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Venezuela Quakes Kill 1,450 Amid Race To Find Survivors; U.S. Says Technical Talks With Iran Remain On Track; Heatwave Shatters Records Across Europe; Three Firefighters Die Battling Blaze On Utah- Colorado border; 11 Killed In France Skydiving Plane Crash; Official: U.S. & Iran "Will Stand Down for Now"; Iran, Hezbollah Demand Full Removal of IDF from Lebanon; Putin Dismisses Kyiv's Proposal to Halt Long-Range Strikes; Mullin Defends Decision to End TPS for Haitians; Canada Eliminates South Africa in 1-0 Stoppage Time Win; Pride on Full Display across the Globe. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired June 29, 2026 - 01:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:00:41]

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello wherever you are in the world. You are now in the CNN Newsroom with me, Ben Hunte, in Atlanta. And it is so good to have you with me. Coming up on the show, hope and heartbreak in Venezuela.

We have a report from the scene of rescue attempts following two powerful earthquakes.

Back on track. A senior U.S. official says technical talks with Iran are going as planned after days of back and forth strikes and more temperature records shattered as Europe battles a deadly heat wave.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Ben Hunte.

HUNTE: Welcome. It has been four days since two powerful earthquakes hit Venezuela and rescue crews are determined to keep searching until every missing person is accounted for. The death toll has risen to at least 1,450. Experts believe thousands more deaths are possible amid scenes of utter destruction like this that you're seeing there. Hundreds of buildings have collapsed and more are heavily damaged.

But there are some signs of hope with videos of rescues like this being released as thousands of emergency workers from other countries have now arrived to help. This video was shared online by El Salvador's president who shares crews rescued this woman who had spent 86 hours trapped under rubble. Desperation and frustration is growing among some survivors, though, who say they're not getting the help that they need to rescue their loved ones.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILKER MOLAYA, SEARCHING FOR DAUGTHER (through translator): I pulled my daughter halfway out. I pulled my daughter halfway out. They're not going to move from there. I have nothing to lose. Let them kill me if they want.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: CNN contributor Stefano Pozzebon has more on the rescue efforts.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): Rescue workers are digging their way through rubble and dust to locate survivors in La Guaira. Trapped for days under a pile of collapsed homes. The port city is ground zero for the Venezuelan earthquake search and rescue operation. This elite rescue team from the U.S. believe they've heard the tap, tap from under the debris.

POZZEBON: They try to communicate with them with sound. And this is why this is truly a race against time. But it's a race against time that is happening in utter silence. Nobody dares to speak. Nobody dares to shout because a sound could mean a life saved.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's an elevator, too, right?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Next to the centers?

POZZEBON: Now all of this is happening as the relatives of the people trapped inside and other survivors are staying here. They're waiting. They're watching. It's an excruciating way for someone who has a seven-year-old son trapped beneath the rubble.

POZZEBON (voice-over): Ronald Pinarua has not slept since Wednesday. He was out when the quakes hit. His son was with his grandmother at home. Amen.

I will find my son today, he says. I know I will. It's now or never for thousands of people who are still missing. Most earthquake survivors are rescued within 72 hours. These rescue workers say they will continue to dig until everyone is accounted for.

The Venezuelan government estimates more than 12,000 people have been displaced. They all need a place to sleep and eat.

POZZEBON: We've just arrived to a fast food. It's a fried chicken restaurant, but they've been turned into a community kitchen. Basically all of these people are now working in a train to bring out 1,500 ready meals. It's fried chicken and fries. But that will fuel both displaced and volunteers that are trying to help.

[01:05:00]

POZZEBON (voice-over): At this restaurant. Everyone lives in La Guaira. Everyone has lived through the double earthquake, but nobody wants to rest. It's the strength of a community who refuses to give up despite the reality.

By sunset, the search stopped. Ronald was found along with his grandmother under the rubble, the latest victim in a tragedy that's already taken more than 1,400 lives. It will still take days to recover their remains, but the pain will stay forever. Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, La Guaira, Venezuela.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Joining us now from Caracas is Beatriz Ochoa, regional head of advocacy for the Norwegian Refugee Council. It is good to see you. Thank you so much for spending a bit of time with us here on CNN. We are hearing that rescue teams are still finding survivors.

What's the situation where you are right now and how much hope remains of finding more people alive?

