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Shipping Industry Wary As Donald Trump Says Strait of Hormuz Reopening; Volodymyr Zelenskyy Pushes For Air Defenses As Russia Ramps Up Attacks; Unexpected Results Shake Up Monday's Group Openers of FIFA World Cup; Cape Verde Shock Fans With 0-0 Draw Against Spain, the Reigning European Champions; NASA Embraces Digital Media to Inspire Next Generation; U.K. Planning to Ban Social Media for Kids Under 16. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired June 16, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:33]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, conflicting messages on the Strait of Hormuz as Donald Trump touts his memorandum of understanding with Iran.

A Ukrainian monastery, nearly 1,000 years old, is set on fire in a Russian attack just hours before G7 leaders meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Plus, Cape Verde shocks the world in their first ever World Cup match. We'll have all the highlights from the FIFA World Cup.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us. And we begin this hour with the memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran. Trump administration officials say it's been signed digitally, but there are still plenty of questions about what's in it and when it will be made public. President Trump is touting the agreement at the G7 Summit in France. He says it will prevent Tehran from ever having a nuclear weapon, and he claims the Strait of Hormuz will be completely open by Friday.

Others in his administration suggest it could take more time for the vital oil shipping route to return to normal. Reporters pressed for more details about the Iran agreement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, when will the text of the MOU be released? DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think pretty soon. I would say, I mean, I want it to be released, because it's a very powerful document, probably pretty soon. I would say after sometime after Friday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Even a number of Republican senators are refusing to comment on the agreement, saying they don't know what's in it, but Vice President J.D. Vance says it meets the administration's number one goal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Most importantly, they're going to have a verifiable commitment to not building a nuclear weapon. But the good thing about the way that we've set this up is that we have the leverage here. We have the ability to welcome them into the world economy if they perform. We also have the ability to say, you know what, you don't get anything if you don't meet your end of the obligation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: There are already conflicting statements ahead of the signing ceremony of the U.S.-Iran agreement on Friday. Iran's president says, although the memorandum is a significant step towards halting the war, a final agreement has not yet been formalized.

And while President Trump says that passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be permanently toll-free, Iranian media report that Tehran will allow free transit for the 60-day negotiation period, and plans to impose fees after that.

Well, CNN's Kristie Lu Stout joins us now live from Hong Kong. Good to see you, Kristie.

So, President Trump may say the Strait of Hormuz is reopened, but what's the reality for the shipping industry right now?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR: Rosemary, the reality is this, the ships are not moving, they are staying put. U.S. President Donald Trump may say the Strait of Hormuz has been reopened since that MOU was signed on Sunday between Iran and the U.S., but the global shipping industry isn't buying it. They are not as bullish as the U.S. president.

In fact, the shipping executives I've been speaking to over the last day or so tell me that a number of risks remain in the region, kinetic risks like mines, drones, potential missile attack, as well as the threat of harassment from naval fleets.

And then there is also crew exhaustion. The fact that these seafarers, many of them have been stuck at sea for weeks, if not months, that affects their mental health, that affects their operations, and their ability. We also received an alert from JMIC, this is the Joint Maritime

Information Center, saying that the risk level in the region is, "Severe." It also points out that the blockade is still in effect, and saying this, "Do not attempt to cross until explicit direction is given." This is the alert that was given by the JMIC to ship owners and shipping execs here in Hong Kong and all over the world.

It was on Monday when U.S. President Donald Trump posted this on social media. Let's bring it up for you, he said this, "Ships are starting to move, many loaded up with oil out the Strait of Hormuz."

But that is not the operational reality out on the water. In fact, according to marine traffic monitoring groups, they say that there has been no significant movement since that MOU was signed on Sunday. According to Kepler, there are still about 220 tankers and 500 ships that remain trapped in the Gulf.

[02:05:15]

I spoke to one shipping CEO. Based here in Hong Kong, he said he has about a dozen vessels stuck in the Gulf. He has no plans to move them. This is what Angad Banga told me. He's a Sea of Caravel group. He said, "We are maintaining enhanced manning and citadel readiness until we have 30 days of incident-free transit, not three days, 30."

