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One World with Zain Asher

Israel, Iran Pause Attacks On Each Other After Trump Pressure; Israel Suspends Attacks On Israel After Major Escalation; CNN Reports From On-The-Ground In Tehran; Pontiff Leads Prayers In Madrid's Santa Maria Cathedral; Protests In Albania Over Trump-Kushner Real Estate Project; India's New Youth Political Movement Holds First Protest; Apple Expected To Unveil New A.I. Features And Siri Overhaul; Extra Security Planned As Trump Heads To New York Knicks Game; Vendors In Mexico City Brush Up On English Ahead Of Tournament; Aired 12-1p ET

Aired June 08, 2026 - 12:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:00:57]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Major escalations in the Middle East threaten a fragile truce. "One World" starts right now.

After two days of attacks by Iran and Israel, both sides say they'll cool things down. Although Israel says it's not stopping its onslaught on

Hezbollah and Southern Lebanon.

Pope Leo speaks of the Spanish parliament, saying war is what happens when negotiation is defeated.

And extra security in New York City for the first time, a sitting U.S. president is set to attend an

NBA finals game.

Hello, everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga. Zain is off today. You are watching "One World."

There are signs that Israel and Iran are stepping back after the most serious escalation since the ceasefire in April. But each side appears to

be standing its ground over Lebanon. Iran says that it will suspend military operations if Israel stops targeting Lebanon. And Israel says that

it will halt strikes on Iran, but sources say it will continue attacks on Hezbollah targets in Southern Lebanon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke a short while ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: After Iran attacked Israel, I instructed the IDF (INAUDIBLE) targeting Iran. And we did that.

And once the terror regime realized, then they stopped attacking us. If they attack us again, we will attack to operate in full force. Israel has

the full right to our self-defense. And we are act -- acting upon it as required, telling (INAUDIBLE) Israel, respectfully, as I say to my friend

President Trump, with unity, (INAUDIBLE) and with them, we will defend the state of Israel and we'll bring back the security to the north.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: The tit-for-tat began Sunday when Tehran fired missiles at Israel and retaliation against Israeli attacks on Beirut. Israel struck

back, hitting targets in Tehran and other places, including a petrochemical site in southwestern Iran.

Earlier, Donald Trump took to social media calling for an immediate ceasefire. Israeli sources say that he also spoke to the Israeli prime

minister earlier today for the second time in 24 hours.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond is in Tel Aviv for us, but let's begin our coverage with Kevin Liptak at the White House.

A busy 24 hours, 48 hours, really, for President Trump, as he set to make his way to New York City for game three in the NBA Finals tonight.

Kevin, the fact that the president took time out to speak to a number of reporters over the weekend, specifically saying that president -- that

Prime Minister Netanyahu will do everything that he tells him to do, essentially, and that it is President Trump, who is the decision-maker

here.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has heeded those calls. Who knows what was said on those phone calls privately? But is President Trump feeling that this is a

victory, at least a short-term one for him? Or is there concern that more escalation could come down the road?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: I think he feels like this is back on the rails, at least for now. But no one you talk to here at the

White House sort of underestimates just how fragile all of this remains.

You know, both sides of this saying that they're ready to go back to conflict if they decide that it will warrant it. And Netanyahu is saying

and insisting that he will continue operations in Southern Lebanon going after Hezbollah, which is sort of the conflict that has caused the most

tension in this ceasefire so far.

And so even though the president seems, I think, pleased that the pressure he applied on Netanyahu not to retaliate and not to escalate seems to have

worked for now, there's no question that getting this agreement in place between the U.S. and Iran now becomes ever more urgent, you know, the

longer they go on haggling over words and sentences in this deal, the greater the likelihood that something like this escalation between the two

sides could just undermine the entire thing and cause the war to begin in earnest.

[12:05:08]

And so I think even though the president is successful, at least for now in trying to get these talks back together, there's a lot of work to go.

It was interesting that the president was conveying all of what he planned to say to Netanyahu before he actually picked up the phone to call him.

You know, he told Barak Ravid from "Axios" that he would tell Netanyahu that he did not think he should retaliate against Iran for those strikes.

And it was only after that that he got on the phone with Netanyahu to convey that privately, at least that's according to U.S. officials that I -

- I spoke with.

It was not a contentious call. That is, in contrast, to the phone call that the two men held last week, which devolved into expletives as the president

asked Netanyahu to ease up in Lebanon.

