's leaders are ramping up executions and death sentences in their ongoing crackdown on dissent.

The U.N. says at least 56 people have been executed since late March, nearly half of those cases were linked to the widespread anti-regime

protests earlier this year. It is important to note the human rights protections were not included in the 14-point Memorandum of Understanding

signed by the United States and Iran in June.

Well, in Russia, controversy is growing around so-called Black Widow Scams. Women allegedly entering sham marriages with soldiers to claim death

benefits if they are killed. Matthew Chance has that story for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A mass wedding of Russian soldiers before they're packed off to the

frontlines.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I want to shake your hand and thank you for not running away, for not being scared.

CHANCE: But not all marriages are for love. Russian military wives get thousands of dollars compensation if their husbands are killed in action,

and officials say ruthless scammers dubbed Black Widows, are now tricking vulnerable recruits into wedlock.

The father of Maria(ph), from St. Petersburg, died after being shot in Ukraine last year. She told me she only found out her dad had joined the

army after he was killed, and only then did he have any wife.

(On camera): How did you feel when you found out that your dad had got married just days before he went off to war?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): It felt unreal when I was being issued the death certificate, they asked if he was married. I said no, but

they told me he was. I never even managed to contact the woman. I simply didn't know what to say to her because I suspected it was a scam.

CHANCE (voice-over): It's just one suspected case in a growing number scandalizing Russia. With the war in Ukraine now in its fifth year and

casualty rates at catastrophic highs, it's hard to imagine there are people out there marrying vulnerable men and encouraging them to join the military

just so they might financially benefit if they're killed on the frontlines. No wonder there's outrage across Russia at the spread of these Black Widow

Scams.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

CHANCE: There are numerous allegations of recruits, honey-trapped before dying on the frontlines, even marrying on their death beds in hospital.

This woman who married a soldier ten days after meeting him, then posted images of herself with other men, was branded a Black Widow in the Russian

media and denied compensation when her husband was killed before their divorce went through. She denied any wrongdoing, saying the allegations had

blackened her name.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

CHANCE: But there's growing public anger at how cynical some Russians have become about the war the Kremlin calls its special military operation. "If

I wanted an apartment, where am I supposed to get the money?" The host of this podcast asks? "It's simple."

The guest who is a real estate agent, responds, "find a man serving in the special military operation, and when he's killed, you get 8 million

rubles." She laughs. The podcasters were prosecuted and forced to apologize, a rare intervention by the Russian courts.

Back in St. Petersburg, Maria(ph) takes us to the block where her dad's old apartment has now been sold off, convinced he was also scammed out of his

home.

(On camera): Do you know who the new owner is? How long -- how many years did your dad live here?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Five years.

CHANCE: Five years. This is it. It's open.

(Voice-over): Behind the broken door, the new occupant insists it was a legitimate sale, and that they never even met the seller. It means the

money and the widow just like Maria's dad, are now long gone. Matthew Chance, CNN in St. Petersburg.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: And our thanks to Matthew for that excellent report. And still to come tonight, why Republicans are celebrating a projected win by a

Democrat. A look at what the rise of progressives mean for the future of U.S. politics.

Plus, a popular Mexican influencer is killed in the middle of a live stream. We'll have the latest on his shocking murder. Both of those stories

after a very short break. You are watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. We return now to U.S. politics and to a race that has the attention of both the left and indeed the right. Abdul

El-Sayed has won the Democratic Senate primary in Michigan. El-Sayed's narrow victory, as we told you at the top of the show, is the most high

profile win for the progressive wing of the Democratic Party this year. The big question now is how El-Sayed's left wing politics will play statewide

in the general election. President Donald Trump seems to think this is a major setback for the

Democratic Party. He called El-Sayed a communist who hates Jews and he hailed El-Sayed's win as great news for the Republican Party.

For more additional perspective on the importance of this race, I want to talk to CNN political commentator, well known face here. We haven't spoken

to in a while, Bakari Sellers. Bakari, great to see, great to have you back on the show. Let me get then your reaction to what we saw in Michigan

because I was hearing El-Sayed saying today that, you know, we shook up the world. How much of a shake up and a wake up call is his win, not just for

the Democratic Party but for those moderate Dems?

BAKARI SELLER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Now I hate to throw water on someone celebration or bring some type of sobering reality, but the fact is

Abdul El-Sayed won with less than 50% of the vote. That's first and foremost. The second thing is he did what DSA and what many of my far left

progressives do which is win college educated white voters in suburban communities. He didn't win rural voters, he didn't win minority voters.

