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The Brief with Jim Sciutto
CNN International: Iran Calls for U.S. Guarantees Before Strait Can Reopen; Saudi Arabia Braces for Attack by Houthi-Linked Iraqi Militias; Israeli Official: Latest Talks with Lebanon Conclude in Rome; Senate Panel Votes to Hold Fauci in Contempt of Congress; WSJ Report Raises New Fed Independence Concerns; Missing Ukrainian Teen Discovered in Russian Army; UEFA Rejects Infantino Apology. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired August 06, 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 Washington, and
you're watching "The Brief."
Just ahead this hour, President Donald Trump responds to reporting from myself and my colleagues on dwindling supplies of missile interceptors,
claiming the U.S. has a virtually unlimited supply. A Republican-led Senate panel votes to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress. We're going
to break down what it could mean for the official who oversaw the U.S. COVID-19 response. And European teams could still boycott future FIFA
tournaments, despite an apology from FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
To our top story, Iran says a deal with Oman to partially reopen the Strait of Hormuz is closed, but it all depends on the U.S. Iranian officials say
there would be a new temporary shipping route through the waterway only if the U.S. were to lift its blockade on Iranian ports and honor other
commitments.
Here in Washington, President Trump insists the U.S. has an ample supply of munitions, denying reports that the Pentagon depleted much of its missile
interceptor stockpiles during the war with Iran. Senior officials tell CNN the U.S. president is growing angry over this reporting as he pushes Tehran
to agree to a deal. They say President Trump wants to project a position of strength, as he did just a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We have certain types of munitions that are very powerful, that we have unlimited, virtual unlimited supply. We have
others where it's a little bit tighter, and we're getting them in on a daily basis. As you know, our defense companies are building more plants
right now than at any point in history. They're building plants for the Patriots, for the Tomahawks, for everything.
But we have certain types of munitions which are very -- they may not be as accurate. They may not be -- you know, they're not as elite. We have elite
two, but we're watching that very closely. But we have certain types which are very powerful and very good, and we have an unlimited supply. And so,
we're in great shape.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: We're also learning that Saudi Arabia is bracing for multiple coordinated attacks by Iraqi militias, working with Iran-backed Houthi
rebels in Yemen.
Kristen Holmes is at the White House. You know, Kristen, listen to the president there. He denies any shortage, but then he made an admission
saying, in effect, that they would rely on less advanced interceptors. What is the actual answer from the White House on this? Are they acknowledging
these shortages publicly?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Not publicly. And President Trump has made clear he doesn't want this to be acknowledged
publicly. And there is kind of a roundabout way of answering this. One of the questions that we just heard in the Oval Office from a reporter was,
you say that there are massive amounts of munitions, that there's no problem, but then you have the Pentagon seeking billions of dollars,
billions with a B, in part to rebuild the stockpile, make those two things make sense.
And President Trump said, well, we have some, we always want more. And that's kind of been the line that we've heard from the White House, that
there's plenty to go through the Iran war. But we do know from our own reporting, as you noted, that at least 80 percent of key interceptors for
key missile defense has been depleted, much of that during the Iran war. And the stockpile is much lower, again, following the Iran war.
Now, President Trump has used military might as a way to bring Iran to the negotiating table. So, it's part of why he's been so angry around these
reports. This is all really about leaks and leaking and what he believes are treasonous leaks that make him look bad. And we were told that this was
a huge part of their conversation at Camp David when they had their Cabinet meeting, with President Trump growing angry when he was talking about the
fact that these reports were out there.
Again, not just angry about the stockpile, it seems as though he's been briefed on that, that he is very aware of the current place. But instead,
just the fact that that is now a narrative around this war, which is something that has frustrated him to no end.
SCIUTTO: A lot of things frustrating him about this war, including it dragging on. Kristen Holmes at the White House, thank you.
[18:05:00]
One Israeli official says that delegations from Israel and Lebanon have finished a new round of negotiations in Rome. This is the Israeli military
continues to ramp up strikes on southern Lebanon. Israel has accused Iran- backed Hezbollah of violating what was already a shaky ceasefire. Israel says two of its soldiers were killed in a blast on Wednesday.
Some residents are now allowed to return to their homes in southern Lebanon after the Israeli military withdrew from occupying their villages. Nada
Bashir has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Clearing the debris of a home now turned to rubble. The result of a month-long Israeli military assault
on southern Lebanon.
When the shelling started, my family fled, Abu Ali (ph) says. And when I returned, everything was destroyed.
His family fled the village of Zawtar, which overlooks the Litani River, in February and have only now been able to return following the withdrawal of
Israeli forces. Inside what remains of their home, the remnants of this war lay scattered.