But nonetheless, I think you are starting to see, you know, evidence piling up that the two sides are diverging in their objectives here. You know,

Netanyahu doesn't think that all of the war aims have been accomplished in Iran. He is very skeptical that this negotiation and this diplomacy with

Iran will yield a deal that will protect Israel's security.

And he's under pressure to not appear subservient to President Trump ahead of the start of his election season. President Trump also facing an

election season, but almost the diametrically opposite political impulses. He needs the war to end if he is to see his political standing improved

before the midterms in November.

And so you can see how these two men seem as if they'll be at odds going forward. It doesn't seem as if those political backdrops will change all

that much. And so how all of that ends up resolving itself remains to be seen. But it's clear that at least for now the president believes the

diplomacy is back on track.

GOLODRYGA: For now, the keywords here. Kevin Liptak, thank you.

Let's go to Jeremy Diamond. And, Jeremy, things escalated to the point last night so quickly that schools were all closed throughout the country in

Israel today as a result of those initial strikes from Iran and then Israel responding as well.

Now that seems to have died down a bit, that there's quiet. We don't know for how long, but Israel is adamant that its fighting against Hezbollah

will continue.

Given that that is something that Iran has now linked to the ceasefire, how much hope is there actually that the fighting will die down?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bianna, one of my Israeli sources today characterized the current situation as fragile,

making clear that even though there is this lull in the back and forth strikes between Israel and Iran that took place overnight, there is very

much the possibility, perhaps some even say the likelihood of the attacks resuming in short order.

And to that end is schools. You were just talking about the schools in Israel that were shut today. They are being shut tomorrow as well, an

indication of the kind of limbo that Israelis currently find themselves in.

As much as life has been kind of back to normal today with people going to work, people on the roads. I've been seeing people at the beach here in Tel

Aviv, there is still this cloud hanging over the country of the potential for things to not only resume, but even to worsen. And that's because of

what Iran has said here as it tries to, you know, draw a new red line moving the goalposts even further.

Now, it's no longer that the red line is Israeli strikes on Beirut that could trigger additional Iranian strikes. Now, they're saying that Israeli

strikes on Southern Lebanon could also trigger Iranian strikes on Israel.

And that is directly, you know, contravening what Israeli officials have been telling us that Israel does intend to keep up its fight against

Hezbollah in Lebanon, intensifying its attacks there in the coming days.

In fact, within the first hour of Iran saying, you know, issuing this -- this statement, Israel did carry out an additional airstrike in Southern

Lebanon.

So, you know, we'll see how quickly Iran decides that that red line has been crossed. But it is worth noting that Iran has not been making idle

threats as of late. It has threatened -- you know, it threatened last week that if Israel struck Beirut, Iran would strike Israel. That's exactly what

took place last night.

And so now as Iran moves the goalposts even further, that certainly cause for concern here in Israel.

GOLODRYGA: And as you just said, schools close now for a second day in a row tomorrow as a result of all of this.

Jeremy Diamond, thank you.

I want to bring in Firas Maksad. He is the managing director for the Middle East and North Africa at the Eurasia Group. Firas, good to see you. Welcome

back. Never a dull moment to say the least, especially in that part of the world.

[12:10:05]

I want to read for you what Amit Segal, who is a journalist in Israel, who has closely tied to sources close to the prime minister in his newsletter

this morning, he asks the question, what made Tehran bold enough to strike Israel directly?

And his response was, or his answer was, a lack of U.S. willingness to fight. That in his interpretation is how the Iranians now view President

Trump's approach to the war and the ceasefire in wanting to maintain it at almost any cost. Do you agree with that assessment?

FIRAS MAKSAD, MANAGING DIRECTOR FOR MENA, EURASIA GROUP: I do think that the Iranians, Bianna, believe that President Trump does not have any

attractive military options. Very clearly in the past 24 hours, President Trump coming out forcefully to try and stop the Israeli prime minister from

responding against Iran, feeding into, again, that sense in Tehran that they can act with minimal repercussions, at least from the American side.

So, yes, I do think that that's a factor. The boldness of Iranian military action, trying to redraw the rules of engagement in Lebanon, essentially

bringing Hezbollah its key asset beyond its borders on Israel's borders, a thorn in Israel's side, trying to bring Hezbollah under its protective

umbrella by forbidding Israel to undertake military action in Lebanon.