BEATRIZ OCHOA, REGIONAL HEAD OF ADVOCACY, NORWEGIAN REFUGEE COUNCIL: Thank you for having me. People are still hopeful that they will find their friends and family members, their rescue teams from all over the world trying to save as many lives as possible. Here in Caracas and in the coastal town of La Guaira, there's many, many people trying to help. And all efforts are doing their best so that more people can be found.

HUNTE: That is good to hear. The, the death toll has now climbed above 1,400. Realistically, and based on what you're seeing on the ground, how much higher are you expecting that number to go?

OCHOA: I think this is something very difficult to assess. Rescue teams will try to do their best. And what we -- what I can tell you as the Norwegian Refugee Council is that we also need to focus on people that have lost their homes and they are going to shelters. We have visited some places today, and we're seeing a lot of the needs, especially for people finding safer places to sleep, to have access to water, to have access to food. So this is also important to focus on.

HUNTE: Can you just tell us how the earthquake has made Venezuela's existing humanitarian situation worse?

OCHOA: Yes, this is a very good question. Before the earthquakes, already more than 7 million people were in need of international support of humanitarian assistance. And this has fell short in the last few years. So we can only imagine that all this is getting worse.

There hasn't been estimates as such. This will take a little bit of time, but I can only tell you that the situation will certainly worse -- worsened because of the earthquake. So we need more and more support from the -- from the international community.

HUNTE: Well, speaking of that support from the international community, rescue teams have started arriving from around the world. Do you think that assistance is getting to people who need it the most or are there still major challenges there? OCHOA: I think we're talking about two things here. The search and rescue operations are the most life savings and what is needed right now to try to save as many lives as possible. But we're also seeing the need for enough water, enough food, enough medical supplies, what we call nonfood items such as mattresses and places where people can sleep.

So this is coming from the international community, but it is also being already received in some instances from the community. The community themselves are the first that are organizing the neighbors. This is something that has surprised me in a very good way. The great support from the neighbors, from families, from friends that are bringing hot meals to a lot of people, medical suppliers, bottle of waters. But the most important thing is that this needs to be sustained. There's a lot of efforts in the first week. This needs to be sustained in the weeks, months, years to come.

HUNTE: As the operation does begin to shift from rescue to recovery, what support will families and communities need over the coming weeks and months?

OCHOA: And everything from a safe and dignified way to sleep. We're seeing now temporary community shelters where people have small mattress and something to eat and something to drink. But this is very temporary and it can only be very temporary. So people will need a shelter, a safe place to sleep that is more accommodating, that people need privacy as well.

I was listening to a woman today that said, I'm receiving whole meals, but I also need canned food and I need to have my own storage.

[01:10:00]

People is receiving water. People have some access to toilets. But I also hear we cannot shower because there's no shower. So people are just, like, cleaning themselves. So in the first few days, this is understandable. But for the next weeks and months to come, people need to have safe and dignified access to water, to sanitation facilities, to sanitary pads for women and girls, health support. And what also we are seeing is schools are being used as temporary accommodation.

This is the case in many other crises in the world. But this needs also to be temporary so that children can go back to school and the children can gain a sense of normality and that can receive some support going back to learning and so on. So this is some of the things that we're seeing as some of the most urgent needs, but not the only ones, of course.

HUNTE: OK. My team and I just want to say thank you for your time and thank you for what you're doing on the ground as well. We genuinely appreciate it. And we know that it's very difficult to speak about these things. We're just seeing the visuals as you were talking to us there, and it's absolutely awful. It's so shocking. So thank you for your work, and I'm sure we'll speak to you again very soon. Beatriz, thank you.

OCHOA: Thank you so much for having me.

HUNTE: A senior U.S. official says technical talks over the Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. and Iran are still on track. That word following an exchange of fire over the weekend that strained the fragile truce between the two countries. And now a Trump administration official says the U.S. and Iran will, quote, stand down for now after the escalation near the Strait of Hormuz. That official also saying that vessels can move freely in the strait. So far, though, there has been no word from Iran.

Amid that latest escalation. Iran says it targeted U.S. military sites in neighboring countries. A U.S. official says drones and missiles launched by Iran were, quote, shot down, intercepted, or failed to reach their intended targets. Trita Parsi is the author of "Losing an Enemy."

He's executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. He's joining us from Washington. It is good to see you, sir. The U.S. says technical talks with Iran are back on track.

Can we take that to mean that negotiations are going ahead as expected?