I also spoke to Tim Huxley, Chairman of Mandarin Shipping, also based here in Hong Kong, and he shares this, "Even if things go smoothly and everything goes back to normal, it's going to take some time before trade flows are back to normal, and a lot of infrastructure has been damaged in the Middle East, which will take time to fix."

Look, throughout the conflict, this is what happened: the Strait of Hormuz, it turned into a flashpoint. It snarled maritime traffic. It also pushed the prices of energy from liquefied natural gas to crude ever higher and higher.

Remember, before the war, about one-fifth of the world's daily oil supply trends did through the Strait of Hormuz, and there's a lot of hope, a lot of expectation that that traffic level will return, but so far you look at the data, you talk to the shipping execs, there's a lot of uncertainty. The movement is not there. Back to you.

CHURCH: And Kristie, the fate of the Strait of Hormuz is in focus at the G7 summit in France. How is it being discussed there?

STOUT: Yes, it is in focus at the G7 Donald Trump, the U.S. president, is at the G7 There, he's been hailing the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, but many other Western leaders there do not share his bullishness and his optimism.

Instead, they're choosing to focus on the practical realities of how do you reopen this critical waterway. We've been learning that the leaders of France and the U.K., they are suggesting a sort of multinational naval force to safeguard ships transiting through the Strait of Hormuz. It's unclear what Trump's reaction is to that plan. It's also unclear what would be Iran's reaction to that plan, because this would be a multinational force just off its coast.

But analysts continue to point out it is going to take months before we are going to see normal levels of traffic go through the Strait of Hormuz, because the confidence isn't there. There simply isn't enough confidence in the maritime insurance industry, let alone among global ship owners, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. Many thanks for that live report, appreciate it.

STOUT: Thank you.

CHURCH: Well, joining me now from Stockholm, Sweden, Ali Fathollah- Nejad is the founder and director of the Center for Middle East and Global Order. Appreciate you joining us.

ALI FATHOLLAH-NEJAD, FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR MIDDLE EAST AND GLOBAL ORDER: Thank you.

CHURCH: So, the U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding will be formally signed on Friday in Switzerland, but what everyone wants to see right now is the actual text of this tentative deal, and while leaders at the G summit in France congratulated President Trump, officials say the text remains a mystery.

So, we've learned from the U.S. Vice President that it's only a page and a half. When do you expect to see the text, and what do you think is in it?

FATHOLLAH-NEJAD: Well, according to the press conference of the spokesperson of Iran's Foreign Ministry yesterday, the text of the MOU going to be released on Friday upon the ceremony of signature. What is in it is still not very clear, but what seems to be clear is that it's going to involve the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, that is the lifting of the Iranian de facto blockade of this trade, and also the lifting of the U.S. block naval blockade of Iranian ports.

We have now earlier, you know, initial reports about Iranian ships being allowed by the United States to pass through the Straits, so this is one certain factor that we know.

The other one is whether it's going to involve the ceasefire that weather going to involve the ceasefire on all fronts, which is a major demand from the Iranian regime.

So, this would have also to involve the Lebanon-Israel front, and this is also not clear whether Israel is going to abide by that, but this is quite crucial for the Iranian side, because the Islamic Republic, you know, has to rely on this in order to be able to sell it to its hardline constituency.

And beyond that, there are also all kinds of other questions when it comes to the release of Iranian frozen fronts, if this is going to happen up front as the Iranians would, you know, have demanded, or if this is going to happen later on, based on performance from the Iranian side. [02:10:04]

CHURCH: And President Trump claims that the Strait of Hormuz will be completely open by Friday, even as some in his own administration suggest it could take longer. And the president also says the Strait will be toll free. But Iran says it plans to collect fees for that vital waterway eventually. What do you make of these contradictions?