So, this is a very bold attempt, yes, by Iran, to redraw the rules of the game. It's key for Israel, key for Israel for one, to maintain and preserve

deterrence, and therefore the need to respond from irrespective of what President Trump had -- had pushed back on them not to.

And then second, to maintain its freedom of maneuver against Hezbollah, at least in Southern Lebanon, if not the southern suburbs of Beirut too.

And that's why I think this showdown between Iran and -- and Israel, over Hezbollah, in Lebanon is not over yet.

GOLODRYGA: And we see that the fighting and the language from the prime minister's office only confirms that, that their battle with Hezbollah

continues, even though there is a pause now, a cessation in direct strikes against Iran.

Iran has been trying, as you noted, especially most recently in trying to link these two, that any ceasefire with the United States would only apply

if Israel's battle with Hezbollah ends as well.

Is this Israel's way of trying to break that demand? And do you think that if they can, that this is something Iran then is forced to respond to,

given the public statements they've made?

MAKSAD: Yes, absolutely. This is a -- a test of wills between Iran and Israel over the Lebanese battlefield and over the fate of Hezbollah.

Hezbollah has been significantly weakened, Bianna.

Over the last couple of weeks, it's been losing territory in Southern Lebanon at a very rapid rate. Israel, last week, was on the precipice of

taking a major provincial city of great symbolic importance to Hezbollah.

Also at stake for Hezbollah is what's to believe a major military installation under a mountain in Southern Lebanon that Israel is very close

to taking. And that is exactly why Hezbollah fired those missiles against northern Israel yesterday, that put this entire operation, this back and

forth in -- in motion.

And so here, Iran needs to preserve the remnants of its asset in Lebanon on Israel's border. Israel, determined to finish the job against Hezbollah and

go deeper.

And so I think what we can expect moving forward is a show of force from Israel, at least a show that they can continue operating against Hezbollah

in Southern Lebanon.

That said, there are those within the cabinet in Israel to the right of Benjamin Netanyahu that believe that Israel ought to redraw the equation

completely.

In fact, it ought to use Hezbollah as pressure against Iran by growing full throttle against the organization, not only just in south Lebanon, but also

in its headquarters in the southern suburbs of Beirut, thereby forcing Iran to make further concession on the negotiating table.

And so this is all still up in the air and all possibilities that are likely to unfold in the coming days.

GOLODRYGA: I'm wondering, Firas, why the president of the United States, if he is the one who constantly comes out and says he has all the cards here

and he is in the position of strength in this war, why he hasn't specifically said no to Iran's demand that any ceasefire with the United

States and Iran is dependent on one between Israel and Hezbollah?

[12:15:02]

The fact that they seem to be entertaining, at least, or open to this demand from Iran, I'm wondering how that is now interpreted by Gulf

capitals in general.

MAKSAD: Yes. It's very clear that the American strategy, at least at this point in the war, is more focused on economic pressure, allowing more time

for the blockade to set in to have a real impact on the Iranian economy.

With the hope, and some say misguided hope, that that would then move the needle in terms of decision-making in Tehran, and in fact, the Iranians

would be more willing to make concessions at the table.

Clearly, the president doesn't want to go back to kinetic action and doesn't want side action in Lebanon between Israel and Iran to force his

hand, drag him into a military confrontation.

And there is a world where yesterday, so vocally from President Trump coming out against confrontation, asking Israel to sit this one out, not

respond, at least publicly, this was meant to keep the U.S. away from the conflict, maybe more quietly, with a wink and a knot, allowing the Israeli

prime minister understanding that Israel needs a response to maintain deterrence, but publicly wanting to keep the U.S. out of this.

And I think he's hearing something very similar from Gulf partners and -- and allies. They, at this point, are very wary of blowback against them,

their oil installations, their infrastructure, if there is this renewed military action between the U.S. and Iran. So, they very much prefer

diplomacy.

GOLODRYGA: Firas Maksad, thank you, as always, for helping us understand all of this. We really appreciate it.

And CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Tehran now and has the latest from the ground there. And a reminder, CNN operates in Iran only with the permission of the

government, but maintains full editorial control of its reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What we heard early this morning is that first strikes by the Israelis, it happened in

around 4:45 local time right here in the Tehran area. We firstly didn't hear them, but certainly people in the West of Tehran have heard some

pretty loud blasts. The Israelis then also saying that they struck two other areas inside Iran as well, one of them in the northern town of Tabriz

and the other one, Isfahan, which is sort of in the center of Iran.