TRITA PARSI, AUTHOR, "LOSING AN ENEMY": Hopefully. Hopefully, nothing else will happen before now and Tuesday, and these talks will go ahead. But this is -- this is getting to become quite a detrimental and problematic pattern in which a lot of the vagabees that existed in the MoU are very quickly coming to create different interpretations and rather conflicting views of how to handle the situation. And the matter of the Strait is one of those, it appears like.

But it appears that this, for a moment, things are going back to the way they should be. But it's very important that this does not become a pattern that continues because you have a couple of more of these incidents and exchanges of fire, and the MoU will likely be dead.

HUNTE: How do these kinds of exchanges of fire that we have been seeing all weekend affect the process?

PARSI: Well, it destroys the trust and the confidence that is actually supposed to be built. It fuels the mistrust, the myth, misperceptions about what the intent of the other side actually is in these processes. And, of course, if you end up having, as we saw in the last couple of days, changes of fires that eventually, perhaps will leave a couple of people dead, it will just create domestic political pressures on both sides that will make it very difficult for them to continue with the MoU.

HUNTE: What do you see as the biggest obstacle to turning this pause into what could be a lasting agreement?

PARSI: Well, it seems like an understanding on this trade is going to be reached. But I'm very worried about the agreement that Israel and Lebanon signed because it seems to contradict the MoU. The MoU essentially made it clear that the Israelis would leave all of Lebanese territory and that it would happen within the timeframe of the MOU. But the deal that the Israelis struck with the Lebanese seems to go in a different direction.

Does not necessarily mean that the Israeli will leave it all, leave Israel Lebanese territory altogether. It will be based on other criteria, perhaps a completely different time frame. All of these things, I think, can end up creating a significant problem for the MoU, because I don't think that the Iranians will take that lightly. I think Lebanon is a very clear red line for them.

HUNTE: You have said before that Iran needs to offer President Trump a much bigger agreement than a narrow nuclear deal. What would that big deal actually look like?

PARSI: I think it would look alike.

[01:15:00]

It looks like something that brings the two countries out of the enmity of the last 47 years in which Trump can say that he established peace, that there's a new relationship that is put into place between the two countries, probably some degree of normalization, reestablishment of diplomatic ties, things that enable him to say that this is historic and this is legacy worthy. It is those type of incentives that he needs in order to take on the political forces whether it is in Israel or in the United States itself. There are very skeptical about any type of an agreement with Iran.

HUNTE: I would love to know your thoughts on how Iran is seeing President Trump's strong language. In one social media post, he said that Iran will no longer exist if the U.S. eses more military action. What's going on there?

PARSI: I think the Iranians are very unhappy with the language that Trump is using. It pushes them towards having to react to it and that can create a spiral that can get out of control. But I think at the same time, the Iranians appear to think that Trump doesn't have any clear military option with Iran.

And part of the reason why he's at times is using the strong language is precisely out of the frustration that he can't force a solution on his own terms because the military option against Iran has turned out to be much, much worse than Trump thought. He thought it was going to be a quick fix. Instead, we are now seeing that the two sides are going to have to make a deal on completely different terms than the rules that Trump originally had wanted.

HUNTE: Based on what you have seen over the past few days, do you think that Washington and Tehran are genuinely trying to reach a lasting agreement or are they simply improving their negotiating positions? What say you?

PARSI: I do think that there is a legitimate and genuine desire on both sides in certain parts of their governments that wants to see this deal actually come to full fruition. I think the Iranians are serious. I absolutely think that the negotiators on the U.S. side are serious as well, and Trump himself. I do think, however, that there are other elements both inside the

Trump administration and within the circle of supporters of the Trump administration, particularly certain donors that are not at all happy with this. And I think this may potentially end up creating problems for the agreement.

HUNTE: Okay. Always fascinating to party. Thanks so much.

PARSI: Thank you so much for having me.

HUNTE: Oil futures are in limbo as the world weighs whether the U.S.- Iran ceasefire survives this latest round of hostility. As you're seeing that Brent crude, the global benchmark, and WTI crude continue to hover on Friday's closing prices, but they are edging higher again as traders do reassess their risk. We give you the latest on that as we get them.

OK. Europe's heat wave isn't over yet. Several countries shattered more records on Sunday, including some hitting all-time highs. All the details just ahead. See you in a moment.

And what should have been a scary skydiving adventure in France turns to tragedy. We'll have the details also when we come back. See you then.