Israeli bullets, he tells us. Walls completely blown out. Bullet holes above where his grandchildren once slept. We want calm. We want security.
We want a state, he says. We want to be protected by the military. We don't want to fight. But if Israel attacks us, we will attack them.
Abu Ali (ph) is far from alone. Among the more than a million people displaced from their homes by the war in Lebanon. Esam Hashem (ph) says he
and his family of four returned to their village as soon as the military gave them the all-clear, after months spent sheltering in a school in
Beirut.
Take a look at this scene, the destruction. The Israelis were sleeping here in this room, Esam (ph) says. They even left behind their food and water.
Through shattered glass and concrete, Esam takes us to what was his children's bedroom. Out in the distance, he says, Israeli tanks are still
positioned. You can see them right in front of us, just a few hundred meters away, he says.
Across Zawtar, the scars of this deadly conflict remain. Homes left crumbling. Neighborhoods deserted. This monastery, now bullet-ridden and
desecrated. The scale of the destruction here is reflected across southern Lebanon, and the recovery process could take years. While members of this
community work to rebuild homes and restore critical infrastructure, some wounds are more difficult to heal. Many have lost their livelihoods.
Most of the residents here depend on agriculture. There was a harvest season right before the war started. People fled and left it behind, Abed
Ezzeddine, the mayor of West Zawtar says. I believe there is a big percentage of farms that are not fit for farming anymore due to shelling
and airstrikes.
For many, this is not the first time they have been forced to flee their homes, nor the first time they have returned to find utter destruction.
Locals here know just how fragile a ceasefire can be and how quickly everything can change.
And while some say they are putting their trust in the Lebanese army to protect them, others say they remain faithful in their support for another
military force, Hezbollah, The Iran-backed political and military group has long dominated in the south.
I am proud that my husband, a fighter who defended his land, was martyred in his village, Israr Sour (ph), a mother and now widow, tells us. She and
her children fled the border village of Tayr Harfa in October 2023, their community coming under intense Israeli bombardment after Hezbollah launched
a series of attacks on Israel in solidarity with the people of Gaza.
War with Israel, she says, has impacted generations of her family, no stranger to Israeli occupations of the past. They killed my grandfather. My
father was a prisoner of war, she says. All my uncles were tortured. My entire village suffered. Now, Israr (ph) says, she is determined to carry
on the struggle. Eventually, we will return to our village. And if we don't, then our children will return. And if they don't, our grandchildren
will.
Nada Bashir, CNN, in London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: The man who helped lead the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic could now potentially face a criminal indictment. Republican-led
Senate panel has voted to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress. This over his refusal to answer questions last week about his handling of
the pandemic.
[18:10:00]
The committee has now referred Fauci to the Justice Department for potential prosecution.
Manu Raju has the latest from Capitol Hill. And of course, Manu, as you know, Dr. Fauci was claiming his Fifth Amendment rights not to incriminate
himself, given that Republican senators, among them Rand Paul, had threatened to put him behind bars. I just wonder where this contempt of
Congress vote leads. What are the consequences here? And what that means then for the Justice Department?
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the Justice Department actually saying that it's reviewing this contempt citation, this
recommendation from this committee, the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.
Remember, this has all been a pretty unusual process. Typically, what would happen in a contempt citation would go to the full Senate, have a vote in
the full Senate. But Rand Paul, the chairman of the committee, said he doesn't need to go to the Senate, full Senate, because he can simply go
directly to the Justice Department and make the recommendation. He said that, you know, the Justice Department doesn't have the -- isn't compelled
to act if the Senate were to vote.
So, what's the difference if they make a recommendation from the committee versus the full Senate? Of course, if they would have gone to the full
Senate, Jim, perhaps they wouldn't have the votes to get approved. So, it makes it -- it expedites the process substantially by going directly to the
Justice Department. And we know that the Trump Justice Department has not been shy about going after some of the president's top critics or some
people the president considers his adversaries. And the president has -- and the MAGA right -- have been going after Anthony Fauci pretty
relentlessly for the last several years. And Rand Paul has been leading that charge as well.
Now, this -- Fauci and his allies say that he had to invoke his Fifth Amendment rights because even though he had a pardon from President Biden
on his way out the door, he could have been subjected to other state-level crimes that would not have been covered by a federal pardon. But that's not
the view of Rand Paul, who says that because of his pardon from Joe Biden that he was essentially compelled to testify that his Fifth Amendment
rights essentially did not apply in this specific case and that he had to represent members of the United States -- answer questions for the members
of the United States Congress.
So, really an unusual legal situation. But contempt of Congress is a very serious charge if they were to go down this route and if a court were to
find him guilty of this, of course, that could lead to prosecution, could lead to jail time.