And then there was that attack on that petrochemical site that's near the Iraqi border near the town of Basrah. And the Iranians said that they

immediately struck back.

First and foremost, they said that they targeted two Israeli military bases, specifically the radar installations affiliated with those military

bases, but also then specifically in retaliation for the attack on that petrochemical facility.

The Iranians saying that they struck a similar facility, they attack the similar facility near the town of Haifa.

As noting it, the Iranians now saying that they are suspending their military operations for now. They are saying that they have dealt what they

call a heavy blow to the Israelis at this point time right now that military operation is suspended.

But, of course, the big question now is, is the diplomacy going to get -- going to get going again? How far away are the two sides, the U.S. and

Iran, for reaching some sort of memorandum of understanding that could then pave the way for broader peace talks?

In the past couple of days, the Iranians have been saying that the going has obviously been very tough.

I just spoke to a senior Iranian lawmaker who also echoed that as well. But at the same time said that if the Americans negotiate in good state, then

the Iranians certainly are up for negotiations as well, guys.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: Our thanks to Fred Pleitgen for that report.

Still to come on "One World," Pope Leo is on a historic visit to Spain this week, bringing a message of peace. We'll go live to Madrid, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:20:19]

GOLODRYGA: Pope Leo became the first pontiff to address the Spanish parliament today, telling lawmakers in Madrid that it is their job to

pursue peace and that war amounts to a painful defeat of the capacity to negotiate.

Right now, he is leading a prayer service at the Cathedral of Santa Maria of Almudena.

Later, he's due to speak at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, the home ground for the Real Madrid football club.

Let's go to CNN's Pau Mosquera standing by in Madrid.

So, history in the making here. Just talk about what else the Pope has said, Pau.

PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, actually, Bianna, Pope Leo has covered a wide range of topics while he has addressed the members of the

Spanish parliament.

All of them are a little bit related to human dignity, starting, for example, with political polarization that has been very present in

different debates that has taken place inside the Spanish chamber, but also has spoken about how difficult is for thousands of migrants because of the

discrimination that they suffered on a daily basis.

So regarding the political message, they -- he urged the lawmakers that were present during his intervention to stop taking the political

differences as an excuse to start with the confrontation and go on with personal attacks.

Instead, he called them to go again with the culture of dialogue, of the mutual respect, but he also appealed for recovering compassion for the

migrants. This is welcoming, then, showing respect and dignity.

But after talking in front of the members of the parliament, Bianna, Pope Leo has directly traveled to the headquarters of the Spanish Episcopal

Conference, where he has met with some of the Spanish bishops, an opportunity where he has addressed the reality of the cases this abuse --

sex abuse cases that have been registered within the church community, something that he has described as a scourge.

Right now, as you said, he is leading a prayer service at Almudena Cathedral located downtown Madrid. But after that, he will come to this

Bernabeu Stadium that you can see behind me.

Here, he will gather with the diocesan community. And a lot of musical performances are expected, as, for example, a choir of thousand voices.

And this gathering will be the very last (INAUDIBLE) that is expected for Pope Leo here in Madrid, because tomorrow, Tuesday, he will then travel

directly to Barcelona to continue -- to continue with this apostolic journey, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: I've been at that Bernabeu Stadium behind you. It is quite an experience to be inside, so I can only imagine those in attendance and

their reaction to hearing from the pontiff directly.

Pau Mosquera, thank you. Appreciate it.

And still to come, testing a ceasefire that's already hanging by a thread. We will have the latest on the Iran war after a surge of new fighting.

Plus, Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, come under fire in Albania after confirming plans for a luxury development. Ahead, we'll tell

you what's behind the controversy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:25:44]

GOLODRYGA: All right. Welcome back to "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga.

More now on our top story, sources tell CNN that Israel will agree to the Trump administration's request to halt strikes on Iran. But the sources

say, Israel will still carry out attacks on Southern Lebanon. At least one person was killed in the latest strikes, according to Lebanese media.

Earlier Tehran said that it was pausing attacks on Israel, but threatened to resume operations if Israel continues to target Lebanon. This follows

the worst escalation in fighting in the Middle East since April ceasefire.

Now that came despite President Trump telling Israel to hold off on retaliating against Iran, according to a U.S. official.

I'm want to get some perspective now from Michael Herzog. He is the former Israeli ambassador to the United States. Ambassador, thank you so much for

taking the time.