FATHOLLAH-NEJAD: Well, this is one of the many points of contention from the Iranian side, they have for weeks now taken a position that they claim some kind of sovereignty or control over the waterway, which used to be maybe an international waterway, but now the Iranians are claiming this kind of control, together with the Omanis, perhaps, and maybe within the period of negotiation in the post MOU phase, the 60 day period, they may not, you know, go for fees, but this is something that is not totally clear.

CHURCH: And at the G7 Summit, President Trump said the agreement will prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapon. How does a 1.5 page document achieve that, given the more contentious issues of Iran's nuclear program? Of course, its uranium enrichment won't be discussed until the start of the 60-day period that follows the formal signing?

FATHOLLAH-NEJAD: Perhaps, absolutely. This is only a letter of intent. So, the main issue, then the main problems going to re-emerge in the post MOU negotiation period, that going to be centered on Iran's nuclear issue. There, we have a number of problems. One is the difference between the U.S. demand for zero enrichment and Iran's insistence that they want to keep domestic uranium enrichment.

Secondly, it's about the fate of 400 kilograms of highly rich uranium, maybe they're going to be some Iranian offers to down blended, and also maybe they're going to be some Iranian, you know, concessions to agree on a moratorium of uranium enrichment, but there again, there is also wide gulf between the two sides. The Iranians may agree, you know, a short of -- you know, shorter period of time, for instance, two years, whereas the U.S. may want to have it much, much longer, this kind of moratorium of Iranian uranium enrichment.

And even if we solve, even if there are nuclear concessions from the Iranian side, the question of sanctions relief is also quite important, which is also very controversial, and we didn't even talk about other sources of major tension in the Middle East when it comes to Iran's missile program, drone program, and Iran's support for regional militias.

So, the main sources of tension will not even be part of those negotiations.

CHURCH: Ali Fathollah-Nejad, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.

FATHOLLAH-NEJAD: Thank you.

CHURCH: Israel and Hezbollah are continuing to clash in southern Lebanon, despite the U.S.-Iran agreement, which seeks to end military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon. President Trump was reportedly upset with the Israeli Prime Minister for striking a Beirut suburb over the weekend.

But for those living inside the conflict zone, the ongoing attacks are having a devastating impact on daily life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMED ALI NADER, MAYOR OF GHANDOURIEH, LEBANON (through translator): The situation is depressing, as you can see. Look, the land is unlivable, houses are demolished, and the homes that aren't destroyed can't be lived in because they're wrecked inside.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: On Monday, Benjamin Netanyahu said he and the U.S. President don't always, "See eye to eye." Netanyahu has vowed that Israel will continue to occupy parts of Lebanon, Gaza, and Syria for as long as necessary.

Still to come, Ukraine's president says Russia has committed a grave attack on history and on Christianity. Now he's pushing for more air defenses and direct peace talks.

And later this hour, we will take a look at the results of Monday's World Cup matches, including a shocking outcome for European champion Spain in their opening game against Cape Verde.

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[02:19:00]

CHURCH: G7 leaders will soon be meeting in France for the first working session of their summit, and Ukraine is high on the agenda. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be joining them. He says his top priority is securing more air defense capabilities. He also says he will speak with President Trump about how to push Putin to stop this war.

Just hours before those comments, a Russian strike set fire to a nearly a 1000-year-old cathedral in Kyiv, at least 11 people were killed in Russia's latest attacks. More details now from CNN's Nick Paton Walsh.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Russia's savagery against Ukraine always seems to find new depths to sink to. Last night, one of Ukraine's oldest churches, the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, founded nearly 1,000 years ago, rocketed.

Almost certainly the target here, it sits quiet and alone on Kyiv's woody riverbank. Ukraine's plight getting less attention during the U.S. war with Iran, but raging still.

[02:20:07] Nightly attacks across Ukraine as fierce as Moscow can manage, but not massively more effective, instead becoming more grotesque against the people and culture their invasion falsely claimed it wanted to save.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: When we go now to G7 meeting, first topic, you see what is the priority. The priority is air defense.

