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One World with Zain Asher
Supreme Court Lets States Receive Mail Ballots after Election Day; Iran's Position Unclear on Standing Down After Strikes; Record-Breaking Heat Wave to Intensify in East Half of U.S.; Migrants Flee Threats of Xenophobic Violence; Nine out of Ten African Teams Reach Knockout Stage; Ukrainian Tennis Player Refuses to Stay Silent About the War. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired June 29, 2026 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: Live from London. I'm Christina Macfarlane. This is "One World". And we begin with breaking news from the
U.S. Supreme Court. The high court is announcing a slew of decisions as it nears the end of his term.
One concerns mail-in ballots. The court says states may count those ballots that arrive after Election Day. The ruling is an unexpected rebuff on
Donald Trump's longstanding attacks on mail-in voting. In another loss for the U.S. President, the court rejected Trump's attempt to immediately fire
Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, but it backed Trump's firing of a member of the Federal Trade Commission, significantly expanding
presidential authority over independent regulatory agencies.
Well, Ankush Khardori is a Legal Analyst and a Former Federal Prosecutor. He joins me now live to help us break this all down, because we have had
quite a number of announcements in just the past hour. I want to turn first, though, to perhaps the biggest one, which is the court's decision on
the Federal Reserve. And Lisa Kipp -- Lisa Cook, certainly one of the biggest ones.
So, what we have here is SCOTUS rejecting President Donald Trump's attempt to immediately fire Lisa Cook, but in a separate ruling, actually expanding
the president's power to fire officials, overturning here nearly a century old precedent. So, look, Ankush, Lisa Cook, aside, here is this, in
essence, an expansion of the president's powers.
ANKUSH KHARDORI, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Oh, yes, this is an extraordinary expansion of president's powers. And I would flip the order
of how I think about these cases. I would start with the case involving the Federal Trade Commissioner, because that basically stands now for the
proposition that a 90-year-old case that allowed for independent agencies to be created by Congress has been overruled.
And the president now has wide-ranging power, it seems, to fire appointees of these independent what were supposed to be independent bodies at will.
And so, this was how the American regulatory state has been structured for many, many years. Republicans and conservatives have wanted to overturn
that structure for decades.
So, this is a major, major victory for the Republican Party, their policy agenda, their entry regulatory agenda, and conservative legal activists.
The Lisa Cook case represents what I would describe as an exception to that extraordinarily broad power that they've now given Trump, but it's a narrow
exception.
It appears to apply just to the Federal Reserve. The Supreme Court conservatives claim that this distinction is based on the history of the
Constitution. I don't find that credible. I think this was largely driven by policy considerations and the extreme chaos that a ruling that permitted
President Trump to fire Federal Reserve members would have created.
I think it's more practical ruling than a legal philosophical ruling, which is a problem, but I think it helps explain the distinction, the outcomes.
MACFARLANE: Yeah. And on Lisa Cook, I mean, the Supreme Court said they're not letting the president proceed with removing her from the Federal
Reserve. But they did say that the case might go back to a lower court for due process. So, does that mean this could be set to continue. It's not yet
a done deal.
KHARDORI: It could be set to continue unless the Trump Administration backs off of this. And quite a bit has changed in terms of the president's
interest in the Federal Reserve since he was able to appoint Kevin Warsh as the new Chair.
But you're correct, the way that the decision comes out, it says basically that there's some position in between what the government and Lisa Cook had
argued that they say that the court concludes and says, well, there has to be some sort of notice and hearing, provided if the president wants to
proceed to fire a federal reserve member like this, it can't just be nothing.
So, whether and to what extent it goes back and then moves forward for more proceedings really depends on whether the Trump Administration insists on
continuing with this effort, or maybe they just back off because they have gotten a major, major victory in the FTC case.
MACFARLANE: Yeah, let's turn to the announcement on mail-in voting, that decision something of a major blow to President Trump, who we know has been
dogged in his targeting of mail-in voting. What did you make of that ruling? And just give us the sort of broader context of, you know, how
we've got here?
KHARDORI: Yeah, you know, I agree with you that it was a sort of bit of surprise, and it is a bit of repudiation to Trump's effort to really clamp
down on mail-in voting. But I do think it makes sense to think of this decision as it comes against the broader backdrop of the Supreme Court's
rulings in the areas of voting rights and redistricting.
[11:05:00]
Because within this same term we have seen the conservatives, the Republican appointees on the Supreme Court dramatically water down
protections against discrimination in our voting rights areas and in redistricting areas. And mail-in ballot -- mail-in balloting actually,
Trump is a bit of an outlier.
