Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Police: 9 Injured in Shooting at Michigan Splash Pad; Biden Raises $28 Million at Hollywood Fundraiser; Trump Courts Black Voters as he Campaigns in Detroit; Israel Begins "Tactical Pause" to Allow Aid Into Southern Gaza; 1000 Plus Days Since Afghan Girls Have Been Banned From School. Aired 5-6 am ET

Aired June 16, 2024 - 05:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:00:37]

ANNA COREN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Anna Coren, live from Hong Kong.

Ahead on CNN Newsroom. Well, happiness turns to horror as gunfire erupts at a water park in Michigan. Details on the incidents that left multiple adults and two children injured. That's ahead.

Plus, U.S. President Joe Biden attends a star-studded fundraiser in Hollywood, while Donald Trump attacks his mental acuity.

And Israeli forces announce a tactical pause to get more aid into southern Gaza. More on what that means for the thousands of Palestinian refugees stranded in the region.

Well, police say at least nine people, including two children, were injured in a mass shooting at a public splash park near Detroit, Michigan.

Families were just enjoying their Saturday when the scene at the kids' fountain turned into chaos. A mother and her eight-year-old son are both in critical condition. Authorities say the shooting appears to be random.

Well, police found the 42-year-old male suspect at a nearby home, dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The mayor of Rochester Hills extending his support for the families of the victims.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRYAN BARNETT, MAYOR OF ROCHESTER HILLS: It's a mental reset. It's a reminder that we live in a fragile place with fragile people. And it's also a reminder to be grateful for professionals. There were a hundred firefighters and sheriff's deputies out there today.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COREN: The Gun Violence Archive reports there have now been 223 mass shootings so far this year in the U.S., when four or more people were shot in a single incident, not including the shooter. That's more than one mass shooting a day.

Earlier, I spoke with Ibrahim Dabaja, a reporter with Metro Detroit News, who was on the scene after the shooting. And he gave us some insight into the alleged gunman.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IBRAHIM DABAJA, REPORTER, METRO DETROIT NEWS: As of now, they're just calling it a random shooting. Police say he has no connections to Rochester Hills. He didn't live in Rochester Hills. He has no family in Rochester Hills. They don't know why he decided to go to the park and just begin shooting. They believe he may have suffered from a mental illness, which was not known to police at the time.

COREN: This was a Saturday afternoon. You know, people just enjoying their weekend. According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been at least 223 mass shootings in the U.S. so far, obviously including this one. I know it's early in the morning where you are right now, but what was the reaction from the community when they heard this news late yesterday?

DABAJA: You know, it's tragic and heartbreaking. It's not the first mass shooting that happened in the Oakland County community. In 2020, the Oxford High School shooting, they left four students dead.

So a lot of people are still trying to recover from that. And I talked to a few people I've seen when I got there, and everyone is just heartbroken.

One witness told me they saw a couple protecting their children from gunfire jumping in the way so their child wasn't shot. And the community is just trying to recover right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: U.S. President Joe Biden's campaign says it raised $28 million at a Hollywood fundraiser in Los Angeles on Saturday. That would be a record for Democrats at a single fundraiser. It comes as both candidates agreed to accept the rules of the first presidential debate to be hosted by CNN on June 27.

These include muted microphones throughout the debate, except when it's the candidates' turn to speak. No props or pre-written notes on stage. Both men have also agreed to appear at a uniform podium, and their positions will be determined by a coin flip. There will also be no studio audience.

CNN's Arlette Saenz has been following the fundraiser event, and has more from Los Angeles.

[05:05:05]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Biden teamed up with his former boss and some Hollywood stars to raise major cash for his campaign. The star-studded fundraiser here at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles raised at least $28 million, which the campaign is touting as the largest Democratic fundraiser in history.

President Biden appeared on stage with his former boss, former President Barack Obama, as well as Jimmy Kimmel, and they all three tried to warn of the stakes in this election, each painting former President Donald Trump as a direct threat to democracy.