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[01:22:47]

HUNTE: Welcome back. Europe's deadly heat wave shattered more records on Sunday. Lithuania logged its hottest day ever for June. Temperatures reached 97 degrees Fahrenheit or 36 degrees Celsius in a southern town.

And it was so hot in the Czech Republic, the firefighters came to help people beat the heat. Thermometers reached 106 degrees Fahrenheit or 41 degrees Celsius just north of Prague. That set a new all-time high for the country.

And people in Poland were baking under the sun as it also recorded its hottest day in history. A high of 104 degrees Fahrenheit was reached near its eastern border with Germany. That is 40 degrees Celsius. Germany also broke its all-time heat record for a third consecutive day on Sunday. CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Berlin with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The heat wave in much of Europe continues. As you can see here in central Berlin, a lot of people making their way outdoors, for instance, on these tourists' boats obviously getting baked right now in the midday sun here in Berlin.

A lot of folks are coming out trying to beat the heat because one of the things about Europe here is that you're not going to beat the heat by staying inside. Very few homes have air conditions here in Germany, of course, in other European countries as well. And that really is making life difficult for folks as this heat wave has been going on for an extended period of time.

There were some thunderstorms over the Berlin area last night, but there was another big spike in the heat that happened on Sunday morning. And certainly the folks here definitely doing anything that they can to try and stay cool. All of this actually also affecting the infrastructure here in Germany.

The German government says that several highways have seen the concrete of those highways crack in certain places. Some of the highways have been shut down. Others have additional speed limits. Also, the German railway company is telling people, if you don't have to travel by rail, don't do it.

[01:25:00]

Because obviously in this weather, if a train is delayed or if an air condition malfunctions, that could very quickly become a health emergency for some people as well. As far as the forecast is concerned, seems as though there is some respite on the way. There's big heat here on Sunday. However, in the night from Sunday into Monday, there is a temperature drop, at least that's what the forecast says.

And then certainly starting in into this coming week, the Germans are hoping, as are many Europeans, that the temperatures are going to cool down. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Three firefighters have died while battling a wildfire along the Colorado and Utah border. All three were helping fight the fast growing Snyder Fire, which has burned more than 28,000 acres. It is just one of a dozen brush fires burning in Utah. The largest fire, known as the Cottonwood Fire, has grown to nearly 100,000 acres as of Sunday and remains 0 percent contained. The fires have led officials to restrict fireworks over Independence Day weekend.

Tragedy in France after a skydiving plane crashed in the northeast. The plane took off from a small airport in Nancy, France, and then went down shortly afterward, just missing a housing development in a nearby town. CNN Saskya Vandoorne has more for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN PARIS BUREAU CHIEF: Eleven people have been killed after a skydiving plane crashed on Sunday in the northeastern French town of Tomblaine, according to local authorities. The aircraft belonged to a local skydiving club and was carrying a pilot and 10 skydivers, five students and five instructors.

The five students appeared to be independent nurses, according to the president of the Independent Nurses Association. The cause of the crash is still under investigation, but the regional prefect told BFMTV that the aircraft appeared to suffer damage before plunging almost vertically to the ground. The crash occurred in a built up area near a shopping center and there were many witnesses at the scene, including the relatives of the victims.

YVES SEGUY, PREFECT, DEPARTMENT OF MEUTHE-ET-MOSELLE (through translator): The plane, which was carrying 11 people, crashed suddenly in the immediate vicinity of the airfield. There are 11 victims at this time. There are no bystanders among the casualties. Together with all stakeholders, emergency services and all the elected officials around me, our thoughts are with the victims and with their loved ones.

VANDOORNE: An investigation has been opened as officials work to determine exactly what caused the crash. Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: An exchange of fire tests a fragile truce ahead, what the Trump administration is saying about talks with Iran after both sides fire off fresh strikes over the weekend.

Plus, Iran is demanding a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon. Still ahead, an update on the latest exchange of fire between the IDF and Hezbollah. See you in A moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:32:48]

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Back now to developments in the Middle East. A Trump administration official says the U.S. and Iran will, quote, "stand down for now" after exchanging fresh strikes over the weekend.

That escalation, taking place near the Strait of Hormuz, where the official says vessels can now move freely. Iran, however, has not yet weighed in on the matter.

A U.S. official says technical talks over the Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. and Iran are still on track.

Joining us now is Cedric Leighton, CNN military analyst and retired U.S. Air Force colonel. It is good to see you, sir.