And we saw it happen -- the former Trump allies, including Peter Navarro, a Trump adviser, who got a citation for contempt of Congress for refusing to
testify despite facing a subpoena from the United States House in the years prior. So, we'll see if that happens to Anthony Fauci here. But no doubt
about it, the Justice Department indicating, Jim, is reviewing this contempt charge. And a lot of people in Washington think it's very possible
that Anthony Fauci, at the very least, could face criminal charges.
SCIUTTO: So, the criminal charge that the Justice Department could conceivably pursue would be contempt of Congress, modeled on the Navarro
prosecution.
RAJU: Yes, that's very possible. We've seen that happen before. Steve Bannon, too, remember, he also refused to testify despite being subpoenaed
by a House committee leading ultimately his prosecution as well. So, that could be the model.
But those are different situations as well. They didn't -- we didn't see a pardon to invoke a Fifth Amendment right. That was a flat-out defying
subpoena. So, the circumstances are different here. But that is certainly a possibility if a jury finds him guilty of a crime similar to those two
former Trump advisers, Jim.
SCIUTTO: Manu Raju, thanks so much.
RAJU: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: Well, still ahead, new concerns over President Trump's influence over the Federal Reserve. I'll speak to the co-author of a new story on
Trump's ongoing and frequent conversations with the Fed chair, Kevin Warsh.
And he went missing from Ukraine as a child. Now, he appears to be in the Russian army. New details about a harrowing side to Russia's ongoing war on
Ukraine.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:15:00]
SCIUTTO: Welcome back. In today's Business Breakout, U.S. stocks fell across the board Thursday, with the Dow pulling back from what were record
highs. Higher oil prices helped pressure the markets. Brent crude once again trading above $80 a barrel. SpaceX held up well, even as the initial
lock-up period expires for early investors and employees. More than 900 million SpaceX shares are now available for them to sell. More supply, of
course, could put added pressure on that stock price.
A Wall Street Journal report is raising new concerns over the independence of the U.S. Federal Reserve and President Trump's relationship with the new
Fed chair, Kevin Warsh. The story says that Trump has called Warsh repeatedly in the past several months to discuss a wide range of issues,
such as the economic effects of the war in Iran and artificial intelligence.
At least one of the Journal's sources insists the two men have not discussed the direction of interest rates, but the extent of their
communication is seen as a departure from the normal and deliberately independent Federal Reserve and the normal relationship between the Fed
chair and the president. The report comes amid criticism that Warsh's limit on Fed policy guidance is confusing the market and, at the same time,
raising borrowing costs.
Brian Schwartz joins me now. He is the Wall Street Journal's White House economic policy reporter, also co-author of the journal report on Trump and
Warsh. Good to have you. Thanks so much for joining.
BRIAN SCHWARTZ, WHITE HOUSE ECONOMIC POLICY REPORTER, WALL STREET JOURNAL: Thanks for having me, Jim.
SCIUTTO: So, first, can you describe in more detail both the frequency and the content of the conversations between Trump and Warsh?
SCHWARTZ: Yes. I mean, from what I understand, it's been repeatedly since Kevin Warsh was sworn in. I believe he was sworn in in May. And it's been a
pretty solid clip, Jim, and it's really interesting. And the way this usually works and what our understanding is, is that it's a call that would
come from the president, to be extremely clear, to Warsh himself, and Warsh picks up the phone, and then the president starts to get his hot takes on a
whole host of issues.
Two of the ones that we know of are the impact that the Iran war is having on the U.S. economy and, of course, the questions around artificial
intelligence investments into the United States and how that could have an impact on long-term economic growth. So, these are two of the topics that
the president will call Warsh directly about.
And Warsh, of course, gives him kind of a rosy picture of the economy, similar to that of his own public statements, but it's a very different
relationship between Warsh and Trump versus Trump and Jerome Powell, who was the Federal Reserve chairman prior to Warsh coming in.
SCIUTTO: And, of course, the concern was that Trump would attempt to put his thumb on the scale, right? Does your reporting indicate that President
Trump has brought up the direction of interest rates or applied any pressure in that area?
SCHWARTZ: No, reporting doesn't touch on that yet. But to be clear, the president has tried that with Powell, right? I mean, people who watch this
don't know. President Trump did try to pressure Powell on interest rates for quite some time. He threatened to fire him more than once. You know,
that was a battle.
[18:20:00]
It was a very public one, led by the president. So, he's done that before when it came to Powell, because he was frustrated with where interest rates
were. So, he was arguing, well, why doesn't Powell and the Fed board, of course, he's leading the Fed board, bring down the interest rates while the
economy was a little sluggish.