Now, President -- former President Obama talked about how Trump does not embody the values of this country, including pointing to his recent conviction in that criminal hush money trial in New York. Obama made the argument to voters, young voters and also conservative- leaning voters, that they need to look at the accomplishments of what President Biden has done while he is in office.

Now, the president was also joined at this fundraiser by some other major stars, including George Clooney and Julia Roberts, Jack Black, Jason Bateman, among the many who were here. The Biden campaign really trying to use this fundraiser as another way to tap into that celebrity star power to try to engage voters. They raised money for this fundraiser through tickets ranging from $250 to $500,000.

There were also small donor grassroots contests for people to travel here to Los Angeles to meet the two presidents and George Clooney and Julia Roberts. It all comes as President Biden is trying to maintain the cash advantage that he currently has over former President Trump in the campaign.

Now, Trump has made significant gains, potentially narrowing the money gap in recent months. The Biden campaign is hoping that a big event like this will further drum up support, bring in more money for their campaign, in what is expected to be a very expensive race heading into November.

Arlette Saenz, CNN, traveling with the President in Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: Meantime, former U.S. President Donald Trump is courting black voters in the battleground state of Michigan on Saturday. He held a community roundtable at a predominantly black church in the city of Detroit. His campaign also launched a coalition group to targeting black voters who have overwhelmingly backed Democrats in the past elections.

Well, Mr. Trump also used the event to lash out at President Joe Biden's mental health. But Trump got the name of his own doctor who tested him wrong.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. REPUBLICAN NOMINEE: Joe Biden has no plan. He's got absolutely no plan. He doesn't even know what the word inflation means. I don't think if you gave him a quiz, I think he should take a cognitive test like I did. I took a cognitive test and I aced it. Dr. Ronny -- Dr. Ronny Johnson. Does everyone know Ronny Johnson, congressman from Texas? He was the White House doctor. And he said I was the healthiest president he feels in history.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: Yeah, that would be Ronny Jackson. CNN's Eva McKend was there when Trump took the stage in Detroit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EVA MCKEND, CNN U.S. NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Former President Donald Trump telling a very enthusiastic crowd that he's confident he can win Michigan in November, as he did in 2016. He said if reelected, he will address inflation, stand up to China and other nations and touted his plan for a MAGAnomics. That, of course, is a direct blow to Bidenomics.

Most consequentially, though, this time he's telling Michigan voters that they should come up with a plan to vote, whether that is voting early by mail or on Election Day. And that, of course, is a departure from 2020, where he really cast doubt on early and mail in voting, an indication that he's being more disciplined about this message and not trying to leave any votes on the table.

The former President also spending his time at a historically black church here in Detroit, trying to make his case to black voters ahead of the election.

Eva McKend, CNN, Detroit.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: We begin with new developments this hour in the Israel-Hamas war. The Israeli military says it has started a daily tactical pause in one part of southern Gaza to allow more aid to reach Palestinians. It applies only to this route extending from Kerem Shalom crossing. And the military says the fighting in Rafah continues.

The IDF says the daily pause will run from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. CNN's Ben Wedeman joins us now live from Beirut with more on this. So, Ben, what exactly does this mean?

[05:10:03]

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what this means is that, as you said, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day, indefinitely, according to the Israeli military, there will be this tactical pause, which will allow aid trucks to enter through the Karem Abu Salem or Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel into Gaza to go to the Salah al-Din Highway, which is the main north-south road in Gaza.

However, we know that combat operations continue. The Israeli military has made it clear they will continue in other areas. But, interestingly, this announcement seems to have taken many people by surprise.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, the National Security Minister, and Bezalel Smotrich, the Finance Minister, have both come out roundly condemning it. Of course, they are the real hard, hard-liners, extreme right-wingers in the Cabinet.

And we've also seen reports in Haaretz, the daily -- Israeli daily, saying that Yoav Gallant, the Israeli Defense Minister, didn't know about this announcement from the military. And according to the sources quoted by Haaretz, the government didn't even approve this tactical pause.