So, as some frame the bind that Israel currently is in right now, that Israel escalating would then see Iran escalate in its response and widen

the war, the other factor though, is that if you force Israel's hand and tell them that they cannot respond, even in Lebanon, that the linkage that

Iran is trying to make here is then a proven one.

Is there a third option here? Or do you view this as Israel taking the most appealing option for them out of what aren't many options at this point,

given the limitations President Trump has put on Prime Minister Netanyahu?

MICHAEL HERZOG, FORMER ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO U.S.: Well, thank you, Bianna, for inviting me. Essentially what happened here was Iran was trying to

impose a new equation which will tie Israel's hands in Lebanon, mainly Israel strikes his bilateral targets in Beirut, Iran will fire it as well,

and they did.

They violated the ceasefire between Iran and Israel. And, obviously, Israel cannot accept this equation. Israel cannot accept that its hands will be

tied.

It's difficult for Israel anyway, the -- the -- the thinking of, you know, the thought of linking the two arenas, Lebanon and Iran. We are at war in

Lebanon.

Since President Trump announced the ceasefire in Lebanon, there has not been one day of ceasefire, only fire.

[12:30:05]

We lost 17 soldiers since that ceasefire was announced, and not only Lebanon, but also in Israel itself. And our border communities live in bomb

shelters constantly for -- for weeks on end. So Israel could not set that equation and hit back.

That being said, after Israel hit back and President Trump asked Israel to hold fire on both sides, actually, and give a chance to the U.S.-Iran

negotiations. It seems to me that Israel consented to that. And right now, there's a very tense fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran.

GOLODRYGA: These retaliatory strikes that we saw from Israel and now even the renewed strikes in Southern Lebanon appear more calibrated than

previous strikes that we have seen from Israel.

How much pressure is on the prime minister right now in terms of not only heeding to Trump's demands, but also to those of his constituents at home

and even some of his political rivals?

HERZOG: So, the prime minister is under conflicting pressures. On the one hand, the Israeli public expects the government to take action to -- to

defend Israel's security, to hit back against Hezbollah, especially from people who live close to the border in -- in Israel, Israel's northern part

near the Lebanese border.

At the same time, he wants to maintain close coordination and cooperation with the Trump administration. So, he has to maneuver between the two.

I -- I believe that, generally speaking, the U.S. administration understood why Israel had to take action in Iran to respond through Iranian strike.

But the ceasefire itself is very fragile. And if Iran -- Iran insists on hitting back Israel, when Israel strikes Hezbollah in Lebanon, this could

escalate yet again.

GOLODRYGA: We constantly, whenever there's this back and forth, especially in terms of heeded rhetoric, exchanged, well, I don't know about exchanged,

perhaps delivered one way from President Trump to Prime Minister Netanyahu, some would interpret this as political posturing by President Trump that

what he's saying publicly to a number of reporters, including Barak Ravid in "The Financial Times," saying that he calls the shots, that behind

closed doors, the conversation is quite different, and perhaps the president is even giving the prime minister a tacit green light.

How much merit is there in that interpretation? Do you think that that's actually what's transpiring right now? Or is that more wishful thinking

among those who are supporting Prime Minister Netanyahu?

HERZOG: I believe that what happened over the last few days and the -- the communication between our leaders was much more nuanced than -- than what's

reported by the media, probably this political posturing on both sides.

The prime minister is under -- is criticized for kind of not keeping Israel's freedom of action, and because President Trump asked him not to

take certain actions, but ultimately, I believe that there is more understanding below the radar.

And what we've seen recently, including the Israeli council strike in Iran, I believe was perhaps more green lighted by the United States, but suddenly

understood by the Trump administration. That is my understanding.

GOLODRYGA: As a former ambassador, I mean, the fact that you have -- even if there's nuance here, even if some of this is public posturing and what

said publicly, it's quite different than what said behind closed doors or over secure phone lines, the fact that you have a U.S. president saying

publicly about an independent sovereign country that he is calling the shots here, and then according to leaked reporting, or reporting that was

leaked from a phone conversation recently between the two of them, President Trump telling him that everyone hates Israel, that he should be

grateful, but for him, he would be in prison.

How much damage does that do, do you think, longer term, reputationally, for Israel standing in the --in the world?

HERZOG: Definitely so. I believe that the fact that, you know, a foreign leader says that he calls the shots when the shots when it comes to Israel

national security, first of all, it's struggling into Israelis. But secondly, it does damage to Israel's international standing.