But it's interesting to note, Jim, that he has not, to our knowledge, tried any of those types of tactics privately with Fed Chair Warsh. Instead, it's
become this kind of chummy relationship between the two, with Warsh, you know, supposed to be running this independent central bank. So, kind of
something you're touching on here.
And the president, who's really not supposed to be, you know, engaging at a regular rate with the Fed chair, but there's nothing illegal about him
doing this, but it is out of the norm in contrast with how it was with Powell himself.
SCIUTTO: No question. And of course, the attacks on Powell and the pressure on Powell were quite public from Trump. You point out that White
House Fed communication became much more restrained after Nixon's own pressure campaign on then-Fed Chair Arthur Burns. Can you explain how
unusual this is?
SCHWARTZ: Well, it's unusual in the sense that, again, for a president to pick up his phone and to call the Fed chair, and to call the Fed chair is
quite out of the ordinary. The only contrast we could find, which is pretty interesting, you're going to find this a pretty fascinating thing, is
President Bill Clinton and Alan Greenspan. And that was a close relationship. I think you and I can both agree with that.
But even that is still different than what we're seeing here, where a president is literally, you know, going out of his way to engage with the
Fed chair. And this isn't supposed to be some major financial crisis, keep in mind. This is supposed to be just calling about getting hot takes on a
host of subjects. That is very, very different than even Clinton and Greenspan. And those two, Greenspan being the late Fed chair, of course, as
we all know, they were very close.
And so, that is, in terms of the nuance of difference that we're seeing between Trump, Warsh, and other Fed chairs and other presidents.
SCIUTTO: And, of course, the broader picture of President Trump trying to force out members of the Fed board that he doesn't like the big picture.
It's concerning. Brian Schwartz, thanks so much for joining.
Coming up next, new information about a missing Ukrainian teen who appears now to be in the Russian army. We get exclusive new insight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:25:00]
SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Jim Sciutto. And here are the international headlines we're watching today.
President Trump is downplaying concerns that the U.S. military is running dangerously low on munitions. Sources tell CNN that 80 percent of
interceptors for one key missile system have been depleted. So, of roughly half of Patriot interceptors, Trump posts that the U.S. has massive amounts
of ammunition. He later acknowledged that some weapons supplies are tighter than others.
Iran and Oman could be close to an agreement on a shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz. It could establish lanes and protections for
commercial traffic. However, Tehran insists the U.S. must meet additional conditions before the waterway will be completely reopened.
Republicans on a Senate panel voted to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress for refusing to answer questions about his handling of the
COVID-19 pandemic. The Justice Department has now received a criminal referral. Legal experts doubt the effort will get far. They predict it will
set off a long court battle over the limits of his Fifth Amendment rights.
Now, this story, new research exclusively shared with us at CNN, is shedding light on a Ukrainian teenager who went missing only to apparently
resurface in the Russian army. Oleksandr Mustyatse, now believed to be 19, reportedly went missing in the first years of the war when he was still a
minor. Photos have since emerged of him alongside Russian soldiers. The charity, Save Ukraine, says that Oleksandr was seriously wounded last year,
sent to Moscow for treatment.
Joining us now, Anastasiia Dovbnia, deputy to the CEO of Save Ukraine, and she joins us from Kyiv. Thanks so much, Anastasiia. We appreciate having
you.
ANASTASIIA DOVBNIA, DEPUTY TO THE CEO, SAVE UKRAINE: Thank you for having me, Jim.
SCIUTTO: So, this is a remarkable and a frightening story, given the concerns about this since the very early days of the war. Can you walk us
through your investigation and how it uncovered Oleksandr and documented his path from being an abducted child to now, it seems, a member of the
Russian army?
DOVBNIA: Thank you so much. You know, at Save Ukraine, every day we are rescuing Ukraine's stolen children from Russia and occupied territories.
Every day we are fighting for these children, and today we rescued more than 1,570 of them. And each of them are testifying one thing, Russia is
militarizing them and convincing them that their mission is to grow up as a decent and honorable soldier and fight against Ukraine and the United
States. They're forced to think and convinced that the United States is coming from a deal and it needs to be destroyed. And Oleksandr is one of
those kids.
Oleksandr was born in Kherson, and he is now serving in a Russian army against its own country. And what we found out is, first of all, as you
mentioned, he was severely wounded and treated in Moscow. We also found a number of different photographs of him together with Russian soldiers, with
young Russian soldiers that are fighting against Ukraine and killing Ukrainians.
And this could not be anything but a deliberate strategy of putting Ukrainian children among Russians as they do it within the kindergartens,
to assimilate them, to brainwash and to convince a child that this system is strong and it will break you down and you should obey to it.