So it seems the disarray in the Israeli government, already evident before this, is just getting deeper and deeper.

Anna?

COREN: Ben Wedeman, joining us from Beirut. Thank you.

Well, earlier I spoke with the global spokesman for UNICEF and asked for his reaction to the tactical pause.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES ELDER, UNICEF GLOBAL SPOKESPERSON: It's difficult because I'm very close to those areas and I certainly have heard a significant amount of bombardment. So, look, any -- any pause in bombing is good for children. So, yeah, I mean, we just -- we have to see -- have to see what this means. We've heard a lot of promises. Yes, as your correspondent said, we desperately need more aid in. And it's not just about getting more aid in. Of course, it's also then the safe delivery of that aid on the Gaza Strip. And that's become less and less certain over the last -- over the last weeks, really, ever since that -- that military offensive in Rafah, which, of course, was promised to be, quote, unquote, "a limited offensive," but in fact meant not only a million people, one million people again had to move, again had to go take a tent, having lived in a home from a tent to another area of rubble.

It also meant that the Rafah Crossing, which was the lifeline for aid coming into the Gaza Strip, has essentially been closed now for more than a month. So it's a real wait and see. Any news that means more aid and a restriction on bombing and killing of children is great news. But I think we have some way to go before we see a reality on the ground.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: The UNICEF's James Elder speaking with me earlier.

Well, after the break, Volodymyr Zelenskyy is looking for support from world leaders as the Ukraine peace summit goes into its final day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:17:04] COREN: The Ukraine Peace Summit in Switzerland will wrap up later today. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been looking to delegates to support his ten-point peace plan regarding Russia. But Ukraine's president says he's open to ideas from the more than 100 countries and organizations present at the forum.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINIAN: The very idea of war has already lost. Putin should switch from the language of ultimatums to the language of the world majority, which wants a just peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: Zelenskyy also met with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. She announced that Washington will give Ukraine more than $1.5 billion in aid to help it rebuild infrastructure and address humanitarian needs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: Yesterday, Putin put forward a proposal. But we must speak truth. He is not calling for negotiations. He is calling for surrender. America stands with Ukraine, not out of charity, but because it is in our strategic interest. We stand with delegations from more than 90 nations who also have a strategic interest in a just peace in Ukraine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: Joining me now from Kharkiv is Security Analyst Maria Avdeeva, Research Director at the European Expert Association.

Maria, thank you so much for joining us. The last time you spoke to CNN, you were pleading for an overturn on the ban of the use of U.S. weapons inside Russia. That, as we all know, has now happened, although there are still restrictions. Has it made a difference where you are in Kharkiv, or is it still too soon to tell?

MARIA AVDEEVA, RESEARCH DIRECTOR, EUROPEAN EXPERT ASSOCIATION: Well, absolutely. The situation in the city feels much more relieved. There are much more people outside on the streets. People try to get back to normal life as it's possible because, you know, the threat is still there and still Russian missiles can hit Kharkiv in a matter of seconds.

COREN: In your last conversation with CNN, the city and surrounding regions were bearing the brunt of a Russian assault with energy infrastructure especially targeted. Is the city still feeling that?

AVDEEVA: Well, yes, the situation with energy is still quite critical in Kharkiv and in many other regions. Some people don't have electricity for hours in their households. It's lasting for several months already, and Russian -- this Russian strategy persists. So this is what they try to do to actually destroy Ukrainian critical infrastructure and logistics before winter comes. And this is why, you know, Ukrainian bid to get more aid also to defend this critical infrastructure is so important because this will allow Ukrainians to defend what was left and possibly to build more generating capacities.

[05:20:07]

COREN: Maria, this week we've seen two major conferences back-to-back looking at Ukraine, the G7 summit that has just wrapped up in Italy and now the peace conference in Switzerland underway. How significant are the developments that you are seeing out of these --these meetings, these summits?

