Return to Transcripts main page

The Brief with Jim Sciutto

Iran: Deal's "Never Been Closer"; Iran Foreign Minister Signals Optimism On U.S.-Iran Memo; Israeli Defense Min.: Israel Won't Withdraw From Lebanon; Co-Hosts Canada Secure First-Ever Point At World Cup; SpaceX Propels Musk's Wealth; Musk Becomes The World's First Trillionaire; New Opera Tackles Heartbreak Of Ukraine's Stolen Children; Appeals Court To Decide If Kennedy Center Can Keep Trump's Name; Grieving Family Wants Answers After Baby Shot By IDF; Excitement Builds In L.A. Ahead Of USA- Paraguay Match. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired June 12, 2026 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR, "THE BRIEF": Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Jim Sciutto in New York, and

you're watching "The Brief."

Just ahead this hour, newfound optimism about a tentative deal to extend the ceasefire and bring the war to an end. This after Iran says an

agreement has, quote, "never been closer." Elon Musk becomes the world's first trillionaire after the record-breaking SpaceX IPO. And in the World

Cup, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Canada end in a one-all draw. And USA versus Paraguay just a couple hours away.

We do begin with Iran's negotiations with the U.S. Iran's foreign minister signaling optimism, saying that an unsigned memo resolved a number of

issues, including Lebanon. He also argued on state media that Iran was actually leaving the war stronger.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABBAS ARAGHCHI, IranIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): We are the victor of this battle. The Islamic Republic of Iran has emerged as a

victor. The Iranian people achieved victory. This is not a slogan. This is no exaggeration. Me, as the minister of foreign affairs, I'm telling you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: In fact, as many questions remain about what details are actually agreed to by the parties, if any, statements from a U.S. official and the

Iranian media seem miles apart when it comes to key issues, such as the Strait of Hormuz and reparations for war, as Iran has referred to them.

Early on Friday, President Donald Trump lashed out at Iran, writing, quote, "The terms that Iran leaked out to the fake news have nothing to do with

the terms that were agreed to in writing."

Despite the president's optimism about progress, U.S. and Iranian accounts of what's in the memo differ. CNN has not seen the memo itself, we should

note.

So, let's take a closer look at what we're learning. Three of the top points of contention, who controls the Strait of Hormuz, what happens to

Iran's nuclear program, and when and how much of Iran's frozen funds will be released. First, the Strait of Hormuz. A Trump administration official

says the Strait will reopen. Iranian state media say, yes, it will reopen, but under Iranian management. Washington has repeatedly rejected that idea.

Now, the question of Iran's nuclear material. The U.S. official who spoke to CNN says that Iran's program will be dismantled. But Iranian media is

saying the government will wait for separate negotiations after the nation signed this initial memorandum.

Lastly, funds, a major obstacle. The U.S. says that Iran can only access its money after it proves it is adhering to all aspects of the agreement.

Iran, on the other hand, says the deal will free up $24 billion, with half of that sum released immediately upon signing.

Joining me now from the White House, Alayna Treene. Alayna, there's been so much back and forth on this over the last several weeks, but even today,

right? Swings from optimism to attacks on Iran. What is the current reality in the White House? Do they believe that something will be signed this

weekend?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, if not this weekend, over the next couple of days, that is the continued kind of response that

I'm getting in my conversations, Jim, with officials here at the White House and throughout the broader Trump administration. Of course, there is

always that skepticism that until you actually see those signatures on paper, things could fall apart.

But I will say we have heard now from a number of different officials publicly, you know, not only in here in the U.S., but also the Iranian

foreign minister said that a deal is closer than ever.

[18:05:00]

You heard the Pakistani prime minister actually arguing that a final deal and agreed upon text has been reached. They are just working out the final

details for signing. That kind of optimism is being expressed in these conversations. They do believe, U.S. officials, that they are closer than

ever.

Now, to walk through in a little bit more detail what you shared about what we are learning is actually in this broader memorandum of understanding.

One, it would, you know, one, you'd have a commitment from Iran to not develop a nuclear weapon. They say that they would dismantle Iran's nuclear

program. I think a key part of that is that a senior administration official told me and other reporters today that it would include the United

States going in to retrieve Iran's highly enriched uranium and to destroy it on site and then take it out of the country.

That is a huge thing that they are saying has been agreed upon because I'd remind you and our viewers that is one of the most crucial sticking points

throughout this entire negotiation about what would happen to that enriched material. They are saying now they have an agreement on that. They say that

the Strait would be reopened to prewar levels and that the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports would also be removed.