Technical talks between the U.S. and Iran appear to be back on track this week. That is obviously despite the recent exchange of attacks. Does that suggest that both sides still want some sort of a solution?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: I think so, Ben, and it's great to be with you again.

There are certain signals that each side is sending to each other, and I think one of them being these technical talks scheduled for Doha. Those are going to, I think, be important for any progress that could potentially be achieved, whether it comes to the Strait of Hormuz or other issues, such as perhaps the nuclear deal.

But that's the kind of thing that has to happen in order for any type of ceasefire, at the very least, to basically stay in place.

HUNTE: The ceasefire is still holding, but it is clearly under strain. From a military perspective, how close are we to seeing it totally break down?

LEIGHTON: Well, it really depends on the way in which each side responds to the other. And by that, what I mean is, you know, if the Iranians start hitting more targets in the Persian Gulf States on the on the Arab side of the Gulf, that would indicate a definitely perhaps an irrevocable strain in the ceasefire and would certainly reach an irrevocable strain if the Iranians attacked military bases, the U.S. Military bases in the Middle East.

[01:34:49]

LEIGHTON: And that would be, you know, something where if there's a lot of destruction of either property or equipment or there's loss of life, that could definitely set things afire (ph).

On the other side of the equation, if the Iranians are, you know, attacked and feel that they have lost an undue amount of weapons or munitions or personnel, perhaps that could also result in, you know, a strain that way.

But it looks to me more like it would be really dependent on how the U.S. is impacted at this point.

HUNTE: Iran has continued to launch missiles and drones in recent days, targeting ships as well as U.S. positions in the Gulf. What does that tell you about the state of Iran's military capabilities?

LEIGHTON: Well, one thing it does tell me is that they still have a store of weapons that -- and launch facilities and launch platforms that was not destroyed during the more active phase of this war.

So what that really indicates is that the Iranians have good capabilities to hide systems, to reconstitute systems, and to put them in place where they can potentially strike ships in the Strait of Hormuz or military bases, or of course, installations that belong to the Arab nations on the other side of the Gulf.

HUNTE: Well, speaking of the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. officials say that they have repeatedly struck Iranian missile and air defense sites around it. But how effective have those operations been in reducing the threat?

LEIGHTON: So they've been somewhat effective in that they have an immediate result when they do strike launch facilities or missile emplacements or storage facilities. That does have an impact. And it really means that the Iranians can't reload as quickly as they would like to.

But they do have a reconstitution capability. And because of that, reconstitution capability, the strikes have not been 100 percent effective in the sense that they've achieved some kind of a permanent cessation of Iranian capabilities. And that has a significant impact, because it means the Iranians keep

coming back to doing things such as disrupting the flow of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

HUNTE: And potentially one final one. How surprised are you that we're still talking about this so many months later?

LEIGHTON: Not surprised at all, Ben. Because one of the things that is I think, you know, indicative of the Iranian way of conducting warfare is that they have a degree of resilience that is not often appreciated by some of their adversaries.

And really, what that means is that the Iranians have a capability to withstand what would be considered, you know, pretty big shocks for some military forces. But they can lose a lot of conventional capabilities.

But they have a lot of asymmetric capabilities that they keep using, and they're going to continue to use them. So I'm not surprised at all.

HUNTE: Me neither.

Well, Cedric, always good to see you. I'm sure well be speaking to you again very, very soon. Probably see you next week. Thank you for now.

LEIGHTON: You bet, Ben. Take care.

HUNTE: Thanks.

Continued clashes between Israel and Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon are threatening to unravel U.S. and Iran negotiations.

CNN's Oren Liebermann has the latest from Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: In the broader picture of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, the Lebanon front has been and will very much continue to be a complicating factor there.

We saw Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, according to Iranian state media, demand a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon as part of any final agreement between the U.S. and Iran.

Iran and its proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah, have repeatedly pointed to the Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. and Iran, demanding a complete end to hostilities, and that includes in Lebanon.

But that's complicated by at least four agreements we have seen this month alone that have related in some way to Lebanon or either directly about Lebanon. As Iran and Hezbollah pointed that Memorandum of Understanding Israel and Lebanon with the U.S. signed a completely separate agreement on Friday that was touted by all three countries in a -- in a trilateral framework. And that does not require a full Israeli withdrawal from southern

Lebanon. It only requires a withdrawal in two specific areas along the so-called Yellow Line that delineates the Israeli occupied area in southern Lebanon as part of a pilot program in which the Lebanese military will come in and secure those sites.