AVDEEVA: Well, the G7 was kind of historical because Ukraine made this historical security agreement with the U.S., which is the major agreement since the independence of Ukraine. And also a very important step was that this $50 billion aid will be paid to Ukraine from frozen Russian assets. This is something that Ukraine was pushing forward for many months.

And now this summit in Switzerland with the number of leaders reaching over 90 is just something remarkable, which gives a lot of hope for Ukrainians that the situation will change. So basically we see several major international events backing Ukrainians' position. And this gives us hope that Russia will be pushed to stop the war at some point.

COREN: I want to talk about that because Russia obviously was not invited to this peace summit. And then, of course, you have Putin's latest so-called peace terms, which were immediately rejected by President Zelenskyy. But as we know, this war is not going to be won militarily, so doesn't there need to be dialogue between the two sides, between Ukraine and Russia?

AVDEEVA: Well, this peace summit, that gives a platform to start pushing Russia to accept some of the terms Ukraine is putting forward to stop the war. This is nuclear security, food security and return of all Ukrainian citizens. This is primarily steps and more will forward.

But what we see from the side of Russia is actually Putin's ultimatum. And this means he demands more territories. So he basically says, give me more, apart from what Russia has already gained.

So there is zero signs that Russia is making any steps to end the war. On the contrary, they are putting out more ultimatums and more things they want. But what has happened already and what is happening that more countries stay on the side with Ukraine, starting to push, slowly push Russian positions.

And the chances are that when Russia sees that a lot of countries, so many of them, are actually doing this, this will push forward the Russian leadership to rethink their position. And also this decision will be backed by military support that Ukraine will get from the Western partners.

COREN: Maria Avdeeva, joining us from Kharkiv, we thank you for your time.

AVDEEVA: Thank you.

COREN: Parts of the central and southern U.S. are bracing for extreme temperatures. The year's first significant heat wave is expected to roast the regions today, Father's Day. The combination of heat, humidity and little overnight relief is prompting the National Weather Service to warn people to stay cool amid a major heat risk.

CNN Meteorologist Elisa Raffa has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That dome of extreme heat is going to continue to swelter parts of the central and southern plains this weekend, but it moves east as we head into the work week, starting to head into places like the Midwest and New England, where more than 360 record warm temperatures could fall. That's both daytime highs and overnight lows because we really will just feel no relief at night.

The risk for heat sickness is extreme for parts of Missouri going into Iowa on Monday. You can see by Tuesday it heads into the Great Lakes, including some places like Chicago and then moving even farther east into New England, looking at places like Ohio, Upstate New York by Wednesday.

Again, that extreme risk for heat sickness really needs to check on those signs and symptoms, especially in children, elderly and pets.

Temperatures swelter in the 90s as we go into the work week in Atlanta, even D.C., with some of these above average temperatures. Sunday, looking at temperatures getting up to 100, getting really close. In St. Louis, 98 degrees is your forecast. In Chicago, you're looking at temperatures climbing towards 100. By Monday, 97 degrees is your forecast.

And this Chicago 7-day is just, again, sweltering as we go into Monday and Tuesday. Temperatures in the middle and upper 90s well above their average of 81 degrees. In fact, their overnight nighttime temperatures are much closer to the daytime average because, again, we're not getting that relief at night.

[05:25:10]

An overnight low of 80 degrees, again, doesn't help, especially when you don't have access to air conditioner. Temperatures, again, just not cooling off.

Chicago is not really known for extreme heat, but even a place like Chicago is finding their summer is warmer than it used to be. Since 1970, Chicago summers have a 1.5-degree fever. That means that we're adding more warm and above average days to the season in June, July and August. We're adding eight more days that are warm and above average in Chicago. That's as this extreme heat season just gets longer and frankly just gets more extreme and hotter. COREN: Well, still to come, the political battle heats up as both President Joe Biden and Donald Trump lash out at each other during campaign events. Those details ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COREN: Returning to one of our top stories, U.S. President Joe Biden's campaign says it raised $28 million at a Hollywood fundraiser in Los Angeles on Saturday. The star-studded event was attended by former President Barack Obama and late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, among others. Actors George Clooney and Julia Roberts were also there.

Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump was campaigning in the battleground state of Michigan, where he tried to win over the black voters. He also slammed President Biden for inflation, crime, and the migrant crisis, which he said affected black Americans in particular.

Well, joining me now is Michael Genovese. He's a political analyst and author of "The Modern Presidency: Six Debates that Define the Institution."

[05:30:05]

Michael, always a pleasure. Let's start with the campaign trail. President Biden, he's just flown back from the G7 in Italy to attend a celebrity fundraiser in Los Angeles, while Trump was in Michigan trying to win over black and young voters, repeating his false claim that the last election was stolen from him. And a short time ago, he said that President Biden needs to take a cognitive test, but then he went and mixed up the name of his own doctor.

MICHAEL GENOVESE, POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, you know, 78 years old, Donald Trump, 81, Joe Biden. And they're both past their use-by dates, and so there's really reason to be concerned.

And there are two factors with aging that we need to look at. One is the physical side. And there, Joe Biden seems to have deteriorated, whereas Trump seems to be very vigorous. The other side is the cognitive side. And there, Joe Biden seems actually quite strong, whereas Trump has a lot of cognitive issues, especially when you listen to his speeches.

And so, you know, age is a difficult thing. It's just a number. Different people age at different rates. But it's going to be a factor going through to November.

COREN: Absolutely, which leads us to the upcoming debate on the 27th of June here on CNN. This will be the first time that both Biden and Trump have appeared on stage together since their last debate in October of 2020.

We know that the rules have been laid out. Muted mics, two minutes to answer the questions, and no live audience. What do you think we can expect?

GENOVESE: Well, you know, the old Presidential Debate Commission used to try to set up a level playing field. Now the campaigns are involved, and so they have to agree. And I was surprised to hear that the Trump campaign agreed to some of the rule changes.

For example, you mentioned the microphones can be muted. That could really play into Donald Trump, who loves to talk over his opponent, to bully them, to be louder than the other, to dominate, to show, in effect, manliness. If his mic is turned off, he won't be able to do that.

The other thing is there's no live audience. Donald Trump lives for a live audience. They energize him. They motivate him. And he's great in front of a live audience. But without the live audience, without them responding to his jibes and his attacks, it might seem very flat. And in that case, it might seem very nasty and snarky. And so I think the rules are going to favor Joe Biden in this first debate.

COREN: Well, Trump is already downplaying the debate's importance. And he has said that the rules are designed to hurt him.

GENOVESE: Rules that he agreed to.

COREN: Yeah, exactly. Rules that he did. He and his campaign agreed to.

Let's talk now, Michael, about their preparations. As you mentioned, you know, they are both older. Trump, 78. Joe Biden, 81. Are they doing things differently this time round?

GENOVESE: You know, Donald Trump does not like to prepare for debates. He thinks it makes it stale and scripted. And he likes to be more, you know, ad lib and likes to think on his feet. That's very dangerous in this kind of a situation, because it's going to be long, 90 minutes. There are only two commercials. It's going to be grueling for two senior citizens.

And fatigue could really set in early. And then you can make a slip up. Debates are rarely won, but they are sometimes lost. And so, the key factor here is don't say something silly. Don't say something that's going to be a gap that embarrasses you. We know that Biden tends to make gaps. Trump has to avoid that. And I think the rules are going to be such that both of these people are going to be severely tested.

COREN: And Michael, finally, let's turn to SCOTUS' majority decision to overturn the bump stock ban. It would seem that public safety had no bearing on the majority's decision.

GENOVESE: This decision was no surprise. The surprise would have been if the Supreme Court went against the National Rifle Association. This court really is a Second Amendment court. And they clearly signaled that this is where they wanted to go.