The Republican Party, as an institution, is either agnostic or in favor of mail-in voting, particularly given the composition of their voters and the
aging nature of their voters. So, this is maybe a, you know, repudiation of Trump, but I think this is probably where the Republican Party wanted its
pace to come out.
MACFARLANE: Well, certainly worth watching. There are many other decisions coming down today as well, but for now on this, Ankush Khardori, I
appreciate your analysis. Thank you. Well, control over the Strait of Hormuz remains a precarious issue between Tehran and Washington.
Over the weekend, the two rivals were trading multiple attacks. This new military action is testing an initial agreement, which was supposed to halt
hostilities during 60 days of negotiations. U.S. officials say the U.S. and Iran will stand down for now, adding that vessels can move freely,
operators in the Straits are facing a difficult choice over which path to take.
Some shipping experts say traffic through the Iran-approved route remains steady. Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump announced American and Iranian
negotiators will meet in Doha on Tuesday. A diplomatic source tells CNN technical teams are still working on implementing the U.S.-Iran agreement.
Well, let's go straight to Jeremy Diamond for more live from Jerusalem. And Jeremy, in the midst of the U.S. and Iran trading attacks in the Gulf,
fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continued too over the weekend, despite the signing of that framework deal in Washington between Israel and
Lebanon. What more have you been seeing this weekend?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, that's right. The story this weekend has been, you know, repeated Israeli strikes in Southern
Lebanon, even some close quarters combat, it would seem, between Israeli troops and at least one Hezbollah militant that resulted in an Israeli
soldier being killed as a result of some of that combat.
We've seen multiple Israeli strikes in two Southern Lebanese towns of Nabatea and Mayfadoun, where in one case a residential building appears to
have been struck. The Israeli military in those cases said it was going after either Hezbollah command centers or going after armed Hezbollah
militants who were near what Israel is calling its security zone in Southern Lebanon, where it has troops that are positioned.
That is the same security zone where Israel is meant to begin carrying out two separate withdrawals, one that is north of the Litani River, one from a
section that is south of that Litani River, that are meant to kind of test out these pilot programs, whereby the Israeli military would withdraw.
The Lebanese military would then come in and take control of those territories and have them remain free of Hezbollah militants. But Hezbollah
has rejected this latest Lebanon-Israel ceasefire agreement altogether, and is vowing to continue to carry out attacks against Israeli forces in
southern Lebanon, so long as they remain there.
Israel, for its part, is maintaining that it has the freedom to operate against any Hezbollah attacks, but also any Hezbollah intent to attack,
which is obviously open to Israel's own interpretation. And so, all of this is going to factor in to the broader negotiations set to take place
tomorrow in Doha, as American and Iranian negotiators will talk not only about the broader ceasefire agreement between those two countries, the
recent attacks that we've seen back and forth around the Strait of Hormuz.
But also, of course, Lebanon, as always, factoring very closely into those negotiations, as Iran has demanded a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops
from Lebanon.
MACFARLANE: Jeremy Diamond in Jerusalem. Thank you very much. Well, in his analysis, Stephen Collinson states, before the war that Trump launched, the
waterway was open, and the showdowns over its state suggest future talks over more complex issues like Iran's nuclear program will be even more
difficult.
Stephen joins us now live from Washington. Stephen, before we get to that point, I want to talk about this upcoming meeting we're hearing about now,
set for Tuesday. And what the decision for both sides to stand down for more, for now, and meeting Qatar, that's according to the Trump
Administration, tells us really about how dependent each side is on making this Memorandum of Understanding work, despite all the rhetoric that we've
been hearing?
[11:10:00]
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Yes, it's been very interesting over the weekend. I think what you saw with these attacks by
Iran and the reprisals by the United States is an attempt by both to try to define the rather vague memorandum of understanding and to set the table
for not just the talks on Tuesday, but for the more serious one's going forward.
Iran was clearly trying to cement its new strategic idea that it will control the Strait of Hormuz, and it will be able to use it as a choke
point and leverage to choke the global economy, at any point. The United States, obviously, for its own prestige, given it started this war, cannot
allow that to be the result of the war, or to permit that kind of threat over the global economy, which poses direct threats to American prosperity
and the political fortunes of Donald Trump.
So, you saw that playing out, but it didn't escalate. It could have done, but it didn't, and that perhaps suggests that both sides have strong
national interests in not going to war again. Trump has already told us that he doesn't want to do that because of the economic consequences.