In fact, he got trounced with both of those by Haley Stevens.

[14:35:00]

And so I say all that to say that while people want to talk about a shakeup, instead I want people for the next 89 days to be looking towards

the work that needs to be done because we've seen DSA win in places like Seattle. We've seen them win in New York City, but we haven't seen them win

in Wisconsin, we haven't seen them win in Michigan, we haven't seen them win throughout the south. Because many times those far left ideals, when

too (ph) left are outwardly rejected by the base of the party.

SOARES: On that then let's talk about what he needs to do. Michigan Democratic Senator Gary Peters, basically saying in the last quarter (ph)

hour also Bakari, the Democrats need to unite behind him, but really emphasizing that he needs to make inroads immediately with the party. So

speak to that. What does he need to do, to actually to try and beat the Republican candidate in 90 days time? What should his focus be on right

now?

SELLERS: So, the first thing is you have to go and coalesce your base. I mean, 48% of the people who voted in the primary, actually more than 48,

closer to 50%. There were 55,000 people who voted for Mallory -- for McMorrow, who wasn't on the ballot, Mallory McMorrow, who wasn't on the

ballot. So 50% of the party did not vote for him to be the nominee. Which means you got a whole hell of a lot of work to do.

He has to start in those urban areas, he has to start in those rural areas. He has to make sure that he's taking a message of unification, talking

about what Michiganders want, not just saying that I am going to be this progressive ideologue or this far left king of all things politics or, you

know, listening to the Internet per se, but having town hall meetings, talking about issues that really matter.

I was having a conversation earlier today with a friend and he was like, name one issue that -- that is out of touch with the majority of -- of

Americans with a Democratic base? I said, abolishing the police. I said, nobody wants to abolish -- My mama doesn't want you to abolish the police.

She wants better police. And so those are things that we have to have conversations about, and people say things and do things to win primaries

and then they have to change course to win general elections. I'm intrigued to see because I do not want Mike Rogers in the United States Senate. 2000

-- 2006, it's just too critical.

SOARES: Yeah. Do you think he has a chance of beating him, Bakari?

SELLERS: Yes, of course. He definitely has a chance, he just has to put the work in. He's a brilliant, brilliant, brilliant man. I mean, he -- he's

done the work in -- in family health centers in probably the largest family health center in the country in the city of Detroit. Like he's -- he's put

the work in. Can he win? Yes. Does he have to do the work? And that's the problem I have with many of my friends to the left because you won a

primary, don't spike the -- don't spike the football and do a touchdown dance. The game ain't over yet.

SOARES: Game ain't (ph) over (ph) look (ph), and you're right, the race was extremely tight. What winning by less than 15,000 votes in what I saw was a

record breaking voter turnout. Right? But now you have this split, you are talking to that, within the Democratic Party. Very big divisions within the

Democratic Party. Let me just play for you what Bernie Sanders said last night. Have a listen to this, Bakari.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BERNIE SANDERS, U.S. SENATE INDEPENDENT: I think what we are seeing, no matter what happens tonight in Michigan, and I hope very much that El-Sayed

wins, is you're seeing a transformation of the Democratic Party, and what the -- the debate within the Democratic Party is about, it's not only about

ideology. It's not only ideology that we disagree with the Democratic leadership about, it's how you do politics.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: How do you react to that? I mean, really in the months ahead, how the Democratic Party comes together because not everyone is behind him of

course. But it will be interesting to see how -- how they unite, if they can unite because we have already seen the Republicans putting ads out

against him.

SELLERS: I mean, there's an age old saying that -- that Democrats fall in love and Republicans fall in line. Right? And so at the end of the day it's

a binary choice. Do you want Abdul El-Sayed or do you want Mike Rogers? And for many people that's a very easy choice. Democrats aren't going to be,

you know, the say all, end all for this particular race. It's going to be those folk in the middle of the country, in the middle of the political

spectrum that truly decide.

I hear Bernie Sanders and he's not -- he's not all the way -- he's not all the way wrong or all the way right in his analysis, he's forgetting one

thing, that people around the country, Democrats and Republicans, are outright rejecting the status quo. It's not necessarily that we're having

this huge shakeup. The Republicans are going through the same thing where people have been in office for a very long period of time are just getting

chucked out.