WALSH (voice-over): Russian officials have claimed U.S. President Donald Trump told Russian President Vladimir Putin during a congratulatory 80th birthday call in which Putin called him such a bright, remarkable person that he will pressure Ukraine and Europe at the G7 to agree to Russian terms for a deal.

But European officials see Russian desperation and weakness amid their outrage at these strikes and an opening, as Russia stalls on the front line.

JEAN-NOEL BARROT, FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): For us French, this would be the equivalent of bombing Notre Dame or Saint- Denis, something that is obviously unacceptable.

FRIEDRICH MERZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): Ukraine today finds itself in a new position of strength. Russia cannot win militarily. And, moreover, its economy is in dire straits.

WALSH (voice-over): Ukraine's deep strikes into Russia, like those we witness here, have caused huge damage and embarrassment. Some Kremlin allies have suggested Putin may now realize the war is going badly, or at least slowly, with a Western estimate of half a million Russian dead.

Even Putin, whose hometown was hit in early June by drones during a key meeting, briefly admitted to economic damage last week.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): As for the economy, yes, we suffer some damage, but everything is recovering quickly. They will not be able to create serious problems for us, but keeping in mind what they are doing, we should retaliate appropriately. WALSH (voice-over): And so the strikes across Ukraine keep coming, even as Ukraine's defenses improve against drones, but struggle with the ballistic missiles Moscow is throwing at them to make the desperate point it is not losing.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Inna Sovsun is a member of Ukraine's parliament. She joins me now live from Kyiv. Appreciate you being with us.

INNA SOVSUN, UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: Thank you for having me.

CHURCH: Of course. So, as the war in Ukraine rages on, with Russian strikes hitting civilian targets in the country, President Zelenskyy will be attending the G summit in France and making it his top priority to secure more air defense capabilities, how likely is it that he will get what he needs to defend Ukraine?

SOVSUN: Well, of course, the major limitations is the American factor, the fact that majority of air defense that we need right now is in the American hands. We need the missiles for the Patriot systems, which are most effective against the Russian ballistics, we are badly needing them right now. The night before has been terrifying, precisely because we knew we are very much limited on that.

So, I would say that we don't have trouble with any other country, but the U.S. position on aid in Ukraine right now is, to put it mildly, very complicated, and I don't see it changing. At least we're not seeing any signs of that changing as of right now.

So, we are negotiating with other countries the supply of those air defense missiles, but, but of course, the major limitation is the position of the United States right now.

CHURCH: Right. And President Zelenskyy also plans to speak with President Trump about how to get Russia's President Putin to end his war with Ukraine, while Trump says he recently spoke to both leaders and claims they're both open to a peace deal. Do you agree with that? Do you think Putin is open to a peace deal?

SOVSUN: Well, I want to believe that he's open for a peace deal, because living in this nightmare for fifth year in a row is extremely exhausting and terrifying and terrible.

However, we also know that Putin is not prone to rational thinking. If he were, he wouldn't have started war all together at all, so of course Russia right now has very little to argue for. They are not proceeding in Donbas, which they claim they want to get through negotiations. They're not making any movement there. They are getting the drones attacks on their own territory, so it does seem like rational choice that maybe it's time to negotiate.

But again, the major problem with negotiating with Putin is that you try to guess what his rational thinking will be, but he's not thinking rationally, he's thinking in terms of the Russian Empire, of how he wants to restore it, and so on and so forth. He doesn't take into account the lives of the Russian people that he's losing, not even speaking about the Ukrainian lives.

[02:25:02]

So, I think that in the West there is a general trend to try to rationalize Putin thinking, but it doesn't fit into them into the rational way of thinking.

Another major problem, of course, here is the position of Donald Trump himself. For what is it, 18 months now, he has been trying to make a deal, as he says it, but the truth is that the only country that he has been pressuring in those negotiations is Ukraine, instead of putting any pressure on to Russia.

So, unless the United States chooses to put any pressure on Russia, be it tougher sanctions or providing better and more weapons to Ukraine, not much changes strategically in Putin's world worldview. So, we'll see about that.