[12:35:02]

And the fact is that the United States and Israel fought shoulder to shoulder against Iran, only these two countries could fought such a

partnership.

At the same time, at the strategic level, there are some differences. But the fact that politics is interrupting this is definitely damaging. Most

Israelis are concerned by that.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. I mean, someone even a seasoned politically as Prime Minister Netanyahu, I would imagine is finding it harder and harder to --

to spin this in his direction, given some of the reporting that we've seen and some of the comments that we've seen as of late from President Trump.

Ambassador Herzog, really appreciate the time. Thank you for, I think, it looks like you're literally pulling over up the side of the road to have

this very important conversation with us. We really appreciate it.

HERZOG: Thank you very much, Bianna.

All right. Well, thousands of protesters filled the streets of Albania's capital after another day -- for -- for another day, after Ivanka Trump

announced plans to develop a luxury resort on a protected beach.

In Tirana on Sunday, demonstrators waved Albanian flags while marching to Prime Minister Edi Rama's office demanding transparency.

The $1.6 billion project is backed by the U.S. president's daughter and her husband, Jared Kushner, and has sparked protests for days.

CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau has more on the project and why it's proving to be so controversial.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: Albanians have been protesting in the capital, Tirana, after U.S. President Donald Trump's daughter, Ivanka

Trump, confirmed on the podcast that she and her husband, Jared Kushner, are developing a luxury resort on a pristine island off the Albanian coast.

Now, the island sits with the Adriatic and Mediterranean seas, meet just across the water from Italy and up the coast from Greece.

Ivanka Trump said they discovered the island last summer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IVANKA TRUMP, DONALD TRUMP'S DAUGHTER: We were on a friend's boat and we stopped for a swim. Effectively, that's how we found it. We swam to the

islands. We went on a hike, barefoot all the way up to the top, and we were just captivated. And it stayed with us ever since.

For me, this is -- it feels more like a challenge than anything else. The - - the culmination of all of my experience in real estate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NADEAU: The island and five miles of pristine coastlines have not been developed because they house protected wetlands. But a change in

legislation in 2024 has allowed luxury developers to scoot around those protections.

That doesn't sit well with Albanians like this woman.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Of course, I'm totally against it. Why would I want somebody, a foreigner, to come and buy my island? The land -- we've been

here for 2,500 years. So, how can somebody, you know, claim that she found an island all of a sudden and you pretend to be her home?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NADEAU: Albanians are angry at their government and calling for resignations. But the Prime Minister Edi Rama denied to CNN that a final

project was even in place, saying they would not be pouring concrete on the heads of flamingos anytime soon, and that the environmental impacts were

being studied.

Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: Well, satirical political movement led by young people is gaining momentum across India.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(PROTESTS)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: The Cockroach Janta Party held its first public protest on Saturday in New Delhi, reflecting young Indians' anger about a lack of job

opportunities and the pressures of the country's educational system.

CNN's Rhea Mogul has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RHEA MOGUL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If millions of young people in India have their way, cockroaches could change the country.

Not the actual insects, but the viral Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP, a movement of frustrated Gen Zers and an account that's amassed more than 22

million followers in just a few weeks on Instagram.

And on Saturday, the group that started as an internet joke moved from online to the streets of New Delhi. Founder Abhijeet Dipke, an Indian

graduate of Boston University, led the peaceful protest.

ABHIJEET DIPKE, FOUNDER, COCKROACH JANTA PARTY (through translator): People said it was merely a social media trend and that it would remain limited to

social media.

But today, we have seen that this is not a social media trend. It is a movement and that movement has begun.

MOGUL (voice-over): It all began as a satirical response to comments made by India's top judge, widely taken as comparing unemployed youth to

cockroaches. The judge later clarified he wasn't criticizing the country's youth, but was referring to people with fake degrees, but that's still hit

a nerve.

A recent report says there are more than 360 million people in India between the ages of 15 and 29. And nearly 40 percent of graduates, 25 and

under, are unemployed.

[12:40:11]

The cockroach party is embracing the label as a way for millions of disaffected young people to be heard.

RAHUL CHUGH, MUMBAI RESIDENT: As chief justice of India commented on the unemployed peoples that they are cockroaches of India, which is not right,

I guess, because they are not unemployed by their own decisions. They are forced to be unemployed because they are not getting jobs.