People are tired of the same old, same old. And he's right about that. But it's not partisan. It's the fact that our political system is really going

through a rebirth because the status quo is getting thrown out, and out with the old and in with the new.

SOARES: Yeah. And maybe it's the consistency in that message that is so important. Bakari, great to have you on the show. Always appreciate your

analysis and really value it.

[14:40:00]

Bakari Sellers there for us in South Carolina. Thank you.

Now take to Mexico because we've seen a shocking scene there. A popular social media influencer is shot and killed while livestreaming. His name,

Cesar Gastelum, a popular figure on TikTok with more than 600,000 followers watching his comedy videos. CNN's Isabel Rosales joins me now. So, Isabel

just talk us through first of all what happened to him and who authorities believe may be behind this.

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, and you saw this video has certainly horrified so many of his fans because this is a popular TikTok

star, 600,000 plus followers, and this incident happened in Culiacan. This is the capital city of Mexico Sinaloa state. And the particular area where

this happened is really at the heart of their touristic zone. And what we saw from this video that was reviewed by CNN, we saw Cesar Gastelum, 23

years old.

He's known mostly for making these comedy videos. And he's dressed up with a couple of friends. With his friends, they're dressed like delivery

drivers in front of this restaurant. It's clear that they're making some sort of a prank video when suddenly you can see this bike. It stops right

in front of them. We have certainly paused the moment of the shooting because obviously that's extremely graphic.

And we see those two people on the bike. The driver then shoots at Gastelum, killing him. Obviously a horrifying scene, all of it happening so

quickly, to the point that even the Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum, spoke about this, saying that authorities are investigating the incident.

And here's what she said in a morning press conference. She said the actual perpetrators, and if applicable, the mastermind must be arrested and the

reason behind this tragic homicide must be uncovered.

So clearly the question is why? Why would this happen? Who did this? Who ordered this? It is unclear if cartels are behind his killing. But I can

say this, at Culiacan and other cities there in the state of Sinaloa, they have struggled with organized crime. Mexican authorities are investigating

whether this particular attack is actually linked to Gastelum's social media content. Certain posts that he's put out where he has been

referencing a criminal group.

I do also want to state that there's an NGO by the name of International Crisis Group that put out a report that in this area, in this area of

Sinaloa, there's two criminal fractions that are coming out of the Sinaloa cartel that's been sort of splintered since the arrest of El Chapo. And

their names are Los Mayos and Los Chapitos. They have been duking it out, essentially battling for who's going to control this region.

So, that's a very active scenario there with the cartel that's been happening in this particular area. But again, the reason for this

particular attack, the motive behind that, authorities are still investigating it.

SOARES: Yeah, and of course he was live streaming. We also remember the Mexican beauty influencer who was also livestreaming and he was shot and

killed. Thanks very much, Isabel. Really appreciate it. I'm grateful that you are on the story for us. We are going to take a short break. We will

see you, though, on the other side.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:45:00]

SOARES: Record low water levels on the Danube River are fueling an energy crisis in Central Europe. Hungary is largely shutting down its only nuclear

power plant because there isn't enough water to cool it. It's urging people to scale back on energy use as temperatures soar. Both in Budapest as well

as other cities. Operations at Slovenia's only nuclear power plant are also being scaled back. The plant uses water from the Danube tributary and

supplies power both to Slovenia and to Croatia.

I'm going to take you now to Cuba, where intense heat, power shortages and routine blackouts are making life totally unbearable. Another lack of fuel

is causing yet another crisis. Lined with garbage, with rubbish, with no trucks to clear it. Our Carlos Lopez has more for you from Havana.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JUAN CARLOS LOPEZ, CNN EN ESPANOL ANCHOR & CHIEF CORRESPONDENT: This is a regular street scene in the Miramar neighborhood in Havana. Beach is right

over there, at least the ocean. But now I'm going to show you what it's really like. And this is one of the consequences of a lack of fuel. This

city of about 2 million people has to deal with this. Since there's not enough fuel to go around, trash accumulates on many corners. It's not only

the historic old Havana, it's neighborhoods like this one.