A broader withdrawal, sure, it's in there, but that requires a complete disarmament of Hezbollah and a removal of Hezbollah from southern Lebanon. And that's not only weeks away. That might be months or years away, depending on the progress and the pace of the -- of the implementation of that agreement.

Israel has long been skeptical that the Lebanese armed forces have the ability or the will to fully disarm and push Hezbollah out of southern Lebanon.

[01:39:47]

LIEBERMANN: And that very much looks like it will complicate the attempts to negotiate a final agreement between the U.S. and Iran.

As for all of the agreements we've signed this month related to Lebanon, we have seen fighting break out often within hours of those being signed.

And that was the case here once again. We saw continued fighting on Sunday. The Israeli military says one soldier was killed in a firefight with Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon. Israel carried out strikes in southern Lebanon.

Again, all of that complicates the broader negotiation effort between the U.S. and Iran, especially as both Hezbollah and Iran have rejected the latest agreement between Israel and Lebanon.

And that makes this all that much more difficult. And it was already difficult.

Oren Liebermann, CNN in Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Russian President Vladimir Putin is throwing cold water on Ukraine's latest offer to deescalate the ongoing hostilities.

Kyiv has proposed a mutual halt to long-range strikes. President Putin argues the Ukrainian campaign is meant to be a distraction from Moscow's main objectives along the front lines in eastern Ukraine.

But on Sunday, he appeared to dismiss the proposal, saying Russia has no intention of salvaging the Kyiv regime.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): It is clear why this proposal is being made because our retaliatory strikes deep into Ukrainian territory are far more powerful, more sensitive and, frankly, more destructive, leading to serious consequences for the Kyiv regime.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: The U.S. Supreme Court is set to rule on a handful of cases in the coming hours. They include President Trump's attempt to end birthright citizenship as it's been understood for over a century now.

On the first day of his second term in office, Mr. Trump signed an executive order to try to limit that path to citizenship as guaranteed by the 14th amendment.

Lower courts paused that order, saying it was unconstitutional. If birthright citizenship is struck down, experts say it has the potential to cause chaos in the health care system by requiring hospitals to verify a baby's citizenship at birth.

Recent guidance from the U.S. State Department is raising questions about the Trump administration's push to return many Haitians to their homeland. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin responded on Sunday to the guidance, warning that Americans not to travel to Haiti because it's too dangerous.

This comes as roughly 350,000 Haitians in the U.S. are poised to lose a form of humanitarian relief, known as Temporary Protected Status.

CNN's Jake Tapper asked Mullin if Haiti is a safe place right now. Mullin explained that the guidance was just for U.S. citizens.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARKWAYNE MULLIN, U.S. SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: The do not travel is not for Haitians that do not travel for the United States because they are kidnaping or trying to kidnap individuals from the United States because they feel like their family has the money to pay the ransom.

We have -- we have do not travel in places in Mexico or advisory warnings. In fact, if you go through our Web site in the State Department, you'll see there's advisories to a lot of places that are vacation destinations that we have advisories on because of the real risk to Americans.

That doesn't mean it's a risk to the individuals that live there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: A Supreme Court ruling last week clears the way for the Homeland Security Department to strip Haitians and Syrians of their temporary legal protections. Until now, they have been living and working legally in the U.S.

Immigration advocates say the plan would have a negative impact on American communities.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) VILES DORSAINVIL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HAITIAN COMMUNITY HELP AND SUPPORT CENTER: We've been working in every sector. We've been helping boosting the economy of Springfield.

We work at the school district. We work at the factories. We work in the hospitals. We work everywhere. So I know for sure that if it happens that TPS is being ended, that would have been chaotic for our community.

And we start hearing from the community where employers told some of the associates not to come back to work. So many questions are being asked by those institutions and they do not know how to answer those questions or what to do because at the end of the day, it will have so much impact on our community here in Springfield.

As I knew before, if TPS ended, that would be a chaos for our community for sure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: The World Cup now has its first team in the round of 16. We'll look at the results of Canada's dramatic match against South Africa in the knockout stage ahead.

See you in a moment.

[01:44:48]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HUNTE: Welcome back.

The World Cup knockout stage is off to a dramatic start after Canada eliminated South Africa on Sunday, becoming the first team to secure their spot in the round of 16.