And then I think this key question really about funds, I have been told this. I did a lengthy reporting on this a couple of days ago about how this

has really emerged as if not only one of the biggest sticking points, the biggest sticking point about what happens with those frozen assets that

Iran wants the United States to unfreeze.

Now, the senior administration official, other officials here in Washington, they argue that Iran would not see any financial compensation

until they show that they are in compliance with the other bullet points laid out in this broader framework agreement. So, we'll see.

As you mentioned, Jim, Iran is singing a different tune here. Officials here in the U.S. arguing that, look, we are hearing what Iran is saying.

There are still some fractures in their leadership, but they do believe a lot of the messaging coming from Iranian state media and from their

leadership is really to appease their internal audience. We'll see if that's actually the case.

One other key thing I think is worth pointing out here is that this memorandum of understanding, if signed, would trigger a 60-day period for

highly technical negotiations. That's crucial here. I mean, in some ways, this is a deal to make another deal down the line. A lot of the specifics

I'm told about how exactly they are going to enforce these different line items, how exactly they are going to implement them and carry them out, one

of them being, of course, the retrieval and destroying of that enriched uranium. A lot of that still needs to be decided and would be decided after

this memorandum could be signed. So, we'll see.

But, again, a lot of optimism here. And I would say the optimism is different than the optimism we've heard in the past. The president has now

39 times said that they were close to a deal. But this time does feel different, given just how the response you were hearing from other world

leaders and mediators who have been involved in this process echoing that sentiment now, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Yes, and that 60-day timeline, it took years, right, to negotiate the fine print of the previous Iranian nuclear deal. It's a tight deadline.

Alayna Treene at the White House, thanks so much.

Well, joining me now to discuss further, Alex Vatanka, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. Alex, good to have you.

ALEX VATANKA, SENIOR FELLOW, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: Good to be back with you, Jim.

SCIUTTO: So, there's a lot of daylight between how the U.S. is describing this memorandum and how Iran is describing the memorandum. And crucial

daylight, right, given we're talking about some of the most disruptive issues here, status of the nuclear program, the money. What's your best

sense as to what's true? What's actually in the print at this point?

VATANKA: So, Jim, as Alana just pointed out, certainly United States President Donald Trump has on 39 occasions previously over the course of

this war, which has been about 104 days, has kind of said that, you know, a peace deal is just around the corner. And here we are talking about a

potential one happening in the next few days. And we have to stress potential one because we don't really know.

But I -- Jim, just coming before on air here, spent a lot of time listening to the latest speeches given by Iranian officials, including Foreign

Minister Abbas Araghchi. I haven't heard this level of commitment in his voice that a deal is really around the corner before in the last hundred or

so days. Certainly not since April 8th when the ceasefire was first agreed upon, the frail one that collapsed almost repeatedly over the course of the

last few weeks.

So, I see Iranian side speaking in terms of optimism. I think they're trying to sell it. If you listen to their politics in Tehran is one of Iran

having prevailed. This is not Iran being humiliated. This is not Iran giving anything up. And to me, that suggests that something might actually

be in the works.

[18:10:00]

SCIUTTO: You -- in your latest opinion piece, you argue that Iran has emerged from this war emboldened and convinced now that military pressure

can yield results. So, if that is true, why would it make the kinds of concessions that President Trump says they're willing to make here,

including for instance giving up all that enriched uranium?

VATANKA: Yes, I want to point out one thing. I have not seen anything in Iranian reporting that suggests that, for example, the U.S. is going to go

in and get the highly enriched uranium. The best thing they're talking about is diluting that enriched uranium, I am assuming by the International

Atomic Energy Agency, the IAEA.

So, again, so much politics here because both sides want to look like they actually prevailed, they won. But when it comes to the actual technical

aspects, I'm sure there's a middle ground where the enriched uranium will not become a problem anymore, but it doesn't need the U.S. to sort of send

troops in or specialists to deal with the issue.

Look, Jim, on the military aspect of this, look, yes, the Iranians have won in the sense that they weren't toppled. I mean, for Iran to win this is not

toppled. So that's very easy, relatively speaking, compared to what the U.S. objective was. But Iran is suffering badly. They're not in a position

to stay the course for weeks and months, maybe weeks, but certainly not months and years. There's a blockade on Iran. This is 500 million dollars

of daily trade that's lost. At some point, that's going to be felt by the people of Iran. And that's a real concern for the regime, which is why

they're, you know, moving toward this potential deal.

SCIUTTO: Tell me how realistic it is or perhaps unrealistic that all of these sticking points and issues which took years to negotiate the last

time the U.S. and Iran came to a nuclear agreement can be done in 60 days?