Iran, of course, is getting quite a lot of benefit already from the memorandum of understanding, including U.S. sanctions waivers and the
ability to sell its oil. So, while there are a great deal of tensions boiling on the surface, the underlying logic, for now at least, seems to be
that both want the memorandum to continue in place and they don't want to go back to full-scale war.
MACFARLANE: Yeah. But in light of how quickly the MOU has been fractured, you know, even in just the last few days, it does make you question where
you know things will sit with the more intractable issues that are still yet to come. I mean, what are the chances do you think there's going to be
any solid progress in the next 60 days on the issues such as nuclear?
COLLINSON: Exactly. The idea that an issue this complex can be solved within 60 days always seemed fanciful. The latest round of clashes make
that even more unlikely. Jake Sullivan, who was President Biden's National Security Adviser was on CNN on Sunday, and he was basically arguing that
what we saw in the Strait of Hormuz is a taster for what will come in the nuclear talks.
When Iran will offer a concession, then pull it back, then test Trump to see how far he's willing to go to enforce the U.S. side of things, and how
much of a political price he's willing to pay. Now, the administration wouldn't take advice kindly from Sullivan, but he was a very key figure in
the Obama Administration as a State Department official in starting the talks with Iran.
So, he's got a great deal of experience in the way the Islamic Republic embraces these things. Just look at, for example, the question of
inspectors. President Trump last week said that Iran had agreed to nuclear inspections in infinity. History tells us that this issue is very, very
nettlesome.
In Iraq and Iran, there were months and months of standoffs over who was allowed to be in international weapons teams? Where they could go? What
their authority was? Whether they could visit undeclared sites? So that one issue alone, which is only a small part of the nuclear file, is going to
take weeks and months I think, to negotiate.
And there's no guarantee that there will be a negotiation outcome that satisfies the United States and the rest of the world on Iran's nuclear
program, so I think what we saw over the weekend is something we may well see repeated.
MACFARLANE: Yeah. And that's something really you reflected in a key question in your article, which is whether the confrontations over the
Strait continue to burn at a controllable level, or whether they will ignite and destroy the entire agreement and diplomatic process, plunging
the region back into full-scale war?
But Stephen, the question to you is, how much of whether that happens will depend on how much Donald Trump is viewing all of this as a political
liability back home?
COLLINSON: That's an interesting angle on it, because we're what, four months away from midterm elections, presuming that they get through those
elections, even if the Democrats win, say, one of the chambers of Congress, it's possible that Trump then sees he has more latitude for military
action.
Because the immediate fortunes of Republican Party won't be dependent so much on high gasoline prices, for example, which have been affected by the
war that may make him look more to legacy than he is currently with a more short-term lens that could potentially augur a return to military action?
[11:15:00]
Or he may want to be the president who can leave office and say he solved the Iranian question through negotiations. So, you know, Trump is very
capricious and unpredictable. It's hard to know how he will, you know, react tomorrow, let alone in four months' time.
But the political pressures after November will be somewhat different on the president, and it will be interesting to see if the talks are still
surviving at that point. If it changes the political dynamic.
MACFARLANE: Yeah, an interesting point to examine, as we are in mid-term year. Stephen Collinson, always excellent to have your analysis. Thank you.
COLLINSON: Thanks.
MACFARLANE: Now, hope and heartbreak in Venezuela, five days after the nation was rocked by back-to-back earthquakes. The 72-hour golden window
for rescues is now passed, but teams are not giving up. Just hours ago, a miraculous rescue.
Venezuela's Acting President posted this video of rescue workers pulling out a 21-year-old man out from under the rubble. The official death toll
has climbed now to at least 150 but many more, of course, remain missing. Aid organizations from around the world are flooding into the country to
help with the rescue and relief efforts.
CNN has a team on the ground in the disaster zone. CNN Contributor Stefano Pozzebon is in the hard-hit coastal state of La Guaira, with more on the
rescue efforts there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): Rescue workers are digging their way through rubble and dust to locate survivors in La Guaira, trapped
for days under a pile of collapsed homes. The port city is ground zero for the Venezuelan earthquake search and rescue operation. This elite rescue
team from the U.S. believe they've heard the tap-tap from under the debris.