[01:49:47]

HUNTE: A last-ditch strike from Canada's Stephen Eustaquio delivered the one-nil win in the 92nd minute of play. It is Canada's first ever knockout stage victory in the World Cup.

Next up for Canada will be the winner of Monday's match between the Netherlands and Morocco. Brazil, Japan, Germany and Paraguay will also be fighting to keep their World Cup dreams alive on Monday.

A penalty shootout can define a team's World Cup performance, but the work of preparing for them goes far beyond the pitch.

WORLD SPORT's Don Riddell spoke with a sports psychologist about how the mentality of team managers on the sidelines can sway the outcome of a shootout long before the first kick is taken.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Football managers have to prepare for penalty shootouts, and the one thing many have learned the hard way is that it just cannot be left until the last minute.

GEIR JORDET, AUTHOR: If this is the first time you're thinking about the penalty shootout, you're way too late and your probability of winning with your team, in my opinion, is considerably below 50 percent.

So how do we set up a plan for a penalty shootout? What is our psychological plan? How do we win this battle with this opposing team? How do we dominate the opponents in different phases of the shootout?

RIDDELL: Of course, they'll always need to be flexible, but they need to have a plan. And the calmer they remain, the better the outcome will be.

JORDET: The managers should definitely not leave it up to the players themselves. The manager knows better than anyone. And the manager needs to spend his attention and his time on communicating the plan.

It needs to be very clear to everyone involved what they're supposed to do. And also the manager needs to provide proper psychological support for the players also, at this moment.

RIDDELL: How would you stack your 1 to 5? Where do the strongest go? Where do the weakest go?

JORDET: You want to make sure that your best penalty takers for sure will be featured in this event. And the safest way to do that is to stack your best penalty takers early.

Most teams tend to put their most senior players at number one, because you really want to have a good start to penalty shootout. That can do a lot for your team, and it can do the opposite for the opponent team.

And other players, they know that they want to take a penalty shot, but they're much more comfortable with a less, let's call it, high- profile shot if something like that exists in the shootout on number two or number three.

We know that shots number four, number five -- these shots tend to be more critical than others because those shots are typically the shots where if you miss, you will instantly lose the shootout. But if you score, you will instantly win the shootout.

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HUNTE: Pride was on full display in events all around the world.

Coming up, we showcase just some of the huge celebrations that took place this weekend. See you in a moment.

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HUNTE: Several countries celebrated Pride this weekend.

New York City held its Annual Pride Parade on Sunday. The parade commemorated the 1969 Stonewall riots, which began the modern LGBT movement.

More than a million people participated, including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

[01:54:51]

HUNTE: Mexico City also celebrated its Pride with a march. 53 groups took part in the 48th annual demonstration.

Marches were also held in Chile and Peru.

And India's LGBT community celebrated with a parade on Sunday. Participants cheered, marched and danced with rainbow flags in Tamil Nadu's state capital.

Around 200 protesters vented their dislike of the United States in Belgium on Sunday as the U.S. diplomatic mission celebrated America's 250th anniversary.

The protest happened outside a park in Brussels that was closed off to the public for the event. An environmental group said it was unacceptable to close the park to celebrate the U.S.

A spokesperson accused President Trump of being, quote, "one of the largest enemies of climate action".

Meanwhile, the U.S. Air Force celebrated America's 250th anniversary by performing a flyover in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday. The iconic Thunderbirds flew over famous Nevada locations such as Las Vegas Ballpark, Hoover Dam and Red Rock Canyon. The Thunderbirds have been part of the U.S. Air Force since 1953.

The Dalai Lama has arrived in northern India for a two-month stay in the Himalayas. Devotees gathered by the thousands on Sunday just to catch a quick glimpse of him.

He had received medical treatment on his knee earlier this month in New Delhi. The spiritual leader is 90 years old now. He told followers last year that he hopes to live beyond 130 years, an extension to his earlier prediction. A Buddhist official from the region described the Dalai Lamas reception.

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TSERING LAKROOK, LADAKH BUDDHIST ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT: In Lei (ph), he received a grand welcome. Thousands of people had gathered on both sides of the road to catch a glimpse of him and to welcome him.

From the airport all the way to his residence, people lined along the route. The reception was great. This time the Dalai Lama will be staying in Ladakh for around two months.

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HUNTE: And that's all I've got for you. Thanks for joining me and the team. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta.

There's so much more of CNN NEWSROOM right after this.

And I'll be back at the same time next week. See you then.

[01:57:16]

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