VATANKA: Look, it can be done because, you know, the United States President Donald Trump can come out and say he is happy and satisfied that

Iran is not going to be able to weaponize its nuclear program. You can achieve that in 60 days if you want to politically sell it that way.

Now, what the technical experts want to do in terms of whether they have access to the right sides to Iran's vast nuclear program, that's a

different matter. That takes time. But again, built in this memorandum of understanding, from what I understand, is the ability to extend this MOU.

So, you can have 60 days, you can add another 30 days, another 30 days, as long as I think both sides get the ceasefire, which is what they want.

So, the Iranians leave the Strait alone. Maritime traffic comes back to normal. The U.S. lifts the blockade. Iran can trade. As long as that's

done, I think they -- I assume both sides at this point understand that they should give diplomacy much more chance than they might have done

previously because the alternative diplomacy we've just discovered is actually not a pretty sight.

SCIUTTO: Do all interested parties abide by this agreement? Because we know that Israel is not happy with the state of things, and they had far more

ambitious goals for this war.

VATANKA: That's the big wild card in this because the Iranian side at least is that this is a region-wide. This includes Lebanon. So, if the Israelis,

and we've heard the Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz saying Israel will take independent action depending on their interests.

I don't know if the Iranians are going to give up on talks with the United States based on what Israel alone does, but that could become a factor that

could certainly undermine the process which is so close to a potential deal right now.

SCIUTTO: Alex Vatanka, thanks so much for joining.

VATANKA: Thanks, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Now, on a much lighter note to the World Cup. Co-host Canada drew 1-1 with Bosnia-Herzegovina in their first match, and in less than three

hours after the tournament's final opening ceremony, Team USA will take on Paraguay in the Los Angeles area. On Saturday, there will be three matches

including Brazil's World Cup opener in Group C against Morocco. That's going to be a good game. The reigning Africa Cup champions.

Patrick Snell joins me now. You know, Patrick, you know, I was going to say there are a lot of big games coming up, but I mean, all the games are big,

particularly if you're from those countries. And for me, as I watch them, like I don't care who's playing. These are big games. But first, let's

start with tonight, Team USA. What are their prospects?

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: You're absolutely right. Anytime any co- host takes to the pitch, Jim, it's huge. And this year's tournament, we've got three different co-hosts. I think I'll get to the USA in a little

while.

Just off the top, though, I will say I'm expecting good things from the Americans. I think there's a huge amount of pressure on them. But I think

now with so many of their players, Jim, playing overseas, some of European football's top clubs as well. Expectations are high around Team USA.

[18:15:00]

But let's home in on the Canadians because the Canadians face Bosnia and Herzegovina in their opener. This was after Mexico got the ball rolling

yesterday. Canada were looking for their first World Cup point, never mind a win. Disappointing start for them. Bosnia actually took the lead in that

match from a corner. It was Jovo Lukic who was starting in place of the legendary Edin Dzeko. What a moment for him. He gets his first ever World

Cup goal.

Now, Bosnia, remember, they beat Italy in the playoff finals on a penalty shootout. They couldn't hold on for the win, though, because Canada, an

amazing moment, Jim, for Canadian football. They get their equalizer through Cyle Larin just over 10 minutes to go in that one. A historic

equalizer. Canada's first ever World Cup point. They still haven't got the win, but they've got their first ever World Cup point.

Look at these scenes now. Look what it means to the fans. As I said, a great moment for Canadian football. There's the reaction at that watch

party. Those fans in Vancouver. And that was the moment they get their level of pure elation at that watch party. And Canada up and running with

an important point on the board, the next face Qatar on June the 18th, Jim. So great, great moment for Canadian football.

And I know you want to talk to more about the Team USA, don't you?

SCIUTTO: Yes. Well, listen, I don't want that -- we have viewers all around the world here. So, maybe I'll ask. I'll ask it this way. Yes. Give me a

short answer on Team USA prospects. But also, if there's a game this weekend, fans shouldn't miss. What's that?

SNELL: Basically -- first of all, let me get to the Team USA, because I do think I do think I want to hear from some of the players when it comes to

Team USA, because, look, so much expectations around them. They're trying to win this tournament for the first for the first time ever. They got to

the quarterfinals back in 2002 in Asia, but they've not hit the heights since. Let's hear from some of some very excited players. Let's take a

quick watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT FREESE, U.S. GOALKEEPER: You know, we already believe we can win and we're a hungry, competitive group of guys.