POZZIBON: They try to communicate with them with sound, and this is why this is truly a race against time, but it races against time that is
happening in utter silence. Nobody dares to speak, nobody dares to shout, because a sound could mean a life saved. There's an
elevator, too, right?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
POZZEBON: Left of the stairs? Now all of this is happening as the relatives of the people trapped inside and other survivors are staying here. They're
waiting, they're watching. It's an excruciating way for someone who has a seven-year-old son trapped beneath the rubble.
POZZEBON (voice-over): Ronald Pinaruwa (ph) has not slept since Wednesday. He was out when the quakes hit. His son was with his grandmother at home. I
will find my son today he says, I know I will. It's now or never for thousands of people who are still missing.
Most earthquake survivors are rescued within 72 hours. These rescue workers say they will continue to dig until everyone is accounted for. The
Venezuelan government estimates more than 12,000 people have been displaced. They all need a place to sleep and eat.
POZZEBON: We've just arrived to a fast food, it's a fried chicken restaurant, but they've been turned into a community kitchen, basically,
all of these people are now working in a chain to bring out 1500 ready meals, it's fried chicken and fries. But that will fuel both displaced and
volunteers that are trying to help.
POZZEBON (voice-over): At this restaurant, and everyone lives in La Guaira. Everyone has lived through the double earthquake, but nobody wants to rest.
It's the strength of a community who refuses to give up, despite the reality. By sunset, the search stopped.
Ronald's son was found, along with his grandmother, under the rubble. The latest victim in a tragedy that's already taken more than 1400 lives. It
will still take days to recover their remains, but the pain will stay forever. Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, La Guaira, Venezuela.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: For more information on how you can help Venezuelan earthquake victims, go to cnn.com/impact. Now, scientists say the record-breaking heat
wave in Europe is the continent's worst in the deadly temperatures, and now moving eastwards.
Still ahead, how Europeans are coping? Plus, a heat dome is in set to bring dangerously hot conditions to the east half of the U.S. this week as
wildfires rage in the West.
[11:20:00]
CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam has the latest, Derek?
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right, Christina. One in three Americans under heat alerts as a heat dome builds into the busy Fourth of
July weekend. I'll tell you why this extreme heat event is different than others coming up after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MACFARLANE: More heat records have been broken across Europe as a deadly heat wave moved eastward over the weekend. Scientists say the heat wave is
the worst recorded in Europe, with man-made climate change making such high temperatures much more likely.
The Czech Republic, Poland, and Denmark are all believed to have logged their highest ever recorded temperatures reaching 40 degrees celsius, or
104 degrees fahrenheit. France has reported 1000 excess deaths during the heat wave. And today the Balkans is feeling the heat with growing concerns
over wildfires.
Well, extreme weather is also wreaking havoc in the United States, where dozens of wildfires are raging across the west. Officials say three
firefighters have died while battling a fast-moving blaze along the Colorado-Utah border. And two others were taken to hospital with burn
injuries.
Tens of thousands of acres have been scorched, prompting Utah to impose sweeping restrictions on Fourth of July fireworks this weekend. And the
largest active inferno in the U.S. is Utah's Cottonwood Fire, which has grown to almost 100,000 acres on Sunday evening.
And in the east half of the U.S., a dangerous heat wave is expected to intensify for millions of Americans this week. Temperatures are expected to
feel even higher due to the humidity. CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam is back with more now.
And Derek, I mean, the timing of this could not be worse, could it? With millions of Americans getting ready to travel for the holiday weekend?
DAM: Also, being the 250th anniversary of the United States, coming up on the 4th of July, this will be a large majority of our population spending
time outdoors, so the timing is absolutely horrible. And when we think about what Europe has just endured and what Eastern Europe is still
enduring?
We will have very similar temperatures across the Eastern U.S., but the impacts will be different. Mainly because of the humidity and the access to
air conditioning over the eastern parts of the country. So, you probably look at this graphic and say, hey, that looks very familiar, because we had
something similar built for Europe.
[11:25:00]
This heat dome kind of encapsulates it all, right? No pun intended, because high pressure system, what it does is it kind of suppresses cloud cover,
allows for maximum sunshine, and traps in the heat from the sun. It doesn't allow it to escape back into the atmosphere, so what does that do?
It heats up the surface of the Earth where you and I live now. When we look forward into the rest of this week, all these black dots, these are the
potential locations that could see record-shattering high temperature records going forward. We're talking about millions of Americans that are
already under these heat alerts, and you can kind of follow the progression here too.
So, right now we have heat alert warnings for places like Chicago, Illinois, into Grand Rapids, Michigan, southward into St. Louis. That
shading of pink, the orange is an advisory, so it's a different type of a criteria. But what's along the East Coast is what's coming.