CHURCH: Yes, and of course, now that the US has this tentative deal with Iran. Do you think there's a better chance that President Trump will give the war in Ukraine more attention and perhaps find a way to end the war sooner rather than later? He's pretty much indicated that at the G7 summit.

SOVSUN: Well, we'll see how the tentative deal with Iran will proceed, but again, the major problem is how he will try to make a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia.

If he keeps on negotiating as an independent negotiator, as a moderator, as he says, and putting pressure only onto Ukraine, that of course will not lead to a stable peace agreement, and not to a peace agreement that Ukraine will agree to. We remember that over the last half a year, the American signals have been that Ukraine simply has to give up part of its own territory, the one that Putin wants.

And it seemed like American administration was agreeing to that. So, I wonder if his position has changed on that. So, that is a major question of how he will try to make a deal, not just whether he will try to make it at all.

CHURCH: Inna Sovsun, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.

SOVSUN: THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

CHURCH: Well, back here in the United States, military officials are investigating what caused a B-52 bomber to crash shortly after takeoff in California. At least eight people are dead after what officials say was a routine test mission at Edwards Air Force Base. One official at the base calls the accident tragic and unsurvivable.

The crash left a plume of black smoke in the air and black scars on the runway. The crew was a mix of military officials, government civilians, and contractors. Boeing says two of its employees were on that test flight.

Well, national teams are leaving it all on the pitch to kick off this year's World Cup. Still to come, the shocking outcome following a clash between a small island nation and a European powerhouse. Back with that and more in just a moment.

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[02:32:35]

CHURCH: It was another day of exciting World Cup action as teams vie for an early advantage in the group stage. For just the second time in FIFA history, on the very same day, June 15, 1958, all four scheduled matches ended in a draw.

In Los Angeles, a thrilling match between Iran and New Zealand ended in a 2-2 tie. It's an encouraging result for Iran. The team's participation has sparked controversy and there were protests outside the stadium ahead of the game. Meanwhile, in Miami, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay held each other to one goal each. Unexpectedly, Saudi Arabia almost snatched the win until higher-ranked Uruguay snuck in an equalizer in the final ten minutes of the match. And Cape Verde delivered the most shocking result out of this tournament so far, much to the delight of their fans back home.

In their first-ever World Cup appearance, the tiny African nation managed to hold off heavily favored Spain for a 0-0 draw. CNN World Sport's Patrick Snell has more on the incredible match.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: It is one of the most remarkable storylines in World Cup history. Cape Verde playing in their first World Cup, not just playing in their first World Cup, but going on to get a point. They get a draw in their first-ever match and look at the opponents they were up against. The reigning champions of Europe, Spain. The 2010 winners, La Roja, who were left absolutely frustrated.

Not even Lamine Yamal, the 18-year-old phenom from Barcelona, when he came on back from injury with 20 minutes to go, could change the course of this game. La Roja left totally frustrated. 0-0, the final score, unable to get the breakthrough. Cape Verde, I will say, thoroughly deserving of this point. They had their keeper, the 40- year-old, Vozinha, to thank.

He made a total of seven saves. He plays in the second tier of Portuguese football. And when he came off the field of play at the end of this match, the emotion etched all over his face, fighting back tears. It's no wonder the fans here of Cape Verde, in this fan zone, in the heart of downtown Atlanta, were left absolutely delighted by their country's historic result.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm ecstatic. I mean, we made history.

[02:35:00]

First game in the World Cup, first clean sheet, first point, first everything.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody thought we were going to get blown out. I didn't. I knew we were going to hold our own.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're a third world country, right? First game of our first time in the World Cup, we tied against Spain. If we tied against Spain, what can we do?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We definitely held our own. I mean, I think Spain's a great team. If we did that good against Spain, I think we'll be fine in the group stage.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give me Saudi, give me anybody. We're doing that, bro.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's lit. We're about to turn up right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Viva Cabo Verde, Dubai (ph)! [Foreign Language].