WESTON MCKENNIE, U.S. MIDFIELDER: If you string together enough wins and good performances, you know, the stars are the limit.

GIO REYNA, U.S. MIDFIELDER: We believe collectively that we can do something really special to change soccer in this country forever.

FOLARIN BALOGUN, U.S. FORWARD: We're looking forward to going out there and making the nation proud.

AUSTON TRUSTY, U.S. DEFENDER: I think on the outside, people maybe would doubt us in a sense. But why not us?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNELL: Yes, why not, Jim? You know, and kickoff, as you say, is coming up in -- oh, it's just, what, two hours, 45 minutes or so. But who's counting.

Match of the weekend for me, no question, it's going to be Brazil five-time champions of the world taking on Morocco. Morocco was surprised

semifinalist at the last tournament in 2022. That's a huge one to watch and keep an eye on Saturday for your viewing pleasure. That one in New Jersey

at the MetLife Stadium, which will actually be hosting the final as well. So, much to look forward to over the weekend, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Yes, I think I'm going to be spending a lot of time in front of the television this weekend. Patrick Snell, thanks so much. And we will

have more on World Cup excitement later in the program.

Still ahead, Elon Musk, they're celebrating as SpaceX's market debut has now made him one man, the world's first trillionaire. How will other SpaceX

investors fare? We'll discuss.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:20:00]

SCIUTTO: Welcome back in today's Business Breakout Now. Green arrows on Wall Street. All the major averages posting solid gains. Largely on hopes

of a U.S.-Iran deal. Oil fell sharply. Brent Crude ending the week below $90 a barrel. The lowest level since early March.

SpaceX's record-breaking debut also helped to boost the markets. This is the biggest IPO ever. And Elon Musk is now the world's first trillionaire.

That is 1,000 billions. His rocket firm closed up more than 19 percent with a market cap now of more than $2 trillion.

Joining me now, Ross Gerber, CEO of Gerber Kawasaki Wealth and Investment Management. He also happens to be a SpaceX investor. Ross, good to have

you.

ROSS GERBER, CEO, GERBER KAWASAKI WEALTH AND INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT: Yes, thanks for having me.

SCIUTTO: So, it debuted larger than many of the world's most established companies. And some of its goals, frankly, sound fantastical, right?

Putting a million people on Mars, putting a million people on the moon, et cetera. Why is this a worthwhile bet?

GERBER: Well, I think if you strip away the fantastical claims, which Elon has often used in his past to motivate people and to dream bigger, what

SpaceX's real businesses are, are launching rockets into space and building Starlink and ultimately being an A.I. company by building data centers in

space. So, they want to build a communication and data layer that is terrestrial. And that is a really incredible opportunity, along with when

you add in a Terafab chip plant. They're building the first vertically integrated A.I. company that can deliver their services from space.

So, it does sound kind of crazy, but many of the things that Elon has done, and I've been investing with Tesla since the beginning. So, it's been over

12 or 13 years that I've been involved investing in Elon Musk companies. And, you know, quite frankly, I think it's very narrow-minded not to

believe in a vision of the future that involves space. And SpaceX is really the only player that opens space as a market.

SCIUTTO: Let me ask you this, though, because, and you know this better than me, it's been pulling a lot of money, right, from those established

businesses, Starlink, also SpaceX, and dumping it into A.I. I mean, is this really an A.I. company? Is it really an A.I. play?

GERBER: Yes, 100 percent. I mean, it's very clear when you look at the S1 that that's the market they're targeting and being able to provide those

services cheaper than anybody else by using the power of the sun and the fact that these are in space where it might be very hard to reach the

amount of data and centers that we need here on Earth due to so many issues like just a lack of power.

So, you know, we're going to run into bottlenecks building A.I. and the demand for A.I. services is so high that SpaceX will be able to deliver

compute in a way that no other company can. So, we already see cities pushing back against data centers like they're some sort of coal plant or

something, you know?

SCIUTTO: Yes, yes, no question. So, there are, of course, other big IPOs in the pipeline in the A.I. space, Anthropic, OpenAI. Does this debut, and by

the way, a lot of companies debut well and stock prices can also go down, but does this celebratory debut and the pricing that we're seeing investors

willing to pay, do you see any end to that, right? I mean, when is it going to be too much, right? Is this a question -- yes.

GERBER: Well, I think the better way to look at it is these are not startups, OK? Like in the old days, you know, during dot-com, companies

would be like brand-new companies and go public and raise money.

[18:25:00]

And you were an investor just like when Tesla went public, it was a couple billion-dollar company, you know? So, when you actually look at it today,

you're like, wow, you know, this started completely different.