So, as we head into the holiday weekend, you'll see more and more of these watches preempting what will likely become a warning as the heat shifts
eastward. So, the forecast, as you step outside of what it feels like on your skin, will be triple digit heat. This isn't only uncomfortable, it's
dangerous.
We can take a page out of the books of what Europeans have been having to deal with the past seven days or so. But again, what sets this apart is the
fact that it is so humid, the dew point levels are so high that you, it is basically air that you can wear, you instantly start to sweat, and if you
don't have access to air conditioning, it's very difficult to regulate your internal body temperature.
And when you start seeing temperatures like this along the major metropolitans of the East Coast. This is some of the largest population
density in the U.S. You have to look out for major problems, so extreme heat conditions, heat risk potential right here across the nation's
capital. As we end-off this, or as we head into the Fourth of July weekend, Christina, that will be a significant weather story going forward this
week.
MACFARLANE: Yeah, and everyone really, really needs to pay attention to the alerts. And you know, stay safe, even though it's tempting, of course, to
be outside on holiday weekend. Derek, drink water, stay hydrated. Derek, thank you.
All right, still to come, thousands of migrants are racing to flee South Africa, as fears of violence grows, a deadline fueling the panic. We have a
live report from Johannesburg just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:30:00]
MACFARLANE: Welcome back to "One World". I'm Christina Macfarlane in London. Here are some of your headlines we're watching today. According to
U.S. officials, Tehran and Washington will quote stand down for now. This comes after a weekend of fresh clashes near the Strait of Hormuz. Some
shipping experts say traffic through the Iran-approved route remains steady.
Meantime, U.S. President Trump says America and Iranian negotiators will meet in Doha on Tuesday. Rescuers in Venezuela are working around the
clock, searching for signs of life. Five days after two powerful earthquakes jolted the country. The death toll has risen to at least 1450
more than 3000 people are injured. Emergency workers from all over the world are helping the local crews.
A deadly heat wave in Europe is moving eastward. Denmark, Poland, and the Czech Republic experienced all-time high temperatures over the weekend,
while countries such as France and Germany have borne the brunt of it over the past few days. Italy and the Balkans are feeling heat today. Scientists
say the heat wave is Europe's worst recorded.
A skydiving plane crashed in Northeastern France on Sunday, killing all 11 people on board. A regional official said the plane went down almost
vertically right next to a housing development on the edge of the airfield. No bystanders were hurt. Just two weeks before a skydiving plane crashed in
the U.S. State of Missouri, killing 12.
Thousands of migrants are fearing for their lives and are attempting to flee South Africa just hours ahead of an arbitrary deadline set by anti-
immigrant groups. Long lines have formed outside consulates, repatriation centers, and borders crossing -- at border crossings as migrants rush to
get out of the country by tomorrow when nationwide anti-immigrant protests are planned.
Anti-migrant sentiment has been building in South Africa for months. In one instant, a gardener was reportedly told to leave now or face death. The
South African government has rejected the so-called deadline, and says security forces are on high alert.
Our Larry Madowo is joining us from outside the Malawi Consulate in Johannesburg with more. And Larry, we know that many of the migrants have
been gathering at these consulates in fear, in desperation, really in preparation for that arbitrary deadline tomorrow, what are you hearing?
What are they saying to you?
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christina, some of these people are looking at the prospect of spending another night here in the cold
Johannesburg winter as they hope for busses taken back to Malawi. A lot of men you see here, but there were more than 300 men, more than 200 women,
more than 30 or so kids who spent it the last few days over here.
I'm going to step out of the frame so that you see some of the people who are waiting. What's happening is they're starting to name some of the
people, they've all registered, they've been cleared to leave the country, and they're calling the names back here. And just walk with me, Byron will
walk with me, and I'll show you what's happening back here.
Some of them have their belongings already, and they're starting to be let into the bus, as you see back there. They didn't have a lot of belongings.
There's a couple of beddings, clothes, some of them have kids, so they brought a few things for the journey ahead. It's a long journey from here
that will go across the border into Zimbabwe, into Mozambique, and eventually into Malawi.
So, they're looking at a trip of at least two days, maybe three days. I'm just going to walk over here, jump over some of the belongings as we go
across to where the busses are. They only have two busses here, so at best maybe 70, 80 people in a bus, so they will take less than 200 people to get
them onto Malawi.