Though it's not a formal political group, those at this rally on Saturday were calling for reforms to India's high-pressure entrance exams, which

determine who get into top universities and government jobs.

Protesters want India's education minister to resign over recent scandals, involving alleged leaked exams and grading irregularities.

RITESH, COCKROACH JANTA PARTY SUPPORTER (through translator): Even the bare minimum requirement of being able to conduct examinations for the students,

the youth, is not being done properly. We have come here with the hope that this will bring a change.

MOGUL (voice-over): The CGP says it will hold nationwide protests if the minister doesn't resign within seven days.

This is one of the largest online expressions of dissent against India's leader Narendra Modi's government in his 12-year rule.

And like its namesake, the Cockroach Party is causing a stir. But it's still too early to tell how big of a cockroach problem Modi has.

Rhea Mogul CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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GOLODRYGA: All right. Let's go check on how the U.S. markets are doing right now. Green arrows across the board. Dow, just breaking even there, up

ever so slightly. The S&P 500, up a little over half a percentage point. The NASDAQ, up one and three quarters percentage point there. This is your

business breakout.

Alcohol brands are pouring millions into the World Cup sponsorships and ad campaigns, hoping the global tournament will lift flagging sales. The push

comes as the industry faces a broader slowdown with U.S. spirit sales down sharply and consumers cutting back on drinking.

The world's top airline bosses are gathered in Brazil for the final day of their annual meeting under the shadow of the Iran-Israel conflict. The jet

fuel costs surging. The industry is warning that profits could drop dramatically in 2026, despite record passenger demands.

[12:45:00]

And Apple's Tim Cook is gearing up for what could be his last big moment as the company CEO. Happening soon, Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference

will get underway in California, the company is expected to reveal its A.I. plans, including a major upgrade to Siri.

CNN's Lisa Eadicicco joins us now with more.

And, Lisa, despite all of the kudos that Tim Cook has received over his tenure as CEO of the brand, they have been criticized for lagging a bit in

the sphere of artificial intelligence. What are we expecting to hear from him today?

LISA EADICICCO, CNN BUSINESS TECH EDITOR: Yes, Bianna, you're exactly right. We're expecting to hear a lot about artificial intelligence today.

The unexpected upgrade to Siri will likely be the big headline coming out of today's event. Apple is expected to revamp Siri with a new interface

that's a little bit more like a chatbot. It'll also reportedly be able to incorporate more of your personal context and take actions for you across

apps.

Some of these are features that Apple actually announced a long time ago back in 2024, but has yet to release. And some of these features as well

are -- have emerged and reports from Bloomberg. So we're expecting to learn more about that later today.

And this is a really big deal, not only because Apple is perceived as being behind in A.I., but because it does open up a huge opportunity for Apple.

Right now, a lot of the popular A.I. services that people use every day can be used on pretty much any phone or computer, like ChatGPT, Anthropic's

Claude, or and even Gemini.

Even though some of those features are exclusive to Google's Android devices, but for Apple, if it upgrades Siri to really compete with those

services, Siri can only be used on Apple devices. So that -- that would open up a big opportunity potentially if it is successful.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. We'll be watching Lisa Eadicicco, thank you so much.

And when we get back, New York -- New York is gearing up for a historic tip-off in Madison Square Garden just a few hours from now. And it's not

just because the Knicks are back in the last round for the first time in decades. We'll explain.

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GOLODRYGA: For the first time since 1999, the New York Knicks will host an NBA finals game in a few hours from now, but that's not the only thing

that's historic about tonight. President Trump said that he'll be courtside, making him the first-sitting U.S. president to attend a finals

game. Extra security is already being put into place ahead of tip-off.

[12:50:04]

For more on this, let's bring in CNN's Mark Morales, who is outside Madison Square Garden.

And, Mark, for a city that is quite familiar with tighter security measures like New York City, I'm not sure people at home understand the magnitude of

the type of security we are talking about tonight.

Just give us a sense of what police, what officials are telling those who are lucky enough to be in attendance of what they can expect.

MARK MORALES, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTER: Right. And a lot's been made about this NBA Finals and how intense it's going to be at Madison Square

Garden, but it's not going to be just intense inside the Garden. It's going to be outside.

If you look right over here, we're seeing this fence that they put up and this is so that people cannot climb the fence.