But when you look at Anthropic, they're already doing $50 billion a year in revenue. I mean, this is not a small company, you know? This is already a

trillion-dollar company. So, what it really is giving access to individual investors, the public, to being able to get in on these companies. And

maybe it's late in the sense of from a venture capital or a private equity perspective, but it's certainly not late from the perspective of where A.I.

is going over the next decade.

So, I actually think it's one of the greatest things because I manage money for the public. I run a public fund, GK. So, for me, like to be able to

add, you know, stocks in my portfolio that I think are fundamentally important to the future, I think it's great because we can't buy these

private companies otherwise.

So, the real issue is paying the right price for them. And so, we caution investors to just be patient and let the market do its thing. And price

discovery happens over time.

SCIUTTO: Understood. Well, let's just hope that the A.I. doesn't replace you and me before we know it, right?

GERBER: It's not. It's not going to replace people. I am so tired of this. It's going to make people better. It's going to make people better at what

they do.

SCIUTTO: And I hear that from folks. And, you know, listen, I think there's a lot there. Well, it's not going to be the last time you and I talk about

A.I.

GERBER: Listen, I live in the Palisades. A.I. is not building any houses. I can tell you that.

SCIUTTO: Fair enough. Yes. Ross Gerber, good to have you. Have a good weekend.

GERBER: Yes, thank you.

SCIUTTO: Checking some of today's other business headlines. The U.S. Justice Department has given the green light to the merger of Paramount and

Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of CNN. The DOJ says it does not believe the deal will harm competition or hurt consumers. The transaction

still, however, faces a potential lawsuit from a coalition of U.S. states, as well as regulatory reviews from the E.U. and the U.K.

A federal appeals court has upheld the fraud conviction of Sam Bankman- Fried. Bankman-Fried ran, you may remember, the failed FTX crypto exchange and was convicted of stealing billions from his firm. He argued he was not

given the opportunity to defend himself properly. The judges, however, disagreed. He is serving a 25-year sentence.

Swiss businesses are sounding the alarm ahead of a groundbreaking referendum this weekend. Voters will decide on whether to cap the country's

population at 10 million people, which is close to current levels. Businesses warn that the measure could restrict access to skilled labor, as

well as strain relations with the E.U.

And still to come on "The Brief" tonight, Ukraine's drone strikes are inflicting economic pain on Russia. What the Russian president says about

the damage. Just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:31:03]

SCIUTTO: Welcome back to THE BRIEF. I'm Jim Sciutto, and here are the international headlines we're watching today.

Iran's foreign minister says a statement about the future control of the Strait of Hormuz is coming soon, telling Iranian state media that it will

be jointly released with the government of Oman. His comments came as a purported framework of a U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding is being

finalized. A senior Trump official says he believes that most of Iran's leadership is on board. However, it remains unclear if Iran's supreme

leader has signed off on any agreement.

A U.S. federal judge has rejected a bid from two Virginia residents to stop President Trump's UFC Fight Night at the White House. The plaintiffs argued

the government cannot legally host a private event on the South Lawn, and said it serves to enrich Trump, who has reportedly purchased stock in UFC's

parent company. The judge said they did not have legal standing to challenge it.

The E.U. has now greenlit the first phase of membership talks with both Ukraine and Moldova. Officials say all 27 member states voted in favor of

that decision. Initial talks will relate to the rule of law as well as democratic institutions in those countries. Ukrainian and Moldovan leaders

have urged a sustainable pathway to membership. This, after Moscow launched its full scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin admitted today that Ukrainian strikes are damaging his country's economy. During a meeting with Russian troops, he

said, quote, "Regarding the economy, the strikes do cause damage of course. But everything is quickly restored and they will not be able to create any

serious problems for us." Kyiv in recent months has gained a significant advantage in drone warfare, which has allowed it to step up strikes on

Russian oil facilities across the country.

The creative arts often give a voice to people who are going through difficult times, such as the loss of a child or the deep cost of war. New

York's Metropolitan Opera House has helped commission a New York from -- a new work from a Ukrainian composer performed last week in Kyiv. Mothers of

Kherson is about two women who journeyed to Crimea to rescue their children from Russian custody.

Our Christiane Amanpour takes a closer look at how it all originated.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR (voice-over): It's been one of the most heart-wrenching and despicable crimes of the war. Ukraine

says around 20,000 of its children have been stolen away and illegally taken into Russia amid the chaos.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Ukrainian children must be brought home.