But here at the Malawi Consulate in Johannesburg, they had about 700 people this morning, and the numbers have been swelling throughout the day, so
they will need a lot more busses. Many of the people we spoke to tell us they're scared to go back to the communities they've been living in here in
South Africa.
Because they were told in one case, if you don't leave right now, you will go back in a coffin. They were kicked out of their jobs, kicked out of
their homes by the landlords or their employers, and so the only way for them is to go back to Malawi. Some of them have been here 10, 15 years, and
now they're getting on a bus to begin that long journey home.
And it's a relief for them, because they've been sleeping out here rough in the winter cold for the past few days, since it's the only place they felt
safe. They could not stay in the communities that had come here and hope that they can get this transport back to the country.
Because South Africa is an economic magnet for so many people in Southern Africa, it's a lot strongest economy, and when they can't find jobs in
Zimbabwe or in Botswana, in Lesotho, in Zambia, in my Malawi, they come here to South Africa.
[11:35:00]
And many of them are undocumented. It's become a huge issue here in the country, which is why you see this round of protests and that deadline for
June 30th, where these anti-migrant groups have said it's time for you to leave South Africa and go back to your own countries and fix your
countries.
MACFARLANE: Larry, as --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMINO CHIWOKO, ZIMBABWEAN RESIDENT: I leave my property and some of my money now, I didn't get paid because of this thing. We couldn't go to our
bosses to collect our money.
EBRAHIM MOOSA, MALAWIAN RESIDENT: We are scared, because you never know what people are planning to do to you. It's not right to wait and see what
will happen, as long as we know that June 30th we must act.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MADOWO: It's not right. It's not safe for them. We were to protest in Soweto, where the message is very clear: you have until tomorrow to leave
South Africa, because they feel like these foreigners, many of them Africans, are have taken over the country, and it's time for them to go
away. So that's the journey for many of these people, Christina.
MACFARLANE: Yeah, I mean, as you point out, the situation there is desperate. Leave or go back in a coffin, you can understand why they are so
fearful. Larry, thank you for painting the picture for us.
Well, let's bring in Noma Masiko-Mpaka. She is a Human Rights Activist and a South Africa Researcher at Human Rights Watch. She joins me now live from
Pretoria, South Africa. Thank you so much for your time.
Because I'm sure you were hearing there the situation is really critical for so many foreign nationals and migrants waiting in fear, really, of what
could happen when this purported deadline hits tomorrow? What are you expecting and embracing for tomorrow?
NOMA MASIKO-MPAKA, HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS: Thank you so much for having me. No, for sure. I think there is a sense of fear and anxiety and restlessness
in the country, not just for foreign nationals living in the country. Both were documented and undocumented.
But there's also a restlessness amongst South African citizens themselves who reject a lot of the anti-immigrant rhetoric. And of course, the
violence with that has accompanied a lot of the rhetoric. I think what -- as a human rights, of course, activist, we are concerned with the human
rights issues that potentially could come up tomorrow, which we've been seeing for the past couple of months as this recent wave of xenophobic
violence has erupted.
So, we really are concerned about intimidation that could happen. We're concerned about people being targeted. We're concerned about potential
looting of people's businesses, foreign national-owned businesses. We're also concerned about hate speech, which we've been seeing quite a bit.
And I think, as we know, a number of boots have been deployed on the ground in South Africa tomorrow. I believe there's not a single police officer who
will be on leave. And so, what we're hoping to do -- what we're hoping to see, rather, is that it's not only a case of when there's violence.
But they will be able to deescalate any, you know, sort of attempt to intimidate foreign nationals in the country, and any form of hate speech
that we might be seeing at the protests. I think what we also know is that there's a, you know, a humanitarian crisis as well. People have been
displaced, people have nowhere to go, they don't have food to eat, people have lost their jobs.
Their lives and livelihoods really have been affected in significant ways. And so, we're also hoping that the government will intervene in that
respect. But I think over and above that, what I would also like to see, in addition to boots on the ground, kind of more hard power, is really
sincere, honest, and courageous conversations about how we're going to address the issue of xenophobia, vigilantism, and violence in the country?
MACFARLANE: Yeah. And I want to get your views in just a minute about what is fueling that xenophobia. But as you just mentioned, the government
there, I mean, we know that this xenophobia has been building for months, if not years.
What have you made of the government's response throughout that time? And how are you viewing that urgency in this moment to tackle what could happen
tomorrow?
MASIKO-MPAKA: So, what I think is important to underscore is really the conditions that make this kind of environment happen in the first place.