This court is very ideological, and they're very partisan. And they're somewhat more openly partisan than the courts of the past. Justice Thomas' majority opinion was seen to be garbled. And, in fact, he's received a lot of criticism from it, trying to make this distinction between an automatic weapon and the bump stock, which makes it kind of automatic.

And he tried to sort of finely parse that so that it was a distinction without much difference. We know what this rifle can do when you have a bump stock on it. It's not for hunting, and it's not for personal safety.

COREN: Michael Genovese, always great to get your insights and perspective. Thanks so much for joining us.

[05:35:01]

GENOVESE: Thank you, Anna.

COREN: For three years, Afghan girls have been banned from school, banned from studying, and banned from bettering their lives. The world's most famous champion of girls education is urging the world not to look away. Her message next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COREN: UNICEF is drawing the world's attention back to Afghanistan and reminding us that Taliban are robbing girls of their futures. On Thursday, UNICEF marked 1,000 days lost of education for Afghan girls. That is 3 billion hours of learning for 1.5 million girls gone.

When Taliban fighters captured Kabul back in August of 2021 and took over the country, they banned girls from attending school past the sixth grade. UNICEF's Executive Director says without education, girls are at risk of early marriage, malnutrition, and deteriorating physical and mental health.

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai knows very well the value of girls' education and how to fight for it. She spoke with CNN's Bianna Golodryga earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Malala Yousafzai, thank you so much for joining us on this program, on this really grim milestone marking 1,000 days since girls in Afghanistan have been deprived of what should be something every child is entitled to, and that obviously is an education. Just talk to us personally about what this moment means for you.

MALALA YOUSAFZAI, GIRLS EDUCATION ACTIVIST: It has been three years that Afghan girls have not seen their classrooms. It has been more than 1,000 days that Afghan girls have not seen the opportunity to learn. And that is making girlhood illegal in Afghanistan.

[05:40:00]

The Taliban are denying women and girls, their human rights. And this should shock us. This should put us into action. That's why I think it's so important for us to call it a systematic oppression imposed by the Taliban on the women of Afghanistan, which is limiting them from education, from learning, from work, and from a public life. And that is why Afghan women activists are calling it a gender apartheid, which means it is a systematic oppression by those who are in power, who are meant to actually protect them. There is no place for Afghan women to go to. They have currently no future.

GOLODRYGA: Are you satisfied? And I would assume the answer is no, with the attention and focus this specific issue is getting from around the world and the pressure being put on the Taliban to bring this up time and time again, the real abuse, emotional, mental, psychological, and even physical that women have had to endure since they came back into power.

YOUSAFZAI: I have been doing this activism since the fall of Kabul in 2021. And I remember at that time the outrage that Afghan women and girls were showing that we cannot trust the Taliban. But some people said that we need to give them a bit more time and we need to trust the Taliban on their promises.

But the women -- the Afghan women knew it. Now it has been more than three years. What is the excuse now? It is so important that those who are negotiating and talking to the Taliban prioritize women's rights and girls' education, that women's rights and girls' education is a non-negotiable condition on the table. And those women have to be in those rooms where decisions about their future are made. And there are meetings happening the end of this month as well.

So I do push leaders. I do push the U.N. officials as well that they have to ensure that there is no compromise on the rights of women and girls. We cannot live in a society where we all claim, our leaders claim that we care about gender equity and equality, while we are putting all of that at risk in Afghanistan. We are not even reacting that girls' education right now is banned, is prohibited for girls.

GOLODRYGA: A reminder of the false promises made and perhaps the naive trust or hope that was given to this new Taliban, as they called it, 2.0, when they came back to power. This has been an issue that we have focused a lot of time on here at CNN, Christiane Amanpour specifically, as you know. And she brought this question up with the deputy leader of the Taliban at the time in 2022 and asked him about girls' rights. Here's what he had to say.

SIRAJUDDIN HAQQANI, ACTING INTERIOR MINISTER OF AFGHANISTAN (through translator): What I am saying is that the international community is raising the issue of women's rights a lot. Here in Afghanistan, there are Islamic, national, cultural and traditional principles. Within the limit of those principles, we are working to provide them with opportunities to work. And that is our goal.