AMANPOUR (voice-over): The Kremlin says it evacuated Ukrainian children for their own safety. Russian President Vladimir Putin himself has been slapped

with an international arrest warrant over the children's alleged abduction.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Nobody was going to separate those kids from their families.

AMANPOUR (voice-over): But four years after he invaded Ukraine, many of these children are still far from home. Some, the lucky few, have been

rescued by their parents from deep inside Russia. And it's that courage and love that are the stars of a new opera co-commissioned by New York's

Metropolitan Opera House.

"Courage comes easily when you've got one foot in the grave," one character sings.

ANZHELINA SHVACHKA, MEZZO-SOPRANO, NATIONAL OPERA OF UKRAINE (through translator): When I was preparing for this part, I could not hold my tears.

Every single bit of it is so heartbreaking. It brings up the feelings that every mother, every Ukrainian has.

[18:35:01]

AMANPOUR (voice-over): The work was given a preview in Kyiv this month before the Ukrainian first lady and some of the very mothers and children

who inspired it. Even with her son Maxim safely back in Ukraine now, the pain of their six-month separation still haunts Yulia.

YULIA, MOTHER OF RESCUED CHILD (through translator): I feel I am guilty for what happened.

AMANPOUR (voice-over): This performance was a moment to step back from the war.

YULIA (through translator): We really liked it. We applauded and could have continued until the morning.

AMANPOUR (voice-over): Although the trenches and the skies across Ukraine are still ablaze with missile and drone fire, art is beginning to take

stock of what the war has cost.

OLENA ZELENSKA, FIRST LADY OF UKRAINE (through translator): News will go away, our diplomats' and activists' voices will disappear, and art is here

forever. If we think about Picasso's Guernica and "Schindler's List" and "20 Days in Mariupol," we need such works.

YULIA (through translator): I had goose bumps. You really get a feeling of what happened. We lived through this again.

AMANPOUR (voice-over): As the pain and desperate desire to start living again in Ukraine takes center stage, one truth shines through. There is no

love like a mother's love for her child.

Christiane Amanpour, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: The power of art even during wartime.

Well, we are awaiting possible word from a U.S. appeals court on whether the Kennedy Center can keep Donald Trump's name on the building. The U.S.

Justice Department has asked for a decision by 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time in Washington, just about, well, under 30 minutes from now. A federal judge

already ruled that the center must strike Trump's name from the building, its Web site, and any promotional materials. Earlier today, the judge

refused to pause that order pending this ongoing appeal.

You can see the scaffolding is up there, and our Betsy Klein is live at the Kennedy Center.

So, well, we got 24 minutes to go here. Any word yet? And are the workers still hanging out to actually do the work?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They actually just walked right by me and a group of protesters on the other side cheered them on, calling them heroes.

But the clock is ticking, as you said, on whether this sign behind me is going to come down or not. There's been so much back and forth in that

legal battle. In short, back on May 29th, a federal judge ruled blocking a planned closure of the Kennedy Center for renovations.

That judge also ruled that the board's decision to change the name to the Trump Kennedy Center violated the law because they did not get approval

from Congress. The judge said they had 14 days to remove the signage, as well as make updates to the Web site, to e-mail signatures, to promotional

materials, other things that said the Trump Kennedy Center. That deadline is 11:59 p.m. tonight.

So yesterday, the Kennedy Center's board voted to appeal that ruling. The judge stepped in and said he would not be freezing that deadline. Then this

afternoon, the Kennedy Center escalating its effort to avoid compliance. They are asking a federal appeals court to freeze that ruling, and they

have asked for a decision on that by 7:00 p.m.. If the freeze is denied, big if there, it could mark the first time that one of President Trump's

major efforts to put his mark on Washington, D.C., has to be undone.

And we have seen this president since he was elected to his second term take major steps to reshape the leadership and programing here at the

Kennedy Center. That has led, in part, to slumping ticket sales, as well as major artists pulling out of planned performances, which some saw as

driving that desire to close.

Now, a couple of hours ago, we saw Congresswoman Joyce Beatty. She is the Ohio Democrat who is leading this legal battle against the Kennedy Center.

She came out here posing for photos, taking a victory lap. But the Kennedy Center making very clear for now that they are not backing down. So we'll

be waiting to see if that judge weighs in before that 7:00 deadline -- Jim.

SCIUTTO: And we should note it was created by an act of Congress after President Kennedy's assassination, to be named the John F. Kennedy Memorial

Center for the Arts.

Betsy Klein, great to have you.