So, we operate in a context where there are gross human rights, socioeconomic challenges in the country, high, you know, youth
unemployment, I think it hovers around 60 percent in the country.
We have issues of high femicide rates, high homicide rates. We have an ad - - we have an unequal society, one of the ISG coefficient rates in the world. And then we have, you know, issues of order management, where
honestly people feel like the immigration system in South Africa is completely collapsed.
[11:40:00]
And then lastly, we have local government elections that are approaching in November, where issues of migration are a political tool that's often
vigilante groups. But also, political parties use to score cheap political points. So, this is all happening, and that's the context under which you
know this xenophobic violence is happening.
And so, what we want to see is the issues actually being addressed in the first place, and because what you're finding is that these vigilante groups
and others are scapegoating foreign nationals for all these challenges that I'm listing.
High crime rates, the fact that you know people are having issues accessing basic services, water, electricity, health, education, so all these issues
need to actually be addressed, because they are legitimate. However, what we don't want to see is people worsely (ph) scapegoating, but secondly,
vigilante groups taking the law into their own hands.
MACFARLANE: But on those vigilante groups, what, like, who is fueling those vigilante groups? Is this a sort of political dynamic in the country? You
say you're in election year, I mean, is that really contributing to why this is happening now?
MASIKO-MPAKA: Absolutely. I mean, you would have seen in 2024 we had our national government elections, you know, you'd hear the slurs -- those with
political parties. And so, what you're seeing in many instances is that the vigilante groups and some political parties that have, as well, anti-
immigrant sentiments and policies.
You see almost that they're getting into bed together. I don't want to mention any political parties, but then, so I think, if in South Africa,
you'll know how March and March, and you know, say the MK Party or the Patriotic Alliance are pretty much reinforcing each other's messaging and
fueling really the anti-immigrant rhetoric in the country.
MACFARLANE: Yeah. Well, Noma, we obviously hope and pray this will not result in mass violence tomorrow and human rights abuses, as you say. We'll
be keeping a close eye, but thank you so much for coming on and trying to explain what has been happening here and what's been fueling us. Thank you
so much.
MASIKO-MPAKA: Thank you.
MACFARLANE: And we will be right back after this quick break. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:45:00]
MACFARLANE: President Trump has just responded to the high court ruling on whether or not he can fire federal officials. And not surprisingly, he
praised the court for expanding his ability to fire officials at federal agencies, posting on social media that the court is greatly increasing
presidential power at a time when it is most needed.
But on the ruling that he cannot fire Federal Reserve officials. He posted that he will take appropriate action immediately to make sure that someone
who has committed wrongdoing will not be making vital decisions. He is, of course, referring to Lisa Cook, the federal official he claims committed
fraud, though she has denied the allegation.
The World Cup is generating NFL level viewer interest in the U.S. as the knockout stage is now underway. Here is a breakdown of today's exciting
matches. At 01:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Brazil will be going up against Japan. Brazil have lifted the men's World Cup five times more than any other
country, though their last triumph in 2002 fills a bit of a distant memory.
Later today, all eyes on Boston, where Germany will take on Paraguay at tonight at 09:00 p.m. Eastern Time. It's the Netherlands against Morocco,
and whoever wins that will face Canada this Saturday. This World Cup has already had some incredible moments, including 9 out of 10 African teams
moving on to the knockout stage.
And Don I just want to start there, because I mean, that is -- it was a historic weekend, wasn't it, for the African Continent?
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORTS: Yeah, absolutely, Christina. African teams have always played an important role in the World Cup tournament. But they
always felt as though they were given too few spots, so for a long, long time, only five African teams were able to participate in this tournament,
whereas the European contingent was sometimes almost three times that many.
So, they got 10 teams into this tournament, and as your graphic shows, there nine of them have made it through to the knockout round, only Tunisia
falling short.
Now, South Africa have since departed the scene, because they played the first round of 32 games against Canada on Sunday, and lost that to a late
winner from the Canadian team. But this World Cup really does feel like South Africa's coming out party, and they have been crying out for this for
so long.
Because they have been generating so many incredible players who have gone on to great success, mainly in Europe. But they've underperformed in the
tournament. But with so many teams now playing, they've been able to really show what they're capable of. And we have some wonderful stories.
I mean, Cape Verde being the greatest example of a team who qualified fair and square. They got to this tournament ahead of Cameroon through
qualifying, somehow, they've got themselves into a position in the knockout round where they have a chance to topple Lionel Messi and the defending
champions Argentina.