And we've seen the trucks picking up the trash. We've seen the workers at night and at day trying to clean this up. But there's just so much that

you'll find this anywhere you go in Havana. This is one of the consequences of a lack of fuel. This is what the residents of the city have to put up

with in the middle of this crisis. It's not only the rolling blackouts which bring a lack of water, but then also the smell on the side of trash

on many of the corners of the city.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: And our thanks to Carlos for that report. And still to come tonight, FIFA's president reportedly holds an emergency crisis meeting with

senior staff as Gianni Infantino faces growing calls to step down. We'll have more on this story for you after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:50:00]

SOARES: Well, FIFA's president, Gianni Infantino, has reportedly called a crisis meeting with senior staff in Morocco. Last week, if you remember, he

sent shockwaves through the football world with a business proposal to involve private investors in tournament operations. After intense

criticism, the plan was scrapped just a few days later. But he is now facing calls for his departure. Infantino seeking a fourth term at the FIFA

Congress in Morocco in March. Let's bring in CNN's Don Riddell from World Sport who joins me now. So, Don, do we know if anything has come out of this meeting, more importantly,

why he called it?

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Isa, we don't know any more. The fact that it was called in the first place is hugely significant because, I mean, let's

just cast our minds back a couple of weeks when it was Gianni Infantino trying to escort President Trump off the stage when Spain were being

presented with the World Cup trophy. And at that point, Infantino seemed like he was an absolute lock for a fourth term as FIFA president. He seemed

to have the support of pretty much everybody around the world, that election coming up in just seven months time.

And in the two and a half weeks since then, everything has changed. He's called this meeting in Morocco, as you say, a crisis meeting, to try and

tamp down the calls for him to step aside. We don't know if the meeting is still going on as I say, if it's finished. We haven't heard any more about

it. I suspect we will, you know, coming up shortly. But it is just an absolutely remarkable state of affairs that Gianni Infantino now finds

himself in this position. Everything has changed, literally in just a couple of weeks.

SOARES: And we've seen Serbia, Sweden, Wales, and this was like three days or four days ago, actually pressuring him to resign. But we're seeing more

pressure. Right? The former Portuguese national, I'm not sure whether you've seen him, Luis Figo wrote, he wrote a notepad basically, and he

said, I could write 10,000 words on the problems at FIFA, but the solution needs only three. Infantino must go.

He bent and then went on. Didn't hold back, Don. He said, He has lied, deceived and tried to feather his own nest at the expense, expense of the

game he's supposed to serve. Speak to that kind of growing pressure not just from some of these European countries, but also now from players. Or

former players, I should say.

RIDDELL: I mean, Figo absolutely blasted him. I think another of the lines was it's too late to save his dignity, but it's not too late to save

football. He described Infantino as a relic of the past. Yeah, I mean he described his conduct as the lowest, most deceitful and cravenly self

interested behavior I have ever witnessed. So, I mean Luis Figo pulling absolutely no punches. And the hits just keep on coming for Gianni

Infantino.

I mean, I think it was yesterday or maybe even earlier today that Prince Ali bin Hussein, the former FIFA vice president, who is in charge of the

Jordanian national team, basically accused Infantino of blackmail because he said his team is still waiting the $4.2 million prize money that they

earned by making it to the final of the FIFA Arab Cup last December. And that money still hasn't been paid because he said he is expected to lend

his support to Gianni Infantino. And he said he wasn't going to anyway, but now he certainly won't.

So, you know, these stories are now coming thick and fast, and it was put to me earlier today that Infantino is bleeding support. I would argue that

he is hemorrhaging support, and that's just extraordinary. I mean, I talked earlier about how it was just assumed that he would coast to a fourth

successive term. Now it's such a different story. In the last couple of weeks, we've had UEFA, which is the umbrella organization for 55 European

teams, saying if this goes ahead, we are not going to be playing in the World Cup anymore.

So everybody around the world, be it the federations, the -- the continental federations, they've all called his bluff. And Infantino seems

to be rapidly running out of friends. And that's what he's trying to do in Morocco today is not just win a fourth term anymore, it's just, can he last

the next seven months and even get to the election as the FIFA president? SOARES: And we've got about 45 seconds or so left on the show, Don. Now, I was speaking to a football journo (ph) a couple of days ago and he was

saying a lot of the -- the federations have been from Europe. Are we start -- Are we starting to see Concacaf and others also going against Infantino?

[14:55:00]

I would say it's pretty much, I mean, some have been stronger than others. UEFA, of course, the most significant and the most powerful. Some African

nations are still supporting Infantino, and that's perhaps no surprise because they need the money, more than some of the others. But it is

remarkable so many people have turned on him. And that wasn't a situation we could have seen just a few weeks ago.

SOARES: Indeed. Indeed. Don, appreciate it. Thank you very much indeed. And that's us -- That's it for us. What We Know is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:00:00]

END