Also, apart from them, we figured out that as the information becomes public, Russia eliminated and erased all access to accounts of both
Oleksandr and his wife because Russia clearly understands their intent and that the evidence becomes public and the crime that they committed and they
are trying to hide this evidence from us.
SCIUTTO: So, you're describing here really a multi-step process to abduct the children, re-educate them, brainwash them, in effect, and then try to
erase the records. Are you aware of other similar cases?
[18:30:00]
DOVBNIA: Yes, unfortunately, we do -- we are aware of similar cases. We have rescued a couple of children, a couple of young adults who were
already serving in the Russian army and we are working hard right now to investigate all information about Oleksandr and his family because the very
fact that he has been found in the Ukraine's Children of War Registry means that there was a family who put this record and who is probably waiting
still for him and looking for him.
But the very hardest thing is that Oleksandr, despite the fact that he was convinced that his own country does not exist, that he should go and fight
for Putin and for his homeland, namely Russia, that came to liberate his territory, he is still very fortunate because, unfortunately, as we are
fighting to reach and to rescue every single child from Russian-occupied territories, we still see that a lot of families of young adults who have
been raised in occupation, the first notice and information that they receive about their young adults is an obituary. And this notice about the
fact that their children were killed in Russian army.
SCIUTTO: The numbers are staggering here because Save Ukraine, your organization, says that some 1.6 million Ukrainian children have come under
threat since Russia's occupation began, this goes back to 2014, the first Russian invasion, and that nearly 20,000 children have been abducted since
the full-scale invasion. Do you fear or do you believe that there are many more children like Oleksandr?
DOVBNIA: Definitely. Unfortunately, we could not even imagine the scale. And you are right that for Russia, these 1.6 million children who are under
their control and their captivity is definitely a generation of soldiers. And it should be treated from our side exactly that way. And that's why we
understand that Oleksandr's case shows what happened when we do not reach a child at the time and in the right time. And that's why time is definitely
against us.
And we are fighting every day at Save Ukraine to locate, to identify these children, to make covert routes for them and through the underground
railroad that we built, to rescue them, to bring home and to heal them. Because, unfortunately, every day more and more children are being abducted
first to military camps when Russians are putting this huge narrative in their mind that they need to grow up and fight against Ukraine and United
States.
And more and more they are staying in this system when child is separated from family, when they are breaking down, when they are forced to go and be
equipped and be prepared as a soldier. More and more of them have to give up and then actually become in this system.
SCIUTTO: Well, what a tragedy for the children and for their families as well. Anastasiia Dovbnia, thanks so much for joining and telling us your
stories.
DOVBNIA: Thank you so much.
SCIUTTO: Coming up on "The Brief," my conversation with an opposition leader from Belarus as the country nears six years since a widely condemned
presidential election.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:35:00]
SCIUTTO: This weekend marks the sixth anniversary of the infamous Belarus presidential election, in which Alexander Lukashenko was declared the
landslide winner, sparking mass protests across the country for weeks. Why? Well, many in the country and many Western observers rejected the
legitimacy of the results. The opposition believes that Svetlana Tikhanovskaya was the rightful winner. She now says any Ukraine peace deal
must include Belarus as well. The Belarusian government released her husband, Sergei Tsikhanouskaya, last year, after five years behind bars.
Joining me now is the opposition leader, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Thanks so much. Good to have you back.
SVIATLANA TSIKHANOUSKAYA, BELARUSIAN OPPOSITION LEADER: Good to see you, Jim. Hi.
SCIUTTO: First, I want to begin with President Zelenskyy's accusations that Belarus has actively enabled Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. You
yourself has said the Belarusian regime is already involved in this war. I wonder what is the degree of help today? And is it possible that Putin
might someday pressure Ukrainian forces to invade Ukraine? Belarusian forces, I should say.
TSIKHANOUSKAYA: Yes. Look, of course, there is always a risk that Belarus might be deeper involved because if Putin decides to escalate, Belarus will
be used again. That is why Belarus matters. And free Belarus means Putin loses one of his key military launchpads.
What we see in Belarus that Lukashenko is actually earning money on the blood of Ukrainians because about 500 Belarusian enterprises now are
producing military stuff for Russian war machine. And new infrastructure is being built in Belarus that is not supposed to be there if the country is
not prepared for provocations or escalations.
So, Lukashenko is already a war criminal. He's already in this war. And he is a lie to Putin. But it's not about Belarusian people. Belarusians are on
the side of Ukraine. We want Ukraine to win because on the victory of Ukraine, the victory of Belarus depends as well.