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNELL: What an incredible performance from Cape Verde. And it means they go into their next match on Sunday with a real spring in their step now, full of confidence as they prepare to take on Uruguay, while Spain's next game on the same day against Saudi Arabia. And with that, it's right back to you.

CHURCH: Very exciting. And when it comes to viewing World Cup matches, most fans watch from home or maybe at a bar. If they have deep pockets, they might fly to a host city to see the match in person.

But when a 22-year-old Japanese college student living in the U.S. wanted to see his home team play in Texas, he had to get creative about his transportation. Robbie Hawken has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBBIE HAWKEN, CNN ASSOCIATE PRODUCER (voice-over): While Japan was playing its first game in this year's World Cup against the Netherlands, somewhere in the crowd was Yuto, a 22-year-old student from Japan studying in the U.S., who decided to bike more than 1,200 miles from Pittsburgh to Dallas to watch the game.

NAGATOMO YUTO, JAPANESE FOOTBALL FAN: I'm going to watch World Cup game is (ph) the most reason. I'm from Japan. Japan plays there. So, yeah, we're going to be champions this year.

(LAUGH)

HAWKEN (voice-over): CNN affiliate, KXII caught up with Yuto on his way to the game. He says he bought the bike just for this trip, starting his journey on May 13th after moving out of his dorm.

Yuto began posting his travels on social media groups, and many people were eager to help him along the way, offering food, a place to park his bike, or even hosting him for the night. And Yuto was there to celebrate a late equalizer in a 2-2 draw against the Netherlands in Japan's opening group match.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: A very committed fan there. And a group of World Cup fans is drawing international attention, not for rowdy post-game antics, but for acts of kindness. Japanese supporters were spotted cleaning up the stadium after their team's match against the Netherlands in Dallas this week. The tradition dates back to Japan's first World Cup appearance in 1998.

The practice reflects Japan's cultural emphasis on cleanliness, respect for shared spaces, and civic responsibility.

Coming up, why far-right movements appear to be thriving in the U.K. and why the loudest, angriest voices are suddenly becoming mainstream. We'll take a look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:42:30]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Far-right parties are gaining momentum in the U.K. They're drawing support from Britons who are angry about immigration, Islam, and LGBTQ rights. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh shows us how these extreme voices are becoming more mainstream.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Leftie scum, off our streets.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's take our country back.

JOE MULHALL, DIRECTOR OR RESEARCH, HOPE NOT HATE: There is a magma chamber of anger sat underneath British society right now.

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Britain's been shifting to the right. I've spent the past few months trying to understand what's happening in this country. Attending far- right protests, including "Unite the Kingdom," one of the biggest far- right rallies ever on the streets of the U.K., where tens of thousands responded to the call of this man, anti-Islam activist, Tommy Robinson, a convicted criminal turned anti-establishment figure.

TOMMY ROBINSON, POLITICAL ACTIVIST: Are you ready for the battle of Britain?

CROWD: Yeah.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): But it's not just on the streets, and it's not just the extreme right that's on the up. The populist right-wing party Reform U.K., led by long-time Trump ally, Nigel Farage, made massive gains in local elections in May.

This rightward shift isn't one single movement. The different groups represent different shades of right-wing politics, but they all seem to be feeding off of a divided Britain. At the heart of those divisions is the issue of migration.

Just last week, a horrific attack by a Sudanese man on the streets of Belfast almost immediately turned into the latest I-told-you-so moment for the far-right, transforming a local tragedy into a national rallying cry. Powerful allies amplifying the message and fanning the flames of hate.

MULHALL: People in Britain are angry.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): Joe Mulhall infiltrated far-right groups undercover here in the U.K. and in the U.S. He's one of the U.K.'s top experts on these movements.

MULHALL: You know, if you look at the way that people's lives have been, you know, lack of jobs, houses, schools, hospitals, stagnated wages, living standards going down or stagnating for years and years, and they feel that mainstream political parties have not met their material needs.