And this was put up just during the overnight hours until today. And if you look a little lower, you'll see these white cement blockers. These are

designed so that it can keep out traffic like (INAUDIBLE) car. This is to prevent from ramming attached. And there's a big forklift that's putting

them down not too far from where I am right now.

Essentially, they're turning Madison Square Garden into a fortress. They want to do that because as you know, the president is going to be here. And

in this current threat environment, this is something that they take very seriously.

So, the NYPD and the Secret Service had a press conference not too long ago where they announced there would be a frozen zone from 30th to 35th streets

and from 6th Avenue to 8th Avenue.

Meaning that in that entire span, if you don't have a ticket for the game or you don't have a train ticket at Penn Station, you can't really be in

this area. It's close to pedestrian traffic. It's close to cross down vehicle traffic. They want to keep this area as safe as possible. Part of

the effort to keep that safe is canceling a watch party.

Now, further up the block is usually where Madison Square Garden holds their watch party for these games. But because the president is coming and

you can't really have that many thousands of potentially rowdy fans, they've canceled the watch party that would be here.

Now, that's going to be held in other locations around the city. But for today, because it's game three, it's going to be very, very tight

restrictions. They're also telling people that are going to be at the game today to get their two hours ahead of tip-off so that you can actually have

enough time to get through the TSA-style security, so it's going to be two levels of security.

And they're warning people not to bring backpacks, not to bring any bags of any kind. It's going to be a very, very strict security protocol tonight.

GOLODRYGA: And we know that viewing parties and areas have been established in other parts of the city, but not where one would normally expect them to

be, and that would be right outside of the Garden.

And this comes after a horrific stabbing incident yesterday right there at Penn Station. A number of travelers, commuters there were stabbed.

When do we know that the president is expected to arrive? Is he supposed to be there for tip-off tonight?

MORALES: He'll be there for tip-off tonight. Now, the frozen zone will really ramp up and take into effect starting at four o'clock tonight. And

sometime before tip-off, we're expecting this motorcade to come through and the president will be at the game.

Now, you mentioned the stabbing attack. A lot of these security plans were in the works way before then. But the stabbing attack actually brings into

focus some of what we're talking about here. These incidents that happen, whether it's a lone wolf attack or -- or anything else or even one of these

incidences, there's always a potential for something like that to happen.

So because of that, law enforcement is flooding the zone with police officers with federal teams. You're going to have the full package of

presidential security. So, you'll have the counter assault teams, the counter sniper teams, drone detection. You'll have the intelligence.

You'll have every camera in this area fixated on Madison Square Garden in hopes of having everybody who's watching those cameras be able to identify

any sort of issue before it comes to fruition. Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, not taking any risks tonight. One bit good -- one bit of good news is the weather is supposed to be lovely and cooperative tonight.

So that will be nice for those fans watching outside wherever they're watching from, however many miles away from the chaotic scene there at

Madison Square Garden. Thank you so much.

Well, as Mexico City prepares to welcome visitors for the World Cup, local vendors are polishing up their English skills in hopes of boosting sales.

CNN's Valeria Leon explains how small businesses are getting ready for the flood of international soccer fans.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm just a few blocks away from the stadium in Mexico City. And this market called Mercado Huipulco is one of

the changes transforming the area ahead of the tournament.

As we walk through it, we find more than 15 food stands serving some of Mexico's most traditional dishes.

[12:55:04]

She's preparing pancita, which is this Mexican traditional dish. I'm going to try this dish. OK.

Some of the vendors here have been taking English classes to welcome the thousands of visitors ahead of the tournament.

Tere (ph) is one of them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Come on, hello. We're going to home.

LEON: Ola, Luis. How are you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fine. Good afternoon.

LEON: So, you've been taking English lessons as well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

LEON: How's that going?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, we -- we -- we have vegetables. We have our potato, onions, pepper, cucumbers, peppers.

LEON: OK. So, we're heading to the classroom right now, where they're going to have their English lesson this afternoon.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good afternoon, teacher. May we come in?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody, please. Repetition is the model of learning.

LEON: How important is teaching all these students?

BENITO, ENGLISH TEACHER: It is very important to -- to deliver a great service and to improve the quality of the attention to the public.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We provide. We got everything for all the people to come.

LEON: So, this is how vendors say they are ready to welcome the world, serving up Mexican flavors to football fans.

Valeria Leon, CNN, Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: I love that story. Hopefully a lot of people are taking Spanish lessons as well.

All right. Stay with CNN. "Amanpour" is up next.

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