SCIUTTO: This weekend, as we noted, marks six years since the 2020 presidential election that kept Lukashenko in power and robbed, in the view
of the opposition, yourself and many outside observers, robbed you of a rightful victory. Six years later, where does the opposition in Belarus
stand?
TSIKHANOUSKAYA: Of course, many things have changed. In 2020, we were fighting for free elections. Now, we are fighting for the very survival of
our country. Belarus lives in fear and terror. And people are arrested every single day in Belarus. And the resistance has gone underground inside
the country. And many Belarusians went to fight for Ukraine.
But also, those people who left the country, and it's about half a million of Belarusians, we kept our unity. We created democratic institutions. A
government in waiting, for example. And our goal is to return home and to win our country back when the next window of opportunity appears. And I
believe it will.
And of course, the war changed everything. Belarus was taken hostage by two dictators, and Russia is trying to turn it into its own military base.
SCIUTTO: In September 2025, Belarus pardoned 52 prisoners, political prisoners, released them into Lithuania at the request of President Trump.
Was that a meaningful change, in your view?
TSIKHANOUSKAYA: Of course, the fact that illegitimate Lukashenko started to release people, of course, it's a good sign, but it's a sign that
pressure works. Here, in the release of political prisoners, diplomatic efforts of the USA, President Trump and Special Envoy John Cole, and strong
position of European Union regarding sanctions worked perfectly.
[18:40:00]
About 500 people have been released, including my husband who spent five years in solitary confinement, but we don't have to forget that at least
800 people are still behind bars and repressions continues. Every day in Belarus people are detained, so this repressive machine is working. And I'm
appealing to President Trump and our European partners that first of all we have to stop this vicious circle, because some people are released, twice
more are imprisoned. So, just to -- we have to stop this, like -- because now it looks like revolving doors, no changes.
SCIUTTO: Given the close relationship between Putin and Lukashenko and Belarus' position basically as a vassal state to Russia, is a free Belarus
possible as long as Putin is in power?
TSIKHANOUSKAYA: Well, look, some people think that change in Belarus will come only after change in Russia. I think it can happen the other way
around. Remember, the dissolution of the Soviet Union started in Belarus. Belarus is much more important than many people think, and Russia
understands this as well. That is why it wants nuclear weapons, strategic missiles, troops, and military infrastructure on our territory.
We don't want Belarus to be Russia's military outpost, we want it to be a European country, and among Belarusians there is a pro-European, anti-war
mood. So, and it's much easier to help Belarusians to get rid of dictatorship and get rid of Russia's subjugation than to bring changes to
Russia itself.
So, we ask the whole democratic world, you know, to help Belarusians to win our country back, and it will be a good signal for other post-European or
post-Soviet Union countries that also fight for their independence.
SCIUTTO: Well, I'm certainly glad that your family is reunited. I've long been aware of the separation you had to endure from your husband, and I
wish you luck going forward.
TSIKHANOUSKAYA: Thank you so much. Belarus is definitely not lost case, and we as movement, as people, as nation united, and we are grateful to all
our partners who understand strategic importance of Belarus and stand with us on this difficult path. Thank you.
SCIUTTO: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, thanks so much. Well, now back here to the U.S. in Minnesota, where MyPillow founder and 2020 election denier Mike
Lindell is now running for governor. Lindell has the endorsement of President Donald Trump. If he wins the Republican primary next week, he
will likely face Democratic senator, Amy Klobuchar. CNN's Donie O'Sullivan visited Lindell at his pillow factory and asked if he will accept the
results even if he loses.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: It's like we're going in to meet Willy Wonka.
O'SULLIVAN: Good to see you.
MIKE LINDELL, MYPILLOW FOUNDER: I'll tell you what Steve Bannon just called you.
O'SULLIVAN: Why did he call me this time?
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): I've come to Minnesota to meet MyPillow Founder, Mike Lindell, at his pillow factory.
LINDELL: So, this is our outlet store.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Today, Lindell is perhaps better known as a prolific election conspiracy theorist.
O'SULLIVAN: I'm dreaming of free and fair election.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Now, the MyPillow man is running for governor of Minnesota.
LINDELL: Now, there it is, huh? People can be coming up, picking up on governor signs, yes.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): I first met Mike Lindell five years ago at his so-called cyber symposium, an event he organized where he said he would
prove that the 2020 election was stolen by China.
O'SULLIVAN: If you're correct, if you have that evidence --
LINDELL: No, just forget about the evidence. If I'm right that China took our country, right now, do you care? Would that bother you? Would that
bother you?
O'SULLIVAN: But you have to show the proof first, right?