[02:45:00]

What the far-right are really good at is going to those people, and they turn up and they say, you're right to be angry, and they give them a scapegoat, and they say it's because someone has come to this country and taken it from you. They're really good at redirecting people's anger from where it should be directed.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): I've seen exactly what Joe is talking about. There have been hundreds of protests across the country over the past year, according to activists tracking far-right movements. It's mostly been about migration and how consecutive governments have dealt with this issue.

And with the centre-left Labor Party back in power for the first time in two decades, the far-right senses conditions are ripe for a resurgence. It's in tight-knit communities like this one, in the sleepy market town of Faversham, outside London, where we saw it all play out late last year.

Walking through town with a protest organized by a far-right activist, you see those divisions and feel the anger.

KARADSHEH: Right now, they're marching towards this facility where unaccompanied minors, asylum seekers, have been housed in this town.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): They're a loud crowd, but it's clear they are more noise than numbers. And you do see locals coming out to confront them.

The main event kicks off with a rambling mix of racist rhetoric, fear- mongering and white supremacist conspiracy theories.

HARRY HILDEN, ANTI-IMMIGRATION ACTIVIST: They are teaching about Mohammad and Allah. We will not tolerate our children to be taught about LGBTQ and what pronouns or beliefs, what they can identify as. We will tolerate that around here.

PAUL GOLDING, LEADER, BRITAIN FIRST: Keep up the pressure and one day, you will be victorious.

(CROWD CHEERING)

KARADSHEH (voice-over): At this one tiny town's protest, we find one of the leaders of the U.K.'s extreme right.

GOLDING: Our country is being taken over by mass immigration. We are fed up. This is not the future that our granddad, grandparents and great-grandparents fought for in two world wars. They didn't fight for this to be done to our country.

KARADSHEH: So you want a white Britain? GOLDING: We want our country to be like it was before this immigration invasion was foisted on us. Yes. You mentioned far-right, neo-Nazi, all that a minute ago, as if that kind of stuff -- that doesn't hold any power anymore. You must have learned this from Trump's victory. No one cares if they're called a racist anymore. Those terms are just used to silence people.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): The re-election of Donald Trump is not only an inspiration for this one extreme right figure. At every far-right event I've been to, it is a constant theme. Trump's Make America Great Again has come to the U.K.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is MEGA -- Make England Great Again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is a man, Trump is the man.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have so much respect for President Trump. He is saving not just America, he is saving the West and he's saving the world.

KARADSHEH: You're wearing this because?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because I'm a Donald fan.

KARADSHEH: What is it that's going on? How much of this is really influence from the U.S.?

MULHALL: There's no question they're a huge influence. When the far- right is small, little, fringe political parties, that sounds fanciful. When you've got Donald Trump in the White House, the most powerful man in the world, they can then point to someone and say, look, it's happening there. If it can happen there, it can happen here.

KARADSHEH: Are we headed into a direction where the far-right is turning into a significant political force in Britain?

MULHALL: I think there's no doubt about it, right? The far-right is no longer something that sits on the very margins of our politics in Britain, an annoyance to the right. It is increasingly something that actually has the real chance of taking power in Britain.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): The once-fringe voices seem to be moving into the mainstream. It's a small but vocal minority that's threatening to change the face of Britain. Now, they believe their moment has arrived.

Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Still to come, NASA sets out to inspire the new generation. We will show you how the space experts are winning over a new audience by embracing technology. Back in just a moment.

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. From Artemis II's record-breaking lunar flyby to unveiling the first phase of its moon base plans, it's been a busy year for NASA and space exploration. Just last week, NASA unveiled the primary crew for the Artemis III mission. CNN's Michael Yoshida has more on the new space age and NASA's push to inspire the next generation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL YOSHIDA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A historic launch, moon base unveiling, and new crew announcement.

KJELL LINDGREN, ASTRONAUT: We are in a golden age of exploration.

YOSHIDA (voice-over): Astronaut Kjell Lindgren says just as his imagination was captured by watching the Apollo astronauts, decades later, a new generation is seeing what's possible.