Still to come on THE BRIEF, a Palestinian family in mourning after the fatal shooting of their baby in the West Bank. We'll bring you that story

next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:42:15]

SCIUTTO: Israeli officials say they are now investigating the fatal shooting in the West Bank last week of a child. An IDF soldier opened fired

on a Palestinian family's car. A bullet struck a seven-month-old baby boy inside the vehicle and killed him. The baby's family is desperately

searching for answers and asking for accountability.

We do want to warn you, this report from our colleague Jeremy Diamond has disturbing images.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Amid shrieks and cries, a portrait of despair. A father cradling his bloodied baby, his hand

pressed to the seven-month-old's head as he looks around helplessly.

You were trying to do anything you could to save him?

FAHD ABU HAIKAL, SLAIN BABY'S FATHER: Yes. That's right. All things. I saw my son was severely injured in his face and I didn't -- just I want to go

out and carry him to the hospital.

DANIA ABU HAIKAL, SLAIN BABY'S MOTHER: I started shouting, they shot my son. They shot my son.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Their son Sam was sitting in his mother's lap in the back seat of their car when an Israeli soldier opened fire, striking Sam in

the head. He is the 13th child to be killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank so far this year, according to the Israeli human rights

group B'Tselem.

So this is the place where the bullet that killed --

(Voice-over): The Israeli military claimed its soldiers, quote, "perceived a vehicle accelerating toward them." But this video obtained by B'Tselem

paints a different picture, showing Fahd's car slowing to a stop. The video has no audio, but the person who filmed it told B'Tselem this soldier

opened fire just as the car was coming to a stop. Both Fahd and his mother, who was in the passenger seat, identified the same soldier and moment of

fire.

F. ABU HAIKAL: I raised my hand. He shoots. I set my hand on the steering wheel, this area, and he shoots us.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Blood still stains the car, which Fahd says was close enough for the soldier to see through the windshield.

F. ABU HAIKAL: When you see something in front of you and aim at him and shoot him, it's not by mistake because you see him. He has a family. He has

his two sons and his wife and his mother and shoot. There is no mistakes in this situation. There is one shoots to kill.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Sam's grandmother has returned for the first time to the street where her grandson's life was taken. She still can't make sense

of it all.

[18:45:05]

FERIAL ABU HAIKAL, SLAIN BABY'S GRANDMOTHER: We expect that they will say to us, go out. Return. You must return. Shoot in the air. But they didn't

do anything, only they shooting.

DIAMOND: The Israeli soldier who opened fire was standing right about here, only about 10 meters or 30 feet away from the vehicle carrying baby Sam.

But we have limited video of what actually happened because Israeli soldiers then came to this area and confiscated all of the surveillance

video from this street.

The Israeli military says it's opened a criminal investigation into the matter. They also said that they expressed, quote, "deep sorrow" for any

harm caused to uninvolved civilians.

(Voice-over): Amid her immeasurable grief, Sam's mother, Dania, is also recovering from her own painful wounds. Part of the bullet that killed her

son also went through her face, and pieces of shrapnel are still lodged in her chest. But she is also enduring another pain, one known only to mothers

whose babies have died.

D. ABU HAIKAL: When my chest is making milk for my son, it starts to hurt me and I start pumping the milk away from my body, I always cry. Because

it's a mother and son bonding. Yes. He was all my life.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Beyond that grief and pain, there is also anger here and a determination to fight for her baby boy.

D. ABU HAIKAL: The Israeli soldier that shooted us, he should be punished. He shouldn't get away like always.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Hebron, the West Bank.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: Well, World Cup fever is now spreading to the City of Angels. In just about two hours, Team USA will open their World Cup journey with a

game in Los Angeles against Paraguay, and there will be a huge watch party at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum, where fans can enjoy the match on large

screens.

CNN's Marybel Gonzalez is there with the very latest.

MARYBEL GONZALEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Jim. The excitement is palpable here at the Los Angeles Coliseum, home of the Los Angeles Fan Festival.

We're just a short distance from SoFi Stadium. That is where the match will happen this afternoon. But tickets there will cost you at least $1,000.

Here for $10 fans are enjoying games, live music as you can see there. Lots of good food, lots of live entertainment.

[18:50:02]

We know that right now there are security challenges. Any time there are big events like these, especially scattered throughout several cities and

the inability to know really which teams will be playing in which cities as the FIFA Cup progresses throughout the next few weeks. This stadium here,

there's a lot of security measures here. There was LAPD as well as FBI, the bomb squad members, accompanied by bomb-sniffing dogs that were checking

out the perimeter since very early this morning.

Another challenge, of course, is the heat. Just to show you how hot it is here today, as you can see, these stands here, there are a few fans

scattered throughout, but the majority of them are concentrated up in that corner of the coliseum. It's practically the only place here today that is

providing a little bit of shade now.