LINDELL: No, would --
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): The proof never materialized but Lindell is still fixated on election conspiracy theories and is a firm fixture in the MAGA
Media universe.
STEVE BANNON, MEDIA EXECUTIVE, REPUBLICAN POLITICAL STRATEGIST: Mike Lindell, you're from the factory floor today.
LINDELL: We're now in our big factory sale but in a little bit, CNN's coming here. We're getting set up. Your old pal Donie is coming in from
Ireland.
BANNON: Donie the dirtbag.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Staff from his streaming channel, LindellTV are now even part of the White House press corps.
CARA CASTRONUOVA, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, LINDELLTV: Will you guys also consider releasing the president's fitness plan? He actually looks
healthier than ever before.
KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I can confirm the president is in very good shape.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Lindell's loyalty to Trump has paid off. The president endorsed him for governor ahead of the Minnesota Republican
primary. But before Trump's endorsement, the Minnesota GOP had already backed a candidate for governor and it was not Mike Lindell.
O'SULLIVAN: Obviously, it complicates things when the leader of your party nationally is endorsing a different candidate than the one the state party
has chosen here, puts you in an awkward spot.
[18:45:00]
ALEX PLECHASH, MINNESOTA GOP CHAIRMAN: Yes, it did but that's OK. That's politics. We're always in awkward spots. Our endorsed candidate is Kendall
Qualls, a very high-quality individual with a great background.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): But Mike Lindell seems to be leading in the polls right now.
PLECHASH: Depends on which poll you look at and so on. But Mike Lindell is certainly a player, certainly after he got the endorsement from President
Trump.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good, sir.
LINDELL: Hi, thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mike, it's such a pleasure. I'm such a huge fan.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm praying for you.
LINDELL: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One, two, three.
LINDELL: You never got a picture from CNN, did you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, we didn't.
LINDELL: That's five years later, Donie.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): For people who might say, you know what, Mike seems like a good guy, but I'm worried that if he becomes governor, he's
just going to be worried about all this election stuff.
LINDELL: Right, and that's a good question you got, Donie. Well, you've gotten better after five years. What is going on?
O'SULLIVAN: Thank you.
LINDELL: This is the honest-to-God truth. No matter if I would win, someone else would win, I always question anything done with the electronic
voting machine.
O'SULLIVAN: If you don't win, are you going to say, this was rigged, this was stolen?
LINDELL: No, this is what I'm trying to tell you. But you know, see, I still see you don't listen even after five years.
O'SULLIVAN: No, I'm listening, but I think that's the question.
LINDELL: Listen to what I'm saying, what I'm saying is this, we have -- not just in Minnesota, we have now the technology and we've gotten the word
out.
O'SULLIVAN: But election officials all over the country say, but we have audits, we verify votes.
LINDELL: No, no, they don't, and this is where you're wrong.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Even after the voting technology company, Smartmatic, won a defamation case against Lindell, he's still convinced of
the conspiracy theories about the company and about voting machines in general.
LINDELL: Donald Trump was winning the election by a landslide, and then of course, all these deviations pop up. My teams were down there when they
tested the Dominion machine.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Some of Lindell's supporters share his concerns about elections.
O'SULLIVAN: Why would Mike Lindell make a good governor of Minnesota?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because he would take care of the machine, get rid of it, go to election integrity, gold standard, paper ballot, hand count.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): If Americans have learned anything from the politics of the past decade, it's to not rule anyone out.
O'SULLIVAN: Ten years ago, people laughed at and said, Trump could never be president. Now, in Minnesota, you got a millionaire that people laugh
at, say he's absurd, that this guy could never be governor.
LINDELL: Only $14.88, I can't believe I'm even saying that.
O'SULLIVAN: Can you understand the appeal of Mike Lindell?
PLECHASH: Oh, certainly I can. I mean, I said the comparison with Trump is a very good one. And here he is president for the second time. So, anything
is possible in politics.
O'SULLIVAN: So, if Mike Lindell wins the primary, you'll get behind Mike Lindell?
PLECHASH: Of course, we will. That's what the party does.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): It's easy to forget that before he was an election conspiracy theorist, here in Minnesota, Mike Lindell was known as
a success story.
O'SULLIVAN: Do you have a MyPillow?
PLECHASH: I actually do.
O'SULLIVAN: Yes? You sleep in a MyPillow?
PLECHASH: More than one.
O'SULLIVAN: You like them?
PLECHASH: Yes, they're very good.
O'SULLIVAN: Do you think you can beat Senator Klobuchar?
LINDELL: Absolutely.
O'SULLIVAN: Really?
LINDELL: Absolutely. I'm the only one that can beat him.
O'SULLIVAN: Will you debate her?