GOLODRYGA: Malala, how do you respond to that? What are these, quote, unquote, "opportunities" within the limits of the parameters, he said?

YOUSAFZAI: There are a dozen of Muslim countries in the world. And in none of those Muslim countries do you see girls prohibited from education or women prohibited from work. It's not a crime for girls to have rights in those countries.

At the same time, we know that culture and religion are often used as an excuse by the Taliban and by other extremists, as well, to limit women, to protect their misogyny. There is no solid basis for that at all. Islam actually encourages education for all children, for everybody. And in Islam, it is your responsibility to get education.

I don't know what sort of system, what sort of ideology they're talking about, but -- but the culture that, you know, I come from and the religion that I know, it encourages education. And I think the Taliban need to -- we also -- like, at this point, I would say we need more Muslim leaders and more Muslim countries to step forward and actually challenge the Taliban to say that, in Islam, there is no justification for a ban on girls' education and for preventing women from work in the Islamic context.

GOLODRYGA: We spent a lot of time, and rightly so, talking about the failures of the U.S. war in Afghanistan and the number of years there. There were some positive notes that came out of it and transitions and changes, too, and this was one of them, what women had the opportunity to do, the opportunity to go to school, the opportunity to contribute to the workforce, to the economy overall. We should note that this isn't just a human right that's being deprived of women. It's a right that's really hurting the Afghan economy as well, where so many women are just not allowed to contribute.

[05:45:10]

You are, though, contributing, though, through your fund, $1.5 million, as we noted. Explain to us how you and your fund, through this money, are able to help in any way you can specifically. What are you doing?

YOUSAFZAI: When I think about the future of Afghanistan, it's still the women and girls who give me hope. They are protesting on the streets every day for their right to an education, to work, to political representation, and to a public life. That's why we are supporting Afghan activists on the ground.

Malala Fund is announcing $1.5 million additional funding to organizations, 13 organizations in Afghanistan who are working on the front line to advocate for girls' right to an education. And we're also, at the same time, supporting the campaign and the movement led by Afghan women to end -- to recognize gender apartheid and to end it, and to hold the Taliban to account for committing these crimes, and to push leaders and to hold them account, as well, for -- for -- to ensure that they also take steps.

GOLODRYGA: It was in 2013, some 11 years ago, when you were 16, that you spoke before the U.N. And here's what you said. You said peace is necessary for education. You say there's way too much suffering and war happening right now as we speak. There are two big, hot wars in Ukraine and in Gaza there.

And I know that you have recently announced a new graduate program and scholarship for Palestinians at Oxford University. Just talk to us about this mission for you and the hope that you would like to give Palestinian women, children, in terms of their efforts to go to school, to go back to school, because, obviously, that can't happen right now.

YOUSAFZAI: First of all, I think we need to remind all of us that what is happening in Gaza to Palestinian people, to Palestinian children, is horrifying. More than 80% of the schools have been damaged. Almost all universities have been bombed in this bombing by Israel.

So, when I think about any war, any crisis in the world, I think about children. These wars take away their dreams, their future. I want girls to be in a classroom. I want children to be studying, to be dreaming about their future, to be playing outside on their streets. War and conflicts and oppression takes all of that away from children. We are seeing that happening in Afghanistan. We are seeing these things happening in Sudan.

And in Gaza, this has to stop. And, again, I want our leaders to think about the children, to think about humanity, and to take a brave step towards peace. And the same I'm hoping for Afghanistan, as well, that it has been 1,000 days.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah.

YOUSAFZAI: I cannot imagine that it's 2,000 days, 3,000 days. We cannot keep Afghan girls waiting. And I want to reiterate that it's so important for us to stand with Afghan women and girls. They are at the forefront of this campaign. So I'm here to share my empathy and to share my solidarity with them, to all the activists in the world who are speaking about peace, of justice.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. Malala, I can't think of a better spokesperson for this issue and your bravery and your continued fight for this very, very important mission, educating women, educating girls, giving them the rights that they deserve.