And their fans bring so much energy, enthusiasm, color, and passion. It's just a great scene on and off the field.
MACFARLANE: Yeah, and I think one of my sorts of favorite teams to watch of the tournament so far has been the Democratic Republic of Congo. But they,
of course, are going to be taking on England this week, so might have to switch allegiances. Don, on the topic of the games on tap today, what are
we looking out for? What are we -- what are we excited about?
RIDDELL: Yeah, well, I mean, look, you've run through them, and they're all fascinating. I mean, Japan are, I think, clearly the best team in Asia
right now. They've been having a great tournament. They're exciting and fun to watch. Can they do it against Brazil? Maybe that would be absolutely
huge if they could give Brazil a game and maybe even knock them out.
So, I think that will be really exciting. Germany, Paraguay, we probably think Germany would edge that game, but they have been less than convincing
so far. And there are alarm bells ringing among their supporters. And especially back home, Germany. So, I do wonder, how far they will go.
I think Morocco against the Netherlands will be absolutely huge. The Netherlands, famously one of the most exciting teams to watch in the
history of the World Cup. They played in the final three times; they've never won it. Could this be their year? Well, they certainly are having a
lot of fun at the moment.
But Morocco, who made it to the semifinals last time, returning to the theme of African teams, Morocco really created the blueprint of how African
teams can do well making the semis four years ago, so they will fancy this one too.
MACFARLANE: Yeah. Well, I hope you're managing to make it to a couple of games yourself, Don. Appreciate the rundown. Thank you so much. And ahead
on the show, a rising star in the world of tennis, Ukraine's Oleksandra Oliynykova is battling Russia, both on and off the court this year at
Wimbledon. My interview with a player living and training full time in a war zone.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:50:00]
MACFARLANE: This summer's Wimbledon Championship has begun. For the next two weeks, the best of tennis will come head-to-head on London's iconic
grass courts in pursuit of one of the sport's most prestigious titles. But one player is arriving with a different mission in mind.
Ukraine's Oleksandra Oliynykova is using her Wimbledon platform to speak out, saying the sport can no longer stay silent about Russia's war on
Ukraine. I sat down with her to get her story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE (voice-over): Oleksandr Lena Cova is the only professional women's tennis player competing on tour who lives and trains full time in a
war zone.
MACFARLANE: Why do you stay? Because other Ukrainian players on tour have chosen to base themselves in Europe.
OLEKSANDRA OLIYNYKOVA, UKRAINIAN TENNIS PLAYER: For me, not all the things are only about tennis. What I learned that the time is very important.
Maybe if I was thinking only about my career, then of course I would choose to focus just only on practicing, but I need to spend this time with
someone I love and I need to, yeah, I need to be around my people in my country.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): Before the war, her father was her coach, but now his regiment's flag is all that comes on court with her. They endured many
years together on tour, sleeping in cars, airports, and train stations to finance her career. Last month, her father, Dennis, was given a rare
permission from his drone unit to leave Ukraine and see his daughter compete at the French Open for the first time in two years.
OLIYNYKOVA: It was so meaningful, and also, you know, when I started to play this big tournament, always when I'm coming, I'm thinking about, oh,
my dad will love this tournament. He would be here. He would be so happy. He would be so proud. And he did so much for me to, to be here.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): Oleksandra is now ranked among the world's top 50 in women's tennis. She feels tennis has been too silent about the invasion
of her country and intends to change that.
OLIYNYKOVA: This war is very long. And I think people are losing the attention after so many years.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): Key to her claim is that prominent Russian and Belarusian players have showed support. Liked the posts of key Putin
propagandists on social media.
[11:55:00]
After taking her concerns to the Women's Tennis Association, she says they have done nothing to investigate.
OLIYNYKOVA: They don't want me to say any names of the players. They don't want me to explain the connection of the propaganda and the sport, because
this is something what, in their opinion, will affect their players.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): The WTA told CNN in a statement that it remains unequivocal in condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and have
consistently supported Ukrainian players, and at the same time is committed to maintaining a professional and respectful environment for all athletes.
MACFARLANE: Is speaking up for Ukraine more important to you than your tennis career?
OLIYNYKOVA: Yes, absolutely. Because this is my country, because I see people are dying there, and my future and my dreams.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: My thanks to Oleksandra for speaking to me. And that does it for us here on "One World". Stay with CNN. My colleague Bianna Golodryga is
coming up straight after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