LINDGREN: It is the human and human spaceflight that makes the endeavor so challenging, but it is also the human and human spaceflight that makes it so compelling.

YOSHIDA (voice-over): Helping make that connection, NASA is embracing digital media. In 2025, the agency overhauled its social media strategy to better connect with audiences, an effort evident during Artemis II, bringing people along for the ride in ways prior moon missions couldn't.

NUJOUD MERANCY, DEPUTY ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR FOR STRATEGY & ARCHITECTURE, NASA: How cool is that? We get their playlists. We get to see their videos. We get to follow along. You know, the little things that happen during the mission make it real.

YOSHIDA (voice-over): NASA's Nujoud Merancy says going beyond polished, perfectly curated, influencer-type content and sharing real, organic moments and emotions is key.

MERANCY: It's the crew being excited about seeing flashes of micrometeoroids on the moon. The bottle of Nutella floating through the cabin. It's those little things that I think have the most impact.

YOSHIDA (voice-over): And for those inspired, but aren't sure where they might fit in this new world of space exploration --

MERANCY: I hope they just keep following along and then let their curiosity guide them. There are so many avenues to supporting this, and it's not just the traditional engineering and scientist roles.

YOSHIDA (voice-over): I'm Michael Yoshida reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: The British government is the latest to announce plans to ban social media for kids under 16. It is scheduled to start early next year and would contain some of the world's toughest online restrictions for children to date. CNN's Nada Bashir has the details.

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there has certainly been a mixed reaction. The government is describing this as a watershed moment and a significant step taken to ensure the safety and welfare of young people online. And of course, this ban, once it does come into effect, will impact some of the most popular social media platforms, including Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat, though it won't affect messaging sites like WhatsApp or Signal.

But it is going a step further in comparison to other nations which have taken similar measures, such as Australia and Spain. It will include gaming platforms. It will include live stream platforms and any sort of platform that allows children under the age of 16 to interact and engage with strangers online.

Now, there has been some reaction from the BigTech firms that manage some of these key social media sites, including Meta, the parent company of both Facebook and Instagram. We heard from a spokesperson there saying that they have already implemented features to limit who can contact children and who they interact with, as well as the content that they see. And that this ban might not necessarily have the desired effect.

[02:55:00]

They've gone on to say that it risks isolating teens, for example, from key communities that they have built online. But, of course, when it comes to parents and teachers as well, this has been received somewhat positively, although there is still some debate. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If it is how kids are socializing, then are we going to have problems with, like, isolation and loneliness? So, there needs to potentially be alternatives for younger children, social media that's safer for teenagers, rather than just point blank wiping it out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't have social media until I was 16. I loved life before that, and I think, like, a lot of insecurities I had were from, you know, interacting with stuff online.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good thing. Too much time spent on screens is not good for anyone, never mind, someone's brain is still developing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASHIR: Now, this decision comes after months of consultations with parents and teachers, as well as young people. The government says that it carried out a survey and received responses from more than 110,000 of those people, and among them, nine out of 10 British parents backed the ban.

More than 83 percent said they believe the risks posed by social media outweighed the benefits. But, of course, this is a sweeping measure. It is not expected to be implemented immediately. The bill will be brought before Parliament just before Christmas, and it is expected that the ban would be implemented early next spring.

And the government is already exploring other options as well, including potentially enforcing a curfew on social media for anyone under the age of 18.

CHURCH: And the U.K. government says it plans to follow Australia's legislative model for the ban. Australian lawmakers banned social media for children under 16 last year. But a survey by Australia's e- Safety Commissioner identified some gaps after the rules took effect in December. It found that nearly seven out of 10 children who had an account on certain platforms before the ban took effect still had it a month or so later.

With these issues in mind, Canada proposed its own ban last week for kids under 16. No specific apps have yet been named, but the bill includes restrictions on A.I. chatbots. Canada's proposal also requires that social media companies shield children from cyber bullying and other forms of harmful content.

I want to thank you so much for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. "CNN Newsroom" with Polo Sandoval is next, after a quick break. Do stay with us.

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