LINDELL: Minnesota wants to be -- of course, you know me, bring it on, Amy. Are you kidding? I'd love to debate her every day.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Donie O'Sullivan, CNN, Minnesota.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Coming up next, a sorry state. Despite an apology from FIFA, Europe's football body says it could still go ahead with a boycott.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:50:00]
SCIUTTO: Crying foul. In today's Field of Play, European nations say they could still go ahead with a boycott of future FIFA competitions. That's
despite FIFA apologizing for a proposal that was sent scrapped to sell stakes, private stakes, in tournament operations to investors. European
football's governing body, UEFA, says the apology changes nothing. It means the pressure is greater than ever on the FIFA president, Gianni Infantino,
to step down, even though he seems to have weathered that storm in meetings yesterday.
Don Riddell is here now. First question here is, what's the power of this continued threat to boycott? And does that threaten Infantino's apparent
survival of all this?
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: I mean, I feel like the ball is being knocked back and forth across the proverbial net and it is now UEFA's move
again. They are not impressed with the statement that was put out by FIFA 24 hours previously, and they've said so. They released a statement the
following day which concluded, UEFA made it abundantly clear in its statement on Saturday that it has lost confidence in Gianni Infantino's
presidency. That position holds.
Yesterday's announcement that some people employed by the FIFA president and whose careers depend on his favor agree with him changes nothing. So,
UEFA's position is that FIFA, under President Gianni Infantino, has lost all credibility. And they have said, basically, we could still boycott FIFA
tournaments.
Now, if they're true to their word, we're going to find out pretty soon, because although the really big marquee events are the main men's and
women's World Cup tournaments, FIFA has tournaments all the time, one of which is coming up in Poland very soon, next month. It's the Under-20
Women's World Cup tournament. There's going to be six European teams in it, including the host Poland.
So, are UEFA going to boycott that? I would say that Infantino is kind of calling their bluff. But if they do boycott, then that might be a bit of a
game changer and it will give FIFA something to think about. But for now, Infantino has survived. He will remain the president through until the next
election in March. Remember, he was widely expected to win that before all this blew up, before the World Cup tournament kicked off. Things might have
changed, but it's so hard to know.
SCIUTTO: Yes. I mean, UEFA certainly has a lot of pull, one might say, given how central Europe is to football. Don Riddell, I know you'll be
watching. Thanks a lot.
Well, turning now to what is a critical situation in Europe. Relentless heat and a lack of rain taking their toll on river flows, threatening parts
of the economy. The Danube has been particularly hit hard. It's a similar story on the Rhine, so important to both shipping and tourism. The water
there also at critical lows.
Hot, dry and windy conditions in the northwestern U.S. could mean a challenging next several days there as well for firefighters. They're
trying to contain a rash of wildfires in Washington and Oregon. Including three in the Spokane, Washington area. CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar
says crews got a break from the weather Thursday, but that break will be short-lived.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: The best news really out of the last 24 hours is the fact that we've been able to make improvements in the
containment numbers. All three of these fires have seen an increase in containment, thanks to the much better weather conditions that the fire
crews have experienced, especially in terms of wind gusts being very, very low.
The bigger issue really is just going to be the heat. That has been the case the last couple of days and it will continue through the weekend. In
Spokane, for example, the average is around 87 degrees. The high temperatures all expected to be in the 90s. And they're not alone. Much of
Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, all of these areas looking at temperatures about 5 to 15 degrees above average.
Winds are also expected to begin to increase later today and will continue through Friday. We're talking about 20 to 25 miles per hour, which may not
seem all that much, but it is plenty in terms of taking those existing embers and spreading them rapidly throughout much of these areas. So,
that's a concern again, not only for today, but also as we head into Friday and Saturday when those winds are expected to remain.
[18:55:00]
One thing to note, though, too, is that the wind direction is going to shift. So, in terms of the smoke that has been kind of filling a lot of
these areas, that is going to change, namely for places like Seattle and Portland, who were actually expected to get a break from much of the smoke
over the next 24 to 48 hours because of that shift in wind.
However, on the flip side, places like Spokane and really much of Idaho, Washington and Oregon, we actually anticipate that the smoke will actually
get thicker and increase in the coming hours. It's why you have all of these air quality alerts in effect, not just for today, but a lot of these,
with the exception of a few, are likely going to stick around for Friday and Saturday.
And then again, knowing that those winds are going to increase, you also have the potential for fire weather, which is why you have these red flag
warnings and fire weather watches that are in effect today and will likely continue through at least Friday, if not also Saturday.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Wildfires around the world. Well, thanks so much for joining. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. You've been watching "The Brief." Please do stay
with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
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