Malala Yousafzai, thank you so much for joining the program today.

YOUSAFZAI: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: Just ahead on CNN Newsroom, not just yet. The Edmonton Oilers live to see another game in their pursuit of the Stanley Cup. CNN's Coy Wire is up next with sports.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:52:39]

COREN: Much like the NBA Finals, the NHL's championship round isn't over just yet. And just like the Dallas Mavericks, the Edmonton Oilers got a blowout win of their own. CNN Sports Anchor Coy Wire joins us with more.

Good morning, Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS: Good morning to you. Only one other NHL team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in the Stanley Cup Final. That was 82 years ago when Toronto did it. Oilers fans hoping their team will be the next to do it.

Have you ever seen fans so hyped with their team down 0-3? Edmonton had only scored four goals in this series against Florida, but they go off, doubling that total with eight of them last night.

Their two-time MVP, Connor McDavid, finally scoring for the first time this series. Seven different Oilers score. McDavid notching three assists. This one to Dylan Holloway, who puts it in the top shelf. McDavid now with 32 assists this postseason. He surpasses the great one, Wayne Gretzky, for the most in a single postseason. Edmonton wins 8-1.

Moving day at the U.S. Open, and Bryson DeChambeau was just getting warmed up. Literally, 11th hole, BDC will BRB. He laid down and stretched in the woods with his physio for a stiff back. Well, it was just what the doctor ordered. He birdied on his way to one of the best rounds of the day, enjoying the moment.

The 2020 champ is 7-under, three strokes clear of the field. He lost his dad a year and a half ago, and he said he'll be thinking of him on every hole in today's final round, hoping to win his second major on Father's Day.

Now, another great day of sport is ahead of us, especially with the Euros. The Netherlands taking on a Poland side without their legendary striker, Robert Lewandowski. Slovenia facing Denmark. And then, of course, the finale Sunday, England against Serbia. After reaching the 2018 World Cup semis, then finishing runners-up at the last Euros, Captain Harry Kane says the three Lions are ready to make the next step.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRY KANE, ENGLAND CAPTAIN: I think, you know, every tournament poses different expectations. I think, you know, we've earned the right to be, I guess, classed as one of the favorites. But we look at ourselves, you know, individually and as a team. And going into this tournament, we know, you know, in past tournaments, we've done a lot of things well. And we've made, you know, the country proud. And we've had good tournaments. But ultimately, we're here to win it. And there'll be nothing better for us and the nation itself if we do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[05:55:05]

WIRE: Sporting your team. But Albanian fans took it to another level before their match against Italy Saturday, going viral when some of them snapped spaghetti in front of their Italian counterparts, the goal. The Albanian fans, they couldn't believe what happened next, though.

Their team scoring the fastest goal in Euros history, just 23 seconds in. He's smashing the ball there for that historic goal. Unfortunately, the joy didn't last long. Italy scoring two goals in the next 15 minutes to win 2-1 with Nicolo Barella scoring the game winner for the Azzurri.

Again, it's going to be another awesome day of sport. And what's not to love? It's a Father's Day here in the States. It's a happy Father's Day to all the dads out there who celebrate.

COREN: Absolutely. Happy Father's Day, indeed. Coy, great to see you. Thank you, as always.

Well, that wraps up this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Anna Coren. No, before we go, I beg your pardon, I'll read this to you. Catherine, the Princess of Wales, joined King Charles and other British royals Saturday for the Trooping the Colour event. The official celebration of the monarch's birthday was her first public appearance in months.

The princess revealed in March that she is undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer. King Charles is also battling cancer, although he resumed public-facing duties in April. But at events on Saturday, he carried out his review of troops in a carriage rather than on horseback.

Well, now that wraps up this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Anna Coren. Thank you so much for your company.

For our viewers in North America, "CNN This Morning" is next. For everyone else, it's "African Voices Changemakers."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)