We reached out to FIFA. They said this is also something they're taking very seriously and they're taking measures to not only protect the fans,

but also the players -- Jim.

SCIUTTO: All right. Thanks so much for the view from inside the stadium.

Joining me now CNN sports analyst and sports fan Christine Brennan.

Christine, good to have you.

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR: Jim, great to be with you. Thanks.

SCIUTTO: I have so many questions for you. Let me start here. Who are your favorites?

BRENNAN: You got to look to Europe.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

BRENNAN: The behemoths, the traditional, you know, just rock stars of men's soccer. And that would be England, France, Portugal, Spain. And then

Argentina, of course, from South America, the defending champions with Lionel Messi in his last tournament, last World Cup. So, you know, those

are the big five I would say at this point going into the tournament.

SCIUTTO: OK. So tell me about what would be a good result for the U.S. team this time around?

BRENNAN: You know, the U.S. team has been -- there have been expectations for many, many years. And it's, you know, generations in the making. And

bottom line is so much of the world in men's soccer, as you know, Jim, was so far ahead of the U.S. on this. And our women's team, of course, with

Title IX, has always been ahead of the curve because we cared about women's sports before most of the rest of the world did. But not the case with

men's soccer.

So that's -- people ask that question a lot. Why is it so different? Well, that's the reason why. And so the U.S. is doing its best to catch up. And

of course, your kids, all of us, you know, know about the kids. You start out with soccer at age five. Can it trickle up? You know, can you watch

that develop and then have a great men's team? I think a great result would be round of 16. An excellent result would be round of eight, the

quarterfinals.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

BRENNAN: But first thing's first, they've got to be Paraguay.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

BRENNAN: A very strong defensive team. Lots of pressure on the U.S. team tonight.

SCIUTTO: Yes, no guarantees in that group. I know that when they went in, everybody was like, oh, it's an easy group, but there are no guarantees

there. I wonder, you know, listen, it's about the sports. We're in it. But the geopolitics have interfered right down to banning some folks from

coming. I mean, you got that referee from Somalia who was not allowed into this country. You also have big concerns about ticket prices. There were

lots of empty seats at one of the games yesterday as was noticed.

Do you think that the geopolitics have largely been sort of swept aside as we get into the actual game playing?

BRENNAN: You know, Jim, I think for right now yes. When the games start, it's easy to kind of push that aside, as you said, but they'll be footnotes

to history for sure. I mean, the fact that Omar Arcton, the referee from Somalia, was coming here to work the World Cup and the United States said,

no, you cannot enter. That will be a part of the story of this World Cup for forever. You know, we don't know what's yet to come.

Obviously, when Iran plays its first game, which will be Monday night, we will start to see what's happening there. They have to come from Tijuana,

Mexico, into the United States. That could that could be fraught with a lot of trouble issues and controversy. So, you know, it's great to look at the

sports, but you cannot decouple it. And I know you know this. You cannot take the geopolitical concerns out of something that involves so much of

the world, especially when the United States is hosting, of course, Canada and Mexico as well.

And these issues with the U.S. at war with Iran, I mean, that's unprecedented for a country to be hosting a World Cup while in a war with

one of the countries playing in that World Cup.

SCIUTTO: Yes. I mean, there you go. And that's a case where the geopolitics, well, they're right there in front of you.

Christine Brennan, appreciate you joining me.

BRENNAN: My pleasure, Jim. Thank you.

SCIUTTO: Well, someone with his own experience and a few World Cups, footballer David Beckham has now received a Hollywood honor, his own star

on the Walk of Fame.

[18:55:05]

Actor Tom Cruise was on hand, as you see there, for the ceremony. Beckham honored in the category of sports entertainment. Also attending was his

wife Victoria.

And finally tonight, a sum that is truly out of this world. $1.26 trillion. That is what Elon Musk is now worth, at least on paper, after today's

SpaceX IPO. More than one million -- millions -- or a thousand billions, however you want to understand all those zeros there to put this mind

blowing number in perspective, only about 20 countries have economies larger than $1.1 trillion. It is the entire GDP of the island of Manhattan.

And for $1 trillion, you could buy virtually every sports team on the planet. Everyone.

One more mind blowing fact. Even if you spent $1 million for every hour of every day, it would take more than a century to spend this amount. It's a

crazy amount of money.

Thanks so much for joining. I'm Jim Sciutto in New York. You've been watching THE BRIEF. Have fun watching the World Cup this weekend. And

please do stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END